the headlines at three. the us vice president mike pence has reaffirmed the american commitment to defend south korea after the failed north korean missile test. 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. voting in turkey has just ended as people decide whether to change the country from a parliamentary to a presidential republic. in the next hour... 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. coming up at 3:30pm, click look as

at how technology is being used in the fight against crime. —— looks at. 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 his assessment of the situation. his movements are being monitored and tightly controlled. in many ways this is business as usualfor north korea, using 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 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. but it seems 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. donald trump has made his first comment on twitter since that missile launch. in the last half an hour his security adviser has reiterated, saying they are working with china to develop a range of options for north korea, which he calls a hostile regime, and he says that everything is on the table. latest reports say 68 children are believed to be among those who 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. more than 100 people were killed. 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 us this update from beirut. the death toll has risen, agencies are quoting around 112 killed in 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 so far we hear that there were no retaliation attacks, the evacuation went smoothly, and i've spoken to some activists who made it to northern syria in the idlib town — this is the province, idlib province, that is 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 to. what happened yesterday has brought

some solidarity to both sides after this blast where many children and women, mainly civilians were targeted. we have seen evacuation and help happening from opposition activists as well 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. polls have closed in turkey ahead of

a decision on the greatest changes to the turkish constitution in modern history. our correspondent is in istanbul. give us a sense of how voting has been going where you are. it has been an emotional day in turkey. millions of voters have cast their votes, now the polls have been closed nationwide. 0ver their votes, now the polls have been closed nationwide. over 50 million people were registered to vote in this critical referendum to decide the future of the country. president recep tayyip erdogan, who voted earlier in the morning, said he expected the turn out to be high and

he said, god willing, the people of this country will decide for the right outcome. what is that right outcome, that is the main question. the yes voters will be voting to keep president erdogan in power and give him enhanced executive powers. the no voters have decided to vote no because they don't want the presidential system to replace the parliamentary system and they don't wa nt parliamentary system and they don't want the president to become this over powerfulfigure over want the president to become this over powerful figure over the nation. now the nation has spoken, the polls are closed. it has been an emotional day, turkey went to the polls five times in the last three yea rs, polls five times in the last three years, but the vote today, the referendum, has been very significant and will be very significant and will be very significant in defining the future of this country and that is why people feel emotional and where of this very important role that they

are playing in this country's democracy. we will be expecting to hear the first results soon and we are hoping to broadcast the report on these first results once the electoral board lifts the ban within the next two or three hours. how brisk has voting been in ankara?- the polling station i was at they said they thought turnout was about 90%. that is a sign ofjust how passionately this country has engaged in this process. it really will define the future of this country and of its powerful and divisive leader, president erdogan oi'i. divisive leader, president erdogan on. it has effectively become a referendum on erdogan and a decision oi'i referendum on erdogan and a decision on how much power to give him and whether he will potentially be able to stay in power until 2029 under a

new constitution or whether he should be dealt the biggest blow of his political career. this is the ak party headquarters behind the police barriers over there. if it goes in the direction of president erdogan, a yes vote, we expect thousands of supporters to come out there. it will be very noisy, they will sing campaign songs, waved flags, and he will be expected to give a balcony speech. if it is a no vote it will bea speech. if it is a no vote it will be a much more muted response and then the rest of the world will really decide how to deal with a turkey where president erdogan has been dealt such a big rebuke. that is where i was going to take the conversation, or how is this being watched internationally? very closely, i think, watched internationally? very closely, ithink, because watched internationally? very closely, i think, because this is such a pivotal country. rarely has turkey been so central to world affairs. it is key to resolving the conflict in syria, the fight against islamic state, the hub for migrants

going to europe, it is a crucial western and nato allied but the relationship of turkey and west has eroded dramatically in recent months. mr erdogan referred to the dutch and german leaders as nazis and fascists, the relationship has soured hugely, so both sides will be looking at how to reset things after this referendum, depending on which way it goes. news here on bbc news as any hints of those results start to appear. 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 delegates, in which teachers criticised the way younger pupils are tested. delegates at the nut conference will vote tomorrow on whether to boycott the tests. a short time ago, samantha nicholson—hickling, a teacher from 0ldham, addressed the conference. she set out her dissatisfaction with the current model for testing children.

we know this system doesn't work. it creates workload and it creates 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, as we know, are obsessed with tests — baseline at four, phonics at five, key stage 1 sats at six, key stage 2 sats, and then the shambles created by it all is retested in key stage 3. what is the point of putting our young people through this exam factory when the only thing it seems to be used for at the moment is a giant stick to beat us and our schools with for "not making accelerated progress" 7 from year 3 upwards our young people are told that what they are doing is for sats. i am guilty of it and i suspect other primary teachers here have used the sentence, "you have to do this to pass your sats. " i won't deny i have said it,

i am ashamed i've said it but it has been said. they are trained to know they are practising for a test. the creative curriculum falls by the wayside in pursuit of understanding things they are not probably ready to understand yet. "you are creative, that's great," you can say to some of them, "but you can't use a compound sentence with an adverbial opener and use a hyphen? nah, you are a failure." that seems to be the message we are giving our children, that because they can't understand something they not old enough to understand yet that they are a failure. 0ur education correspondent, gillian hargreaves, is in cardiff. there was delegate after delegate this morning saying how irritated they were by the testing regime in england's primary schools. 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 whether pupils have reached a required level. 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—olds 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 so many delegates 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 affect sats tests in the next few days, 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 for consultation at the moment so it will be interesting to see the union's position on that. last year there were boycotts

of tests, some parents took their children out of school for 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 scores are. the headlines on bbc news: north korea has made a failed attempt to launch a missile, as the us vice president arrives in south korea. polls of closed in turkey, where people have voted on constitutional changes that could give sweeping new powers to 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. we stay with that last headline.

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 to 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. but we need to respond to these

problems head on through action and support for social justice, 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 he 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 a traditional easter sunday service. the tombs of five former archbishop of canterburys have been unearthed by elders doing refurbishment work near lambeth palace. they accidentally cut into the foundations and discovered a hidden chamber inside, where they found 30 lead coffins with an archbishop's mitre leaning onto one of them. closer examination found metal

plates featuring the names of five former archbishop of canterburys dating back centuries. 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, 0k7 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 conflicts of interest. 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. a 90—year—old sailor is missing after his emptied dinghy was found drifting off the welsh coast. he was last seen at nine yesterday morning when he left his accommodation to ta ke when he left his accommodation to take his dinghy out for a boat ride in ceredigion. authorities have appealed for any videos and photos from the area to be handed over in case anybody unwittingly took any footage of the sailor. 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. many children there of farm life might be limited but a farm in kent has been streaming their land meschede two schools in the country

live so pupils can watch. —— land shed. it isa shed. it is a typical spring day on this farm in kent but it is notjust the farmer keeping a close on the animals. these are the stars of lan camera, streamed 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 the bmb have been closely monitoring the lamb shed four weeks. they even witnessed some live births. lamb shed four weeks. they even witnessed some live birthsm lamb shed four weeks. they even witnessed some live births. it is really exciting because we don't go to farms much but it was exciting because the lamb came out of the mother. had you seen anything like that before? no. when you are

watching it on a screen you don't have to smell the dung. for a lot of children around the uk access to the countryside is limited so schools have to come up with other ways of educating pupils about rural living. this has given us a chance to watch the progress of the lambs ask why the progress of the lambs ask why the farmers are doing what they do, and learned a bit more. we have had and learned a bit more. we have had a roof garden built quite recently so we a roof garden built quite recently so we have two raised beds and it has given the children and opportunity to plant seeds and nurture the plants ready to eat. lamb camera brainchild of the country trust, which brings the countryside to children around the year. we take children to working farms but we know that is scratching the surface but we thought this webcam would bring children to

thousands —— bring farms 2000 more children and give them a window onto a working farm and make a connection with the farmers who produce food for us and share experiences they wouldn't see in their day—to—day lives. some children saw a lamb being born, which was a wonderful thing. soon the lambing season will be drawing to a close but that won't be drawing to a close but that won't be the end of lamb camera. it will be the end of lamb camera. it will be moved to a new location in the cow be moved to a new location in the cow shed and the children will still be watching. now time to check on the weather forecast. there is a lot of dry weather in the forecast for the next few days but easter sunday has brought a bit of a fly in the ointment. this weather system which has flung its way