the headlines. the bbc uncovers a report showing the post office spent 100—million—pounds of public money fighting postmasters in court, despite knowing their defence was untrue. a court in new york sentences the former billionaire crypto boss — sam bankman freed to 25 years. at least 45 people have died in a bus crash in south africa — the vehicle plunged off a high bridge into a ravine after colliding with the crash barrier. the un's top court orders israel to take extra measures to ensure basic food supplies reach gaza — saying famine is already setting in. oppenheimer — the oscar winning film about the maker of the atomic bomb is screened for the first time injapan despite sensitivies.

it's been described as the uk's most widespread miscarriage ofjustice — the post office scandal. and now it's emerged the post office spent £100 million of public money fighting wrongly accused subpostmasters in court — even though it knew its case was untrue. the bbc has uncovered a draft report that reveals that by 2017 the post office had seen evidence showing that the losses at post office branches could have been caused by remote access to its horizon computers by the japanese company fujitsu — who supplied the system. despite that — the post office's lawyers kept arguing until 2019 that theft or mistakes by subpostmasters must have been to blame. zoe conway has the story. in howey, mid—wales, there is something missing.

for years this house was the village post office, but not any more. this was all part the shop, and then the post office was at the end. joan bailey and her husband had to give up the jobs they loved after being accused of stealing. there was a £40,000 shortfall in the accounts. she suspected the horizon system was at fault. the numbers on her computer screen would change overnight. we were in bed! nobody else can get in the house. when they were suspended from running the post office, some villagers assumed they'd stolen the money. we were just pariahs. to be thought of as a thief, it just seems wrong that we should be treated this way. whatjoan couldn't have known, and what this secret 2017 report makes clear, is that her account could be accessed remotely without her knowledge and that the system was full of bugs and flaws.

commissioned by the post office, the report by deloitte said fujitsu employees had the ability to amend or delete transactions entered by branch staff. the system wouldn't flag up to a postmaster a change had been made, and those changes could cause a shortfall in branch accounts. it also said a malicious actor could potentially change data, though there's no evidence this happened. going to law will force the post office to open theirfiles, so, finally, we'll get to know everything the post office knows. the sub—postmasters took the post office to court in 2018. by then, post office management, lawyers and investigators knew about findings within the report. but instead of coming clean, they kept it secret. despite knowing their defence was false, they continued to discredit the postmasters.

i'm...shocked, i really am shocked. the barrister who acted for the sub—postmasters has never seen the report before. this is exactly the sort of thing that we would have wanted to have, and to analyse and put in front of the judge. it's them admitting that they could do in 2017 something they were still denying that they could do in 2019. the case dragged on for two years. it cost the taxpayer more than £100 million. i don't think the case should have happened. it should have been settled. and it's a great shame some of the people have died since then without having their names cleared. it's tragic and very, very sad. when victory came, it was bittersweet. the vast majority of the postmasters�* compensation

was swallowed up in legal fees. the deloitte report also vindicates ron warmington. previously employed by the post office to investigate horizon, he proved postmasters�* accounts could be accessed by others. mainly fujitsu, maybe also post office staff, that'll come out, were routinely altering branch accounts without keeping any record of who was doing what or, more importantly, what they were doing. lord arbuthnot has been a long—time campaigner on behalf of the postmasters. i've been trying to bring the post office to a sense of its own responsibilities, but why they did it is very hard to see, how people can lose all sense of morality in the way that the post office clearly did. in a statement, the post office said it was deeply sorry for the impact the scandal has had on people and told the bbc the public inquiry�*s next phase would look at the issues raised. fujitsu said that it regards

this matter with the utmost seriousness and offered its deepest apologies to the sub—postmasters and their families. it's disgusting, it's disgusting. joan is still fighting for compensation, butjustice is about so much more. dignity is something you can't buy with any amount of money. it's got to be there for people to think, "i've got my dignity back now, and i'm not going to be called a liar any more." zoe conway, bbc news, howey. the 32—year—old former cryptocurrency billionaire sam bankman—fried has been sentenced in new york to 25 years in prison after stealing 8 billion dollars from his ftx customers. speaking in court before his sentencing, the man who was known as the crypto king apologised and said he'd made a series of bad decisions. our business correspondent, erin delmore, reports from new york.

a stunning fall for sam bankman—fried, a crypto exchange founder and mogul in the industry who graced the cover of forbes magazine and appeared on stage with tony blair and bill clinton. american football player tom brady and supermodel gisele bunch starred in his company's ads. he spoke in front of congress as a leader in the burgeoning crypto industry. he founded the cryptocurrency exchange ftx, where customers traded their dollars and pounds for cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. when the exchange collapsed in november 2022, he assured customers their money was safe. but it turns out his entire business was built on lies. a jury convicted him here in this courthouse in november on fraud and conspiracy charges after only five hours of deliberations — a nod to the strength of the government's case. nowjudge lewis kaplan has sentenced him to 25 years

in prison, saying bankman—fried knew his actions were wrong and criminal and that he made a bad bet that he wouldn't get caught. judge kaplan said the losses to ftx customers, investors and lenders totalled more than $11 billion. bankruptcy proceedings have been able to claw back much of the money, but the judge said that doesn't absolve bankman—fried. the prosecution was able to show multiple times where sam had the opportunity to do the right thing, to come clean, and he chose not to do so. during sentencing, thejudge hearkened back to testimony from the prosecution's star witness, caroline ellison, the former girlfriend of sam bankman—fried and head of his crypto hedge fund, alameda research. she painted the man known by his initials, sbf, as a risk taker hungry for influence. now facing decades behind bars, his risk—taking days are over. in new york, erin delmore, bbc news.

in south africa, 45 people have died in a bus crash in the north—east of the country. the bus was travelling from botswana to the limpopo province. the department for transport says the vehicle plunged off a bridge into a ravine after colliding with the crash barrier, and burst into flames when it hit the ground. an eight—year—old child was the sole survivor and has been taken to hospital with serious injuries. heidi giokos, a journalist based injohannesburg, has more now on what we know. it's unclear as to how the bus lost control, but what we know is that the bus was travelling from botswana to an area in limpopo known as moria. it's a easter church gathering that happens every single year and people from all over come through to this particular gathering. now, it seems as though, from what we saw on scene, is that the bus might have lost control. it hit the barrier and then it seems

as though it crashed, hang onto the barrier and then crashed into the ravine. i think what's so tragic and horrific, having been on the scene, was the fact that paramedics told us that the bus caught fire and people inside the bus were trapped. they could not get out. and they were asking and begging and crying and pleading to be helped out of the bus. but unfortunately, it was too difficult for paramedics and officials to try and save anyone out of that bus. we know that that drop from the top of the bridge where it seems as though the bus had the impact onto the barriers and then crashed is a 50 metre drop. so it's at a very high height. and this is obviously the impact that we are seeing when the bus hit the barrier crashed and then hits into that ravine over there. and this is obviously what sparked

this fire that happened. let's get the latest on the war in the middle east now. the united nations�* highest court has ordered israel to ensure "urgent humanitarian assistance" in gaza without delay, saying "famine has set in". since its original order issued injanuary, the international court ofjustice said that "the catastrophic living conditions of the palestinians in the gaza strip have deteriorated further, in particular in view of the prolonged and widespread deprivation of food and other basic necessities..." this latest development follows comments made by the un's most senior human rights official volker turk, who told the bbc there is a �*plausible case�* that israel is using �*starvation as a weapon of war�*, something israel has denied. our diplomatic correspondent james landale has more details on the icj's order to israel. this is an important court — it's the primaryjudicial body of the united nations. it's been around since the united nations was set up after the first the second world war. and it's there primarily to adjudicate on disputes between states.

and that's what's happened here. there's a dispute between south africa and israel. south africa claims that israel is committing genocide, which it disputes and denies. but as part of that legal process, the court makes provisional rulings and statements of those stages. that's what we've got today. and essentially it's saying that, yes, there is now famine is setting in in gaza. israel is not allowing enough aid into and it should start doing that very, very quickly. but as you say, the problem with the court is that it has no way of enforcing its rulings, so they have no power to force israel to do anything. but i think what this is, is another ratcheting up of of the international system and the international order, putting yet more pressure on israel to shift its position, especially on the issue of humanitarian aid. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

it was one of last summer's big blockbuster movies — and it swept the board during the awards season. but up until now, people injapan haven't been able to see the film "oppenheimer". that changes today when it gets a cinema release. the film tells the story of the scientistj robert oppenheimer. he created the first nuclear bomb, which was later used againstjapan during world war ii, killing more than 200,000 people. it was seen as too controversial and sensitive a topic for the people of japan. our correspondent shaimaa khaliljoins me now from hiroshima — she's about to go and see the film. that's right, no location, no place is eerily more relevant

to the oppenheimer story then here and here in hiroshima. the first atomic— here and here in hiroshima. tue: first atomic bomb here and here in hiroshima. tte: first atomic bomb fell nearly directly above the building behind me known as the hershey rope piece memorial or the a—bomb zone and for years it has been meticulously preserved to be the state it was in during that bombing. over here is the river where thousands of people whose skin were burning at the time jumped in for refuge. 80 years on, the legacy ofj robert oppenheimer is felt very deeply here and hiroshima. for months, people injapan could not see the film not because it was just sensitive, it was very controversial. it may be one of this years most celebrated motion pictures, but for the people in hiroshima it is felt much more deeply. tt is felt much more deeply. it does hit close to home there. tell us about the reaction to the film injapan.

she's having some trouble hearing us i will try again, tell us about the reaction. t tell us about the reaction. i have lost your audio butjust to tell you, the screening of oppenheimer has been quite controversial, notjust because of the sensitive subject matter, but also because the initial releasing of it worldwide coincided with the film barbie. there was this cross promotion called barb and heimer if you remember would people would trust for barbie and trust for oppenheimer and see the films back and for people here injapan they thought it was insensitive because of the horrors that they suffered. i also spoke to a survivor who watched the film in a private preview and he said one of the things that stuck with him when watching the film was the horrors that

suffered here injapan were not really depicted in the film. translation: i really depicted in the film. translation:— really depicted in the film. translation: i thought the devastation _ translation: i thought the devastation of _ translation: i thought the devastation of hiroshima - translation: | thought the i devastation of hiroshima would appear in the storyline of the film, but it did not. there were only scenes of the united states. i wanted them to show and tell what happened in hiroshima. i wish they had shown the burnt ruins of hiroshima. the museum here has displays of how children's heads were burned, they're close. i people in the us in particular to be able to see this. do you think it is important for people injapan important for people in japan to important for people injapan to this movie? translation: , ., , to this movie? translation: , ., translation: of the people of ja an translation: of the people of japan including _ translation: of the people of japan including other _ translation: of the people of japan including other survivors i japan including other survivors of hiroshima and nagasaki will see the film and have a conversation. i hope it will be seen and discussed at length. i only have a small and narrow viewpoint but i think it would be great if people all over japan could see it and talk about what happened. my biggest worry right now is that the us,

russia or china might test a nuclear device without us knowing. i think there are smaller and better performing nuclear weapons and there could be the next oppenheimer in the shadows now. ifelt that be the next oppenheimer in the shadows now. i felt that way when i saw the film.- shadows now. i felt that way when i saw the film. talk to us about the _ when i saw the film. talk to us about the importance - when i saw the film. talk to us about the importance and - about the importance and engaging in a national dialogue there,. this is a different generation.— there,. this is a different aeneration. ,, ., generation. this is what was said, generation. this is what was said. even — generation. this is what was said, even though _ generation. this is what was said, even though the - generation. this is what was l said, even though the subject matter was difficult and the criticism about the horrors suffered in hiroshima and nagasaki being depicted, he did say it was important to keep the dialogue going, important to go and see it and have difficult conversations. he also said, the 100 year anniversary of the hiroshima bombing will come soon and when that happens, not many survivors are going to be left to tell the story. he's actually saying that it is important for the younger

generation i'm talking about one of my colleagues in the theatre that many young people will watch the film, that it is important for them to watch the film to keep talking about the dangers of nuclear proliferation from a city that knows first—hand about the horrors and terrors of nuclear weapons. horrors and terrors of nuclear weapons-_ weapons. this release of oppenheimer _ weapons. this release of oppenheimer in - weapons. this release of oppenheimer in japan i weapons. this release of oppenheimer in japan is| weapons. this release of - oppenheimer in japan is coming oppenheimer injapan is coming nearly nine months since the film was released in the rest of the world. how long do you think will stay in cinemas there and is there a lot of demand to see it? it there and is there a lot of demand to see it?- demand to see it? it is interesting. _ demand to see it? it is interesting. it - demand to see it? it is interesting. it really i demand to see it? it 3 interesting. it really depends on what you have just mentioned, it is demand and whether people want to go see it. from what i've heard so far from people who have seen it in limited previews, they want to see it again because even the survivors in the people who have lived through the hiroshima bombing said you have to know the history and it is almost that you need to go again to understand and appreciate and have a fair

critique of the film. many others are curious to go and see it. they know this is going to be difficult, they know it will hit on a very, very deep cut in boone for the people here in hiroshima and japan in general. but what i have heard from people is that they want to keep the conversation going, about these nuclear weapons and of course, this is the place most relevant to have a conversation about the film. it certainly is. thank you very much for that. speaking to us from hiroshima, japan there. and the director of �*oppenheimer�*, christopher nolan, and his wife, film producer emma thomas, are being given a knighthood and a damehood. the uk government said the pair were being honoured for their services to film. earlier this month, nolan won his first—ever best director oscarfor �*oppenheimer�*. thomas has produced all of her husband's films, including the dark knight, dunkirk, inception and intersteller. in the uk, king charles has spoken of his great sadness at missing the annual

royal maundy thursday service. instead he sent a recorded message in which he spoke of the importance of "extending the hand of friendship" especially in times of need. queen camilla, taking the king's place at the event in worcester cathedral, handed out the traditional "maundy money" on his behalf. phil mackie reports. cheering. more than 1,000 people braved the cold to greet the queen today. many had been waiting hours to grab the best spots and express their support at a difficult time. the news about the cancer treatment that both the king and princess catherine are receiving is very much on the minds of the people who've turned up to see the queen today. i think it's important to show our support for the crown, particularly in these difficult times. and they're stoic and they are true to their country, they're true to their people, and we need to be true to them. inside the cathedral, the congregation was

played a recorded message from the king. in this country, we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare. we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need. welcome to saint barnabas. john has devoted his life to the church and to service in his parish of st barnabas. he was among the 150 people who were given maundy money today. just an enormous sense of honour. | i never expected anythingl like that to happen to me. so what are you going to do with the money? keep it. keep it and show it off. the queen rewarded the worcester crowds with a walkabout. on sunday, the king will appear in public for the first time since his diagnosis. phil mackie, bbc news, worcester. maundy thursday celebrations have taken place across the world, marking the start of the easter weekend.

pope francis held mass in italy's largest prison — washing the feet of female inmates. elsewhere, holy thursday processions took place in spain, and parisienne chocolatiers prepared sporting—themed easter eggs ahead of the olympics. intrigued? meghan owen has more. marking holy thursday in one of italy's largest prisons is not perhaps the first thing you'd have in mind for the pope this morning. for the pope. but here he was washing the feet of 12 female inmates in a traditional ritual at the start of a busy easter schedule. francis has been the first pope to hold these ceremonies outside of churches. over in malaga, maundy thursday was welcomed by a foreign legion regiment procession, attracting thousands of locals and tourists. from religious rituals to family

and, of course, food — it's also match day for chocolatiers around the globe. and this one in paris has run with a sporting theme this year as the country prepares to welcome the olympics. translation: the inspiration for this easter 2024 _ collection was quite obvious to me since this year is devoted to sports in france. so the process was to connect this year of sports as a nod to easter through a strong symbol. and of course, that symbol is the egg. in bosnia, it's all about beeswax. locals are keeping their traditions alive by using it to paint eggs. translation: the women who came before us were resourceful. they did not have different dyes to choose from. they did not have many ornaments, but they had honeybees and they

had beeswax from combs, which they themselves melted. so they used that for decoration. from food to prayers — and perhaps even the two combined christians around the globe have welcomed the easter weekend. megan owen, bbc news. italy's prime minister, giorgia meloni, is in lebanon to meet her counterpart — lebanese prime minister, najib mikati. he was waiting on the tarmac at beiruit airport for her, but there was a faux pas. let�* stake a look. mr mikati thought he was greeting giorgia meloni, but he instead greeted her personal assistant, with a kiss on each cheek, as he apparently thought she was the italian prime minister! he was quickly told that it in fact wasn't giorgia meloni. but this here, walking down the steps of the plane, is italy's prime minister, giorgia meloni. looks like he was second time lucky and the faux pas was glossed over. no harm done in the end. always awkward when you have a case of mistaken identity. thank you

forjoining me here on bbc news. goodbye. hello there. well, with british summertime just around the corner, thursday was a stark reminder of just how fickle british weather can be. yes, we had some snow, some of it settling for a time in northern ireland on thursday. it was a wild day, wet and windy for many as well. and in fact in wiltshire we had over a0 millimetres of rain in a 2k hour period. now it's all due to low pressure that's anchored itself to the south—west and that low is still going to be with us during the day on friday. the showers, hopefully few and further between in comparison to thursday's weather. and we'll start off on a relatively quiet note for good friday with a few scattered showers around, but they'll become more widespread as we go through the day, drifting their way steadily north into the afternoon. so some of the showers could still be quite potent from time to time. the winds quite blustery, but with a little more sunshine, a little more warmth,

9 to 1a degrees celsius our overall high. move out of good friday into the start of the weekend and it looks likely that saturday and sunday will continue to be a little bit quieter. the low just shifts further away, the isobars open up, the winds will fall light. we'll need to keep an eye on this frontal system, which could bring some rain towards kent and perhaps suffolk, first thing on saturday morning and maybe a little more cloud. but generally, it will be a quieter day with more sunshine coming through, showers more isolated. there will be some moving through scotland and maybe a longer spell of rain across the channel isles and down through south—west england by the end of the afternoon. but temperatures in the sunshine, 15 degrees celsuis — a pleasant day for many on saturday. easter sunday continues with that quieter story, perhaps more frequent showers out to the west on sunday. but on the whole, there will be some drier weather from time to time with some sunshine and again, some warmth with temperatures around 13 to 15 degrees quite widely. so as we move into monday, though, easter monday,

we could see a change to something a little bit more unsettled once again, with low pressure never too far away. and we will see some spells of wetter weather, particularly across central and southern england. so looking further ahead from monday onwards, that unsettled theme is set to continue. longer spells of rain never too far away. take care.

decades behind bars — sam bankman—fried, one of crypto's biggest personalities, has been sentenced. we'll have the details. and you may be paying more for chocolate this easter. find out why later in the programme. hello and welcome to asia business report with me, steve lai. and we begin in the united states where the co—founder of the failed crypto exchange, sam bankman—fried, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding customers and investors of his now bankrupt firm. the ruling cements the downfall of the former billionaire who emerged as a high profile champion of crypto before his firm's dramatic collapse in 2022.