04/08/2011 BBC News at Six

Europe's economic crisis is spreading. A warning from the EU

Commission. The debt contagion now threatens Italy and Spain. The

eurozone's third and fourth biggest economies. All smiles two weeks ago

when Europe's leaders bailed out Greece. The EU says they may have

to step in again. Markets are extremely happy that the real

underlying problems, which is an absence of growth, have not been

resolved. We'll be asking whether trouble in the eurozone means

trouble over here. Also tonight: The alleged torture of UK terror

suspects. Human rights groups pull out of the inquiry saying it is not

credible. The father of the Australian teenager who thought she

had a bomb around her neck describes her ordeal. She is tired

and saw from this device. The five- a-day guide to bringing up children.

Do you know what it takes to be a good parent? And later in the

sport: Joey Barton is thrown a lifeline by his manager. The

midfielder has been on the transfer list after comments he made about

Good evening and welcome to the BBC's News at Six. Just two weeks

ago European leaders thought they had averted a financial crisis. Now

it seems they didn't even come close. The head of the European

Commission has warned that saving Greece was not enough. Italy and

Spain - the eurozone's third and fourth biggest economies - are the

latest countries struggling with a loss of market confidence. The

crisis has triggered a massive sell off on the London Stock Exchange,

wiping �40 billion off its value. Here's our economics editor,

Stephanie Flanders. Two weeks ago today, at their umpteenth emergency

summit, European leaders said they had finally taken the tough

decisions. The future of the euro was safe. Someone forgot to tell

financial markets. A couple of weeks ago markets anticipated the

European players had got together and found a solution to the problem.

When you dig into the detail that lies behind the grand statements,

it is clear there is not a lot of money on the table and no political

will to sort out the problems. again it is Italy and Spain that

are paying the price. A year ago the Spanish government was paying

4.4 % to borrow from the markets, much less than the likes of Greece.

In the lead-up to the summit, it had come up to 6.3 %. It is now

back very close to that level. Italy is plain -- paying almost as

much. They're running out of ways to respond. The European Commission

President today sent a stern letter to euro governments, talking about

a growing market scepticism about the capacity to do with the crisis

which had now extended well beyond the periphery of the eurozone. They

should push ahead with what they have already agreed. The European

Central Bank did take action today, announcing it was stepping to

support governments under pressure by buying bonds, something it has

not done since March. The President also had stern words for national

politicians. The key for everything is governing ahead of the curve. In

terms of fiscal policy and structural reforms. Structural

reforms are of the essence. I know they are here and there are

difficult. They might be politically difficult. They are

paying off. The UK did get ahead of the curve on cutting its deficit.

The opposition would say too far ahead. Bank stocks fell sharply on

fears that British banks and the fragile recovery would be blown off

course by the crisis across the Channel. Everyone could agree it

was a bad time for European leaders to be heading for the beach. And

Stephanie is with me now. It is happening over there but it has

caused Arad on the stock market. Are they running out of options?

The markets are thin and everyone has gone on holiday. People have

looked at the building storm in financial markets around the world

in the last few days with increasing concern because we know

European politicians do not have a lot more to throw at it. At the

summit a few weeks ago they said they would turn the emergency bail

out fund into a marriage to fund to help countries in trouble. --

Monetary Fund. European central bank can only be a stop gap. At the

same time there are real worries about the strength of the global

recovery which is pushing down stocks. We do not know how this

will play out. In the next few weeks, the way this crisis plays

about, could be crucial to our recovery. Shares in Lloyds Banking

Group have fallen sharply after it announced losses of �3.3 billion.

The bank, which is partly owned by the taxpayer, has had to set aside

�3.2 billion to compensate customers who were mis-sold payment

protection insurance. The Bank of England has announced that interest

rates will remain at a record low of a half of one per cent. The

Monetary Policy Committee also voted not to increase its programme

of quantitative easing, which pumps new money into the economy. A court

in France has ruled that the new head of the International Monetary

Fund, Christine Lagarde, should be formally investigated over

accusations that she abused her position when she was the French

Finance Minister. Ms Lagarde denies influencing a multi million pound

payment in favour of a business tycoon in 2008. Major human rights

groups have decided to boycott the independent inquiry into what

British security services knew about the alleged torture or

mistreatment of terror suspects. They say it will lack credibility.

David Cameron announced the inquiry last summer saying it would clear

up any questions of wrongdoing and restore Britain's moral standing.

Our security correspondent, Gordon Corera, reports. How much did

British intelligence know about the alleged mistreatment of those

detained abroad in the fight against terrorism? Last year the

Prime Minister made clear he wanted to draw a line under the ongoing

controversy. The longer these questions remain unanswered, the

bigger the stain on our reputation... He announced an

inquiry. Lawyer's have now said they will not participate. One

former detainee explains why. will be information that we think

is right for us to see as former prisoners that will be held in

secret and kept in secret. We will not be able to see it. In a sense

it is a repeat of history. Our detention in Guantanamo Bay was

justified through the use of secret tribunals. Supporters of the

inquiry into the intelligence services claim it will be as open

as possible, given the nature of the material. It will be more open

than any inquiry that has previously dealt with intelligence

matters has ever been. There is still a limit. There will be items

of material that a so sensitive it would be against the interests of

the country to publish them. Government hoped it could limit the

damage by agreeing a deal in which the former detainees it would end

their legal action in return for compensation - believed to amount

to millions of pounds - as well as an agreement to hold an independent

inquiry. A key issue for that inquiry is what guidance was given

to intelligence officers interrogating detainees held by

other countries. There is no allegation of torture by Britons

and intelligence chiefs have denied any complicity in his treatment by

other nations. A police investigation is ongoing. When that

concludes, the inquiry is due to the game. A spokesperson said it

would move forward with or without those representing the detainees.

The question will be, with how much credibility? Reports from the

Syrian city of, say people were killed overnight by government

troops. There has been a major military assault and they appear to

have taken the city centre. Communications are almost

completely cut off. One resident has described it as a battlefield.

Alex Salmond has published an exchange of letters with News

International executives, including Rupert Murdoch, in the wake of the

phone hacking scandal. The letters date back for years. The meetings

were right and proper, it is claimed. Live to our Scotland

Correspondent he was outside News International printing plant in

Lancashire -- Lanarkshire. What is being said? They reveal a friendly

relationship between the two men. A relationship on first-name terms.

In one letter, from October 2007 to a News International executive,

Alex Salmond wrote, I hope that News International goes from

strength to strength. In another letter, addressed to Sir Rupert in

September, 2008, he was invited to join the official Scottish

delegation for the Ryder Cup matches to be held in Kentucky next

month. Alex Salmond said he would offer Rupert Murdoch hospitality.

That would not have been paid for by the tax payer here. Is this

likely to be damaging in any way? It has been seized upon by the

Labour Party in Scotland who have suggested it shows a pattern of

Alex Salmond seducing Rupert Murdoch and continuing to do so. He

was continuing to meet him until as recently as June this year - one of

A Macro of three encounters between the two men. What Alex Salmond a

pass to be as people say is they successfully secured the support of

the sun paper macro. -- Alex Salmond a's people. An intruder

strapped a fake bomb around the neck of a teenage girl. Madeleine

Pulver suffered a 10 hour ordeal at her home in the suburb of Mosman.

Nick Bryant reports. The father of the girl has been speaking about

the incident. At the end of her ordeal, Madeleine Pulver was taken

to hospital near her home. She was sore but in good spirits. Given

that she had what was feared to be a bomb chained to her neck for 10

hours. This is the suburb where the drama unfolded. Aim last intruder

entering the family home with a shoe box sized device he said it

was packed with explosives. The police said it was a very elaborate

hoax. A note left behind -- by the intruder suggested the motive.

are treating this as a very serious attempted extortion. The

examination of the device has revealed there was in fact no

explosive material contained in that advice. As bomb-disposal

experts had struggled to make sense of the device, her parents had to

wait on the street, unable to communicate directly with her

daughter. They saluted the bravery of the police who stayed with her

and also the calmness of their daughter. Maddie wanted to thank

the few officers who spent many long hours sitting with have,

showing little regard for their own personal safety. They were an

incredible comfort during a horrific ordeal. They know who they

are and she is incredibly grateful. It is being reported tonight that

the note attached to be devise warned it would explode if

Madeleine tried to contact police or tried to tamper with the wires.

It underscores the terror that unfolded. It is something they are

determined to put behind them, saying they just want to get on

with their lives. It is probably the toughest job any of us do -

bringing up children. A group of researchers said there are five key

ways in which parents can make sure children get the best start in life.

The Government should start a national campaign to help parents.

Would that really work? The kind of day that will test any parent. On

this wet Somerset campsite this morning, some nerves would

definitely frayed. How has it been? A nightmare. Gemma was finding it

tough. The children have done nothing but fight. You are seeking

sanctuary in your car. I have come to escape to have a cry.

Government thinks it might have the answer. A five-point plan for mums

and dads. What are these five key things that parents should be

doing? Read to your child for a quarter of an hour every day.

with to a child on the floor for 10 minutes. Talk to your child every

day with the telly off. Give them lots of praise. Keep your kids good

food. Good boy! Sheltering from the rain in their holiday chalet, a

Melanie and her three children. She agrees a five-point plan can help

development of children. Some parents do not have a lot of common

sense was that they need to be told you do need to read your charts

each night and feed them properly and spent time with them. Ministers

hope the five a day plan can also address wider social problems as

children grow up. They insist it is targeted at all parents regardless

of income and background. Critics say it is simplistic and

patronising. You have the real problem with parenting and

childhood generally. It is a very complex one which cannot be solved

by a quick recipe of five bullet points. Back at the Holiday Park,

Gemma has decided how she will punish her children. Even after a

difficult day she does not want advice from ministers. Go out and

find criminals and leave us alone. The need to parent children how you

want. It seems the Government is set to adopt these plants in its

Our top story tonight: Europe's economic crisis is spreading,

leading to a massive sell-off on the London Stock Exchange.

Coming up: are you adicketed to your smartphone? We tap into some

of the more surprising facts about The judge leading the inquiry into

the phone hacking scandal, Lord Justice Leveson, has said he will

examine wider press ethics in relation to the public, politicians

and police. He will also look at how newspapers use private

investigators. The BBC has learned that a controversial firm of

private detectives, Southern Investigations, was employed by the

Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror on more than 200 occasions from 1997

to 1999. Robert Peston has the details. Sunday Mirror, no surprise

it has published endless stories on the likes of George Michael, Kirsty

Young, Mick Jagger, Peter Mandelson and Will Carling. More surprising

perhaps is that Sunday Mirror employed a private firm to get

these stories and vast numbers of others. A former Mirror journalist

convicted in 2005 for insider trading explains. There are a few

journalists competing for the few stories. If you are competing

against the Sun, the News Of The World or papers in your own group,

like Sunday Mirror, you've got to do everything you can to get the

story. If the opposition are using those methods, like News Of The

World was, then you have to use those techniques or you are not

going to get the stories and lose sales. A BBC investigation

discovered that between October 1997 and September 1999 Southern

Investigations was employed on 230 occasions by the Daily and Sunday

Mirror and billed for its services. Many media service, including the

BBC have employed private detectives. On average Southern was

doing two pieces of work each week for the Mirror. This is some of

what the Mirror bought from Southern Investigations. An invoice

is for fouling Kirsty Young. It says, "To our motorcycle

surveillance operative maintaining operations on your behalf." The

bill? �306.62. Hiring a private detective to watch someone isn't

illegal, even though some might be surprised papers do this. The

Mirror paid for information on Peter Mandelson, the size of his

mortgage, the monthly payments and the amount outstanding. Also, how

much he had in his current and savings accounts at Coutts, the

Queen's bank, and his direct debits. Many journalists would say there

was a powerful public interest in learning about his private finances

given that he had taken a loan from Geoffrey Robinson, a tie which

should have been disclosed. I want British journalism yes to bring the

truth to light but to do so with courage, with honesty, with decency.

The Mirror Group told the BBC it last used Southern Investigations

in 1999 and its journalists work within the criminal law and the PCC

code of conduct. Another 1998 invoice was for a mobile phone

number and PIN. There was no evidence it was used that way and

phone hacking wasn't illegal until 2000. The Prime Minister asked Lord

Justice Leveson to examine the culture, practices and ethics of

the press following illegal behaviour at News Of The World.

Lord Justice Leveson will look at how newspapers ferreted information

rather than using journalists. A father of two from Leeds has been

given an indeterminate jail sentence for possessing what police

believe is the largest ever collection of child pornography in

the UK. Daniel Taylor, from Farnley in Leeds, had more than 300,000

images of abuse and pleaded guilty to 27 offences. Police say the

sentence should act as a deterrent to others. The way we came about

this is ground-breaking technology which we used to monitor activity

like this on the internet, which enabled us then to identify Taylor,

locate him, arrest him and bring him to justice. I would hope this

case serves as a warning to others who may be tempted to engage this

such activity. We will have the ability to identify them and track

them down. Almost 130,000 pupils in Scotland

got their exam results today and pass rates have hit record levels.

But an urgent investigation has begun after tens of thousands of

candidates were sent their results yesterday by mistake in text

messages. It is a delivery which helps decide whether hopes for the

future can become a reality. Influencing choices about whether

to try and enter the world of work or find a course and continue

studying. I've got two As, two Bs and a C. Are you pleased with that?

I'm quite disappointed with the C for English. Hopefully I can appeal

it. How but do? Four As and a B. I'm thrilled! This year one in five

found out by text whether they passed or failed. Results sent a

day early by mistake. There is now an inquiry into how this happened.

I didn't know whether they were real. When I saw it on paper it

confirmed it and makes me happy about it. I'm really pleased.

really good because you didn't have the night before where you couldn't

sleep. These pupils still have a year to go at school but the

Highers they have just complete ready the gateway exam for all of

those hoping to go on to university or college. So will the cost of

studying play a part in their decisions on where to go in 12

months' time? Scottish students pay no tuition fees if they study in

Scotland. That will continue. But next year fees at English

universities will rise significantly. That prospect is

making some pupils here like Douglas Scott and his parents pause

for thought. It would be nice to think that England or English

universities was an option. Financially it is not,

unfortunately. Douglas is going to have to apply and keep his fingers

crossed and hope he is lucky enough. Advice is there for those left

disappointed, but with another year of record exam results, places on

the clearing system are limited and competition for those and jobs or

apprenticeships tough. Is the smartphone threatening to take over

our lives? The latest survey from Ofcom, the media regulator, fourpbd

that a third of adults and a majority of teenagers described

themselves as highly addicted. They used them at meal times, in the

booth room and even take them to bed.

Emma Simpson reports. Meet the rams dense, a smartphone family. Ollie

never stops texting, while mum, Natasha, likes to stay on line.

This technology has changed the way they live. They are addictive. I

can sit there playing games, looking at Google and Facebook,

things that usually would have to go to a computer for. Now it is

easier to pick up and use. where this 14-year-old goed his

smartphone goes too. But Ollie isn't alone. Nearly half of all 12

to 15-year-olds who've a smartphone use it in the bathroom. So do more

than a fifth of adults. Ollie? How much do you use your smartphone in

there? When the shower is warming up, when I'm brushing my teeth,

maybe even when I'm on the toilet. You are kidding me! Er, no.

these devices aren't easy to put down. Today's survey showed that

23% of adults with smartphones use them at meal times. But at what

cost to our manners? This pocket- sized computer appears to be

changing the rules. Technology is really starting to drive the way we

behave in social situations, it seems. The question is, how good a

thing is it? More than a third of adults think they are highly

addicted to their smartphones, according to the study. And the

figures are far higher for teenagers. Young people are

particularly heavy users of social networking sites and media such

Aztecs messages. There is no evidence as such that it is

detracting from their off-line life but there is no evidence that it is

enhancing it. That may be but if smartphone proving essential to

daily lives and sales are soaring. It seemed like a turn around in the

It seemed like a turn around in the weather today. Let's get the latest.

If only we had an app to control the weather. We are working on that

one. Today some places saw a couple of inchs of rain on the South Coast.

Most of hus a flash. The trend is for rain to be easing away as we go

into the evening and night. It will linger in the far north-east, where

it is misty and murky. Tonight, fresher. Temperatures down to 12-14

degrees. It should be a dry end to the night virtually nationwide.

Friday is looking OK for most. It might start grey but for most a

fine end to the week, with welcome sunshine. It might be a struggle in

some places but the cloud will lift. Not necessarily drive every. Where

we'll have rain across the Northern Isles. Through the afternoon you

might see the odd shower in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland.

For the vast majority of us, a nice day. We'll see cloud building

inland. Some of the best of the sunshine will be on the coastal

fringes. The wind is not too strong. The coasts of Devon and Cornwall

not doing badly. Broken cloud inland. Fine and dry with light

winds. That's the story across Wales as well. The chance of

showers in the north of Ireland and Scotland. These will be isolated.

High teens are typical in many northern areas. The weekend - a

mixture. There'll be sunshine but showers too. Arguably Saturday the