this is bbc news — i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 12: three men have been found guilty of the murder of five people who died after an explosion in a shop in leicester in february. the music retailer hmv is about to go into administration putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk. after a surge in the number of migrants crossing from france — calls to step up patrols in the english channel. a lucky escape for the cornish fisherman who fell overboard and survived after clinging to his boat's nets forfive miles. and coming up — thousands more prisoners are to get phones in their cells under plans to tackle violence and re—offending. ministers say the measure will help inmates to maintain family ties and reduce tension on wings. and manhattan mystery — we find out why the sky over new york turned neon blue last night. good afternoon.

three men have been convicted of murdering five people in a shop explosion in leicester. aram kurd, arkan ali and hawkar hassan were also found guilty of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. the arson attack happened in february this year and was caused by petrol, demolishing a supermarket and two—story flat above. mary ragoobar died together with her teenage sons shane and sean along with shane's girlfriend leah reek and arkan ali's partner, vi ktorija ijevleva. 0ur correspondentjeremy ball is outside leicester crown court for us now, jeremy what's the latest? emotional scenes here as these verdicts were returned. people were hugging, crying in the public galleries. the three men on trial we re galleries. the three men on trial were found guilty on fraud charges and five separate counts of murder.

this follows an investigation the police have described as heartbreaking and challenging. a massive explosion shatters a quiet sunday evening. shortly after 7pm on the 25th of february, this building on one of leicester's main roads was completely destroyed leaving five dead. mary ragoobar, two of her teenage sons, sean and shane, and his girlfriend leah reek, who had been spending an evening together in their flat. mary's youngest son scotty was pulled from the rubble and survived, described in court as nothing short of a miracle. also killed in the polish store below it, shop worker viktorija ijevleva. she had been conspiring with three men, aram kurd, arkan ali and is hawkar hassan. they deliberately caused the fire as part of a fraudulent insurance claim, hoping to make at least £300,000.

this cctv footage shows them buying more than 20 litres of petrol the day before the explosion. they also bought other flammable materials to intensify the fire. i think there was clearly the element of planning, greed, financial gain took over and they were callous as to whether human life was affected by what they did. aram kurd ran the polish supermarket. prior to the explosion, he moved this cctv camera outside the shop to obscure the view. here he is at the scene seconds afterwards. he had been in the basement when it happened and then was talking to police one hour later. how did it come about? i don't want to talk about it. the bbc spoke to him the day afterwards when it was unclear he was responsible. how are you feeling at the moment? i don't know how to tell you. never have i feel how i am now. this was a cynically planned fraud

with deadly consequences. the threats to people's lives callously disregarded. reaction here on the court steps in the last few minutes, the police said this was a crime that was motivated by greed, that rocked family and friends. we heard tributes from the ragoobar family and tributes as well from leah reek's sister. the light went out in our world on that terrible night. leo was an amazing and inspirational young lady. she made a lasting impression on everyone lucky enough to know her. she was beautiful inside and out and truly shone when she entered a room. she was never aware of the

impact she had on so manyjust by smiling at them. we will always miss that smile and her laughter. her happiness was contagious. we miss her terribly and every second of every day we carry the pain of losing her. she has left a leah shaped hole in our hearts that nothing will ever feel. she was a diamond that shone so brightly and made such a difference in society. it makes us angry and breaks our hearts that we will never get the chance to see leah reach her full potential in life. we know that leah worshipped shane and they adored each other. we are so grateful to the ragoobarfamily each other. we are so grateful to the ragoobar family for making each other. we are so grateful to the ragoobarfamily for making leah so the ragoobarfamily for making leah so family. she loved being there and was always happy there. leah's death has not just let us was always happy there. leah's death has notjust let us heartbroken but it has had a ripple effect on so

many people, friends, family and the ragoobars. we have had amazing support and kindness in this dark time. we are truly grateful. leah will always love you and the world was definitely a brighter and happier place with you in it. we heard in the report about scottie ragoobar, the only person to survive this. tributes were paid to the policeman who rescued him from the rubble. the three men will be back here injanuary rubble. the three men will be back here in january to rubble. the three men will be back here injanuary to be sentenced. the music retailer hmv is at risk of becoming the first post—christmas high street casualty as it teeters on the brink of administration. the group, which has over 120 stores and employs over 2,000 staff, has filed a notice to appoint administrators and could go under as early as today. our business correspondent, theo leggett, gave us some background about how hmv

has got here. this year we have seen the collapses of toys r us, poundworld, maplin. there are a lot of pressures and this is because traditional businesses have high costs. they have to pay business rates, they have to operates stores, and they are facing a lot of competition from online outlets. at the same time, consumer confidence is weak. people are being more careful where they spend their money and there is a lot of discounting going on. so all of this boils down to life on the high street being very hard indeed and we understand that the run—up to christmas has been particularly difficult. on top of that, hmv‘s traditional business was selling music and videos. now, what's been happening there? people aren't coming out and buying these physical products any more. they are buying streaming services online. and although hmv does have an online presence, it also has its stores to cope with and that is an additionalfactor. it's old business model is not as successful as it once was. a surge in migrants risking their lives crossing the english channel has increased calls for the government

to step up border patrols. 66 people have reached the uk in the past three days. only one of the five boats operated by the border force is currently patrolling the channel between dover and the french coast. simonjones reports. risking their lives, attempting to cross the busiest shipping lane in the world. despite the warnings, the attempts continue. this, one of four small boats used in the channel by migrants yesterday. it is totally unprecedented, what has happened over the last few days. perhaps it's understandable. it's the long dark nights, the weather has been relatively mild, there has only been a gentle breeze blowing. and the first few boats that made a success of it, the message gets back to the camps and then more and more people try. 23 migrants reached kent on thursday. that's in addition to a0 on christmas day.

in total, at least 209 people have arrived by small boats since november. just one of the border force's five cutters is operational in the channel, along with two coastal patrol vessels. the former head of border force, tony smith, says that more resources are needed. and dover mp charlie elphicke has called on britain to get a grip. the home office says that the border force's deployments are under constant review but bringing back a cutter from the mediterranean could encourage more people to make the perilous journey, as it may be seen as a rescue rather than a patrol boat. those who support migrants say they should not be demonised. a small number want to come here because maybe there is a community they wish to join or because they already have english as a language. but many more migrants and people seeking asylum are going to countries like germany. the national crime agency blames traffickers, organised criminals with a complete lack of regard for human life. it insists that by working with the french, a good number of crossings have been prevented.

but it warns that more of these types of attempts to reach the uk are likely. many believe that if they continue, it is only a matter of time before there is a tragedy. simon jones, bbc news. a fisherman who fell overboard off the cornish coast clung onto his nets forfive miles before being rescued. the alarm was raised when the fishing boat crashed into the south pier in newlyn yesterday afternoon. the solo skipper was rescued by lifeboat and taken to hospital with severe hypothermia. coastguards say he had fallen overboard whilst repositioning nets some five miles offshore but was able to hang on to netting over the side as his boat steamed along on automatic pilot. the man is now recovering at home. let's speak now via telephone to patch harvey, coxswain of the penlee lifeboat which was crucial to that dramatic rescue in cornwall yesterday. i think you are already out when this shout came in? we were called

out about 30 minutes before that incident when a large trawler was unable to get in. it was on the way back that we had to attend to the fishermen in the water. when you got to his vessel what sort of state was he an? luckily there was another fishing vessel that saw him. he got there and held on until we arrived. when we arrived and got him out the water we realised he was hypothermic and we can understand why because we didn't realise he had been holding on to the boat for over an hour. we just thought he had fallen over a few minutes before. we were quite shocked when we heard the full story. he was in the water for over an hour? over an hour, yes. how he hurled on for that long i don't know. he was able to cling on to the nets and the boat was on autopilot

and thankfully for him heading in the right direction. if the boat had been going in a different direction he would not be here now. so it is very fortu nate. he would not be here now. so it is very fortunate. so he is now back at home butjust explain if you have beenin home butjust explain if you have been in waterfor home butjust explain if you have been in water for that length of time at that temperature, you say he was hypothermic, what does that look like? he just looked was hypothermic, what does that look like? hejust looked grey was hypothermic, what does that look like? he just looked grey and really cold. his speech was slurring and we knew straightaway that he was really cold. the crew took his clothes off and wrapped him in warm blankets and put him on oxygen and rang for an ambulance. they were quick to arrive and he was in the ambulance for about an hour before they took him to hospital so he was really hypothermic. this man nathan rogers is telling the story now but at the time he couldn't tell you what had happened. we did not know for a good while what this full story was. we we re

while what this full story was. we were just amazed and in shop that had happened —— in shock. we didn't know that he was in trouble. we passed him two miles further south on the way to tow the other vessel so on the way to tow the other vessel so it is just a on the way to tow the other vessel so it isjust a shame on the way to tow the other vessel so it is just a shame we on the way to tow the other vessel so it isjust a shame we did not on the way to tow the other vessel so it is just a shame we did not see him then as we could have gotten out a bit earlier. that word lucky you hear a lot but in this particular case... very, very, very lucky i would say. we are glad because he is a popular guy and very experienced and we're just he's 0k. a popular guy and very experienced and we're just he's ok. good news over the christmas period. thank you very much to you and your crew and thank you forjoining us this afternoon. more than half a million potholes were reported to local councils in england, scotland and wales last year, according to the rac. it's calling on the government to spend money raised from fuel duty on tackling the problem. 0ur transport correspondent tom burridge has more. they're a hazard, sometimes huge, almost impossible to count. so, this is a typically

damaged wheel. we see no less than six a day. sometimes as many as ten cars a day, which are only here because of pothole damage. just one garage, in one area. for the last two or three years it has been getting worse and worse. the scale of the problem nationwide, it must run into millions and millions in terms of the cost of damage to the road user at the moment, it is really, really scary. and today we have new figures confirming a big rise in potholes on our roads. the number of potholes reported by people in 150 local authorities in england, scotland and wales rose by a whopping 44% in two years. this guy feels potholes are his calling. he argues that real investment in repairing road surfaces, instead of patching potholes up, would ultimately save money. if you did a proper investment plan, changed the culture, training, contracts, supervision, the right quality of materials,

95% of potholes could be eradicated from ever appearing on our road network. the rac says councils don't have the money and the government needs to act. what we require is a long—term funding mechanism whereby local authorities can plan ahead and actually deal with the specific issue of the structural defects, rather than simply filling in potholes. the government says it's giving councils an extra £400 million for local road repairs this year, and funding trials to identify potential potholes so roads can be repaired before they form. the headlines on bbc news... three men are found guilty of the murder of five people who died after an explosion in a shop in leicester in february. music retailer hmv is about to go into administration putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk. after a surge in the number of migrants crossing from france, calls to step up patrols in the english channel. sport and for a full round up,

from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. you are all shouting that she is behind you at this time of year. ididn't i didn't sneak up on you! starting with football... 0le gunnar solksjaer is urging romelu lukaku and alexis sanchez to follow the example of paul pogba and step up their performances for manchester united. both players have struggled for form this season and their new caretaker manager couldn't say if either will go straight back into the side once they're fit. united host bournemouth on sunday. i cannot do anything for their performances on the pitch. paul has done it himself, the players have done the performances. my chats with anthony, romelu, alexis, they'd not felt they could produce the best football. i am here to guide them, help them on the path and it's up to them to do it on the pitch. staying with the premier league, and west ham moved into ninth position after coming from behind

to beat southampton at st mary's. felipe anderson was the star for the hammers. after southampton took the lead, the brazilian scored this beauty from outside the boxjust two minutes later. west ham's most expensive signing really starting to show his worth... and if you thought that one was good, well his second wasn't bad either. an eighth goal of the season smashing the hammers into the top ten. and former arsenal chairman peter hill—wood, who presided over the appointments of george graham and arsene wenger, has died at the age of 82. he became chairman in 1982 and was instrumental in the move from highbury to the emirates stadium. he stepped down from the role five years ago because of ill health. russia's anti—doping agency has appealed to president vladimir putin to help them avoid being suspended again by the world anti—doping agency. a wada inspection team was denied full access to a moscow anti—doping laboratory last week. russia must transfer athletes'

sample data by monday or risk being banned again from international events. india are edging towards victory in the third test down under, despite a late fight back by australia. they're leading by 346 runs with two days to go. pat cummins has given the hosts a faint hope of a comeback after they were bowled out for 151. he took four quick wickets, including india's captain virat kohli for a duck, as the tourists ended the day on 54—5. the series is currently tied at 1—1 with just the sydney test to go next week. if i don't believe myself, who else will? i always try to back myself in any situation that i go. yes, the start has been good, played in england, south africa, here, three different kinds of conditions.

i have not yet played a test match in india. but whenever you go to different countries, it's a different experience, new learning that you take away from every country. i'm really happy with the start. let's see how it goes. a top score by england wicket keeper jos buttler wasn't enough to save sydney thunder from their first defeat in this season's big bash in australia. buttler cleared the boundary four times on his way to 89 in the match against hobart hurricanes. his team mate and england captain joe root didn't fare so well, only managing 17 runs before he was out. matthew wade and d'arcy short‘s partnership of 119 was key to hurricanes' seven wicket victory. we have been enjoying these pictures, u nfortu nately we have been enjoying these pictures, unfortunately for the goalkeeper in this last story. now how's this for a late contender for own goal of 2018. it happened during a serie b clash after a back pass to the goalkeeper. ascoli's filippo perucchini then dribbled the ball into his own net. it didn't end well — his side lost to palermo. it wasn't as if he managed to save

his blushes. and finally, andy murray has arrived in australia where he's due to play in the brisbane international as part of the build—up to the australian open — though he says he's still suffering from a long—standing hip problem. he does say that he is feeling better than he did last year so that is positive. you can find more about the tennis and other sport stories the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport back to you, simon. that was quite a goal. he will remember that for a long time for the wrong reasons. you are watching bbc news. media reports in iceland say that a bridge where three british tourists — including a child — died yesterday, does not meet current safety standards. the crash happened in a popular tourist area in the south in the south—east of the island. four other british people in the vehicle were critically injured, as ben ando reports.

the two families were in a toyota land cruiser which fell onto a dry riverbed. first on the scene were the police and a local tour guide, who did all he could to help. i tried to talk a bit to the driver to calm him down. he was trapped inside the car. i was trying to tell him to save his energy and try to be patient, we will try to get him out of there. it was a very difficult situation. two adults and a child died at the scene. four others, including two children aged seven and nine, were airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. translation: it was immediately clear that this was a very serious accident. a car had careered off the bridge, so immediately all available responders and resources were mobilised. it's understood that those involved come from two families and are british nationals of what's being described as indian origin. foreign office officials are assisting icelandic authorities, but the indian ambassador to iceland

visited the hospital, where four survivors, two men and two children, are being treated, and spoke to doctors and nurses there. the bridge is a single track and is on the south—east section iceland's national ring road, in an area known for its spectacular waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers. this morning, investigations into the cause will continue. though icelandic media is reporting that this bridge is a known accident danger spot and does not meet the latest safety standards. (pres) the number of illegal knives seized at the uk's borders has more than doubled in a year. seized at the uk's borders has more official figures show officers took possesion of more than 7,600 blades during the 12 months to september. it comes as knife crime in england and wales reaches an eight year high. one of the rarest birds in the world — a species of duck called the madagascar pochard — has been given a new home. a british team of conservationists has released a small group of birds at a lake

in the north of madagascar. as our science correspondent victoria gill reports, it's the first step in the recovery of a species that was previously thought to be extinct. 0n the brink of extinction. the madagascan pochard was thought to have been wiped out completely, but a tiny group of the birds was rediscovered just 12 years ago at one remote lake. wetland habitats here have been so polluted and damaged that the birds were forced into a last untouched area. but as pristine as it looks, this final refuge is actually too deep and too cold for the pochards to thrive. they are clinging onto existence in the place that isn't really suited to them. the threats that they face across the rest of madagascar, which is why they have been wiped out so extensively, are fast and range from sedimentation, evasive species, pollution, or agricultural practices — a whole suite of different things that combine to make the perfect storm and really make it hard for a species like the madagascan pochard to survive.

so conservationists embarked on a painstaking rescue mission. after bringing the few birds into captivity to start a breeding programme, researchers scoured madagascar for the best possible site to bring them back to the wild. lake sophia in the north of madagascar will be the pochards' new home. and for the world's rarest birds, the team has developed an extra level of protection. it might be a bit of a different climate here in gloucestershire compared to madagascar, but the team at the wetlands here have been able to develop this floating aviary. the idea is that it will keep the birds safe and get them accustomed to their new lake. the doors to their floating aviary have now been opened and the pochards are venturing out to explore. it's a small but significant step, conservationists say, in saving one species from extinction and in projecting madagascar‘s threatened wetlands. victoria gill, bbc news.

we can speak now to peter cranswick — from the wildfowl and wetlands trust — who have spent years laying the foundations for the birds' introduction into the wild. ijust want i just want to pick up ijust want to pick up on the point, it isa ijust want to pick up on the point, it is a small but significant moment. it has taken is nine years to get stuck this point and although it isa to get stuck this point and although it is a very significant threshold for us it will probably take us another five or ten years to realise the future we want for this dark and for the wetland. y five or ten yea rs ? for the wetland. y five or ten years? are there still risks? the la ke years? are there still risks? the lake is the best that there is but it is still far from being lake is the best that there is but it is still farfrom being in a healthy condition. we have got to the point where we have released a dock into a lake where there is no art natural food for it. we have had to provide artificial food. art natural food for it. we have had to provide artificialfood. it art natural food for it. we have had to provide artificial food. it will ta ke yea rs to provide artificial food. it will

take years of research to understand it properly and the lake properly. people will wish i wasn't asking this but why is it so important if species like this are under threat, why should we step in, nature has taken its why should we step in, nature has ta ken its course, why should we step in, nature has taken its course, hasn't it is? it is not so much that nature has taken its cause but threats from people around the world. these wetlands are very important for people out there. there are 10,000 people that live around the lake and rely on it. they need more water and clean water for their livelihoods, the reeds to make mats from, more fish. so making this la ke mats from, more fish. so making this lake into a healthy condition will help the people. but it is a struggle to do that in a country like madagascar where many poor people rely on the lake. having the world's rarest dark as the hulk to incentivise people is working very

well. we really did think this species of duck was extinct. in a conference somebody said that they thought it was extinct and six months later we found all of these birds. i'm looking at pictures now, how would you describe it? why is it as unique as it is? it is a species of diving duck. it feeds underwater finding insects and vegetation underwater. it is the only one of its type in madagascar. there are 11 like this around the world. it almost disappeared and being able to c0 nse rve almost disappeared and being able to conserve this duck and fitting it back into its environment will be a key way to ensure we have restored the wetlands it relies on back to a healthy condition. it is good to have some good news, isn't it? yes.

in nine years in the making so for us in nine years in the making so for us this is the start of a challenge but it has been a challenge in itself just get to this but it has been a challenge in itselfjust get to this point. a lot of us are having a christmas celebration it. congratulations are in order. it is good of you tojoin us. you are watching bbc news. donald trump has been on twitter in the last few minutes tweeting this... so not quite the end of 2018 but he is ending it very much as he started it on twitter with sweets such as that one. we will get some reaction to that a little later on. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas.

we have some dry and quiet weather for you. there are some spells of sunshine today. this is the scene in aberdeenshire at the moment. a few spots of rain but for most places it is looking rather dry. pretty mild looking at double figures. a few spells of sunshine in scotland and northern ireland, and northern england. 0vernight we have got more rain working in across northern ireland and scotland. it moves through quickly on a brisk breeze and we are looking at a frost free night with temperatures holding up. there could be the odd misty and murky patch in the south. some spots of rain tomorrow in the south and the midlands and into wales but most places with a largely dry day. temperatures up to 13 degrees and you will notice the strength of the

wind in northern ireland and scotland. the weather remains largely dry and settled up to new year's eve. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. three men have been found guilty of the murder of five people who died after an explosion in a shop in leicester in february. the music and film retailer hmv is on the brink of collapse, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk. a surge in migrants risking their lives crossing the channel has increased calls for the government to step up border patrols. a lucky escape for the cornish fisherman who fell overboard and survived after clinging to his boat's nets forfive miles. thousands more prisoners are to get phones in their cells under plans to tackle violence and boost rehabilitation. let's get more on the news that the government's facing calls to increase patrols in the english channel due to a surge in the number of migrant crossings in recent days. speaking to my colleague, carole walker, conservative mp for folkestone and hythe, damian collins, has going through the reasons why he thinks

there's been an increase in migrants making the journey across the channel it is partly a consequence of security being much tighter in france, around the channel tunnel and the calais port. these were the ways people tried and get into the port and onto lorries and sneak into the country in that way. that has become much harder as a route and we have had unusually mild and calm weather, full moon, that makes the crossing easier. having said that, the crossing is incredibly dangerous. i think this shows people are taking more desperate risks to get into the country. we are hearing only one of the five boats that should be patrolling that area is in action. we need to look at resources we have patrolling the water. we are quite good at spotting vessels that are approaching the uk and either escorting them in or having authorities waiting when they land. it is the busiest shipping lane in the world and is probably the most closely monitored.

what i don't understand is why we're not doing more to stop boats leaving france in the first place. why they are not detected in french territorial waters being returned to the nearest port, back to calais or boulogne. in the past, we have worked very closely with the french authorities and i would welcome a statement about what we're doing now with the french to identify suspicious activity and behaviour on the french coast of people preparing to launch small craft to get people across the channel. have we got the right policy? we were hearing the concerns that if these people are confident they will be picked up and brought to the uk, where they can claim asylum, that that would increase the likelihood of others taking that risk. but clearly you have very vulnerable people in small boats in a very busy shipping lane. we must remember the french take a very different view about boats in the mediterranean. they often turn back boats and say they should go to other countries rather than france. are you saying we should be doing that? we have to try and close this route

off, because it is very dangerous what people are doing. there is a real risk they will lose their lives trying to cross in this way, particularly in the winter months. we need to make it clear to migrants and gangs that if you try to do this you will be detected early, either as you are preparing to leave or are in the water, and you will be returned to france. we should work with the french authorities to police that and make that happen. and also understand why these people are not in the asylum system already. it is not always the case they are just waiting to get to the uk. i visited the calais jungle when that was fully operational and i often met people there who were just waiting to have their claims processed by the french authorities but were not being dealt with. we need to work with the french to say are these people who should claim asylum in france? do they have a special claim to come to the uk, in which case we can look look to process that? but what we have to stop is these people crossing the channel in these small boats.

we are hearing that some traffickers are saying to these vulnerable people — get into the uk quickly before brexit. is brexit going to make it more difficult to detect these people? will it make the cooperation with the french more difficult? we need to work together, either inside or outside of the eu on these matters. i don't think brexit creates a moment in time when things could get a radically harder. we should be being robust about this now. if there is more chaos and disruption at ports, does that make it easier for people to get into the country? this sort of activity of crossing in small boats is very different from the problems we have had in the past with people breaking into lorries and trying getting access to boats and ferries or the channel tunnel. this is a much more specific problem. i think it has partly come about because of the milder weather. you might expect a spike in this activity before the start of winter as people try to make the crossing before it becomes too dangerous.

unusually, we have seen it continue through winter as well. i don't think brexit should be seen as a reason for this. it is partly a consequence of the security being much tighter around ports than it was in the past and that desperate people are taking desperate measures. we need to identify these people, where they are in france and discover these plans and networks before they are put in operation and working with the french to process their claims in france rather than picking people out of the water in the channel. christmas day is over and many households are now thinking about getting rid of mountains of waste generated by the festive season. so what happens to all that extra rubbish? our business correspondent sean farrington has spent the morning at a recycling plant in sheffield to find out. it isa it is a big week for recycling factories like this in sheffield because we produce about 30% more

waste than ordinary, about 123 thousand tonnes more in england. this business, you turn waste into plastic for reuse, how do you make money out of it? there is a big demand for the colour we produce in the furnaces in the uk to make new bottles. we get the right quantity and we can make the right quality to make it into a bottle. the uk has a strong demand and it is really good. there is a lot to talk about, not just over what businesses like this can do but retailers and consumers. we have claire and margaret. in terms of sustainability, you are an expert, are consumers doing enough? we hear this boarding use the right stuff and put it in the right recycling bin. there is more consumers could do. they need to factor the environmental

consequences of what they do into purchasing decisions and their disposal. there is a strategy out from the government that will change the way people will do things.“ from the government that will change the way people will do things. is it the way people will do things. is it the right one? we need to look at valuing the two aerials. this is not rubbish glass, it is virgin material, or secondary material that will go into new bottles and we need to do that as consumers, thinking about the value of the stuff we have got and treating it with respect so we have the quality and quantity needed for more manufacturer will stop you see from the different colours of bottles the way retailers have to change to get consumers to buy. do they take recycling into account? some do, but some perhaps do not appreciate the complexity. retailers, manufacturers and waste management companies could work together to better understand the impact of choices they make for

packaging. it is great to see products in jazzy packaging packaging. it is great to see products injazzy packaging but if it means the product cannot be re cycled, it means the product cannot be recycled, it is a harmful environmental decision and if people we re environmental decision and if people were more aware of environmental decision and if people were more aware of the choices made when they bought products, they could perhaps vote with their wallet to force manufacturers to produce products in more sustainable packaging to increase the likelihood of recycling. all of this glass we see, it might turn up in some bottles next christmas, as well. police in new york have sought to reassure residents after a bright blue light illuminated the city's night sky. it had residents talking of otherworldly beings — as rhodri davies reports. alien, the almighty, or apocalyptic? new yorkers were asking the question when the night sky turned blue on friday. it was freaky. it was like independence day, the movie, where you just look up

and a weird blue colour that you haven't seen, lighting up the clouds in the sky. it looked like something was above the clouds. it stunned residents. 0n social media, one person spoke of a vibrating noise. another said she was shocked to the core. some suggested the presence of ghostbusters, or extraterrestrial beings. the answer was far more down to earth. a hot electrical fire in the city's largest borough of queens in fact caused the cool blue shade that cut through the sky and disrupted some residents' plans. i was playing playstation and the power got cut off. in a second, everything got cut off. we got mad at first because we thought it was something with the building. a surge at a local electric power plant set off the small fire and the blue sparks. it could've been, since it was an electrical fire,

that it caused arcing — a flash of power, so to speak. and that might have been what caused that large light. there were local outages. some city trains were stalled and flights at one of new york's majorairports, laguardia, were stopped for about half an hour. but there were no injuries and the city police department was intent on allaying any further fears, saying that the incident was the result of a transformer explosion and there was no evidence of extraterrestrial activity. they will hope that that will be enough to put all suspicions to rest. rhodri davies, bbc news. it's been a year of extreme weather in the uk, from the beast from the east at the start of the year, to sizzling heatwaves in the summer. but how has this affected our wildlife? correspondent jayne mccubbin has been finding out — she's been to a wetland centre in 0rmskirk in west lancashire. it's doing really

well here, actually. you've spoken about this erratic weather, which the national trust has likened to a roller—coaster ride, this year. these peaks of 35 degrees in the summer, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 19705, to the troughs of that really arctic, icy winter at the start of the year that we had, with lows of “111, the likes of which we haven't really seen since, perhaps on a handful of occasions, since the 1960s. there's been winners and losers. let's chat to louise from martin mere to hear about the winners. the cold weather has brought huge numbers here? it's been absolutely fantastic. a lot of the birds we get here in the winter at martin mere are from places like the continent, iceland, russia. they are escaping the cold, so when we get a lovely cold snap, they all congregate here at martin mere, where we have got loads of food and they absolutely love it. it is an amazing spectacle. so perhaps pink—footed geese you would normally get. how many and how many did you have this year?

normally, we get around 10—20,000. this year, 30—40,000. so just lots and lots of birds all at once. it is absolutely amazing. brilliant for you guys, but there have been losers, too. come and chat to peter. you are an animal ecologist with the national trust. what have you been most concerned by, the numbers being affected by the weather extremes? this year, while the adult butterflies, things like a large blue, chalkhill blue, did really well, we are concerned because of the drought conditions, the food plants they feed on were scorched and dry. so the caterpillars might not have done quite so well as we would like. it is very much a case of keeping an eye on what happens with the adult butterflies next year. you are keeping an eye, you are trying to mitigate against some of the worst of these weather extremes by creating a nature corridor. tell me more. the national trust is creating 25,000 hectares of new habitat. that's about 96 square miles of new, really high—quality habitat,

all across the country. also, with the way we farm, most of our land is going to be in high nature status. that means that the animals will be able to move around. one of the things with climate and weather, we need the animals and plants to be able to move and to adapt to new conditions. adapt and survive. thank you very much. we have had quite a spectacle over my shoulder this morning. they have quietened down now, but the flamingos on the far bank have been doing their mating dance, which is hugely impressive. and the eider ducks, i do not know if you can make out — the black—and—white ducks here, which, as per live television, have managed to go away from us — they have been responding with something that sounds like a kenneth williams call. a kind of "oooh—oh". you can practise that one at home.

i will leave that one with you. an eider duck. nice. peaks and troughs of weather conditions, a roller—coaster ride. the only thing that is certain for next year is more of the same, really. more erratic weather on the way. an impersonation of kenneth williams. after nearly three years of waiting, fans of the hit crime drama luther are — at long last — on the final countdown to series five. on new year's day, idris elba will don his tweed coat once again as he returns as dcijohn luther alongside co—star ruth wilson. naga munchetty went to meet them both to find out what viewers can expect dci luther. the first victim was paul redford. this isn't random, is it? there's gonna be more. i imagine you need a sense of humour filming for... forjohn luther. for luther. because it is so dark. erm, you're smiling! well, i think alice is funny. i think she is quite... they're like comic book characters in a way. she's hilarious.

she... i think, from the... we shoot luther in the winter, because we want that to come across on the screen, but it also means we work really short daylight hours. the sun comes up at 6 or whatever and goes down by 4. so we have two work, we have to get up really early and it is really cold. it is a hard show to make. so having a sense of humour and a bit of a laugh. i was so happy to have ruth back. that is the problem with luther — if you fall in love with characters or have affection for a character — and then they go. it is part of the fabric. yeah, you have go to keep them guessing. and they fall in love with a new character each time neil brings in another one that everyone can fall in love with. but they didn't bring another alice.

they couldn't. they couldn't bring in another alice. they tried. that was the temptation. she loves it. you love being wicked? i do. i don't get to be wicked often, so alice is a great part to play. she's so naughty. and she has no conscience so...well, she has a bit of a conscience. she likes him. he's her only weak spot. she loves him. but she also likes playing with him. doesn't luther love alice? definitely. infatuated. i wouldn't say love. i think he's infatuated, not in love. he doesn't know what love is, do you? he. . . possibly. possibly, yeah. speaking of which, do you mind if i... yeah. upstairs, first on the right. how have detectives or psychiatrists or psychologists responded to your interpretation of your characters? i've got no idea. have you spoken to any? yeah, yeah. you have? i speak to police a lot. murder detectives, especially,

there is a secret murder detective fan club for luther. this character embodies some of the harsher realities that murder detectives go through. which is the trauma of having to see all of that stuff all the time. so you are telling me to behave myself? yes. noted. it's going to get worse. a lot worse. you want him dead. i don't care. ijust want him. is alice going to fully corrupt luther? she tries. she always tries. again — for the seventh time. which of you is more corruptive in real life out of you two? 0h. corruptive. me. mischievous. you. i don't know. you're pretty mischievous. maybe you have got a bit boring recently. in real life? he's working too hard. yeah. say no more.

on new year's day we are going to be watching luther. four episodes, consecutive days. and everyone will be really hung over and really depressed and in need of something... like luther to cheer them up. luther, which returns on new year's day. stay with us because in a few minutes we'll be joined by viewers on bbc one for the lunchtime news. three men are convicted of murder after an explosion at a shop in leicester. three people were killed in the arson attack in debris including a mother and her new songs. music retailer hmv is on the brink of collapse. calls to step up patrols in the channel after a surge in migrants trying to cross from france. concern over the rising number of potholes reported to authorities. and how this duck, one of the rarest in the world has been saved from the brink of extinction. three men have been found guilty

of murdering five people in an explosion which destroyed a shop and a flat in leicester. the three planned the blast in february, so they could make an insurance claim. 0ur correspondent kathryn stanczyszyn is in leicesterfor us now. it contains images you may find distressing. a massive explosion shatters a quiet sunday evening. shortly after 7pm on the 25th of february, this building on one of leicester's main roads was completely destroyed leaving five

dead. mary, two of her teenage sons sean and shane and his girlfriend, had been spending an evening together in their flat. the light went out to our world on that terrible night — it is so difficult to put into words how much we miss leah. she was an amazing, inspirational young lady who was just starting out on her life adventure. they made a lasting impression on everybody lucky enough to know her. she was beautiful inside and out and she truly shone when she entered a room. she was never aware the impact she had on so many just by smiling at them. we will always miss that smile, her laughter and those beautiful curls. also killed in the polish store below it shop worker 22—year—old victoria. she had been conspiring with three men. they deliberately caused the fire is part of a fraudulent insurance claim, hoping to make at least £300,000. this cctv footage shows them buying more than 20 litres of petrol the day before the explosion. they also bought other flammable

materials to intensify the fire. i think there was clearly the element of planning, the greed, financial gain took over from anything else and they were callous really as to whether human life was affected by what they did. the man that ran the polish supermarket, prior to the explosion he moved the cctv camera outside the shop to obscure the view. here he is at the scene just seconds after the explosion. he had been in the basement when it happened. an hour later talking to police. just tell how it all come about. the bbc spoke to him the day afterwards when it was unclear he was responsible. how are you feeling at the moment? i don't know how to tell you. never i feel how i am now. this was a cynically planned fraud with deadly consequences — the threat to people's callously disregarded. the music and film retailer hmv

is on the brink of collapse, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk at 120 stores. sales at the company have been hit by competition from online retailers and streaming services. it's the second time in five years that hmv has hit serious financial trouble. in 2013, it was rescued and restructured. our business correspondent, theo leggett, has the details. hmv is one of the oldest and best—known names on the british high street but now the future of more than 120 stores and 2200 employees is looking deeply uncertain. founded in the 1920s it grew to become a retail giant is selling music, videos and computer games. now, like other traditional store chains it is struggling to cope with growing competition from online retailers. that is not the only problem hmv

faces. it still has a large a physical stores like this one on the high street but increasingly consumers are moving online. that is not the only issue. streaming services are becoming more and more popular which means many consumers do not even bother to buy dvds or cds anymore. this has already been a dreadful year for traditional store chains for the big names such as maplin and pound world have disappeared while others have closed shops. in this harsh environment hmv is struggling to sell its products. netflix and spot a fight, i do not buy anything. very rarely. they clutter up the house, so, no. this is not the first time hmv has been in trouble. it went into administration in 2013 before being bought by its current owner. this time however a rescue might be more difficult. the big problem hmv it is stuck in a market of physical cds

and dvds that is declining much faster than they expected as people migrate to streaming services like netflix and temps two. the chill economic winds blowing down the high street means it is unlikely to be the last retailer to feel the cold. —— and spotify. the government is facing calls to step up patrols in the english channel after a rise in the number of migrants trying to make the journey from france over the christmas period. 66 people have reached the uk in the past three days. butjust one of the five boats operated by the border force is currently patrolling the channel, as anisa kadri reports. on a mission for a better life, they risk their lives crossing the busiest shipping lane in the world. more than 60 migrants have arrived over the last few days, in small boats. now the government's facing calls to step up patrols in the channel. one of five cutters run by the border force is patrolling the area, but some want more resources in place to help migrants

and prevent any deaths. we only have a small number of cutters, we have a small number of patrol vessels, but within the force itself, there is not a huge capability to interdict on the english channel. so i would be looking, myself, for more resources — if i was commanding this situation — to other agencies such as the coast guard, the police, potentially even defence. the government says deployments are under constant review, but it's concerned that increasing patrols could encourage more migrants to try to reach the uk from france. 23 migrants reached kent on thursday. that's in addition to a0 on christmas day. in total, at least 209 have arrived in small boats since november. the mild weather is one of the potential reasons for the surge in arrivals. another possible reason is brexit, with people smugglers understood to be telling migrants that borders will become more difficult to cross when britain leaves the eu.

well, really, what we need to do is to stop people making these journeys in the first place. so, more patrol votes is part of the answer, but it's also having the resources on the ground we need, working in partnership with the french to identify the gangs, to stop them making the crossings in the first place. many of these migrants have escaped difficult circumstances, but the worry is that if these journeys continue, it's only a matter of time before there are fatalities. anisa kadri, bbc news. the number of illegal knives seized at the uk's borders has more than doubled in a year. official figures show officers took possesion of more than 7,600 blades during the 12 months to september. it comes as knife crime in england and wales reaches an eight year high. more prisoners will be allowed to make phone calls from their cells under government plans to tackle violence and re—offending. currently 20 prisons in england and wales have phones inside cells.

they're closely monitored and can only call pre—approved numbers. £10 million will be spent extending the scheme to 50 prisons by early 2020. john mcmanus reports. for years, the authorities have struggled to stop illicit mobile phones making their way into prisons. along with drugs, they are big business behind bars because they allow some offenders to maintain contact with criminal associates. some gangs have resorted to using drones to deliver them over prison walls. stamping out their use has been a priority. hello. but now, the government says that thousands of prisoners will in future be able to make calls on landlines from their own cells. the scheme has already been tried at 20 prisons in england and wales, like here at 0akwood prison. that number will rise to 50 by march 2020. the government says it is vital that prisoners maintain contact

with those most able to support their rehabilitation — theirfamilies. one of the things that helps reduce reoffending is maintaining family ties. i think it is really important that we allow prisoners the opportunity to maintain those family ties, maintain links with their loved ones, because, when they are released, those relationships are going to be really important in keeping them on the straight and narrow. but the idea of making prison life more comfortable has been criticised by the conservative mp and former shadow home affairs minister andrew rossindell will, who tweeted he thought the idea of being sent to jail was to punish criminals and take away their freedom and creature comforts. his comments, though, have been challenged by the prison governors association. we would disagree with prison being a place of punishment. the fact that you are sent to prison is the punishment. we shouldn't further punish people whilst in prison. 0ur role is to reduce reoffending, so that when they go back into the community, they are able to integrate and there is less chance

of them reoffending. the authorities say that prisoners will only be able to call a few approved numbers and conversations can be monitored at any time. it's hoped that violence within prisons will also fall —