this is bbc news. the headlines at two o'clock. north korea has made a failed attempt to test a missile, hours before the us vice—president arrived in south korea. this morning's provocations from the north is another reminder of the risks each one of you face everyday in the defensive freedom —— the defence of freedom. president erdogan casts his vote in a bid to bring in new sweeping powers, that could keep him in power for another 12 years. 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 world's oldest person has died aged 117 — emma morano was officially the last surviving person born in the 1800s.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. north korea has made a failed attempt to test—launch a missile, a day after warning america that it was ready to hit back with nuclear attacks, amid rising tensions in the region. the us military said the missile blew up almost immediately after launch, as mike pence, the american vice president, headed to south korea. after arriving, mr pence said the commitment of the united states to its alliance with south korea had never been stronger. from seoul, stephen evans sent this report. the american vice president visited south korea's national cemetery,

where the names of 104,000 soldiers who died fighting north korea nearly 70 years ago are listed. mr pence knows this history because his father served in the war. his big message now — the alliance remains. this morning's provocation from the north is just the latest reminder of the risks each one of you face every day in the defence of the freedom of the people of south korea and the defence of america in this part of the world. he landed a day after a fearsome display of weaponry, 100 miles to the north in pyongyang. but as though to undermine that image, north korea today tried and failed to fire off a missile. us officials said the launch came from the sinpo region, the second such launch from land in that area, which also has a submarine base. talk of war is now ramping up. it's not clear though if mr trump has decided on attacking north korean nuclear facilities.

south koreans are watching developments closely. 25 million south koreans live within range of north korean artillery. all the same, south koreans tend to assume war will not happen. life goes on. all mr trump's predecessors from clinton onwards have contemplated military action. mr clinton contemplated bombing north korea's nuclear facilities and pulled back, because the threat of retaliation would probably bring on a second korean war. mr trump may or may not be like the presidents before him, he says he's not. in a complex situation of great danger, he is the new unknown factor. his attitude to risk and military action is hard to gauge. stephen evans, bbc news, seoul. 0ur correspondentjohn sudworth is in the north korean capital,

pyongyang, and earlier gave us this assessment of the situation. his movements are being monitored and tightly controlled. in many ways this is business as usualfor north korea, using brinkmanship to win diplomatic and economic concessions as it steps back from the brink. but with each cycle moving one step closer to its goal of becoming a fully fledged nuclear power. what is new in this is not what is happening in this capital but in washington. it seems that north korea's actions suggest that north korea's actions suggest that it that north korea's actions suggest thatitis that north korea's actions suggest that it is confident that president donald trump will like his predecessors eventually conclude that the cost of military action is simply too great.

iam i am looking that a tweet that donald trump has sent out in the last few hours. interesting that he uses the phrase currency manipulator, which he did use in reference to china during the election campaign. but also talking about working with china, which is something he has been doing during this current crisis. donald trump treating on the situation in north korea. —— tweeting. polls close in just under an hour's time in turkey in a referendum on the biggest changes to its political system in modern times. under the proposals put forward by the president, the post of prime minister would be abolished and power concentrated in the presidency. voting appears to be generally calm, but there have been reports of gunfire at a polling station

in the south—eastern province of diya bakir. two people are reported to have been killed. 0ur correspondent mark lowen is in ankara and gave us the latest on the shooting. some sketchy details coming in, and exchange of gunfire outside that polling station in the south—east of —— between what appeared to be two rival groups of voters, pro—government and anti—government groups, and we understand three people died. it is still fairly isolated, the floating around the rest of the country appears to be going off pretty well. we are in a polling station in ankara, a high school doubling up as a polling station. people come in, their names are checked against a central list, thatis are checked against a central list, that is the face of modern turkey's founder, at a turk. if this change is accepted then president erdogan

will eclipse even at a turk in terms of power. —— ataturk. you can see roughly what the situation is with the voting, the ballot slip simply has two words, yes and no, to the biggest political, constitutional change in turkey's modern history. they estimate around a 90% turnout, so turnout could be decisive one looks like being a very tight race. —— decisive in what looks. if it is a yes vote in 2019 president erdogan will be able to stand city terms, so he could stay in power until 2029 or even beyond that is dissolved before the end of the next time. —— will be able to stand for two terms. if it

isa no able to stand for two terms. if it is a no vote, he will still have a lot of power but perhaps there will be some bumbling is of discontent against him. this will determine this country's political path and president erdogan‘s path as well, will he be given sweeping new powers will he be given sweeping new powers will be he stopped in his tracks in the biggest blow of his political career. rarely has turkey been so central to world affairs and never has turkey faced such an important political chance. —— choice. more than a hundred people, many of them children, are now thought to have died in yesterday's suicide bomb attack in syria. a convoy of coaches was carrying evacuees in a pre—arranged exchange between the syrian government and some rebel groups when the car bomb exploded. the blast, on the outskirts of aleppo, tore through coaches that had left two pro—government towns surrounded by rebels. the bbc‘s lina sinjab is monitoring events from neighbouring lebanon and a little earlier she gave me

this update from beirut. the death toll has risen, agencies are quoting around 112 killed in this blast yesterday. however, there we re this blast yesterday. however, there were fears of retaliation on some buses waiting to be evacuated from the opposition side, that are besieged by the government, but we hear that there were no retaliation attacks, the evacuation went smoothly, and having spoken to some activists who made it to idlib, this is the province, idlib province, thatis is the province, idlib province, that is held by the rebels. this is where most of the opposition that has been evacuated not only from these two towns but elsewhere, they are evacuated to. what happened yesterday has brought some solidarity to both sides after this

blast were many children and women, mainly civilians and were targeted. we have seen evacuation happening from opposition activists as loyalists, who ran to rescue the children who were targeted. the iraqi military says that in fierce fighting with islamic state militants its forces have pushed deeper into the heart of the city of mosul. after weeks of near stalemate, troops and police launched an attack in the area of the old city, which has been an is bastion. the government forces say they managed to advance some 200 metres. the difficulty for government forces has been the area's narrow streets, which often make it impossible to deploy tanks and armoured vehicles. at least 20 migrants trying to reach europe have drowned off the coast of libya. the bodies were found during an operation by a maltese rescue vessel that was apparently trying to help a dinghy that was in trouble. late last night the italian coastguard said more than 5000 people had been picked up

from unseaworthy boats off the libyan coast over the previous two days. testing children in primary schools has been on the agenda at the national union of teachers‘ annual conference in cardiff today. there was a heated debate among which teachers criticised the way in which teachers criticised the way in which youngsters are tested. delegates at the nut conference could vote tomorrow on whether to boycott the tests. we know this system doesn't work. it creates a workload and immense stress for everybody. it leaves us with a prescriptive and frankly boring curriculum that we don't want to teach and the kids are turned off and don't want to learn. it is all about a test. 0ur government are

obsessed with tests, phonics at five, key stage one at six, key stage 2 stats, and then the shambles is retested in key stage three. what is retested in key stage three. what is the point of putting our young people through this exam factory where the only thing it seems to be used for is a giant stick to beat us and our schools with for not making accelerated progress. from year three upwards young people are told what they are doing is for stats. i am guilty of it and i am sure others here have used the sentence, you have to do this to pass your stats. i won't deny it, i am ashamed to say it but it has been said. the creative curriculum falls by the wayside in pursuit of understanding things they are not happily readied to understand yet. you are creative, you can say, but you can't use a

compound sentence and use certain punctuation? you are failure? —— you are a failure. 0ur education correspondent gillian hargreaves is in cardiff. how typical was her point of view? it was delegate after delicate this morning saying how frustrated they we re morning saying how frustrated they were with the english testing regime. 0ne were with the english testing regime. one said the government was test obsessed, another said that sats tests at 11 was akin to a monster stalking our schools. the tests, the government say, are to monitor children's development before secondary school and without testing you can't see how good

primary schools are. testing at 11 will almost certainly stay but the opposition to testing in primary schools is such that the government says it will look again at testing younger children. at the moment six and seven—year—old ‘s undergo formal testing and the government has effectively established a moratorium on that until they can consult with teachers about what might be the best way forward. there were some a delegate is talking this morning about primary testing, they haven't actually yet had a vote on whether they will boycott sats tests. that will happen tomorrow. what normally happens, this being easter sunday, is that the nut breaks for the rest of the day, so there won't be any more debates this afternoon, so we won't find out if the boycott will happen until tomorrow, but given the flavour of the comments this morning i think it is almost inevitable that teachers will vote to boycott them. they won't effect sats being sat in

the next few days come if there is any boycott it will affect the tests next year. and might this lead to a change of heart from the government? i think there is some wiggle room on this. the government is looking at the testing regime in primary schools, it has already said it is minded to find another way to test progress for the youngest children. there are formal tests at the moment for six and seven—year—olds and the government says it is minded to get rid of those but that is all open the consultation at the moment so it will be interesting to see the union position on that. last year there we re position on that. last year there were boycotts of tests, some parents took their children out of school to the day and did other things with them, so there is a groundswell of opinion on how much children are tested in primary schools, but the government says some sort of benchmark has to take place so you

can see how well they are performing and how good their schools are. the headlines on bbc news: north korea has made a failed attem pts north korea has made a failed atte m pts to north korea has made a failed attempts to launch a missile, as the us vice president arrives in south korea. the people of turkey are voting in a referendum on constitutional change that could seed sweeping new powers for president erdogan. theresa may urges unity over brexit and speaks out for the role of christianity as she delivers her first easter message as prime minister. 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 fulfil 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 leader, jeremy corbyn, used his easter message to urge people not to stand by in the face of society's problems. the leader of the opposition 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 the challenges seem overwhelming, allow ourselves to be divided and blame others. we need to respond to these problems head on through action and support for socialjustice, peace and reconciliation. the pope has used his easter sunday vatican address to condemn attacks on civilians caught up in the war in syria. meanwhile here the queen

and the duke of edinburgh attended the traditional easter service at windsor castle. laura tra nt reports. rain didn't dampen the easter message in rome, where thousands of pilgrims gathered to see pope francis celebrate easter mass and lead the blessings in st peter's square in the vatican. he speaks latin mass took place amidst tight security, a week after attacks on two coptic churches in egypt left more than a0 people dead. pope francis used his message to also condemn yesterday's bomb attack on a crowded syrian bus convoy, that killed at least 112 people. translation: may sustain the efforts of all who are actively engaged in bringing comfort and relief to the civil population in syria. pray to a war that continues to sow horror and death. and yesterday the latest

horrible attack on refugees, which provoked many deaths and many wounded. may he grant peace to the entire middle east. as the skies cleared, the pope's message resonated with the thousands who travelled from far and wide for his easter blessing. the archbishop of canterbury delivered his easter message from canterbury cathedral. he said today's terror, pain and despair should not be allowed to triumph. do not be afraid. these things, these grim events overshadow our lives because we fear that they may have the last word. these things lie. they deceive. they pretend to have power that they do not have when they say that they are final. the royal family gathered at st george's chapel in windsor. the queen, who wore a springlike shade of turquoise, was joined

by the duke of edinburgh and her children and grandchildren for the traditional easter sunday service. 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 missing. tonnes of rubbish fell on to more than a hundred homes on friday when heavy rain caused the dump to become unstable. tens of thousands of people across the united states have marched in more than a hundred cities to demand that president trump releases his tax return, something he has refused to do. some protesters carried huge inflatable chickens, suggesting the president was scared to release the data. president trump's predecessors over 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 the taxes... piles of shredded mock tax returns were launched into the crowd. 0rganisers 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, then representation without taxation

is authoritarianism, and 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 of how donald trump continues to be a president that polarises his country. greg dawson, bbc news. the government has announced it is doubling its funding to fight neglected tropical diseases, which affect more than one billion people in the world's poorest countries. £360 million will be given over the next four years to combat illnesses including river blindness, trachoma and guinea—worm. the issue's being discussed at an international conference in geneva next week. the department for international development said the uk's support would protect more than 200 million people from a future blighted by tropical disease. 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 at 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 19th 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 is 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 would always be remembered for her strength to move forward. helena lee, bbc news. some lines coming out from the us national security adviser who is currently visiting afghanistan. he has been making comments in the last moments about north korea. he says the attempted missile test, which wasn't successful, as he puts it fits the pattern of provocative, destabilising and threatening behaviour. he talks about the us working with allies, with particular reference to china's leadership to

think about a range of options with north korea and in another comment he simply describes north korea as a hostile regime. those comments from the us national security adviser in the us national security adviser in the last few moments. good afternoon. it is a pretty mixed bag, some enjoying sunshine, others with a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain. the cloud is much thicker across cumbria, producing outbreaks of rain. you can see sporadic outbreaks of rain moving eastwards and southwards and it will continue to do so as we go through the afternoon. the south—west of england escaping with a largely dry day. even by 5pm there will be spells of sunshine, find channel islands as

well. the south—east and east anglia it is clouding over, turning into a thoroughly soggy and rather cool afternoon. things gradually clearing up afternoon. things gradually clearing up across afternoon. things gradually clearing up across wales and northern ireland and southern scotland. the far north of scotland, tutor for blue skies and sunshine but feeling on the cool side with this northerly breeze. this evening and overnight the rain will clear away to the southeast, quite a lot of cloud left behind with some clear breaks, cold enough in places for touch of frost. easter monday starts off with high pressure, sitting out at first to the west. a potentialfor a line pressure, sitting out at first to the west. a potential for a line of rain that was sleet and snow moving southwards across scotland, down into north—east england. mostly rain

by this stage, maybe sleet and snow across the highest ground. elsewhere, scattered showers, a bit of sunshine, but temperatures really dropping away to the north, just 7 degrees in aberdeen. through tomorrow night the weather front will clear off to the southeast and monday night into tuesday there could be a shock to the system, out in the countryside temperatures well below freezing with a touch of frost. it is because high pressure will be drifting its way right across the british isles by this stage, still a fairly clean us keen breeze. to the south coast there could be some showers. —— the south—east coast. a fairly cool day ifa south—east coast. a fairly cool day if a largely dry one. another cold night choose day night into wednesday.