welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: the bells ring out for pope francis as he arrives to celebrate mass for the first time in myanmar. north korea test—fires another ballistic missile, triggering condemnation from washington, tokyo, and seoul. we hearfrom families in bali forced to leave their homes in the shadow of the volcano, mount agung. also in the programme: a fairytale wedding for prince harry and meghan markle. it'll take place next may, in a royal castle. tens of thousands of people in myanmar have gathered in the capital yangon to attend the first mass to be held

by pope francis. this is the scene at the open air mass. in the kyaikkasan ground. myanmar has an estimated 200,000 catholics. earlier the pope held talks with myanmar‘s leader, aung san suu kyi, who's been criticised for failing to speak out against the treatment of the rohingya — many of whom are now living in refugee camps in neighbouring bangladesh. jonathan head joins me from yangon. take us through what is happening behind eu. this is the biggest mass of the pope's four—day tour. he was in the capital, naypyidaw, rather sterile place and the seat of parliament. he has met harks an su

chi and the head of the armed forces which has given it a political tone. the pope has done his classic tour around the crowd behind me, in the pope mobile, an electric golf cart. there are probably 10,000— 20,000 people. the catholic minority is very small and a lot had to travel long distances to get here. it is an enthusiastic and joyful atmosphere. most people got a good view of him as he went around. we expect he will speak later in the day. he will meet with the buddhist leader. buddhist monks have led to the movement so intolera nt monks have led to the movement so intolerant of muslim rohingya. we

named the pope has avoided controversial comments publicly but we do not know what he has been saying privately in their meetings. it isa saying privately in their meetings. it is a difficult balancing act. saying privately in their meetings. it is a difficult balancing actm has been. there will be disappointment from rohingya advocate groups who wanted him to make a point to highlight the light of rohingya was labs. they have been driven out of their homes and are subjected to institutionalised discrimination, a form of apartheid, the many years and they feel it would have been good if that pope could accuse the word "rohingya". 0n the other hand, had he done that, he would have got an angry reaction. in myanmar they did not recognise the rohingya crisis as the rest of the world is reporting it. they say

security forces were attacked. everyone is rallying behind aung san suu kyi. he may have had a hostile reaction from some. i think the test in the end will be whether there is any response to his pleas for inclusiveness, tolerance, and including all groups in the development of myanmar. if nothing changes, people will say he has just given a good photo opportunity. what is expected of aung san suu kyi? she is expected of aung san suu kyi? she is and battled diplomatically. although she is a strong willed person and stood firm in not talking about the crisis in criticising her army with which she is in a partnership. she is western like in

some ways. this visit she will be able to proclaim as successful as the pope has avoided anything that offended alt—right national ‘s. she can say he is part of the international community that wants to help us. she does have a critical act. if those 600,000 rohingya are to be repatriated, that are not know yet how to do it. —— said to not know. north korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile — its first since mid—september.

south korean military officials say the missile flew east from a launch site near the capital, pyongyang. it reportedly travelled a distance of about 1,000 kilometres before falling into the sea of japan. president trump told reporters the us can handle the situation and in tokyo, an emergency cabinet meeting will discuss the incident. from seoul, our correspondent paul adams has more. this is the first tested by the north korean since big is it about and it comes after these long pause where people started to wonder whether there was something significant in the fact we have not had a missile test in such a long time. well, in the early hours of the morning, kim jong—un time. well, in the early hours of the morning, kimjong—un gave us a rather emphatic answer. after two months without a test, north korea is back at the top of president trump's agenda. a missile was launched a little while ago from north korea. i will only tell you that we

will take care of it. this is the 23rd north korean missile test this year, the first since mid—september. it took off in the early hours of the morning from pyongsong, north of the capital pyongyang. it flew east for about 1,000 kilometres, landing after 50 minutes in the sea ofjapan. american officials believe this was an intercontinental ballistic missile and say it flew higher than any previous test. in response, south korea conducted a precision strike missile test of its own. the bottom line is it's a continued effort to build a ballistic missile threat that endangers world peace, regional peace and certainly the united states. thank you, general. and we will take care of that situation. thank you all very much, iappreciate it. thank you. north korea's leader, kimjong—un, has been seen in recent days visiting largely economic ventures. in the absence of fresh missile tests, observers wondered if his focus had shifted. this, it seems, was wishful thinking.

here in seoul, the president has convened a meeting of his national security council. most experts still think that north korea needs two to three years to complete its nuclear weapons programme, but yesterday a government minister said he wouldn't be surprised if kim jong—un finished the job within the next year. north korea he said was developing its nuclear weapons much faster than anyone expected. the united states has stepped up pressure on north korea throughout the year. military exercises the most visible sign of donald trump's uncompromising approach. officials believe the pressure is making life harder for the north korean leader but kim jong—un seems determined to achieve his nuclear ambitions and unwilling to talk in the meantime. plenty of reaction in the region. japan's prime minister shinzo abe calling for a meeting of the un security council and we have been

hearing from the korean president moonjae—in. he hearing from the korean president moon jae—in. he has hearing from the korean president moonjae—in. he has said this is a reckless revocation and has accused north korea of military adventurism and esses peace with the north will not be possible unless these stops. —— and it says. the fact it was at this height trajectory suggests to experts that almost the entire continental us is now within range of north korean ballistic missiles. it is not the same as saying north korea has the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead to the us. that is still the bid of these nuclear programme yet to be completed but, as the south korean minister says yesterday, it is possible that final leap, putting an effective nuclear head on top of an effect if mill

missile —— effective ballistic missile —— effective ballistic missile is possible so on. and to discuss this further, joining me from massachusetts is doctor david wright, a physicist and co—director scientists. what the eu make of this missile from the limited information we have? north korea was doing tests in the summer that went almost straight up the summer that went almost straight up and fell back down into the sea of japan. this appears up and fell back down into the sea ofjapan. this appears to be the longest range test they have done and we think it is a variation of the missile they launched injuly, twice, that had long—range and we are speculating they may have modified the second stage somewhat to make it more capable. north korea a lwa ys to make it more capable. north korea always releases photographs went

they have successful tests and we are hoping to tell more from those. when you're trying to a longer range, you want to increase the thrust is much as possible. missiles are made up of multiple stages. the last time they launched this in late july, we noticed that, because of the second stage was designed, it seemed like they maybe able to do something to increase the capability and my guess is that is what they have done. from a technical point of view, it it is actually a somewhat marginal change. from a political due it is a big deal. this comes after two months of quite. was it too hopeful on the parts of servers too hopeful on the parts of servers to think that gunn yang was showing restraint. —— pyongyang. to think that gunn yang was showing restraint. -- pyongyang. it is difficult to know. some of the

chinese research is thought it was just their scheduling. either port technical or scheduling reasons. there has been speculation in north korea was showing restraint and that putting them back in the list of countries that sponsor terrorism decided the situation for them and that they would test again but the truth is nobody really knows. thank you for speaking to us. nice to be here. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the senate democratic leader in the united states says democrats and republicans need to come to an agreement on legislation to fund the running of the government, in order to avoid a shutdown. senator chuck schumer was speakingafter he and representative nancy pelosi pulled out of a scheduled meeting with president trump to discuss the issue. mr trump says there is a fundamental disagreement over tax that needs to be addressed. one of the most prominent saudis being held in an anti—corruption drive is reported to have been freed

after more than three weeks. prince miteb, once seen as a leading contender to the throne, was arrested on the orders of the crown prince. officials say he has now been released after agreeing to pay more than $1 billion. a group of 10 north koreans, detained in china, are understood to have been sent back without their claim for asylum being considered. among the group is a mother and child, and the father has told the bbc he now fears for his family inside the country's detention system. china is yet to respond to requests for comment. a graphic video ofjapanese fishermen harpooning whales in the southern ocean has been released by the australian government, after the anti—whaling group, sea shepherd won a freedom of information battle. the video was filmed by australian officials nearly ten years ago but canberra kept it hidden for fear of damaging "international relations".

in kenya, the new president, uhuru kenyatta, thousands of visitors are stranded on the indonesian island of bali after aircraft were stopped from using its only airport for a second day over fears a volcano may erupt. mount agung is sending gas, ash, and smoke thousands of meters into the air. from bali, hywel griffiths sent this report. with ash billowing overhead and tremors growing underground, mount agung's eruptions show no sign of slowing. thick and muddy flows are spilling from the surface. they are dangerous, but not as devastating as the redhot lava which could follow. in the shadow of the mountain they have been preparing for months. everyone knows the drill. these children have been reassured they will be safe as long as the evacuation plan is followed. for the thousands forced from their homes two months ago when the tremors started, the wait has been unbearable.

there is no way of knowing when it will end. translation: i have two young children. what will we do? the impact of the eruption is already spreading. more than 800 flights have been cancelled. the only way in and out is by boat. it is quite scary. it seems pretty close. yeah, so not sure when it is due to arrive. some here are determined to stick to everyday life, whatever the risks. this flower seller lives within the exclusion zone but is refusing to leave. she will run if the lava comes, she laughs. through the day, the island has been hit by tropical storms and blackout. just adding to the sense of disruption and unease as they wait to see how the eruption will end. stay with us on bbc

news, still to come: prince harry and meghan markle are to be married next may. the venue — st george's chapel in windsor. president kennedy was shot down, and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world, the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot—air balloon

had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." when bob geldof of the boomtown rats saw the tv pictures from ethiopia, he decided he had to do something. and he found his rock music friends felt the same. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: pope francis celebrates mass for the first time in myanmar. north korea test—fires another ballistic missile — triggering condemnation from washington, tokyo, and seoul. it will health organisation is

warning that progress made to eradicate malaria could be damaged u nless eradicate malaria could be damaged unless more funding is made available. their latest report provides a status update on the fight against the disease, with experts saying targets to cut infection by 90% by 2030 will be missed unless budgets are increased. and re—plugged reports. spread by mosquitoes, it causes many deaths. the world health organization aiming causes many deaths. the world health 0rganization aiming to cut debts by 90% by 2030, and in some countries wipe out malaria altogether. when you report says progress is stalling due to underfunding. worldwide, the prevention and eradication programme got 2.7 billion us dollars last year. experts say that is well short of the money they need. last year saw more than 2 million new infections across 91 countries, and

about half a million deaths. diseases like two regulators, and hiv/aids, each killed twice as many lost you. the hope is that one day malaria, like smallpox, could be a disease of the past. insecticide treated bed nets are the most effective way to stop malaria. spraying waltz with insecticide is also popular. —— walls with insecticide. these insecticide spray has gone down. without more money, the gains made on the disease could start to slip back. in recent years, seven countries have been certified malaria free, including the maldives and sri lanka. it is hoped many more will be freed of the disease of the next decade. scientists say that can only happen with more funding to fight malaria. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. at least two people have died with three others in a critical condition after a car bomb exploded outside the yemeni finance ministry

offices in the southern city of aden. officials say they believe there are more casualties at the scene of the blast, but they're unable to reach them due to an exchange of gunfire taking place. no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. ajury in the united states has acquitted a libyan militant of murder but convicted him on lesser terrorism charges in connection with an attack on the us consulate in benghazi in 2012. ahmed abu khatallah had been facing 18 charges, but was acquitted on all but four of them. kenya's president, uhuru kenyatta, says he'll work to reunite his country following his controversial re—election last month. mr kenyatta was inaugurated for his second term on tuesday despite continuing opposition protests. he won a repeat election held in october with 98% of the vote after the opposition boycotted the poll. we are starting to get details of the upcoming royal wedding

of prince harry and the american actress meghan markle. kensington palace announced they will marry in may at windsor castle. ms markle will be confirmed into the church of england before the service. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell has the details. they have, in the words of their spokesman, been overwhelmed by the amount of the support they've received from britain and elsewhere in the world to the news of their engagement and now, harry and meghan are starting to organise the wedding, leading the process for all aspects of this alimony themselves, according to their officials. as they do so, other members of the royal family have been expressing their happiness at the news of their engagement. william and i are absolutely thrilled, it's such exciting news, it is a happy time for any couple and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this moment. the first big decision in terms of the wedding planning is the venue. it will take place inside windsor

castle in the historic saint georges chapel. the month on the invitation is made. the date is to be decided. the 15th century chapel, festooned with the knights of the gutter. is where prince harry was christened. it has fewer than half the capacity of westminster abbey. it is a more intimate setting. it is where the marriage of the prince of wales and the duchess of cornwall was blessed in 2005 after their wedding in a registry office. aside from wedding preparations, meghan will be applying for british citizenship was that she was to get to know britain better. in this beginning few months and now being bitten on the ground in the uk, i am excited to really get to know the different communities there, smaller organisations working on the same courses that i have always been passionate about. that process of getting to know the new country will

start this friday in nottingham. the city will witness the first official engagement of the new royal team, prince harry and meghan markle. here's something surprising — space is filling up with junk. 0ld bits of rocket, fragments of space crafts, even old satellites are all up there and the amount of rubbish just keeps growing. now a british team is hoping to solve the problem by sending up a spacecraft — with the hope it will grab some of the space junk and bring it back to earth. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle explains. trois, deux, un — lift—off. blasting off. for decades, we've been launching into space. but what goes up rarely comes down, and space has become crowded with junk. the remove debris spacecraft could be the answer, the world's first attempt to test how we can clean up celestial clutter. it will see if it is possible to snare a satellite in a net, and review how

effectively a harpoon is. it will then bring everything back down, burning up as it enters the earth's atmosphere. it has been assembled in surrey, and has cost £15 million. this is the last chance to see it before it is packed up for its launch early next year. this is the remove debris platform. it's going to be one of the world's first missions to actually demonstrate cleaning up space junk. since the early days of exploration, the area around the earth has grown more and more cluttered. it is estimated there are about 7,500 tons ofjunk, made up of old bits of rocket, fragments from defunct spacecraft, even tools dropped by an astronaut. scientists believe there are now 500,000 pieces of debris the size of a marble or bigger, and each piece has the potential to do some serious damage. last year, the international space station was hit. this chip in a window was caused when it was struck by a tiny fleck of paint.

all eyes are now trained on the remove debris spacecraft. if the technology works, the hope is future missions can be scaled up and the space clean—up can begin. rebecca morelle, bbc news. let us go back to our top story. tens of thousands of people in janmaat have gone to attend the first must be held by pope francis. this is the scene —— mejanmaat. it has an estimated 200,000 catholics. these pictures from a short time ago showing people there waving at the popein showing people there waving at the pope in the popemobile. people coming from all over the country. stay with us on bbc news. hello there.

if tuesday was too cold for you, i don't think you're going to find much comfort in the forecast for the next couple of days. if anything, it will get even colder. these northerly winds diving all the way down from the arctic, the air turning increasingly cold, and with that, some wintry showers feeding in across northern and eastern areas. now, where the showers have fallen through the night across northern scotland, there is some risk of icy stretches. could be ice across eastern england as well. temperatures generally holding just above freezing for the first part of the morning. many of the showers at low levels falling as rain. but, over high ground, don't be surprised to see some sleet and some snow. further west through the midlands into the west country, largely dry, with some early sunshine. a cold start, though, quite a widespread frost here. the odd shower into west cornwall and west wales. these will continue through the day. for much of wales dry, bright, but recalled any frost to start off the morning. some showers into northern ireland. some could be wintry.

just two degrees there. there is a chance of icy stretches through the morning as well. but, away from the showers, there'll be a lot of crisp sunshine on wednesday for central south—western scotland and down towards the south coast. largely dry conditions, with some sunshine. a few showers in the west. these wintry showers continue in the north and east, where it will be windy as well. 3—7 degrees on the thermometer, it will feel colder than that. as soon as the sun goes down on wednesday night, noticed this haze of blue spreading across the map. a widespread frost. some showers in the west, and these showers turning increasingly wintry across eastern areas. into thursday, high pressure remains out west. but this area of low pressure, if anything, will try to squash its way in. and, as the isobars squeeze together, the winds will get a bit stronger. very windy across eastern areas. showers mostly confined to areas close to the coast. if those showers drift any distance inland, they will be wintry, perhaps even some snow to fairly low levels.

this is what it will feel like on thursday afternoon when you add on the strength of the wind. for many northern and eastern areas, feeling sub—zero. for friday, the showers will be focused on the south—east at first. these could be wintry at times. then we see some sunshine, still chilly, and then a band of patchy rain pushes in towards the north—west. behind that, a hint of something slightly milder. a milder weekend to come. a lot of dry weather but with a lot of cloud, and some patchy rain at times. this is bbc news. the headlines: the pope has been celebrating mass for the first time in myanmar. the pontiff has already spoken about the rights of ethnic groups if but refused to refer to the persecuted rohingya muslim minority by name. north korea has test fired a ballistic missile — its first since mid—september. south korean military officials say the missile flew east from a launch

site near the capital, pyongyang. it reportedly travelled a distance of about one thousand kilometres before falling into the sea of japan. the world health organisation is warning that progress made to eradicate malaria could be damaged unless more funding is made available. experts say targets to cut infection by 90% by 2030 will be missed unless budgets are increased. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.