30/11/2012 BBC News at Ten

Victims of press intrusion unite to urge David Cameron to adopt the

Leveson recommendations on press regulation. A national petition is

launched calling for politicians and newspapers to accept a system

backed by law. I think it's reasonable as a minimum that it's

implemented. That's obviously what we're asking to happen. I think

what the British public will expect. We'll look at whether they're

likely to get it. Also tonight: The head of the UN says the violence in

Syria has reached new and appalling heights of brutality.

Labour celebrates clean sweep in three by-elections and UKIP makes

significant gains. 13 deaths so far this year in the

worst outbreak of whooping cough in 20 years. It's cough after cough

after cough. When she's coughing, she takes an intake of breath when

she's like, it's really bad. It takes her breath away. A rare

interview from Julian Assange, after 164 days in the Ecuadorean

And running to stay ahead, how the traditional games industry is under

threat from a new generation of phone apps and tablets.

Coming up in Sportsday, Middlesbrough aim for the automatic

promotion places in the champion, taking on Birmingham at St Andrews

Good evening. The father of Madeleine McCann has launch aid

national petition calling on Parliament to accept in full the

recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson on press regulation. Gerry

McCann urged politicians to support a system with a legal backing and

tonight, the author JK Rowling said she felt duped and angry by the

Prime Minister's opposition to the idea. The Government says a draft

bill on rel lating the newspaper industry will be published in a

fortnight. But the Conservatives are broadly against legal backing

for a new press watchdog. The Liberal Democrats support it.

Here's our Home Editor Mark Easton. Victims of newspaper abuse

assembled on the green opposite Parliament today urging MPs to

implement the Leveson report in full. An online petition is

designed to keep the pressure on as ministers argue whether press

regulation needs legal teeth. an opportunity for a politician --

for our politicians to redeem themselves a bit. Clearly the

public want it. There's been a public inquiry, a judicial review.

I think the recommendations should be implemented. Lord Leveson wants

a system of independent regulation but backed by the law. There would

be a regulatory body chaired by someone with no press or political

background. Members wouldn't include any serving newspaper or

magazine editor, nor any MP or member of the Government. Its job

would be to set down and ensure press standards with the power to

demand apologies or fine publications. The regulatory body

would be set up by an appointment panel. Only one serving newspaper

or magazine editor would be on the panel at any one time and again,

the majority would have no press background. Behind that, though,

comeles the controversy. Do you need a legal back stop in the form

of legislation? According to Lord Leveson the reason you need to have

Parliament involved and the courts comes down to this: What happens if

a paper says, well we've signed up to the regulation, but I'm not

going to pay for the fine or apologise. What if they say I won't

be part of the regulation process at all. It's a free press, can I do

what I like. This morning's papers provided David Cameron with some of

the friendliest headlines of his Premiership. The Sun backs the

Prime Minister in opposition to legislation arguing the public

don't really care about regulation. There are various polls showing

disinterest in the subject and one for the Guardian which might have

an agenda in this, which shows a huge majority in favour. There's

something wrong there. Somewhere in the people, people aren't

interested in this and few people want to see and don't understand

the regulation of the media. It's exposed divisions in the coalition

with Conservatives saying attempts to write a law will reveal why Lord

Leveson's ideas won't work and Liberal Democrats saying consensus

on legislation is vital. The public wouldn't forgive us if it

degenerated into party political point scoring. The public want to

see action. All the parties have to work together and persuade the

Prime Minister to go along with this approach. We believe that the

same objectives, which is all about having a tough and independent

regulatory body, that is going to provide justice for victims can be

established without that underpinning. That's important.

With the coalition arguing amongst themselves, Labour is turning the

spotlight on the Prime Minister. Many of the victims of sections of

the press will be feeling utterly betrayed by David Cameron. Here's

somebody who commissioned the Leveson report, said that the test

would be whether the victims thought that it would make a

difference to them and within a few hours of receiving the report, he's

rubbished its central recommendation. Plenty of party

points scoring today, but even if Parliament backed new press

regulation it would be unlike to get on the statute book for years,

by which time, priorities may lie elsewhere.

Our Political Correspondent Ross Hawkins is at Westminster for us

tonight. Ross, what can you tell us about negotiations going on behind-

the-scenes? I'm told newspaper editors were talking to each other

late into the night last night trying to work out what to do. Next

Tuesday they will be summoned in to see the Culture Secretary who will

tell them for a better plan for self-regulation than the one they

propolesed to the Leveson Inquiry which was criticised for not being

independent enough. One of the words passed around in Government

is they need to be more "Levesonian" in their approach. The

editor of the Daily Mail will chair a committee, a powerful committee

of editors to decide what to do next. He has said they will address

the concerns of the judge. None of this deals with the essential

political point as to whether there should be a law to back up

independent regulation. Not of it will reassure some of the victims

of press intrusion, like JK Rowling, who said she was dismayed by David

Cameron's response to the inquiry. Thank you. The head of the United

Nations Ban Ki-Moon has described the conflict in Syria as reaching

new and appalling heights of brutality and violence. He was

speaking as government forces continued to clash with rebldz in

and around Damascus. Many flights in and out of the Syrian capital

have been cancelled because of fighting near the airport.

Telephone and internet services have been cut off. Our diplomatic

correspondent James Robbins reports. For months, the internet has been

the world's big window into Syria. Thousands of videos have supplied a

compelling version of mounting rebel pressure on President Assad's

regime. Can you see the volume here. This is one of several global

trackers of activities. -- activity. Watch what happened yesterday. The

internet shut down. Most experts say only the Syrian government has

the means to do this. The United States is clear who is responsible.

The regime does appear to be resorting to cut off all kinds of

communication, cellular networks, land lines and internet services.

It again speaks to the kind of desperation of the regime as it

tries to cling o to power. Why the internet shut down now, at this

point in Syria's conflict, is it because the regime feels under

greater threat than ever before? There's evidence of that in recent

days rebel fighters have been attacking Damascus International

Airport. If any government loses control of its principal airport

it's in trouble. Add in other successes, overrunning military

bases seizing weapons and turning them on the regime and a picture

builds of the balance of this Civil War shifting. The regime does still

have superior fire power, especially from the air. But look

at these pictures, apparently showing rebels shooting down a

Syrian helicopter. If genuine, it suggests greater rebel capability,

but still, all this may not amount to a decisive tipping point.

Contrary to the received wisdom in Western capitals the Al-Assad

regime, even though it's weakened, it has adequate internal and

regional support to fight for many months, if not a year or two. So,

no, we are not at a tipping points yet in Syria. But these rebel

fighters certainly believe they are gaining ground, apparently

overrunning an air base outside Damascus in the past few days. This

is the bloodiest of the Arab uprisings. Ban Ki-Moon says up to

four million people will be in need this winter, as a consequence of

ever more brutal violence. Britain is to withhold �21 million

of direct aid to the Rwandan government because of claims it's

helping rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rebel group

M23 last week seized the Congolese city of Goma and is continuing to

defy Western and African governments to leave. Hundreds of

thousands of people in the city have been forced from their homes.

The Rwandan government has repeatedly denied backing the

rebels. Labour has held to three of its

safe seats in Parliamentary by- elections, Rotherham, Middlesbrough

and Croydon north. There were mixed results for the Conservatives and

Liberal Democrats, but UKIP made significant gains coming second in

two constituencies and third in another. Our Political

Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue reports from Rotherham. Andrew

Joseph McDonald is duly elected. great night for Labour in

Middlesbrough. It's a safe seat, now six out of ten voters support

the party. The Tories were pushed into fourth place with a delighted

UKIP in second. In Croydon north, almost half of all voters backing

Labour, improving their performance compared to the general election.

Did you vote for me? I did. Perhaps their best result came with the

election of Sarah Champion, here in Rotherham. The first woman ever to

represent the town. She won despite the former Labour MP resigning over

his expenses. For me, and for the people that I'm meeting on the

doorstep, the cost of living is going through the roof. They feel

there's a big gap occurring between the south and the north. That's why

people have voted UKIP in second because they want the Tories to

wake up to this. UKIP's second place turned out to be their best

ever by-election result. The Lib Dems ended up eighth. Their worst

by-election in more than 20 years. The Conservatives were down in

fifth, behind the BNP and Respect. Do the Tories still exist in the

north of England? It seems to me they're almost disappearing ah,

part from a few rural pockets. What's happening is in the towns

and cities we're seeing the emergence of UKIP as the second

party in the north of England. admits it benefited from a council

decision to remove three children from Foster parents because they

were members of the party. But they insist their appeal is really

coming from mixed areas such as Britons worth south of the town

centre. We meet Rebecca and Lisa, childhood friends, flat mates and

now UKIP supporters, the first time either of these women has voted

despite being in their late 20s. mum voted Labour nearly all her

life. Then she changed to UKIP. Lisa, UKIP make her believe they're

on her side. Helping UK citizens, keeping money for UK citizens,

helping provide better life for the future. Rotherham has had its fair

share of difficulties recently. There's high unemployment, more job

losses in recent weeks. There was the row over the sexual grooming of

teenage girls and that scandal over the Foster children. But here, like

elsewhere, UKIP was way off winning the Westminster seat. Though nearer

Britain is in the grip of the worst whooping cough outbreak for 20

years. Research today has revealed that in all 13 newborns have died

this year in England and Wales. A pregnant women are being encouraged

to get vaccinated to protect their children. For organ -- Fergus Walsh

reports. The sound of a child with whooping

cough is distressing and unmistakable. You have to go back

to 1982, when his public information film was made, to match

the current death toll. It is babies who are most at risk.

Jessica is six months old and is on the mend but her uncontrolled

lengthy coughing fits were terrifying. It is very worrying

because she is coughing and she cannot get her breath, it is very

scary. There is nothing I could do for her. I felt so helpless.

for her. I felt so helpless. increase in cases in England and

Wales has been dramatic. This year, there have been more than 7700. 13

deaths. Scotland and Northern Ireland have also seen a surge in

cases. So why now? The vaccine is cases. So why now? The vaccine is

effective but its protection is not permanent and has -- there has been

so little infection around recently that there has been no boosting of

natural immunity. Pregnant women have been offered the vaccine at GP

surgeries and health centres across the UK for the last two months. It

will boost their maternal antibodies, which will be passed on

to the unborn child, protecting them in the vulnerable first weeks

of life. Pregnant women ought to make sure they get the vaccine has

recommended. Then if you have young children, they should start the

vaccine programme at eight weeks, and have the next dose four weeks

later. The proportion of pregnant women with the vaccine -- having

the vaccine is not yet known but doctors hope publicity will

encourage more to have the injection.

Coming up tonight, thousands take to the streets in Jordan. Could the

Arab uprising topple another Middle East government?

The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange has given the BBC a rare

and defiant TV interview. 164 days since seeking asylum in the

Ecuadorian embassy. He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over

allegations of sexual assault. So far, it has cost the taxpayer over

�2 million in policing costs during his time in the embassy.

He is the man Who Shot -- shot to fame for her spilling state secrets

on his website released hundreds of thousands of confidential American

cables. In 2010, two Swedish woman accused Julian Assange of sex

crimes. Faced with extradition, he fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in

June, saying, he says, because the Swedish authorities will not

guarantee not to send him on to the US. Agreeing to be interviewed to

promote a new book he has written during his confinement, he hit out

at them. The Swedish government refuses to behave in a way that is

at all normal, rational or reasonable, and that is why I have

been granted political asylum. Sweden and Britain see -- say that

Mr Assange must face questioning. Police are outside the embassy 24

hours a day, poised to arrest him the moment he walks out. It has

already cost �2.1 million and counting. We have not been allowed

to film his living conditions here, but he is reported to be eating a

lot of takeaway food, running on a treadmill and using a special lamp

to get his vitamin D. He appeared in robust health, despite

suggestions from the Ecuadorian is that he is suffering from a chronic

lung condition. The WikiLeaks founder did not like being asked

about it. The BBC has never cared about myself when I was in prison

or when I was under two years of house arrest. Now it cares about

our health because this building is surrounded by police. Apparently,

it hopes, I will be forced out to be arrested in a coughing fit

outside. She thought of that, it is hard to see how this long-running

stand-off will end. -- short of that.

Next week, the Chancellor will deliver his Autumn Statement for,

outlining the measures he hopes will boost the economy and giving

an update on the collision's attempt to cut the deficit. Since

coming to power, he has tried to reduce spending by cutting public

sector jobs and pay. While the number of public service workers

has fallen by 6%, the public sector pay bill has gone up despite pay

freezes. Stephanie Flanders has more.

George Osborne and the public sector unions were never going to

be the best of friends. One of his first acts as Chancellor was to

announce a two-year pay freeze for most public sector workers. He also

made clear that he expected the number of people working for the

Government to shrink. So how was he doing? Well, we know he has not cut

public borrowing as fast as he had hoped, but he has achieved a

massive cut in the number of public sector jobs. When he announced his

first Budget in 20th June 10, he thought it would mean a loss of

around 66,000 jobs across government in the first two years.

In fact, the number of people working in the public sector has

fallen by more than 370,000 since 20th April 10. We have the jobs

been lost? About a quarter have gone from central government, but

it is local authorities that have shed jobs a lot faster than

expected. This accounts for nearly three-quarters of the lost posts.

Newcastle City Council, Labour- controlled, has seen its budget cut

by 12%. They have lost 1000 staff already and another 1300 will have

to go between now and 2015. You might wonder how all of this had

affected the front line of public services? After all, local

authorities pay a lot of nurses and teachers and police. The man in

charge of the city's budget says the services here that voters care

about have stood up very well. So far. They have worked extremely

well, protecting services. The uncertainty is where we are going

to be in 12 months' time or 24 months' time or 36 months' time, as

more and more staff with experience will have to leave the organisation.

The big fall in the number of public sector jobs is obviously bad

news for the people affected, but you would think it would be good

news for the Chancellor, that he would have seen an equally rapid

fall in the overall government pay bill. But that is not have things

bill. But that is not have things have worked out. Although the

number of people working for the Government has fallen by more than

6%, the public sector pay bill has actually gone up by 2% since 2010.

Redundancy payments are part of that, but many public servants are

also getting annual increments or pay rises for building up

pay rises for building up expedience. That is despite the pay

freeze. The pay bill has not fallen as much as the head count. That is

partly because the pay freeze to not affect the lower paid and it is

probable that more people who were made redundant were lower paid.

Also, the people on annual increments got their increments for

some in next week's statement, George Osborne may have to go back

on some of the promises he made in 2010. But he has managed a sharp

cut in the number of public sector workers, cutting the pay bill has

turned out to be more difficult. In Jordan, thousands have taken to

the streets in the latest of a series of protests against the

Government. The country has largely avoided the violent unrest that has

swept the region but the demonstrations were sparked by

rising fuel prices and are being seen as the most serious challenge

to King Abdullah in his reign. There is an elected parliament in

Jordan but the king holds ultimate power. Jordan has been considered

an oasis of stability in the Middle East during a period of turbulence

for its neighbours. This report from a man. As it has

across the Middle East, Friday prayer is a spiritual summons that

becomes a political protest. And here a chant against Jordan's ing

that would have been unthinkable before the Arab Spring. -- Jordan's

cane. The anti- Royal rhetoric is limited

to a minority but there is no mistaking a wider desire for full

democracy and anger over corruption. As in other parts of the Middle

East, Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood are highly influential.

Our purpose is to have freedom for the people of Jordan and to have

reforms which will enable the Jordanian people to rule themselves.

Anger over the endemic corruption has grown because of an economic

crisis. With a huge budget deficit, the Government has been forced to

cut fuel subsidies. The result, a rise in prices that is hurting many.

TRANSLATION: Everything is very expensive. What shall we do? Some

perspective is important. Jordanians have seen the trauma of

Iraq and Syria. They do not want chaos here. We are just looking for

peace and looking for eight peace settlement. We do not want to make

a crisis or make problems with the Government. We cannot afford

problems here. The state has called parliamentary elections for January

but Islamists promise by court. -- promise a bike -- promise a boycott.

Whoever wants to distance themselves from this political

process will not be included. We believe there is political reform

and with everybody's participation we will broaden the leadership in

government and parliament. Faced with powerful security, today's

protest was pragmatically peaceful. These people know they are in for a

long struggle. The demonstrations will not stop and so for the King

the months ahead are a challenge. Consider reform or run the risk of

the Royal Family itself becoming the target of more widespread

opposition? Nintendo have launched their

eagerly anticipated Wii U in the UK, the first major home console launch

since 2007. Industry experts see the release as something of a last

chance for Nintendo to stay at the forefront of gaming. They posted

their first ever lost last year. -- their first ever loss. The

traditional games industry is struggling to compete with the

application market. The control unit is a battery-powered

transmitter... They first appeared in the '70s. For the screen, two

squares represent the players. Games consoles went on to become

high-tech machines at heart of an entertainment industry. Since the

launch of the PlayStation 35 years ago, there has been nothing new. --

PlayStation 35 years ago. Nintendo hopes that Wii U will show that the

console is key to gaining. And there is a whole industry watching

with some anxiety to see how it fares. Since the last release of a

major console, there have been radical changes in the way that

people play games. The fact that Nintendo has decided to include

this touch-screen Remote Controller with its latest console says a lot

about the nature of those changes. Oh! You got me! One of the problems

Nintendo is facing is that so much has changed since 2006 when the

Nintendo Wii came out. We play more on tablets and smartphones. Wii U

is competing in a different field. Nintendo needs Wii U to be a hit to

repair its finances. Three years ago, it made a profit of over �2

billion. This year, it made a loss of over �300 billion. But could

this be the new shape of the games industry? AJ and colleagues

developed this game for tablet computers in just a few weeks.

have had literally no money. In nine weeks, we have come up with an

idea and we now have it published worldwide. I mean, you can do that

with nothing as long as you have the drive and the talent. Giants