13/02/2013 BBC News at Six

De horsemeat scandal, emergency talks are being held in Brussels

amid warnings there could be more raids on firms in the UK. As

Britain's food industry is told anyone who passes of horsemeat as

beef will face the full force of the law, the Environment Secretary

says action will be taken. There may be more procedures coming

forward. The owner of one side raided by the Food Standards Agency

says he has done nothing wrong. do not do mincemeat or beefburgers.

This is not a processing plant, this is purely production. Or so

tonight: A glimmer of hope for the UK economy as the Bank of England's

governor says recovery is in sight, but it will be slow.

A man is in intensive care in Birmingham after being infected

with a rare, potentially fatal virus from his father.

A moment of history, huge crowds gather in St Peter's Square for the

Pope's last public Mass before he steps down.

And photos of the pregnant Bacher's of Cambridge in a bikini on a

public beach are published in Italy. Coming up later: I will have all

the sport, including the latest from Madrid in the pick of the

Champions League ties, Real Madrid Good evening. The Prime Minister

has issued a stern warning to anyone in Britain involved in

passing off horsemeat as beef, saying they will face the full

force of the law. Last night, the Food Standards Agency raided a

slaughterhouse in Yorkshire and a meat factory in west Wales. This

afternoon before emergency talks began in Brussels, the Environment

Secretary hinted there could be more raids to come.

There was a new dimension to the horsemeat Sabir today, the

Chancellor on a factory visit was asked to sample a ready meal

spaghetti bolognese by a reporter. He declined the offer. In the

Commons the Prime Minister said there would be the full

intervention of the law. We have also asked for a meaningful tests

from retailers and producers and they will be published in full.

Operators at this plant in west Wales were suspended yesterday

after Food Standards Agency officials entered the site with

police. But the owner denied horsemeat handled here was put into

products for UK consumers. I get paid for doing the cutting up,

there is no further processing, I do not do kebabs, mincemeat or

beefburgers. This is not a processing plant, this is purely

production, meat cutting. This locker house in West Yorkshire said

there was no comment. Shoppers at a local farmer's market had varying

opinions about ready meals. I do not trust it now to be honest. You

do not know what you are getting in the package. There is no health

hazard with horsemeat. It should not be in there, the French eat it

all the time. The FSA claims that the West Yorkshire house supplied

carcasses that went to Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth. It then

alleges some of the meat was made into kebabs and burgers. But the

owner denies that and says the horse meat cuts are sent to Belgium.

Officials at the FSA's say they are continuing with their

investigations and examining a paper trail, including documents

seized during yesterday's raids on the two plants. An FSA chief says

he was shocked to uncover what appeared to be a blatant misleading

of consumers. The Environment Secretary was in Brussels and he

hinted they may yet be raids on other sites. We saw vigorous action

taken yesterday and there may be more procedures coming forward, but

I do not want to prejudice those investigations in public.

Romania's minister is at the meeting. Abattoirs in the country

have been linked to mislabelling in the UK. Officials there deny any

wrongdoing. Christian Fraser is in Brussels.

What are ministers hoping to achieve tonight? Quite simply they

want the answers. Where did the system go wrong? This is not one

isolated incident or one country or one country's problem. It is

endemic across the entire European Union. But when they sit down

tonight it might be tense because there has been a lot of the blame

shifting. Britain blaming France, France blaming the Romanians,

Britain are blaming a convoluted supply chain. They are all in the

dock until they restore public confidence. Tonight Owen Paterson

has come up with a wish-list. He wants DNA testing and he was a

better exchange of information between national food safety

authorities. He said we have been too slow, but not that slow to

point the finger elsewhere. Apologies for the quality of the

sound. Recovery is in sight for the UK

economy according to the Governor of the Bank of England, but Sir

Mervyn King has warned it will be weak and inflation will remain

stubbornly high for the next two years.

If the Bank of England was celebrating a birthday today, the

20th anniversary of its inflation Report. Sir Mervyn King has

presented all 81 of the quarterly economic reports since 1993 and

today he tried to offer some good news. The UK economy is set for a

recovery. That is not to say that the road ahead will be smooth. This

has not been a normal recession and it will not be a normal recovery.

The new forecast show the economy growing this year, though not quite

as fast as they were hoping in November. Once again, the forecast

for inflation is quite a lot higher. Inflation is at 2.7% now, well

above target for the best part of seven years. In November, the best

guess was that it would fall back to two present by the beginning of

next year. It now thinks it will rise again and be around 3% in one

year's time. There are different things putting up inflation, but

the Governor said quite a few, like the rise in tuition fees, were a

result of Government policies. Finance and education and green

policies have pushed up prices and that makes our job in the short run

more difficult. Do you think that is something they should have borne

in mind? I hope they did, but it is up to them to decide it. We will

have to deal with the consequences and we will have to look at the

price increases. Looking through higher inflation means ignoring it.

Anyone hoping for an early rise in interest rates will be disappointed.

Long-term Sir Mervyn King said the Government should be doing all it

could to booze Britain's potential, but it did not see much scope for a

short-term boost. There is some frustration at the Bank of England.

In many ways they have thrown a kitchen sink at this economy in

terms of the Monetary response, yet the economy has been flat for four

years. Something other than interest rate cuts or printing more

money needs to be done to spur on a recovery. The bank will reach

another milestone in July when Mark Carney becomes governor. He may

want to strike a different tone, but if these new forecasts are

right, his first order of business will be a rather familiar,

explaining to the Chancellor why inflation has gone over 3% yet

again. The clothing retailer Republic has

gone into administration but in 2500 jobs at risk. His 121 stores

will remain open for the time being while the administrators try to

find a buyer. 150 people have already lost their jobs at the head

office in Leeds. The four ministers of a man accused

of killing six of his children in a house fire has told a court how she

and his wife spent Alternate nights with him. The prosecution alleged

Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead set fire to the house to set up the

mistress. She had recently moved out of the house with her five

children. The six children died in the most

appalling of circumstances. Acrid smoke engulfed their bedrooms as

they slept. The prosecution claimed their parents were responsible and

say the catalyst for the tragedy was the ending of a complicated

domestic arrangement at their home. At the centre of that arrangement

was Mick Philpott himself. He and Mairead lived in the Derby council

house with their six children. But he also moved his mistress, Lisa

Willis, in an FA that another four children with her. Miss Willis told

the court that two women shared Mick Philpott. She said they would

take it in turns. But when she tired of his domineering nature and

left, he would not accept it and the battle for custody of her

children followed. The court has been told the fire was a botched

plan intended to frame her. But under cross-examination at Lisa was

admitted she had lied on a sworn affidavit before the custody

hearing falsely accusing Mr Philpott of violence. It was put to

wear before the fire she was heard saying, I will burn him before he

sees the caves. She replied, no, I never made that comment.

Mick Philpott and Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley all the light

manslaughter. The trial will resume tomorrow. -- all denied

manslaughter. Six journalists who worked at the

News of the World have been arrested following a new

investigation into phone hacking. Three men and three women are being

questioned by Scotland Yard detectives about an alleged

conspiracy to intercept phone-calls between 2005 and 2006.

A lawyer representing 31 people who say they were abused by Jimmy

Savile has issued a writ against the BBC and against Jimmy Savile's

estate. There are more than 90 people pursuing legal action, but

the cases have been put on hold until the outcome of a series of

inquiries. A man is in intensive care in

Birmingham after he was infected with a new type of respiratory

virus from his father. It is thought to be the first confirmed

example of the new coronavirus being passed from person to person.

It can cause pneumonia and organ failure.

This are rare and new coronavirus has killed half the people it has

infected. Now for the first time it has been transmitted in Britain. A

man is in intensive care in Birmingham having been infected by

his father who is also seriously ill, having brought back the virus

from the Middle East last month. It emerged in Saudi Arabia last year

and there have been cases in Jordan and guitar. Of the 11 people

infected worldwide, five have died. Three men are in intensive care in

the UK in Manchester, Birmingham and London. The virus attacks the

lungs causing pneumonia and scarring and can also damage other

organs like the kidneys. But fortunately it does not pass easily

between humans. We consider the risk to the UK population, whether

in the UK or abroad, it remains very low indeed. Of course it is a

concern there is an infection which has caused severe illness and we

still know very little about it and where it has come from, but

nevertheless the number of cases worldwide remains very low. This is

as close as I can get to the coronavirus which is being analysed

in a high containment laboratories. But what about people who may have

unwittingly come into contact with the virus in the 17 days since the

man flew back in from Saudi Arabia? Health officials have traced up to

100 contacts, including people he was sitting near him on the plane

and no-one, apart from his son, has fallen seriously ill. It is also

worth noting his son has a weakened immune system, so that may have

made him more vulnerable. This is one of the most worrying of viruses

to emerge since size a decade ago. But this virus poses nothing like

the same threat. Our top story tonight: Emergency

talks in Brussels as Britain's food industry is warned that anyone who

has passed off horsemeat as beef will face the full force of the law.

Coming up: A dramatic end to one of the biggest US police manhunts in

living memory. Later on the news channel, fashion

chain Republic collapses into administration and French carmaker

Peugeot reported a net loss of 5 It was a moment of history and

thousands gather it at the Vatican to make sure they were part of it.

After announcing his resignation, the Pope performed his last

scheduled public Mass. It was supposed to take place in a church

in Rome, but was moved to St Peter's at the last minute. He

asked Catholics to pray for him, Pope Benedict is testimony to that.

This is the last scheduled Mass he will celebrate as Pope. They had to

move the service from a much smaller church in Rome to St Peter

's. A measure of how deeply his resignation has moved the faithful.

These are the emotionally charged last days of Pope Benedict XVI.

Whatever he says over the two -- next two week also carry symbolic

significance. It will be a legacy statement. Already the question is

being raised here, will Pope Benedict's influence retire with

him or will it go on? He will live in this former monastery inside the

Vatican walls. Is there a danger they're his presence will undermine

the credibility Orla git Massie of his successor? Or legitmacy of his

successor? It's quite an honour, it's one of his last gatherings.

It's quite special to be here. was once said that Pope Benedict

lacked charisma, no-one say it is now. The shock that greeted his

resignation has given way to affection for a visibly old man. He

said again that his going was for the good of the Church. Trance I'm

well aware of the gravity of such an act, at the same time, I'm aware

of not being able to carry out my papal ministry with the physical

and spiritual strength it requires. In saying he is too old to carry on,

is he saying to the Church's leaders, in place of me, choose

someone young? That is for tomorrow. Today, they came to pay homage to

an old man seeking to rejuvenate by doing something to them seems bold,

selfless and brave. One of America's biggest ever manhunts has

come to a dramatic end in a mountain cabin near Los Angeles.

For more than a week, Christopher Dorner, a former LA policeman, was

pursued by the authorities after he was suspected of killing three

people as part of a feud with the police force. Yesterday, he was

finally found in a remote cabin which burnt down after a long stand

off. Police are still trying to confirm if he died in the blaze.

Alastair Leithead has been following the story. This was the

moment when America's most wanted man was cornered, in a high

mountain lodge, after a week on the run. Christopher Dorner had been

hiding as the search went on around him, holding two women hostage.

When he bolted, police had him surrounded. He was hefly armed and

opened fire. -- heavily armed and opened fired. Two sherrif's deputy

were shot, one was killed and one was injured. After a standoff the

SWAT teams moved. In the building caught fire and was soon engulfed

in flames. Police surrounded the lodge on the ground and from the

air. Nobody emerged from the burning building. Hours later,

charred human remains were found. He has not been formally identified,

by the manhunt is over. The LAPD has now moved back into a normal

state of police operation. That began late last night and will

continue now. For a week, people in Big Bear have been on high alert.

They welcomed the news. We are certainly very relieved that our

residents are safe, our tourists are safe. We are heartbroken at the

deputies who were injured, particularly the one who was killed.

It was California's biggest ever manhunt. Christopher Dorner killed

four people on his shooting rampage because he was fired from his job

nearly five years ago. Fear and paranoia had spread across Southern

California the longer this well armed, well trained former

servicemen was on the lose. It all ended here in the mountains. The

issue of guns was also central to President Obama's State of the

Union speech to Congress last night. His first since being re-elected.

Our correspondent is in Washington for us now. He made a passionate

plea for a vote on gun control? was certainly a very powerful

moment, not least because, in the Chamber, listening to the President,

were some two dozen victims of gun violence, including a former

Congresswoman who survived being shot, a teach frer Sandy Hook

Elementary school, a girl who was at the President's inauguration

last week who had been shot dead. - - teacher from. Measures he knows

will be difficult to get through Congress. The gun lobby is strong

here. This is an issue of conscience now for Barack Obama. He

is throwing the weight of the presidency behind it and also the

weight of his vast campaign machine. After the speech last night,

millions of Americans who voted for the President back in November

received a tweet from him asking for their support again, this time

on guns. Thank you very much. It's been claimed that a �1 billion

Government scheme to encourage house building will benefit rich

areas in the south of England at the expense of poorer councils in

the North. Councillors in a number of northern authorities say the new

homes bonus effectively moves millions from deprived

neighbourhoods to affluent parts of the country. The Government says

the scheme fairly rewards councils which allow much-needed homes to be

built. Is the Government's housing policy building a new North-South

divide across England? Councillors in places like Durham argue a

scheme to encourage more new homes is actually diverting hundreds of

millions of pounds from deprived areas, often in northern England,

to rich areas mostly in the South. The new homes bonus is funded from

the existing pot of money given to English local authorities by the

Government. Every council contributes the same proportion

from their grant. The cash is then redistributed to councils according

to the number of houses built in their area. The new homes bonus

means poorer, northern councils, pay more money in, because their

budgets are bigger, get less money out because rewards are based on

the value of the new homes. Property prices here are much lower

than they are in the South. We are all losing from all the councils

across the North. Councils in the north-east have been crunching the

numbers to illustrates the policy's impact across England. Those areas

where residents gain are marked in green, those who lose are in red.

The money back is less than we are losing. It's increasing the amount

of cuts we are having to make here in the north-east while elsewhere

it produces extra resource for councils in the affluent south.

latest map reveals how in Durham the net effect is the council loses

�14.25 per person, in Windsor and Maidenhead the council gains �12.32.

The more expensive the home, generally the more money money you

get, benefiting places like leafy Berkshire. Councillors here point

out the new homes bonus is only part of the overall grant from

Whitehall. Overall, if you look at the funding position, Windsor and

Maidenhead get less per head or per dwelling than authorities in the

North. Any incent centive for housing must be becomed --

incentive for housing must be welcomed. If you look at the

situation for the north-east, seven of the authorities there are

getting above average in their overall local government finance

settlements. They are not losing out. Overall they are not losing

out. The councils who are building, I can see several large green areas

in the North are benefiting. Conservatives complain during

Labour years Government money moved North. Labour authorities say the

Tories are rewarding their friends in the South. Stars of London's

Olympics and paralympics are among those who have received honours at

Buckingham palace today. The gymnast Louis Smith, who won silver

and bronze in the London Games, described being awarded the MBE the

proudest moment of his life. An Italian magazine has printed photos

of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge wearing a bikini on

holiday. The photos show Kate and William walking along the beach on

the island of Mustique. St James Palace called the pictures a clear

breach of the couple's right to privacy. The magazine's editor

denied that saying the couple had been photographed walking along a

public beach. There is dismay from St James Palace that photos of her

and Prince William in their swim wear are being published in Chi

under the headline, "honeymoon for three." Referred to her slight baby

bump. They say it is an invasion of The magazines are sold at news

stands like this across the country. Last year it published 26-page

spread of the Duchess of Cambridge when she was photographed topless

in France. Back in 1997, it published a picture of Princess

Diana in the wreckage of the car crash in Paris. If you want to be

free and go on yacht, I don't know, on your villa you are risking your

so-called privacy. In the UK, the ITV programme This Morning

apologised to the Palace after showing the magazine pictures which

we have now obscured. They are now also being seen across the world in

Australia, where another magazine is planning to publish them

claiming that the Duchess was on a public beach and that the photos

were taken not by paparazzi but, but by another holidaymaker. Let's

but by another holidaymaker. Let's have a look at the weather now: We

have had appalling weather today. We have good news. Fairly

significant disruption today because of the snow. It has been

blowing around, the winds have been whipping up. It is turning back to

rain. Rain making things icy. Your BBC local radio station will give

you more. In the north will have the strongest winds. There could be

snow for southern and eastern Scotland and North East of England.

It will turn back to rain, falling on frozen surfaces. Very icy this

evening and over night. Very wet as well across many central and

eastern areas. We could have a few surface water problems as well,

localised flooding. The temperatures fall close to freezing,

yes, tomorrow morning could be icy, particularly in the north and east.

It will be nasty in you are driving in that rain, lots of surface water

and spray on the roads. That rain is clearing for many parts. The

east coast by lunchtime, for many it will be brighter and dryer into

the afternoon. We won't be without the odd shower, particularly in

western parts of England and Wales. Look at the temperatures. They

struggled to reach much more than two or three degrees Celsius in

eastern areas. It felt bitter. It will be milder tomorrow. Good

spells of sunshine coming through. For western Scotland it will be wet

and breezy afternoon. The winds will ease down on what we are

seeing this morning and what we will see this evening as well. We

have high pressure building in off the Atlantic keeping our weather

fronts at bay. Friday should be a decent day, albeit a little chilly