Israel planes 'strike inside Syria'
By Anonymous on May 04, 2013 03:37 am 4 May 2013 Last updated at 00:04 ET 
Reports suggest that Israeli warplanes carried the air strike from Lebanon
US media reports suggest that Israeli warplanes have launched an air strike inside Syria.
The reports, quoting unnamed US officials, say the likely target was a weapons site. Some indicate the arms were to be sent to Lebanon's Hezbollah.
There has been no confirmation from the Israeli or Syrian government.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama says he does not foresee sending US troops to Syria, amid concerns over the possible use of chemical weapons there.
Speaking on a visit to Costa Rica, Mr Obama reaffirmed that clear evidence that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons would be a "game changer", but that any response would not be rushed.
'Enemy planes'
The US officials - speaking on condition of anonymity - say the Israeli air strike probably happened on Thursday or Friday, but the aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace.
An Israeli embassy spokesman in Washington declined to comment.
But the spokesman - quoted by Reuters news agency - added: "What we can say is that Israel is determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons or other game-changing weaponry by the Syrian regime to terrorists, especially to Hezbollah in Lebanon."
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
President Obama said he did not foresee "American boots on the ground in Syria"
The Syrian ambassador to the UN said he was not aware of any Israeli attack against his country.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's National News Agency cited a Lebanese army communique as saying that "two Israeli warplanes breached the Lebanese airspace over the southern town of Rmeish" on Friday.
It said "the enemy warplanes flew in circular manner over all Lebanese regions, and then left".
Earlier this week, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon acknowledged that Israel had launched an airstrike in January against a target inside Syria.
He said that the transfer of sophisticated weapons to radical militant groups like Hezbollah was a red line for Israel, and Israel had acted when it was crossed.
Evidence sought In Costa Rica, Mr Obama told reporters on Friday that as a commander-in-chief he could rule nothing out "because circumstances change".
But he added he did not foresee a scenario in which "American boots on the ground in Syria" would be good for either America or Syria.
He also said he had already consulted with Middle Eastern leaders and they agreed with him.
Mr Obama reiterated that there was evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria, but that "we don't know when, where or how".
He stressed that if strong evidence was found it would be "a game changer for us" because "there is a possibility that it (weapons) lands in the hands of organisations like Hezbollah" in neighbouring Lebanon.
Earlier this week, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel became the first senior US official to state publicly that Washington was reconsidering its opposition to supplying weapons to rebel forces.
"Arming the rebels - that's an option," he told reporters.
"You look at and rethink all options. It doesn't mean you do or you will. These are options that must be considered with the international community."
With no appetite for direct military intervention, many US officials increasingly feel that arming the rebels is now the least-worst option, the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says.
US allies such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia are already providing weapons to various groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
The pressure to act has intensified in recent days after emerging evidence that Syria has used chemical weapons such as the nerve gas sarin.
More than 70,000 people have been killed since fighting between forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels erupted in March 2011.
Read in browser » 
Radical Tory response to UKIP urged
By Anonymous on May 04, 2013 02:56 am 4 May 2013 Last updated at 00:14 ET 
Mr Davis said the Conservatives must become more "straight talking"
Senior Conservative MPs are urging the prime minister to consider a more radical response to the party's losses in council elections in England.
The UK Independence Party made gains as the Tories lost control of 10 councils.
Former leadership contender David Davis said "more conventional Tory policies" including tax cuts were now needed.
He also called for a planned referendum on the European Union to be brought forward, a move party deputy chairman Sarah Newton said should be considered.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Davis said the Conservatives must break the impression that they are "privileged and out of touch" if they are to stand a chance of winning the next general election.
He said "We have to start convincing the people that we care about the things that matter to them".
'Simplified Tory manifesto' "So no matter how uncomfortable it makes our metropolitan elite, we have to deal properly with fears over immigration.
"We have to do more to help conventional families through the hard times, including serious tax breaks for married couples. We should start cutting taxes to regenerate the economy, indeed we should have started years ago when it had more chance of working before the election."
UKIP, which campaigns for the UK to leave the European Union, averaged 25% of the vote in the wards where it was standing in Thursday's elections and won more than 140 seats.
And its leader Nigel Farage said the party had taken its "first substantial step towards a party that can credibly win seats at Westminster".
Mr Davis said UKIP's policies on law and order, immigration, taxation, foreign affairs, and Europe "mimic a simplified 1980s Tory manifesto".
He said the Conservatives needed to be "more straight talking and fewer focus groups; more conventional Tory policies, not because they are Tory, but because they work; less pandering to metropolitan interest groups; and please, please, no more Old Etonian advisers".
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will call a referendum to renegotiate Britain's relationship with Brussels if the party is re-elected in 2015.
But Mr Davis called for this to be held ahead of next year's European elections.
"We should give the people a say over Europe, ideally before the Euro elections. Otherwise Nigel Farage will characterise those elections as "the referendum the Tories wouldn't let you have".
'No doubt' Meanwhile, Sarah Newton, the Conservative Party deputy chairman, acknowledged that the party will have to listen more to voters.
She told the BBC: "MPs will be sitting down with their activists learning the lessons, making sure that we can redouble our efforts to get out on the doorsteps, out into our communities, really listening to people and really telling them about the really good things the government have done."
Continue reading the main story "Start Quote
It is the day UKIP emerged as a real political force in the land"
End Quote Asked if UKIP's success would lead to Mr Cameron reviewing his plans for the EU referendum, Mrs Newton said: "I think we should really consider bringing forward the legislation in this parliament that would enable the referendum. So people can be in no doubt."
Earlier on Friday, responding to the success of UKIP in the elections, Mr Cameron said: "We need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support this party and we are going to work really hard to win them back."
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the Tory leadership believes any damage can be limited at the next general election.
They intend to subject UKIP's policies to greater scrutiny, said our correspondent.
Contests took place in 27 English county councils and seven unitary authorities, as well as in Anglesey. About 2,300 council seats were up for grabs in England, in a major mid-term test for the coalition government.
The BBC's projected national share of the vote put Labour in the lead with 29% of the vote and the Conservatives in second place with 25%, UKIP in third place with 23% of votes and the Lib Dems fourth with 14%.
An estimate from a BBC sample of key wards suggests that average turnout was 31%, down 10 points from the last local elections in 2009.
Read in browser » Care homes face financial checks
By Anonymous on May 03, 2013 07:00 pm 3 May 2013 Last updated at 19:00 ET 
Thousands of elderly residents were affected when major care provider Southern Cross collapsed
Large providers of care homes in England are to have their financial records regularly scrutinised in future to spot potential business problems.
Under the government's plans, the Care Quality Commission and local authorities will also ensure care continues if a company does go bust.
It comes after provider Southern Cross collapsed, causing distress and anxiety to its residents and their families.
Care minister Norman Lamb said the move would give reassurance to people.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will start to make checks on between 50 and 60 of the largest care companies in England, including those that provide care in a person's home.
CQC chief executive David Behan said the measures - to be set out in new legislation - would provide early warning of potential company failures in the care industry.
The CQC will have the power to:
- Require regular financial and relevant performance information
- Make the provider submits a "sustainability plan" to manage any risk to the organisation's operation
- Commission an independent business review to help the provider to return to financial stability
- Get information from the provider to help manage a company collapse
The Department of Health said the powers would bring care in to line with other services such as hospitals and holiday operators, which have procedures to check on the "financial health" of organisations.
In the case of the collapse of a national provider the effects would be felt in many parts of the country, so it would be unfair for local councils to have to deal with the problem, the department said.
Mr Lamb said: "Everyone who receives care and support wants to know they will be protected if the company in charge of their care goes bust.
"The fear and upset that the Southern Cross collapse caused to care home residents and families was unacceptable.
"This early warning system will bring reassurance to people in care and will allow action to be taken to ensure care continues if a provider fails."
Southern Cross, the country's biggest care provider, had thousands of elderly residents at more than 750 care homes across the UK when it collapsed in 2011.
The firm was brought down by having to pay a £250m rent bill as local authorities made cuts.
After its collapse, other operators had to step in to take over the care of more than 30,000 people.
BBC social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan said in that case nobody had to leave their care home because other companies took them over, but the government has been keen to ensure such a collapse is not repeated.
A report earlier this week said the number of care homes going bust had almost doubled in the past two years, with the level of fees that local authorities were willing to pay being blamed.
Read in browser » Towns rewarded for High Street ideas
By Anonymous on May 04, 2013 03:38 am 3 May 2013 Last updated at 23:04 ET 
Ipswich is linking its historic retail area to a new waterfront development
Seven communities in England are to share £1m of government cash for injecting life into their High Streets.
It is the latest in a series of initiatives in the wake of retail guru Mary Portas's review into how to rejuvenate struggling town centres.
Awards by a panel from business groups went to Ipswich, Gloucester, Market Rasen, Altrincham, and areas in south London and Southampton.
Rotherham won the top award, £268,058, for bringing in independent shops.
Local Growth Minister Mark Prisk said the seven areas were an "shinning example" to communities across the country.
"It is in everyone's interests to see our town centres thrive, and I want people across the country to take inspiration from these towns and look at what can be done when communities work together," he said.
The High Street Renewal Awards aimed to recognise areas "already delivering the most effective and innovative plans to bring their town centres back to life".
The judging panel visited the towns and cities applying for the award to evaluate their work.
It gave:
- £93,057 to Herne Hill market in South London which set up its site and pedestrian zone from scratch in less than a year
- £88,657 to Old Northam Road in Southampton, where a public-private partnership is turning a Victorian shopping street into a regional antiques centre
- £148,057 to the Altrincham Forward group in Greater Manchester where landlords and retailers are working together to bring empty shops back into use
- £168,057 to Ipswich which is linking its historic shopping area to a new waterfront development and turning an empty department store into a leisure complex
- £101,057 to Market Rasen in Lincolnshire which is setting up community shops selling regional products
- £133,057 to Gloucester, for using tourism to attract more business and boost trade.
Rotherham Town Centre is basing its strategy on the idea that independent shops "help differentiate the town centre offer from that of its nearest competitors". It is said to have seen a 12% increase in customers last year.
Last year, some 27 areas including Margate, Croydon and Morecambe received funding and advice from retail experts as part of the government initiative to revitalise the High Street.
Read in browser » Press regulation charter delayed
By Anonymous on May 03, 2013 05:59 pm 3 May 2013 Last updated at 16:58 ET 
Press regulation faced intense scrutiny after the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World
A royal charter to underpin cross-party proposals for press regulation following the Leveson report will be delayed, Downing Street has said.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, as Lord President of the Privy Council, had been due to present the charter to the Queen for approval on 15 May.
That will be put back to give more time for consideration of alternative royal charter proposals put forward by newspapers and magazines.
The industry welcomed the announcement.
'Period of openness' Its proposals are open for comment on the Privy Council website until 23 May.
The Privy Council will then consider these proposals, which are backed by most but not all newspapers, and consider the plans agreed by the political parties later.
Government sources told BBC deputy political editor James Landale that the Privy Council would hold "a period of openness" for three weeks to allow the public to comment before deciding whether to hold a full eight week consultation over the newspapers' plans.
They said the council could not, under its rules, consider two proposals at any one time and as such the cross-party plans would more likely be considered by the council in either June or July.
The sources said the move effectively gave all sides more time to consider the various plans - in particular more time for the newspapers to see if they could find a position that could be agreed by all of them, and to try to persuade Labour and the Liberal Democrats to support their plan.
They said the decision did not mean the government was giving up on cross-party royal charter.
'Public support' There are a number of key differences between the industry's plan for press regulation for England and Wales and that agreed by politicians and campaigners.
Newspaper bosses have said their proposals would introduce a rigorous system of regulation but keep the press free from state interference.
In a statement in response to the latest announcement, they said: "We have always said the independent royal charter would be open to consultation and are confident it will receive the widespread public support shown in opinion polls.
"It already has the backing of the vast majority of the newspaper and magazine industry."
These proposals are supported by most of the country's national, regional and local newspapers and magazines.
The Guardian and the Independent are the only two national newspaper titles out of 11 that have not signed up.
It has been supported by some politicians, including London Mayor Boris Johnson and Commons culture committee chairman John Whittingdale.
But campaign group Hacked Off has accused the industry of "unilaterally rejecting" the findings of the Leveson Inquiry.
The inquiry was set up to investigate press ethics and standards in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World.
Read in browser » Family courts speed up decisions
By Anonymous on May 03, 2013 07:36 pm 3 May 2013 Last updated at 19:36 ET By Angela Harrison Social affairs correspondent, BBC News 
About 500,000 children and adults a year are involved in the family justice system
The time it takes for the family courts to make decisions about whether children should be taken in to care or adopted has been cut.
The average length of such cases in England and Wales fell from 55 weeks in 2011 to 49 weeks last year.
A review of the family justice system in 2011 complained of "shocking delays" which were harming children.
It called for a six-month time limit for care hearings, which ministers are bringing in.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Justice show a year-on-year drop in the time cases take, but also a steady fall throughout 2012.
Data for the last three months of the year put the average time taken per case at 45 weeks.
The number of children being taken into care has risen since the death of Peter Connelly, known as Baby P, in 2007.
Adoption pledge The final report from the Family Justice Review said delays might deny children a permanent home, harm their development, cause them further upset or expose them to more risk.
It said the delays were also slowing down the adoption process for many children.
The government has pledged to speed up the adoption system and is pressing councils to act more quickly, but councils have said cases are often held up by the courts.
The family courts rule on cases where local authorities want to remove children from their natural families for reasons including risk of abuse or neglect.
They hear evidence from parents and relatives, plus councils and experts, before making the decisions.
The head of the review panel, former senior civil servant David Norgrove, is now the chairman of the new Family Justice Board, which was created last summer.
"I'm very pleased about what has been done," he said.
"The judiciary has really grasped this, as has the government. Local authorities and Cafcass [which represents the interests of children involved with the family courts] were also firmly behind it.
"It is a real team effort."
Fewer experts called Mr Norgrove said delays in the system had been reduced in several ways.
"It has not really been about changing the nature of what people do, but about cutting the time taken to do it," he said.
"It has been a case of presenting better evidence from local authorities, then everybody, as the case progresses, making sure that things happen quicker and on time."
Fewer experts are being called to give evidence in cases, he went on.
The law was changed in January so that experts are called when it is said to be "necessary", rather than just "reasonable".
The Norgrove report, published in November 2011, also said courts should focus on where a child goes, rather than spending time looking at detailed care arrangements for children.
Some judges have raised concerns about the changes, believing the existing system offers the best protection to vulnerable children.
The government is now bringing in a six-month deadline (26 weeks) for decisions on the care of children.
That change is going through Parliament and is due to become law next April.
In a speech earlier this week, Sir James Munby, President of the High Court's Family Division, said the family justice system was "undergoing the most radical reforms in a lifetime".
Family Justice Minister Lord McNally said: "Excessive delays can have a damaging effect on already vulnerable children.
"Changes we are planning on public law will mean we have a care proceedings system in which delay is no longer acceptable and where there is a much clearer focus on the child and their needs."
Read in browser » 
No comments:
Post a Comment