17/12/2012 BBC News at Ten

Two six-year-old boys are laid to rest as the first funerals for

victims of the shooting at a school in America take place. The faces of

the 20 children murdered alongside six school staff on Friday. One

father spoke of the moment he discovered his daughter had died.

point-blank found a state trooper and was like, "Are there any

survivors? Are you telling me that standing here as a parent my child

has gone?" The deaths reignite America's gun debate prompting

President Obama to signal he may try to reform the country's gun

laws. We can't tolerate this any more.

These tragedies must end. And to end them we must change.

We will be looking at the obstacles that stand in the way of change.

Also tonight: Spot the difference. After five years as Liberal

Democrat leader, Nick Clegg seeks to highlight divisions with the

Tories. With the last Comet stores closing

tomorrow, why the taxpayer may have to fund millions of pounds in

redundancy payments. Guilty of hunting a fox with dogs.

An Oxfordshire hunt is fined �4,000. For the first time in 27 years,

England have won a Test series in India.

Coming up in sport: We will see if Arsenal could come back from the

disappointment of going out of the Good evening. The first two

funerals for victims of Friday's mass shooting in the United States

have taken place. Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both six-years-old,

were among 20 children shot dead by a lone gunman in Connecticut. Six

members of staff were also killed. Police are trying to establish what

drove 20-year-old Adam Lanza to carry out one of the worst mass

shootings in American history. President Obama may try to change

the country's controversial gun laws.

The agony of this small town is almost unbearable. The first

funeral was held today, that of six-year-old Noah Pozner. His twin

sister survived the murderous assault. Jack Pinto was buried as

Christmas grows nearer. And the town will hold the funerals of 18

more. The parents of one of them have been speaking of their

desperation as they waited outside the school on Friday. I knew what

she was wearing. I thought I would see her jacket and her black Uggs

that she had on. I didn't see her. There was hope because the children

were hiding. Then hope departed. There was so much panic and

confusion when that announcement was made that life was sucked out

of everyone in the room. And I point-blank found a state trooper

and was like, "Are there any survivors? Are you telling me that

standing here as a parent my child has gone?" And he said, "Yes."

the drizzle outside the school, candles, cuddly toys and

decorations, symbols of a season of joy pressed into service as

memorials to grief. It is heartbreaking. It set off a bout of

national soul-searching, about young men and violence, video games

and mental illness. Above all, about guns as America asks what

could have prevented this obscenity. Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia,

Josephine, Anna... There were sobs as this father of two young girls

read the names of the murdered. He said he had been to four memorial

services like this one. He never said the words "gun control" but

what else could he mean? We can't tolerate this any more. These

tragedies must end. And to end them we must change. Because what choice

do we have? We can't accept events like this as routine. Are we really

prepared to say we are powerless in the face of such carnage? That the

politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence

visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the

price of our freedom? If President Obama is serious about turning the

emotion on display here into political action, it will be

immensely hard. Against him, powerful politicians, lobby groups

and America's Supreme Court. The American people themselves might

not be the real problem. A ban on military-style assault rifles could

be possible, but many see gun ownership as more than a right as

the very symbol of their freedom and sales are booming. Yesterday

was the biggest day we have done in 20 years. Today, we will probably

eclipse that. Gun supporters are keeping silent. Many think this

tide of emotion will ebb. We are the only industrialised country

that has this problem in the whole world, the only one. And that is

why we need immediate national action from the President and from

Congress. It should be at the top of their agenda. Yet again, a

heavily-armed young man has brought death to his hometown. America is

agonising about whether its love affair with guns should end.

We can speak to Mark now. More strong words from the President,

but how likely is it that he will push for change? I think this is

quite a moment for the President. Nothing is going to happen in the

next few days, or indeed weeks. But I think in the New Year, because

the electricion is over, we will see a newly-emboldened President

Obama who is going to take bolder, more radical action and I think gun

control could easily be part of that. Now, a lot of people are

completely cynical about that. They think it won't happen. There's been

talk in the past, there is talk now, and nothing ever changes. Against

that, we are seeing straws in the wind. Four Senators have said that

maybe in terms of assault rifles they would change their minds. You

can understand why people are cynical. The forces against the

President would be immense. The Supreme Court. It's loosened up the

rules on guns in the last four years. It's struck down bans on

handguns in Chicago and Washington DC. If he did decide to take on

those who want liberal laws on guns, it wouldn't be a question of his

remaining term, it would go on for years and years. If a President

wants a legacy, dealing with America's attitude towards guns

would indeed be something. Thank you.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has marked his five years as

leader of the Liberal Democrats by claiming that he's blocked

Conservative plans for more Draconian cuts to welfare.

Happy, or should that be unhappy anniversary, Nick Clegg? Elected

leader of the Liberal Democrats five years ago. The good news, he's

taken his party from opposition to power. The bad is he and they are

more unpopular than ever. Which is why he has a new strategy, one

which involves spelling out the arguments he has behind-the-scenes

with the Conservatives. Today, on welfare. There are some that

believe no-one could be out of work unless they are a scrounger. If you

can't find a job, you must be lazy. If you are too sick to work, you

are probably pretending. The siren voices of the Tory right could have

pulled a majority Conservative Government in the direction of

Draconian welfare cuts. His claim, that he stopped the Tories making

deeper cuts to benefits for the under 25s and larger families and

they stopped him from taking benefits away from the richest

pensioners. A Government split? Oh no, he insists, just grown-up

coalition politics. When he is not on camera, Nick Clegg puts it all

more colourfully. He has told his staff it is time the public saw how

the coalition makes its sausages. What he means by that is how they

cook up the recipe for the policies which are served up to you. Making

Government policy is a bit like a kitchen, Nick Clegg argues. All

sorts of recipes are tried out, but not all of them make it on to the

menu. He wants voters to give him, and to give the Liberal Democrats

credit for all the ingredients that do make their way in, but also for

all the ingredients that stay out. Is it a coincidence that this has

happened after UKIP beat the Lib Dems? Oh no. People couldn't care

less about how the sausages are made. They care about what is in

them! You get a good British sausage with UKIP. If this is not

the recipe for a revival, one of his advisers predicted the

coalition could come to an end long before the general election.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has tonight issued a

statement regarding the arrest of a serving police officer who was at

the centre of events that led to the resignation of the former

Government Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell. Nick Robinson is at

Westminster. What more can you tell us? Let's remind you what this is

all about. Remember, that Andrew Mitchell was the Government Chief

Whip, a senior Minister, who resigned after admitting that he

had shouted and sworn at a police officer on the gates of Downing

Street. You may forget that he always insisted that the word that

did him most damage, the claim that he called police officers "plebs"

was untrue. Tonight, what we are hearing is that those close to Mr

Mitchell are beginning to mutter, "I told you so". Why? The reason is

this: Last night we learnt that a police officer had been arrested.

Tonight, we learn a lot more about that arrest from the police

watchdog, the IPCC. The man arrested is being questioned about

"the validity of his claim "and this officer we are also told was

not on duty in Downing Street at the time. Add that altogether, what

does it mean? It does look as though an officer who claimed to be

a third party witness to corroborate the account of the

officers at the time is being questioned as to whether they made

the entire story up. It is extraordinarily serious. The

officer has denied this and we will wait to see what happens now. But

this is a serious claim. It is one that is being investigated. It is

one that is likely to lead to really serious questions about

whether Mr Mitchell might not have just been telling part of the truth

The taxpayer may have to pick up losses of �50 million following the

collapse of Comet. Half of the money would be used to fund

redundancy payments. Administrators say there is insufficient money to

fund the payouts to commit's employees. -- Comet's.

It is the end of the road for Comet. Everything must go. Here in Reading,

it was literally everything. You look completely wedged? At yes,

just a little. A bargain for a television stand. I've got a

television under the hood. There will be no shortage of customers.

The stock is flying out of the door. So much so that they will be

shutting for good tomorrow night. As of tomorrow evening, the entire

chain will have disappeared from the high street. It has prompted

questions about the private investment company, OpCapita, that

bought the loss-making retailer less than a year ago. It was given

�50 million to take it off the hands of Comet's parent company.

The scale of the problems were made clear today. Comet racked up �126

million worth of losses in the last 18 months. The collapse will also

mean a �50 million hit for the taxpayer. That is �26 million in

unpaid taxes like VAT and a �24 million bill for redundancy payment,

something the Government is legally obliged to do if there are not

enough funds when the businesses round-up. -- when the business is

wound up. I am sure there is a need for an investigation to the goings-

on in Comet. What happened to the money given to the venture capital

company by the parent company? The investigation into how workers are

treated and wider government is paying compensation when there is

this money floating around. OpCapita said it did its utmost to

turn around a failing business, keeping it going as long as it

could. But this is a complicated, controversial deal that largely

protected OpCapita if the business went bust. You could call it sharp

or opportunistic. The problem is that it is legal. The fact is that

it will cause a lot of heart- searching at government level and

business in general about how deals like this had done in future.

Comet's star was waning long before these recent events. But

that is of little comfort to the 6600 workers who are out of a job

before Christmas. The business ultimately ran out of time and

money. Nine children have been killed by a

landmine in Afghanistan. Officials say the girls were collecting

firewood near their village when the mine was triggered. Three other

children were injured in the explosion in the eastern province

of Nangarhar. Coming to bury nine young girls who

had gone out to gather firewood. Relatives said that most had been

attending school and dreamt of being doctors, engineers or

teachers. A whole community, touched by tragedy. Three families

lost two daughters each. The locals tried to save them. I was having

breakfast when I heard a bang, said this man. I ran to the scene and I

lifted one child in my arms. Then I drove some of the wounded to

hospital. Afghan security forces stood guard at the funeral. The

Taliban are active here. It's unclear if they planted the mine

war if it dated back to the Soviet occupation of the 1980s. Every day

brings new victims of Afghanistan's deadly crop of landmines. At this

hospital in Kabul, the International Committee of the Red

Cross tries to rebuild shattered lives. It tries to give hope to men

like this. He lost both legs seven months ago. TRANSLATION: A lot of

things have changed. I am half a man now. I cannot do the work I did

before. Like digging with the spade, using an axe. Afghanistan remains

one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. It is the

legacy of decades of conflict. More patients are arriving here all the

time. Staff say they see 500 or 600 new landmine victims every year.

There are double, even triple amputees. They say the new land

mines in use today are more powerful and more devastating than

those of the past. Back in the countryside, they don't were laid

to rest. Most landmine victims are children. No one can say how many

mines still lurk in the Afghan soil, waiting to kill. One bereaved

father told me, we are paying for Coming up: Poverty in the oil-rich

equatorial Guinea. The President denies allegations of corruption

In the first case of its kind, a hand and two are former members

have been fined after they admitted hunting foxes with dogs on four

occasions in the courts. The Heythrop Hunt, based in Oxfordshire,

was fined �4,000 and ordered to pay �15,000 in costs.

The hunt is on. A fox, apparently running for its life as the hounds).

-- close in. Several videos were taken by anti-hunt activists, who

say they are clearer evidence of illegal hunting. The distress of

those behind the camera, picked up on the microphones. There is a kill.

The pictures we used to prosecute the Heythrop Hunt. Today, two

former members and the hunt itself admitted unlawful hunting with

hounds. Prosecution is always a last resort. I would rather people

respected the law and were kind and decent towards animals. If they are

not, the RSPCA inspectors are there to bring people to justice.

Heythrop is among the leading hunts favoured by the so-called tripping

Norton set. It is the Prime Minister's local hunt. Today's

court proceedings were a private prosecution by the RSPCA. One of

the guilty men claimed it was the result of a political agenda.

is a charitable body, that they can take on this political thing and

spend so much money of what people have given for a different reason,

I just find that quite staggering, myself. Even now, years after the

ban was introduced, it remains one of the most controversial issues in

the British countryside. Hunt supporters insist that it should be

scrapped completely. But those that are against hunting say that the

law can only work if it is properly enforced. Today, the Heythrop

admitted illegal hunting. It is the first time that a hunt, not just

individual members, have been successfully prosecuted. Fines and

costs total �19,000. But the case left the RSPCA with a bill for

�327,000. In court, the judge questioned if those who donated to

the charity would consider that One of Africa's longer serving and

most controversial president has accused Western countries of

levelling farcical allegations of corruption against his family.

French and American investigators have accused the family of the

President of Equatorial Guinea of diverting tens of thousands of

dollars of oil revenues into A brand new highway, deep inside

the West African rainforest. Deserted. It feels like a road to

nowhere. And then we arrive, in the middle of the jumble a city is

rising. This is to be Equatorial Guinea's new capital, Oyala. This

has to be one of the most extraordinary construction projects

I have seen. I am on the roof or a full hundred and 50 room, five-star

luxury hotel, that comes complete with a full-size theatre, a

convention centre and, carved out of the jungle, an 18 hole

championship golf course. It is a spectacular vanity project in a

country where most people live on barely $1 a day. Equatorial Guinea

is a dictatorship, long run by this man, Teodoro Obiang. His family has

been accused by critics of rampant corruption. The President's son,

Teodorin, an extraordinarily extravagant playboy, has had the

property and assets worth 100 million euros seized by the French

government. Oil and gas are the keys to understanding the Obiang

regime. Edward Laura Mockiene is the third biggest producer in sub-

Saharan Africa. The oil bonanza certainly hasn't changed these

people's lives. Average life expectancy barely tops 50. Public

dissent is dangerous in this one- party dictatorship. But anger is

close to the surface. TRANSLATION: The people of equatorial Guinea are

suffering. The oil money is all taken by the President's family.

But nobody can say anything. If you do, the secret police would come to

arrest you. The President gave me a rare interview. He is 70, but in no

mood for retirement. TRANSLATION: I have been in power for so long

because of the will of the people. It is the people who decide. Thanks

to the work I have done, they have always shown their appreciation and

voted for me. What do you say to the people in your own country who

say that you and your family have stolen, stolen the resources and

the assets that rightfully belong to all of the people of this

country, not to us to you? TRANSLATION: That information is

false. On the contrary, my government has improved living

standards of the people and provide a better infrastructure for

everyone. The sun goes down on Oyala, the

jungle city. Oil has gifted this country an historic opportunity.

You can see HARDtalk's two programmes tonight and tomorrow on

the BBC News Channel. The Queen is to attend tomorrow's

cabinet meeting in Downing Street. She will be the first monarch to do

so since Queen Victoria. During the weekly briefing, she will sit next

to the Prime Minister. Downing Street says she will also be

present but a gift to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

For cricket, England have won a Test series in India for the first

time in 27 years. Centuries from Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell helped

England to cure a draw, enough to ensure they won the sea was overall.

-- secure a draw. Try, try and try again. In India,

England have had to persevere. However much the country changes,

one thing remains. At home, India's cricketers are expected to win. The

only faint chance they had was to grab wickets rapidly on Monday

morning. They got one all day. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott build a 200

run partnership that sucked the life out of the test. For India to

think about winning the match to level the series, they had to end

the England innings. It never looked like happening. After tea,

the inevitable could not be delayed. The series went to England, 2-1.

The new captain had done what no England captain had managed here

for nearly 30 years. Everybody contributed. I cannot praise them

enough for their effort. The willingness to learn, to front up

to what is a very tough challenge out here. England have beaten an

Indian team in transition. Living conditions are far easier for

tourists here these days. It all helps, up to a point. Don't let

anybody take it away from them. They have earned it and they are

right to celebrate that this is a good performance. This is probably

second only to beating Australia in Australia for them. Of course,

there are challenges and goals ahead for this team. 2013 is the

Ashes again. But a series victory in India is a to be a defining