06/09/2011 BBC News at Ten

Fresh questions about why the Lockerbie bomber was released as he

nears the end of his life. His family choose to show him close to

death to end speculation about his health. He is so sick. I see in the

news that some people say he is not sick. Others say he is not at homes.

But a senior ex-member of the Libyan government suggests that Mr

Megrahi's release was linked to a BP oil deal. So without an exchange

of prisoners deal, there would be no BP deal? This is what I think.

So there was a connection? Yes. will be live in Tripoli with the

latest on these allegations. Also tonight:

Claims that News International's James Murdoch did know about an e-

mail that showed that phone hacking went beyond one rogue reporter.

conversation lasted for quite a short period, probably less than 15

minutes or about 15 minutes. It was discussed.

The riots - nearly three out of four adults charged had previous

criminal convictions. Britain's economy - the Chancellor

signals lower growth, but insists that he will stick to his plan to

cut the deficit. And England strike first in a Euro

2012 battle against Wales. I will be here with Sportsday later

on the BBC News Channel, including all the goals involving the home

nations in tonight's Euro Good evening. There have been fresh

allegations tonight about the circumstances surrounding the

release of the Lockerbie bomber. The former Libyan foreign minister

has claimed that the release of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi two

years ago was discussed with the British government and linked to a

big contract for the oil company BP. The Scottish government has always

claimed that the decision to release Mr al-Megrahi was theirs

alone and that he was freed solely because he was terminally ill. His

family have asked the BBC to film Mr Megrahi, who is clearly now

close to death at his home in Tripoli, to end speculation about

the state of his health. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi seems

to be reaching the end of his life, dying from cancer. His mother is

apparently with him most of the time. Mr al-Megrahi's release from

prison on compassionate grounds outraged some families bereaved by

the Lockerbie bombing. That feeling has deepened the longer he has

survived. His family insist that he is innocent and ill, which was why

they say they asked the BBC to see him. I want everybody, especially

in the UK and specifically in Scotland, to see my dad. He is so

sick. I have seen in the news that some say he is not sick and some

say he is not at home. Two years ago, Mr al-Megrahi was given a

hero's welcome by Saif al-Islam, then Colonel Gaddafi's heir

apparent, now on the run like his father. There have been allegations,

denied by Britain, that his release was linked to a massive deal for

the oil company BP. But Colonel Gaddafi's last foreign minister,

now himself a prisoner, says it is his impression that for Libya, the

two matters were connected. There was a hint that releasing him would

help. So there was a hint from the So without an exchange of prisoners

deal, there would be no prisoner deal? There was a connection?

Yes. BP's offices in Tripoli are guarded by armed men from the

National Transitional Council. They are suspicious of unannounced

visitors. The NTC has said that countries which helped overthrow

the old regime can expect to have their contracts honoured. The al-

Megrahi family live in a bigger Guilty or innocent, it is hard to

believe that this is anything other than the sickroom of a dying man.

We have been invited to his home because Mr Megrahi's family believe

he does not have a great deal of time left. For people who think he

is guilty, his death, when it comes, may end the Lockerbie story. But

for those who believe he is innocent and was convicted on thin

evidence, there will still be big questions about who really did

bring down Pan Am flight 103. Still in Libya, a large and highly

armed convoy of vehicles believed to be carrying cash and gold has

crossed the country's southern border and into neighbouring Niger.

It's thought key figures close to Colonel Gaddafi may be trying to

flee the country, although this has been denied by the authorities in

Niger. So what do we know about this dash across the desert?

long as Colonel Gaddafi is at large, he and those close to him are a

real threat to Libya's future stability. So rumours that he, his

family or leading supporters might have escaped into the desert of

neighbouring Niger are being watched closely.

These are nomadic tribes men in the vastness of Niger. In return for

past favours from Colonel Gaddafi, some fought with him against

Libya's uprising. Now reliable reports from a town in northern

Niger describe a convoy of pick-up trucks carrying both tribesmen and

Gaddafi fighters. It was apparently heading south, deeper into the

country. Britain now has an envoy back in Tripoli. He is not at the

British Embassy, ransacked by Gaddafi loyalists in May, but but

is already assessing events, including the convoy story.

points, I hope, to an underlying fact, which is that many of the

pro-Gaddafi forces are realising the game is up. Very little about

his apparent escape from Libya is clear, but the mysterious convoy

reached a remote town. Then it headed towards the capital, some

600 miles further on. It is not clear if that is journey's end, or

if the intended destination is still further, perhaps in Burkina

Faso and its capital. In Niger, the president won elections in March.

He is trying to stabilise the country, sheltering Gaddafi or

close allies has few obvious attractions. It is true Colonel

Gaddafi was close to the previous leader, but that era is supposed to

be over. It is unlikely that Niger will want to take on the Colonel,

given that he is clearly on the losing side. There may have been

links in the past between Niger and some of the other countries and

Libya, but there has been no real warmth in terms of personal

relationships. That is now history. Tonight the US State Department in

Washington has said that some senior members of the Gaddafi

regime were in the fleeing convoy, but not Colonel Gaddafi or members

of his family. So the hunt goes on, because Colonel Gaddafi at large

and able to keep urging his loyalists on remains a major threat

to Libya's chances of peaceful transition towards democracy.

Let's go live now to Jeremy Bowen in Tripoli. How significant are

these new allegations surrounding the release of al-Megrahi?

Well, we have run excerpts over the last two nights from that interview

I did with the last foreign minister of Colonel Gaddafi. They

have laid out some of the connections between the business

and security sides of what was happening. It seems clear that

Britain, after 2003, when Gaddafi was coming out of the cold, had an

ambitious and multi-faceted agenda for its relations with this country.

Security co-operation on one hand, business co-operation on the other.

It seems to be taken as a whole by both sides, as far as we can tell.

So at the very least, the atmosphere seemed to be that

progress in one department would help progress in the other. And now

we have news of this extraordinary convoy that has left Libya and is

now making his way across Niger. It does not appear to have Colonel

Gaddafi as part of it, although senior members of his government

appeared to be in it. So we are still no clear to knowing where

Colonel Gaddafi is? Yes, and one of the things Gaddafi's side have

talked about in the vastness of the desert in Libya. Down to the Sahara,

who knows quite what is going on down there? But what is coming out

of his side is continuing defiance. His spokesman, Mr Ibrahim, whom we

have heard a lot from him the last few months, is still talking about

NATO dispensing promises that are honey filled with poison. Also

tonight, the try but who are the biggest tried in Libya, a spokesman

supposedly from them has been speaking on pro-Gaddafi TV and

talking about the town of Bani Walid, not far from here, where

negotiations have been going on between the two sides to avert

further fighting. In his statement, he said there have been no

negotiations like that and that the jihadist people there will continue

to fight against the colonialists and crusader aggressors. So

defiance is coming out very loudly still from that camp. But still

quite a bit of ignorance as to where Colonel Gaddafi is and what

exactly he is doing. Two former executives at News

International have publicly insisted that its chairman, James

Murdoch, was informed as far back as 2008 that phone hacking at the

News Of The World went beyond just one rogue reporter. Mr Murdoch

previously told MPs that he didn't know that the phone hacking was

more widespread. It all hinges on the contents of one particular e-

mail. The former top brass of the News Of

The World, called in from the rain this morning for yet another

grilling by MPs. Colin Myler was the last editor. Tom crone was an

influential lawyer. The Inquisition was wide-ranging, but it boiled

down to two big questions. Was there a cover-up within News

International of the possibility that phone hacking was widespread,

and what did the company's European boss James Murdoch know? Was he

told at a meeting with executives about a troubling e-mail that had

come to light? The conversation lasted for quite a short period,

probably less than 15 minutes or about 15 minutes. It was discussed.

The e-mail contained transcripts of private voicemails belonging to

Gordon Taylor, a leading figure in football. And these words -

transcript for Neville, which appeared to show that other staff,

such as Neville Thurlbeck, the chief reporter, may have been

involved. It meant that illegal activity in accessing Gordon

Taylor's messages, evidence of that had passed through our office.

there for others knew about it? of the world was implicated in the

knowledge that they had done that. Rewind to the July appearance of

James Murdoch in front of the same MPs. Did you see or were you made

aware of the "for Neville" e-mail? No. I was not aware of that at the

time. If I knew then what we know now, we would have taken more

action. Today's evidence? He did know. I would take it that he

understood. He realised the News Of The World was involved. James

Today's hearing made clear News International felt it had to settle

with Gordon Taylor at a cost of �4 25,000 plus legal fees. The deal

included a confidentiality clause to prevent four more hacking

victims from knowing they might have a case themselves.

The MPs were also told the editor at the time, Andy Coulson, was

prepared to give the disgraced News of the World reporter Clive Goodman,

another job at the paper, once he'd served his sentence for phone

hacking. Today, the Prime Minister, who gave

Mr Coulson himself a second chance, has also been facing the questions.

Do you feel that you personally became too close to leading

executives of News International? Yes, I think everybody... Look, I

think that in terms of spending a lot of time trying to win over, but

not just as I say News International, I've met with

editors of the Guardian, the Independent, the BBC, you know, as

Leader of the Opposition and as Prime Minister, you do want to get

your message across. But he said the relationship between the media

and politicians needed resetting. The Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke,

has revealed for the first time that nearly three out of four

adults charged after the riots in parts of England already had a

criminal conviction. He says the figures show how the penal system

is failing to prevent reoffending and he's calling for widespread

changes to the way criminals are treated, including making them work

harder when behind bars. Mark Easton reports from Manchester.

The hard core behind last month's English riot, according to Justice

Secretary Ken Clarke, was a feral underclass cut off from mainstream

society. Among the adults involved in the disorder, close to three

quarters already had a criminal record, it's emerged, evidence he

suggests of a broken penal system incapable of preventing reoffending.

When you see all these people have been punished before, three

quarters, it's no good just punishing them, we are failing to

make sure that those that are capable of being reformed aren't

reformed and aren't actually sorted out their drugs, their drink, given

a slightly more sensible approach to the values of society.

The criminal past of rioters has been seized upon by the Justice

Secretary to press his case that the system should focus on what he

calls intelligent sentencing. Mr Clarke also suggests Government

should consider the appalling social deficit, highlighted by the

riots. Evidence of a link between the

riots and poverty emerges from analysis of the offenders who've

appeared here at Manchester City Magistrates Court. The BBC's

obtained the postcodes of the vast majority of those charged and a

clear picture emerges when you plot those home addresses against

neighbourhood depravation. Manchester's riots have seen around

200 people charged. If one looks at the most deprived neighbourhoods in

the region marked in red, and then picks out the plays the rioters

came from, the correlation is clear. They came from all areas, but the

poorer the community, the more likely local people were involved.

Cheetham Hill is revealed as a Manchester district with a high

concentration of people charged in connection with the disorder. The

local vicar explained how his parish also has high levels of

joblessness and welfare dependency. The riots, he believes, were a

sense of people's Powerlessness. think there was a feeling that the

normal laws were suspended just for one evening and people would take

advantage and get whatever they could. Because the people in this

area don't feel that they have Power normally, is that right?

Absolutely. This is an area that has very few facilities. It's a

difficult area in which to live and work. Tonight in the centre of

Manchester where the rioters struck, there was little sympathy for the

idea that depravation helps explain the lawlessness. It's ruined my

business, as such. So poverty's not an excuse? No. Not by far. There's

no excuse for it. There's no need for it. Anybody saying the cuts are

affecting our lives, it was a chance for people to gang up

together and loot. A month on from the riots and the dust has settled

enough for people to analyse what's happened. It's also an opportunity

for politicians and others to look for evidence that can be used to

support their favoured policies. Coming Upton programme:

Still in contention for the Euro 2012 finals, Scotland earn a

The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan's suspended the

transfer of detainees to some Afghan jails following allegations

of widespread torture and mistreatment of prisoners. The BBC

has learned that the accusations were made in a UN report which is

yet to be finalised. It describes how prisoners were beaten and, in

some cases, given electric shocks. From Kabul, Quentin Somerville

reports. With a firm hand shake and a deep

breath, British troops hand over Lashkar Gah in Helmand to Afghan

control. It should mean these foreign soldiers are now a step

closer to going home. But only if the Afghans are ready. And that's

in doubt. In some Afghan prisons, detainees

had been tortured and horribly mistreated. A number were handed

over by international troops. The torture has been commonplace and

systemattic. Prisoners were beaten with rubber hoses, some threatened

with sexual assault and others given electric shocks. Most of

those suspected of being insurgents were held without charge. The

international commission ISAF has suspended transfers in these areas,

five are run by the Afghan Intelligence Service, the NDS,

another by the Counter-Terrorism Unit 124, two by the Afghan police

and transfers in Kandahar have been suspended for a couple of months.

think in order for the Afghan government to be serious about the

issue, there's going to need to be a lot of pressure from outside and

NATO needs to create that pressure because NATO's absolutely obligated

under the Convention Against Torture to never transfer anyone

when there are substantial grounds to believe that person will be

tortured. Security officials have still to

comment. Billions have been spent training police and soldiers here,

but even before the torture allegations, the police had a

terrible reputation among Afghans, some say the Taliban were fairer.

The UN report is one of the most comprehensive ever produced. United

Nations says the Afghan government takes its claim seriously and that

it wants to torture to end. This report has left the international

mission here rattled. One official described it as a major setback,

the NATO was to hand control to Afghan forces sothat foreign troops

could leave, but in many parts of the the country, those Afghan

forces can no longer be trusted. The Intelligence Service likes to

show off its successes. These men are said to be captured suicide

bombers. But it's secretive and powerful and has always been shy of

revealing it methods. Tonight, it's never been more exposed.

A former MP has been charged with fraudulently claiming more than

�60,000 in expenses. Margaret Moran, a Labour MP for Luton until early

last year, will face 21 charges, including six for submitting forged

invoices and she'll appear before magistrates later this month.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has given a strong signal tonight he

expects official growth forecast force the UK to be lowered. At a

speech in the City of London, he warned the recovery would be choppy.

He insisted the Government will stick to its plans to reduce the

deficit. Our Deputy political Editor James Landale is in Downing

Street. What do you make of the Chancellor's remarks?

This is the first big speech the Chancellor's made in a while and

he's acknowledging that over the summer things have changed.

Economies around the world are struggling, the eurozone crisis has

deepened and the British economy is not going to be immune from that,

hence the gloomy language tonight and the very clear signal that the

official growth figures in November will be revised down. But he's also

using the speech to say that, in his view, these worsening

conditions are not a reason to change his plans to cut the deficit.

We warned repeatedly that the recovery would be choppy. We set in

train a plan that was comprehensive and clear in its vision, but also

flexible enough to withstand shocks along the way. But the Chancellor

is also under fresh pressure to do more to encourage economic growth.

Tonight, a group of 20 leading economists have write tonne the

Financial Times saying he should scrap the 50p top rate of tax which

they claim makes the economy uncompetitive. On one level, this

is unhelpful, it's a remind they're the Government has more to do to

encourage growth, it's a potentially devisive issue within

the coalition. But on another level it's helpful because it roots the

debate about the 50p top rate of tax in economics, not politics, in

other words about growth and not about this Government's

relationship with the wealthy. Thank you very much. The first so-

called Supergrass trial for 25 years has begun in Belfast amid

high security. 14 defendants face a total of 97 charges in connection

with a murder of a loyalist leader Tom Tommy English 11 years ago. Two

inmates are giving evidence in return for a reduced sentence.

Television cameras could soon be allowed into criminal courts in

England and Wales for the first time. The Justice Secretary, Ken

Clarke, announced that the ban on televising sentences will be lifted,

though broadcasters will not be allowed to film the trials

themselves. The Supreme Court has allowed fildmenting since its

creation two years ago. -- filming. A busy night in the qualifiers with

England playing Wales at Wembley, the first time the two sides met at

the stadium for 34 years. Scotland and Northern Ireland have been in

action too. Dan Roan is at Wembley. With this, their penultimate game

of the qualifying campaign and after a victory away against

Bulgaria on Friday night, England knew they could take an important

step towards qualification for the euro 2012 finals with victory over

Wales. They expected to do so but faced opponents that were better of

their ranking of 117th in the world. The latest installment in the

ancient rivalry was always likely to set pulses racing. Here at

Wembley, both sets of fans were urged to show restraint. Fabio

Capello requested more respect after the cat calls of Cardiff when

these two met in March. Alas, his appeal fell on deaf ears. England

identified the pace of Gareth Bale as a genuine threat. Milner's

method of dealing with him was uncomplicated. When England posed a

threat, it came via width and it was no surprise that two winners

were responsible for the breakthrough. Downing found Young,

England were one up. Having been recalled, Lampard then

had the perfect opportunity to prove critics wrong. It was a

chance he failed to take. Wales were still in it and soon

created what looked to be a certain equaliser. Earnshaw couldn't miss

surely, but he did. It was too much for player and manager to bear.

Having escaped, England held on for an unconvincing victory, the doubts

remain, but Capello at least has his first Wembley win in a year.

England now then six points clear at the top of Group G and certainly

with one foot in the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and the Ukraine,

but they face a tricky final match away against Montenegro, a game in

which they'll have to secure at least a point to be guaranteed

first place and avoid the play-offs. After tonight, Fabio Capello has

ever rif right to be worried. England and Wales weren't the only

two teams involved in matches, viewers in Scotland can see

highlights later on, so if you don't want to know the result of

Scotland's game against Lithuania, look away. Scotland had to win

after the 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic at the weekend and

win they did thanks to this goal by Steven Naismith. 1-0 the final

score. Scotland are in a straight fight with the Czech Republic for

snecked their group. Their qualification hopes are still alive

-- for their group. Lee Camp's howler led to the second

of Estonia's goals in a 4-1 defeat, their hopes for qualification now

sadly over. So a good night for England and Scotland, a bad one for