Morsi defiant as protest deaths rise
By Anonymous on Jul 03, 2013 01:52 am 2 July 2013 Last updated at 15:50 ET 
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President Morsi has criticised an army ultimatum
The Egyptian military has leaked details of its draft "roadmap" for the country's future, which includes new presidential elections.
According to details given to the BBC, the plan would see the suspension of the new constitution and the dissolution of parliament.
It comes amid continuing protests, with opponents and supporters of President Morsi turning out in large numbers.
The army warned on Monday that it would step in unless a solution was found.
Mr Morsi criticised the ultimatum, which gave him 48 hours to find agreement with the opposition, saying it "might cause confusion".
The president met the head of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, for the second day in a row on Tuesday. They did not give any details of the talks, which also included Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.
Military sources told the BBC that the president's position was becoming "weaker" with every passing minute and suggested that under the draft plan, he could be replaced by a council of cross-party civilians and technocrats ahead of new elections.
Mr Morsi was put under further pressure by the resignation of six ministers from his government on Monday, including Foreign Minister Kamel Amr.
On Tuesday, the spokesmen for the presidency and the cabinet were also reported to have quit.
As the Tamarod deadline approached, thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square
The UN high commissioner for human rights called on the president to engage in a "serious national dialogue" to end the political crisis, and said nothing should be done to undermine the democratic process.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday afternoon to demand Mr Morsi step down.
Waving flags, the crowds chanted slogans including: "The people have brought down the regime." When several military helicopters flew ahead, they erupted in cheers.
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'Health tourists' face NHS charge
By Anonymous on Jul 03, 2013 03:13 am 2 July 2013 Last updated at 22:55 ET 
Foreigners are entitled to various treatments, including emergency care
Non-EU nationals who come to the UK for more than six months could be charged at least £200 a year to access NHS treatment, it will be announced later.
The charge - an attempt to crack down on so-called "health tourism" - will be on top of visa charges, officials say.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is expected to announce a public consultation, said he was "determined to wipe out abuse in the system".
Some doctors have claimed the move would turn surgeries into border posts.
The government believes some people come to the UK to take advantage of the system.
BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said the NHS was free at the point of delivery - no matter who you are or where you come from.
Foreigners were entitled to various treatments, including emergency care and treatment for diseases like HIV and TB, he said.
But little was known about the total cost to taxpayers, he added.
The Department of Health says the cost of treating foreigners is at least £30m a year for the NHS in England alone.
A spokesman said a new charge would "ensure that migrants contribute towards the cost of their healthcare whilst not increasing red tape and administration for NHS professionals".
Mr Hunt said the government needed to "ensure that those residing or visiting the UK are contributing to the system in the same way as British taxpayers and ensure we do as much as possible to target illegal migration".
"We have been clear that we are a national health service not an international health service and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system," he added.
"The NHS is a national treasure and we need to work with the entire health system to develop plans and make sure it is sustainable for years to come."
The government is also considering ending free access to GPs for foreigners staying less than six months.
'Public concern' Some doctors have warned they fear being turned into "a form of immigration control".
The Royal College of GPs told BBC News the plans would place further burdens on doctors.
Chair Dr Clare Gerada said: "My first duty is to my patient - I don't ask where they're from or whether they've got a credit card or whether they can pay."
Labour health spokesman Jamie Reid, meanwhile, said more details were needed about the extent of the problem.
"It's absolutely essential that any policy in this regard is based upon facts, it's not based upon perceptions or dog-whistle policies or assumptions which are proven later not to be true," he told BBC News.
"But it's absolutely the case that this is our national health service, it's not an international health service, and it should be treated as such."
The National Aids Trust said the policies would "undermine years of work to encourage marginalised at-risk groups to access HIV testing and treatment".
Chief executive Deborah Jack said "limiting access to primary care for some migrants" would cut off "the only place many of them will get an HIV diagnosis - short of presenting at A&E many years after they were infected once they are very seriously ill".
She added: "If they go ahead, they risk putting lives at risk and accelerating the spread of HIV in the general population."
The Department of Health said people with HIV would still receive free healthcare if the scheme was introduced.
The government has previously said a government-wide push to cut "benefit tourism" was being considered in response to "widespread public concern".
Read in browser » 'Snowden suspicion' diverts flight
By Anonymous on Jul 02, 2013 11:41 pm 2 July 2013 Last updated at 18:39 ET 
Bolivian President Evo Morales's plane has been diverted to Austria amid suspicion that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is on board, the foreign minister has said.
David Choquehuanca denied that Mr Snowden was on the plane.
France and Portugal reportedly refused to allow the flight to cross their airspace.
Mr Snowden is seeking asylum in several countries to avoid extradition to the US for leaking intelligence secrets.
Read in browser » Ofgem urges energy theft crackdown
By Anonymous on Jul 03, 2013 02:03 am 3 July 2013 Last updated at 02:03 ET 
Ofgem estimates a third of stolen electricity powers cannabis farms in the UK
The energy regulator wants power firms to do more to combat electricity theft, a third of which is stolen each year to power cannabis farms.
Ofgem on Wednesday published proposals to combat a problem that it says costs customers £200m a year.
Ofgem said new rules should to force suppliers to detect and investigate problems, or risk a fine.
The regulator estimates that there are up to 25,000 cases of electricity theft each year.
Under the proposals, suppliers are being asked to set up a national theft-risk assessment service to help them target premises where there are strong suspicions that electricity is being stolen, most commonly through tampering with meters.
Ofgem says theft costs paying electricity customers the equivalent of £7 each a year.
The Ofgem proposals include:
- Setting up an industry code of practice governing how theft investigations should be carried out to ensure there is a consistent approach across the industry
- Coordinating efforts to tackle theft relating to cannabis farms with other agencies such as the Home Office and local police forces
- Sharing best practice across industry about how cases of theft have been identified
- Setting up a 24-hour hotline to report suspected theft
Andrew Wright, Ofgem chief executive, said: "The reforms build on similar obligations we introduced at the start of this year for suppliers to address gas theft more vigorously.
"All these measures will help to improve the confidence of consumers, who want reassurance that the energy market is fair."
Energy UK, the trade association for the industry, welcomed Ofgem's consultation.
"Electricity theft is dangerous and illegal," it said. "Electricity theft also costs honest customers money which is why energy companies take this - and gas theft - very seriously.
"Ofgem's consultation is a positive move to cut down crime, and we look forward to working closely with them and others in the industry on this."
The deadline for responses to Ofgem's proposals is 28 August, with a theft-risk assessment service scheduled to be up and running in the first quarter of 2015.
Read in browser » Army reservists to get £40m of kit
By Anonymous on Jul 02, 2013 10:10 pm 2 July 2013 Last updated at 22:10 ET 
The Army plans to reduce its regular fighting force to 82,000 by 2017
Army reservists are to be given £40m of new kit and more overseas training, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to announce later.
He will say 68 reserve units will be formed and paired with regular units.
It is part of a long-term plan to cut the size of the regular Army from 102,000 to 82,000 while increasing reservist numbers by 15,000 to 30,000.
Critics say it is an attempt to create "an army on the cheap". Mr Hammond insists savings had to be made.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the Territorial Army was being renamed the Army Reserve because the government was keen to ensure reservists could serve more closely alongside their regular counterparts.
The government is expected to give reserves more hi-tech equipment this year, including upgraded SA80 rifles and night vision kit as well as improved training and more opportunities to train abroad.
Some £80m is to be invested in the depots and training grounds of the 68 new units.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
Caroline Wyatt Defence correspondent, BBC News
The MoD and the Army have both invested much time and energy working out how to make the best of a difficult financial situation.
The plans are ambitious and will require a change, not just in the structure of the Army, but also in the UK's attitudes to its reservists - not least the attitude of local communities and employers, whose support in this will be vital.
The government will offer financial incentives to smaller businesses, to encourage them to allow staff to join up. But the recession means that some may remain reluctant to employ staff who will need to spend more time in training and could be mobilised for at least one year in every five.
The changes could be seen as an opportunity to modernize and renew the Army for the 21st Century or as a recipe for uncertainty and demoralisation for regulars.
The proposals will also aim to offer employers greater predictability over the call-out of reservists and will set out the level of financial incentives for small firms that employ them.
And reserve units will be paired with regular units from 2015, with more joint training.
An MoD source described the plans, which include a government commitment to spending £1.8bn over 10 years to transform the reserves as "a radical overhaul".
In April, Tory MP Col Bob Stewart suggested someone at the MoD was "smoking a lot of dope" to believe it would be possible to deploy 30,000 reserve troops.
He said some reservist soldiers would be unable to deploy because it was "inconvenient".
"The government, my government, is trying to get as inexpensive an army as possible... an army on the cheap," he said.
Mr Hammond, who says employers are critical to "making this work", said: "Having a standing army is very expensive.
"Having reserves who are able to deploy in the fourth and fifth turn of an enduring operation like Afghanistan gives us extra flexibility and it does make financial sense."
The latest plans come as a result of the almost 8% cut to the MoD budget announced in 2010.
The MoD aims to reach its target of 82,000 regular soldiers by 2017 while the number of reservists is to increase from 15,000, in 2010, to 30,000 in 2018.
Read in browser » Press watchdog charter not imminent
By Anonymous on Jul 02, 2013 11:36 pm 2 July 2013 Last updated at 23:36 ET 
Press regulation faced intense scrutiny after the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World
A royal charter to regulate the press will not be introduced until the autumn at the earliest, the BBC has learnt.
Phone-hacking victims have written to the culture secretary to demand that a Privy Council meeting next week approves the charter, which has Parliament's backing.
Instead, the meeting will consider a rival proposal put forward by some newspapers.
Ministers insist they are following due process to avoid a court battle.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said that, next Wednesday, a small group of ministers would travel to Buckingham Palace for a meeting of the Privy Council.
The body which advises the Queen would consider whether to grant a royal charter to a system of newspaper self-regulation, he said.
Crucially, though, it would not be the charter agreed by major party leaders David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg in March.
Victims of phone hacking would be bitterly disappointed that it would, instead, consider separate plans put forward by a majority of newspapers for self-regulation with a lesser role for the state, our political editor said.
The Guardian, Financial Times and Independent are the only newspapers not signed up to the industry's rival charter.
Hacking scandal Ahead of a meeting with Culture Secretary Maria Miller, campaign group Hacked Off has written to urge her to defy "a tiny if powerful vested interest".
Ministers insist they are not about to back down and approve press proposals but are, instead, following due process to avoid a battle in the courts - even if that makes further delays inevitable.
In November, Lord Justice Leveson published a landmark report calling for an independent regulatory body to be established to oversee the press, backed by legislation.
That came after the judge headed an 18-month public inquiry set up to investigate press ethics and standards in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at the now-defunct News of the World newspaper.
Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Mr Clegg agreed to set up a new watchdog by royal charter with powers to impose million-pound fines on UK publishers and demand upfront apologies from them.
But the newspaper industry rejected the idea of "state-sponsored regulation".
Blocking plan There are a series of key differences between the industry's plan for press regulation for England and Wales and that agreed by politicians and campaigners.
The newspapers' proposal would include the following:
- Remove Parliament's power to block or approve future changes to regulation. Instead the regulator, trade bodies and a newly created "recognition panel" would have to agree to changes
- Remove a ban on former editors sitting on the panel
- Give newspaper and magazine readers a say on the industry's proposals for regulation
- Make it more difficult to bring group complaints
- Amend the power of the regulator to "direct" the nature, extent and placement of corrections and apologies, saying it should "require" rather than "direct"
Newspaper owners backed down on initial demands to have a veto over the board members of any new press regulator, accepting appointments should instead be made by "consensus".
Some owners had wanted the power to block those they saw as hostile to the press.
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