this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 2. 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 has gone into administration putting more than 2000 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 agony for ascoli as one of the ‘goals of the season‘ is scored by the italian side's goalie — into their own net. and in half an hour, we look at how the social media giants came under fire and the printed press got smaller — that's in review 2018: the media year.

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. 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, had been spending

an evening together in their flat. the light went out of our world on that terrible night, and 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. leah 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 of the impact that 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 viktorija ijevleva. she'd been conspiring with three men — hawkar hassan, arkan ali and aram kurd. 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, 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. aram kurd 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 afterwards. he'd been in the basement when it happened, then an hour later, talking to police. just go through, then, how it all 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. and 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 lives callously disregarded.

kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news, leicester. in the last hour hmv has confirmed it's gone into administration. sales at the music and film retailer 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 2,200 employees is looking deeply uncertain. founded in the 1920s, it grew to become a retail giant, selling music, videos and computer games. but now, like other traditional store chains, it's struggling to cope with growing competition from online retailers. but that isn't the only problem hmv is facing. it still has a large number of physical stores like this one on the high street but, increasingly, consumers

are moving online. and that's not the only issue. streaming services are becoming more and more popular, which means many consumers don't even bother to buy dvds or cds any more. this has already been a dreadful year for traditional store chains. big names such as toys "r" us, maplin and poundworld have disappeared, while others have closed shops. and in this harsh environment, hmv is struggling to sell its products. with netflix or spotify, i don't ever buy anything. no, i don't buy any, i download everything. very rarely. i stream, of course. and, quite honestly, they clutter up the house. so, no. this isn't the first time hmv‘s been in trouble. it went into administration back in 2013, before being bought by its current owner, hilco. this time, however, a rescue might be more difficult. the big problem for hmv is that it's stuck in a market for physical cds and dvds that is declining much faster than they had expected it to, as people migrate to streaming services such

as spotify and netflix. whatever happens to hmv itself, the chill economic wind blowing down the high street means it's unlikely to be the last major retailer to feel the cold, in what may well be a bleak new year. theo leggett, bbc news. well theo leggett is with me now. where exactly are we with this? the pa rent where exactly are we with this? the parent company of hm the witches hilco has confirmed it intends to bring ina hilco has confirmed it intends to bring in a ministry truth. we understand from key gm be that the process is still ongoing and formalities are still being undergone. we do not know their plans in the very near future. what will happen to the people who work in the stores and so on but according to hilco the problem has been extremely poor football in its

stores around christmas time and a steep decline in sales of physical tds and cds. you have to zoom in the short—term that every effort will be made to keep hmv as a viable business. they will look for a buyer for at least part of it but that they cannot find any kind of buyer, things will get a bit iffy. when a company goes a demonstration, does that involve a judge? company goes a demonstration, does that involve ajudge? it company goes a demonstration, does that involve a judge? it is a formal procedure where the company is allowed to keep operating while the demonstrator looks the best solution for its creditors and that means finding out whether the business can be sold as an entity, if not which bits of it have value, which bits can be sold and wet creditors stand in line. so hundred and 20 stores, 2000 jobs, when will people know? that is unclear because the demonstrator has not given a statement yet. they will give us a timescale on and we shall have some idea. and you very much a.

let's speak now to retail analyst , clare bailey, who is in sleaford, lincolnshire. are you surprised because everyone was saying christmas sales were not as good as they hoped?” was saying christmas sales were not as good as they hoped? i am not surprised at all. it is a bit deja vu cause surprised at all. it is a bit deja vu cause i surprised at all. it is a bit deja vu cause i covered surprised at all. it is a bit deja vu cause i covered the story with the bbc five years ago when they we re the bbc five years ago when they were luckily rescued by hilco and i think what has happened is as a retailer they observed their market, must changing, what i call the substrate the product, from a physical to a digital consumption through the streaming method and so on. that has meant that in spite of the high street struggling, they are ina the high street struggling, they are in a whole more complex world of losing the customer base they originally had because the product was no longer relevant to a a modern customer and in order to turn it around, it would have two reinvent

itself with a completely different product and i think to assisting that through hundred and 20 stores is most in impossible at a. it is a disappointing story but i would also like to see to any concerned employees, there is a charity called the retail trust which supports people in retail who have any views 01’ people in retail who have any views or worries of thejob people in retail who have any views or worries of the job and what support and advice. this process of administration, hmv can still perform in some raw or another if someone comes in to rescue perform in some raw or another if someone comes in to rescue it. under its current guise it would be difficult to appreciate who might wa nt to difficult to appreciate who might want to do that. i was jockey earlier to another outlet about this particular story and there has been an uprising in independent specialists doing vintage retro vinyl type products. i am not convinced there is an upmarket but that for 120 stores but if there was entrepreneurial buyers out there to pick up the best stories and to swap

categories to make it more appealing for more niche markets, perhaps people who do want a physical products but not in the format of cd and dvd. it is interesting he said that because i was when to ask you about the resurgence of final because has been one and certainly in america, on the west coast there isa in america, on the west coast there is a store there that is taking off because of a resurgence in final but it would have to be quite the resurgence to rescue hmv. the trend would really need to take off to justify maintaining all stores however it could be that other retailers like the store location so it might be although the stores themselves do not continue to trade as hmv, unit might be taken on by other retailers who perhaps do have a more relevant proposition to the modern consumer and there would be the opportunity for staff to be redeployed in those units albeit for another company. thank you so much.

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 3 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 boats 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. a man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences, after arriving on an inbound flight at luton airport. the 32—year—old is in custody at a bedfordshire police station, on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism. police say his arrest is syria—related, and not to do with any offences at luton airport. the investigation is being led by the metropolitan police's counter terror command. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has urged the prime minister to cut short mps' christmas break to allow for an earlier vote on her brexit deal. mps are due back in the commons on the 7th of january, and theresa may has said the vote on the eu withdrawal agreement

will take place the following week. however, mr corbyn said it must happen "as soon as possible". over the festive period our reality check team have been looking into some of the key issues around brexit and explaining them in more detail. today chris morris has been looking at the transition phase — due to come into place after brexit day — but only if the uk strikes a deal with the eu. you know what it's like on a long journey. are we nearly there yet? well, just when you thought that brexit might soon be over get ready for transition. let's assume we're on track to leave the eu on march 29, 2019. if we approach the departure with a withdrawal agreement in hand it will be time for the transition period. the government calls it the implementation period but it is actually the same thing. why transition? because the uk and eu still need to agree the details of a new trade deal and businesses need

more time to adjust to all the changes they are going to have to make. so during the transition the uk will have left the european union but for 21 months pretty much everything else will stay the same. the uk will still be in the eu's economic zone, single market and the customs union. that means frictionless trade without checks and delays at borders will continue. but the uk will also have to follow all the eu's rules and regulations. this includes the same payments into the eu budget, accepting the rulings of the european court ofjustice and allowing free movement of people. except the uk will no longer have any say in changing the rules or making new ones. no vote and no seat at the table. now there's a suggestion that the transition journey could be several months longer, maybe even a year longer, to give more time to try to sort everything out, especially the

complex problems on the irish border. supporters of the clean break brexit aren't happy. they say it feels more like losing control than taking back control. so the transition period buys us some time but it won't solve the brexit puzzle entirely. final destination, still unknown. the headlines on bbc news: 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 being put into administration placing more than 2000 jobs at risk. after a surge in the number of migrants crossing from france — calls to step up patrols in the english channel. 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, 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 — a problem the government has been struggling with. john mcmanus, bbc news. let's speak now to ben sturge — an ex—offender — who founded the charity fonesavv which allows inmates to call friends and family members outside prison. your reaction first of all to this proposal? i must correct you that this is not a charity, it is an organisation. we never got to the stage where we could turn it to a chargeable purpose so just make that correction there. i think the reaction... i am correction there. i think the reaction... iam horrified correction there. i think the reaction... i am horrified at the individuals who are saying that present should be solely for punishment and they are not looking

at the rehabilitation element because, never mind we think about prisoners, but that one side for the moment, let's look at the friends and family of prisoners who are supporting people while they are in the sentence. the other guy sending the sentence. the other guy sending the money into the prisoners to be able to make the calls out of bounds, they are often working long hours, they are not able to be at home by the land line and by having a thorn in cell, you are really giving people the opportunity to maintain those family ties which is for the benefits of the ability sure. it is a strong argument, i could argue that point date from personal experience. you will be aware of the counterargument that some prisoners with access to mobile phones make use them for different

purposes such as taunting witnesses or even planning escapes, whatever it is a. how good does the technology have to be to stop at being a possibility? there has been a real emphasis for a very long time on the reason that prisoners have got mobile phones is for illegal activity and to continue criminal activity and to continue criminal activity what actually, mike spoons and in my research and the reason why a founded by organisation, was the real reason that people have mobile phones in prison is to combat the high phone charges and access to the high phone charges and access to the funds in the first place. there is good and bad in everything. there area is good and bad in everything. there are a few that will take advantage of the system but that is always good to be the case, there's all was good to be the case, there's all was good to be a problem with mobile phones in prison, regardless whether there is land line phones in cell or not. it is something that is all was good to be an issue. there is all was good to be weird and wonderful ways for people to get mobile phones

into prison if they really want to. when the phones get into prison they themselves have a future value. —— huge value. i've been out since the 12 soi huge value. i've been out since the 12 so i can say the current pricing scheme but on average, i think it would be five times the cost of the other broad. but if you look at the high cost of the call charges combined with the love that i'd spent system and the small wages that prisoners receive for the work they do in present you can understand why it might be appealing for a somebody to have access to be able to contact friends and family on the outside on a daily basis as opposed to maybe once or twice a week, if you do it the official way. entrance of the app mr —— in terms of the atmosphere inside of prison, well prisoners be less aggressive and ina well prisoners be less aggressive and in a betterframe of mind and

would be spilt it —— would rebuild titian be a real prospect?” would be spilt it —— would rebuild titian be a real prospect? i think so. titian be a real prospect? i think so. i think we can expect to see a reduction in violence, better atmospheres, positive rebuild titian three form, hopefully by suicide and less self harm. i am really for it, i really am. in terms of the families and those who receive phone calls, it is important for them and they are the ones that you think really should be taken into account your. absolutely. the friends and families of prisoners are often forgotten victims, if you will. it is very difficult, as i say, they are is very difficult, as i say, they a re often is very difficult, as i say, they are often working extra hours to compensate the costs of a loved one being in prison, just to get that voice on the end of a phone and letting you know that somebody is 0k, there is a lot of bad publicity around prisons. we have recently come at the back end of what is

quite terrible peasant rates to be honest, could you imagine having a loved one inside one of those prisons at that time without being able to get on a phone to make sure they are ok? thank you very much. royal mail has apologised over a stamp produced to commemorate the d—day landings which actually showed us troops on a beach in asia. it was said to depict the normandy landings — but was actually taken in what is modern—day indonesia. the stamp was due to be released next year in a "best of british" collection. some rather unusual pictures from new york overnight.... the city skyline was turned blue, the result of an explosion at a power plant in the east of the city. police bought the fire under control and nobody was injured. there were also power outages across the city, which caused some flight cancellations and delays. power and services have now been restored. lifeboat crew in cornwall say

a fisherman who fell overboard near newlyn whilst adjusting his nets has been "amazingly" lucky to survive. nathan rogers managed to cling onto his nets forfive miles, while the boat took him back to shore on autopilot. he was treated for severe hypothermia and is now recovering at home. i spoke by telephone to the coxswain of the penlee lifeboat patch harvey — who played a crucial role and ascribed him as amazingly ducky. —— described him as amazingly lucky. one of the world's rarest birds, 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 once thought to be extinct. 0n the brink of extinction. the madagascar pochard was thought

to have been wiped out completely. tiny group of the birds was to covered just a few weeks 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 a place that isn't really suited to them. the threats that they face across the rest of madagascar — which is why they've been wiped out so extensively — are vast and range from sedimentation, invasive species, pollution, poor agricultural practices. a whole suite of different things combining to make a perfect storm and making it hard for a species like the madagascar duck to survive. a painstaking refuge mission. after bringing a few birds into captivity to start a breeding programme, the researchers scoured madagascar for the best possible site to bring them back to the wild. lake sofia, 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. well, it might be 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, it'll keep the birds safe and get them accustomed to their new lake. swimming off, swimming off... 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 protecting madagascar‘s threatened wetlands. victoria gill, bbc news. and finally, how's this for a late contender for own goal of 2018. it happened during a series 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. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas ijust had a conversation that you scored an own goal over christmas with iraqi, what was that about? —— hockey. i did. my son thought it was hilarious. the weather out there today is looking pretty quiet. we have got high pressure in charge is not too much going on with the christmas weather, it is taking a bit of time off. we have got some sunshine break through, this beautiful picture taken and the isle of wight, blue sky, a little bit of cloud winning

around but for most of us it has been bridging up over the last few hours and it is reasonably mild. temperatures between ten to 12 degrees and reasonably light winds to. then things are to turn a little bit more active over the weather. winds are picking up and rain pushing in across northern ireland and scotland to. and little rain by first thing tomorrow but it will be windy in the north, further south, cloudy and in mild frost—free to start saturday morning. do or do we start saturday morning. do or do we start without rain through parts of northern scotland, northern ireland and one or two spots of rain still lingering through the midlands to parts of wales and the majority of places it is looking to right with some sunny places it is looking to right with some sunny spells. temperatures around about 11 to 13 degrees tomorrow but you'll certainly noticed the strength of the wind, especially across parts of scotland. at it remains generally dry and settled through to the start of 2019. hello, this is bbc

news with simon mccoy. 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 retailer hmv is being put into administration placing 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. 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. now on bbc news — it's the year the social media giants came under fire, the printed press got smaller, and blockbuster tv got even bigger. the bbc‘s amol rajan gives his take on the last 12 months in review