atmosphere this is bbc news. atmosphere i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 6. supermarket giants sainsbury‘s and asda confirm they're in "advanced discussions" about a merger alfie evans, the little boy who was at the centre of a legal battle about his hospital treatment, has died. hundreds of balloons are released next to alder hey hospital, in a tribute to the toddler. cabinet colleagues rally around the home secretary amber rudd after she admitted she wasn't aware of targets for deporting illegal immigrants. in the wake of the john worboys case, the government proposes changes to the parole system in england and wales. also: the race to stay in the premier league goes down to the wire. live to fight another day in the premier league. they went 1-0 at newcastle. relegation—threatened stoke hold liverpool to a nil, nil draw,

leaving the potters three points from safety. and ali carter winds his first victory over ronnie o'sullivan good evening and welcome to bbc news. two of britain's biggest supermarket chains, sainsbury‘s and asda, are in ‘advanced talks‘ about a possible merger. a combined group would comprise 2800 stores and would represent around 30% of the uk grocery market, similar to that of market leader tesco. a formal announcement is expected as the markets open on monday morning. our business correspondentjoe lynam, said any deal could raise

questions about competition. it is a whopper of a deal, make no mistake about it. every now and then we talk about less well—known companies talking about tie—ups, this is a whopper of a deal, if it gets the green light. you've already made reference to the fact that if you put asda and sainsbury‘s together, they would in fact over—leap tesco to take on about 31% of the market. we have learnt this afternoon that they would retain both brands, which is quite interesting. so asda brand and the sainsbury‘s brand would be retained but owned potentially by one big corporate giant. but, and there's always a but, this is going to face a major issue from the competition authorities because competition is all about competition, you have to have a choice for the consumer. if you remove that choice by having two brands but owned by the same company, the competition and markets authority may have something to say about that. i would be surprised if they simply just waved this through. i suspect that they will ask for dozens if not hundreds of stores to be sold off to non—big rivals. adam leyland, the editor of the grocer magazine, gave me his thoughts

on the possible merger. from a pricing point of view it wouldn't make them compete more effectively against smaller rivals, and it is not surprising that they have done so much, cuts so many calls to try and make themselves more competitive against the smaller discounters. but a part of giant global groups. bigger buying power from a global perspective. and that is the fascinating thing for me. what was actually truly enable them to be more price competitive? from a quality point of view, you've got the same clout and scale, you should be up to achieve the same quality, but really it is all about pricing. and people are talking about this in

the context of amazon's growth online. in grocery, the sheriff grocery is relatively small from an online perspective it is not growing very fast, not like how it's in general merchandise. so is more about trying to take on and compete with, first of all, the discounters are obviously involved in an powered and surged in tesco. the grocery landscape, that suddenly is now making this possible and really, could be deal be suffered by the cma? they are the ones with a good look at this, they established the big four nearly 2000 and it seemed like i was absolutely sacrosanct. but thatis i was absolutely sacrosanct. but that is no longer the case it's really changing the landscape. i spoke with the cma couple of years ago and they said, talk to us. we are not absolutely wedded to the

idea of the big four. we recognise that the market is changing. a few yea rs that the market is changing. a few years ago, tesco had a market share of 33% now and as a share of 28%, so actually you can see that suddenly had asda and sainsbury, they would have a lower share than tesco once had when it was one of the big four. so does not inconceivable that now, that the cma would rule it out and have said, as i've said to you, they have said, as i've said to you, they have set talk to us, we are not wedded to this any more. walmart in the uk, with a not a good fit? walmart has struggled with international expansion. they pulled out of places like germany and south korea. but, for sure, the growth of the discounters have really caused headaches. because there was always asda was the cheapest supermarket

for the last 20 years. and that was until the discounters came in with a much better offer and that will continue to mean they will grow. and not to say that asda isn't cheaper compared to the major rivals, but it's still not been able to getting where close to matching the discounters on price. they have a much more limited selection, but on those items that they sell, they're really focused on the price and they are committed to maintaining that gap, that 50% gap. asda cannot seem to touch that in death laid off thousands of people and as has cut its costs. but going back to your point about walmart, there is much harderfor them your point about walmart, there is much harder for them and your point about walmart, there is much harderfor them and they your point about walmart, there is much harder for them and they see this as really sort of feral scrap going on between the big supermarkets and the discounters here, and they think they have big enough problems elsewhere, particularly in america with the

growth of amazon, and they are focused on, they could want to say, it's time to call it a day. it's too messy, too tough, let's focus and pick up on that. alfie evans, the toddler at the centre of a long legal battle, has died, nearly a week after his life—support was withdrawn. alfie, who would have been 2 next month, had a degenerative neurological condition. he'd been in a semi—vegetative state for more than a year. on facebook, alfie‘s parents said they‘re ‘absolutely heartbroken‘. 0ur correspondent judith moritz reports. for the first weeks of alfie evans‘ life, easy and healthy, happy and well. but he soon started to develop problems and he was admitted to hospital, where scans showed that his rain was being destroyed. the little boy spent a year in intensive care before doctors said they felt his life support should be stopped. alfie‘s parents, kate and tom,

strongly disagreed with the medical view that there so could not be helped. is shown the biggest fight and that's given others the biggest boost to get through this. diagnosis, think it's ok to come to us and say they are giving up on him. if you're going to give up on him, reassure us and refer him. the couple began a long legal battle. they took their case through all available courts several times in the uk and twice to europe. they‘ve had huge support, initially from a group of mums and children, but increasingly from a growing social media campaign. a self styled alfie‘s army has hundreds of thousands of followers and crowds have turned up to campaign outside alder hey in recent weeks. it hasn‘t always been peaceful. on one evening, protesters tried to force their way inside the hospital said staff had been intimidated translation: alfie‘s plight has made international headlines, especially

in italy. alfie‘s parents wanted to airlift him to rome. tom was granted an audience with the pope and alfie was given citizenship. there was a tweet from the president at the hospital visit from these polish women. i saw the post yesterday from alfie‘s father, like, thank you so much, thank you for all the different international community. outside the hospital, campaigners kept vigil. whilst inside, after his ventilation was switched off, alfie hung on for four days. but this morning, in a facebook post, alfie‘s father tom said his son had laid down his shield and gained his wings. 0utside alder hey this morning, supporters came to leave flowers. alfie‘s parents say they are heartbroken. they battled for months.

now their fight has given way to grief. our correspondent alison freeman has spent the day at the alder hey hospital. the number of people grew this morning to the early afternoon went that balloon release for alfie. crowds of people gathered and wandered around just at the back there, several hundred people and hundreds of blue and purple balloons we re hundreds of blue and purple balloons were released up into the air, just as we got close to three o‘clock this afternoon. as well as that tribute, and the year, we have seen a number of other attributes on twitter for alfie. probably most notably, the pope who had an audience of alfie, just recently. in

it he said, he had been deeply moved. moved by alfie, and he was praying especially for his parents as god received him. a number of tweets have been given an alfie‘s on her. they described as how they were deeply saddened by the loss of this young brave boy. and from police, peoplejust keep coming here to pay their respects to him. were the family there? alfie‘s mum and dad have not been visible today. we have seen other members of his family, and very close members of the family as well as close friends there are still people laying flowers here as well in his honour, so far no word from our these mum and dad. labour has intensified its calls for the home

secretary to resign. amber rudd apologised last night for being unaware that the home office had targets for removing illegal immigrants from the uk. this morning cabinet ministers offered her their support. 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, reports. day after day of questions for the home secretary. was her department to blame for the mistreatment of legal migrants? were there targets for removing those here illegally? and inevitably, would she quit? but it was a question about the broader approach to immigration and her answer that led to even more pressure on amber rudd. targets for removals, when were they set? we don‘t have targets for removals. an apology in parliament, the targets did exist, but she hadn‘t been aware. it was announced that they‘d be scrapped. and then the guardian reported that a memo was sent to the home secretary lastjune, specifying a target for the number of deportations in the coming year. silence at first on the home 0ffice, then a series of tweets from amber rudd.

she didn‘t see the memo, but it had been sent to her office. again, she wasn‘t aware of targets, she should have been, and she was sorry. she promised a statement in parliament on monday. the home secretary has apologised, saying that of course she should have seen it. but she can‘t be held accountable or responsible for a document she didn‘t see and for decisions she didn‘t take. cabinet colleagues have backed amber rudd and the prime minister has said she has full confidence in the home secretary, but there is no letup in the pressure for her to go. i think she‘s in a very difficult position. i think she‘s hanging by a thread. 0n the one hand, there may be more to come out, but what we do know is that no one will take this government seriously on the windrush scandal until amber rudd offers her resignation. amber rudd has faced serious accusations which in different political times might have prompted a resignation. but for her to go with leave theresa may further exposed to criticism of her record as home secretary.

and with challenges in parliament ahead for the government‘s brexit strategy, it could upset the delicate balance of opinion in cabinet. in the united states, a former police officer has appeared in court, charged with 13 murders and 51 rapes. prosecutors allege joseph james deangelo was the so—called golden state killer, whose crimes terrorised california in the 19705 and 1980s. james cook reports. this frail old man is accused of terrorising california in the 19705 and ‘80s. is joseph james deangelo your true and correct legal name? i‘m yes. handcuffed to a wheelchair, joseph james deangelo appeared confused at times as thejudge explained he was initially facing two counts of murder. the accused made no plea and was refused bail. in total, he‘s suspected of at least 13 killings, 51 rapes and scores of burglaries,

many dating to the time when he was a police officer. his lawyer says he‘s entitled to a fair trial. we have the law that suggests that he is innocent until they prove him guilty and that‘s what i was going to ask everybody to remember, because i feel like he‘s been tried in the press here already. mr deangelo, a father of grown—up children, was said to be extremely surprised when he was arrested at home in a quiet suburb of sacramento last week. the crime spree had begun more than a0 years ago, just half an hour‘s drive away, before spreading to the san francisco area and then on to central and southern california. detectives have revealed that they used a genealogy website to narrow down their search for the suspect, who was arrested after officers obtained dna from an item he‘d discarded. relatives of some of josephjames deangelo‘s alleged victims were in court for the hearing. if convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

the headlines on bbc news: the supermarket giant sainsbury‘s confirms talks to merge with rival asda are at an advanced stage. alfie evans, the toddler at the centre of a legal battle over his treatment has died. earlier, hundreds of people released balloons in a tribute to the 23—month—old. cabinet colleagues rally round home secretary amber rudd after she reveals she wasn‘t aware of targets for deporting illegal immigrants. north korea has hailed its summit with the south as a "historic meeting" that ushered the start of a new era. the two leaders agreed to work to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons and the meeting paved the way for president trump‘s meeting with north korea‘s kim jong—un later this year. caroline davies reports. welcomed with a handshake.

the north korean state—run tv station called the meeting a turning point. in the south, the visit showed the north korean ruler and a new life. before, he seemed quite strange and like a person from a com pletely strange and like a person from a completely different country. we we re completely different country. we were not really able to see him before, but through the summit on tv, it was very moving and he felt very friendly. he smiled a lot, he was just a human very friendly. he smiled a lot, he wasjust a human being too. surprisingly, ifound wasjust a human being too. surprisingly, i found him wasjust a human being too. surprisingly, ifound him to be quite frank and even table telling jokes, unlike his stern and scary image, it was quite the opposite. but here and around the world,

others have been cautious about what the meeting might lead to. for yea rs, the meeting might lead to. for years, north korea has been working on improving its nuclear weapons, but kimjong—un on improving its nuclear weapons, but kim jong—un really follow through if they promise to the nuclear rise, following through. australia has stressed continuing the sanctions, they are sending an aircraft to monitor. we have had balls storms before on the korean peninsula, that's what's really important to maintain the pressure of the sanctions. it is the economic sanctions that have brought this apparent change in attitude, and that pressure has to be maintained. china has applauded the talk. without china, any deal could collapse. the president tweeted that

he had a long and very good talk with president munoz south korea, the time and meeting of north korea is being said. the affair ended with high hopes, but details are still sketchy. it is let the world asking if the fps peace within their grasp on the oldest geisha without substance? thousands of people have been escaping an upsurge in violence in northern myanmar. the military is reported to be attacking ethnic kachin rebels with airstrikes and artillery. the un says four thousand people have been driven from their homes in the north since early april. meanwhile, refugees at a rohingya camp in bangladesh, say they are eagerly awaiting the visit of a united nations security council delegation. nearly 700,000 rohingya muslims have fled myanmar‘s rakhine state since last august during a military crackdown. parole board decisions in england and wales could be challenged more easily, under new proposals. a review was set—up after the parole board approved the release of the serial sex—offender,

john worboys, a decision that was later overturned. here‘s our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw. still behind bars, john worboys, the man known as the black cab rapist. his victims had to go to court to appeal against the parole board decision to let him out ofjail. they didn‘t even know why the 60 year old prisoner had been approved for release until the legal action began. the case exposed flaws in the parole system and ministers are now trying to address them. they‘re planning a series of reforms to the parole board to make it more transparent. a summary of the reasons for parole decisions will be sent to victims and in some cases to other people who request it. a scheme to keep victims informed about their cases and offenders‘ licence conditions will be extended.

and a parole board judge will review decisions that are contested and could even hold hearings in public. nick hardwick lost his job at the parole board because of thejohn worboys case. he told the bbc extra resources would be needed for the government‘s reforms to work. but ministers want to go further. they are reviewing the composition of parole panels and the evidence that‘s needed to make decisions about the release of prisoners likejohn worboys. pregnant women in wales are to become the first in the uk to receive a new non—invasive test for down‘s syndrome. the blood test, available from monday on the nhs is said to be more accurate, safer and less stressful than existing screenings. but there are concerns it could lead to more terminations. tomos morgan reports. has down syndrome and unexpected result of the pregnancy. so this

time around they pay to have a noninvasive prenatal test to find out whether their third child would also have the condition. regardless of whatever the test comes back as, we will be having the baby anyway. we just want the peace of mind to give us time to get prepared. they will be offered on the nhs, to women to have a higher chance of having the syndrome and their first child. but there are concerns that this could lead to more terminations. james lives with his family, he is 12 years old and also has down syndrome. his father has reservation about offering the new test.|j syndrome. his father has reservation about offering the new test. i think it's a very dangerous direction to travel, because obviously, that is a similar type of illness that could start applying some sort of idea too. i mean, from our experience

certainly, it changes, it has something to offer society. the test is about giving parents as a protest, and information and support needed for the pregnancy. planning is also under way for a new one to be available in england, with scotla nd be available in england, with scotland also looking at the possibility of introducing the test in the future. an outbreak of toxic caterpillars that can cause asthma attacks, vomiting and skin rashes has descended on the south east england,according to officials. 0ak processionary moths, which are in their larval stage, have been spotted in london and across the whole of the region. the forestry commission says hairs on the caterpillars can cause fevers and eye and throat irritations and it‘s issued a caution not to touch the species. throughout this week as part of the bbc‘s crossing divides season,

we‘ve been looking at ways people are creating connections in a polarised world. in the yorkshire dales, during lambing, a sheep farmer is getting help from an unusual workforce. rodney beresford, who has 500 sheep on the hills at ribblehead, is welcoming groups of asylum seekers who help him look after ewes and newly born lambs. spencer stokes reports. it‘s been one of the toughest winters sheep farmer rodney beresford can remember. looking after his flock spread across steep sided hills in the dales is tiring and time—consuming. but help is at hand. singing iranian folk songs, a group of 12 asylum seekers have arrived at ribblehead. some have been in the uk a few weeks, others several years. all waiting to hear if they are allowed to stay. within minutes, they are passing newborn lambs to rodney and learning about sheep farming in yorkshire. why are you putting that on the tail? it shortens the tail to keep the lamb cleaner.

so they don't get... keep the flies off them. 0h, right. hopefully! you are a boy. the visitors come from all over the world, many from rural villages, so they are familiar with livestock. i feel very well because when i see lambs like this, i remember my home, i remember in somalia, i remember every single home. i remember my family, i remember everything. well, it is beautiful today, but it has been a brutal winter, particularly difficult for rodney, and having the asylum seekers here really does help him out. for every group that arrives, rodney receives a small payment, a boost to his income after he spent an extra £14,000 feeding his sheep through the cold weather. this is one way of diversifying. i don‘t make a lot of money out of it at all but it‘s a big help. it‘s 100 people a year at least that

come out for lambing. it generally makes a difference. it‘s one of the best things i‘ve done, really, i think, over the years. there is more singing on the slopes below ingleborough over lunch. it all looks very jovial but this man is a burmese asylum seeker, his family victims of ethnic cleansing. their lives are at risk. they flee. nobody would leave their home unless they were forced to do so. so many of these people have fled from their homes, they have suffered from severe trauma. the journey here, many people won‘t talk about the journey because it has been too traumatic and too difficult. ingleborough. three peaks. after a quick geography lesson, the day on rodney‘s farm ends. some will come back, others face the prospect of a return to less friendly surroundings. here‘s alina with the weather.

some of us assume plenty of sunshine, though we have seen quite a few heavy showers and earlier from oui’ a few heavy showers and earlier from our weather watch but a different story for the south indeed. some outbreaks of rain, it‘s been really stubborn to go from parts of east anglia. it secure on the radar. through the afternoon, we‘ll find you this evening, it was slowly started this blog. some of those sharp showers, particularly through western parts of scotland and northern ireland. but eventually those showers will fade away. clear skies, parts of northern ireland and scotla nd skies, parts of northern ireland and scotland and england. will keep that cloud and rain is gone. between five

and eight celsius. most fairly qualified should we start the day. a few showers around, mostly dry day, the rain may have gone from southeast england, but that cloud will still be lingering. eventually, they don‘t afternoon some outbreaks of rain heading off from france. temperatures down a notch, nine to 11 celsius may be a local 12 and will see the best of the sunshine. but keeping an area of low pressure of spiralling up from france over night into monday, notice that the winds start to strengthen, some heavy rain. a very miserable start a monday morning. but also some strong winds gusting 50 to 60 miles an hour. particularly along the east coast. a very unsettled start, he could see this rain is mainly concentrates gradually pushing its way northward. but also very windy. in the middle part of the afternoon, still raining, could with the advent

of transient sleet and snow perhaps not getting to the western fringes of wales in southwest england, and a very different picture further north. northern ireland and scotland have a fine day with a good deal of sunshine and here, temperatures getting up to ten and 12 celsius, but bear in mind it‘s the final day of april. temperatures are not going to get much higher than five and seven celsius, save a cool feel. let me off you and we lose the green, and the yellows a nd and we lose the green, and the yellows and oranges, so by the time to did that friday, temperatures will be on the rise. goodbye. this is bbc news,

our latest headlines. sainsbury‘s and asda, the uk‘s second and third largest supermarket chains, have confirmed they‘re in merger talks. combined, they would overtake the market leader, tesco. alfie evans, the toddler at the centre of a legal battle over his treatment, has died. earlier, hundreds of people released balloons next to alder hey hospital in memory of the 23—month—old. government ministers have offered their backing to the home secretary, amber rudd. it comes after she apologised for not knowing her department had targets for removing illegal immigrants.