:00:11. > :00:13.This is BBC World News Today. In a cage, on a stretcher, Egypt's
:00:13. > :00:23.former president goes before a Cairo court, accused of corruption
:00:23. > :00:24.
:00:24. > :00:28.and ordering the killing of protesters. These accusations, I
:00:28. > :00:31.deny them. I have not committed any such crimes.
:00:31. > :00:34.The Syrian crackdown goes on, as the UN draws closer to a common
:00:34. > :00:37.position on Damascus. Solvent and solid. Silvio
:00:37. > :00:39.Berlusconi delivers an upbeat assessment of Italy's economy, but
:00:39. > :00:44.government borrowing rates reach record highs.
:00:44. > :00:46.Britain's hacking scandal spreads. Heather Mills claims a Mirror group
:00:46. > :00:53.executive told her that messages from Sir Paul McCartney were
:00:53. > :00:56.intercepted. Not quite the very model of a
:00:56. > :01:06.modern major festival, but how the fans mark 100 years since the death
:01:06. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:19.Hello and welcome. It has been an unprecedented day for Egypt. The
:01:19. > :01:22.man who ruled the country for 29 years, Hosni Mubarak, has appeared
:01:22. > :01:27.in a Cairo court to face charges of corruption and of ordering the
:01:27. > :01:31.killing of Egyptians. Nearly 850 people died during the uprising
:01:31. > :01:35.that eventually forced him from power six months ago. Mr Mubarak
:01:35. > :01:40.heard the charges from an iron cage in the courtroom where he lay on a
:01:40. > :01:50.hospital stretcher bed, apparently too frail to stand. From Cairo, Jon
:01:50. > :01:54.Leyne reports on the first major trial of the Arab Spring.
:01:54. > :01:58.From early-morning they gather outside the courthouse at the
:01:58. > :02:05.police academy. Protesters and relatives of those killed in the
:02:05. > :02:09.revolution demand justice and revenge. Clashes are quickly
:02:09. > :02:15.breaking out and there is anger towards the police and the
:02:15. > :02:20.opposition do not trust the military either. Even as order was
:02:20. > :02:25.restored, people here did not believe the military would put on
:02:25. > :02:33.trial their former commander and president. As they hearing began,
:02:33. > :02:38.they filed into the caged dock. The two sons. The former interior
:02:38. > :02:44.minister. Finally, Hosni Mubarak himself. He was brought in on a
:02:44. > :02:49.stretcher, clearly conscious and fully aware of what was going on.
:02:49. > :02:53.The judge refused the plea for the 83 year olds to be allowed out of
:02:53. > :02:57.the hearing on grounds of ill health. The prosecutor read out the
:02:57. > :03:03.charges. Hosni Mubarak did nothing to prevent attacks on demonstrators,
:03:03. > :03:07.he said. TRANSLATION: The intention was to
:03:07. > :03:14.kill the biggest number of protesters. For the first time in
:03:14. > :03:19.30 years, the former leader was asked to answer for his actions.
:03:19. > :03:24.TRANSLATION: These accusations, I deny them all. Then, an unpleasant
:03:24. > :03:32.surprise for the current military leader Field Marshall Tantawi.
:03:32. > :03:37.Lawyers called for him to testify. So, this is Hosni Mubarak. He was
:03:37. > :03:43.once powerful, now on a stretcher, in a court room, facing charges
:03:43. > :03:47.that could lead to the death penalty. The accusation is that the
:03:47. > :03:54.former President responded to these protests by ordering his men to
:03:54. > :03:59.open fire. More than 800 protesters were killed. Proving his command
:03:59. > :04:04.responsibility will be a challenge. This is a moment Egyptians never
:04:04. > :04:11.believed they would see, their former president, members of his
:04:11. > :04:17.family and his officials in the dock, in what used to be the police
:04:17. > :04:23.academy in his name. Certainly, the protesters outside the court were
:04:23. > :04:28.exhilarated by the spectacle. I saw him, I felt it was the first
:04:28. > :04:32.step to justice. It is not like they are happy because of what is
:04:32. > :04:42.happening to him, they are happy that justice came to this country.
:04:42. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:46.The question is, with -- will this heel or reopened Egypt's wounds?
:04:46. > :04:51.I am joined by an Egyptian journalist who joins me from New
:04:51. > :04:57.York. How significant is this today in the grand scheme of things for
:04:57. > :05:02.those who demonstrated for change? It is absolutely significant.
:05:02. > :05:06.Listening to his voice saying he denies charges gives me goose bumps.
:05:06. > :05:13.This is something we lost so many lives in Egypt for. This is
:05:13. > :05:17.something Egypt has been struggling for. Human rights activist, unions,
:05:17. > :05:21.feminists, everybody who came together to march against his
:05:21. > :05:27.tyranny, they never thought they would see this day. This is a boost
:05:27. > :05:33.for everybody in the region. He is a weak man. Does it matter if he is
:05:33. > :05:36.not present during the trial? question whether he is weak. We get
:05:36. > :05:45.the weekly update from his solicitor, making it seem like he
:05:45. > :05:49.was in a coma every two days, when during his years in power, it was a
:05:49. > :05:54.crime to discuss his health. He comes into court with his hair
:05:54. > :05:57.freshly dyed. If he wanted public sympathy, he would have gone
:05:57. > :06:01.further to look frail. It is important for him to hear the
:06:01. > :06:08.charges and for all tyrants across the region to see him being held
:06:08. > :06:12.accountable. His lawyers are saying that they would like to speak to
:06:12. > :06:17.Field Marshall Tantawi. This is a country, Egypt is on a tightrope in
:06:17. > :06:23.many respects, would it be a good or bad thing for Field Marshall
:06:23. > :06:33.Tantawi to come to trial? It would be a fantastic thing. I am aware
:06:33. > :06:39.that we have replaced Hosni Mubarak with a Supreme Council of people
:06:39. > :06:44.like him. Let us take out their dour -- dirty laundry and air it.
:06:44. > :06:48.This trial was not a gift from the Supreme Military Council. It is the
:06:48. > :06:53.people of Egypt who forced the army and military council that runs the
:06:53. > :06:58.country to put him on trial. He is one of theirs and they are his
:06:58. > :07:04.friends. They should all be held accountable. That said, it is the
:07:04. > :07:09.military who are in control. military is in control. I just came
:07:09. > :07:17.back from Egypt where I spent time in the square with the City in
:07:17. > :07:21.before it was broken up. -- sit in. This trial is a result of people
:07:21. > :07:26.pressure. This pressure will continue to remind the military
:07:26. > :07:30.that when we enter trials, where one civilian leadership and fair
:07:30. > :07:38.elections. I am confident people pressure will liberate Egypt from
:07:38. > :07:43.the regime. It is an unique moment for Egypt. It is significant for
:07:43. > :07:49.other nationalities in the Middle East. In what way? We cannot forget
:07:49. > :07:54.the suffering of sisters and brothers are in Syria, where they
:07:54. > :07:59.are continued to be massacred brutally. Revolutionary is watching
:07:59. > :08:05.this should be thinking, one of these days there President will be
:08:05. > :08:11.held accountable and face what Hosni Mubarak faces. All of them,
:08:11. > :08:18.Colonel Gaddafi, the rulers of Saudi Arabia, they must be watching
:08:18. > :08:25.Hosni Mubarak brought to his knees, in aid cage. They know that the
:08:25. > :08:29.people of their country can hold people accountable.
:08:29. > :08:36.Members of the UN Security Council agreed on the wording of a
:08:36. > :08:42.statement that will condemn the violence in Syria. Reports from
:08:42. > :08:46.Hama say there are tanks after days of violence that have left 140
:08:46. > :08:53.people dead. As roadblocks smoulder on the
:08:53. > :08:57.streets of Hama, the shelling begins again. These pictures are
:08:57. > :09:03.uploaded to the internet by activists and show the fear of
:09:03. > :09:07.residence as security forces continued their deadly crackdown.
:09:07. > :09:17.Residents of the central town have told the BBC that many are fleeing
:09:17. > :09:21.
:09:21. > :09:30.to villages. Today, about 5am, all communication, land lines, internet,
:09:30. > :09:36.they had been dropped completely. They started firing and bombs and
:09:37. > :09:41.tanks in all directions of the city. The government attempts to cut
:09:41. > :09:49.communications are impossible to verify -- make it impossible to
:09:49. > :09:55.verify what is going on inside Syria. There are protests in other
:09:55. > :10:01.places. The unrest is blamed on armed gangs and saboteurs attacking
:10:01. > :10:07.the troops. But, at the UN Security Council, bet is unease about the
:10:07. > :10:12.actions of Syria's forces. required balance has not been
:10:12. > :10:19.achieved in the course of discussions. And in the current
:10:20. > :10:25.shape and form of the text, it may not play a constructive and
:10:25. > :10:29.positive role. The confrontations between the President's forces and
:10:29. > :10:35.protesters calling for freedom and democracy started in March. Still,
:10:35. > :10:41.survival seems to be the concern of the regime. Any UN Security Council
:10:41. > :10:45.action is unlikely to have impact on the streets of Syria.
:10:45. > :10:49.Cocaine with a street rally at of up to $500 million has been found
:10:49. > :10:53.inside a luxury yacht on the south coast of England. The drugs were
:10:53. > :10:58.stashed in a secret compartment in a boat headed from the Caribbean to
:10:58. > :11:03.the Netherlands. Officials say they were so well concealed it took six
:11:03. > :11:08.days to find them. Six men had been arrested.
:11:08. > :11:13.The Louise, a luxury yacht with the trappings of a wealthy lifestyle.
:11:13. > :11:20.The Louise hadn't even -- hidden extra, the largest amount of
:11:20. > :11:24.cocaine ever seized in the UK. This is what it looks like. 1.2 tonnes.
:11:24. > :11:30.It was an international law enforcement operation involving
:11:30. > :11:33.seven countries. This is a global threat and it requires a global
:11:33. > :11:37.response with trusted Partner ships and for people to rely on the
:11:37. > :11:42.information and intelligence they are given. It was from Venezuela
:11:42. > :11:47.that the drugs consignments set sail. It was shipped to the British
:11:47. > :11:52.Virgin Islands and packed inside Louise, a 65 ft cruiser. This is
:11:52. > :11:57.where the British and French authorities were tipped off. They
:11:57. > :12:01.tracked the Louise across the Atlantic. With her cargo she was
:12:01. > :12:06.transported on a container ship. The next stop was Southampton. She
:12:07. > :12:11.was going to the Netherlands but the UK became her journey's end
:12:11. > :12:14.when law enforcement agencies began their search. It was under the
:12:14. > :12:20.diving platform they eventually located what they had been looking
:12:20. > :12:25.for. Cocaine and the street value was �300 million. How do you hide
:12:25. > :12:32.such a large stash of drugs? The smugglers were clever. It took
:12:32. > :12:36.teams working 12 hours a day six days to find all the cocaine. Often,
:12:36. > :12:40.smugglers used a false fuel tank to hide the drugs. The Louise had a
:12:40. > :12:45.false tank, but it was empty. The smugglers hoped to put the
:12:45. > :12:51.searchers off the scent. But they kept looking for a cocaine, which
:12:51. > :12:56.was 90% pure. It would have found its way into Europe and around
:12:56. > :13:03.Europe and back to the UK in large store. We think this would amount
:13:03. > :13:11.to in terms of street availability something in the region of seven or
:13:12. > :13:16.eight tons of cut cocaine. This is huge. This will damage. With the
:13:16. > :13:21.Louise impounded, the owner, his sons and two other men are under
:13:22. > :13:29.arrest in the Netherlands. Also seized from the Gan were guns and
:13:29. > :13:33.over 1 million euros in cash. -- gang. Australian police have
:13:33. > :13:38.freed a young woman after ten hours in which they tried to deal with a
:13:38. > :13:42.suspected bomb reportedly strapped to her body. Few details have
:13:42. > :13:46.emerged about the incident in a wealthy Sydney suburb. They said
:13:46. > :13:49.they were examining the device and the girl was back with her parents.
:13:49. > :13:54.They said there had been interaction between the girl and
:13:54. > :13:57.the person who planted the device. NATO is sending hundreds of
:13:57. > :14:02.additional troops to Kosovo amid tensions over two crossings on its
:14:02. > :14:05.northern border with Serbia. Hundreds of ethnic Serbs who refuse
:14:05. > :14:10.to accept the declaration of independence have maintained road
:14:10. > :14:16.blockades in the area. A rather extreme way of cracking
:14:16. > :14:20.down on illegal parking. This is the Mayor of Vilnius in a tank
:14:20. > :14:27.running over a Mercedes. The leader had enough of driver's parking
:14:27. > :14:32.where they should not, so he and a public relations team took matters
:14:32. > :14:35.into their own hands. He is an avid cyclist and hopes that by showing
:14:35. > :14:45.the world how seriously he takes traffic offences there will be less
:14:45. > :14:49.
:14:49. > :14:52.of them and drivers like that in The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio
:14:52. > :14:56.Berlusconi, has told the Lower House of Parliament that the
:14:56. > :15:00.country's economy has a solid foundation and its banks have good
:15:00. > :15:03.reserves of cattle. He was speaking in Rome following market
:15:03. > :15:07.speculation that the eurozone debt crisis might spread to Italy and
:15:07. > :15:11.Spain. Earlier today, the Italian Finance
:15:11. > :15:16.Minister Giulio Tremonti held an emergency meeting at the eurozone -
:15:16. > :15:20.- with the routes on German Jean Claude Juncker in Luxembourg, but
:15:20. > :15:24.details of the talks have not been released. The President of the
:15:24. > :15:28.European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has also commented, saying
:15:28. > :15:38.the speculation do not reflect these true state of the Italian and
:15:38. > :15:46.
:15:46. > :15:51.Spanish economies. In fact, a little while ago, the chair of the
:15:52. > :15:56.European Commission felt that our market was under pressure and our
:15:56. > :16:06.banks have also overcome on their own financial crisis. They have
:16:06. > :16:12.been able to deal with losses on credit which were given a -- gave
:16:12. > :16:20.rise to the recession. In the last few months they have been able to
:16:20. > :16:24.get access to capital and sufficient funds to overcome the
:16:24. > :16:28.stress test. Joy and in me from Rome is David
:16:28. > :16:33.Lane who is the Italy business and finance correspondent for the
:16:33. > :16:39.Economist. Do you buy a solve your
:16:39. > :16:45.Berlusconi's keep Cameron carry on approach? I think it was a
:16:45. > :16:52.disappointing performance in Parliament. I do not think he put
:16:52. > :16:57.forward any major ideas that will bring the big change to what is
:16:57. > :17:02.happening in the Italian economy or in public sector finances. We will
:17:02. > :17:05.wait to see what the markets tomorrow say. Even the European
:17:05. > :17:13.Commission President suggesting that Italy and Spain are getting a
:17:13. > :17:18.raw deal out of the markets. would expect him to say that.
:17:18. > :17:23.is a fair point. We are looking at a country where the Government has
:17:23. > :17:26.introduced in austerity plan. Mr Berlusconi says that is an
:17:26. > :17:33.indication we are moving in the right direction. The banks are
:17:34. > :17:37.solvent and the economy is sound. The markets have said they do not
:17:37. > :17:41.believe that story. They believe there should be more austerity and
:17:41. > :17:46.that not enough is being done to encourage growth. I think that is
:17:46. > :17:51.one of the major problems with the Italian economy. It has a low
:17:51. > :18:00.growth rate about 1% and that is not enough to convince the markets,
:18:00. > :18:05.especially where one is seeing yield of around 6% on Italian bonds.
:18:05. > :18:09.It is over 6% now. I was going to ask you about that. At what point
:18:09. > :18:15.do you think the Italians volunteer the Greek trap and have to start
:18:15. > :18:23.saying, we do need a bail-out? not think they have got to that
:18:23. > :18:27.point yet. In August, they have cancelled the auction of medium and
:18:27. > :18:34.long-term bonds. They have decided to do that because taxes are
:18:34. > :18:39.collected mainly in July and June. They have had such - tax-efficient
:18:39. > :18:46.revenues and so they have said they will cancel the auction in August.
:18:46. > :18:52.I must say that I spoke to a senior banker and they say they believe
:18:52. > :18:57.the Treasury should should have gone through with the auction. It
:18:57. > :19:02.might be seen as a sign of weakness. Her they might get some idea
:19:02. > :19:06.tomorrow when the Spanish Government bonds are up for auction.
:19:06. > :19:10.Spain in not take a similar position in terms of the cost now
:19:10. > :19:20.of borrowing. Are we looking at some sort of eurozone Armageddon
:19:20. > :19:22.
:19:22. > :19:32.again? It looks like it. When one looks at the their debt they Italy
:19:32. > :19:34.
:19:34. > :19:40.had when it joined the eurozone, around 110% of GDP, it is now 120%.
:19:40. > :19:48.That is twice what was laid out by the treaty. Perhaps Italy should
:19:48. > :19:54.not have joined the euro. A tiny, - - finally, he is known as a man of
:19:54. > :19:58.charisma. Could he still be the right man to bring Italy round?
:19:58. > :20:02.remember that we wrote about Berlusconi more than 10 years ago
:20:02. > :20:08.that he was unfit to lead Italy. I think that everything that he has
:20:08. > :20:15.done over the last three years in Government since the firm this
:20:15. > :20:25.Government in 2080 and what he did between 2001 and 2006, shows away
:20:25. > :20:29.were fit to write what we did. Here in Britain, more phone hacking
:20:29. > :20:34.allegations have emerged, this time about the prep -- Mirror Group of
:20:34. > :20:38.newspapers. Heather Mills has made claims to the BBC that a senior
:20:38. > :20:42.Mirror Group editorial figure admitted hacking highly sensitive
:20:42. > :20:48.voice mails left for her by Sir Paul McCartney before they were
:20:48. > :20:52.married. Heather Mills is a former model,
:20:52. > :21:00.best known for her four year marriage to Sir Paul McCartney. She
:21:00. > :21:04.was the subject of tabloid stories for years. Tonight she alleges that
:21:04. > :21:08.the senior journalist at Mirror Group Newspapers admitted hacking
:21:08. > :21:12.his voice mail left for her in 2001 by Sir Paul McCartney. She said he
:21:12. > :21:21.quoted parts of the message, following an argument she had with
:21:21. > :21:27.her then boyfriend. We had had an argument. If you do anything with
:21:27. > :21:36.the story because they were private conversations about the issues we
:21:37. > :21:42.were having as a couple, I said, what would you do? He said, OK. I
:21:42. > :21:47.did hear it on you're voice messages. I will not run it.
:21:47. > :21:51.parent company, Trinity Mirror, tonight said in response to the
:21:51. > :22:00.allegation that its position was clear. That all its journalists
:22:00. > :22:04.work within the criminal law and the Press Complaints framework. It
:22:04. > :22:10.was not the then editor Piers Morgan. However, the message in
:22:10. > :22:14.question appears to be one which Mr Morgan later admitted listening to
:22:14. > :22:17.any 2006 article in the Daily Mail in which she wrote, at one stage I
:22:17. > :22:25.was played the message poll have left for heather on her mobile
:22:25. > :22:30.phone. It was heartbreaking. The couple had had if fight. He sounded
:22:30. > :22:35.lonely, miserable and desperate and even sang We Can Work It Out into
:22:35. > :22:39.the answer phone. If her recollection is correct, the
:22:39. > :22:45.message he listen to had been hacked. And they fell Mirror Group
:22:45. > :22:49.journalist had tried to use it to get the story. Piers Morgan who now
:22:49. > :22:56.works for CNN has consistently denied phone hacking or authorising
:22:56. > :23:05.it. This man worked for the company as a business journalist. He was
:23:05. > :23:09.later convicted of conspiring inflated share prices. He says the
:23:09. > :23:17.practice was widespread at the time Heather Mills claims the event took
:23:17. > :23:23.place. It was an accepted technique for stories. The BBC has also
:23:23. > :23:28.learned that many people also believe they were hacked by the
:23:28. > :23:33.Mirror Group. If you like a bit of Gilbert and
:23:33. > :23:38.Sullivan, you may want to head for Derbyshire in the North of England.
:23:38. > :23:44.A festival is taking place to mark 100 years since the death of WS
:23:44. > :23:54.Gilbert. Fans from around the world are taking part and it is just more
:23:54. > :23:59.
:23:59. > :24:04.than about of that musical blend. It is 150 productions.
:24:04. > :24:10.We are in Buxton for a celebration of Gilbert and Sullivan. It is
:24:10. > :24:20.magic. If you like singers and good music and a good laugh. I cannot
:24:20. > :24:23.
:24:23. > :24:31.think of anywhere else to go. everywhere you go, it is final
:24:31. > :24:41.rehearsal time. That was HMS Pinafore. This is another HMS
:24:41. > :24:43.
:24:43. > :24:51.Pinafore. Meanwhile, next door... They are rehearsing his the Mikado.
:24:51. > :24:56.And here we are backstage for the Yeomen of the Guard. And it is for
:24:56. > :25:00.the festival director, Ian Smith, a record breaker. How many
:25:00. > :25:10.productions altogether? The in total in this festival we will have
:25:10. > :25:17.50 full-scale productions. operas, 2000 costumes and an
:25:17. > :25:21.audience with high standards. quite nerve-racking. There are
:25:21. > :25:30.people sitting with scores on their laps, turning the pages as you sing
:25:30. > :25:40.the song. Which is rather off- putting! I have been here for 18
:25:40. > :25:42.
:25:42. > :25:47.years. Beautiful theatre. Let me show you the orchestra pit. The
:25:47. > :25:52.fascinating piece of the Buxton Opera house. On this tour, a
:25:52. > :26:01.glimpse of the effort and the passion in this the centenary year
:26:01. > :26:10.of -- of the death of the composer WS Gilbert. It is a wonderful
:26:10. > :26:19.introduction. And also to English society. And of English Umar. --
:26:19. > :26:29.English humour. So 50 casts, some young, some not so young. All
:26:29. > :26:34.
:26:34. > :26:38.nations, are all far operas deeply Victorian and very, very English.
:26:38. > :26:42.Andy reminder now of her main news: The deposed Egyptian President and
:26:42. > :26:46.his two sons have pleaded not guilty during their first court
:26:46. > :26:51.appearance in Cairo on charges of corruption and ordering the killing
:26:51. > :27:01.of hundreds of demonstrators. That is it from the programme. The
:27:01. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:08.Hello, that was the last of the hot and humid days. Rain will push away
:27:08. > :27:15.that humidity, bringing the temperature down. Some of the rain
:27:15. > :27:23.will be on the heavy side. With that rain for tomorrow, heaviest
:27:23. > :27:27.across southern areas, as much as 25 mm in places. That rain clearing
:27:27. > :27:31.away from Western Areas with some sunshine following. The rain
:27:32. > :27:34.pushing further east as we go through the day. This is the
:27:34. > :27:39.picture for four o'clock in the afternoon. You can see the bright
:27:39. > :27:44.colours indicating the intense downpours. The rain clearing away
:27:44. > :27:48.from London at this stage. Behind the rain, brighter skies follow. In
:27:48. > :27:52.some sunshine, some decent temperatures for the afternoon.
:27:52. > :28:00.Getting to the low twenties in some places. There will be a fresher
:28:00. > :28:06.feel to the weather. Still a violent end to the day. -- still a
:28:06. > :28:10.fine end to the day. 20 degrees and Belfast. The main pushers on to
:28:10. > :28:17.Northern Scotland where it will be quite heavy. It will hang around as