06/07/2011 World News Today

D this is BBC World News Today, with me Kirsty Lang. On the

defensive, media mogul Rupert Murdoch is forced to condemn one of

his own papers for despicable behaviour, as it emerged the

victims of the London bombings also had their phones hacked. It is a

violation, isn't it? I still don't know what I think about it, other

than I'm really angry, really angry. A host of major companies are now

pulling advertise from the newspaper. We'll be talking to one

of them. The first woman to head the IMF, Christine Lagarde, says

she's the first -- the right person to improve the organisation's image.

No chance of survive - the UN says children fleeing the drought in

Somalia are dying as they reach a Kenyan refugee camp. We look at the

controversial works of painter Cy Twombly, who passed away after six

Hello. Welcome, he's the most powerful media mogul in the world

wTV stations, newspapers and film stations across the world. Rupert

Murdoch has found himself under fire for the actions of one small

element of his newspaper. Today he condemned the actions of his own

paper he said what News of the World had done hacking phones and

paying police officers were information was deplorable and

unacceptable. It follows statements follow the families of victims of

the London bombings may have been targeted by the paper. Yes, there

was worse to come. Joining the list of those warned their phones may

have been hacked on behalf of the News of the World, the families of

the loved ones blown apart on 7/7. My mind went back to 2005 and the

real emotionalor moil and state we were in and somebody waslyening to

-- the emotional or moil and state we were in and somebody was

listening into it. Also on the list the parents of

Holly and Jessica. And Milly Dowler, whose parents were given false hope

she was still alive when her voice messages were deleted after her

phone was allegedly hacked by a private investigator. Last night,

the Prime Minister returned from Afghanistan to learn of the brewing

storm. This morning, he worked out his answer for the question he knew

would be coming. Given the gravity of what has occurred, will the

Prime Minister support the calls for a full independent public

inquiry to take place as soon as practicable and into the culture

and practises of British newspapers? Let me be very clear,

yes, we do need to have an inquiry, possibly inquiries into what has

happened. Let us be clear, we are no longer talking here about

politicians and celebrities. We are talking about murder victims,

potentially terrorist victims having their phones hacked into it

is disgusting. What happened in the news room at the News of the World

is being investigated by 50 police officers. Now there are to be

inquiries into why the police took so long to take this seriously and

the much wider question of what is wrong with the British media?

Rupert Murdoch's competitors have complained about him for years. No

politician with the prospect of power dared to do it.

After all, he didn't just control of the News of the World, but the

Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times. Today felt like a day when all that

might be about to change. At the helm of Rupert Murdoch's empire is

Rebekah Brooks, editor of the News of the World, at the time of the

alleged hacking of Milly Dowler and the murder victims of Soham.

There were suggests she was away at the time. Her successor as editor

of the News of the World was Andy Coulson, who went on to be David

Cameron's Director of Communications. Last night, News

International said e-mails it had given to the police allegedly

showed he sanctioned tens of thousands of pounds of payments to

police officers. At Question Time, the Labour leader called on the

Prime Minister to join him in calling for Brooks to quit. David

Cameron refused. Next, he was asked about hi former right-hand man.

the public is to have confidence in him, he's got to accept that he

made a catastrophic error of judgment by bringing Andy

Coulson.... Into the heart of his Downing Street machine. I take full

responsibility for everyone I employ, for everyone I appoint. I

take responsibility for everything my Government does. What this

Government is doing is making sure that the fact the public and I felt

so appalled by what has happened, murder victims, terrorist vibg

ticks who have had their phones hacked is quite disgraceful. It is

important there is a full police investigation, with all the powers

they need. This all began with the imprisonment four years ago of the

News of the World's world editor, imprisononed too this man, Glenn

Mulcaire. I made a statement yesterday. Due

to legal constraints, unfortunately at this stage I can make no more

comment at the moment. It is his notes and private phone numbers

which have fuelled this saga. That and the mounting anger of MPs who

allege the police simply did not want to investigation what he'd

done. I think a lot of lies have been told to a lot of people. When

police officers tell lies, or at least half-truths to ministers of

the Crown and then Parliament ends up being misled, I think that is a

major constitutional issue for us to face. Tonight, Rupert Murdoch

issued a statement describing what had happened as "deplorable and

Murdoch's enemies have long claimed hofr is in power, he is the real --

who ever is in power, he is the real puppet master. No-one knows

how this extraordinary drama will end.

So what impact will the phone hacking scandal have on News

Corporation? Well a growing number of big companies, Ford Mitsubishi

have decided not to publish adverts in the News of the World this

weekend. This report contains some flash

photography. Vauxhall, Ford, Mitsubishi and other big companies

with big brands, they've said they don't want to advertise in the News

of the World this weekend because they don't want to be associated

with the shocking revelations about how the newspaper obtained stories.

For News International, owner of the News of the World, a

reputational crisis looks like it could become a financial problem.

This is a crisis for News of the World. Advertisers at this moment

deciding whether to appear in News of the World this Sunday. I don't

think all will pull out. If it's not effectively dealt with this

weekend, I think it could grow. Surely this is a small problem for

Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corporation, which owns News

International. The global revenues of his media empire are more than

�20 billion. The worry for him is contagion from what he described as

the deplorable alleged wrong doing of the News of the World, to other

big ambitions, including his planned takeover of British Sky

Broadcasting. The public will not accept the idea that with this

scandal engulfing the News of the World and News International that

the Government should, in the coming days, in the coming days, be

making a decision outside of the normal processes for them to take

control of one of the biggest media organises in the country.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation wants to buy the 61% of British Sky

Broadcasting it doesn't already own. My sources tell me that BskyB's

board took the view that they would have to pay �9.6 billion for these

shares. Following today's confirmation by Ofcom, the media

regulator, it has a duty to be satisfied that the holder of a

broadcast license is fit and proper, there is a risk that the takeover

could be blocked or unscrambled. So, B Sky B's directors may insist that

Newscorp pay more to compensate for the risk that the deal may never

have. Which provides an incentive for Mr Murdoch and News Corporation

to delay the takeover, pending greater clarity on whether they

will be seen by the regulator as suitable owners of Sky, in the

light of whatever shocking disclosures are made about how the

News of the World obtained its stories.

Well, that was our business editor. I am joined now by the Mitsubishi

spokesperson here in the UK. He's the general manager of

communications. Mr Wertheim. What led you to take this decision? We

know that News of the World has been involved in scandals for years.

The phone hacking allegations have been around for some time. Why now?

We felt that sometimes you just know in life when a line has been

crossed. Yesterday evening we felt that the behaviour that was

continuing to emerge about News of the World's practises was none less

than despicable and that line had been crossed. We felt we had to do

something about it which was in our control. Did you consider pulling

advertising from all of News International or just News of the

World? Because our actions are based around the News of the

World's actions then we have localised it to that organisation.

We recognise that other enterprises are separate entities. For now the

News of the World is the only person being affected by that.

painful will this be for News of the World - what sort of money are

we talking about? In terms of the vast spend,ours may be a small

amount. We will see how far it goes. There are other organisations which

are pulling out advertising spend. Is moral revulsion really the

reason you are pulling adds, or is it because you feel consumers may

boycott Mitsubishi if it was seen to be advertising in the News of

the World? Absolutely not. Last night when we made the decision we

felt personally they had gone across the line. We actually stated

our intentions on Twitter and Facebook yesterday evening. As a

result of the Facebook post, one of our fans suggested that we take the

advertising spend that we would have given to News of the World and

actually give that to a charity. We have taken to be a great idea. That

is what we're doing as well. That was not done as a PR spin. We did

it because we thought it was a fantastic idea from one of our

followers. We put our money where our mouth is. Thank you very much.

Let's look now at other news. Libyan rebels have taken control of

the village of Gualish, 100kms south-west of Tripoli. It is a

crucial step towards the larger garrison town of Garyan, which

controls the main road towards the capital. The rebels say they have

captured several pro-Government soldiers as well. To get more,

let's talk to our correspondent live from the Western Desert. Mark,

is this a significant advance by the rebels? I think it's a

potentially significant development rather than a major advance. The

village of Gualish is important to the rebels. It is along the way

they would like to go to a major garrison town and controls one of

the main north-south roads through Libya and leads to Tripoli. They've

been trying to take this village for several days now. It is now

confirmed they have advanced into it and taken part of it. It is a

big sprawling village. It spreads over several bits of mountain. They

have not taken all of it. They have advanced. They are claiming it is a

victory. It is more of a potentially -- it is more of a

development rather than a victory. Thank you very much. The South

Korean city of Pyeongchang has been chosen to host the Olympic Games of

2018. It was selected in the first round of voting ahead of Munich in

Germany and Annecy in France. The winter games have been held in Asia

twice before, both times in Japan. New rules at reducing the price cap

between using a mobile home at -- mobile phone at home and abroad

have been proposed. They want to cut roaming charges and text

messages sent or data downloaded when travelling in Europe. New

lower price caps could come into force in stages.

The new head of the international mon fri fund, -- the International

Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, has said that the economy was

turning around. In an interview with our correspondent she

discussed our plans and the future of the eurozone.

Christine Lagarde, you are here, the first woman managing director.

What will you change around here? Second day. The first week. Only

the second day. I will try to engage as many people as possible.

What I know about the fund, as a shareholder, as a member, as a

client, which I was for the past six years or so, there are multiple

talents. Extremely smart individuals. A lot of expertise. A

lot of background on difficulties and ways to recover, or ways not to

recover. And my first priority will be to engage people. Just to go to

the big challenge - the eurozone, I think no serious observer looking

at the situation in the eurozone, not just Greece, but other

countries, thinks that you can get out of this ultimately without a

very big reduction in the value of the sovereign debt, particularly of

Greece, but probably other countries. That will be paid for by

either the private investors holding that debt or by European

Governments. Do you think that your former colleagues, the European

leaders, have understood that, that there has to be a reduction in the

It is a matter for everyone, not just me or the IMF. Including

investors? The private sector, international institutions, they

will be asked to participate and contribute. It will have to be

cohesive and not at hoc as sometimes has been the case.

Interesting you say that. You do not think that a solution has been

reached? You think there will need to be a comprehensive solution?

is an ongoing process. For example, they is a programme on the way,

before the review is scheduled for this coming Friday at the board

meeting. We will see whether there has been appropriate delivery of

the undertakings by Greece and we will decide or not to release the

5th. It is an ongoing process. lot of concerns about Portugal and

the downgrading based on the assumption that there will be a

second MLA -- IMF European bailout. Are you confident there will not be

one? I'm very confident on the fact that the Portuguese programme,

which is a very strong one, is supported by all political forces

in Portugal. The fact that the political party in government

reached out to the opposition and the opposition was prepared to join

and embark in the negotiations and in the partnership that was put

together a, I think is a very significant strength. If Portugal

delivers on the commitments it has made, it will restore its position.

I'm convinced of it. Christine Lagarde talking to our

Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders. Well, in Ms Lagarde in-

tray at IMF will be Portugal's growing debt problem. Today the

European Union has criticised a major credit ratings agency over

its decision to downgrade. Portugal's government debt to junk

status. The agency Moody's said Lisbon was unlikely to meet its

debt reduction targets and would need a second bailout.

An appeal will be launched on Friday by the UK-based Disasters

Emergency Committee to raise money to help the millions of people

affected by a severe drought in the Horn of Africa. Parts of Somalia,

Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia have been officially declared a crisis

zone. More than 300,000 people in desperate need of food and water

are now staying at the Dadaab Refugee camp in Kenya. -- 300

people. It's the largest camp of its kind in the world, and our

correspondent, Ben Brown sent this report from there.

Among the refugees at this camp, there are hundreds of lost children

and orphans. Some got separated from their families on the loch --

long walk from Somalia. Others like this boy and his sister no longer

have any parents: Their father died in Somalia's civil war and last

month, their mother was killed as well. TRANSLATION: It is better

here because in Somalia, there was a war. We had no relatives there so

we fled here. We now have a foster mother to look after us. In the

camp's Hospital, these children have parents and precious little

else. Drought and war mean that their bodies have been horribly

weakened by malnutrition. By the time they reached this clinic, it

can be too late. The doctors in his clinic are

working frantically to save as many lives as they can, but too often

they have to register the names of their patients here in this, the

clinic's death book. Inside, the names of the children who have died

recently are registered by date. On some days, two or even three

children here have lost their fight for life. The causes of their death

of registered as a variety of illnesses, but the report is always

the same thing: Chronic malnutrition.

This baby is one year old and is so frail that it is causing doctors

serious concern. TRANSLATION: We need food, water, medicine, shelter

and everything else that human beings need. We are never going

back to Somalia. Hospital staff told me they are under resourced

and overstretched and they need the world to help. They Donkey drawn

cart is the makeshift ambulance to bring in fresh casualties to this

clinic. It is not only children, but the elderly who of and it --

one report to malnutrition. This crowd, -- this drought is killing

young and old alike. Ben Brown at a refugee camp in

Kenya. The American artist Cy Twombley was

known for his huge highly coloured, scribbled canvases. It was

announced last night that he had died in Rome aged 83. Twombly

studied in New York in the late 40s and early 50s when abstract

expressionism was at its height. He was part of a group of young

artists that included Jasper Johns. Twombley moved to Italy in 1957 and

remained there for the rest of his life. This report from Anna

Holligan. He was a modernist master,

challenging traditions with his swivels. Cy Twombley worked in

abstract using oils, pencils and crayons to create these repetitive

lines. Blurring the separation between drawing and painting. But

all this did not happen by chance. In 1954, he was conscripted into

the US Army where he trained as a trichologist. During this time, he

started to explore the techniques of free association and spontaneity.

These were developed by the Surrealists involved in drawing in

the dark. Gradually, a technique emerged and the work now, so unique

it hardly needs to be signed. Born in the USA, Italy was his adopted

homeland. His work was inspired by the landscapes of Europe. Today, it

is on show all over the world. The Twitter tributes reflect his

continued global relevance. A massive loss for the collective

This one reflects the opinion of many, calling Cy Twombley the

Joining me now is the Guardian's Art Critic, Jonathan Jones.

What made Cy Twombley a great artist? He brought painted into

life and kept it alive at a time when people thought it was dying or

dead. Not only painting, but a kind of grand historical conception of

painting that goes back to Rubens. His choice to move from America to

Rome was clearly a choice to live in a world of the Old Masters and

the classical tradition. His work is saturated in references to that.

But it is not just a cold classicism, and it is certainly not

an academic style, he is extremely earthy and fleshy. Some of his

pictures, he was the first graffiti artist. His idea of graffiti is an

obscenity a lot of the time. They are obscene doodles combined with a

quotation, some from the classical orders forced off a lot of people

will look at the picture we are looking at now and say, that is a

bunch of squiggles that anyone could do. That does not seem part

of the greats. That is what is so fantastic about him. He really did

carry the great Jewish and forward, but at the same time, you could

never call him Conservative. -- the great tradition forward. I read

something online about him just being a doodle a great artist. He

came out of the American abstract tradition. In some ways, he was the

Jackson Pollock of his time. He made American art famous in the

1950s. He came directly after that tradition. He was the heir to

Pollock and he had -- they were both very great artists. You have

to look at his command of colour. Anyone who says he is splashing it

about, he is a great colourist. What about the use of writing and

text, which is presumably another reason why be talking -- about him

as a graffiti artist? It was an extremely important element in

complex ways. One way, he was a very private man and a real

intellectual. You could tell he obviously deeply loved poetry. The

quiet -- the quotations he put in his paintings are not just dry

things. They are usually about love and death. The important thing

about him, the recent that he loved language and poetry was that he

wanted to be an abstract artist, but he also wanted to be about the

human things that matter. Such things like love, death and history.

I'm afraid that is all we have time for, thank you very much.

A drawing by Picasso, thought to be worth �100,000, has been stolen

from an art gallery in San Francisco. Police are looking for a

man who walked into the Weinstein Gallery, took the pencil drawing

"Tete de Femme" - Head of a Woman - off the wall, and then disappeared

in a taxi. A reminder of our main news. The

British Prime Minister has backed opposition calls for an independent

inquiry into the phone hacking scandal that's engulfing Rupert

Murdoch's British media group, News International. One of its papers,

The News of the World, is accused of paying to hack into mobile phone

messages - such as those of a missing schoolgirl who was later

found murdered, and those of relatives of the victims of the

2005 bombings in London. Well, that's all from the programme.

Next the weather. But for now from me Zeinab Badawi and the rest of

Hello. There's more wet and blustery weather sweeping north an

east across much of the UK overnight. Tomorrow it is back to

the mixture of sunshine, but also some beefy, hefty showers around.

Low pressure sitting across the United Kingdom for Wednesday. That

is why we have all the showers swirling around that area of low

pressure. For many areas the showers will move through on the

breeze. For Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland, very close to

the centre of that low pressure, there's barely a breath of wind.

The rain will stick around. This is the picture at 4pm in the afternoon.

There are showers dotted around across much of England and Wales.

As is ever the case with showers it is not a constant rain. There are

gaps between the showers. Inbetween you get to see occasional sunshine.

17-18 Celsius is the temperature across much of the UK.

Catch a shower, it could be thundery. There could be some hail.

They will tend to move on. For Northern Ireland and south-west

Scotland, here they send to stick around. There is a risk here of

getting caught in a heavy, torrential downpour. It is no hurry

to move on somewhere else. Perhaps not so many showers the further