11/07/2011 BBC News at Six

The Royal Family is drawn into the News Of The World phone hacking

scandal. The BBC learns of internal emails suggesting the paper tried

to buy their confidential phone numbers from a royal protection

officer. If, as is alleged, somebody has taken money to

disclose telephone numbers not only of the Royal Family but the people

who work with them and for them and for their friends, it is an

appalling breach of security. allegations that the former Prime

Minister, Gordon Brown, was targetted by two other News

International papers. As pressure mounts, Rupert Murdoch's bid to

takeover the satellite broadcaster, BSkyB is referred to the regulators.

I am now going to refer this to the Competition Commission with

immediate effect, and will be writing to them this afternoon.

Speaker, on BSkyB, this Government is in complete disarray. Also on

tonight's programme: One of the country's biggest care home

operators is closing down, but thousands of residents are assured

new landlords will be found. The humanitarian emergency in East

Africa - the UN asks Kenya to open up this unused camp to refugees. We

are live in Tahrir Square, where the Egyptian revolution is at a

crossroads. Protesters keep up the pressure, saying their uprising is

Good evening, welcome to the BBC News at Six. The News Of The World

phone hacking scandal has widened dramatically, with new evidence

suggesting that senior royals, including the Queen, and former

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, were targeted. The BBC has learnt of

emails which reveal the paper tried to pay a royal protection officer

for confidential phone numbers of the Royal Family. It's also been

alleged that other News International papers targeted

Gordon Brown. Brown. This afternoon, following the latest allegations,

the Government intervened and referred Rupert Murdoch's bid for

overall control of the satellite broadcaster BSkyB to the

Competition Commission. Our business editor, Robert Peston, has

the latest. The head of state, the Royal Family, her and her

protection is the duty of the royal protection branch. The integrity of

those officers must sure I will be beyond doubt, but this morning I

learned that e-mails uncovered by News International uncovered as

long ago as 2007 but kept secret alleged that royal protection

officers were paid for private information about the Royal Family.

It emerged that the phones of Prince Charles and the Duchess of

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall may have been hacked.

Clive Goodman, the paper's disgraced Royal Editor, was

requesting cash from the newspaper's editor Andy Coulson to

buy a confidential directory called the Green Book of the Royal

Family's landline telephones numbers and all the numbers of the

household staff. The e-mail implys that the police officer in the

royal protection branch had stolen the directory and wanted �1,000 for

the directory and wanted �1,000 for it. We don't know the full facts

but if as is alleged somebody has taken money to disclose telephone

numbers not only of the Royal Family but people who work with

them and for them and their friends, it is an appalling breach of

security. These latest disclosures about systemic wrongdoing at the

News Of The World couldn't have come at a worse time for News

Corporation, because it is trying to buy all of one of the most

important media businesses in the UK, BSkyB. Although Rupert Murdoch

is credited as the founder of sky scirks News Corporation owns just

39% of it. The reason he wants 100% is because BSkyB is a growing

business, generating huge amounts of cash. This year's profits are

expected to be close to �1 billion. Whereas revenues of his famous

newspapers, those left after the closure of the News Of The World,

are under pressure. For the past year Mr Murdoch has been arguing

his take-over should be allowed to go through without a lengthy

investigation by the Competition Commission. This afternoon, in a

dramatic volte-face, Mr Murdoch withdrew the undertakings, in

effect asking for the deal to go to the Competition Commission, because

the delay in the take-over is better for them than the

alternative of abandoning it. result of News Corporation's

announcement this afternoon, I am now going to refer this to the

Competition Commission with immediate effect and will be

writing to them this afternoon. the Leader of the Opposition didn't

want the hear from Mr Hunt. Prime Minister was wrong not to

come to the House of Commons today. As on every occasion during this

crisis, he has failed to show the necessary leadership the country

expects. Here's what the Prime Minister said out of earshot of Mr

Miliband. All I would say is this. If I was running that company right

now, with all of the problems and the difficulties and the mess

frankly that there is, I think they should be focused on clearing those

up rather than on the next corporate move. Earlier in the day

the Deputy Prime Minister met the family of the murdered schoolgirl

Dowler doubt. It was the disclosure that her phone had been hacked by

News Of The World that it's so much damage to the reputation of Mr

Murdoch's company. That's when I remembered the bit about picking up

the voicemail. Did it give you the hope that maybe something... Yes,

it did. For Rupert Murdoch a week has been an eternity in business

and why a long delay in the BSkyB bid is now for him perhaps the best

he can hope for. The BBC has learnt that two other

News International papers allegedly targeted the former Prime Minister,

Gordon Brown. Documents and a telephone recording suggest illegal

attempts were made by the Sunday Times to obtain his private

financial and property details while he was Chancellor. The Brown

family are also worried that The Sun newspaper may have tried to get

hold of medical records relating to their son, Fraser. This report by

our home affairs correspondent, Tom Symonds, contains some flash

photography. The allegations relate to the period before Gordon Brown

became Prime Minister, when he was Chancellor, The Guardian of the

nation's finances. In 1992 he bought a flat in this block in

Westminster. Eight years later the Sunday Times ran this story,

suggesting it was purchased for a knockdown price. Now the BBC's

received this tape of a phone call to a law firm which appears to

reveal how the information was Mr Beardall, the man interestinged

in the flat, was Barry Beardall, who was adept at getting

information in for the newspapers. He claimed -- it is claimed he

worked for Sunday Times. Somebody called Abbey National in Bradford

six times pretending to be Gordon Brown. Letters obtained by the BBC

show the Abbey wrote to Gordon Brown raising concerns that someone

was masquerading as him. A letter was drafted to Sunday Times,

setting out detailed concerns, though the Abbey send it couldn't

prove the paper was involved. All this goes beyond the original phone

hacking allegations to another of the dark arts of journalism - so-

called blagging. It works like this. A newspaper pays someone to ring up

perhaps a Medical Center or a bank and get the person who answers the

phone to give out private information. Being a blagger

require as steady nerve and a degree of acting ability. Obtaining

personal data, personal information about another person from a company

that controls that data, that has that data, that is quite clearly a

criminal offence. What is unclear is the extent to which a journalist

can say I have a defence to that, because I'm doing this, I'm

obtaining that information in the public interest. One of the most

disturbing incidents for the Browns surrounded their son Fraser, here

in the arms of his fear in 2006. A Sun article revealed he had cystic

fibrosis. The Browns are understood to be worried that information was

They were told Mr Brown's details were in the notebooks of

investigator Glenn Mulcaire. News International says it is

investigating the allegations. James Landale is at Westminster.

James, we've had more revelations today and this decision to send the

BSkyB take-over bid back to the regulators. Where does it leave the

Government? Is it off the hook? don't think it is off the hook but

it's got itself more breathing space today. The referral to the

Competition Commission creates an automatic six month-plus breathing

space. In the Government sitting on its hands looking at consultations

but a formal pause whereby any decision is taken out of its hands.

The Government has tried to give itself political space. The Prime

Minister said if he was Rupert Murdoch he was concentrate on

clearing up the mess of News International, not the next

corporate move. The Deputy Prime Minister saying more explicitly

that Rupert Murdoch should just drop the bid. The Government this

afternoon in the House of Commons came under the most extraordinary

political pressure. Above all the Labour leader, Ed Miliband,

questioning David Cameron's account of how he came to employ Andy

Coulson, the former editor of News Of The World, as his head of

communications. Mr Miliband said it beggars belief that Mr Cameron's

officials did not pass on warnings agent Andy Coulson to the Prime

Minister. He added this, issue goes to the heart of the Prime

Minister's integrity, which is parliamentary integrity for saying,

I don't believe you. The Conservatives said Labour had done

nothing about this in their years in office. But tonight it is Labour

MPs in the Commons who've got their tails up.

In other news: The Government is trying to reassure more than 30,000

care home residents after the news that one of the country's biggest

care operators is closing down. Southern Cross owns more than 750

residential homes. It says it hopes to transfer all of them to new

landlords. The Department of Health says no-one will be made homeless.

Here's our social affairs correspondent, Alison Holt. 31,000

elderly and vulnerable people rely on Southern Cross for their care

and security. Its multi-million pound losss have led to months of

uncertainty about the future of the homes it runs in the UK. But today

it announced it is handing them back to the landlords who own them.

Brian's wife Doreen is in one of the homes. She has Alzheimer's. He

wants to know what today's announcement will mean for

individual residents. He is worried that some homes will close.

trauma if they had to move could have fatal consequences. It could

hasten their deaths. They are very unwell people. So, what will

today's announcement mean in practice for Southern Cross care

homes? The company runs 752 homes. They are owned by 80 landlords. A

few of the larger landlords already operate care homes, so they are

expected to take over the running of about 250 Southern Cross homes.

But that leaves just over 5 00 where decisions need to be made

about their future. The company insists there will be continuity of

care. Our obligation and our responsibility is to ensure that

every single member of staff has a safeguarded job going forward in

the care home, that every resident is well cared for. We will ensure

ta the process of transitioning homes to new operators very well

organised. Most people in care homes are funded by local

authorities. They now want to see what in means on a home by home

basis. Peter Hay has been representing the authorities during

negotiations with Southern Cross. This has been and remains an

anxious time for residents and relatives. Today really starts to

build a position where we'll have a clear idea of a timeline for

residents and relatives about knowing what the proposals are at

their care home. He insists that few homes will close but unions say

there is too much uncertainty to know. Our concern is that the

decision made by the landlords could mean out of the frying pan

and into the fire. There is very little-known about many of the

landlords. A number of them already have financial difficulties.

Government promises no-one will be left homeless or without care. Even

so, residents still want certainty about what will happen to their

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, said the change didn't mean the

overall threat had gone away and that a terrorist attack remains a

strong possibility. There are five levels of threat, a raging from low

- meaning an attack is unlikely - to critical, - meaning one is

likely. An overloaded tourist boat sank on the Volga River in Russia.

More than 120 people are feared dead and dozens of children are

still missing, since the boat capsized on Sunday. Tomorrow will

be a day of mourning across Russia for the victims. There's been a

huge response from the British public to the drought in East

Africa, with �9 million donated in the last 48 hours. The UN says it's

a humanitarian emergency and it is urging Kenya to open up a refugee

camp completed last year but never used. The Kenyan government fears

the facilities might discourage refugees from returning home. At

the moment, more than 350,000 people are sheltering in the nearby

Dadaab Ref -- refugee camp. And still they come, the weary and

hungry. More than 1000 people turn up at the refugee camp every day.

Some having walked for weeks. This woman's story is tragic yet

depressingly familiar. The drought in Somalia drove her here but her

husband was too ill to travel. He told me, save yourself, save our

children, don't stay around here to die. Some in her village were

already dead. But too many refugees are now converging on this camp.

Built to hold 90,000 people, almost 400,000 have now called at home.

And yet a short drive away another refugee camps it's empty. The local

authority allowed the UN to build this place last year. There's

enough water on tap for 80,000 people. But the government in

Nairobi, fearing refugees might not want to return home, stopped

construction and shut the place. Meanwhile, at the Dadaab camp, the

woman has collected her sleeping bags, pots and pans and her little

food. When she will see her husband again, no one knows. Our top story

- new evidence suggests that the personal details of senior royals

were sold to the News of the World by a royal protection officer.

Coming up... You can stick your Tory cats. Thousands of council

workers in Southampton have until tonight to accept a pay cut or face

redundancy. News Corp share price slides. Fresh allegations come to

light about wrongdoing at its papers. And the euro debt crisis

spreads. There are now fears over It's now six months since the Arab

spring exploded across North Africa and the Middle East. The toppling

of Tunisia's President in January triggered a spring of uprisings.

But now many who took part are asking whether they've got the

change they wanted. We'll be hearing from them this week. We've

been gauging the mood in Cairo's famous Tahrir Square.

Good evening. This patch of hot, dusty land in the middle of Cairo

has come to symbolise the hopes and dreams of people, not just here in

this city but right across the region. In the last few days the

placards, slogans and protesters, they are back in their thousands,

because many believe their uprising is in the protest of being betrayed.

These people have been shouting the loudest. But what about those who

don't come to Tahrir Square? Those people who are just trying to earn

an honest day's living - what do they think about this revolution?

We travelled on a commuter bus across town to find out. Hot, dusty

and crowded. Life up for Cairo's 8 million people has always been

hectic. Now add to that political uncertainty. The daily commute has

become a daily debate. There is one man who ought to know what people

are talking about and thinking about, it's the bus conductor. I'm

going to see if we can talk to him. Five or six months ago, did you

even hear the word democracy on this bus?

TRANSLATION: It was all hush hush. Nobody wanted to talk about those

things. The state had eyes and ears everywhere, he said. Many people

look at a police officer and they link you to the old regime. Do you

think that is fair? He says they were just doing their job. All

change at one of Cairo's many markets. The uprising has affected

the economy - prices are soaring and the new minimum wage is not

keeping pace. The local cellars say takings are down. Nothing is

happening, he says, the market is empty and there's no work. My day,

and I joined the regulars at the nearby coffee house. The

conversation went from sport to politics. Many fear the revolution

is being subverted, that fundamental change is slipping away.

The regime has gone now. No. Time to head back into town. I was left

feeling that ordinary Egyptians were losing patience. That change

will come slowly, says Fatma. hope all the problem will be solved.

So it's tough now but you hope it's going to get better? Insha Allah,

we hope for the best. The burned- out shell of the former party

headquarters towers over Tahrir Square. The Old and New Order. The

battle between them is still not over. That is why many people here,

even in Tahrir Square, are talking about their revolution being at a

crossroads. It's beginning to dawn on these thousands of protesters

that getting rid of Mubarak all those months of a -- ago may have

been the easy part. Rebuilding a new Egypt, that's turning out to be

a much bigger challenge than any of them imagined. I will have more at

Ten when Jeremy Bowen will be reporting from Tunisia, which is

the country where this great Arab uprising actually began. For now,

back to the studio. Here, David Cameron has been outlining the

Government's plans to reform public sector services, including those

provided by local councils. The Prime Minister says he wants the

public sector opened up to competitions from business,

charities and the voluntary sector, and that his plans were driven by a

determination to get things done. We want to see democracy on a

properly local scale. You on the people you know, the people you

waved to on your way to work, they are going to have genuine control

over the things that matter to you. Improvements to your streets,

Rhodes, local parks. Meanwhile, thousands of council workers in

Southampton have until tonight to accept a pay cut or face redundancy.

The council wants them to sign new employment contract, saying that

will save on the number of redundancies it will make. But the

unite union claims the council could be planning to sack up to a

quarter of its workforce anyway. Seven weeks into an increasingly

bitter dispute, they can be no ignoring the impact it is having on

daily life here. You can stick your Tory cats! Council staff have been

given until tonight to sign new contracts accepting pay cuts, which

their employers claim will save a 400 jobs and protect services. Most

are expected to sign but remain concerned at reports that wider and

deeper cuts are yet to come. It's not just for us, it's got up and

down the country. If we don't make a stand now, it makes us look weak

and makes all the other councils look weak. And at the policy

adopted by SAT Pontins conservative controlled council has been growing

since the proposal to cut pay was approved earlier this year.

those in favour. Against. Today's escalation of strike action has hit

virtually every department and could disrupt operations at the

city's docks. But the council leader maintains that the �25

million reduction in Southampton's but it leaves him with no option.

think that people can see that people in work on slightly less

money is better than people being on the dole queue looking for a job.

Not only that, but those people who provide valuable services can

continue to provide valuable services to the taxpayer. Unions

and councillors are only too aware that others are taking a keen

interest in this dispute. Shropshire County Council, facing

�76 million worth of savings, has already followed Southampton's lead

- a strategy which may tempt yet more hard-pressed local authorities.

The moment two classic US fighter planes collided during an air

display in Cambridgeshire has been caught on video. One of the planes

plummeted to the ground after their wings touched, forcing the pilot to

parachute to safety. The pilot of the other plane managed to land

safely. No one was injured at the accident at an airshow near Duxford

at the weekend. More on our main news. The BBC learn today that the

News of the World e-mails suggest that the paper tried to buy the

confidential telephone numbers of senior royals from a royal

protection officer. There are also allegations that the former Prime

Minister, Gordon Brown, was targeted by two other News

International papers. Rupert Murdoch's bid to take over BSkyB

has now been referred to the regulators. With me is our business

editor, Robert Peston. The allegations continue. Where does

this leave News International? understand the full significance of

these events today, one has to go back a week. A week ago, Rupert

Murdoch was confident that within days he would get approval from

Jeremy Hunt brought his cherished desire to own all of British Sky

Broadcasting. And that 100 % of the UK's biggest broadcaster would be

his within a matter of a few short months. Then we have that shocking

disclosure that the News of the World had hacked into the mobile

phone of the dead schoolgirl, Milly Dowler. And then we had Gorry

revelation after Corey revelation about other malpractices at the

News of the World, culminating today in the disclosure that he

tried to buy confidential information about the Royal Family

from a police officer whose job it was to protect the Royal Family. So

what does Rupert Murdoch do today? He volunteers that the bid should

be referred to the Competition Commission, which means there will

be a delay of at least six months two years before the take up a can

happen. That is precisely what he'd been fighting against for the past

year. What does it tell you? It tells you quite what Dire Straits

he is in. For him, a delay in the takeover means there is still a

chance - maybe not a big chance -- he will get his dream of owning all

of BSkyB, but that is better than doing what many politicians wanted

him to do, which was to abandon that takeover altogether. What a

difference for Rupert Murdoch just Before we and the programme, let's

Most of us are having a delightful end to the day. But there are some

notable exceptions. A few sharp showers knocking about. Just to the

north of Glasgow are some heavy and thundery ones. They are lying down

into parts of north-east England as well. One of two patches of Mr and

low cloud through the night as temperatures he's down. We will

stay in double figures for the most part. Tomorrow will stay fine and

dry in many places. Again, there will be some local variations. In

south-east England you can see what is knocking on the door. As we get

into the middle of the afternoon across north east England, here we

will stay largely fine and dry with some good spells of sunshine.

Although there will be a few showers across Scotland, they won't

be with the intensity and as widespread as we've seen recently.

There's a good chance for Scotland and Northern Ireland to dodge the

showers and stay dry. For Wales, particularly southern areas, some

heavy showers getting going through the afternoon with the band and

lightning. You could see some torrential downpours. Just a few

miles away it stays entirely dry. Moving towards the south-east, more

generally cloudy and rain pushing up from France. Uncertainty about

how far north-west it gets. We could see quite a bit of rain into

Essex as well through tomorrow night and Wednesday. Most of us

will have another fine day on Wednesday. Broken cloud, sunshine

and a few showers. Beyond that, it stays largely fine through Thursday

but it looks as if things go downhill as we approach the weekend,