26/04/2012 BBC News at One

Rupert Murdoch says there was a cover up at the News of the World,

but insists it was kept hidden from him. He tells the Leveson Inquiry

that he blames one or two people for failing to tell him about the

extent of phone hacking and said he was guilty of not paying enough

attention to the paper. Some newspapers are closer to my heart

than others. I have to say, I failed. The former President of

Liberia has been found guilty of war crimes during the civil war.

Should girls as young as 13 be allowed to buy the pill over the

counter? An NHS report says it could help cut teenage pregnancy

rates. Credit card and bank details on sale for as little as �1.

Diamond Jubilee celebrations move to Wales, as the Queen continues

her tour of the UK. Later on BBC London: Calls to force

officers to be interviewed if they witness a fatal shooting by a

colleague. And the mother of a 15- year-old girl, murdered by her ex-

boyfriend, is granted an inquest Good afternoon. Welcome to the BBC

News at One. Rupert Murdoch has told the Leveson Inquiry that he

failed to stop what he called a cover-up at the News of the World.

He said he had not paid enough attention to what was going on at

the newspaper. He apologised to News of the World staff who lost

their jobs when the newspaper closed because of the hacking

scandal. Day two of Rupert Murdoch's

evidence and a rare sight in public - the media mo gull contrite and at

one point angry. The discussion - the phone hacking scandal which has

done him so much damage. He said things had happened at the News of

the World which had shocked him. There was no question in my mind

that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that, someone took

charge of a cover-up. Which we were victim to and I regret. Where did

this cover-up emanate, Mr Murdoch? I think from within the News of the

World. Counsel suggested Mr Murdoch himself had been too passive in his

efforts to discover what had been happening at the paper. Some might

say that all this picture is consistent with one of a desire to

cover-up, rather than to expose. Would you agree with that? With

minds like yours, perhaps. I am sorry, I take that back. After that

flash of anger, Mr Murdoch became contrite. I also have to say that I

failed. All I can do is apologise to a lot

of people, including all of the innocent people in the News of the

World who have lost their jobs. Rupert Murdoch said he wished he

had questioned Clive Goodman, the one journalist convicted of phone

hacking and who, when he came out of prison, claimed others had been

involved. I should have thrown them all 0 of the plaigs and seen Mr

Goodman one or one. He had been an employee for a long time and cross-

examined him myself and made up my mind, maybe rightly, maybe wrongly

- was he telling the truth? If I came to the conclusion he was

telling the truth I would have torn the place a part and we would not

be here tonight. Mr Murdoch denied News International had a cavalier

attitude to taking risking. He said they made mistakes and the process

of cleaning up the mess caused great pain, but he was glad they

had done it. Let's go to Westminster now and to

our political correspondent. At the beginning of the session this

morning, there were questions about this issue of the number of

meetings that the Prime Minister has had with Rupert Murdoch. How

much pressure is the Prime Minister under? Sophie, my sense is that

Downing Street are desperate for the Prime Minister not to become

the focus of the political and media cry over the Leveson-Murdoch

saga, which is why they have adamantly disputed the idea that Mr

Cameron may have had up to eight separate meetings with Mr Murdoch

since he has become Prime Minister. They insist there are only two

meetings, another occasion when Mr Murdoch was in the audience when

the Prime Minister was giving a speech. Another when they may have

bumped into each other at a social event. The reason they want to

quash that idea is, one, to sheld the Prime Minister from this

controversy. Two, to quash the idea that Mr Murdoch may have easy

access to the Prime Minister or Mr Cameron may be at the bebg and call

of the Murdoch empire and three, there is the sense we're not all in

this together. It is striking, if you go back a short time how long

ago politicians would have crawled over hotbeds to have dinner with Mr

Murdoch, now they will not dare be seen with him. Is there pressure on

him? His top civil servant today was asked if he could back Mr

Hunt's assertion that he authorised his special adviser, the man who

has resigned, to be the go-between the Department of Culture and

Murdoch empire. Five times the top civil servant was asked to confirm

that. Five times the top civil servant stone-walled and did not

back Jeremy Hunt. Thank you. Scotland's First Minister, Alex

Salmond, has come in for fierce criticism by some SNPs over his

relationship with the Murdoch media empire. The Scottish Labour leader

said some people might describe Mr Salmond as devious and double-

dealing over his support for the empire's bid to control BSkyB. Our

Scotland correspondent is at Holyrood in Edinburgh now. Tell us

more about what he said. Well, what we heard was an affair dominated by

the bulky shadows of two big business men, Donald Trump and

Rupert Murdoch. In terms of Rupert Murdoch, Alex Salmond is accused of

offering to lob bithe UK Government on behalf of Rupert Murdoch's

corporation, essentially in return for favourable press coverage to

help advance the proposed takeover of BSkyB, which ultimately did not

happen. That accusation was put to him. Some say he has been devious,

double-dealing. Isn't he just trying to cover-up the fact that a

rich man has played him for a fool again? Humbug hypocrisy. The job of

a First Minister is to advocate jobs for Scotland. This First

Minister will continue to do it. Well, as for Donald Trump,

yesterday Alex Salmond was accused by the US tycoon who was here of

luring him in to invest in Scotland. He said he gave him assurances that

a wind farm offshore near his golf development near Aberdeenshire

would not be built. Again Alex Salmond denied giving those

assurances. The decision is expected later this year. For the

moment, the pressure on Alex Salmond, because of his

relationships with both these men pretty much continuing.

Thank you. The former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, has been

found guilty of aiding and abetding war crimes. He was accused of --

abetting war crimes. He was accused The prosecutor verses Charles

Taylor. It has been a day of immense symbolic significance in

the evolution of international justice. Charles Taylor is the

first international head of state to face the judgment of an

international court. The case has lasted four years. Hundreds of

witnesses for both the prosecution and the defence have been brought

to The Hague to testify. In a two- hour written verdict, the presiding

judge said Charles Taylor faced 11 counts, five of which constituted

crimes against humanity. These included murder, rape, sexual

slavery and enslavement. The prosecution had asked that

Taylor had command responsibility for these crimes and he planned the

joint enterprise with rebel commanders. The judges ruled that

on both these charges Charles Taylor could not be held criminally

responsible because he did not have control of the fighters on the

ground. There is insufficient evidence to find beyond a

reasonable doubt that they remained under the effective control and

demand of the accused once in Sierra Leone. The judge said

Charles Taylor had instructed rebel forces to seize and hold the

diamond-rich region, that Taylor received supplies of diamonds in

return for supplying shipments of ammunition. He asked him to stand,

before saying that the accused was criminally responsible for aiding

and abetting crimes against humanity, through encouragement and

moral and practical support for those committing crimes.

Having considered all the evidence and the arguments of the parties,

the statute and the rules, and based upon the findings as

determined by the trial chamber, we find you guilty.... Charles Taylor

listened throughout. He has always denied the accusations against him,

arguing throughout his years he tried to bring peace to Sierra

Leone. The court will reconvene in two weeks when Charles Taylor will

have half an hour to address the judges. Sentence will be passed two

weeks after that, on May 30th. We can join our correspondent now.

This day has been long awaited. What was it like in court? Well, I

have been coming to The Hague now to sit in various international

courts for several years and I have never known a courthouse so gripped

by anticipation as the courthouse was this morning. This is a very

big day for international justice. It's a landmark. It's the first

time a sitting head of state, or previous head of state has faced

the court. He tried to argue as of head of state he had immunity. The

court dealt with that and said, no immunty did not apply. In a --

immunity did not apply. In a sense the court are sending out a message

to every dictator in the world that they can no longer think of

themselves as immune for crimes they might commit against their own

people. That is the symbolism of today's judgment.

Thank you very much. Activists in Syria have accused

Government forces of killing up to 70 people in an attack on the city

of Hama on Wednesday. A video posted on td line showed bodies

being pulled out. It said 16 people were killed. A retired British

businessman who was extradited to America on charges of arms dealing

has been released on bail ofened -- been released on bail on $1 million.

The contraceptive pill should be made available to girls as young as

13 without the need for them to see a doctor - that is according to a

group of NHS trials in London. Trials are being carried out on the

Isle of Wight and in Manchester. Opponents say there is no evidence

it will cut the number of teenage pregnancies.

Teenage pregnancies in some parts of the country are among the

highest in Europe. To try and bring the numbers down, five pharmacys in

London have offered the pill to over 16 without having to see a

doctor. Now it is suggested it is offered to girls as young as 13.

Who will follow them up? They may be given a packet of pills and be

chaotic in their lifestyle and end up getting pregnant and getting a

sexually-transmitted infection. Similar projects are underway in

the Isle of Wight and Manchester. Pharmacists say if they get proper

training they can offer good advice. The age of the child would need to

be ascertained. If it was irrelevant for that medication to

be provided. Also a number of guidelines we use, which are

nationally accepted around child protection. It means that the child

is aware of the information and advice they have been given.

very idea of offering the pill to 13 year olds without informing

their parents has been condemned by family campaign groups. If you are

allowing underage girls to access the pill, without any medical

monitoring, it, in my view, is a charter for child abusers, because

these girls are going to be all the more targets for predatory men.

Department of Health says teenagers should think carefully before

having sex and get good advice on sexual health and contraception.

Increasingly it seems pharmacists could be the ones offering that

advice and they could find themselves offering advice to very

The banking group HSBC says it is cutting jobs in the UK. It said it

was eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy. The Unite union said

there was no reason for this treatment of staff.

The inquest into the death of the MI6 officer, Gareth Williams, has

been told an internal inquiry found no evidence that his death was

linked to his work. But an unnamed officer, called Witness F, said he

had made an unnamed searches of the MI6 database without justification.

Gordon Corera is outside Westminster Coroner's Court.

heard this morning from a senior representative of MI6. She,

speaking on behalf of the service, said they were profoundly sorry in

the delay in contacting police about Gareth Williams' absence. He

had been missing from work for a week before the police were finally

told. They then attended his flat and found his body decomposed in

the bag. The witness acknowledged the distress that this had caused

the family and the impact on the police investigation because friend

six had been lost in that period. Did the court here any more about

why he may have died? We heard more about his work, essentially. He had

been operationally deployed but only in the UK and not overseas. He

had made some unauthorised or unexplained searches of the MI6

database, we were told. But the MI6 witness said there was no evidence

that he was at risk or had been identified by any hostile

intelligence service. She also said that there had been no cover-up.

Thank you. Our top story this lunchtime:

Rupert Murdoch has admitted he failed to do enough to stop what he

called a cover-up at the News of the World. And coming up: A massive

appeal for blood donors to cope with any emergency during the

Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics. Later on BBC London:

Christopher Tappin, charged with arms dealing in the US, speaks

after being released on bail. And how the artists are taking on

the athletes - details of the 2012 The Queen is on a two day visit to

Wales, as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. This morning

she has attended a service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff. Then

she will meet Wales' Grand Slam winning rugby team.

When the Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee in Cardiff, she

travelled by horse-drawn carriage. Today, her mode of transport was

slightly more modern. But the welcome was traditionally warm.

is an amazing woman. She is the same age as my mother and she has

just been going on and on and on. have always wanted to meet the

Queen and she is important. She rules over the United Kingdom.

First stop on this two-day tour was a service of celebration, an

opportunity to reflect on the last 60 years and to give thanks.

think it is quite something that the Queen has chosen to start her

visit to Wales by coming to a service in Llandaff Cathedral. She

herself wanted to do that. She is a person of great faith. This tour

will see the Queen returned to some places in Wales she first visited,

not as monarch, but as a young, slightly nervous Princess still

getting used to her role in public life. My Lord Mayor, ladies and

gentlemen, I am always glad of an opportunity to visit Wales. Over

the years, those visits have witnessed decades of real social

change and a growing sense of Welsh, rather than British identity. The

relationship between Queen and country has had to evolve. She has

not put too much strain on it, she has not asked for too much. She has

not strained the links. She has let them rest there quietly in a way.

That is the way institutions survive. Next stop, lunch with the

Welsh rugby team, an opportunity to celebrate their recent Triple Crown

and to take pause before the tour moves on.

Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are meeting a team of

soldiers who recently re-created the famous Scot Am and son raced to

the South Pole. Six men had to carry all their supplies during

their seven today trek which raised money for the Royal British Legion.

Luisa Baldini is in central London. This is the second of three

official engagements which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rack

carrying out in 24 hours and the first occasion in which Prince

William is being seen in public since he returned from his

deployment to the Falklands. When they arrived here just over half an

hour ago, people were crowding out the windows of the offices here

just opposite Goldsmiths Hall where the Prince and Duchess are now

attending a reception in aid of the Royal British Legion, which is

campaigning to raise �30 million for the battle back Centre in

Shropshire, a special centre which provides sport and adventure

training for those in the Armed Forces who have been wounded. As

part of that fund-raising campaign, a two serving British Army teams

re-created the captain Scott Roald Amundsen race to the South Pole

which took place 100 years ago. As patron of that expedition, Prince

William gave a speech a few minutes ago. He congratulated both the

teams and said the same levels of courage and determination

demonstrated by our Antarctic heroes in 1912 and 2012 are shown

each and every day by our wounded servicemen and women. Their courage

and spirit humble me, he said. Later, Prince William and Catherine

will be attending a function at the Imperial War Museum. They have had

a busy couple of days but they will then be retreating to celebrate

their first wedding anniversary on Sunday out of the public eye.

you. The NHS is making one of its

biggest ever appeals for blood donations. It is warning that

stocks will need to increase by 30 % if they are to have enough

supplies for the Jubilee, Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is blood donors like Patricia Delaney who keep supplies flowing.

This session in Sussex is the beginning of a life saving process.

Each year, there are more than 2 million donations collected

everywhere from offices to village halls. This year, more will be

needed with the help of new donors like Mark giving up his time.

grandma has donated 60 times, my mum has donated 30 times. They are

the ones who got me into it. I thought, if they can do it, why

can't I? This is where they end up, special plants where the different

parts of blood are separated. White blood cells are filtered out first

to allow red blood cells and plasma to be processed. This summer, the

blood service faces special pressures during big sporting

events and there are plenty this year. Donation levels fall at the

same time demand is higher. expectation is we will have 1.2

extra -- 1.2 million extra visitors coming into the country. We need to

make sure we are well prepared to handle any contingency. Each day,

3,000 units of blood are processed in just this plant. In the run-up

to the Olympics, that needs to increase. By the time the Games

start, stocks need to be 30 % higher than usual. Lucia, who is 11

years old, cannot make heroin red blood cells. Without them, she will

die. While the NHS prepares for extra demands, it also has to make

sure there is enough for patients like Lucia. Since I was two, I have

had to come once a month and have two packs of red blood and it

normally takes three hours. That is why, to fill donation sessions like

this one and early summer, the NHS blood service is gearing up for one

of its Evert -- biggest ever appeals.

There is still no evidence that mobile phones harm human health,

according to a major safety review. Health Protection Agency reviewed

hundreds of studies on the dangers posed by a mobile phones and other

wireless devices. They found no convincing evidence that they cause

brain tumours or other cancers but the HPA said children should still

avoid excessive use of mobile phones.

The UK Independence Party has launched its campaign ahead of next

month's elections. The party's leader, Nigel Farage, said he is

hope for the party will make a breakthrough on 3rd May.

Two people have died in a collision on the M1 near Bedfordshire. The

accident happened two weeks after a lorry driver was killed on the same

stretch of road between junctions 13 and 14. The motorway will remain

closed as police investigate the crash.

Police have shut down dozens of criminal website which sold credit

card or bank account details of millions of people for as little as

�2. Officers in three continents were involved in the operation and

there have been a number of arrests, two of them in the UK.

It could be the shopping channel but this is an online store for

criminals and what they are selling is the details of millions of

unsuspecting credit card users. Now in raids in Britain, the US,

Australia and elsewhere in Europe, dozens of these websites have been

taken down. Now, all users will see is this warning from the FBI. Some

of the websites have been under observation for two years and in

that time, the details of 2.5 million credit cards were recovered,

preventing fraud of at least half a billion pounds. Detectives think

the credit card details of millions of us are floating around on line.

The first we know of it is when a fraud is committed. Usually it is

individuals or the credit card industry who have to pick up the

tab for fraud which is now taking place, say police, on an industrial

scale. There are so much data that is available across the world but

they cannot do this one to one selling any more. They have created

this system of automatic vending cards in order to enable people to

visit the site and take as much data as they want and pay for it

automatically. Three people are now in custody and other arrests are

likely. The police admit that despite closing these websites, the

battle with criminals in cyberspace is becoming a virtual arms race in

which they are struggling to keep They have been reports of a number

of tornadoes hitting parts of the UK during yesterday's storms. One

is thought to have hit Rugby last night. Residents described it as a

mini tornado. Essex was also affected. This picture was taken at

a farm in Whiteash Green. Luckily, We have had some very unsettled

weather. We also had reports of a tornado of the coast of South Wales.

It is something to watch. We had this beautiful picture cent in from

Margate. Shower clouds developing off the coast there. There are

further showers in today's forecast, all spiralling around AD area of

low pressure. Abound of heavy rain hitting northern areas of England.

In Cumbria they have had 29 mm of rain already today, compared to

what we should have for the whole of April, that is a third in just

one day. More wet weather in the forecast for the rest of today.

Gusty winds to be had across Northern Ireland and into north-

west Scotland as well. Interspersed with sunny spells and scattered

showers. Gusty winds to 30 or 40 mph. The persistent rain continues

to fall -- feeding across northern Scotland and England. Weather front

brings rain across northern England, particularly Lancashire and into

north-west Wales. With the crowd and persistent rain, cool afternoon

for some. Then to the south of our band of rain, it is sunshine and

showers. South-west England, then West Midlands in particular, the

difference with yesterday is with lighter winds they will be slower

moving. Hail and thunder again unlikely. A lot of spray on the

roads. The South-East having a breezy end but a bright end to the

day. Overnight tonight, the showers will tend to ease off. The South

sticks with a band of rain but cloudy and mild. In the North it

turns colder with a touch of frost first thing tomorrow. A bright

start for Scotland and Northern Ireland tomorrow. The northerly

wind feeds in colder air. Sunny spells and showers, some falling as

snow across high ground. In the south, further heavy showers. As we

look ahead to the weekend, high pressure is trying its hardest to

build but it looks like the low- pressure area will win out. What

that does is bring more rain and more wet weather as we head into

the weekend. Perhaps not starting off too badly, Saturday's sunny

spells and scattered showers. By Sunday it turns cloudy, wet and

windy for many of us. Umbrella as at the ready. Any sign of sunshine?

Not this week! A reminder of our top story: Rupert

Murdoch says there was a cover-up at the News of the World but

insists it was kept hidden from him. He tells the Leveson Inquiry that

he blames one or two people for failing to tell them about the

extent of phone hacking and says he was guilty for not paying enough