14/09/2012 BBC World News

Grotesque and unjustifiable - the royal response to topless pictures

published of Kate as she sunbathes with Prince William.

This is the scene live in Cairo as protests continue in Egypt and

across the Arab world over a film seen as insulting to Islam.

Pope Benedict arrives in Lebanon shortly with the conflict in

neighbouring Syria on his agenda. Welcome to BBC World News. Also in

this programme: China moves its ships away in a

deepening row with Japan over disputed territorial islands.

And thousands of Guatemalans forced to flee their homes as the Fuego

Grotesque and unjustifiable - those are the words used by British Royal

officials to describe the publication of pictures in a French

gossip magazine. They show Prince William's wife Kate topless, and

were taken last week when the couple were on holiday at a private

chateau. The officials say the incident is reminiscent of the

worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana,

Princess of Wales. The Royal couple are now seeking advice from lawyers.

This report by Luisa Baldini The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

toured a mosque for the first time during their tour of Malaysia this

morning. This is a largely Muslim country with laws on decency so the

timing of the publication of the topless photographs is awkward. The

magazine which has published the photos, called Closer, is now on

sale at news-stands across France. TRANSLATION: I think it is not

normal to photograph this type of thing. He she is entitled to a

private life. Why do journalists take this type of photo? It is not

normal. The pictures were taken at this private chateaux, reportedly

set in hundreds of acres of land. It belongs to Viscount Linley, the

Queen's nephew and William's cousin. In a statement, St James's Palace

It is not the first invasion of the couple's privacy. Just after their

marriage last year, the Cambridges honeymooned in the Seychelles and

an Australian magazine published several unauthorised photos of the

couple on the beach Stennack. Kate is a huge draw for photographers

and was so even before marrying into the Royal Family. This was her

at a charity roller disco during a brief split up from William when

their relationship was on hold. In 1999, a topless photo of the then

royal bride-to-be Sophie Rees-Jones, now Countess of Wessex, was

published by the Sun, prompting an official complaint by the Palace to

the Press Complaints Commission. The Palace hasn't done that in

regard to the Sun's publication of a naked Prince Harry in Las Vegas.

The paper made the decision to publish after the photos when viral

on the internet. There's a qualitative difference between

snapshot of a young couple at a hotel, in a private hotel, in

France, and a young lad with a relatively raucous group of people

in Vegas. The couple, initially said to be saddened and

disappointed, are now said to be furious and are consulting their

lawyers. Our Royal correspondent, Nicholas

Witchell, who's in Kuala Lumpur, says the wording of a statement

released by Royal officials in response to the publication of the

pictures uses exceptionally strong language.

It says that the incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses

of the press and paparazzi during Diona's life and it is all the more

upsetting to the Duke and Duchess for being so. For are invoking the

memory of William's mother in the context of this latest incident.

The statement goes on, it is unthinkable that anybody should

take such photos, let alone publish them. It says there publicity --

privacy has been invaded in a grotesque and done justifiable

manner. They say the Duke and Duchess are consulting lawyers to

consider what options might be available to them. They are

absolutely furious and outraged, not just that the photographs were

taken, but that in France of all countries, supposedly with such

strict privacy laws, a magazine published them. They do speak about

a red line being crossed and given what kind of -- given that, what

kind of legal action could follow? That is what they are now

consulting lawyers about. They have lost the opportunity to restrain

publication in France. The magazine is on the news stands, these

pictures are in the magazine. What I imagined they must be at least

looking at now is the option of selling the photographer answering

the magazine which published them. Fees were pictures taken without

permission, clearly. They were on private property, they had every

expectation of privacy on such a private few days at Williams

cousin's home in France. It is in that context that I would imagine

French lawyers will be looking at whether there's any opportunity to

take legal action against a photographer and the magazine.

Thank you. There have been more protests over

a film produced in America and widely seen as offensive to Muslims.

There are concerns that many more people could take to the streets

following Friday prayers. Let's take you live to Cairo - this is

the scene right now near the American embassy. It looks as if

there could be tear-gassed in the air. We know police have fired

teargas today. Clashing with protesters, trying to get past

their cordon to the American embassy itself. Security has been

stepped up in many countries across the region.

In Libya, authorities investigating the attack that killed the American

ambassador, three other Americans, and several Libyans trying to

protect them, have made several Skirmishes, a stand-off and

simmering tension on the streets of Cairo. Here and elsewhere around

the Muslim world, the authorities have been braced for more public

anger to flare up after Friday prayers over the controversial

video. The Muslim Brotherhood has called for Egyptians to protest

outside local mosques, and effort perhaps to disburse the anger.

Because all this comes at a critical time in the Egyptian US

relationship as the two sides have been trying to rebuild their ties

following the upheavals that toppled Hosni Mubarak and brought

the Muslim Brotherhood to power. For a new adoption authorities, the

last few days have been unwelcome. After US complaints that the

Egyptian authorities were slow to denounce attacks on its embassy,

this letter from the Muslim Brotherhood's deputy leader to the

Meanwhile, the US and Libyan authorities are still trying to

piece together exactly how the US consulate in Benghazi was gutted

and the US ambassador and three other Americans killed. For Libyan

authorities say they have detained a number of people in connection

with the attack, but still questions over the extent to which

this was a pre-planned assault under the cover of protests.

President Obama and his administration have distanced

themselves from and to denounce the video, but in election season, he

is also under pressure to take a firm stand on the attacks. Her no

act of terror will go unpunished. It will not in the light, the

values that we proudly present to the rest of the world. No act of

violence shakes the resolve of the United States of America. And the

Americans are taking no chances as they further 45 their embassy in

Cairo and US and other Western missions around the world step up

their security. -- further fortified. And now the business.

Yesterday we had that move by the Federal Reserve and that has fed

through onto the stock markets in Asia and Europe. They have been

making healthy gains. It follows that fresh effort by the US Federal

Reserve to kick-start growth in the US economy. It is called QE three,

a third round of quantitative easing. It will see the Fed pump

about $40 billion every month into the economy by buying mortgaged

debt. They will continue doing so until the outlook for the labour

market improves. James jug says QE isn't actually the perfect tool for

fixing economic problems. It is not a particularly effective policy at

getting the economy going. What really needs to happen is that we

need more time for households to D leverage, to lower their debt

levels, and for the government to do the same thing. That process

itself involves slowing down the economy. If people are spending

less and saving more, if the government is cutting, it weighs

down the economy. The best way to look at QED as as if it is putting

in place a cushion for the year, may, preventing it from being worse

than it would otherwise be. They are doing this to some extent

because the government is in a state of stagnation because of the

election and so forth, and indecision in Congress. This is the

only thing they can day. They've got this legislated cut coming in

next year that will slash perhaps three percentage points off the

growth rate of the US economy. We think the economy can only grow at

around 2% next year. Effectively there's a risk of recession in 2013

in the US unless Congress can get its act together. In Europe you

have 17 different governments, that is the problem here. In the US

they've only got one government, but they can't even make a decision

that is so critical to the performance of the US economy.

India's government has raised the price of diesel by 12%.

It is a deeply unpopular move. Even the Prime Minister's coalition

allies have criticised this rise. India imports around 80% of their

oil needs. Joining us from them by it is the India business

correspondent. Face simply can't afford to go on subsidising at this

rate? -- and they simply. that's right. Fuel prices, except

for those of petrol, are controlled by the government and heavily

subsidised. Prices don't change according to global rates. The

government has been criticised for spending as much as $35 billion

every year on these fuel subsidies. It is becoming a burden on the

country's economy. They are attempting to cut down on these

subsidies and get that finances on track. It is an unpopular move.

There have been political protests and we are expecting more street

protests in the coming days. Concerns about what this will mean

for inflation, in particular food prices. What will it mean for

growth within the economy? Surely if you put up the prices of diesel,

there is a very good chance you might slow growth in the economy if

people's money is being spent just on transporting themselves around

and cooking. Diesel is one of the main fuels used for transport. This

could increase prices for everything, everyday items, like

food. What will that do for consumption? Fuel subsidies --

subsidies were a big part of government spending. This is an

attempt to get it in order. It has been welcomed by business analysts

and industries. Thank you. Eurozone finance ministers are holding talks

in Cyprus today and on Saturday ahead of a meeting. Austria's

finance meeting said -- finest -- finance ministers said Greece could

be given more time to meet its financial targets.

Strike in miners in South Africa have rejected a wage offer from the

Lonmin platinum producer. The offer is still well below the increase-up

demanding. Last month 34 people were killed by police. The trial

has become the former UBS trader. Prosecutors have accused him of

making rude traipsed that cost the bank more than $2 billion. -- Rd

trades. He denies two charges of false accounting and fraud.

Advertisements have appeared for the post of the Governor of the

Bank of England. The bank's current chief Mervyn King retires next year.

The Bank of England is set to take on sweeping new powers. A quick

European markets are up sharply. There's a feeling Dewey in America

is good for the commodity markets. And that is it. That is the

business news. Thank you very much. Still to come:

The Pope arrives in Lebanon with what has been called a gesture of

peace for the region. And the latest on the volcanic eruption in

Guatemala that has forced tens of thousands to seek safety.

Shameful, the verdict of the former United Nations Secretary General,

Kofi Annan on what he sees as the international community's failure

to act together to help those caught up in the Syrian conflict.

His comments come as his successor is visiting Damascus. It is his

first visit there in his new role, due to me to the Syrian President

later. Kofi Annan has been telling my colleague that it is important

to keep up the pressure on both warring parties. To get them to pay

even any attention, you have to give them an outline of what the

political settlement could be, for them to see it as an alternative to

trying to achieve the objectives through the battlefield. If they do

not do that today, they're going to have to do tomorrow. Whether

tomorrow is six months from now or one year from now, but in the

meantime thousands of Syrians will have been killed. Thousands have

been displaced, if not a million. And the international community

cannot get its act together to help them. I think this is one of the

most shameful moments in the system being confronted. Does this rank as

one of the worst you have seen two this ranks -- the worst you have

seen? This ranks as potentially the worst because we are only at the

beginning. It can lead to sectarian divisions not only within the

country but within the region. Syria is in the most volatile part

of the world, and it is not a country that is neatly tucked away.

You cannot expect the crisis to be contained. This could affect all of

the region and have an impact globally. We need to be conscious

of that. The Russian parliament has expelled the opposition politician,

Gennady Gudkov, over allegations that he ran a business while he was

a member of parliament. He denies breaking the law. He said he was

ousted as part of a crackdown by Vladimir Putin on dissent, which

started when he returned to the Here are the headlines: Grotesque

and unjustified, the Royal response to the publishing of topless

pictures of Kate Middleton sunbathing with Prince William. And

protests continued against a film produced in America that is widely

seen as offensive to Muslims. Live to Beirut, where Pope Benedict

has arrived at the start of his three-day visit to the Middle East.

This is a visit that has been called a gesture of peace to the

region. He is expected to urge Christians not to leave the region.

There have been high emigration figures in recent years. As you see

the Pope's plane touching down, we should say that this is the first

papal trip to Lebanon in 15 years. Pope Benedict is expected to

emphasise calls for an international solution to the

conflict in neighbouring Syria, the kind of course we have been hearing

from Kofi Annan. -- the kind of calls. Jim Muir is in their return.

-- Beirut. This is keenly anticipated by the a Christian

community. Absolutely. And the number two man in the power

structure here is present, with the Sunni Prime Minister. A whole of

Lebanon, really, turning out here to welcome the Pope on what is seen

as a very special day. The plane has just arrived and the Pope is

about to appear. As I say, the Government is waiting to meet him,

with the whole of London on right behind them. He will be here for

three days and he will make several big public appearances. He will be

addressing Christian youths on Saturday evening. He will be giving

an open-air Mass on Sunday, not long before he takes off again to

go back to the Vatican. A very big day, a very big weekend for Lebanon.

In which he will be very much shredding his message -- spreading

his message, which is one of unity and steadfast as I made the

challenge is that Christians face, and opening up to other communities

and faiths. I think he is probably about to come out of the plane.

Eagerly-awaited. It is a very nice, sunny day, as you can see, and one

in which people are really looking forward to this visit, which they

hope will keep Lebanon on the map, and be part of his message of

tolerance and understanding between faiths in the region. We can see

the Vatican's camera man coming down the steps now. And the crew is

being brought around. I'm sure the Pope will be disembarking in just

the next few minutes. As you are saying, very important to the

people of Lebanon at a time when the civil war in Syria and the

threat of that spilling over Borders is creating a lot of

tension. That's right. He will find his Christian community here deeply

divided over Syria. There are some who are allied with the opposition

and support them, and others who are allied with the regime because

they see it as the best way to stop the rising tide of fundamentalism.

The pontiff, coming out now. You can hear the cries of the crowd.

Obviously, it is a big moment for people. As I was saying, he will

find a divided Christian community but they are not at each other's

throats. That is the important thing. In a sense, they are

spreading their bets unwittingly, because by backing both horses,

they are not seen as a target or a party. They are seen as a community,

and as spread out, not identifying with one side or another. To that

extent, they are almost like a buffer zone between the Shi'ite and

the Sunnis, who were in quite a hostile Configuration at the moment.

Pope Benedict being greeted, as you say, by all sections of Lebanese

society, represented by senior politicians here. A three-day visit,

the highlight will be the open-air mass? That's right. He is being

greeted by President Silman, who is a Catholic, of course, and the

Prime Minister, the very tall man, who is a Sunni Muslim from Triple A.

-- Triple A. And the main public event will be the mass he is

presiding over on Sunday. In the meantime come on Saturday, he will

be going up to the palace to be received by the President that he

will again have the chance to meet the full government. As well as not

just Christian leaders from around the region and from Lebanon, but

also Muslim leaders. That is very much part of his message of

reaching out between faiths. Encouraging Christians to be part

of the societies around them, rather than frightened minorities.

That will be his main message. Of course, he will be treading a

careful line because he knows Teresia is to put a foot wrong in

this very hothouse atmosphere in the region. Especially with the

outcry over that hitherto hardly noticed video which has now set the

region in flames. That will be one of the contexts in which he will be

making his remarks during his visit. In a way, Jim, one of the missions

of the pot in Lebanon maybe to help to advise Christians who may feel

vulnerable, given the potential backlash against their communities

following the outrage of that film that you were just talking about,

linked to a Coptic Christian in California, according to reports.

Obviously, there are more tensions and worries than usual and the

timing is unfortunate. That's right. In a sense, the timing is apposite.

Because of these controversy is that a racing -- raging controversy

is that are raging. The potential link with Coptic Christians is bad

news for Christians in the area because you can see how sentiment

has been inflamed. Even without that link, it was always the -- it

was already worrying development because in general the uprisings in

at various Arab countries have had quite a strong context of

Islamisation. They have brought Islamist parties to the fore, often

moderate ones that believe in democracy but also there has been

the alarming emergence of more violent factions, as in Libya. It

is already a tense situation for the Christians. That is why I think

they are so glad to see the Pope here, this very visible symbol of

unity among Christians and also stretching out to other faiths.

That will be his message and that is why he is so very welcomed here

by most Lebanese. Finally, and briefly if you could, the Pope has

apparently told reporters that the import of weapons to Syria is a

grave sin. Quite a political statement. Yes, it had been known

that he would speak out against the arming of both sides, and that is

of course the UN's position. Ban Ki-Moon and others have said the

same thing. It is perhaps slightly unusual that he would take such a

strong stand on that because, in a way, it is against the Syrian

opposition who are clamouring for arms, to be able to fight on a more

level battlefield. It is very much part of his message of peace that

arming either side is simply fuelling the flames. Jim Muir in

Beirut, thank you very much. We will leave you with these pictures

of the poll's arrival for his three-day visit to Lebanon. He has

already spoken on the plane about the importing of weapons to Syria