this is bbc news, the headlines: up to 3,000 uk jobs expected to be cut at tata steel — as they look to shut down the blast furnaces at britain's biggest steelworks in port talbot. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu publicly rejects us calls for the establishment of a palestinian state once the gaza war comes to an end. and in the lead up to elections — south africa's seeing record levels of violent crime, soaring to a 20—year high. the daughter of a man — who was found dead with his young son in lincolnshire — says she doesn't blame social services for their deaths. 60—year—old kenneth battersby suffered a heart attack, and it's thought two—year—old bronson starved to death a few days later. melanie battersby spoke

exclusively to our midlands correspondent navtej johal. bronson! come on, then. every time i saw him, you know, he were happy, he were smiley. he were... he learned to walk, he were learning to speak. he was just a really beautiful, sweet—natured little boy. my dad was a character. he was born to be wild. he was...funny, hilarious sometimes, he was stubborn. he really, really loved his children and i know how proud he were of every single one of us. he absolutely doted on him. you know, he never complained. i think he loved doing what he were doing for him, seeing him with him. it was really, really heart—warming. and it made me proud, you know, proud of my dad for what he was doing for his little boy. melanie�*s dad, kenneth, and her two—year—old half brother, bronson, who she simply called her brother, died in the most

tragic of circumstances. it's believed the toddler starved to death after his dad had a heart attack. they were found alone in their home in skegness last week. they believe that it was about a week before that my dad had died and that bronson was two to three days later. melanie wanted to speak to us, but says she wishes to keep the focus on bronson and kenneth, not herself. we've agreed not to show her face. i was told that they were both found looking very peaceful, and that is the only consolation i can take from that — is that my little brother snuggled up to my dad and that he looked peaceful. and i don't want to think too much about the suffering that he went through. they didn't look in pain, neither of them did. and they were together. a social worker visited the father and son's home twice in the days beforehand, but the door was not answered either time.

their bodies were found on a third visit when access to the property was finally gained. a rapid review is being carried out by lincolnshire county council social services and the police watchdog will also investigate. i believe that social services and the police did what they could within the powers that they had and the information that they were given. i'm glad that an inquiry is going to take place into whether there were any failings, missed opportunities. i'm really glad that it's going to take place. i don't place blame — any blame at all — on them. i think it must be devastating for them to work in that profession, to have to deal with tragedies like this. these deaths have affected every parent, every person who has heard about them. the family are now hoping that they can be left alone to grieve in peace. navteonhal, bbc news. pakistan's caretaker government has confirmed that a national security meeting will be held today to discuss the recent attacks between iran and pakistan.

iran launched an attack on what it said were terrorist hideouts inside pakistan on tuesday. pakistan retaliated on thursday with strikes in sistan in balochistan province, which the iranian foreign ministry said killed nine people, including four children. both countries have similar concerns about the lawless border region, where drug smugglers and ethnic baloch separatist groups are active. so far, iran has condemned pakistan's missile strike, but has not taken further military action. live now to our pakistan correspondent caroline davies who's in islamabad for us. there is a special national security meeting. what we expect come out of it? we meeting. what we expect come out of it? . ., meeting. what we expect come out of it? ~ ., ., . ., ., , it? we are not certain at this staae, it? we are not certain at this stage. this — it? we are not certain at this stage. this is _ it? we are not certain at this stage, this is the _ it? we are not certain at this stage, this is the meeting i it? we are not certain at this stage, this is the meeting of| it? we are not certain at this - stage, this is the meeting of the top leadership for civilians and military together. bear in mind that pakistan's caretaker prime minister and caretaker foreign minister were out of the country throughout most of this week when all of this was

going on so this is an opportunity for everybody to sit down at the table. we don't know whether anything will come out of it but we think it is unlikely pakistan would want to escalate this further and that was clear in a lot of their statements yesterday when they did say, they did claim this attack inside iranians soil. while they said this was necessary for national security they also referred to iran as a brotherly nation and talked about the importance of having a good relationship and interestingly iran has come out and condemn the attack but also talked about the importance of good neighbourliness and that they would, they shouldn't let terrorist activity get in the way of that relationship. so the big question of course is still, will iran do anything further? at the moment we are way more than 2a hours after pakistan and knowledged and admitted it had carried out this particular attack and we haven't had any form of military escalation from iran, we haven't had any further

military action taken by pakistan. so it may well be that this is a meeting where people can discuss what happened during the course of the week and we make it a statement later on today. at the moment we do not anticipate that this means anything will escalate between pakistan and iran.— anything will escalate between pakistan and iran. caroline, thank ou ve pakistan and iran. caroline, thank you very much — pakistan and iran. caroline, thank you very much indeed. _ pakistan and iran. caroline, thank you very much indeed. caroline i you very much indeed. caroline davies in islamabad. for a long time south africa has been synonymous with violent crime, but levels have now reached a 20—year high, from murders, to car hijackings to cash—in—transit van robberies. with an election this year, there is little evidence the government has a grip, with many people relying on private security instead of police. daniel de simone sent this report from johannesburg. a normal day in a security van carrying cash in south africa. what happens next looks extraordinary. explosion but it's a constant criminal threat. this is a cash—in—transit robbery. vans rammed off busy roads. guards terrorised. bombs used to access cash.

explosion cit hijackings are one of the violent crimes at crisis levels here. this guard survived a robbery. some don't. as a human being, i'm scared. but, hey, i'm going out. i might not come back, but it's life for everyone in cit. from here they dispatch, the helicopters, the back—up teams, everything. his boss says more help is needed from government. well, it's a like a terrorist group. it's been very military organised, well executed. and if you see the way that they plan these robberies, it's very difficult for our teams to stop that. although most south africans can't afford to pay for them, private security officers now outnumber their police counterparts. in the air, each day criss—crossing cities, guarding security vans down below,

waiting to respond to hijackings. 0n the ground, patrolling the streets. we are with an armed intervention team injohannesburg, and they've just heard a vehicle has been hijacked. they're following a digital tracker in the vehicle, spotting men running from the car's possible location. stop them. hey, hey! stop, stop, stop, stop! where's the car? which car? but they weren't the robbers. the chase was back on. moments later, the vehicle's found. it's a game of cat and mouse. they normally dump the vehicle. what they call it, - a cool—off period to see if anyone does respond. l but i think now it was literally i seconds that we missed this guy. they call the police to fetch the car. thousands of new officers are being recruited. it's election year, the most

competitive since the african national congress came to power in 1994 at the end of apartheid. i've always wanted to join the police. it's more about serving the country than anything else, and just being able to help people in need. i can't wait to go out there to serve the community, to uphold the law and fight crime. murders are at a two—decade high, with over 27,000 people killed in a year and only 12% solved. poverty and corruption drive crime and make safety an issue for all. the man in charge of policing accepts there's a big challenge. 0ur murder rate is not pleasing at all. 0ur sexual attack is not pleasing at all. car hijack, and all that. as the police, we think we are getting on top of things. there are things that have happened, maybe that have put us

on a little bit of the back foot. but in this state of insecurity, the wave of violence will not be quickly turned back. daniel de simone, bbc news, johannesburg. a report into a school shooting in texas in 2022 in which 19 children and two teachers died has found there were serious police failings. hundreds of officers attended robb elementary school in uvalde where a gunman had holed himself up with children — but the report said their actions lacked and urgency. the families of some of the victims spoke to reporters after seeing the report. it's hard enough waking up every day and continuing to walk out on these streets and walk to an h—e—b or drive to an h—e—b and see a cop that you know was standing there while our babies were murdered and bleeding out. it's hard enough that. but this community doesn't care. and i hope that this makes y'all.

i hope that the failures end today and the local officials. do what wasn't done that day — do right by the victims and survivors of robb elementary. terminations. criminal prosecutions. and our state and federal government enact sensible gun laws because robb elementary began the day an 18—year—old was allowed to purchase an ar—15. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. far more reservoir outside 0xford should have far more water at this time of year but locals who enjoy walking, fishing and boating here

have seen levels drop significantly in the past two weeks. just as nearby roads, summer homes and vast areas of agricultural land have been inundated. —— farmoor reservoir. after recent heavy rainfall and so much of the south dealing with the after effects of flooding it may seem surprising that major reservoirs like this one are not full to the brim. but as you can see, we are still way below capacity. thames water was unable to give us an interview but confirmed it caused pumping water into the reservoir when recent storms raised the volume of dirt and debris being carried by the rivers that feed farmoor. campaigners say the company has at least in part made the situation worse for itself. for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. let's return to the post office it scandal in the uk —

fujitsu's european boss is set to give evidence to the public inquiry into the matter later today. paul patterson faces his second grilling of the week after appearing at the business and trade committee on tuesday — where he apologised for fujitsu's role in what he called an "appalling miscarriage ofjustice". live now to with me now is former post mistress and victim of the post office scandal, pauline stonehouse. thank you forjoining us. could you briefly outline what happened in your case? briefly outline what happened in our case? . , briefly outline what happened in your case?— your case? certainly. iwas suspended _ your case? certainly. iwas suspended by _ your case? certainly. iwas suspended by the - your case? certainly. iwas suspended by the post - your case? certainly. i was i suspended by the post office your case? certainly. i was - suspended by the post office in your case? certainly. i was _ suspended by the post office in 2007 and prosecuted for false accounting in 2008. the effect of that was losing my business, being made bankrupt, and then subsequently homeless as well. tell bankrupt, and then subsequently homeless as well.— bankrupt, and then subsequently homeless as well. tell us why you leaded homeless as well. tell us why you pleaded guilty- — homeless as well. tell us why you pleaded guilty. it _ homeless as well. tell us why you pleaded guilty. it was _ homeless as well. tell us why you pleaded guilty. it was a _ homeless as well. tell us why you pleaded guilty. it was a case - homeless as well. tell us why you pleaded guilty. it was a case of i homeless as well. tell us why you | pleaded guilty. it was a case of you leaded pleaded guilty. it was a case of you pleaded guilty _ pleaded guilty. it was a case of you pleaded guilty to — pleaded guilty. it was a case of you pleaded guilty to false _ pleaded guilty. it was a case of you pleaded guilty to false accounting l pleaded guilty to false accounting and you won't get a custodial sentence. and you won't get a custodial sentence-— and you won't get a custodial sentence. ~ , ., ., , , ., sentence. when you realised you were havin: sentence. when you realised you were having difficulties _ sentence. when you realised you were having difficulties with _ sentence. when you realised you were having difficulties with the _ sentence. when you realised you were having difficulties with the system, - having difficulties with the system, what did you do and how did the post office react?—

office react? over a period of a aood office react? over a period of a good eight _ office react? over a period of a good eight or— office react? over a period of a good eight or nine _ office react? over a period of a good eight or nine months - office react? over a period of a good eight or nine months it i office react? over a period of a l good eight or nine months it was constant phone calls, when the losses continued and the losses got larger and larger, so i sought help, i got a trainer in, i got a friend in from another post office to help me as well, couldn't find anything wrong with what i was doing. the post office continued to insist that things would write themselves and i had to put the money in. what things would write themselves and i had to put the money in.— had to put the money in. what has emerued had to put the money in. what has emerged very _ had to put the money in. what has emerged very clearly, _ had to put the money in. what has emerged very clearly, not - had to put the money in. what has emerged very clearly, not only i had to put the money in. what has emerged very clearly, not only in l emerged very clearly, not only in the stories that have been told but also the itv drama, is just how much the post office insisted to people like you that it was only a problem with you and other people were not having the problem. was that your experience as well?— experience as well? yes, it was. when i experience as well? yes, it was. when i was _ experience as well? yes, it was. when i was being _ experience as well? yes, it was. when i was being interviewed, l experience as well? yes, it was. i when i was being interviewed, they basically said that they had to prosecute me to set an example so others wouldn't follow in my

footsteps. so they made me think i was the only one having problems and was the only one having problems and was having what was happening. mould was having what was happening. would ou mind was having what was happening. would you mind me — was having what was happening. would you mind me asking _ was having what was happening. would you mind me asking how— was having what was happening. would you mind me asking how much this has taken a toll on your mental health? the first couple of years it was really hard with doctor's visits and antidepressants and in the subsequent years it was hard to deal with the lack of money and having to live hand to mouth. and then you are dealing with the stigma of having a conviction hanging over your head. and then in latter years since the conviction has been overturned and then being back, being brought back into public and bringing back all the memories you start feeling stress and not sleeping very well so it is having an impact again now. your conviction was quashed in 2021. what kind of redress have you had so far? �* ., ., , far? i've had interim and the first art of far? i've had interim and the first part of the _ far? i've had interim and the first part of the claim, _ far? i've had interim and the first part of the claim, i _ far? i've had interim and the first part of the claim, i understand i l part of the claim, i understand i will get the final part of the

claim. �* ., ., ,., , claim. and what about the inquiry? are ou claim. and what about the inquiry? are you following _ claim. and what about the inquiry? are you following that? _ claim. and what about the inquiry? are you following that? in - claim. and what about the inquiry? are you following that? in little i are you following that? in little bits but not _ are you following that? in little bits but not much _ are you following that? in little bits but not much to _ are you following that? in little bits but not much to be - are you following that? in little bits but not much to be fair. i l are you following that? in little i bits but not much to be fair. i find it too upsetting to watch. find bits but not much to be fair. i find it too upsetting to watch. and what about the fact _ it too upsetting to watch. and what about the fact there _ it too upsetting to watch. and what about the fact there has _ it too upsetting to watch. and what about the fact there has been i it too upsetting to watch. and what about the fact there has been a i it too upsetting to watch. and what about the fact there has been a lot| about the fact there has been a lot of discussion about it in the itv drama? has not given you any solace or is it as you say difficult to keep reliving all this? it is difficult- _ keep reliving all this? it is difficult. |_ keep reliving all this? it is difficult. i watched - keep reliving all this? it is difficult. i watched all- keep reliving all this? it 3 difficult. i watched all the series in one sitting on the first night and i sat and cried and ifound it very upsetting. i didn't sleep the next couple of nights because some of the storylines were so similar to my own. it was like reliving it all over again. and then obviously with everything that has gone on since in the media interest in it, it has been very difficult the last few weeks. ~ . . been very difficult the last few weeks. ~ ., , ., , been very difficult the last few weeks. ~ .,, . , ~ been very difficult the last few weeks. . ., , ,, ., weeks. was there any kind of consolation _ weeks. was there any kind of consolation in _ weeks. was there any kind of consolation in having - weeks. was there any kind of consolation in having the i weeks. was there any kind of- consolation in having the government focusing on it and promising there would be some further redress or

does it not apply in your case? it doesn't really apply in my case now, i've decided to settle and not continue fighting any more. i've had enough, to be honest. ijust can't fight any more, i've had enough. pauline stonehouse, i'm sorry to hear things are difficult for you. thank you for talking to us on bbc. staying in the uk, a study suggests that removing large wine glasses in pubs could cut alcohol intake. in the trial, 21 pubs and bars in england used smaller wine glasses — and researchers from the university of cambridge found that customers ordered the same number of drinks, consuming fewer units overall. now, you might have heard of "the singing detective" but how about the singing binman? you might well have done — because he's become a tiktok sensation. ramon marshall has taken the internet by storm as he brightens the streets of norfolk on his daily rounds, as andrew turner reports. # behind a lorry, the noisy lorry.

# the binmen walk for miles. where there's muck, for some, there's stardom. binman ramon marshall says he's had over a million views on tiktok. is this real? like, is this real, like, like... i can't believe it. and i'm like, every minute i'm refreshing, refreshing. every second someone is seeing my video, every second. within two days, i had i million views and 12,000 followers! iwas like... is this true?! that's all i can ask myself. # these trousers, when they're wet, they're very heavy. within a few days of starting thejob, he'd rounded up his bin buddies as his camera crew. then we started singing a few silly songs round the back of the wagon together and then his tiktok empire commenced and all of a sudden i found myself being cameraman. i can't say dance coordinator or anything of that nature, but i did quite a few things. the kids love him and i the public have taken him to their heart and that. yeah, it's good, yeah, it's fun. and since then, bin days have become so much more fun. we were at the park today and we heard the bin lorry and we had to sprint across the field so we could have our weekly fix of seeing the bin

crew, who always wave at him, always say good morning. great just to have somebody who's . so happy in the mornings, you know, always smiling, singing. you know, it just sort of helps wake you up during the day, and isjust. a lovely experience. scarlett's one this week and ever since she was about three months old, she's been waving at the bin men. so, yeah, it's a sort of tradition every wednesday, isn't it? # bin, my superstar, that is what you are. ramon gave up working at the hotels and the cruise ships around his native barbados. he now sings to help people understand his work. when i first started thisjob, a lot of negative comments that we got — i wanted to change people's perception of what a binman is. lecturing someone, it doesn't get through — some people don't want to sit and listen to someone talking. so what better way to get through to people than music? and now he's found a new life in norfolk, and a new audience. andrew turner, bbc news, long stratton.

stealing cats and dogs could become a specific criminal offence in england, wales and northern ireland. the government is expected to back a bill today which would make pet abduction an offence. currently, pets are considered in law to be property and stealing a pet is covered by the theft act. the new legislation means anyone convicted could face a fine, or a maximum of five years in prison. a us spacecraft launched last week to try to land on the moon, has ended its mission in flames over the pacific. peregrine 0ne suffered a propulsion fault that scuppered any prospect of a lunar touch—down, and it was commanded to destroy itself instead.

don't forget you can catch up with that story and the rest of the stories we are covering by checking out our website at bbc news.com. it marked the start of the campaign to free north—west europe from the nazis — and injune it will be 80 years since troops arrived on the beaches of normandy in what became known as the d—day landings. bill gladden was just 20 when he reached those shores, and has just celebrated a milestone birthday. john maguire was there to hear his story. cheering # happy birthday to you...# for a man who apparently doesn't like surprises, this is a pretty big one. bill gladden, a d—day veteran, had thought he was going out for a quiet family dinner to celebrate his 100th birthday. but his family and friends had other ideas. what a surprise! cor, blimey! i never expected this. never. i was absolutely flabbergasted.

so many people. they've even come from holland! oh! he told me that we were coming to a little cafe just over there where you help yourself.. and i opened the door, and there was all this crowd. dear me! well... you might be 101 before you've said hello to everybody. i hope so! no, it's been great. to see all these people... ijust can't... i can't take it in. during the second world war, bill was a motorbike dispatch rider. highly—trained and skilled, they played a vital role in the success of the normandy invasion.

he flew to france in a hamilcar glider, which was also carrying a tank. that became, unwittingly, his seat for the glider�*s landing. whenever you're in a glider, there's a tow rope... they drop the tow rope, you keep still. so all i could do was freeze, spread—eagled on the top of the tank, and that's how i made my rather unorthodox landing in normandy. many at tonight's party are cabbies from the taxi charity for military veterans. they've driven bill to various events over the years, including to normandy and to arnhem in the netherlands. one of the drivers has brought a unique birthday present — a 3d—model — depicting that unusual arrival on d—day. there he is — he's very small. yeah. but it's a detail. why is it so important to you guys to do this? well, it's camaraderie.

quite a few of us cabbies are ex—military. i'm ex—ta 10 para myself and we get camaraderie out of it. and these guys are great. and you meet special people in your life. and bill gladden, he's one of them special people. during one trip to france, he was taken to a barn, where he was treated after being wounded. blood still stains the floor. bill had feared he would lose his foot and spent the next three years in hospital on his return home undergoing several operations. whenever the veterans revisit the towns they liberated during the second world war, to this day, they're treated as heroes. new friendships are forged with the descendants of those they saved. diana and victor have travelled from the netherlands just to be here tonight. veterans are just a symbol of our freedom. it's a big gratitude for them to fight for ourfreedom. and bill is such a friendly and nice, sweet person and so easy to talk to, so, well, it's two sides' enjoyment.

so we meet him in normandy, we meet him in arnhem at the market garden commemorations on 5th may. so... so you weren't going to miss his 100th birthday? we're not going... not for the world. no, no, no, no, no. so we flew in this morning just to be here tonight, bill has always been a keen artist, drawing pictures for his comrades in the war, and these days, depicting scenes from the battle for normandy. he hopes to return once more in the summer for the 80th anniversary. ijust hope to god i can see normandy again. why is it important for you to go back? well, i've got two of my best buddies there i helped carry over. they both died of their wounds and were buried out there. i usually visit them. it's nice to see the people again. altogether please... they sing

and whenever bill travels, his companions are treated to a song. tonight, there's even a duet with his daughter, linda. as a 20—year—old, he discovered first—hand the horrors of war. and now, as a newly—crowned 100—year—old, bill gladden spreads joy wherever he goes to whoever he meets. john maguire, bbc news, suffolk. you're watching bbc news. i'm tanya beckett. we are going to break away for a little look at the post office horizon inquiry looking into how hundreds of post—masters and mistresses were wrongly convicted. facing a second grilling of the week todayis facing a second grilling of the week today is paul patterson who is a european director of fujitsu, the

technology giant behind the horizon software which was used in post offices. appearing before the business and trade committee on tuesday, he apologised to sub—postmasters and mistresses and said fujitsu has a moral obligation to contribute to compensation due to the flaws that resulted in 900 sub—postmasters and mistresses being prosecuted for theft and false accounting from 1999 until 2015. let's hear some of what paul patterson had to say earlier this week on tuesday.— patterson had to say earlier this week on tuesday. fu'itsu would like to apologise _ week on tuesday. fu'itsu would like to apologise for — week on tuesday. fu'itsu would like to apologise for our i week on tuesday. fujitsu would like to apologise for our part _ week on tuesday. fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in - week on tuesday. fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in this i to apologise for our part in this appalling miscarriage ofjustice. we were involved from the very start. we did have bugs and errors in the system and we did help the post office in their prosecutions of these sub—postmasters. for that we

are truly sorry. these sub-postmasters. for that we are truly sorry-— are truly sorry. paul patterson, basically the — are truly sorry. paul patterson, basically the head _ are truly sorry. paul patterson, basically the head of _ are truly sorry. paul patterson, basically the head of fujitsu i are truly sorry. paul patterson, basically the head of fujitsu in | basically the head of fujitsu in europe. live it to our employment correspondence sally conway outside the inquiry in central london. it is going to be a tough grilling for paul patterson. perhaps you could explain the relevance of what he is going to say in his evidence. i think we can expect a very detailed interrogation this morning. he is due to appear in just a few minutes' time. the reason why his evidence is so significant is because fujitsu played a central role in the post office scandal. 0ver played a central role in the post office scandal. over the years, over 0ffice scandal. over the years, over several years, 0ffice scandal. over the years, over severalyears, fujitsu 0ffice scandal. over the years, over several years, fujitsu employees were giving evidence in court cases that resulted in sub—postmasters going to prison. what we have been hearing at this inquiry over the last few days is that whilst fujitsu employees were signing witness statements saying that the horizon software system the post office was

using was operating properly, at the same time behind—the—scenes fujitsu employees were e—mailing each other, sending each other memos, holding meetings about their concerns about the errors, the bugs and faults within the horizon software system. it even more than that, there were questions being asked by those employees about the integrity of the witness statements that they were signing. what he is going to be asked this morning is what did fujitsu know about the problems within the system, crucially, when did they know them, and also what information, and at what level, where they sharing those concerns with the post office because we got the sense from his answers in the house of commons on tuesday when he was talking to mps that he was suggesting we were regularly talking to the post office. they knew about the issues. he was certainly

conveying that message. i think it's going to be a much more detailed drilling down about that. one of the other issues is going to be the issue of remote access. this was how fujitsu employees in their office in bracknell in berkshire were able to access the horizon system remotely without the knowledge of sub—postmasters. when did that start? we got some suggestion from evidence earlier this week that they could access the system remotely as early as 2002. yet, for years the post office denied that that access was possible so again, what were fujitsu telling the post office about that issue? we are going to get a lot more detailed questions. i think they could also be a question about the behaviour of fujitsu employees. because we heard some evidence yesterday about one of the cases involving the sub—postmasters league castleton. he was wrongly

accused of stealing £25,000