07/02/2012 BBC News at Ten

Tonight: The people of Homs under attack for a fourth day from the

Syrian regime. More loss of life, more people injured by the constant

shelling. Our correspondent is one of the few foreign journalists

there. We just heard another artillery impact. There was a pause

of half an hour but it started up pretty consistently since about

6.00am. In Damascus, a big welcome for

Russia's Foreign Minister, who says the Syrian President is committed

to ending the violence. We will be asking if the Russian visit is

likely to lead to a change of tactics in Damascus.

Also tonight: The Metropolitan Police admits breaking the law by

failing to warn people that their phones may have been hacked by the

News of the World. They were liars, that is what comes

out of it. Basically, they had that evidence. They recorded the names.

Every time I kept asking they said, "You are not on the list." Getting

Abu Qatada deported is still the aim, says Ministers.

The right place for a terrorist is in a prison cell. The right place

for a foreign terrorist is a foreign prison cell far away from

Britain. In Greece, fierce opposition to the

latest austerity package about to be approved.

How Buckingham Palace will be the backdrop for a special Jubilee

Concert. Coming up in Sportsday: Will this

be enough to see Blackpool into the Good evening. For a fourth day the

Syrian Army have been bombarding the city of Homs. President Bashar

al-Assad was again promising to end the violence and to bring in

reforms. He gave the assurances to the Russian Foreign Minister,

Sergei Lavrov, who visited Damascus today. Hundreds of people have died

in Homs since the attack began. In Homs, the pressure on the areas

held by armed rebels is not letting up. More shelling, more burning,

more killing. For the time being, the regime's tanks are standing off

and firing in. The rebels who call themselves the free Army have no

heavy weapons and no real answer. But their snipers and determination

to fight for now any way seem to be deterring an attempt to send in

ground troops. Conditions are worsening for the civilians. They

are running out of bread and taking risks to get it, according to the

BBC's Paul Wood. The man who usually drives the bodies and the

injured very bravely drove to another part of Homs, somebody

described it as a suicide mission because he had to drive across a

road junction which takes a lot of sniper fire. He got a car-load of

bread, was fired at a lot on the way there and on the way back, but

managed to come in and distribute bread to people. In Damascus,

supporters of President Assad turned out for a visit by the

Russian Foreign Minister. Syria is a divided country. The President's

followers mainly from his own Alawites sect back his view that

the regime is all that stands between them and a rebellion by the

people the President called terrorists. Sergei Lavrov

represents a Government that is President Assad's most important

ally. Mr Lavrov paid lip service to the Arab League but the veto

blocked international approval of an Arab League call for Mr Assad to

step down. TRANSLATION: We confirmed we are

ready to do all we can to solve the crisis, based on the Arab League's

plan of November 2nd last year and President Assad gave his commitment

to end the violence no matter where it is from. Since the Russian and

Chinese vetoes at the UN there have been attempts to reboot the

diplomatic effort by the countries who want President Assad to step

down. But there is a crucial difference with Libya last year. No

open military intervention. That removes one very powerful lever

which in Libya made all the difference for those who wanted

regime change. More confuelzed scenes of violence have -- confused

scenes of violence have come out of Syria today. This is said to be

more killing in a southern town where the rebellion began almost a

year ago. And this is another funeral in Homs in what seems to be

a lull in the shelling. So far, diplomacy has failed. If the

killing continues, pressure will grow for outside powers to arm the

rebels. The risk in Syria is an unstoppable slide into civil war.

To take stock, Jeremy is with me now. Let's talk about today's

events in Damascus. Are we likely to see any significant change from

the Assad regime following these talks? President Assad appears to

have said to Mr Lavrov all the things he said before about

promises of change, constitutional referendum, a bit of a new

beginning. He has said this stuff before. The opposition don't

believe him. Western governments don't believe him. The Russians are

thinking that either President Assad or someone like him will be

part of the solution whereas other countries, Britain especially, and

the Americans, the French, they think that he is part of the

problem. So what is the future? Efforts to try and get diplomacy

again but without a UN Resolution, that is very difficult. It might go

back towards the UN. There will be people trying to get pressure on

governments to start arming the rebels, to try and funnel guns in

to what the rather loose organisation that calls itself the

Free Syria Army. What does that suggest? It suggests this worrisome

process that is leading towards some kind of sectarian civil war

continues and is probably picking up speed. Thank you very much.

The Metropolitan Police has admitted acting unlawfully when it

failed to warn people in 2006 and 2007 that they could be victims of

phone hacking by the News of the World. The admission was made at

the High Court in London in a case brought by the former Deputy Prime

Minister, Lord Prescott, and four others. Scotland Yard has

apologised for the way their cases were handled.

Scotland Yard tonight still at the epicentre of a scandal which has

now seen it forced to admit that officers sworn to uphold the law

had themselves broken the law in their investigation of the News of

the World phone hacking affair, failing in their duty to alert the

victim. Among those who brought the case at the High Court was the

former Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Prescott, who sees today's

admission by the Metropolitan Police as vindication for his long

campaign. Frankly, they were liars. Basically, they had that evidence,

they recorded the names, but every time I kept asking them, they said,

"You are not on the list." It was the scandal that toppled the Fleet

Street legend. A year before the closure of the News of the World,

and despite possessing evidence that thousands of people might have

had their phones illegally hacked, Scotland Yard's Assistant

Commissioner was telling Parliament that Lord Prescott was mistaken and

all known victims had been informed. Lord Prescott has discussed the

fact he may have been on a list. He is not on that list. Where we

believe there is the possibility of someone may have been hacked, we

have taken all reasonable steps... John Yates resigned from the Met

last summer. Another of those who took the case to court today says

the affair exposed an inappropriate relationship between the Met and

News International. The Met were corrupted by the News of the World,

the relationship between journalists and senior police

officers was so close I think that they got confused in their head and

in the end, they couldn't see clearly what their real legal

obligations were. In a statement today, the Metropolitan Police

noted how at the time of the original investigation officers had

been dealing with an unprecedented increase in anti-terrorist

investigations, but now the 130 officers currently working on

hacking inquiries reflects the lessons that have been learned. No-

one was available for interview from the Met today, indicative of a

hope that they can create a sense of distance between New Scotland

Yard and an old flawed regime. The UK's largest police force remains

an organisation engulfed by the failures of its recent past. It's

not over yet. The editor of The Times has

apologised for the actions of a former reporter who hacked into a

blogger's e-mail account. Mr Harding was recalled at the Leveson

Inquiry. He told the inquiry he regretted the intrusion into

Richard Horton's account and he said people expected better of The

Times. As editor, I'm responsible for what it does and what its

journalists do. So I want to say that I sorely regret the intrusion

into Richard Horton's e-mail account by a journalist then in our

newsroom. I am sure Mr Horton and many other people expect better of

The Times, so do I. So on behalf of the paper, I apologise.

James Harding there. The Home Secretary says the

Government will pursue all legal possibilities in its efforts to

deport the Islamist cleric, Abu Qatada. Downing Street described

him as a dangerous man who posed a real threat. Yesterday, a judge

ruled that Qatada, who has been held for six-and-a-half years,

should be released on bail. He is wanted in Jordan on terrorism

charges. He can't be detained, he can't be

deported, so within a week, Abu Qatada described officially as

posing a real threat to our security will be released on bail.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled against his deportation.

Disgraceful, muttered Tory backbenchers, and the Home

Secretary sounded none too pleased. It is simply not acceptable, after

his removal has been approved by the highest courts in our land, we

still cannot deport dangerous foreign nationals. After more than

a decade of trying to deport Abu Qatada, Ministers now have two

options - either to ask the European Court of Human Rights to

think again, by appealing to its grand chamber, or to persuade

Jordan to promise that if they put him on trial, they won't use

evidence obtained by torture, in line with Britain's international

commitments. Some Conservatives proposed a third option - ignore

the court altogether. It is no good the Home Secretary huffing and

puffing about the decision, what the British public want to know is

- if we cannot secure the reforms that we need from the European

Court of Human Rights, are we going to withdraw from the European

Convention? Without that commitment, she is going to be spitting in the

wind. She could become a national hero if she leaves this chamber,

picks up the phone and orders him to be sent back to Jordan tonight.

On release, Abu Qatada will face extreme bail conditions. Curfewed

for 22 hours a day, without the use of a mobile phone or internet. That

will last three months. After that, he will have more freedom, thanks

in part to the coalition's decision to scrap the last Government's

control orders. The powers that she has put on the statute book are

much weaker than the powers of control orders which were there and

which were working satisfactorily. She cannot blame the European Court

for her decision to weaken British counter-terror powers. The Home

Secretary finds herself in an uncomfortable position tonight.

Unable to detain or deport someone she says is a major threat to

national security. An attack by the right and the left for her

impotence. A man who doesn't believe in democracy or the rule of

law may find all this rather amusing. Not so Ministers who find

themselves with a responsibility The Chancellor, George Osborne, has

promised to fight an "anti-business culture" in a speech to small

business leaders. Mr Osborne said that the row over bonuses and pay

threatened to undermine jobs and prosperity. His comments came as

Labour called for a tax on bankers' bonuses in a House of Commons

debate. In Greece, the government is

reported to be close to an agreement on new austerity measures

to qualify for more bail-out funds. A draft text has been finalised and

will be put to Greek political leaders tomorrow. Thousands of

protestors have been demonstrating outside the Greek parliament

opposing the plans, which are based on much tougher public spending

cuts in order to release 130 billion euros from the EU, the

European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. In

return, banks will write off up to 70% of the money the Greek

government owes them. Our Europe editor, Gavin Hewitt, reports from

Athens, torrential rain and a general strike against further cuts.

Once again Europe is waiting on Greece. While there were scuffles,

the country's politicians were under pressure from Europe's

leaders to accept more austerity in exchange for another bail out and

so stave off bankruptcy. In every way you look at it there's no

option for Greece other than to try and stay within the euro and fix

its economy within the euro. but will renew bail out deal work?

Come to this hospital outside Piraeus. After five years of the

economy shrinking, many see the hospitals as an example of a broken

society. We were told of a shortage of syringes and dressings. This

neurosurgeon has seen his wages cut 35% to 1,700 euros a month. I am

feeling very hungry. You can imagine, if they are treating

hospital doctors like that, imagine what they're doing to the rest of

society. There are other signs of a society hurting. Families selling

their gold, jewellery held it -- heading into the smelter. There are

now scores of gold buyers and they see queues every day. How many

people have been in today? 24. That is a normal day? Yes. It raises the

question of whether Greeks can take more austerity. There are also

doubts whether the government will actually implement reforms like

cutting public sector jobs after a string of broken commitments. The

commitment had been to drastically cut back the numbers working in the

public sector, but up until the middle of last year, they were

still hiring people. Take local tax offices like this. The government

promised to clamp down on tax evasions yet they reckon there are

still 16 billion euros of tax is outstanding. Then there were

privatisations like this old airport. The promise was to raise

50 billion euros by 2015, but one of those involved said much of it

turned out to be a work of fiction. It is not just the failure to sell

old airports, some question what more austerity will do to Greece.

It will further shrink crease's national income from which the new

bail out loans will have to be repaid. A few months later we will

be having another conversation of this sort about why it all went

belly-up. Many here blame Germany for demanding more austerity. NU's

bail out will save Greece from default but at a price. -- A new

bail out. Hard times for years to come.

Coming up on tonight's programme: At Poets' Corner, Prince Charles

marks the 200th anniversary of the Despite persistent criticism of the

Government's controversial health reforms, Downing Street says that

the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, still enjoys the Prime

Minister's full support. The Health and Social Care Bill returns to the

House of Lords tomorrow, where peers are again expected to voice

their concerns about the impact of the changes. Our correspondent

Branwen Jeffreys has been talking to health service workers in Surrey,

where some of the new systems are We will check your blood pressure.

For Shirley Booth, the front line of the NHS is her front room. Poor

health means she gets extra care at home from a community matron. GPs

in this part of Surrey have backed the new service. In the future they

should be able to make more decisions like this. Have you done

a prescription? Doctors like Gil Evans have to start getting

involved in NHS finances. It should mean a greater say, but some

worried they will not have enough cloud in the new system. We are

trying Ben Arfa -- our best to work as hard as possible to have as much

influence as possible on the local healthcare for our patients and see

what we can improve on. Most patients would have noticed any

difference in the local NHS. behind the scenes a massive

upheaval is under way. Whether they like the Government's health bill

or not, many GPs are getting ready to take control of local budgets.

Some parts of the Health Bill are more controversial than others. GP

groups will control local budgets. The idea of getting them involved

has won support, but there could also be more competition from

charities and the private sector. This has provoked strong opposition

from doctors and nurses' organisations. Just a couple of

years ago, some Surrey nurses won an award from the Prime Minister.

They set up a not-for-profit health team of the kind the government

wants to encourage. Recently they bid to run services at community

hospitals in Surrey, but the NHS contract is due to go to a company

backed by Virgin. The reality of competition now in the NHS and

health unions argue the Government's Health Bill will mean

more contests like this. The real concern is what this is paving the

way for. Looking at the wider picture of the Health and Social

Care Bill, this is the future of the NHS. The Health Secretary is a

man under pressure. There is undoubtedly unease at his handling

of these big NHS changes. How do you feel to read in the paper this

morning that Downing Street has said that you should be taken out

and shot for failing to communicate the vision behind your bill? I know

that at every point in this legislation by have been working

with my colleagues and David Cameron has given it his support.

We are seeing more care being provided closer to home, the right

care in the right place at the right time and we will see those

improvements come through. Tomorrow night the Health Bill returns to

Parliament. It is likely to be passed, but that will not end the

controversy. Lloyds Banking Group has announced

990 job losses - part of broader plans set out last year to cut

15,000 posts. Offices in Romford, Newcastle upon Tyne and Scunthorpe

will close. The union, Accord, says Lloyds, which is partly owned by

the taxpayer, has now shed more than 30,000 jobs since it took over

HBOS three years ago. The former First Minister of

Northern Ireland, the Reverend Ian Paisley, remains in hospital under

intensive care. Lord Bannside, who is 85, was taken ill at his home on

Sunday night. It's thought he's being treated for a heart condition.

Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, JLS and Dame Shirley Bassey will be

among those appearing at this summer's Jubilee concert marking

the Queen's 60 years on the throne. The organisers say there'll be

performances from artists drawn from all six decades of her reign.

Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell has been looking at the

plans - his report does contain The Golden Jubilee have 2002. A

constant in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and one of the

memorable moments of that Jubilee summer, the national anthem played

from the palace roof. MUSIC: God Save The Queen Brian May

and his guitar stole the opening of the show, but there was no doubt

who was the star. The Jubilee girl is here! Spool

forward 10 years and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, a concert is being

planned on an even bigger scale. The big difference is that this

jubilee concert will be out here, with Buckingham Palace as the

backdrop and a massive stage built around the Queen Victoria Memorial.

This is how it will look, with the area in front of the Palace turned

into an open-air auditorium and the stage constructed under the

transparent canopy around the memorial. The list of artists is

still being drawn up. It will include performers from Britain,

Canada, Australia and the USA. Among those already confirmed our

Elton John, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard and Shirley

Bassey. For the younger generation, JLS and Jessie J. And for classical

fans, Alfie Boe and Langer and. Pulling the show together with the

BBC is its musical director, Gary Barlow. I want the whole world to

be on that stage, as the whole world will be watching that stage

that night. This will be a massive event on a worldwide basis. We're

very excited. There are 5,000 pairs of free tickets available for the

concert. Applications for the ballot can be made online. But if

you can't get a ticket, the concert will be broadcast by the BBC.

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens has been

celebrated around the world. A thanksgiving service was held in

Portsmouth, where Dickens was born, and 150 members of the Dickens

family gathered at Westminster Abbey, where the Prince of Wales

laid a wreath on his tomb in Poets' Corner. Our correspondent Robert

Charles Dickens was a literary superstar. But today the bells of

Southwark Cathedral pealed in celebration of a man whose books

have never gone out of print. is an extract from Bleak House.

Across the Thames, around the grave in Westminster Abbey, hundreds

marvelled once more at his story telling. I thought I was... Ain't

nobody here but you, Mr Woodcut. The author who now lies among the

memorials to our greatest creative writers began his life in the

shadow over naval dockyard in Hampshire. Three cheers for that

great man, Charles Dickens. celebrations tracing Dickens's

Korea opened outside the terraced home which still survives virtually

unchanged. In Kent, where he grew up, members of the world why

Dickens Fellowship read from his books and laid flowers on graves

which had provided names for some of his characters. Others followed

the Dickens trail to London, to the city which she loved and yet a tip

for its social divisions. -- he loved. 200 years on, it is still

possible to find traces of the world which inspired Dickens's

writing. This is the walk of the old prison. At the age of 12

Dickens saw his father locked up for debt and gained first-hand

experience of what it was to be disadvantaged. At another former

home, now the Dickens Museum, a royal audience for one of those who

had helped to bring begins's stories to a new generation.

descriptions of characters and the state of being at that time in

England is part of our historical record of what it was like that

then. Charles Dickens had 10 children. The largest ever

gathering of his descendants were among the congregation in poet's

corner. When you see the explosion of interest in Charles Dickens's

for the bicentenary, it hits the family rather hard. We realise what

a special person he was. Dickens had asked to be buried in rural

Kent, but the public demanded greater recognition. Perhaps, on

reflection, he would have appreciated their efforts.