18/07/2011 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Zeinab Badawi. The phone-

hacking scandal leads to another high-profile police resignation in

Britain. Assistant Commissioner John Yates steps down a day after

his boss. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, returns early from an

official trip Africa to brief MPs on the crisis. The relationship

between politicians and media has not been right and this issue, it

has stopped on my watch and I am determined to get to the bottom of

it. And to put these things right. Sean Hoare, a formula Note -- news

of the will reporter and source of some phone hacking allegations, has

been found dead. -- News of the World. A leaked UN report accuses

the Sudanese government of committing a series of atrocities

in South Kordofan. It rejects the findings. Why the government in

Madrid believes this monument to the Spanish dictator General Franco

may have outlived its sell-by date. Hello and welcome. There has been a

further development in the phone hacking scandal. In the past few

minutes, the former News of the World reporter, Sean four, has been

found dead at his home. He was at the heart of the scandal after

accusing the former editor Andy Coulson of an encouraging staff to

intercept phone messages in pursuit of the stories. Andy Coulson has

denied allegations of wrongdoing. The government here has instigated

a review into police corruption in the wake of the phone-hacking

scandal. The two most senior police officers in London, Sir Paul

Stephenson and his deputy, John Yates, resigned within a day of

each other. Both men have insisted they've done nothing wrong and have

not themselves been accused of committing illegal acts. Let's get

more on the development of the death of Sean whore. -- Hoare. He

was one of the very first people to speak up on us? He was found dead

this morning at 10:40am by police after reports that somebody was

unwell at his property. He was a man who was a former News of the

World journalist, the showbiz reporter, who initially was one of

the first people to claim that Andy Coulson, the editor, had known

about the phone hacking. He made his claims when interviewed by the

BBC, he was somebody that hoped the whole issue of phone hacking would

lead to tabloid journalism being cleaned up. Recently he said the

process of pinging it mobile phones by journalists to enable them to

find out what the targets were at any one time. Has anyone said

there's anything suspicious about his death? It isn't being treated

as suspicious, he had a serious drink and drugs problem and a

colleague who spoke to him 10 days ago was told that he had actually

until recently been told he was terminally ill. That might explain

a possible cause of his death, he might have taken his own life or

some other cause. None of that has been confirmed. Police say that the

death of this man isn't suspicious. Whatever the circumstances, it does

add to the sense of drama? Thank you very much indeed. There is

widespread unease in Britain that the relationship between the police,

the press and the politicians has become too cosy. Nick Robinson

looks at the main developments... He is no longer, resounding one day

after his bus. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul

Stephenson. Both paying the price for failing to get to grips with

the hacking scandal. So said the mayor of London. I regret to say

that I have come off the phone to John Yates, who is tendering his

resignation. I believe that both decisions are regrettable but I'm

afraid that in both cases, the right call has been it. Boris

Johnson insisted that both men had jumped and were not pushed. But he

made it abundantly clear that he had done everything to encourage

them. It became clear to both men that the issues of questions and

circumstances would make it difficult for them to continue to

do their jobs in the way that they wanted. John Yates began the day

determined not to resign. Telling colleagues he would not submit to

trial by media. He ended it explaining why he was going. Those

obviously take and the most difficult jobs clearly have to

stand up and be counted when things go wrong. However, when we get

things wrong, we say so. And we try to put them out. As I have said

recently, it is a matter of great personal regret that this

potentially affected by the phone hacking were not dealt with

appropriately. Sadly, there continues to be a huge amount of

inaccurate, ill-informed and on occasions downright malicious

gossip being published about me personally. This has the potential

to be as significant distraction in my current role as the National

League for counter-terrorism. is the man who unwittingly caused

the crisis at the net. Neil Wallace, arrested last week, was a deputy

editor of the News of the world's. Scotland Yard had to would net that

they had hired the man they had arrested to help improve their

public relations, but it was rather too late for that. Last week, Sir

Paul Stephenson went to Downing Street to discuss how to restore

the image of the net. He been no mention of the force's relationship

with the walls and when the Prime Minister found out he was furious.

What has divided David Cameron and the men from the Metropolitan

Police is oddly what also connects them - both hired the former News

of the World meant to improve their image. David Cameron with Andy

Coulson, the editor, and Andy Coulson's deputy, Neil Wallis,

insisted he knew nothing about it and was hired by John Yates and Sir

Paul Stephenson. Welcome. The Prime Minister is on an awkwardly timed

trip to South Africa, cutting it a day short to return home to make

David Cameron insisted there was no comparison between his behaviour

and the Metropolitan Police. This situations are not the same in any

shape or form. In terms of Andy Coulson, no one has argued that the

work he did in government in any way was inappropriate or bad. He

worked well in government, he then left government. There is a

contrast, I would say, with the situation at the Metropolitan

Police, were clearly the issues have been around, whether or not

the investigation is being pursued properly. That is why I think Sir

Paul reached a different conclusion. Tomorrow, the Murlough father-and-

son fierce cross-questioning in the Commons and the hacking headlines

just keep on coming. As the phone- hacking scandal develops here, what

is already clear is that it has thrown light on the connections

between the police, the politicians and the press. To talk about that,

we're joined in the studio by former Scotland Yard undercover

detective Peter Bleksey and from our Westminster studio by the

Conservative MP Peter Bone. Some people have said this is the

biggest crisis of confidence for decades in Scotland Yard?

certainly has been an extraordinary day with the resignations and the

fact that Parliament is being recalled and the Prime Minister

changing his plans to deal with the issue. It is definitely a crisis

and I think the Prime Minister was quite right to recall Parliament.

Peter Bleksey, we have heard about corruption, nepotism, they will be

a review into looking into this thing, but should people be

surprised that there are allegations like this in the police

force? Surely it has always been around? Corrupt cops or a way of

life, and as much as there are purges from time to time,

successful prosecutions from time to time, whenever there is

opportunity, there will live corruption and that is a fact of

life. Do you think that what we're seeing now, just the fact that it

is as business as normal, or is it worse? Even somebody like you would

have guessed? The rank and file officers that ice-pick to regularly

complain to me that senior management at Scotland Yard seems

to have lost its way. It seems to have become more obsessed with spin,

with its PR image, and that side of what it does, rather than the

actual policing. Which the troops on the ground would like them to

focus on. Peter Bone, what to your constituents say to you? Do you

think public trust in the forces in Britain has been severely

undermined by this war are people saying, this is just isolated

cases? Over the weekend, I was not being asked about this a lot. But I

did meet with the grip of Northamptonshire Police officers

and they were very concerned, the basic summary is that they are

honest, of the highest integrity but of course every police officer

is now accrued. Like every MP during the expenses scandal. In

reality, it is only a very small number that are bent and it seems

that you do need to have the inquiries and you need to get to

the bottom of things and have prosecutions but you must remember

that the vast bulk of police are doing a public service band putting

their necks on the line every day. We have to get perspective.

this into global perspective. You were in the force, you trained

police officers all over the world and the British policeman has this

reputation of probity. Internationally, how do our police

compare? The compared to some of the forces I worked alongside, I

think British police generally speaking can hold their heads up

high. Certainly there was more endemic corruption in other

countries that I experienced. However, when I went to the FBI

headquarters in quanta coal into Jeannette and spent a lot of time

out there with law enforcement officers, it was surprising how at

the corruption over their was often the same as ours in the UK. But

this particular episode, were we're talking about perhaps uncomfortable

relationships with members of the press and perhaps the police being

too politicised, their brother knew in the way they have come out.

will be a hard job to do? Detectives need the media and the

immediate needs detectives but just because that is how it has always

been does not mean it should always be like that in the future. We need

a wider structure and governance of policing, as Iain Blair has said?

What we need is a different relationship between the police and

the press and the Government and MPs. The relationship has gone

completely wrong and amateur you can do that by regulation but if we

can expose what is wrong, we can struck to deal with it. Thank you

both very much. Tomorrow the focus will shift from Scotland Yard back

to Parliament. Rupert Murdoch, his son, James, and one of his former

executives, Rebekah Brooks, are due to appear before a Commons

committee for what could be some hostile questioning. Tim Willcox

looks at how quickly and suddenly the sands of British public life

have shifted. Rupert Murdoch, for decades this political kingmaker

has towered over British politics. But what is his influence now after

a momentous 10 days? His bid for Britain's main satellite

broadcaster withdrawn, his most profitable newspaper shot down and

Rebekah Brooks, his former News International chief executive,

arrested. Has this shifted the balance between politicians and the

media in Britain? The relationship that became too close and cosy, we

were all in this world wanting the support of newspaper groups and

even broadcasting organisations. And when we're doing that, do we

spend enough time asking questions about how they are regulated and

malpractices and the rest of it? We did not and there is a new chance

to do that. A spotlight has been focused on the relationship between

the British political and media elite and revelations of private

lunches and weekend invitations to Chequers. Now, politicians and

former leaders are distancing themselves from the Murdoch empire.

We have seen this shift the centre of gravity. I would also say that

the politicians are probably quite pleased about that. They feel

they're getting the Beast of their back. As Rupert and James Murlough

and Rebekah Brooks prepare for Tuesday's Commons Select Committee,

some describe this as a moment of catharsis for politicians that they

say have feared and quoted the Murdoch empire in equal measure.

But will the day-to-day dealings between politicians and lobby

correspondents change? I do not think it will changed one bit. It

will die down and the dust will settle and life will go on. Up the

road, the House of Commons, the journalists and MPs all work under

the same roof and the MPs ply their trade through us and they want

their stories about and they want to attack upon it -- opposition and

for the public to read about their policies. It's the only way. While

some find the day-to-day relationship between hacks and MPs

unpalatable, the real focus of public anger has been the

undocumented meetings between media proprietors and Prime Minister is

here at Number 10. Until last Friday, a private dinner with the

Prime Minister in his flat upstairs match just that. Off the record,

nobody knew what was discussed. have to distinguish between

journalism on the one hand and what I listed call the press barons.

What has gone wrong in the last 50 years is the press barons and

proprietors, the people who own newspapers, have been cordon The

Shots and deciding the editorial policy and even telling journalists

had to write stories. That is wrong and that has to stop. The pressure

on Rupert Murdoch remains intense. And on Tuesday, there are two key

questions to be answered. Did they had any knowledge of the illegal

activity at the News of the World and are they now committed to

exposing it? How they answer these questions could have a significant

impact on the future of British Now a look at some of the days

other news. Seven Afghan policemen have been killed in southern

Afghanistan. The attack happened in Lashkar Gar, an area due to be

handed over to Afghan control later this week. The attack took place

even as the American commander of Nato forces, General David Petraeus,

handed over to his successor General John Allen. General

Petraeus is leaving to become head of the CIA.

The British Army is to be cut by nearly twenty thousand - reducing

it to its smallest size in more than a hundred years. The defence

secretary, Liam Fox, said reservists like the Territorial

Army, would form nearly a third of the army by 2020.

The authorities in Romania have been reassuring the public after

more than sixty missile warheads were stolen from a train on

Saturday. Security officials say the stolen warheads cannot be

detonated because they are in component form without explosives.

Nelson Mandela has been celebrating his 93rd birthday. He's been

spending the day with family but his foundation urged people to do

67 minutes of voluntary work - to represent the 67 years he devoted

to South Africa's political struggle.

The split of Sudan last week has left a host of problems in its wake.

A South Kordofan which is on the border between the two countries

has seen bloody fighting in recent weeks. Now a leaked UN report

accuses Sudan of committing a series of atrocities in South

Kordofan. The document talks of aerial bombardment and contains

eyewitness reports of mass graves. The government told the BBC that it

only bombed rebels, many of whom had sided with South Sudan during

the long civil war between north and south. Images taken on a bar

phones and smuggled out of the mountains but the government denies

it is indiscriminately bombing civilians. The other accusations

made in a leaked report include eyewitness statements about the

massacre of men and shelling of civilian areas. Most of the rebels

fighting the government in South Kordofan are from the mountains and

see themselves as African rather than Arab and feel under threat.

The authors of the report conclude if the acts of proven they may

amount war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Sudanese

government rejects the charges. Against civilians and people but

the government, what is done by the government is for security to

facilitate everything for civilians to live normal lives. It be

accusations continue to pile up. An American campaign group set up by

George Clooney says it has identified three sites consistent

with mass graves. And a member of the House of Lords known for a

strong condemnation of Khartoum holds President Bashir responsible.

When he talked peace, his people were bombing the civilians up in

the mountains. And the situation is a re-run of what happened in the

war against the South, in Darfur, dropping bombs and sadly in the

mountains at the moment the specific targeting and terrorising

of civilians who have been known to support the southern government.

UN report came to light at a difficult time for President Bashir.

They are trying to get more than $40 billion debt cancelled and

sanctions removed to help of an ailing economy. These accusations

of government abuses in South Kordofan make this harder.

Joining me from Washington is Jonathan Hutson from the Sentinel

Project, which includes the actor George Clooney, an outspoken critic

of President Bashir. It's a US based organisation set up to

monitor conflicts in Sudan. Those pictures which you say are

consistent with a mass graves be you cannot be sure what you're

seeing all we might be buried there and responsible for putting them

there? Well, it shocks the conscience, the

evidence mounting day-by-day, we have at least four independent

eyewitness statements detailing seeing the digging of spits

consistent with mass graves, high resolution of satellite imagery

from digital globe showing pits measuring at 25 by five metres

exactly where the witnesses said they would be, the witnesses

described piles of bodies wrapped in body bags south of the Episcopal

Church complex in the capital of the region. The satellite imagery

is seeing that and the witnesses mentioned me to Bessie trucks and

vehicles picking up the bodies and moving them -- Mitsubishi trucks.

Yes, the United Nations report makes it player there is fighting

on both sides, by the rebels and the Sudanese government although it

does say the actions of the government forces are much more

egregious. How can you verify who was responsible for the civilians

fleeing, from the pictures you have taken it is not always clear?

not just the pictures but we also have detailed eyewitness statements

of the organised house-to-house search for civilians believed to

support the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, and we had

seen detailed statements from eyewitnesses detailing at the

slaughter of men, women and children, civilians. What is

fuelling the conflicts? State-sponsored ethnic cleansing to

rid the mountains of the people. thank you.

It's 75 years since General Franco led the military uprising that

sparked the Spanish Civil War. Hundreds of thousands were killed

in the fighting, and the political repression that followed. Despite

this a huge monument to Franco still towers over modern Spain.

Well, now the government wants an expert commission to suggest

changes to the site, which could include removing the remains of

Franco himself. Sarah Rainsford reports from Spain.

It is a striking symbol of four decades of dictatorship. Of General

Franco commissioned the monument to his victory in the civil war. But

there is a vast basilica carved into the mountain. Inside, the tomb

of General Franco. Still decorated with fresh flowers. It is 75 years

since Franco led an armed revolt against the republican government.

Hundreds of thousands have died in the war and in the repression. When

Spain transmit -- went to democracy there was a pact of silence over

its past. It has taken their to six years to consider the fate of the

memorial. The this place was built to impress. The cross Towers 150

metres high in the mountains, it is what it symbolises that is

problematic, for years it has been a rallying point for the far right

and the government wants to make it a place of a reconciliation. That

will be hard,... He is one of many who cannot bear to visit the place,

his father were shot by a fascist Execution Squad and the remains

were taken years later to Frank his memorial. It is a mass grave for

30,000 dead from both sides. Now he wants to give his father a proper

burial. TRANSLATION: For me, this is excruciating.

It is right painful my father is buried in a place built for the

glory of the victors in a military coup. It feels like a double crime,

his murder in 1936 and removing his remains without permission to a

place which is totally inappropriate.

And expect commission is considering moving the grave of

Franco himself to this municipal some grit -- cemetery. Right wings

-- right wing groups say they will contest it in court. The government

admits it is handling this with kid gloves.

TRANSLATION: Spain's transition to democracy was an act of prudence

after the deep wounds of the war. One reason it succeeded was we

addressed the pass little by little. People want the site to change.

Maybe it is happening late but prudence has been key to the

transition. The challenge then is to transform

this device insight into a national memorial to the horror of the Civil

War. And in honour of all its victims. 75 years on, it would be

the first of its kind here. A reminder of our main news: It has

been announced the former News of the World reporter Sean Hoare has

been found dead. He was at the heart of the scandal accusing the

former editor Andy Coulson of encouraging staff to intercept

phone messages in pursuit of stories, Andy Coulson rejected the

accusations. The government has instigated a review into police

corruption, this comes after the Assistant Commissioner John Yates

quit. 24 hours after his boss Sir Paul Stephenson announced he was

standing down. Both were involved in the appointment of a former

deputy editor to work as a media consultant for the fours. Both men

insist they have done nothing wrong. They have not been accused of

committing illegal acts. That is all. Next, the weather. A really

Hello, Monday it continued with cloud and rain across the country,

tomorrow still quite cloudy and call but not so many showers. Many

places escaping with a dry day. The weather is being driven by a low

sitting on the North Sea. The wind coming down from the north or

north-west, the isobars open out on to state so the wind not as strong.

Most of the showers focused across eastern Scotland and north-east

England. When the showers are going they will be slow moving, heavy and

thundery. Torrential downpours possible through the afternoon.

Towards the West, although the cloud, limited sunshine it will be

a mostly dry day. One or two places escaping with a dry day.

Temperatures in Cardiff the 20. The odd light shower but on the whole a

much drier day across Northern Ireland. With the north-westerly

breeze temperatures struggling at 15. Some thick cloud across

northern Scotland bringing outbreaks of rain but in the south-