wrongly convicted of fraud. violence in ecuador erupts as gunmen break into a live television studio — but its military rule out negotiations with the criminal gangs inciting it. america's top diplomat, antony blinken, is meeting with palestinian leaders in the occupied west bank — after telling israeli leaders that the toll of the war on civilians in gaza is too high. britain's ministry of defence says the uk and us navies have fought off the largest attack so far by the iranian—backed houthi rebels. let's get more on the post office scandal and the mounting pressure on the government to deal with it. more than 700 sub—postmasters were wrongly convicted in the post office horizon scandal after faulty software made it look like money was missing. the minister responsible for the post office kevin hollinrake says the government is very, very close to announcing its plans to clear them. close to announcing its plans to clearthem. bbc close to announcing its plans to clear them. bbc breakfast gathered a group of sub—postmasters together this morning. here are some of their

stories. i'm tom hedges. i ran a post office at hogsthorpe, which is about eight miles outside skegness. i was there for 16 years until i was dismissed in 2009 and convicted in court in 2010. i had to wait a number of years until 2021, when my conviction was overturned, and frankly, it wrecked my life, my family's life and everybody i know�*s life. it was the most horrendous thing i have ever been through. i was very lucky in one way. i didn't go bankrupt like a lot of the other people. and ijust feel very privileged to sit here this morning and

address the nation because of the wonderful tv show that itv have produced. it seems a weird thing to say on the bbc, but there we go. i do feel that the story has dragged us right onto the very top of the media agenda, and i'm very, very pleased that that's the case. maria? my name is maria. i'm from huddersfield. this is the first time i've ever felt strong enough to speak to anyone about what's happened. my contract, they terminated my contract after i pay back more than £30,000 back to them. 30,000? yeah. alison. my name is alison hall. i run a post office in hightown liversedge, west yorkshire, until i was suspended in 2010

of a shortfall of nearly £15,000. i admitted to a false accounting charge, but it was overturned three years ago. that's it. we'll give you time as the programme goes on. my name is mohammed rasul. i worked for the post office for 27 years, and then i was convicted of false accounting. i had to wear a tag for three months and had a suspended sentence for 12 months. i have carried the shame ever since. i refuse to carry it any longer. my name isjanet skinner. i worked for the post office - from 1994 until i was suspended in 2006 for shortfall of £59,000. i i was given a nine—month custodiall sentence, so three months in prison

and the rest on home curfew. it's affected everything i of my life going forward for the past 16 years. my name is scott darlington. i ran alderley edge post office for four years from 2005. i was suspended in 2009, convicted in 2010. i couldn't get a job for three and a half years after that. i couldn't afford to pay for my daughter's school uniform. i suffered awful stigma and embarrassment and financial distress ever since. and i'm glad that things have come to a head and we're able to speak about it now. my name is varchas patel. i'm here on behalf of my father, vipin patel of oxford. he was wrongfully prosecuted by post office ltd in 2011 and his health is completely shattered. it's only going to get

worse, and he's not yet to receive compensation. my name is tim brentall. iran a post office in pembrokeshire from 2005 until a shortfall was found in late 2009, which i was forced to pay back some £22,500. i was then prosecuted for false accounting until my conviction was quashed in 2001. my life was left in tatters, and my customers and villagers thought i was a fraud. my name is sally stringer. and i ran a small rural post office in beckford for nearly, nearly 20 years. i'm fortunate that

i wasn't convicted. i had to use my own money to pay for all the shortfalls from the corrupt horizon system. and ijoined the 555 to see if i can help getjustice. we need to have the monies that were paid to post office put back to the postmasters. they appeared on nikki campbell's 5 live programme this morning and during the programme he took this call. i during the programme he took this call. . . during the programme he took this call. . , call. i had been running the post office, call. i had been running the post office. they _ call. i had been running the post office, they closed _ call. i had been running the post office, they closed the - call. i had been running the post office, they closed the main - call. i had been running the post office, they closed the main one down the road for 20 years and in 2000 i had the horizon system put in and wejust kept 2000 i had the horizon system put in and we just kept being short. up to that point i was audited, not 20, about 17 years, i was audited and everything was fine. and then i kept being short. we were in our 60s, my husband was 67 and he was taking a lump sum out of his pension pot and in the end he couldn't do it any more. so i wasn't brave like all the other postmasters, i took a route where i hid it and i move money around from the shop to the post office for about 18 months, two

years, and i knew, i don't know, i can't tell you, i knew i was going to be audited and when they came out ijust to be audited and when they came out i just confessed. to be audited and when they came out ijust confessed. i had asked my manager is why i kept being short before i did all that and they said look at your staff and i'd had my staff with me from the beginning and i knew it wasn't them. no one could help at all. no one. i phoned up and nothing. ijust buried my head in the sand, i didn't know if i was coming or going, just carried on until the auditors arrived and as soon as they came ijust until the auditors arrived and as soon as they came i just said, until the auditors arrived and as soon as they came ijust said, yes, i've done it. i'd never had a clue that it was horizon, it never entered my head that it would be a computer and ifeel so entered my head that it would be a computer and i feel so stupid when entered my head that it would be a computer and ifeel so stupid when i look at mr debates on how he'd

worked it out, why didn't i? i'm not a stupid person really. what a stupid person really. what happened — a stupid person really. what happened to _ a stupid person really. what happened to you, _ a stupid person really. what happened to you, karen, . a stupid person really. what happened to you, karen, as| a stupid person really. what. happened to you, karen, as a a stupid person really. what happened to you, karen, as a result of this? my happened to you, karen, as a result of this? y ., , happened to you, karen, as a result ofthis? g ., , .,, happened to you, karen, as a result ofthis? g .,, ,, of this? my house was repossessed and i pleaded _ of this? my house was repossessed and i pleaded guilty _ of this? my house was repossessed and i pleaded guilty at _ of this? my house was repossessed and i pleaded guilty at magistrates' j and i pleaded guilty at magistrates' court —— mr bates. i was sentenced for a year. court -- mr bates. i was sentenced for a year-— court -- mr bates. i was sentenced | for a year-— yes. for a year. you went to prison? yes, i went to prison. _ for a year. you went to prison? yes, i went to prison. i _ for a year. you went to prison? yes, i went to prison. i went _ for a year. you went to prison? yes, i went to prison. i went to _ for a year. you went to prison? yes, i went to prison. i went to prison - i went to prison. i went to prison for three months and three months with a tag. for three months and three months withata~.~ . for three months and three months with ata~.~ . .,, ~ with a tag. what was it like in there? you — with a tag. what was it like in there? you know— with a tag. what was it like in there? you know what, - with a tag. what was it like in there? you know what, it- with a tag. what was it like in j there? you know what, it was with a tag. what was it like in - there? you know what, it was better than what i'd — there? you know what, it was better than what i'd been _ there? you know what, it was better than what i'd been going _ there? you know what, it was better than what i'd been going through - there? you know what, it was better| than what i'd been going through the two years before that. i was all right in there. i didn't have anyone being nasty to me and that's all i can say, really. it'sjust what being nasty to me and that's all i can say, really. it's just what i did to my family, that's what i will never, my grandson who was eight, he was bullied in school, my daughter in law, her mother didn't speak to me. but on the whole, my family stood by me and my friends and people came in my shop. they wrote

to me in prison and i have so much support. to me in prison and i have so much su ort. , ., , to me in prison and i have so much su--ort. , ., , ., to me in prison and i have so much su--ort. . ., ,., support. the stories of those affected by — support. the stories of those affected by the _ support. the stories of those affected by the poster - support. the stories of those affected by the poster for - support. the stories of those - affected by the poster for scandal and we are told the prime minister will address all of this in prime minister's questions at midday and you can hear what he has to say here on bbc news. ijust want to show you can hear what he has to say here on bbc news. i just want to show you some pictures, some live pictures coming in of the kerem shalom crossing. this is one of the crossings that goes in from israel into gaza. this is trucks lining up with humanitarian aid waiting to go in. we know that the us secretary of state antony blinken is in ramallah in the west bank currently holding talks with palestinian president mahmoud bass and he has talked about the need for more humanitarian aid to get into gaza as soon as possible. the cabin—mate of an albanian man believed to have taken his own life on a barge

for asylum seekers in the uk, says he fears others will harm themselves if conditions aren't improved. leonard farruku died last month on the bibby stockholm vessel, which is moored off portland in dorset. the death is being investigated by the police and the coroner — and his funeral takes place in albania today. our west of england correspondent danjohnson reports. then i started knock, knock, "are you ok, my friend, are you ok? they had to bring him out lying flat. with that, unconscious. we tried to do some first aid on him, tried to pump some oxygen. no answer. i think they should stop taking people there, because that place is not good for people. when these things happen, it's like a warning. yusuf was the last person to see leonard farruku alive, a fellow asylum seeker and his roommate on the bibby stockholm. he's very quiet. he likes to be by himself. he was sitting alone with his phone, playing, laughing on his phone. he liked to keep to himself.

did he seem happy? yeah, yeah, yeah. he'll be laughing on the phone sometimes until one, two o'clock at night. maybe watching a comedy video on his phone. yeah, he's having fun time. so you didn't think he was struggling? yeah, yeah, yeah. at first, when i moved here, i didn't see any sign of that in him. but almost a month ago, leonard was found dead in the bathroom of their shared cabin. for the moment he entered the room, he went directly to the bathroom. he just said hello to me, went directly to the bathroom. and that was 12 hours before he was discovered early the next morning. and yusuf says he initially found it difficult to raise the alarm. i have to come there like three to four times. three to four times? yes, three to four times before they send someone to follow me. when they opened the door, they made him sit in the shower, like this. but the shower was off.

he was was wearing his scarves and his gloves. at that time, they told me to step outside immediately. i have never seen a dead body in my life. he says many are struggling with life on the bibby stockholm and he still hears their complaints. the stress and anxiety, poor quality of food. this barge feels like a prison. the food is not good. the wifi they use to talk with family is not working properly. the security guys treat them like they are criminal. if you want to enter the barge, you have to go through some security checking and then the place looks like a prison, very isolating. and there's a fear about what this could lead to. we are trying to give warning that that place is not ok for them. they said every day the stress is increasing, its getting worse, it's getting worse. so they decide to even kill them themselves, because they don't have any hope for their life.

the home office told us it takes the welfare of those in its care very seriously and that any concerns are swiftly addressed. it also highlighted the migrant help phone line, which is available 24/7 for anyone in need. leonard farruku's family raised thousands of pounds to return his body to albania. his funeral today marks the saddest end to a journey he made in hope. what lessons, if any, his death should teach us will be for his inquest to decide later this year. what do you think should happen to the bibby stockholm, then? yeah, i think they should stop taking people there, because that place is not good for people. they are running from persecution there. they thought when they would come here, they would have peace, they would have safety. then when they came back to seek asylum, they are treating them like they are criminal, like prisoners. dan johnson, bbc news.

young people who take and share nude pictures are contributing to a rise in sexual offences committed by children in england and wales. police figures suggest the offenders in half of all reported child abuse cases in england and wales were also under 18. senior officers say some are not aware they are breaking the law. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. this website created by students in 2021 was a turning point, police say. he blackmailed me into sending him nude pictures. schoolchildren began revealing the sexual pressure they face from other children. he kept sending me photos of it and asking if i would have sex with him. including to appear nude. but these accounts aren't from two years ago. "i said yes because i didn't want to lose him." they're from the last few months, and the stories keep coming. "he sent them to my family, close friends and my school." the result is that reported abuse of children by children is growing and concerning, and it often involves phones and photos.

it's a crime for anybody to take, to make, to share or distribute an indecent image of a child that is under 18, whether that's in a consensual relationship or not. and it's really important that young people understand that and the consequences of that, because whilst they may be in that consenting relationship at that time, once that image is shared or uploaded onto a platform, it's lost. it can be shared among children, it can be used to blackmail or embarrass. senior officers say the ideas behind this abusive behaviour, most of it by boys, often come from violent and abusive online porn, available with just a few clicks. they want the government to back stricter controls. they know they have to use their discretion when assessing low level offences by children because convictions can severely damage their future prospects and they know they can't be parents. the message, we all need to have that uncomfortable

conversation with our kids. tom symonds, bbc news. the makers of the baby formula, aptamil, have confirmed to the bbc that the price they charge uk retailers will drop by 7% from monday. it will be up to each shop whether they pass on that reduction. the average cost of baby formula has gone up by a quarter over the last two years — meaning it costs just under £89 per month to feed a ten—week—old baby. our cost of living correspondent colletta smith has been to a baby bank in buxton supporting parents in need. anyone using formula milk knows it doesn't come cheap at the moment. the one he has now is about £10.50 for a tub. i mean, i try not to look sometimes because ijust think, i can't even think about the fact that it costs that much. the increase in price has meant some hard decisions for hannah and herfamily. because of how expensive everything's gone and how much everything's going up, i've had to go back to work earlier than planned. you do struggle sometimes to think, "well, i need

to spend this £11 on milk. "i can't go and buy uss omething nice for tea" or, you know, you have to sort of balance it and sacrifice your own stuff to buy something that your baby needs. the price of baby formula has increased dramatically recently right across the board, but the competition and markets authority say that big brands have increased the price by much more than it costs to make it. and that's particularly difficult for parents because there aren't that many options available on the market. and once they've found a product that suits their baby, they're understandably reluctant to switch. this exploits parents, really, it's far too much for something that's so necessary. sometimes it was like 15, £16. and that would last you, what, a week? yeah, yeah, if that. then going on maternity, - your pay is already decreased and then you're expected to pay even more for certain products _ that your baby needs. it's completely unfair. we're quite lucky because we've got a storage unit on top of this, but this is where the smaller

items are kept. so we've got... as a result of those price increases, more parents are turning to community baby banks like this one for help. the demand for formula has increased massively over the last 6 to 12 months. i'd say it's gone up by about 200%. a tin costs 20 quid every few days for some families. and that might be the difference between putting the electric on or not or doing a food shop. what are parents doing to get round those high prices? there was a couple of mums that said that they've used condensed milk in place of formula. going longer in between feeds. parents can't afford it, the companies that are creating this product do not need to have that massive amount of profit. there is a lot of times where we just have to say no to people because we haven't got it in or we haven't got the money to buy them. if we can't help them, they can't buy it themselves, what's happening to that baby? coletta smith, bbc news, in buxton.

it's the 80th anniversary of the d—day landings this year — and one woman who is hoping to visit the beaches of normandy for the first time, to pay her respects, is 103—year—old christian lamb. christian was an officer in the women's royal naval service — and herjob was to secretly map the normandy shoreline in advance of the attack. she's been sharing her memories of that time withjohn maguire. on that day, all who could get their hands on newspapers read the news for which they had been waiting so long. as the news of the d—day landings was greeted with relief and great excitement by the british public, those who'd worked tirelessly to make them happen shared that sense of historic achievement. among them was christian lamb. at six in the morning, i heard the news that they had landed. i was very, very thrilled. ijust remember thinking thank goodness, at last, it's happened. she's being brought back to whitehall by the taxi charity

for military veterans to visit the area where she worked 80 years ago. in honour of her service, a suite has been named after her in the old war office buildings — now a raffles hotel called the owo. when you think of the history of the building at the time, during the war, the building was run by women. so we felt we should give a bit of credit to these incredible women that have helped the nation and helped the entire world, when you think of it — especially me, a frenchman. i owe so much to miss lamb. i should say welcome to your suite. the one upstairs i think is yours, but you get the idea. you're going to come in and sit down — shall we? have a chat and a cup of tea? as a 23—year—old wren in the royal navy, she helped to create maps for the landing craft. they wanted me to draw these maps, which were to make sure that the people who were landing had

a very good identify of all land — a picture, so that they could see what they were likely to see if they landed — like a church or wide roads and stations and that sort of thing. christian worked alone. secrecy was paramount. and their roles were never discussed, but she was always aware ofjust how important her endeavours were. my office was down the stairs. i mean, we used to occasionally see winston churchill going up the stairs, but not the basement stairs. he didn't lower himself to that, no. i personally never talked about it, but i was very, very thankful to be doing something as a wren which was useful, because there were so manyjobs that you could have had which were completely useless, really. but there were people doing them. but i was lucky to be doing thisjob and i really felt it was useful and, you know, valuable to somebody —

might help save their lives. i felt that very strongly. gold beach is where the where the brits landed. gold isjust there, yeah. so it's got them marked —juno. we're looking at modern—day maps of the normandy coastline — areas once so familiar to her but never seen since. i haven't actually ever looked at a map since then. oh, really? no. well, i don't know, this might be thanks to your endeavours. well, i can remember bayeux, as well. the place where they had battles which went on for some time. despite playing a role in the success of the allied invasion, she's never been to the areas she charted in such vital detail. but she says she would love to visit the region. it would mean a lot, really. i would like to see the exact places where they stayed, but, i mean, it's such a long time ago.

there won't be many people who are alive still that were alive then. so it's just a matter of trying to remember and thinking what it must have been like. but you'd love to go? mm, it would be interesting. i'd spent a year in france. just at the beginning of the war, i came back from france and i was completely bilingual by then, so it's all there somewhere. it takes a bit of coming out. a few glasses of alcohol always help. looking out onto whitehall, christian remembers her bus stop at horse guards opposite and some off—duty antics with a colleague. one of the wrens who was training with me was always in trouble, as well, always being late for everything and getting punished. you were always punished and having to scrub the floor. got rather fed up with that. so every now and again we used to get onto her motorbike and tear around hyde park to cheer ourselves up. which we did, yeah.

we filmed with her last summer as she flew in a miles magister training aircraft, recreating a flight she'd last taken in 1943. so her adventurous spirit is undimmed and to visit the beaches she charted with such great effect 80 years ago remains an ambition for this 103—year—old who continues to live a remarkable life. john maguire, bbc news, whitehall. christian laanmae and her incredible memories there. spare a thought for the people of in a book in the northwest territories of canada because they live so far north that for weeks on end they see no sunlight whatsoever until now. this spectacular sunrise was the first they have seen in 30 days. the people there hold a sunrise festival to celebrate. people there hold a sunrise festival to celebrate-— people there hold a sunrise festival to celebrate. after the dark months and the sun — to celebrate. after the dark months and the sun returning _

to celebrate. after the dark months and the sun returning it _ to celebrate. after the dark months and the sun returning it is - to celebrate. after the dark months and the sun returning it is really - and the sun returning it is really exciting to have the light come back. having all different, it's really awesome as well. it’s back. having all different, it's really awesome as well.- back. having all different, it's really awesome as well. it's a good time to reflect _ really awesome as well. it's a good time to reflect on _ really awesome as well. it's a good time to reflect on how— really awesome as well. it's a good time to reflect on how we - really awesome as well. it's a good time to reflect on how we can - really awesome as well. it's a good time to reflect on how we can be i time to reflect on how we can be kinder— time to reflect on how we can be kinder and — time to reflect on how we can be kinder and better to each other, better_ kinder and better to each other, better to — kinder and better to each other, better to the environment, so that sort of— better to the environment, so that sort of what i take out of a day like today _ sort of what i take out of a day like today. | sort of what i take out of a day like today-— sort of what i take out of a day like today. i think it is a sign of ho -e like today. i think it is a sign of hepe that _ like today. i think it is a sign of hope that there _ like today. i think it is a sign of hope that there is _ like today. i think it is a sign of hope that there is always - like today. i think it is a sign ofj hope that there is always going like today. i think it is a sign of i hope that there is always going to be a brighter day. beautiful sunrise in inuvik. let's have a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. our wind will have a little less bite to it over the next few days as we start to shift direction, away from it coming off the continent and more from the atlantic, this area of high pressure is starting to nudge a bit further southwards and bringing the air around it. but with it comes a lot more cloud and we're already seeing that today across eastern scotland, northern england, parts of northern ireland and north wales. the chance of some rain and sleet showers around, a bit of drizzle in places, too.

but the far south of the country stays sunny through the rest of today and staying sunny as well in western parts of scotland where the winds are lightest. still a notable breeze for england and wales. that breeze at its coldest through the english channel. so 3 or 4 celsius in st helier and plymouth make feel closer to freezing elsewhere. temperatures by and large up on yesterday and closer to where we should be for the stage in the year. but still chilly. and a cold night to come tonight. there will be more cloud around, though, drifting southwards into parts of wales and the midlands. clearest conditions where we see the widespread frost, the blue colours on the chart, down to around —3, —4 in a few spots, same too in some sheltered parts of western scotland. most places, though, just above freezing into tomorrow morning. but the cloud will continue to work its way across more of england and wales tomorrow. a bright and sunny start and frosty start in the south, but that cloud will gradually encroach from the north. stays sunny, though, through the english channel towards the south—west of england, south wales, and stays reasonably sunny to western parts of scotland. elsewhere, sunshine,

a few breaks here and there, but the cloud thick enough for a few light showers. temperatures up again a little bit on today. by friday, after a cold night across scotland and northern ireland with some mist and fog. some of that fog will linger all day. temperatures struggling to get above freezing. a lot more cloud elsewhere. but unlike what we are going to see over the next few days, eastern scotland will be favoured for the sunshine as winds start to come in from a slightly more westerly direction. that's as our high pressure shifts and then eventually splits this weekend, introducing weather fronts from the north, which will bring a few rain, maybe sleet, showers initially, but increasingly snow flurries as we go into sunday. so it will turn colder again as we go through the weekend, especially across the north. still plenty of cloud around, though, for many, and the chance ofjust one or two rain or sleet showers. but a greater chance of snow next week as cold northerly winds to begin with and then areas of low pressure push their way in. there is the chance of some more widespread and disruptive snow. still a long way off at the moment, though, but we'll keep you updated.

live from london, this is bbc news. the uk government says it's very, very close to announcing a solution for the hundreds of sub postmasters who were wrongly convicted of fraud in one of the country's worst miscarriages ofjustice. ecuador�*s president declares war on armed gangs after gunmen break into a live television studio.

america's top diplomat, antony blinken, has been holding talks with palestinian leaders in the occupied west bank — after telling israeli leaders that the toll of the war on civilians in gaza is too high. britain's ministry of defence says the uk and us navies have fought off the largest attack so far by the iranian—backed houthi rebels. hello, i'm samantha simmonds. we begin in the uk, where pressure is mounting on the government to deal with what has been described as one of the uk greatest miscarriages ofjustice. more than 700 sub—postmasters were wrongly convicted in the post office horizon scandal after faulty software made it look like money was missing. their case is in the spotlight following the itv drama mr bates vs the post office, a new four—part series telling the heartbreaking tales of bankruptcies, suicide attempts and jail sentences.

the minister responsible for the post office,