US grounds entire F-35 jet fleet

22 February 2013 Last updated at 17:50 ET

The US has grounded its entire fleet of 51 F-35 fighter jets after the discovery of a cracked engine blade.

The fault was detected during a routine inspection of an air force version of the jet (F-35A) at Edwards Air Force Base in California, said the Pentagon.

Different versions are flown by the navy and the marine corps. All have been grounded.

The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons programme. with a cost of nearly $400bn (£260bn).

The Pentagon said flight operations would remain suspended until the root cause is established.

Friday's order was the second time in two months planes from the F-35 range have been grounded.

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Squadron Leader Steve Long of the UK's RAF explained the capabilities of the F-35 in 2010

The marine corps variant (F-35B), a short take-off and vertical landing variant (STOVL), was grounded for nearly a month after a manufacturing defect caused a fuel line to detach just before a training flight in January.

The air force version takes off from, and lands on, conventional runways while the STOVL version takes off from shorter runways and lands like a helicopter.

The UK is buying the STOVL variant for its future aircraft carriers.

It is replacing the scrapped Harrier jet which had a range of 300 nautical miles, compared with the F-35's 450 nautical miles.

With a top speed of 1,200mph (1,930km/h), the F-35 can fly almost twice as fast as the Harrier, while it also has radar transparency and stealth capabilities - the Harrier had neither.

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Vatican attacks resignation 'gossip'

23 February 2013 Last updated at 05:39 ET

The Vatican's chief spokesperson has criticised the media for reporting "misinformation" about the Church.

Father Federico Lombardi said some were trying to profit from a time of disorientation in the Catholic Church to spread "gossip" and "slander".

Father Lombardi made the comments in an editorial on the Vatican radio website.

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, the first by a pope in nearly 600 years, takes effect on Thursday. His decision surprised many within the Church.

There have been recent articles in the Italian and international media suggesting intrigue and corruption in the Church.

'Unacceptable pressure'

An unconfirmed report in one of Italy's biggest newspapers, La Repubblica, suggested that the Pope had resigned shortly after being presented with a dossier detailing a network of Vatican priests, "united by sexual orientation" who were being blackmailed.

Continue reading the main story

Whoever has money, sex and power at the forefront of their mind sees the world through these parameters"

End Quote Father Federico Lombardi Vatican spokesperson

Without giving credence to such allegations or addressing the report specifically, the Vatican spokesman said those putting themselves in positions of judgement had no authority to do so.

"Whoever has money, sex and power at the forefront of their mind sees the world through these parameters and cannot see beyond, even when looking at the Church," he said.

"Their view cannot look to the heights or go in-depth to understand the spiritual dimensions and motivations of existence," he added.

Last year, the Pope appointed three retired cardinals to conduct an investigation into a scandal that became known as Vatileaks. The Pope's former butler Paolo Gabriele was convicted and later pardoned for stealing documents from his office.

Referring to the upcoming conclave, during which the next leader of the Catholic Church will be chosen, Father Lombardi also suggested that the media was exerting "unacceptable pressure to condition the vote of one or other member of the college of cardinals".

The BBC's Vatican correspondent, David Willey, says that this is probably directed towards attempts by the American media to dissuade US cardinals alleged to have covered up clerical sexual abuse scandals from travelling to take part in the vote.

Later on Saturday, the Pope is due to hold a farewell meeting with the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.

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Ratings cut humiliating, says Labour

23 February 2013 Last updated at 05:52 ET

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Ed Balls: "Our debts are getting bigger because there's no growth in the economy"

Labour has attacked the government's economic policy after the UK lost its AAA credit rating, but the coalition says it is "making progress".

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the downgrade was a "humiliating blow" for the chancellor, urging him to act fast to "kick-start our flatlining economy".

But chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the government was getting Britain "back on track".

Ratings agency Moody's cut the UK's top rate to Aa1.

The agency, which is the first to downgrade the country's rating since 1978, said it had done so due to expectations that growth will "remain sluggish over the next few years".

It said the government's debt reduction programme faced significant "challenges".

Chancellor George Osborne said the decision was "a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country" and did not mean the government should change course.

'Flatlining economy'

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

It was a question of not if, but when.

Financial markets knew a downgrade of the UK's sovereign rating was just a matter of time.

Even so, the announcement by Moody's was a big jolt to the ongoing economic debate.

There is no shame in losing the AAA rating at a time when most leading economies are struggling with the burden of rising debt and lack of growth.

The UK is following the experience of the US and France in 2011.

Their borrowing costs actually fell after the downgrades.

But the symbolism of Britain losing the gold-plated rating for the first time since the 1970s cant be ignored.

George Osborne will have to work hard to explain why, having set great store by retaining the AAA when he arrived at the Treasury, he has now seen it stripped away.

And it seems likely Moody's rival agencies will deliver their own verdicts soon.

However, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Balls said: "This credit rating downgrade is a humiliating blow to a prime minister and chancellor who said keeping our AAA rating was the test of their economic and political credibility.

"I have always said... that you should not set your policy by the credit ratings agencies. They have got things wrong in the past.

"But what matters is the underlying economic reality and what has happened is the credit rating agencies have caught up with the facts.

"There has been no growth now for two years, our deficit is getting bigger... the plan has not worked. This is why the chancellor is fast running out of credibility."

Mr Balls added: "In the budget, the government must urgently take action to kick-start our flatlining economy and realise that we need growth to get the deficit down."

Pressed on whether he would increase borrowing at the moment, he said: "I would slow the pace of deficit reduction. I would have an immediate stimulus in the economy."

'Utter failure'

Responding to the comments, Lib Dem minister Mr Alexander told BBC News that losing the AAA rating was not a devastating blow.

"I would say this is disappointing news and that the credit rating agencies are one benchmark amongst many in terms of the economy, but actually our credibility as a country is tested every day in the financial markets."

"We continue to command very low interest rates and also this country is continuing, despite all the difficulties and despite the fact that growth has been much slower than was originally forecast... to create jobs - a million jobs since we came into office."

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Mr Alexander insisted the government was trying to "deal with huge financial problems we inherited from Ed Balls and his colleagues and get the country back on track".

He added: "Or course it's been slower than expected, but I think we are making progress down the right road."

BBC political correspondent Alan Soady said the cut carried symbolism because, even in opposition, Mr Osborne had talked about the importance of reserving the UK's AAA rating, and protecting it was one justification for his deficit reduction plan.

The downgrade would therefore provide ammunition to the government's opponents, our correspondent said.

Scottish finance secretary John Swinney said the cut proved the UK's "vigorous austerity programme" was not working.

"The decision to downgrade the UK's credit rating confirms the utter failure of the UK government's economic strategy," he said.

In announcing the ratings cut, Moody's cited the "challenges that subdued medium-term growth prospects pose to the government's fiscal consolidation programme, which will now extend well into the next parliament".

It said the UK's huge debts were unlikely to reverse until 2016, but added its outlook was "stable" - meaning it sees no further downgrades in the near future - and its creditworthiness remained "extremely high".

The UK's net sovereign debt was the equivalent of 68% of the country's annual economic output, or GDP, at the end of last year.

The country has experienced a double-dip recession since 2008. It grew in the third quarter of last year - boosted by the impact of the Olympics, but shrunk again by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012.

Continue reading the main story

CREDIT-RATING AGENCIES

• Private-sector firms that assign credit ratings for issuers of debt
• A credit rating takes into account the debt issuer's ability to pay back its loan
• That in turn affects the interest rate applied to the security (eg a bond) being issued
• A credit downgrade can make it more expensive for a government to borrow money
• AAA-rating is the best credit rating that can be given to a borrower's debts, indicating that the risk of borrowing defaulting is minuscule.

In his Autumn Statement in December, Mr Osborne acknowledged public finances were taking longer to rectify than planned, and admitted he would be forced to extend austerity measures by at least another year.

And earlier this month, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said the Bank of England should be ready to inject more money into the economy to boost growth.

All three major credit agencies last year put the UK on "negative outlook", meaning they could downgrade its rating if performance deteriorates.

Germany and Canada are the only major economies to currently have a top AAA rating - as much of the world has been shaken by the financial crisis of 2008 and its subsequent debt crises.

The credibility of ratings agencies have also come under attack. S&P is being sued by the US government over ratings it gave to some mortgage-backed assets in the run-up to the global financial crisis in 2007, which subsequently fell dramatically in value.

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Syria opposition SNC boycotts talks

23 February 2013 Last updated at 06:30 ET

The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) has pulled out of a series of international meetings in protest at what it said was the "shameful" failure to stop violence.

The SNC said it had decided not to attend a meeting of the Friends of Syria Grouping in Rome next month.

It was also turning down invitations for talks in Washington and Moscow.

A statement singled out Russia for supporting and supplying weapons to President Bashar al-Assad.

"The international silence on the crimes committed every day against our people amounts to participating in two years of killings," the SNC said.

"The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons," it added.

No compromise

Continue reading the main story

• Unrest against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March 2011
• Within months it escalated into a de-facto civil war
• Rebel forces include the Free Syrian Army - formed by army deserters - as well as jihadist groups
• Damascus describes the rebels as foreign-funded "armed gangs"
• Neither side has the upper hand. The largest rebel-held areas are currently to the north and east of Aleppo and between Idlib and Hama
• The political opposition remains divided despite the formation of a Syrian National Coalition in November
• More than 70,000 people have died since 2011, UN estimates

The decision to boycott international diplomatic meetings in Syria effectively torpedoes the initiative launched by SNC leader Moaz al-Khatib, the BBC's Jim Muir says.

Three weeks ago he announced that he was ready to meet Syrian government representatives to discuss an end to the violence.

The initiative was strongly backed by international powers including Russia and he was invited to Washington and Moscow. Now those visits will not take place.

The SNC will also boycott the Rome meeting of the mainly western Friends of Syria group, which supports the opposition.

It is particularly enraged by the use of Russian-supplied Scud missiles to bombard rebel-held areas of Aleppo - Syria's biggest city.

"Hundreds of civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes and Aleppo is being systematically destroyed," the SNC statement said.

The decision to pull out of talks has dismayed diplomats, BBC correspondent Jim Muir says.

But opposition leaders are clearly worried that the SNC risks being discredited and losing touch with realities on the ground if it gets drawn into a diplomatic process involving compromise with a regime that shows no sign of readiness to step down, he adds.

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Ski trip death girl chairlift probe

23 February 2013 Last updated at 07:05 ET

An investigation has been launched into the safety of a ski lift after a teenage girl died when she fell during a school trip to Italy.

Poonam Bhattal from Langley, Slough, was a pupil at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, west London.

Skibound, which organised the trip, said she was involved in an incident on a chairlift on Friday in Claviere.

The director of the ski school at the resort has said the safety bar on the lift was down when the girl fell.

'Beautiful girl'

Continue reading the main story

Before she fell down she was grabbing for the safety bar and the men [operating] the lift saw this, stopped the lift... but it was too late"

End Quote Marco Steffanini Ski school director

Speaking on BBC Radio Berkshire, Marco Steffanini said: "Now there is an investigation in progress to understand how she can fall down with the safety bar closed."

He also said she fell down "standing up".

"Before she fell down she was grabbing for the safety bar and the men [operating] the lift saw this, stopped the lift... but it was too late," he added.Tributes have been paid to the girl by friends on Twitter.

One user, @jaskiretxo, said: "Poonam Bhattal a beautiful girl who we were all so lucky to have known."

Another, @TharanVirdi, said: "Poonam, You will be dearly missed, thoughts and prayers go out to your family."

'Everything possible'

An apparent school friend of the girl, @SashaStrikerx0x, said on Twitter: "Oh My RIP Poonam Bhattal.... God Take Care Of You Now.

"Life taken away before your marriage? Before your job? Before kids?... Cherish the moments you have."

In a statement, the school's principal, Rajinder Singh Sandhu, said the half-term excursion was led by the vice principal of the school with the help of two assistant head teachers and "a massively experienced team of eight staff".

He said the school was "doing everything possible to support the family in any way".

Skibound said Poonam was pronounced dead at 09:30 CET (08:30 GMT) on Friday on the way to hospital.

The firm said it was liaising with the school, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Embassy in Italy.

The school party had been on a seven-day trip to Claviere. The ski resort is on the Italian border with France, about 50 miles (80km) west of Turin.

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Birds Eye withdraws three UK meals

22 February 2013 Last updated at 05:02 ET

Birds Eye has withdrawn three beef ready meals from supermarkets in the UK and Ireland as a precaution after horse DNA was found in a product in Belgium.

Birds Eye said its chilli con carne had tested positive for 2% horse DNA.

The news comes as the Food Standards Agency prepares to announce results of its latest tests into the contamination of processed beef products.

The tests - on a range of ready meals - are likely to indicate whether the horsemeat scandal has been contained.

Birds Eye said that, although the chilli meal was sold only in Belgium, it was withdrawing all other products made by the supplier - Belgian group Frigilunch.

The company said as a precautionary measure in the UK and Ireland it would clear its Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese 340g, Shepherd's Pie 400g and Beef Lasagne 400g from the supermarkets. It will also clear the chilli from shelves in Belgium.

Birds Eye said: "Whilst this is not a food safety issue, it is clearly unacceptable."

"We want to reassure you from the testing we have completed that all Birds Eye beef burgers, beef pies and beef platters do not contain horse DNA."

Customers who have bought any of the three products will be offered a refund if they contact Birds Eye customer services, the group said.

"We want to apologise to consumers and reassure them that we will keep them fully informed and that we are taking action to deal with this issue," the company added in a statement.

Gelatine and beef dripping

Last month's discovery of horsemeat in some processed beef products sold by a number of UK supermarkets sparked widespread investigations.

Tesco, Lidl, Iceland and Aldi were caught up in the scandal.

Across Europe a growing number of companies, including Findus and Nestle, have recalled beef ready meals after tests found they contained horse DNA.

The Food Standards Agency asked UK food retailers to test the beef in thousands of their products after the crisis emerged.

Continue reading the main story

If you want a high quality beef product it will have to cost more"

End Quote Chris Mallon National Beef Association

In the first results, released on 15 February, 29 out of 2,501 tests were positive - that is, they contained at least 1% horsemeat. The positive results were all in products that had previously been identified and withdrawn.

The first phase of the investigation saw 224 samples of raw minced beef products - including burgers, minced beef, beef sausage or meatballs - checked for horse and pig DNA.

The second set of tests - the results of which are those due to be released - were carried out on 140 samples of beef-based ready meals. The tests for horse or pig DNA covered a range of frozen, chilled or canned products that included lasagne, chilli con carne, cottage pie, ravioli, cannelloni and spaghetti bolognese.

Chris Mallon, of the National Beef Association, said more people had rejected processed meat and switched to buying from a local butcher since the horsemeat scandal broke.

He said the price of burgers had risen by 14%, which suggested manufacturers were now using better quality ingredients: "If you want a high quality beef product it will have to cost more."

On Monday the FSA is to expand the tests to look at foodstuffs labelled as containing beef as a major ingredient. That could include products such as minced meat, prepared meat such as seasoned kebabs, gelatine, beef dripping, stock cubes and steak.

There are also continuing criminal investigations in the UK, the Irish Republic and continental Europe.

The FSA has previously said the matter is one of fraud rather than a health issue.

Further findings

Meanwhile, seven Welsh councils have said they received burgers made by a firm where horse DNA was found.

On Thursday the Burger Manufacturing Company (BMC), at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, withdrew suspect products after three samples tested positive for horsemeat.

BMC said its meat came from Farmbox Meats in Ceredigion, which is already under police investigation.

In a separate development, traces of horse DNA were found in a frozen burger at a school kitchen in North Lanarkshire.

Procurement agency Scotland Excel later advised Scottish councils to "place a hold on the use of all frozen beefburger products".

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, burgers containing horsemeat were discovered at three agricultural campuses.

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Eurozone recession 'to persist'

22 February 2013 Last updated at 06:39 ET

Spain, France and Portugal have failed to cut overspending to agreed targets, the European Commission has said.

Spain's government deficit was 10.2% of the country's economic output in 2012, well above the agreed 6.3% target, and will stay far above target into 2014.

Meanwhile, the Commission joined other major international organisations in admitting that the eurozone economy would contract in 2013.

It is forecast to shrink 0.3%, making the governments' task even harder.

Previously, the Commission had expected the 17 economies in the eurozone would collectively enjoy 0.1% positive growth this year.

Delivering its winter forecast, Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn said that the eurozone was nonetheless expected to rebound in the last three months of this year, registering 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter.

The Commission is concerned about a "surprise" fall in Portugal's economy, which fell 3.2% in 2012 and is forecast to contract by another 1.9% in 2013.

Most economic forecasters have been revising down their European growth estimates, after the global economic recovery showed signs of faltering in the final quarter of 2012.

For example, in January the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it expected the eurozone to fall into "mild recession" in 2013, having previously predicted growth.

It also predicted that the UK would grow 1% in 2013, compared with the 1.1% previously forecast.

The World Bank also revised down its global growth forecasts earlier in January.

But European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi believes the eurozone will begin recovering in the second half of this year.

And this week, Germany's Bundesbank said Europe's biggest economy would avoid recession and return to growth in the first quarter of 2013, after shrinking 0.6% in the last three months of 2012.

It expects Germany to continue growing throughout 2013.

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Oscar Pistorius bail decision due

22 February 2013 Last updated at 06:42 ET

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The BBC's Peter Biles says Mr Pistorius has looked "very much like a broken man"

A South African magistrate is set to rule on whether Oscar Pistorius, accused of murdering his girlfriend, should be freed on bail.

The Paralympic sprinter denies murder, saying he shot Reeva Steenkamp thinking she was an intruder at his home.

The prosecution argues there is a risk Mr Pistorius, 26, may abscond and bail should be refused.

After the final arguments, magistrate Desmond Nair said he would announce his decision at about 2:30pm (12:30GMT).

Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was a model and law graduate with a burgeoning television career.

Continue reading the main story

It's been the quiet, rather overlooked subtext to the drama and detail emerging from Courtroom C: the shambolic state of South Africa's police force.

Given that this is perhaps the most high-profile murder investigation that South Africa has seen in years, it makes you wonder what happens in other, more ordinary, cases, and to begin to understand why, for instance, the conviction rate for alleged rapists is pitifully low, and why so many police dockets are reported to "disappear" from the files, allowing suspects to walk free.

Intent?

In his closing argument, lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that Oscar Pistorius's version of events was "improbable" and there was a clear risk he would flee if granted bail.

He said the athlete's statement to the court suggested he thought "I've done nothing wrong" as there was no admission of culpable homicide.

Oscar Pistorius knows he is "almost guaranteed" to serve a long term in prison, and he should not be treated differently because he is famous or because he has a disability, the prosecutor added.

"He fired four shots, not one shot," Mr Nel said.

"The only reason you fire four shots is to kill. On his own version, he is bound to be convicted."

In response, lead defence lawyer Barry Roux reiterated that Mr Pistorius had no intent to kill Ms Steenkamp: he fired at what he thought was a burglar.

"He did not want to kill Reeva. He had no intent to kill Reeva," Mr Roux said

If anything, his client should be charged with culpable homicide, not premeditated murder, the lawyer argued.

"All the factors are present to show that he is not a flight risk," Mr Roux said, adding that the athlete's prosthetic limbs meant he could not go unnoticed through airport security.

Oscar Pistorius hopes to resume training next week if he is granted bail, his coach Ampie Louw said as he arrived at court.

If denied bail, he could face months in prison before a full trial begins later this year.

Prosecutors say Mr Pistorius fired four shots through a locked toilet door as Ms Steenkamp cowered on the other side. She was hit in the head, arm and hip.

Mr Pistorius admits firing the shots, but says he was acting in self-defence against what he thought was an intruder.

Flight risk?

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Mr Pistorius had the "money, means and motive," to abscond abroad if he was given bail.

But defence lawyer Barry Roux said Mr Pistorius's prosthetic limbs would make it difficult to escape the country, as they could not go through airport security unnoticed and required regular maintenance.

``Let me tell you how difficult it is for this man to disappear from this world,'' Mr Roux said.

Because of the seriousness of the charges, Mr Pistorius's defence team have to prove there is an "exceptional" reason for him to be freed on bail.

Detective replaced

On Thursday, police replaced their lead detective in the case, Hilton Botha, after it emerged he faced attempted murder charges.

South Africa's most senior detective, Lt Gen Vineshkumar Moonoo, will now take charge of the investigation.

Det Botha is expected to appear in court in May in connection with a 2009 incident in which he and other officers opened fire on a minibus taxi whose driver apparently disobeyed an order to stop.

He has not been suspended and could remain a potential witness in any trial of Mr Pistorius.

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No hacking charges for ex-NoW boss

22 February 2013 Last updated at 06:42 ET

The former deputy editor at the now-defunct News of the World newspaper will not face any charges regarding phone hacking, the CPS has announced.

It said Neil Wallis will not face prosecution because there is insufficient evidence.

Mr Wallis wrote on Twitter: "After 21 months of hell for my family, CPS have just told my solicitors that there will be no prosecution of me."

He was arrested in 2011 on suspicion of intercepting communications.

In a statement, Alison Levitt QC, principal legal adviser to the Director of Public Prosecutions, said prosecutors had been considering whether to bring charges against two journalists over alleged phone hacking.

No reasons given

She said: "The file in relation to one of those two journalists was resubmitted on January 11 2013.

"Having carefully considered the matter, the CPS has concluded that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction in relation to that journalist. The other journalist remains under investigation.

"As eight people are awaiting trial in relation to this matter, it would not be appropriate to give reasons for this decision at this stage. At the conclusion of any related proceedings we will consider what more can be made public in relation to this decision."

So far, 26 people have been arrested as part of Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police's investigation into illegal access to voicemails.

Eight people, including former News International executive Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, the prime minister's former spokesman, are facing a total of 19 charges relating to phone hacking.

The two ex-News of the World editors are among seven of the paper's former staff facing charges of conspiring to intercept voicemails.

They are all due to face trial later in the year.

The phone-hacking allegations led to the closure of the News of the World in July 2011 and the setting up of the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics.

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Savile rumours were 'common gossip'

22 February 2013 Last updated at 07:04 ET

Jeremy Paxman told a BBC inquiry into Newsnight's axed Jimmy Savile investigation that it was "common gossip" the DJ liked "young" people.

The presenter said it was assumed they were girls, but that he did not know "whether it was girls or boys".

The presenter's testimony is among thousands of pages of transcripts from an inquiry into why Newsnight dropped its probe into abuse by Savile.

The Pollard report, in December, called Newsnight's decision "flawed".

During his interview for the Pollard Review, Mr Paxman said: "It was, I would say, common gossip that Jimmy Savile liked, you know, young - it was always assumed to be girls.

"I don't know whether it was girls or boys. But I had no evidence of it, and I never saw anything that made me take it more seriously than it was common gossip."

But, describing why he felt the shelving of the Newsnight investigation had been wrong, he said: "These people prey upon children in vulnerable situations and when the children complain they are not believed.

"I thought that we had behaved just like many other authorities and I didn't like it."

The BBC has published online about 3,000 pages of emails, interviews and submissions from BBC executives and journalists - although about 3% of details have been removed.

The transcripts include details of comments left on a BBC online tribute page to Savile that were removed by moderators.

A transcript of the interview between Mr Pollard and ex-BBC director general George Entwistle includes reference to comments saying: "One of my best friends in 1972 was molested by this creep Savile. He was never the same again. Killed himself in 1985. How's About That Then?"

Helen Boaden, then-director of BBC News, says in the documents that she "had never heard any dark rumours about Jimmy Savile".

'Lessons learned'

Acting director general Tim Davie said that by releasing the transcripts, the BBC was being "open and transparent in its handling of this unhappy chapter in our history".

But he said details had been redacted for reasons of defamation, data privacy, protection of confidential sources, anonymity for victims of sexual assault, potential prejudice to or interference with police investigations or ongoing criminal proceedings, legal professional privilege and confidentiality.

He added: "It has not been an entirely comfortable process for us to go through but it is right that we did it this way.

Continue reading the main story

Will the Pollard evidence be remembered more for what's in it or what's been cut out?

Ahead of publication, newspapers reported that Jeremy Paxman and Lord McAlpine were both upset that the full evidence was not to be revealed. But another paper said the BBC would be "engulfed" in a mountain of "deeply unedifying" material.

The BBC is in a no-win position. If some of the evidence does prove explosive, it will grab the headlines. If it doesn't, the "censorship" will become the story.

So why is any of it being withheld? Lord Patten always said some material would be redacted for legal reasons. The BBC says these include protecting the confidentiality of sources or victims of Jimmy Savile, and avoiding the risk of libel actions.

It denies claims that it simply wants to avoid further embarrassing its managers, but that suspicion remains.

"It is important that the BBC now moves forward with the lessons learned and continues to regain the public's trust."

BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said: "These documents paint a very unhappy picture, but the BBC needs to be open - more open than others would be - in confronting the facts that lie behind Nick Pollard's report.

"A limited amount of text has been blacked out for legal reasons, but no-one could say that the effect has been to sanitise this material, which again puts a spotlight on some of our failings. We need to acknowledge these shortcomings and learn from them."

The review was set up by the BBC to decide if there were management failings over the six-week Savile investigation, which was dropped by the BBC's flagship current affairs programme in December 2011.

The report, headed by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard and published in December, concluded the decision to shelve the investigation was "seriously flawed" but "done in good faith".

It dismissed claims it was dropped to protect tribute shows to the DJ, who died aged 84 in October 2011, and who police believe abused hundreds of children and young people over five decades.

However, it was highly critical of BBC bosses, describing "chaos and confusion" and "leadership in short supply" - though no evidence of a cover-up.

'Secret service'

The BBC accepted the findings in full and the corporation announced a series of staff changes after it was published.

Conservative peer and former party treasurer Lord McAlpine has accused the BBC of behaving like the "secret service" by using redactions of the documents to censor criticism of senior executives.

The peer was falsely accused of child abuse after a BBC Newsnight investigation. He was not named on the programme but was wrongly identified on social media outlets and by some blogs that incorrectly speculated about the person's identity.

In a report on that broadcast, BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie found Newsnight staff had failed to complete "basic journalistic checks".

Another review led by Dame Janet Smith, looking at the culture and practices of the BBC during the years in which Savile worked there, is expected next year.

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