this is bbc news. the headlines at midday. north korea has made a failed attempt to test a missile, hours before the us vice—president mike pence arrived in south korea. theresa may urges unity over brexit, as she delivers her first easter message as prime minister. our shared interests, our shared ambitions, and above all our shared values can and must bring us together. the evacuation of besieged towns in syria has resumed, following yesterday's suicide attack targeting evacuees. more than 100 people were killed. also in the next hour, turkey goes to the polls in a landmark referendum. president erdogan cast his vote this morning in a bid to bring in new sweeping powers that could keep him in office potentially for another 12 years. the world's oldest person has died aged 117. emma morano was officially the last surviving person born in the 1800s. and coming up at 12.30, this week's edition of click looks

at how technology is being used in the fight against crime. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. north korea has made a failed attempt to launch a missile, one day after it issued a warning to the united states that it was ready to hit back with nuclear attacks amid escalating tensions in the region. the us pentagon said the ballistic missile blew up almost immediately. it happened as the us vice president, mike pence, arrived in south korea to discuss the north's missile and nuclear programmes. 0ur correspondentjohn sudworth is in pyongyang with the latest. it's almost certain that the missile test is meant as a message of defiance, it came just a few hours before the visit to the south korean

capital seoul by the us vice president mike pence. and just 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 as 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 that 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. that is the view in north korea, what about in south korea? the bbc‘s steve evans is in the south korean capital seoul. speaking to me a little earlier he gave us this update on how the country has reacted to what's happened north of the border. i don't think there is any sense here that people expect anything to happen. we've lived in this kind of state of fearsome rhetoric and threats from pyongyang pretty well since 1953 and the tension goes up and comes down. if you go out on the streets here 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, so the assumption of ordinary people is that this is another spate, 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 who is talking very, very firmly and toughly. will he do what his predecessors, from clinton onwards have done and decide that the potential cost of hitting north korea is simply too 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. the failed missile test comes as washington steps up the pressure on the north which has been isolated to

international sanctions. president trump says the us is ready to act alone to deal with the threat. 0ur 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, the problem will be taken care of. north korea has to change its behaviour. the key time for action is now. key to us efforts will be china. 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 and some 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 that just might make kim jong—un think twice about launching any attack. laura bicker bbc news, washington. 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 let us 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 stand by 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, or allow ourselves to be divided and blame others. but we need to respond to these problems head on, through action and support for socialjustice, peace and reconciliation. the evacuation of syrian residents from towns under siege has resumed,

after more than 100 people were killed in a suicide car bomb yesterday on the outskirts of aleppo. the attack happened at a checkpoint 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. as you rightly said the death toll has risen, agencies reporting around 112 killed in this blast yesterday. however, there were fears of retaliation on some buses waiting to be evacuated from the opposition side besieged by the government but so far, what we hear, there was no retaliation, the evacuation went smoothly, and in fact, i spoke to some activists who made it through northern syria in the town of idlib.

this is the town in idlib province, the town and the province held by the rebels. this is where most of the opposition that are evacuated not only from these two towns yesterday but elsewhere, they are evacuated and it showed solidarity between both sides after the blast that happened where many children and women, mainly civilians, were targeted. we have seen evacuations happening from opposition activists and loyalists, helping women and children who were targeted. we describe it as an evacuation but it also seems to be a swap of competence. people are going from a dangerous place but are they going anywhere safe? that's a very important question. for the loyalists to the government, that have been evacuated, around 5000 of them evacuated yesterday, between civilians and militants, going to safe areas because they are going to be under government control

but for the opposition who left around 2200 mixed between civilians and militants, they are basically going to idlib, the rebel—held area as i mentioned. and idlib is constantly under government attack. the government always justifies its attacks by saying it is targeting terrorists but you know, there are lots of civilians in idlib and they have been constantly attacked by the government and the fear that we are going to see another level in idlib, you know, of targeting civilians there. thank you very much for that update. the pope has urged an end to conflict. in the vatican he spoke to ending the pain of the migrants and mentioned the bureaucracies that he

said stood in the way of change. the number of people killed following the collapse of a rubbish dump in the sri lankan capital colombo has increased to 23. hopes are fading that anyone else will be found alive. a local resident told the bbc he believed another 20 people were still missing. tonnes of rubbish fell on to more than a hundred homes on friday after the dump became unstable following heavy rain. voting is under way today in turkey in a referendum that could grant sweeping new powers to president erdogan. if approved, the role of prime minister would be scrapped, 0ur correspondent is in istanbul. first, what do we know about the response to this referendum, any idea of where public sentiment lies? it is very difficult to tell. turkey has gone to elections five times in

the last three years and this referendum is probably the most difficult one to decide what to expect actually. the margin could be very tight between the yes campaign and the no campaign. if the majority of the voters say gas than the proposed constitutional changes will go through and president erdogan will have enhanced executive powers, the parliamentary system currently in place in turkey will be replaced bya in place in turkey will be replaced by a presidential system and the president will have powers such as appointing his vice presidents, appointing his vice presidents, appointing cabinet members, drafting appointing cabinet members, drafting a budget, the post—prime minister will be abolished and the president will be abolished and the president will have the power to dismiss parliament as well as appointing the topjudges. the no campaign says such powers given to one man will

risk the country falling into authoritarianism and this is why they are calling for a no vote. if they are calling for a no vote. if the majority says no today they will decide they want the parliamentary system to stay in place and president erdogan will have to have the same powers he has now but will have to say goodbye to his will to enhance powers. its most 100 years since the collapse of the ottoman empire and the emergence of what we would think of as 20th—century turkey as a separate country with a parliamentary system. and this commitment to secularism to get away from the religious focus of political power. many critics say thatis political power. many critics say that is changing. is that one concern people have about these powers, that it may take turkey back? the no campaign is emphasising

that, do we want turkey to go forward and face the west or do we wa nted forward and face the west or do we wanted to go backwards in the face of democracy and human rights? the yes campaign emphasises that voting yes campaign emphasises that voting yes will bring stability to the country, that's been ruled by coalition governments in the past so many times. turkey has gone through a difficult few years and stability isa a difficult few years and stability is a word the government has used very frequently, and it is what turkish citizens want at the moment, there have been terror attacks and so there have been terror attacks and so many elections but is stability enough? is it more important than democracy? that is what the no campaign is emphasising. they say, if the vote is yes, then democracy will suffer, in this country. since

the last years of the ottoman empire, there have been parliamentary systems in turkey and of these proposed changes go through this will be the biggest change in the turkish political system in its modern history. and turkish people in their millions as they vote today are very aware of this historic role that they are playing, and what they say today will decide the future of turkey and where it will be heading in the future. it will be a fascinating result, selin girit in istanbul, thank you so much. here, the government has been accused of wasting millions of pounds opening vocational and free schools which have subsequently closed. the national union of teachers, which is holding its annual conference in cardiff this weekend, estimates that more than £130 million has been spent on 62 failed free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. the headlines on bbc news. north korea has made a failed attempt to launch a missile —

as the us vice—president arrived in the region. theresa may urges unity over brexit, and speaks out for the role of christianity 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 are now known to have died. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh. good afternoon. great britain have finished joint fourth in the medals table at cycling's world track championships. after winning two silvers already in hong kong, elinor barker has gone one better, taking gold in the points race after a gripping battle with america's sarah hammer. it was britain's fifth medal and second gold of the five—day competition, following katie archibald's omnium success on friday. i'm incredibly happy, so, so happy. i've had two silvers this week

and until the last lap it looked like it was going to be another silver and i was heartbroken but i'm so happy and relieved i got a gold. there are highlights of the cycling on bbc two at 1pm. mauricio pochettino says the pressure is now on chelsea, after his tottenham side cut the league leaders' advantage to four points yesterday. chelsea face manchester united at old trafford this afternoon. it's the third time the sides have met this season — and there was some tension on display when they played each other in the fa cup last month. i want to try to win with my team comic he wants to try to win with his team, it is normal that there is conflict during the game but only sporting conflict. not every team

defends with 11 players. they defend with 11 players. and not every team is so objective in their counter attacks. they are very objective in their counter attacks. and they have individual players out of the context of the game that can also resolve problems, so they are a very strong team. will jos get a win? commentary on radio five live at apm. that's the second of two premier league matches today. a top four finish is the target for liverpool — and they could go back up to third with a win over west brom at the hawthorns. kick—off is injust over an hour. we know about their qualities and style, we know they have real experience, maybe the most experienced team in the premier league. and they are playing at home, a lot of things, which cause

us home, a lot of things, which cause us work, we have nothing else to do so we us work, we have nothing else to do so we go there and we want to show again that we have big targets this season again that we have big targets this season and really want to go for it and will fight for the result. if we can do this then we have a chance. and there's just one game in the scottish premiership today. champions celtic travel to ross county. kick—off is in around ten minutes' time. commentary on radio scotland and the bbc sport website. it's day 2 of the world snooker championship in sheffield with players battling for a place in the second round. these pictures live from bbc two. the 2005 champion shaun murphy is taking on china's 17—year—old yan bingtao. the younger player has made a century break but is trailing by four frames to two. 0n the other table, world no 1a kyren wilson resumed this morning 5—4 up on david grace who makes his first appearance at the crucible.

they've shared the frames this morning, winning two each. wilson leads 7—6. you can follow proceedings on the bbc sport website and app. ricky burns says he'll discuss plans for his future with promoter eddie hearn, after he failed to unify the super—lightweight division in glasgow last night. he lost his wba title to the ibf and ibo championjulius indongo on a unanimous points decision. the namibian was unbeaten in 21 fights prior to this and forced burns on to the back foot for much of the fight. but burns has hinted he'll continue boxing. i'll be back with more in the next hour. see you then. thanks very much. tens of thousands of people across the united states have marched in more than a hundred cities this weekend to demand that president trump releases his tax returns, something he has so far refused to do. some protesters carried huge inflatable chickens, suggesting the president was scared to release the data. president trump's predecessors for the last a0 years have all released their tax returns.

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 were launched into the crowd, organisers claim the protests have been taking place across 150 locations in the us. in chicago, crowds took part in a chicken dance, suggesting donald trump is too scared to release his 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. if taxation without representation is tyranny, the representation without taxation is authoritarianism, we deserve democracy. in manhattan, several thousand lined sixth avenue, marching towards one of donald trump's new york hotels, these people say without 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—interests. mr trump says he can't supply his returns because they are being audited, something federal tax authorities say is no bar. we are living in a time when honesty has no currency. and i think because of that 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 leaked 2005 return showing donald trump

paying $38 million to the taxman, and many say the issue simply doesn't matter to them. in berkley, california, rival pro and anti trump rallies descended into a brawl with more than a dozen arrested as fistfights broke out. another reminder how donald trump continues to be a president that polarises his country. greg dawson, bbc news. police in guinea have raided two illegal zoos to arrest alleged wildlife traffickers. it's part of an investigation targeting influential and powerful people in the west african state — including a high ranking member of the army who'd planned to sell the animals in an increasingly lucrative international market. russell trott reports. locked up, lonely and unloved, one of dozens of endangered animals kept illegally in zoos in the west african state of guinea. the 33 animals rescued included chimpanzees,

a baboon and ostriches from mali, as well as several turtles, crocodiles and even parrots. most are endangered and protected. some were discovered in small, cramped, rusty cages, left to fend for themselves, with very little food. translation: we will have to work on healing him, giving him good things to eat. he was all alone here, and the chimpanzees don't live alone, they live in big families, a bit like us. they were freed after raids were carried out in two zoos belonging to a guinean army colonel, ibrahima bangoura. he has been arrested after he voluntarily presented himself to interpol and is expected in court on tuesday. it follows a complex four—year long investigation between conservationists, interpol and the guinea ministry of the environment. these are the lucky ones. they will be released back into the wild, part of a policy to dismantle a criminal network that sells protected species on the international market. russell trott, bbc news. 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 eight 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 eat 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's her own condition, a natural phenomenon, as it happens around the world. but personality would seem to 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. what a remarkable life she must have

led. let's look at the weather for the bank holiday and the rest of the weekend. hello, this does not look cheery, and after such a decent start, our weather watchers have been out in force, south wales, south—west england, some of the areas that will see improved conditions are what i'm showing you here, there is no doubt that things will be cloudy, they will be wet as well for the great heart of the british isles as this great temple of cloud moves in from the atlantic. whether france will gradually move ever further towards the eastern side of the british isles, —— weather fronts will move. not long until we see rain moving towards anglia and the south—east. different in the far north of scotland, here it should stay dry

and bags of the most part, then come back to the mainland, occasional showers, the rain will leave the central belt eventually and after a wet start for northern ireland and improving afternoon. some rain on the western slopes of the pennines, the western slopes of the pennines, the top end of wales, gradually moving further east. southern and south western england and southern wales is likely to see little in the way of rain especially where you really need it. 0vernight, a fair bit of cloud around keeping frost at bay for many although you may see a bit across the north and parts of scotland, and often and north—westerly breeze come easter monday the breezes coming in from the north and there's a pool of cold airwaiting to get the north and there's a pool of cold air waiting to get at us. that change of wind direction will draw it to us over the next 24—36 hours. bright skies over the north of scotla nd bright skies over the north of scotland but showers falling, quite

wintry, to quite low levels, the south a mixture of sunny spells and showers the most areas, as we dragged his little weather feature at the further south and the skies begin to clear that is the temperature profile of the towns and cities but look at this, hard frost in the heart of scotland, if you are prone further south you may see frost as well. that is the theme for the main part of next week, frosty nights, sunny spells by day. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines. north korea has made a failed attempt to test a missile, hours before the us vice—president arrived in south korea. this morning's provocation from the north is just the latest reminder of the risks each one of you face every day