>> you're watching live from paris on france 24. i'm rochelle harrison. these are the headlines. don't push as any further. deliversvice president a warning to pyongyang during a surprise visit to the dmz. i will have the latest from our correspondent in a couple of minutes. turkey's president erdogan tightened his grip on power after claiming victory in

sunday's referendum. yes tovoters saying controversial constitutional changes. we will take a look at how french ex-pats are preparing to cast their ballots in the upcoming presidential elections. candidates are battling for each and every vote. up, for some of us the easter chocolate binge is coming to an end. usually a roaring success for the world's chocolate makers. switzerland's world-famous chocolate industry could be in danger. we will tell you why in the business update.

don't test us. u.s. vice president mike pence squares up to pyongyang. the warning came during his surprise visit to the dmz, the area dividing north and south korea. tensions between washington and pyongyang continue to escalate. comments come's hot on the heels of a missile test over the weekend. >> ramping up the rhetoric after north korea failed to launch a ballistic missile. the u.s. vice president issues a warning on pyongyang's doorstep. >> all options are on the table. mike pence made an unannounced visit to the demilitarized zone between north and south korea on the first day of hisis asian tour. he met the south korean president. said any use of conventional

or nuclear weapons by the north koreans will be met with an overwhelming response. last two weeks the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in syria and afghanistan. north korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the united states in this region. >> he repeated that president trump wants china to pressure the north into abandoning its nuclear program. south korean counterparts also called for beijing support. korea does another provocation, we will swiftly implement measures. >> mike pence said the administration would go ahead with deployment of the u.s. missile defense shield in south

korea. something south korea is supposed to. deeming it a threat to its own national security. >> let's cross to andrew. the rhetoric from both sides is heating up. key message pence's and should pyongyang be worried? his key messages were what played in the bulletin just now. talking about a very strong alliance with south korea as reinforcing south korean confidence in american support. also talking about more options on the table. mostly the approach of the americans was to arrive on sanctions. strategic patience. that has now run out.

that is a message north koreans may not want to hear. he is also mentioning the china angle. perhaps the meeting of minds recently in florida may have warned some fruit. are talking more about north korea than they were during the obama administration. >> china is a north korean ally. what moves could beijing pull to rein in pyongyang? china is the country that really has the leverage over north korea. the border is where 80% or 9% -- 90% is where commerce crosses. it will have a tremendous effect on north korea's society.

the chinese have recently been aboutg in state media putting pressure on the regime. they also released chinese war on the internet via state media. that really could have spooked north korea. they recently turned back a large shipment of cold -- coal. chinese are more onboard than they have been in recent years and are turning the screw on north korea. the americans would be very keen to follow up on. >> thank you, andrew. prosecutors in south korea have charged the country's ousted president in a corruption scandal that led to her impeachment.

been accused of bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets. the disgraced former leader allegedly allowed a close family friend to extort money in return for political favors. both women denied the charges. leader erdogan has claimed victory in a contentious referendum. constitutional changes that will boost his power by replacing the country's parliamentary system with an executive presidency. sunday's tightly contested polls are just over 51% of voters approved the move. divided between those celebrating and those challenging the results. let's hear from erdogan. today turkey has made a historic decision. after 200 years of discussion about its system of governance. is no ordinary event.

this constitutional amendment is very significant. we would like other countries and institutions to show respect to our nation's decision. erdogan says the changes are needed to modernize and strengthen turkey some nine months after the country was rocked by a failed coup d'etat. critics say it paves the way for one-man rule. here's a look at what the new constitution could look like. >> by a slim margin, voters have given the go-ahead to revamp the country's constitution. handing considerably more power to the office of the president. among the 18 constitutional amendments, the new charter abolishes the post of prime minister and transfers executive powers to the president. it allows the president to issue appoint top officials including vice president. the president can decide whether to impose a state of emergency.

put toposal is then parliament. parliament will still have the power to enact, modify and remove legislation. opponents of the changes say this will only increase onsident erdogan's grip power and further fragment turkish society. >> there is so little trust between the people opposed to erdogan and erdogan himself. we have the highly on power and further fragment turkish society. >> there is so politicized judicial system in turkey as well. even if the courts ruled there was no irregularities a lot of people in the country won't believe it. >> he is already looking ahead to holding another referendum on whether to reinstate the death penalty. ahead it is likely to further strain already tense relations between turkey and the european union. for brussels it would spell the end of ankara's bid for e.u. membership. meanwhile turkey's main

opposition party is refusing to accept the results of the referendum and is demanding a recount of the ballots. let's hear from the chief of the chp party. >> we have undertaken a referendum on unequal terms. everybody knows this. despite the unequal conditions we did everything in our power to protect democracy. and our efforts were based on law. those who support this went outside of the legal framework. they violated the law. >> time for some news in brief. in mexico the former governor of veracruz state has been put behind bars after being captured following six months on the run. mexican prosecutors are demanding his extradition. the disgraced politician has

become a symbol of government corruption wanted on suspicion of money laundering and organized crime. serving of palestinians time in israeli prisons have launched a hunger strike after premiseom a prominent -- prisoner. hundreds of inmates are refusing food. the strike coincides with the annual palestinian prisoners day with israel currently detaining more than 6500 palestinians. ae mediterranean sea is watery grave once again for migrants who drowned off the coast of libya over the weekend. the italian coast guard was able to rescue people on operations saturday and sunday. they were plucked from the overloaded unseaworthy vessels. there has been a spike in the number of people attempting the journey.

french football match interrupted in chaos on sunday with a home game against leon scrapped after the pitch was invaded twice. fans attacked the visiting players just before halftime. targetedc leon players fans. shocking scenes at the stadium in corsica marred the football game which was abandoned at halftime after renewed clashes. the french foot all-league have opened an investigation. the president tweeted that the sport had been turn it -- tarnished. andafternoon for our team for the football club who were the victim of uncontrollable fans and their pathetic security. this is the third time this week that football has attracted headlines off the pitch.

clashed in the europa league on thursday before the incident in corsica this sunday. they are under fire after repeated crowd disturbances. the problems all stem from the same stand to the disbelief of many of the fans. it is scandalous. what is happening is scandalous. our own fans are destroying the football club. with an investigation looming over their heads they stated they would fully cooperate with authorities. the potential points penalty hanging over their head. the corsican's seem destined for -- destined for relegation to the second team -- tier of french foot tall.

>-- football. president. vice delivers a stark warning to pyongyang during a surprise visit to the dmz. tensions continue to escalate. tightens hisident grip on power after claiming victory in sunday's referendum. yes tovoters saying controversial constitutional changes. time for the campaign beat. our daily roundup of news from the french presidential campaign trail. there is less than one week to go before the election and there is no clear front runner. an unprecedented situation for a french presidential election. >> six days to go. there are four front runners

battling it out at the top. the far left candidate jean-luc melenchon and francois fillon have managed to close the gap. neckare virtually neck and with emmanuel macron and marine le pen. it is the home stretch. anything could happen. get ready for a nailbiter. >> candidates and their supporters are out in force trying to convince those undecided voters. vote counts and there are a lot of undecided votes to capture. there could be up to 40% of undecided voters. our reporter has been following franaois fillon's supporters. they have been canvassing in paris and venturing into the

historical left-wing neighborhoods. check out his report. >> we are at the metro stop in paris. in this neighborhood the electorate is more left-leaning. llande got 74% of the votes in the last election. >> do you think people can still be convinced with two weeks to go or with one week to go? >> of course. they have to be to make the choice during the next week. i think all people will make their decision in the very last week. that's why we are so committed to presentnd francois fillon's project.

>> campaigners are met with skepticism by those unwilling to overlook corruption allegations. i want full transparency in public spending. you should not benefit from parliamentary perks that allow you to employ your wife or whoever. i want to make some noise and protest and say no to mr. fillon. he is going to get what he deserves. have you convinced anyone to vote for francois fillon today? >> i guess i hope. it's a bit tough in this part of paris to convince some people. we try and we hope so. >> he is polling neck and neck who the far left candidate

has recently surged in the polls. his campaigners are targeting the same metro stop. fillon supporters are hoping voters will overlook scandals. there is one candidate who is loving the current situation. far left candidate jean-luc melenchon. has seen an incredible surge in opinion polls. just a few weeks ago he was a distant fifth and he could very well make it to the palace. down yesterdays to understand more about the search. -- surge. >> jean-luc melenchon drawing a huge crowd here. of long-standing supporters, new converts and those considering switching to

the cause in the wake of his bounce in the polls. >> i have never voted before. only one who i think speaks honestly. he doesn't have my vote yet. in the pollsuation i am starting to reconsider. i hope he wins and becomes the president who unites us and moves us forward. they wanted a more social politics here in france and further afield. equality. more he has promised to state jobs which is really important. renegotiating european treaties is in his manifesto. i think we should change europe,

not leave it. there has to be an ultimatum to get out if our voice is interred. -- isn't heard. his supporters want a dramatic change of tax. every vote counts here in france and abroad as well. french ex-pats are signed up to vote. we have been following the situation in new york city. opinions are just as divided their as they are here in france. of arestream candidates not to his taste. his experience has not changed his political convictions. he is supporting marine le pen. i think it's perhaps time to

try something else. he was a police officer in france. he does not see anything paradoxical about an immigrant voting for an anti-immigrant candidate. he does not believe accusations that le pen is racist. >> i do not think racism is the solution. you can't blame the other. tends torench ex-pats vote for traditional right-wing candidates. >> i think he's the only one capable of performing france. you get the sense he is someone who can weather the storm. >> emmanuel macron also seems to have energized ex-pats here in new york. he is the candidate of

change. he is a younger candidate and yet he has a lot of experience with politics and in the private sector. that is what the other candidates are missing. >> there are more than one million french citizens living abroad. they make up about 2% of the vote. in such a tight election, that's a lot. if you are interested in the french collection, check out the election compass. this is a tool developed by france 24. it calculates how your political views compare with those of the french presidential candidates and can lead to some very surprising results. time for the business roundup. with china which has just released new figures on its gdp today.

>> that's right. the first quarter gdp grew more than expected. 6.9 percent. analysts were expecting 6.8%. thata look at a graph shows china's gdp over five years. it slowed down a lot in the last two years. the latest results suggest that growth is stabilizing. many analysts are still nervous about china's heavy reliance on government stimulus and its rising debt. >> how did asian markets react? >> most asian markets retreated at the start of the session. european markets in hong kong are closed today for easter monday. >> the russian capital is growing rapidly. >> the city is already home to

more than 12 million people and it is starting to burst at the seams. developers are descending on moscow suburbs to build new housing complex that will meet the demand. we take a look at the human and environmental consequences of the speedy urbanization. moved here with her family to get away from the big city. >> we locals know every tree in this forest. have lakes, walking trails. it's a place for relaxation and clean air. it's important to us. or than 20 kilometers northeast of red square, maria is surrounded by forest. what she sees as beauty property developers see as s an opportunity. there are plans to build 30 high-rise buildings in the area. activistsfellow launched a campaign to stop this development. they say building has begun anyway.

greenpeace says cases like this are increasingly common in russia because developers benefit from loopholes in the law. >> it's clear this is beneficial for the construction companies as well as local and regional authorities because even if we rule out the corruption factor the money still goes to the government's budget. officials say more housing is needed and the city center is often overcrowded and expensive. to resolve goal is issues such as relocating people from rundown housing. moscow has a growing population of around 12 million. in 2016 9 million square meters of residential property was developed on the green belt as the government sought to meet housing demand. >> despite many of us around the

world forging on chocolate this easter weekend there may be trouble on the horizon for the world famous swiss chocolate industry. >> it is generally a booming time of the year for chocolate. the fear towards more health-conscious snacks and the rising price of cocoa is threatening this 200 year old industry. -- swissst swish chocolate companies are scrambling to adapt. nestle saw its organic sales fall 1% from 2015 to 2016. they are in trouble. somebody has to help them. stay with us here on france 24.

live from paris continues after a short break. don't go away.

woman: the following program is an original proroduction of linktv. narrator: next up, an all new motherers day spececial. being g a new mom m is rewardidg and challenging, but what extra burdens do mothers in pooror countries faface? come take a tour of the world's best and worst places to be a mom in this new rereport from "save thehe children" and viewchange.org. man: "viewchange" is about people making g real progress in tackling the world's toughest issues. can a story change the world? see for yourself in "viewchange, the mothers index." narrator: you've heard the term lottttery of b birth. lottttery of b birth. more often t than not, children