also on the programme — i'm in port talbot, where workers are taking in the news that tata is set to cut nearly 3000 jobs from its uk workforce, most of them likely to be on the site. —— this site.

the sister of two—year—old bronson battersby tells the bbc she doesn't blame social services after the toddler was found dead alongside his father. they were both found working very peaceful, and that is the only consolation i can take from that. —— looking very peaceful. measles will spread rapidly in some parts of the uk unless more children have the vaccine — a warning from senior health officials. and djokovic dominant down under — the defending champion sails into the fourth round of the australian open. and coming up on bbc news — coming up on bbc news, jordan henderson returns to europe from saudi arabia, joining the dutch club i axe. hello and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. there have been more developments in the post office it scandal, in which hundreds of sub—postmaters were wrongly convicted.

in which hundreds of sub—postmasters were wrongly convicted. the european head of the technology firm fujitsu has described as "shameful" the apparent editing of witness statements to defend the faulty horizon it system. paul patterson told the public inquiry this morning that he was "surprised" that details about bugs and defects in the software weren't included in witness statements for criminal proceedings. he admitted that fujitsu was aware of the errors for nearly two decades, and said details about the vast majority of them had been shared with the post office at the time. our business correspondent theo leggett has the latest. it has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages ofjustice in uk history. hundreds of sub—postmasters were prosecuted after a flawed computer accounting system called horizon made it look as though money had gone missing from their branches. the system was made by it firm fujitsu. earlier

this week, as european boss appeared before mps. —— its european boss. today, he faced questions from the official inquiry, and he started with another apology. to official inquiry, and he started with another apology.- with another apology. to the sub-postmasters _ with another apology. to the sub-postmasters and - with another apology. to the sub-postmasters and their. with another apology. to the - sub-postmasters and their families, sub—postmasters and their families, we apologise. gypsy apologises and is sorry— we apologise. gypsy apologises and is sorry for— we apologise. gypsy apologises and is sorry for our part in this appalling _ is sorry for our part in this appalling miscarriage ofjustice. appalling miscarriage of justice. today. — appalling miscarriage ofjustice. today, mr patterson explained how the company has been aware of bugs and errors in the horizon system for more than two decades.— and errors in the horizon system for more than two decades. there's lots of evidence — more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of— more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of us _ more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of us informing - more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of us informing the - more than two decades. there's lots of evidence of us informing the post | of evidence of us informing the post office _ of evidence of us informing the post office of— of evidence of us informing the post office of that data we have just discussed, bugs and errors, and how those _ discussed, bugs and errors, and how those bugs _ discussed, bugs and errors, and how those bugs and errors did or did not impact _ those bugs and errors did or did not impact the — those bugs and errors did or did not impact the financial position as reported~ — impact the financial position as reported. mr impact the financial position as reorted. ~ ., , reported. mr patterson was asked why that information _ reported. mr patterson was asked why that information had not _ reported. mr patterson was asked why that information had not been - that information had not been included in the witness statement is used in prosecutions. i am used in prosecutions. i am surprised at that detail — used in prosecutions. i am surprised at that detail was _ used in prosecutions. i am surprised at that detail was not _ used in prosecutions. i am surprised

at that detail was not included - used in prosecutions. i am surprised at that detail was not included in - at that detail was not included in the witness statements given by fujitsu _ the witness statements given by fujitsu staff took the post office. and i_ fujitsu staff took the post office. and i have seen some evidence of editing _ and i have seen some evidence of editing of— and i have seen some evidence of editing of witness statements by others — editing of witness statements by others. �* ., , ., ,~ editing of witness statements by others. �* .,, ., ., , others. and he was asked about his reaction to that. _ others. and he was asked about his reaction to that. i _ others. and he was asked about his reaction to that. i have _ others. and he was asked about his reaction to that. i have no - others. and he was asked about his reaction to that. i have no doubt. reaction to that. i have no doubt ou reaction to that. i have no doubt you would _ reaction to that. i have no doubt you would regard _ reaction to that. i have no doubt you would regard that _ reaction to that. i have no doubt you would regard that as - reaction to that. i have no doubt. you would regard that as shameful. yes, that would be one word i would use. ~ . , yes, that would be one word i would use. ~ ., , ., yes, that would be one word i would use. . ., , ., ., use. what is the other one? shameful. _ use. what is the other one? shameful, appalling. - use. what is the other one? shameful, appalling. my. shameful, appalling. my understanding of how our laws work in this— understanding of how our laws work in this country, all of the evidence should _ in this country, all of the evidence should have — in this country, all of the evidence should have been put in front of the sub—postmaster, that the post office was relying _ sub—postmaster, that the post office was relying on to prosecute them. listening — was relying on to prosecute them. listening to the evidence was a sub—postmaster who was bankrupted by a legal battle with the post office. his opinion? i a legal battle with the post office. his opinion?— a legal battle with the post office. his oinion? . , , ., his opinion? i agree, it is shameful and appalling. _ his opinion? i agree, it is shameful and appalling, and _ his opinion? i agree, it is shameful and appalling, and i— his opinion? i agree, it is shameful and appalling, and i think - his opinion? i agree, it is shameful and appalling, and i think they - and appalling, and i think they should hold their heads in shame. that is not helping the victims, there is 555 people still waiting for this to move on, and nobody

seems to be looking at that at the moment. mr seems to be looking at that at the moment. ~ . ,., seems to be looking at that at the moment. ~ . , , moment. mr patterson is still appearing _ moment. mr patterson is still appearing before _ moment. mr patterson is still appearing before the - moment. mr patterson is still appearing before the inquiry, | moment. mr patterson is still. appearing before the inquiry, but his evidence so far has already added to the long list of questions facing the post office and its former bosses. theo leggett, bbc news. up to 2,800 jobs are to go across the uk as tata steel confirmed it will close both its blast furnaces in port talbot this year. most of the jobs will be lost from the site in south wales. let's go there now and join our wales correspondent hywel griffith. hywel, a bleak day for the community there. yes, you mentioned those two blast furnaces there, they are there behind me, they are in operation 2a hours a day 365 days a year, but by the end of this year, both will have been decommissioned, and the thousands ofjobs which go around them and supplying them in processing the liquid iron and turn it into steel, those jobs will go,

too. we understand from tata a bit more detailfrom the too. we understand from tata a bit more detail from the news we broke yesterday afternoon. they say around 2500 jobs in its uk workforce will go within the next 18 months, and i understand the vast majority majority of that will go from what is known as the heavy end here. speaking to steelworkers here, this is clearly disappointing news, the news they have been dreading since the middle of last year first news came to when us that a plant creating a cleaner and greener electric steel was going ahead, with the uk government putting on half £1 billion to that. however, the trade union here think they have a better plan that would see things being scaled down here, a more gradual transition from coal to dream. so far there is some shock at this

announcement, some may be able to go for redundancy, but others will have families and mortgages to worry about, and there are no other alternative options available in a community like this, for it so much depends on the traditional steel—making and all the money that flows from this works into the local community. flows from this works into the local community-— flows from this works into the local communi . , ., ~ y., , community. hywel, thank you. hywel griffith there — community. hywel, thank you. hywel griffith there at _ community. hywel, thank you. hywel griffith there at port _ community. hywel, thank you. hywel griffith there at port talbot. - griffith there at port talbot. apologies for the slight break—up of the picture there. the half sister of two—year—old bronson battersby has told the bbc she doesn't blame social services for his death. the toddler, who was found in a flat in skegness last week, is believed to have starved to death after his dad kenneth suffered a fatal heart attack. melanie battersby, who's 37, says she believes social services and the police did what they could "within the powers they had." she's been speaking exclusively to our midlands correspondent navtej johal. bronson! come on, then. every time i saw him, you know,

were happy, he were smiley, he were... he learned to walk. he were learning to speak. he were just a really beautiful, sweet—natured little boy. my dad was a character. he were born to be wild. he was funny, hilarious sometimes. he were stubborn. he really, really loved his children. and i know how proud he were of every single one of us. he absolutely doted on him. you know, he never complained. i think he loved doing what he were doing for him. seeing him with him, it were really, really heart—warming. it made me proud, you know, proud of my dad for what he were doing for his little boy. melanie's dad, kenneth, and her two—year—old half—brother, bronson, who she simply called her brother, died in the most tragic of circumstances. it's believed the toddler starved to death after his dad had a heart attack. they were found alone in their home in skegness last week. they believe that, you know, about a week before, that my dad

had died and that bronson was two to three days later. melanie wanted to speak to us, but says she wishes to keep the focus on bronson and kenneth, not herself. we've agreed not to show her face. i were told that they were both found looking very peaceful. and that is the only consolation i can take from that, is that my little brother snuggled up to my dad and that he looked peaceful. erm, i don't want to think too much about the suffering that he went through. he didn't look in pain. neither of them did. and they're together. a social worker visited the father and son's home twice in the days beforehand, but the door was not answered either time. their bodies were found on a third visit, when access to the property was finally gained. a rapid review is being carried out by lincolnshire county council

social services, and the police watchdog will also investigate. i believe that social services and the police did what they could within the powers that they had and the information that they were given. i'm glad that an inquiry is going to take place into whether there were any failings, missed opportunities. i'm really glad that it's going to take place. i don't place blame, any blame at all, on them. i think it must be devastating for them to work in that profession, to have to deal with tragedies like this. these deaths have affected every parent, every person who has heard about them. the family are now hoping that they can be left alone to grieve in peace. navteonhal, bbc news. a newborn baby girl has been found wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag in east london. the baby was discovered in newham yesterday evening in sub—zero temperatures by a member of the public who kept her warm until paramedics arrived.

the baby is unharmed and is safe and well in hospital. police are trying to trace her mother. measles is likely to spread rapidly in some parts of the uk unless more children have the vaccine. that's the warning from the head of the health security agency, who says vaccination rates are well below what's recommended by the world health organization. measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications including meningitis, blindness, and seizures. more than 200 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the west midlands recently, most of them in birmingham. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. measles is back. the highly contagious viral disease is spread through coughs and sneezes. it can cause serious complications like pneumonia and brain swelling, and in rare cases, be fatal. those most at risk are infants and the

immunocompromised. measles should be a disease of the past. two doses of the mmr jab a disease of the past. two doses of the mmrjab give a disease of the past. two doses of the mmr jab give almost complete protection, but coverage is at its lowest in the uk for more than a decade. why? public health officials say many parents have forgotten how serious measles can be, or simply have not got round to getting children immunised. plus some of the main vaccine hesitant. it is not just an issue in the uk. global immunisation levels have declined since the covid pandemic. parts of the west midlands have a very patchy mmr uptake, and to be measles outbreak there has prompted the uk health security agency to declare a national incident, which enables more resources to be given to laboratory and data teams —— that measles outbreak there. since october, they have been at 216 confirmed and 103 probable cases of measles in the west midlands, mostly in birmingham. mmr coverage is

lowest in london. last year, the uk hsa said an outbreak of between 40000 and 160,000 cases could occur in the capital. but child health experts say outbreaks could happen anywhere. it is experts say outbreaks could happen an here. , , . . experts say outbreaks could happen an here. ,,. ., ..,, anywhere. it is such an infectious virus that it _ anywhere. it is such an infectious virus that it spreads _ anywhere. it is such an infectious virus that it spreads about - anywhere. it is such an infectious i virus that it spreads about amongst all the children who are not already protected. and that might be in the west midlands, it might be in london, but it might well also be in other parts of the country simply because the virus has not spread there yet. so it is notjust a case of worrying about this if you happen to live in birmingham or london. wherever you live in the country, if your child does not have their two doses of mmr, it is really important that they get them now. since doses of mmr, it is really important that they get them now.— that they get them now. since a measles vaccine _ that they get them now. since a measles vaccine was _ that they get them now. since a measles vaccine was introduced | that they get them now. since a l measles vaccine was introduced in the uk in 1968, it is estimated that 20 million measles cases and 4500 deaths have been averted. but it remains a potentially deadly threat to those who have not had the mmr

jab. fergus walsh, bbc news. retail sales fell in december at their sharpest rate since the uk was in a covid lockdown. the latest figures reveal a fall in demand for goods, and also a drop in food sales, despite the run—up to christmas. the office for national statistics said it appeared people had shopped early, taking advantage of the black friday sales in november. our chief economics correspondent dharshini david is with me. what does it all mean, then, these figures? what does it all mean, then, these fi . ures? , what does it all mean, then, these fiaures? , . ., . ~ what does it all mean, then, these fiaures? , . ., what does it all mean, then, these fiaures? , ., ., , figures? festive cracker or damp su uib, figures? festive cracker or damp squib. jane. _ figures? festive cracker or damp squib, jane, take _ figures? festive cracker or damp squib, jane, take your— figures? festive cracker or damp squib, jane, take your choice. i figures? festive cracker or damp| squib, jane, take your choice. for squib, jane, take your choice. for every retailer which did well, there were many more who had a tough time, and that is why we look at the december figure and that is why we look at the decemberfigure again, because it is quite striking. down by more than 3% compared to normal seasonal patterns. that black friday element is becoming increasingly important, and if you look at what is happening to department store sales, down by over 7%. to department store sales, down by over7%. people to department store sales, down by over 7%. people are shopping earlier but also a bit more carefully as

well, more selective in how much they buy and where from, and there is a good reason for that, because interest rate rises, the cost of living crisis, it has taken their toll on people's pockets. they are being more conscious but there is a bigger picture aspect of this, because what is bad for retailers is bad for the economy as a whole. these figures alone are enough to take 0.15% off december gdp. that increase the risk that we did go into recession last year. i don't want to lead you on a gloomy note going into the weekend, so let's look at 2024, and wages are on average outpacing inflation, low interest rates appear to be on the horizon, so fingers crossed it could be a better time in store for retail. , ., , retail. ok, interesting. thanks very much, dharshini— retail. ok, interesting. thanks very much, dharshini david _ retail. ok, interesting. thanks very much, dharshini david there, - retail. ok, interesting. thanks veryj much, dharshini david there, thank you. the time is 1:15. our top story this afternoon: a senior fujitsu boss tells the post office inquiry it was well known that there were bugs in the horizon system

from the start. and still to come: the experiment taking large glasses of wine off the menu in pubs. does it help people drink less? coming up on bbc news: defending men's champion novak djokovic is on top form at the australian open, with a straight—sets win against tomas martin echeverry in his 100th match at the major. djokovic, chasing a record 25th grand slam title. coming up on bbc news: defending men's champion novak djokovic is on top form at the australian open, with a straight sets against tomos martin etcheverry in his 100th match at the major. djokovic is chasing a record 25th grand slam title. it is an election year in the country, and with little evidence that the government has a grip on the problem, many people are relying on private security staff instead of the police. our correspondent daniel de simone has been finding out more in johannesburg. a normal day in a security van carrying cash in south africa. what happens next looks extraordinary.

but it's a constant criminal threat. this is a cash—in—transit robbery. vans rammed off busy roads. guards terrorised. bombs used to access cash. cit hijackings are one of the violent crimes at crisis levels here. this guard survived a robbery. some don't. as a human being, i'm scared. but, hey, i'm going out. i might not come back. but it's life for everyone in cit. from here, they dispatch the helicopters, the back—up teams, everything. his boss says more help is needed from government. well, it's like a terrorist group. it's been very military organised, well executed. and if you see the way that they plan these robberies, it's very difficult for our teams to stop that.

although most south africans can't afford to pay for them, private security officers now outnumber their police counterparts. in the air, each day, crisscrossing cities, guarding security vans down below, waiting to respond to hijackings. on the ground, patrolling the streets. we're with an armed intervention team injohannesburg and they've just heard a vehicle has been hijacked. they're following a digital tracker in the vehicle, spotting men running from the car's possible location. stop them, stop them. it's the car. which car? but they weren't the robbers. the chase was back on. moments later, the vehicle's found. it's a game of cat and mouse.

they normally dump the vehicle. what they call it is a cool off period to see if anyone does respond. but i think now it was literally seconds that we, that we missed these guys. they call the police to fetch the car. thousands of new officers are being recruited. it's election year, the most competitive since the african national congress came to power in 1994, at the end of apartheid. i've always wanted tojoin the police. it's more about serving the country than anything else and just being able to help people in need. i can't wait to go out there - to serve the community, to uphold the law and fight crime. murders are at a two—decade high, with over 27,000 people killed in a year, and only 12% solved. our murder rate is not pleasing at all. our attack, sexual attack, is not pleasing at all. car hijack and all that. as the police, we think we are getting on top of things.

there are things that have happened maybe that have put us on the little bit of a backfoot. but in south africa's state of insecurity, the wave of violence will not be quickly turned back. daniel de simone, bbc news, johannesburg. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, says he's told the united states that he opposes the establishment of a palestinian state once the conflict in gaza is over. the white house has insisted that the creation of a palestinian state is vital for israel's security and for the reconstruction of gaza. the united nations has warned that the conflict risks creating a society where order has broken down, and a generation of children �*could lose out completely�*. wyre davies sent this report. the impact of israel's bombing campaign in gaza is astonishing. its aim, to completely crush hamas, has also destroyed or damaged more than half of gaza's buildings.

more than 24,000 people have been killed, says the hamas—run health ministry. the war has also laid waste to much of gaza's infrastructure and civic society. this un school, blown up by celebrating israeli troops who accused hamas of using these buildings. major universities and more than 100 schools have been damaged or destroyed. like any society, gaza's future is its children. but here, they're victims of war. and, says the un, they may lose out completely on what should be rightfully theirs. you have today about half a million children in the primary and secondary school system. how would they go back if you cannot bring people back to their home, which have been completely destroyed? and i'm afraid that here we are taking the risk to lose

a generation of children. gaza's health system, too, is broken. the world health organization says that only 13 of gaza's 36 hospitals are functional. those who need treatment often go without. translation: i was receiving regular medical treatment for my cancer at the hospital here in gaza. but during the israeli aggression, medical treatments have not been provided for the past four months. since this war began, israel's unprecedented bombing of gaza's main conurbations has laid much of the territory to waste. very few areas, from north to south, have escaped without damage. israel disputes the scale of gaza's humanitarian crisis, and says it doesn't target civilians or public infrastructure unless it's suspected of being used by armed palestinian groups. israel also rejects accusations that it's deliberately turning gaza into a wasteland so people will have no option other than to leave.

israel says it wants to allow in as much aid as the agencies can distribute, and it's not trying to demolish gaza's civic structures. but with key institutions like law courts and gaza's parliament also in ruins, there's not much of a society left. wyre davies, bbc news. stealing pet dogs and cats could become a criminal offence. the government is expected to back a bill which would make it illegal to take animals from their owners in england and northern ireland, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. the bill is being debated today in the commons. let's talk to our political correspondent helen catt. helen, isn't it already illegal to steal dogs and cats? yes, it is, but it is not a specific crime. underthe yes, it is, but it is not a specific crime. under the law as it stands in

england, wales and northern ireland, the pet is treated as property, so it is like someone taking your mobile phone, and are situation is similar in scotland. campaigners have said for a long time, and a special task force set up to look into this found, it doesn't really recognise the emotional distress someone suffers when their pet is stolen, and doesn't recognise that the pet itself is a living, breathing, feeling being. in 2021, the government committed to creating this new offence of pet abduction. it hasn't yet passed a law to do so. it hasn't yet passed a law to do so. it hasn't yet passed a law to do so. it has started to, as part of a bigger package of animal welfare measures, but the government scrapped that bill last summer, to a lot of criticism from campaigners. we now have an individual mp, anna firth, bringing back those measures and expanding the original legislation only apply to dogs, to cover cats. the government is expected to back this, which should make it easier to get it through the

commons, but there is no guarantee this will become law. it will still need to pass all the usual stages of parliament before a general election. . ~ parliament before a general election. ., ,, , ., a new study has found that taking large glasses of wine off the menu in pubs and bars reduces the total amount of alcohol that people drink. 21 pubs took part in an experiment run by cambridge university — the venues agreed to sell only small and medium glasses of wine. they stopped offering large glasses, which are 250ml, so are in fact a third of a bottle of wine. results showed customers ordered more drinks but actually consumed fewer units overall. the amount of wine sold dropped by more than 7%. our correspondent frances read went to one of the pubs that took part in the research. dryjanuary for some, but for others it's been a case of drinking less without them even realising.

at the three compasses pub in east london, the after—work crowd only have the option of a small or medium glass of wine. large has been taken off the menu after the pub agreed to take part in a study with the university of cambridge. most of the drinkers didn't even realise. i don't think people would have really noticed between a medium and a large. i don't think i would really notice or like really tune into that. yeah. you don't really look at the quantity of the, of the wine when you're drinking. i guess, if you enjoy the taste you willjust enjoy it, no matter how much the quantity is. i if the research is showing that it. does help, then why not, i suppose? but in this pub we didn't notice any difference. i i do quite like the choice for when you do come in. i suppose there's two of us and we'd like a large glass of wine. we're now more likely to go for a bottle. the impact on the pub — not much at all. the sales, it was a minimal difference. so it's not like we lost any trade.

most customers just didn't really bat an eyelash, really. we said. — oh, sorry, we're not selling large glasses at the minute, and they said, fine, i'll have a medium. and some people were happy because it meant their round actually cost less. and so yeah. so i think overall it was like generally positive feedback really because they were spending less. this is just one of 21 places that have taken part in the trial, which previously had been selling small, medium and large. so if we look at what that means in real terms in the pub, it's 75 millilitres that's the difference between a medium glass of wine and a large glass of wine, and it's decreasing the volume by that much that researchers say makes all the difference. what we found was that during the period when the larger serving size had been removed, volume sales on average each day were down by 7.6%.

it's called the portion size effect. so if you reduce the portion size that people are served, it's a neat way of reducing how much we're eating and drinking. as i say, often without awareness. the researchers are now suggesting licensing authorities consider implementing the move more widely, a small change that they say could make a big difference to our overall health. frances read, bbc news, dalston. some newsjust in: the bodies of four people have been found at a property near norwich in norfolk. all four people are believed to be known to each other, and police said they believe it to be an isolated incident. tennis, and novak djokovic has eased into the fourth

round of the australian open to remain on course for a record 25th grand slam title. but in the women's draw, there was a remarkable comeback from russian teenager mirra andreeva, as andy swiss explains. just 16 and just sensational. russia's mirra andreeva celebrating a comeback for the ages. she was all but beaten, 5—1 down in the deciding set to diane parry, but watch this. 0h, stunning. gradually, gloriously, andreeva battled back, saving a match point as she won five games in a row. she's done it again. from the brink of defeat, victory somehow was hers. andreeva's a huge fan of andy murray, so when murray promptly praised her on social media, well, that really made her day. honestly, i will try

to print it out somehow. i will, i don't know, i will put it in a frame, i will bring it everywhere with me. i will maybe put it on the wall so i can see it every day. also safely through were last year's champions, arena sabalenka and novak djokovic both winning in straight sets, a sign to any new challengers that they are still the ones to beat. andy swiss, bbc news. as we head into the weekend, let's take a look at the weather prospects. here's elizabeth rizzini. storm isha is on the way. i will stop with today, though. another quiet day of weather. the sheepin another quiet day of weather. the sheep in oxfordshire i bet were glad of their woollyjumpers sheep in oxfordshire i bet were glad of their woolly jumpers this morning, minus eight celsius. change is on the way, swapping the cold, wintry weather for something milder through the weekend, but it will be

wet and very