Morning:
14°c
The BBC is facing a £1 million bill after settling a libel battle with Britain's most successful test-tube baby doctor.
Mohamed Taranissi, who is said to have helped mothers give birth to 2,300 babies in seven years, was accused by the corporation's Panorama programme in 2007 of offering "unnecessary and unproven" treatment to an undercover reporter posing as a patient.
But the Egyptian-born IVF expert, whose wealth is calculated by the Sunday Times Rich List to be £38 million, said he was the victim of a "witch hunt" and accused the broadcaster of making defamatory allegations which were "biased and irresponsible".
Today BBC bosses agreed to a settlement with Mr Taranissi, with the corporation paying both sides' legal bills. Experts said this could cost up to £6 million.
The decision to settle comes just over a week after the broadcaster offered to pay £30,000 and apologise to the Muslim Council of Britain over claims that it encouraged the killing of British troops.
