this is bbc news. the headlines at 9am. north korea has made a failed attempt to test a missile — hours before the us vice—president arrived in south korea. theresa may urges unity over brexit, as she delivers her first easter message as prime minister. our shared interests, are assured ambitions, and above all our shared values can and should should be shared together. the evacuation of besieged towns in syria has resumed, following a suicide attack targeting evacuees. 75 people were killed. turkey goes to the polls in a landmark referendum, that could grant sweeping new powers to president erdogan. the world's oldest person has died aged 117 — emma morano was officially the last surviving person born in the 19th century. and coming up just after half past nine, a look at the papers this easter sunday. good morning and

welcome to bbc news. north korea has made a failed attempt to launch a missile, a day after it issued a warning to the united states that it was ready to hit back with nuclear attacks amid escalating tension in the region. the pentagon said the ballistic missile blew up almost immediately. it happened as the us vice president, mike pence, travelled to south korea on a scheduled visit to discuss the north's missile and nuclear programmes. our correspondentjohn sudworth is in pyongyang with the latest. it's almost certain that the missile test is sent and meant as a deterrent, it came just a few hours before the visit to the south korean capital seoul by the us vice president mike pence. and it's a day after north korea held a massive military parade, a show of strength

typical of this most totalitarian of states and at which it unveiled what are believed to be its first intercontinental missiles. it's worth noting that in many regards this is business as usualfor north korea. it has long used brinkmanship and tension to up the ante and then win diplomatic and economic concessions economic concessions then it steps back from the brink. but with each cycle, moving one step closer towards its goal of becoming a fully fledged nuclear power. what's new in all of this is not what's happening in this capital but in washington, of course, but it seems north korea's actions suggest it's confident that president donald trump, will, like his predecessors before him, eventually conclude that the cost of military action is simply too great.

john sudworth, bbc news, pyongyang. let's cross now to seoul in south korea and the bbc‘s steve evans. the arrival of the us fires president, but south korea in its own turmoil right now, how well is it prepared to respond to north korean action? i don't think there's any sense that people expect things to happen. we've lived in this kind of state of fierce rhetoric from pyongyang pretty well since 1953 and the tension goes up and comes down. go out on the streets, people go about their business, there is no panic buying, nobody is preparing to go out of the city, for example and 25 million people live in this region within range of north korean artillery. the us embassy, business as usual, the us embassy is not warning citizens to leave, for example. the assumption of ordinary people is that this is another

spade, another spat between pyongyang and washington and seoul which will come to nothing. but as john pointed out, the different element in all of this is the new president in the white house that is talking very firmly, very toughly. will he do what his predecessors from clinton on words have done, and decide that the potential cost of fitting north korea is simply too great in terms of the risk of war, 01’ great in terms of the risk of war, or does he have a different perception of risk? we simply don't know at the moment. steve evans, in seoul in south korea, thank you. the failed missile test comes as washington steps up the pressure on the isolated north, with president donald trump saying that the us is ready to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat. our correspondent laura bicker reports now on the american response to events in north korea. pyongyang is being warned. these naval warships

are within striking distance of the north korean capital. the message — the us is ready to act if provoked. north korea is a problem and the problem will be taken care of. north korea has to change its behaviour. the key time for behaviour is now. china is the key. these talks lay the groundwork. donald trump said he received assurances that they would help put an end to the nuclear ambitions of north korea and believe that is why he has dispatched warships. china is already applying pressure at its border and placed a ban on imports of north korean coal. if president trump is weighing his options, his best hope is in beijing. the us could also push for more un sanctions but critics believe that punishes the people of north korea, not its leaders. the pentagon has denied any suggestion of a pre—emptive military strike. but donald trump's actions in syria prove he is a president prepared

to take action quickly and without warning. us troops in afghanistan are advancing after the dropping of a massive bunker busting bomb known as the mother of all bombs. a display of firepower from the world's strongest military thatjust might make a one make think twice about launching any attack. theresa may has used her first easter message as prime minister to say the uk is coming together after the brexit vote. the pm said opportunities would emerge from britain's decision to leave the european union thanks to the country's shared ambitions and values. she also stressed her belief in the importance of religious tolerance and freedom of speech. let us come together as a nation, confident in our values and united in our commitment to the obligations that we have towards one another. let us work together to build that brighter future that we want for our country.

and together, build a stronger, fairer britain that truly does work for everyone. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn used his easter message to urge people not to standby in the face of society's problems. he said easter should be a time to reflect on the current challenges both at home and abroad. it would be easy to retreat into our private lives because of challenges that seem overwhelming, allow ourselves to be divided and blame others. we need to respond to these problems through action and support head on through action and support for socialjustice, peace and reconciliation. an important day for christians all over the world and in rome in a few minutes, the pope will be delivering his easter message. let's take a look at the pictures, huge crowds in

st peter's square as always, the pope preparing for easter mass which should begin in about 20 minutes, spectacular shots from rome, a lovely spring morning, easter falling a little later this year, will be followed after easter mass by pope francis, his traditional message that the pope delivers at this time of year to catholics, not just in italy but the worldwide catholic church. and he has often tried to stress in his course as time of pontiff, his desire for in a gimmick but —— recommend the gold message “— gimmick but —— recommend the gold message —— ecumenical message that embraces christians across the world. we will hear that message later, but for now, that is the scene in rome as the pope prepares for his easter sunday to traditional mass. the evacuation of syrian residents from towns under siege has resumed, after dozens were killed in a suicide car bomb yesterday

on the outskirts of aleppo. the attack happened at a check point where thousands of civilians were waiting on buses to be moved to safety. the bbc‘s lina sinjab is monitoring events from neighbouring lebanon. we can speak to her now — live from beirut. let me ask you, is it at all clear who might have been motivated to undermine a process that was supposed to be going on between representatives of the government and at least some of the rebel groups? so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack but of course there are so many parties involved in this war that don't have any interest in having peace deals in this conflict. of course, especially the rebels in this specific attack, they don't have an interest in this car bomb or this explosion because there were hundreds of opposition waiting to be

evacuated and there were fears of retaliation against them. luckily, there were no further incidents have meant there were no further incidents have m ea nt after there were no further incidents have meant after this car bomb and the evacuation resumed actually and opposition have arrived in idlib however, we can't say they've arrived into safety because idlib, rebel held in northern syria is co nsta ntly rebel held in northern syria is constantly under government bombardment and there are fears that it will be another aleppo in idlib because it's mainly held by the rebels. people being eventuated, we should be clear about this for people watching, is the people who have been actively involved in the fighting or is it also civilians? on both sides, you have the government—held towns, there are shia muslims loyal to president assad, 5000 civilians and militants loyal to president assad and in the

south, 2200 people including civilians and some fighters, a mix of people in this deal that has been brokered by iran and russia. and this evacuation, many opposition look at it as demographic change because most of the sydney opposition are being moved to the north in idlib, one thing that happened yesterday after the attack that gives some light in this war is that gives some light in this war is that after the blast in the attack on civilians, you have seen people from both sides, opposition and loyalists, running to rescue these children and women who were attacked and we have seen lots of opposition activists helping in the rescue, and it's been widely condemned also by the opposition activists which gives hope that there might be some room for reconciliation between civilians once this war stops. —— sunni. for reconciliation between civilians

once this war stops. -- sunni. thank you for updating us. we are getting some news from the reuters news agency that the death toll has reached 112 as the result of that attack near aleppo on saturday. voting is underway in turkey in a referendum that could grant sweeping new powers to president erdogan. if approved, the role of prime minister would be scrapped, as our correspondent mark lowen explains. a divisive campaign has ended and turkey now faces the biggest political choice in its modern history. both sides made a frantic push to the end. voter turnout will be decisive in the outcome. the yes side believes a stronger presidency, scrapping the post of prime minister, will make the government more efficient. if they win, the president will receive enhanced powers to appoint ministers, choosejudges, issue decrees and dissolve parliament. a human chain by the no side who say the reforms would remove parliamentary checks and balances,

and that an authoritarian president erdogan has destroyed what was left of turkish democracy. it has been a traumatic few months in turkey with an attempted coup and repeated terror attacks that have killed around 500 people. the government says a stronger leader could face down terrorists. critics argue that the president has failed to keep turkey safe. and so a crucial country at the geopolitical crossroads is deciding its future path. the outcome will be felt far beyond the borders. selin girit is in istanbulfor us. voting has begun, president erdogan has voted, is it clear at this stage how much he is likely to be able to rely on core support to actually come out for this referendum or is this really one of those boats for

people are unable to confidently predict the outcome? well, that will be the second, it is very difficult to imagine what will be the outcome of this vote. this is a very significant crossroads for turkey, this country has voted five times, this country has voted five times, this is the first time people are going to the polls in the last three yea rs going to the polls in the last three years but today, is more significant than ever. it feels at the voting stations, the polling stations, people are tens and very emotional because what they vote and how they vote today will determine which way this country will go in the future. if the constitutional changes go through, turkey‘s parliamentary system will change to a presidential system will change to a presidential system giving president erdogan sweeping powers. the yes campaign has been very visible and compare to

the no campaign they have been very strong as well, on the waves as well and the no campaign has been complaining about an injustice in that sense. people have started voting, the prime minister has voted already, he said they will respect the result whatever that result is. but people are cautious about what might happen next, if yes is the outcome, this will be the most significant, biggest change in tu rkey‘s significant, biggest change in turkey's political system, if no is the outcome, the president would have to say goodbye to his will for further, extensive, sweeping presidential powers. since the attempted coup last year of which he saw off there have been a huge number of arrests, trials, people detained, criticism about the limitations put on free journalism 01’ limitations put on free journalism orfor campaigning, limitations put on free journalism or for campaigning, demonstrations, those kind of things. how does

president erdogan‘s supporters respond that this referendum is not being conducted in a free and fair way because of the climate, the effect of the state of emergency? yes, there is this state of emergency in place, there are over 100,000 people either detained or dismissed from their posts, sacked, 01’ dismissed from their posts, sacked, or imprisoned. because of their alleged role that they played in the coup attempt, many of these people deny playing such roles. journalists, there are over 150 journalists currently behind bars. accused of terror charges. the opposition, the no campaign, says it is not legitimate to go to voting under these circumstances and many people have argued in the days leading to the referendum, that it wouldn't be legitimate to go under

these circumstances and the result would be legitimate in that sense either. but there has been calls to boycott the referendum but every side in the campaign is calling and has been calling on their voters to go out and vote today. the turnout today will be very significant and decisive in the outcome. it is expected that turks tend to go to the polls, ten to respect this democratic principle of voting so we are thing a high turnout and it will be very significant in determining what this country will be in the future. looks like a beautiful morning behind you but i think you are probably in for a long day and a long night. thank you so much for joining us. the headlines on bbc news: north korea has made a failed attempt to launch a missile — as the us vice—president arrives in the region. theresa may urges unity over brexit,

as she delivers her first easter message as prime minister. the evacuation of besieged towns in syria has resumed, following a suicide attack targeting evacuees. more than 100 people were killed. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the front pages. the sunday times leads on north korea, saying president trump is prepared to strike a korean nuclear strikes. the mail on sunday leads with the rising tensions across north korea, most of these appeared before the latest attempt to launch a missile. the threat they say is to wear by the united states, resident trump says he will send an armada. the sunday telegraph grows with the potential threat to america, saying north korea possesses the capability to strike on us soil. the express newspaper calls of the deadly stand—off in the

0bserver newspaper leads an education, free schools will benefit of the regions. we'll have a full look at the front pages in our papers at just after 9:30am look at the front pages in our papers atjust after 9:30am this morning, and our guests willjoin me. two political correspondence, both of them incredibly experienced. stay with us. the national union of teachers which is holding its annual conference in cardiff this weekend estimates more than £130 million has been spent on 62 failed free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. tens of thousands of people across united states have forced more than 100 cities to demand that president trump loses his tax returns which is refused to do. people have carried huge inflatable chickens suggesting the president was scared to give the information. his predecessors over the last a0

yea rs have all his predecessors over the last a0 years have all released their tax returns in office. greg dawson has more. with little chance of the president himself discussing his taxes, protesters in the nation's capital opted for the next best thing, this was an example where imitation wasn't intended to flatter. what's the big deal about my taxes, 0k? since you guys are my supporters, releasing my taxes... piles of shredded mock tax returns we re piles of shredded mock tax returns were launched into the crowd, organisers claim the protests have been taking place across 150 locations across the us. in chicago, crowds to pa rt locations across the us. in chicago, crowds to part in a chicken dance, suggesting donald trump is too scared to releases returns. the president broke a long—held tradition by not releasing his paperwork during his campaign and these protests were timed to coincide with the mid april deadline

for americans to file their tax returns. taxation without representation is tyranny, the representation is tyranny, the representation without taxation is operator arenas, we deserve democracy. in manhattan, several thousand lined sixth ave, marching towards one of donald trumps new york hotels, these people say but that his tax returns it's difficult to know who the billionaire president has had dealings with as a businessman and if there are any conflict—of—interest. mr trump says he can't supply his returns because they are being ordered, something federal tax parodies is no bar. we are living in a time when honesty has no currency. and i think because of bad it's kind of all we have. and the only way to really penetrate this administration is to take to the streets. the president's supporters point to a recently

lea ked supporters point to a recently leaked 2005 return showing donald trump paying $38 million to the taxman and many say the issue simply doesn't matter to them. in birtley california, rival pro and anti trump rellies descended into a brawl with more than a dozen arrested as fistfights broke out. another reminder how donald trump continues to bea reminder how donald trump continues to be a president that polarises this country. greg dawson, bbc news. more than five thousand people have been rescued from boats off the libyan coast over the past two days. the italian coastguard says good spring weather has led to more migrants attempting the perilous crossing to europe. an italian woman — who was thought to be the oldest person in the world — has died at the age of 117. emma morano from northern italy was the last person verified to have been born in the nineteenth century. helena lee reports. here she is celebrating her 117th birthday in november last year surrounded by family and friends at her home in northern italy. asked how she felt on reaching 117, she said she felt well.

born in 1899, emma morano's life spanned three centuries. the eldest of three children, she outlived all of her younger siblings. she survived an abusive marriage, the loss of her only son, two world wars, and more than 90 italian governments. and she worked in a factory until she was 65. so, what was her secret? emma morano thought it was probably her diet. translation: i eat two eggs a day, and that's it. i ate cookies. i don't eat much because i have no teeth. always eating the same things, always at the same time of day. her doctor of 27 years thought there were other reasons too for her long life. translation: the first

factor is genetics. it is her own condition, a natural phenomenon, as it happens around the world. her personality would be fundamental as well. the mayor of the small city in northern italy where she lived said she had an extraordinary life, and she will always be remembered for her strength to move forward. helena lee, bbc news. remarkable life she must have lived. for many children, their experience of farm life might be somewhat limited. but, a farm in kent is trying to change that. throughout spring they've been streaming their lamb shed live into schools across the country so pupils can watch, in real time, as 150 ewes give birth. it's part of a wider scheme by the the education charity, the country trust. holly hamilton reports. it's a typical spring day on this farm in kent but it's notjust the farmer keeping a close

eye on the animals. these are the stars of lamb cam. streamed live online straight from the farm and into the classroom. who can tell me what the job of a sheepdog is. these children in east london have been closely monitoring this lambing shed for the past two weeks and even witnessing some live births. it's really exciting because we don't go to farms that much. the lambs are quite slimy because the lambsjust came out of the ewe. had you seen anything like that before? no. when we're in the classroom watching it on the screen, you don't need to smell all the dung. for thousands of children across the us, access to the countryside is limited so schools are having to come up with alternative ways of educating

pupils about rural living. it is a great chance to see what they do in the farm. ask questions about the farmers, what are they doing? why are they doing that? it's given the children an opportunity to find out a little bit more. lucky for us, we have had a roof garden that was built quite recently so we have two raised beds and its given the children an opportunity to plant the seeds and nurture the plants ready to eat. lamb cam is the brainchild of the country trust, a charity that helps bring working countryside to disadvantaged schoolchildren all year round. we take about 18,000 children every year out of the city, into the countryside and onto real working farms but we know that that's just scratching the surface so we thought the country trust webcam would be a way to bring farms to thousands more children and giving them a window into the life of the real working farm and making a connection with the farmers who work so hard to produce food for us and be able to share experiences that they wouldn't see in their daily life. some children would have seen a lamb being born which is a really wonderful thing.

soon the lambing season will be drawing to a close but that won't mean the end of lamb cam. instead it will be moved to a new location in the cow shed and the children will still be watching. we have had the end of one life and the start of lots of new lives, all inafew the start of lots of new lives, all in a few minutes. but now, time for the weather. the weather prospects not looking particularly cheery, especially after such a bright start. the south of wales, south west of england, some of the areas seeing somewhat improved conditions on what i'm showing you here. no doubt, things will be cloudier and wetter for the great heart of the british isles. this tumble of cloud working in from

the atlantic, tied in with weather fronts gradually chugging their way towards the eastern side of the british isles. won't be long into the afternoon before we see wet weather coming to the east of the pennines and down towards east anglia. different kettle of fish in the far north of scotland, staying dry and bright for most, towards the mainland, spotting all showers, the rain in the central belt will quit the sea and after a wet start for northern ireland, improving pictures to write the afternoon. wet weather on the west of the pennines, rain gradually moving towards the east. southern parts of wales, the southern parts of wales, the southern southwestern parts of england, likely to see little in the way of rain, especially where you needed, some of the fields looking cracked. 0vernight, fair bit of cloud keeping frosted way, you may see some across the northern parts of scotland. all of the weather today driven by a west to

north—westerly breeze, easter monday the breeze coming from the north, a pool of cold are waiting to get at us, that change in wind direction drawing towards us over the next 2a-36 drawing towards us over the next 2a—36 hours, bright skies across the north of scotland, showers falling quite wintry to low levels. further south, mixture of sunny spells and showers for most of the british isles, no sign of cold day in the south, dragging this weather feature further south, the skies clearing, the temperature profile in towns and cities as this, but look, hard frost in the heart of scotland and if you are further south, you may see further south. that's the theme for the first part of next week, frosty nights, sunny spells by day. hello, this is bbc news.

the headlines: north korea's made a failed attempt to launch a missile,