you're watching gmt on "bbc world news." her role in the leader of a south african death squad that targeted opponents of white rule. eugene de kock once nicknamed prime evil is released after 20 years, in the interest of nation building and reconciliation. the egyptian president cut short his trip to the african union summit after a series of deadly attacks in the sinai peninsula, by a group that claims allegiance to islamic state. and the record-breaking flight of two men in a helium balloon. one american one russian, crossing the pacific ocean.

also on the program, aaron's here of course talking about the companies that has wall street salivating. >> it's the burger joint taking america by storm. and what started as one hot dog cart in new york city 14 years ago is now a global chain, valued at $745 million. so, yeah we'll take a look at the shake shack shares as they start trading today on the new york stock exchange. hello. it's 12:00 noon in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington 2:00 p.m. in south africa where the notorious apartheid era death squad leader eugene de kock has been granted parole. he's been in prison for 20 years. the government says that its decision will help the process of national reconciliation. we'll have more on that in just a moment. first, mike wooldridge reports.

>> reporter: the police officer was highly decorated by the apartheid regime he served with a ruthlessness that earned him a prison sentence totaling more than 200 years. eugene de kock with officials of south africa's truth and reconciliation commission inspecting the farm to the north of johannesburg that was the operating base for the counterinsurgency unit he commanded. it became a notorious death squad. he was part of the team that blew up the anc headquarters in london in 1982 flying back to south africa by the time the bomb exploded. he confessed before the truth and reconciliation commission to more than 100 acts of murder torture, and fraud, in the targeting of anti-apartheid activists. today, after spending more than 20 years in prison he was granted the parole he'd been seeking. >> in the interest of nation building and reconciliation i

have decided to place mr. de kock on parole. he has requested that the actual date and conditions of his release should not be made public. >> reporter: last year de kock was visited in prison by the family of an activist he killed. this was the victim. de kock has also made contact with families of other victims, asking for forgiveness. as he faced justice, the man dubbed prime evil by the press, said he was acting on orders from above. reconciliation has been a by word in post-apartheid south africa, but eugene de kock's release on parole could reopen some of the issues on reconciliation and justice. mike wooldridge bbc news. >> as you might expect, news of eugene de kock's parole and reaction to it spread quickly across social media. people in south africa have been expressing their thoughts using

the hashtag, eugene de kock and apartheid parole both of which are now trending on twitter. the south african actress flo masebe says the mere mention of eugene de kock's name still makes me fearful today as it did when i was growing in apartheid south africa. another says i wonder if the victim's family were consulted. but others say, they did feel the decision to release him was the right one. this tweet says eugene de kock spent 20 years in jail. i think that's quite a good punishment. . that's the big question, isn't it from people watching this were the families consulted? >> very much so. there are some families who were asked, philippa to perhaps talk to eugene de kock and he was asked to ask for forgiveness.

and some of the families forgave him. and there is a lady called marcia caldwell. her mother was killed by eugene de kock while she was in exile in switzerland, neighboring switzerland, and she was an anc activist. and she went to see him. she said her knees were wobbling before she met him, and she said after she met him, she forgave him. this is a lady whose mother was killed by de kock and she forgave him. and peggy was a lawyer an anc lawyer and he was killed by a letter bomb sent by jueugene de kock and that family are not so convinced that his letter asking for forgiveness to them was genuine. >> that's the key, isn't it? is the remorse thought to be genuine? and the government is saying we judge so and hence this helps with reconciliation. >> it's a mixed bag. for example, this is a very interesting deal 20 years, to

south africans democracy after the end of apartheid, because there is another man who is in prison whose also up for parole her name is clive derby-lewis. clive derby-lewis is the man behind the assassination of chris hani the communist party and the anc leader. >> that was really an attempt to wreck the new agreement, wasn't it? >> it was to derail the whole peace process in south africa which nelson mandela was trying to build. they killed this man, chris hani, to try to derail the peace process. so clive derby-lewis was arrested with his colleague. they are now serving prison. he's got cancer, a long prison sentence, and he's got cancer. he's applied for parole. the medical parole board has agreed that he should be released, but the government decided not. >> what about the question of those who were behind the scenes who directed access? >> that's a very good question. that is exactly what eugene de

kock talks about. he says that people their hands are soaked in blood, this is from eugene de kock, himself. and there are many others who were on the death squads who are now living very quietly behind the scenes. they never went to the truth and reconciliation commission as he did and confessed. they just melted away. and he says those are the people who were giving orders for foot soldiers like him to go and carry out those brutal killings. >> that process of reconciliation still very much developing. martin, thank you. in other news in the last few minutes, the u.n. war crimes tribunal for yugoslavia has upheld life convictions on serbs linked to the massacre 20 years ago. one of the defendants has had his sentence slightly reduced. an estimated 8,000 muslim men and i bos were killed over three days. a south korean court is deliberating on whether cho

hyun-ah should be punished under an anti-hijacking law. she made the plane return to its departure gate after she was served nuts in a bag instead of a bowl. the army in myanmar has threatened to sue anyone who suggests that its soldiers were behind the rape and murder of two women. in a rare statement, the army said it was a coinscidence that the women were killed on the night their army attended in their village. there very vigils in major cities across myanmar. in taiwan a construction worker has been killed on the set of martin scorsese's latest film. two others were injured. the roof collapsed on to the workers during pre-production on the film. mr. scorsese is said to be shocked and saddened by the news. a series of militant attacks in egypt has killed at least 29 security officers. it's one of the largest assaults on the egyptian military in

years. the backs were carried out in the north of egypt's sinai peninsula on thursday targeting police and army bases and checkpoints, many in the regional capital, el-arish. ola, how serious a challenge is this? >> reporter: well, i think this will be very difficult for egypt's president, abdul fattah al sisi. he is someone who is very much lauded here as a military strongman. army has already spent more than a year carrying out a large scale offensive in sinai trying to get militant groups under control, and so far, they have very spectacularly failed. this is the second large-scale sophisticated, coordinated attack that this one particular militant group has managed to carry out. they are basically, in effect, the egyptian wing of the islamic state. it's a group that now calls itself the sinai province. back in october, they carried

out coordinated assaults that killed more than 30 security personnel. last night, they managed to strike in three separate towns, simultaneously hitting a range of security targets, using suicide bombers, vehicle bombs rocket-propelled grenades a different coordinated manner something they haven't managed to do before at this level of sophistication. so not only are they managing to strike again, but the indications are that they are developing their capabilities even though the army has tried to reduce their ability to operate. >> reporter: and is presidencisyy sisi. the expectation is there will be new measures more of a crackdown, but hard to see where he goes with it. >> it's difficult to know what new options they can come up with. the army is already, some would say, virtually occupying areas of northern sinai. people live under a curfew a security zone was imposed and

the area along the border with gaza large parts of the town were actually destroyed. to create a buffer to stop infiltration by militants and the smuggling of weapons. all of that lrzhas already been tried. we've had militants arrested in large numbers. now the security crackdown is so harsh, it's backfiring. this is an area where there's a large degree of poverty, a great sense of disenfranchisement. the tribes for many years have been felt let down by the government if cairo and there are those who feel this these very harsh security measures who have a drastic effect on daily life and unemployment are actually now producing more of a breeding ground for militant groups, rather than less. so it's hard to see what new tactic the military can try. the army spokesman actually said that this latest round of attacks was the result of their

successful campaign. i think many would really find it hard to see how that can be claimed, when we now have at least 30 killed for the second time in just a few months. >> thank you. a powerful bomb blast at a shia mosque in southern pakistan has killed more than 30 people according to a police official. now, these are the aftermath pictures of the blast, which took place soon after friday prayers in the district of shikarpur. around 50 people have been injured. reports say the roof of the mosque collapsed, trapping several people. it's not immediately clear who carried out this latest attack but sunni militant groups have targeted the shia minority there in the past. and do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come it was in the 1950s when the uk carried out its first nuclear test on christmas island. the veterans in the testing have been finally compensated.

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the uk carried out its first nuclear test in the 1950s on the tiny indian ocean territory of christmas island. now after decades of campaigning, military veterans from fiji who were involved in the testing have been awarded compensation from their own government. the prime minister of fiji said it was time to correct an injustice, and that the former colony wasn't prepared to wait any longer for britain to pay compensation. now let's take a look at how the news of the nuclear test was reported at the time. >> here is another view of the tremendous explosion taken from an aircraft. with the release of these spectacular pictures of our

first h-bomb comes the news that we have already exploded a second and larger bomb. this here is a test changes the whole world situation. for pressure has been growing to end such tests altogether. >> well, fujian veterans are not the only ones who have been seeking compensation. thousands veterans have never received a payout. one is don james, who's with me now. welcome to "gmt," don. >> thank you. >> first your thoughts about the fijian veterans finally getting some compensation. >> excellent. about time. >> it's been a long time. >> it's been a very long time and it's about time. >> they're getting compensation from their own government not the british government. >> yes, it's time the government in this country recognize their own troops. >> tell us about your own experience. you were on christmas island in the '50s.

>> i was there in 1958 when i was 19. and there were five explosions during that time. and of the 22,000 troops that were involved in the testing, there's something in the region of 3,000 left. >> and health problems? >> health problems the majority of us. >> what's happened to you? have you got health problems that you think you link back to that radiation? >> i have a blood disorder which makes my hands go cold and my feet go cold because the blood doesn't circulate correctly, properly. and i've got approval that it's through nuclear testing. >> so you've been through lots of medical tests performed. >> yes. and as i said the onus is on me to prove it. >> and you all band together, don't you, the veterans who are left, you're working together. >> we are.

>> presumably what you're hearing from fiji today is at least going to be a morale booster. >> very good very good news. a step forward for everybody involved in testing. >> when you go back to the time that you were witnessing those bombs or test bombs, what kind of warnings did you get? >> none at all. they told us that we would go out to the pacific, and christmas island is in the pacific, not the indian ocean one. there are two christmas islands. and -- pardon me. >> and, when you look at other countries, for example, australia, i know there's been some compensation for the way that the lands were spoiled, but then there's the issue of why compensate the land and not the people. >> i think it was around -- there was a program on al jazeera television where the australian government were handing back maralinga to the

aborigines. because that was their sacred ground. where they did the testing. zpr >> don, we have to leave it now, but i have to ask you, do you feel optimistic that your case might get more attention? >> i think it will. i think it will. >> okay. >> the world media's on it now and everything helps. >> back in the spotlight. don james, thank you very much for coming in. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. well the uk ministry of defense gave us this statement, saying it's an oversimplification to compare compensation arrangements in different countries and they say in the uk any veteran who believes they've suffered health due to service has the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the war pensions scheme and health care preventions is free for nhs priority treatment for disorders causally linked to

service. novak djokovic haves reached the final of the grand slam and will play andy murray in the final. now, two pilots have broken the world record for distance traveled in a helium balloon at the crossing of the pacific ocean. they're also hoping to break the duration record. allison reports from los angeles. >> they set out from southern japan last weekend, hoping to fly longer and further than any previous gas balloon. the pilots an american troy bradley, and a top russian balloonist leonid. it's not a hot air balloon, it's filled with helium. to go up they have to drop these colorful rope sandbags off the side. to go down they let gas out. think jules verne and "around the world in 80 days." this week they've been riding air currents across the pacific, enjoying perfect conditions and making great progress keeping

in touch by satellite phone. >> leonid and i are having a wonderful time up here having a beautiful flight. the calculated risk is very well thought through and that's why we've waited so long for the right weather system. >> reporter: this has been their route so far but approaching the californian coast, they slowed as a weather system blocked the way. they had planned to head north to canada where the welcome party was waiting. but now they've changed course and will land somewhere on mexico's baja peninsula in the next day or so. old-fashioned, gas balloonists are a thing of legend. the duration and distance records have been held for more than 30 years. the last trans-pacific helium balloon flight made land in 1981. although the two would be record breakers, now their support teams are racing to reach them. the mexican immigration authorities have been informed.

bbc news california. police in los angeles say the hip hop mogul suge knight has handed himself in following a hit-and-run incident which left one man dead and another injured. officers say knight is suspected of running two men over after an argument on a set. his lawyer says he was fleeing after being attacked. the detectives are treating the as a possible homicide. suge knight was the co-founder of death row records, which launched the careers of some of the biggest names in hip hop, including snoop dogg and tupac shakur. now, for decades, roger curran has told orr people's stories as a former columnist for "the new york times." now he's recording his own life with how his jewish parents ss immigrated to the uk. and how his mom, june in the face of upheaval succumbed to mental illness. here's her story.

>> she always craved the sun of south africa. when i say south africa and think of my mother i see her smiling on a beach or laughing in the sunlight. in any other context, it's the manic depression that comes through. the heart of it is my mother. she is the girl from human street. she was born in a little mining town in south africa on human street. she died 15 years ago and she had suffered from mental illness. and i found about ten years ago two suicide notes from 1978 and 1982 both times she survived. and i realized i knew very little of what had happened to her and i thought i could tell a story that was at once intimate of my family, of my mother's upheaval and breakdown, and a wider story of wandering, of immigration, of the quest to belong, of the quest for identity jewish identity

rediscovery, so those are the threads that go into "the girl from human street." we think of immigration always in terms of new possibility in the united states opportunity, but it's also loss. it's also leaving something behind. and i felt that it marred my family and particular my mother and wanted to explore that. i know that my mother craved south africa wanted to go back. she was plucked out of a very tight-knit jewish community in johannesburg and she meets a young doctor my dad, who had come to britain at the end of world war ii worked for a while. she hated apartheid. so they immigrate. i'm born in london we go back two years, then they leave, definitive definitively. and my mother immediately breaks down. i found out 50 years on that in a psychiatric institution outside london she had electroshock treatment.

i compare it to a tree hollowed out by lightning. i think electroshock treatment then was not like today. you were strapped down there was a violent jolt and i think after that my mother was fragile. and i come to a deeper appreciation of what she went through and why her spirit at the end proved so powerful and why for 15 years now, she died in the end of cancer her presence in me has been diminishing. >> herb smith's story there. and coming up in the next half hour in "gmt," 11 million immigrants live illegally in the united states. president obama plans to offer some of them amnesty, but with strict conditions. we'll be talking about what the immigrations want and why some illegal migrants are still scared to come out of the shadows. that's with one of the leading immigration lawyers in the united states here on "gmt." do tell me what you're thinking

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welcome to "gmt" on "bbc world news." i'm philippa thomas. this half hour we're on the border between u.s. and mexico asking why some illegal immigrants in the u.s. are still scared to become legal, even after president obama offered many of them an amnesty. what will happen when obama finishes and another president comes in? they will know where i am where my family are, what will happen? and we'll take you live to the river thames where a ceremony is about to begin to mark the 50th anniversary of winston churchill's funeral.

aaron's back looking at the big money around the big game. >> and philippa it doesn't get much bigger than this. yes, the super bowl. often, every year the most watched live tv program in america. so no surprises, it attracts the big advertisers. yes, we're going to take a look at what makes a successful super bowl ad. oh and the millions and millions of dollars it takes getting them on-air. welcome back to "gmt." around 11 million immigrants are living illegally in the united states. at the end of last year president obama said he was going to offer some of them an amnesty, with strict conditions attached. but many of the so-called illegals have been reluctant to, as he put it come out of the shadows. to find out why, our

correspondent has been to el paso, right on the border between the u.s. and mexico. >> reporter: they live in mexico, but go to school in the usa. every morning, hundreds of children cross the border from the mexican city of ciudad juarez to go to school in america. they're allowed in with student visas, but have to return to mexico every night. in many ways, american el paso and mexican juarez have the feel of a single community, just split by an international border. but while there's trade and people crossing between the two, increased security in recent years means that's become much harder. many do come across the border from mexico every day to go to school, to work in businesses here but even in this city alone, there are tens of thousands of others who are hidden away undocumented living in america illegally. now, the white house is pushing through new rules to allow some

of them at least to as president obama puts it, come out of the shadows. this is a charity that helps the so-called undocumented. there are thought to be around 1 million across the u.s. the president has offered those who have been here longer than five years an amnesty. but people are concerned about coming forward to register. >> this is a temporary reaction. what will happen when obama finishes and another president comes in. they will know where i am where my family where, what will happen? there's a chance we could all be deported. so we're really worried. >> reporter: the problem is because congress couldn't agree on a way forward on immigration, a highly politicized debate, the president took an executive action alone. that means it can, technically, be reversed. >> the only way this executive order works is if people do come forward and register and pay back taxes and become part of

the system of you know, of being able to work having permission to work and doing so in broad daylight. >> reporter: many undocumented who have often fled violence in mexico say although they're scared, they feel they have no choice but to come forward, given the stress they and their families live under. because my son was so worried i would get arrested says susanna, he asked me to go to school with him or disguise myself. we've suffered so much. and every day, more people cross illegally into the u.s. for this group of women and children who don't want to be identified, their fight to remain here is just beginning. but although the white house says it's doing its best there are millions of other cases that remain unresolved. >> well to discuss president obama's immigration measures

i'm joined by professor of law at brooklyn law school also an immigration lawyer in new york. and welcome to "gmt." we heard there in his package, one migrant saying this is a temporary measure. what guarantee is there that this will be permanent for those who come forward? >> there's no guarantee that it would be permanent. and it's not unreasonable for people to feel registerfear registering under this program. however, the previous program that was afforded to young people in 2012 has been immensely successful. there's no way that the united states will round up millions of people and deport them. so betweening with completely undocumented and coming out of the shadows, this program is still better. >> so what does it mean to live as a completely undocumented worker? >> it means that you have no

status whatsoever and you can be deported. if you get into this program, you get some kind of immunity from deportation, and you can live, work and reside in the united states legally. >> yet, critics, as you know are saying well if you put this program into action, you'll just trigger a new wave of illegal immigration. people will use the opportunity. >> not necessarily. the level of the undocumented population since 2009 has stabilized. this program does not apply to new arrivals. it only applies to people who have been here on or before january 1st 2010. when people come ear, it's based on independent economic forces or political conditions. this program is not going to create new waves of undocumented people coming into the u.s. >> so this clearly isn't just a

policy issue, it's a very political issue as we head into another presidential campaign season. now, often republicans have been among those against any idea of amnesty. does that change as you think about the hispanic vote? >> this is not really an amnesty. let me just correct you, because all that's being offered is deferred action, which means that we will defer your deportation to a later period in time. the person who gets into this program does not get any green card or citizenship. and what the president is trying to do is to prioritize on enforcement. there's only so much money that congress gives to the executives to deport people. you can't deport 12 million people. there's no money for that. so the government has prioritized and decided to focus on enforcement, on people who are threats to national

security who are violent criminals. those who have lived here peacefully without any issues who have family here especially children who are u.s. citizens are green card holders will be low priority. they won't be removed. so basically that's what it's all about. it's not about an amnesty, it's just deferring the deportation of people who are low priority with respect to enforcement policies. >> well, thank you for your insight, from new york. thank you. and aaron's here with all the business, aaron, starting with wall street. >> shake shack. i have to say, i went to their london office -- their london restaurant, or joint, if you will. three burgers, three sets of fries, and three drinks. 55, thank you very much! people love them apparently. this is a burger join that's taking america by storm. yes, shake shack, amazing history. shake shack started out as one

hot dog cart in a public park in new york city. fast forward 14 years, shake shack now has 63 restaurants with more than half outside the united states. popular with customers and becoming very popular with investors, shake shack is going public. yes, they start trading today, friday on the new york stock exchange. it's set its share price at 21 bucks a share. and that values the company, the chain at nearly $750 million. so what's in those burgers that's got everybody on wall street so hungry? >> reporter: few things say america like these golden arches. mcdonald's may be emblematic, but its sales are slumping. taking a bite out of its profit burger joints like this one. shake shack is one of a new generation of higher end fast food burger chains like five guys and smash burger which are fast becoming a go-to dining option for many americans.

what is the draw to fast casual restaurants like shake shack is what they put in the food. there's an emphasis based on using fresh, high-quality ingredients, and customers are thoroughly eating it up, despite the higher costs. a typical meal at mcdonald's, for example, will cost about $5. for something similar here at shake shack, customers are paying more than double. it's not just burgers that has wall street hungry. chipotle mexican grill is also part of the fast casual takeover. since the burrito restaurant went public in 2006 its share price has soared more than 1,500%. >> in the case of fast casual we're talking about, again, the promise of food that's prepared on premise, it's fresher, you can see the visual difference. something like this looks more like a kitchen, whereas traditional fast food looks more like a mini factory. so there is a perception of a difference in the way that the

food is sourced and the way it's prepared, and that perception to a large extent is true. >> reporter: 9 billion burgers were served in american restaurants last year. the appetite for the all-beef patty and bun continues to grow. but it's where consumers go for their fix that is changing making shake shack's impending public offering something appealing to investors. >> so 1500%. fast money in fast food. let's talk about this. yes, the super bowl, it kicks off this sunday in a couple of days, and is often the most watched live television program in america every single year. around the world, an estimated 1 billion of people watched last year's super bowl. so no surprises it attracts the big bucks, the biggest advertisers. you may remember this very successful volkswagen commercial from 2011. have a look at this.

♪ >> i remember that one! a classic. one of the most shared super bowl ads of all time, that was. but it couldn't have been cheap to get that ad slot. super bowl ads prices have risen more than 50% in the last ten years, certainly defying any of those economic downturns. and the average cost after 30-second ad today, that's going to cost you $4 million for 30 seconds. so what makes the super bowl so attractive to advertisers? well this is what an expert told me a little earlier. >> the super bowl is a unicorn in tv events. there are very few events where you have so many people watching at the same time. there's something else special about the super bowl and that's the quality of the pension that the adverts get. people switch on not just to watch the game but to watch the ads. advertisers know they're not just reaching people they're reaching people who really care and they're really watching

their advert. >> okay. wow, great scenery, favorable exchange rates, and skilled local staff. just a few of the reasons that hollywood studios are increasingly looking at africa as a location to shoot their movies. forest whitaker and angelina jolie are just a few of the a-list celebrities to appear in multi-million dollar films in namibia. and one of the most anticipated films of the year "mad max: fury road" is one to be filmed in africa. >> the dunes of namibia, transformed into the bleak world of mad max, and the leather clad tribes who roam it. just another big-budget film to choose namibia as their location.

before that it was the violent-fueled crime thriller with forest whitaker using the breathtaking desert as a backdrop. and this is what makes namibia so attractive. its landscapes. there are mountains, zrtdesert dunes, the coast and canyons. and as one of the world's least populated countries, five minutes out of the city you really could be anywhere. whether it's the films, documentaries, or adverts, the interest in namibia is growing. it's big business for production companies. >> i get people contacting us to find out about various filming opportunities in the country has increased tenfold. the amount of production companies that actually do come and shoot has increased tenfold. it benefits everyone from the local crews, hotels vehicle rental companies, the equipment rental companies we do have. everybody actually benefits from

it. >> reporter: and there are plans to paycheck the country even more attractive to international filmmakers. >> we're actually in the works now to talk to government and do government, to offer, actually incentives for international producers, to choose namibia. and that is sort of you know, cherry on top of a cake. we want to sort of be able to compete. and not just with brand-new business, but also creating a product placement value for the country. >> reporter: when "mad max: fury road" is released in may, showcasing the oldest desert in the world, it could bring even more business to namibia. >> okay quick flash of the markets. they are down in the dumps. russia's central bank made a surprise move cutting interest rates down to 15%, down from what it was, which was 17%. pushed the rubel even lower against the drarollar.

euro zone deflation is expected. consumer prices for january dropped by 0.6%. and we're keeping our eyes on all of that. you can follow me on twitter, tweet me back. you can get me @bbcaaron. philippa philippa, back to you. >> we want to take you to some rather spectacular pictures. that is the scene on the river thames wuk thames. you can see the tower bridge has opened for a flotilla of boats. this is the recreation of the funeral procession for sir winton churchill, wartime prime minister 50 years ago. we'll have more of that for you in just a few minutes.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ if you want it ♪ ♪ go out and get it ♪

hello. i'm philippa thomas. our top stories this hour eugene de kock one of the most

notorious assassins of apartheid era south africa has been granted parole. he ran a death squad that targeted opponents of white rule. the egyptian president cuts short his trip to the african union summit after a series of deadly attacks in the sinai peninsula. 26 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in the attack. here in britain, events are taking place in london to mark the 50th anniversary of the state funeral of world war ii leader, sir winston churchill. we're going to take you live to the river themselvesames where a ceremony recreating a flotilla carrying churchill's coffin is taking place. you can see the flotilla making its way downriver. tower bridge has just been opened in its honor and the flotilla is making its way down to the houses of parliament where there'll be a special service there. also at westminster abbey in a few hour's time to mark that moment, 50 years ago, when

thousands of people lined the banks of the thames and the streets of london to pay their respects to sir winston churchill. we'll bring you some more live pictures in just a minute. first, a report on the day britain stood still to pay its respects. >> to the sound of the funeral solemn marches run up to the other. >> reporter: it was the moment britain stopped, the world watched, and an era passed. winston churchill may have been 90, but his death was a jolt to a country that had come to revere him. >> an hour after the gun cannon left minister, it reaches -- >> reporter: 1 million mourners stood, 25 million television viewers watched, half the population. >> this is a wonderful, wonderful sendoff for him, really. and i think we were all extremely proud. of course, we were sad, and of course we had our memories, and

then we were able to bury him privately at the end of the day. >> it was a day brimming with memorable images from the crowds, to the cranes. >> the cranes bowing. >> reporter: perhaps the most iconic tribute of all. none were closer than this man, barry demorgan. young captain of the supremely delicate task of escorting the coffin. >> everybody was very quiet and somber. it was silent and very peaceful. and it was a very nice ending actually. >> reporter: winston churchill's final resting place was here in oxfordshire. the splendid london giving away to a more tranquil setting of a churchyard. churchill himself described this place as quiet and peaceful, a

contrast with his extraordinarily full life could hardly have been greater. the passage of 50 years makes it hard to convey the scale of the occasion or the impact of its meaning. >> this really was the end of the britain that had to move forward into a world without churchill. and even now, i think, 50 years on, we're not altogether sure where we're headed. >> reporter: to some he was ruthless and flawed. to most he was an inspiration and a savior. winston churchill is one of those rare leaders, remembered in life and in death. however history ultimately judges him. >> the great parliamentarian has gone home. >> reporter: duncan kennedy, bbc news. we're taking you back now to those live events at the river thames marking the 50th anniversary of the winston churchill state funeral. and you can see there in the center of your picture, the boat

that carried the wartime leader's coffin downriver 50 years ago. and at that time 320,000 people filed past the coffin during the three-day lying in state. winston churchill, very unusually, was given the honor of a state funeral. worth mentioning too, he was the first prime minister of the current queen. and we're just going to remind you of that moment when tower bridge opened to let that flotilla pass through. a rare honor, and in fact it's a ceremony that's unlike anything we've seen really since the days of the diamond jubilee a couple of years ago now. and there'll be lots more coverage if you're following this, you can go to the live page of our website that's b brksb bbc.com/politics. and you can let us know your thoughts using #bbcchurchill.

well now moving very much on to the modern day, she's one of pop's biggest stars. and it appears one of its best operators. taylor swift has made an application to trademark phrases from some of her songs. laura westbrook explains. ♪ out to late ♪ ♪ got nothing in my brain ♪ >> taylor swift, she's one of the world's biggest pop stars and her latest album, "1989," was one of the best-selling albums last year. well now she's trying to get some of the lyric from that album trademarked. lyrics like -- ♪ this sick beat ♪ >> "party like it's 1989" and "cause we never go out of style." the reason for this well money. anyone wanting to sell t-shirts, key keychains or even guitars with these phrases simply won't be able to. now, some people are saying that taylor is ahead of the cab here in this new world of streaming

music, it's increasingly difficult for artists to monetize their music. of course, taylor removed her music from spotify, the world's largest online streaming service, in order for people to be a bit more inclined to buy her records. at this stage, taylor hasn't been granted any of these trademarks the in the united states. so if they decide she can't have this sick beat well i guess she'll just have to -- ♪ shake it off, shake it off ♪ just to remind you of our top story here on "gmt," south africa has granted parole to a notorious death squad leader from the apartheid era, eugene de kock. the justice minister said the decision was taken in the interest of nation building. that's all from "gmt" for today, but now what's coming up in "impact." >> thank you very much philippa. do join us in a few minute's time but in "impact," i'll be

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