Syria set to dominate G8 summit
By Anonymous on Jun 17, 2013 02:36 am 16 June 2013 Last updated at 21:29 ET 
Security is tight at the Lough Erne resort. Thousands of officers have been deployed for the event in Northern Ireland
The leaders of the G8 nations are set to begin a summit in Northern Ireland, with Syria's crisis likely to dominate.
UK PM David Cameron met Russian leader Vladimir Putin - Syria's key ally - on Sunday. They will both hold separate talks with President Barack Obama, who has indicated he will arm the rebels.
But Mr Cameron, the host, is also keen to focus on global economic issues.
He hopes to oversee the launch of talks for an EU-US free trade deal and achieve progress on tax transparency.
'Political will' The 39th Summit of the Group Of Eight (G8) will be held in Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, on Monday and Tuesday.
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and the UK will be represented.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent
The differences between Russia's position on Syria and that of the West was thrown into stark relief by the Downing Street meeting between President Putin and the prime minister.
They are so deep that they look set to overshadow this G8 summit in Northern Ireland unless, as Mr Cameron hopes, the discussion can focus on bolstering chances for some kind of renewed peace talks in Geneva.
But that seems a vain hope. The balance of advantage on the ground in Syria seems to be shifting towards the government side.
Hezbollah's role in joining the fighting threatens a much broader contagion.
The Syria drama risks becoming a regional crisis, with countries such as France now describing this as a struggle between the rebels on one side and the Syrian regime, Hezbollah and Iran on the other.
Mr Cameron said he wanted "a meeting where we can look each other in the eye, cut through the obstacles and the opposition and generate the political will to solve the problems we face".
The PM is scheduled to meet Mr Obama ahead of the opening.
After his meeting with Mr Putin, the UK PM said it was no secret he and the Russian president had disagreements over Syria, but that they shared a common aim - to end the conflict.
Mr Putin said "blood is on the hands" of both the Syrian government and the rebels in the crisis and that Russia was not breaching any laws by supplying arms to the "legitimate government of Syria".
On Friday, the US announced it would supply some rebels with direct military aid after seeing evidence of chemical weapons use by Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Mr Cameron backed the lifting of EU arms sanctions against the rebels, but says no decision has been made on whether the UK will provide arms to them.
Two years of civil war in Syria has left an estimated 93,000 people dead.
Mr Putin will meet separately with Mr Obama on Monday evening.
In addition to Syria, they may discuss nuclear arms reduction and counter-terrorism in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.
One other major foreign affairs issue to be discussed at the summit will be the election at the weekend of Hassan Rouhani as the new Iranian president.
Protests Before the summit opens, Mr Cameron and Mr Obama will meet Italian PM Enrico Letta, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to signal the start of talks on the EU-US free trade deal.
Mr Cameron has said the deal could be worth £10bn ($15.7bn; 11.8bn euros) to the UK, adding: "That's not some abstract statistic, these trade deals matter, because they mean more jobs, more choice for consumers and lower prices."
The EU-US free trade deal is a key issue for David Cameron
The formal talks on Monday are scheduled to cover the global economy.
On Tuesday, Mr Cameron will hope to make progress on tax transparency after agreeing a deal on the issue over the weekend with British overseas territories and Crown dependencies.
He has made no secret of his desire to tackle tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.
Tuesday will also cover counter-terrorism issues.
Mr Obama, on his first visit to Northern Ireland, is scheduled to deliver a public address on Monday morning at the Waterfront Hall centre in Belfast.
A White House spokesman said: "He will deliver remarks and engage with the people of Northern Ireland and highlight the hard work, dialogue and institutional development they have undertaken together to advance peace and prosperity."
Security in Northern Ireland is tight, as ever for the G8, which has been a magnet for protests in the past.
A four-mile (6.5km) long, 3m-high metal fence surrounds the golf resort where the summit takes place.
Some 8,000 police officers will be deployed for the summit.
Police are expecting an anti-G8 march in Enniskillen in County Fermanagh on Monday, with about 2,000 demonstrators.
Alistair Finlay, Assistant Chief Constable with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said: "We are ready for all the eventualities that we may be faced with. Our indications are now that this is hopefully going to be a very peaceful time."
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Co-op Bank unveils rescue plan
By Anonymous on Jun 17, 2013 03:26 am 17 June 2013 Last updated at 02:09 ET 
Concerns about Co-op Bank's capital arose after a deal with Lloyds collapsed
The Co-operative Bank has unveiled a rescue plan to tackle the £1.5bn hole in its balance sheet.
Most of the capital to be used to plug the hole will come through a "bail in" - a process where bond holders will be offered shares in the bank.
The bank said the plan meant both investors and the group would make "a joint contribution" to the bank's recapitalisation.
"This is good news for the Co-operative Bank," said bank chief Euan Sutherland.
Read in browser » Rose lands maiden major at Merion
By Anonymous on Jun 16, 2013 07:33 pm 
By Rob Hodgetts BBC Sport
US Open, final leaderboard
- +1: Rose (Eng)
- +3: Mickelson (US), Day (Aus)
- +5: Dufner (US), Els (SA), Horschel (US), Mahan (US)
- Others: +9: Westwood (Eng)
- +11: Laird (Sco), Harrington (Ire), Poulter (Eng)
- +13 : Woods (US), Donaldson (Wal), Lawrie (Sco)
- +14: McIlroy (NI)
- +15: Garcia (Spa), Scott (Aus)
Justin Rose clinched his maiden major title to become the first Englishman for 43 years to win the US Open.
The 32-year-old triumphed by two shots from five-time runner-up Phil Mickelson and Jason Day on a gripping final day.
Rose, also the first Englishman to win a major since Nick Faldo in 1996, fired a level-par 70 to end one over as overnight leader Mickelson carded 74.
Australian Day took 71 as England's Luke Donald (75) collapsed to six over on the treacherous Merion course.
Justin Rose factfile
- Born 30 July, 1980, Johannesburg
- Tied for 4th as an amateur in 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale
- Turns professional the following day
- Four PGA Tour wins, most recent the 2012 WGC-Cadillac Championship
- Tied fifth in 2003 US Open; equal-fifth in 2007 Masters; tied third in 2012 US PGA
- Twice a member of the European Ryder Cup team (2008 & 2012)
Rose, the world number five, looked up to the sky with tears in his eyes after he tapped in his final putt, and admitted later to thinking of his late father Ken, his long-time mentor.
Mickelson needed to birdie the last to force an 18-hole play-off on Monday, but the four-time major champion could only make a bogey five.
Rose, who was born in Johannesburg but brought up in Hampshire, burst onto the wider scene as a 17-year-old amateur when he finished fourth in the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale.
He went on to miss 21 consecutive cuts when he joined the paid ranks, before winning his first professional event in 2002. His biggest victory to date was the WGC Cadillac Championship last March.
Rose's previous best major finish was tied third in the US PGA behind Rory McIlroy last year, while he has had six other top 10s in majors.
The last Englishman to lift the US Open was Tony Jacklin, who won at Hazeltine in 1970.
Open champion Ernie Els (69) and Americans Jason Dufner (67), Hunter Mahan (75) and Billy Horschel (74) ended tied fourth.
World number one Tiger Woods's challenge was already over before the final round and he ended 13 over after a 74, while second-ranked Rory McIlroy took 76 for 14 over.
Read in browser » NHS 'needs to simplify urgent care'
By Anonymous on Jun 16, 2013 09:50 pm 16 June 2013 Last updated at 21:50 ET By Caroline Parkinson Health editor, BBC News website 
Services across the board are in demand
The NHS in England needs to provide a much simpler and co-ordinated system of round-the-clock urgent and emergency care, a review of its services says.
It also warns that patients are often confused about who to turn to when they need urgent medical help, so too often they turn up to A&E units.
The review - led by NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh - says there should be a much simpler 24/7 system.
Sir Bruce said the review offered an "excellent opportunity" to improve.
Urgent or unplanned care leads to around 100m NHS calls or visits each year, the report says.
A growing number of frail elderly patients, more long-term illnesses, new treatments and "increased public expectations" have all contributed to increased demand.
Sir Bruce was asked to look at the issue by the NHS Commissioning Board.
A&E 'default' Concerns have been raised recently about A&E care - deemed to be on a "cliff-edge" by one NHS leader. GP out-of-hours services have also come under scrutiny.
However this review looks at all kinds of urgent and emergency care - including walk-in centres, telephone advice lines and minor injury centres - and concludes there is pressure throughout the system.
A key issue is "fragmentation and variation" in services.
This leads to confusion among patients who are then likely to "default" to A&E because they know where it is, that it will be open and offer a full range of care.
The report says: "The fragmentation and diverse nomenclature of urgent care services across England causes confusion amongst patients and healthcare professionals in terms of services offered.
"This can lead to patients presenting at services that may not best suit their needs."
It adds that there is an increasing reliance on telephone advice.
But the report warns that some patients "lack confidence" in such care and says they will often seek a second opinion anyway, leading to a "duplication of service provision".
Other issues identified include a lack of patient-awareness about the care which community pharmacists can provide, and the need for senior staff to be on duty more of the time, such as at weekends.
Prof Keith Willett, who is chairing the review's steering group, said: "We know that A&E is the pinch point of the health and care system and that staff are working very hard to provide the care they know the public need.
"To relieve the pressure and design a system that is sustainable and fit to meet future challenges, we need as many patients, doctors, nurses and NHS colleagues as possible to get involved."
Read in browser » Turkey faces strike over crackdown
By Anonymous on Jun 17, 2013 12:43 am 16 June 2013 Last updated at 21:24 ET 
Overnight, there were disturbances in streets around Istanbul's Taksim Square
Unions in Turkey have called a one-day nationwide strike to protest against the police crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) and Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) are demanding an end to police violence.
The move comes after continued sporadic clashes between protesters and police in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has angrily defended the crackdown.
Addressing tens of thousands of supporters in Istanbul on Sunday, Mr Erdogan said it had been his duty to order the eviction of the protesters in the city's Gezi Park the previous night.
The protests, he said, were "nothing more than the minority's attempt to dominate the majority", adding: "We could not have allowed this and we will not allow it."
He also denied behaving like a dictator, criticised foreign media, and vowed to "identify one by one those who have terrorised the streets".
Growing tension The BBC's Chris Morris, in Istanbul, says an important part of the city centre remains in a state of flux.
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The BBC's Chris Morris says Turkish police have cordoned off the area around Taksim Square and neighbouring Gezi Park
The police have blocked all roads leading to Taksim Square and Gezi Park, which was occupied for 18 days by people protesting against plans for its redevelopment.
But clashes between police and protesters have continued in surrounding areas, involving the liberal use of tear gas and water cannon, our correspondent adds.
Continue reading the main story Protest timeline
28 May: Protests begin in Gezi Park over plans to redevelop one of Istanbul's few green spaces
30-31 May: Police raids on protest camp culminate in mass unrest
3 June: Protesters establish camps with makeshift facilities from libraries to food centres
4-10 June: Protests widen into show of anti-government dissent in towns and cities across Turkey; clashes between police and demonstrators
11/12 June: Night of clashes see riot police disperse anti-government demonstrators in Taksim Square, which adjoins Gezi Park; camps in the park remain
13 June: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issues a "final warning" to protesters to leave Gezi Park
14 June: Government agrees to suspend Gezi Park redevelopment plans until a court rules on the issue, PM holds talks with members of a key protest group
15 June: Police move in, clearing protesters from Gezi Park
Late on Sunday night there were disturbances in streets around Istanbul's central Taksim Square, in the Nisantasi area and around the Galata bridge, which crosses the Sultanahmet district, according to the Reuters news agency.
The Dogan news agency reported that dozens of protesters had been detained in Istanbul and some 70 others in Ankara on Sunday.
One 20-year-old woman in Ankara was critically hurt on Sunday by a tear gas canister that struck her on the head, the city's medical association said.
The Turkish Medical Association has condemned the extensive use of tear gas, warning of the dangers of exposing such large numbers of people to its chemicals.
The KESK and DISK union federations, which represent hundreds of thousands of workers across the country, said in a joint statement that they would call a strike on Monday over the eviction of demonstrators from Gezi Park.
"Our demand is for police violence to end immediately," KESK spokesman Baki Cinar told the AFP news agency.
Associations representing doctors, engineers and dentists have said they too will support it.
The demonstrators have meanwhile vowed that they will not back down.
"We will win Taksim Square again and we will win Gezi Park again,'' Alican Elagoz, a spokeswoman for one protesters' group, told the Associated Press.
Our correspondent says harsh words have been spoken on both sides, and there is now concern about growing tension between Left and Right in a bitterly divided political system.
The protests in Turkey began on 28 May against a plan to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park, but snowballed into nationwide anti-government protests after the perceived high-handed response of the authorities under their three-term prime minister.
Medical officials estimate that 5,000 people have been injured and at least four killed since the protests began.
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Read in browser » Czech PM to resign over aide scandal
By Anonymous on Jun 16, 2013 07:31 pm 16 June 2013 Last updated at 16:47 ET 
Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas has announced that he will resign on Monday after four days of political turmoil.
His ruling coalition will try to form a new government led by someone nominated by his Civic Democratic Party.
Pressure had been growing on Mr Necas to quit since prosecutors charged one of his closest aides with corruption and abuse of power on Friday.
Two former MPs, an ex-minister and the current and former heads of military intelligence have also been detained.
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