Motorway Speed Limit Plans Put In Slow Lane

Plans to raise the motorway speed limit to 80mph have been moved into the slow lane after it was decided the idea was "not a priority".

The policy change was proposed in 2011 by then Transport Secretary Philip Hammond but his successor, Patrick McLoughlin, is said not to share his enthusiasm.

Mr Hammond claimed the 70mph limit, introduced in 1965, had been "discredited" and a rise to 80mph would boost the economy.

But the idea has been condemned by road safety groups and Downing Street reportedly feared raising the speed limit would alienate women voters.

In an interview with The Times, Mr McLoughlin said the policy was not a priority: "You would have to do trials in certain areas so it's not something that's a high priority."

A source close to the Transport Secretary told the newspaper: "This is not going to happen with Patrick McLoughlin as Transport Secretary.

"Safety is paramount to him and his view of how to run the roads and he would not be confident about how you would do it."

A Department for Transport spokesman confirmed that Mr McLoughlin's reported remarks were correct.

The plans have not been completely abandoned, but are no longer a priority, said the spokesman.

Mr Hammond announced the plan at the 2011 Tory party conference, saying the 70mph limit had resulted in millions of motorists routinely breaking the law.

The 70mph speed limit was first introduced in the 1960s

He said: "The limit was introduced way back in 1965 - when the typical family car was a Ford Anglia."

He claimed a rise to 80mph would "restore the legitimacy" of the system and benefit the economy by "hundreds of millions of pounds".

But last year campaign groups estimated that raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph would cost society an extra £1bn a year, including £766m in fuel bills and more than £62m in health costs.

The groups, which include road safety charity Brake, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) and Greenpeace, also estimated that the higher limit would lead to 25 extra deaths and 100 serious injuries a year, as well as 2.2 million more tonnes of carbon emissions.

However, Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "Once again we are getting confused messages from the Department for Transport on this issue.

"With a little imagination and some investment the Dutch have shown that you can have a safe 80mph limit on the best parts of the motorway network.

"What Patrick McLoughlin has learned from Holland, however, is that the policy was not as popular as the politicians thought it would be and they promptly lost the next election."

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "The real stumbling block is likely to have been enforcement.

"Police already tend to give speeding drivers some leeway, so it was quite feasible that an 80 mph limit would have actually meant 90 mph in practice and that proved a step too far for ministers."

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Mandela Stranded By Ambulance Breakdown

An ambulance carrying seriously ill Nelson Mandela to hospital broke down in freezing temperatures, it has emerged.

The military vehicle broke down at the side of the highway, leaving the iconic ex-president - known as Madiba - stranded for 40 minutes, according to CBS News.

Government spokesman Mac Maharaj confirmed the breakdown on June 8, the night the 94-year-old was taken to hospital in Pretoria, but said his convoy was well staffed with intensive care medical staff.

In a statement he said: "We confirm the media reports that the military ambulance transporting Madiba had an engine problem on the 8th and that the doctors are satisfied that the former president suffered no harm during this period.

"The fully-equipped military ICU ambulance had a full complement of specialist medical staff including intensive care specialists and ICU nurses.

President Jacob Zuma has said Mr Mandela's health is improving

"The convoy also included two quick response vehicles.

"When the ambulance experienced engine problems it was decided that it would be best to transfer to another military ambulance which itself was accompanied for the rest of the journey by a civilian ambulance.

"All care was taken to ensure that the former president Mandela's medical condition was not compromised by the unforeseen incident."

Speaking to eNews Channel Africa, he said: "It happens in life, no-one can predict (that a) fully functional vehicle would have a breakdown."

Children have been sending "get well soon" messages to the ex-president

Mr Maharaj slammed reports that Mr Mandela was unresponsive and hadn't opened his eyes in days, branding them "highly reckless".

He said he had no information on when the former leader would be discharged as that was a decision for his doctors.

The African National Congress defended the governments handling of public updates on Mr Mandela's condition and thanked medical staff caring for him.

In a statement the party said: "The ANC has no doubt that the reports they (the government) provide are indeed sufficient to ensure that, while respecting the privacy of the former president and his family, we are all kept up to date and knowledgeable about his condition within the confines of medical ethics and doctor-patient confidentiality.

"The ANC, on behalf of the people of South Africa, extends our gratitude to the medical personnel attending to him from the time he left home to be admitted into hospital on the 8th June and since then."

Mr Mandela has been in intensive care since he was admitted to hospital for the third time this year.

President Jacob Zuma has said his health continues to improve but he remains in a serious condition.

The anti-apartheid leader became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and made his last public appearance at the World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg in 2010.

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India Monsoon: Race To Save Thousands Stranded

Rescue workers are racing to reach tens of thousands of people stranded in rain-ravaged northern India, as the number killed in the flooding nears 600.

Scores of bodies have been pulled from the swollen River Ganges after torrential monsoon rains struck the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand earlier than predicted.

Raging rivers have swept away houses, buildings and entire villages, and destroyed bridges and narrow roads leading to pilgrimage towns in the mountainous state, which is known as the Land of the Gods for its revered Hindu shrines.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who arrived in the state capital Dehradun on Saturday, said 73,000 people had been rescued so far with up to 32,000 still stranded.

More than 10,000 soldiers are helping evacuate those stranded by the floods

He warned rescuers to hurry because more rain is expected and said: "At least 550 people have died and 392 people are injured."

He also said steps were being taken up on a "war footing" to deal with the "national crisis".

Dozens of helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to rescue people trapped across the flood-devastated state.

The family of Kavita Tyagi, 26, who was stranded near the pilgrimage site of Badrinath for more than a week, told of their ordeal after they were air-lifted to Gauchar, a hill town in the state's Chamoli district.

She said: "We had been stuck for more than a week. We ran out of food and all our money. My three-year-old son is with me and we can't describe the harrowing times that we have faced.

"My mother and brother are still to be evacuated since the chopper could accommodate only eight people. We are now just praying that they too land safely."

A group of 20 trekkers, including six Americans, were rescued after they were marooned near a remote glacier since the rains struck last week.

"They were on a trekking trip but got trapped because of the landslides and flash floods. The chopper has landed there now and they are all safe," said Neeraj Khairwal, a top official of Pithoragarh district.

The military operation, involving some 50 helicopters and more than 10,000 soldiers, was focused on reaching those stranded in the holy town of Badrinath after earlier finding widespread devastation in the Kedarnath temple area.

The Indian Air Force was transporting heavy equipment for repairs of roads and construction of temporary helipads, according to an official press release.

Special trains and buses have been pressed into service to ferry tourists back home while medical and food supplies were also being flown in to the stranded people.

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Harwich Ferry Crash: 500 Stuck For Three Hours

Almost 500 passengers were stuck on board a ferry for three hours after it hit a quay in Essex and started to let in water.

The Sirena Seaways ferry struck the quay at Parkeston near Harwich just after midday, but the water it was taking on was "quickly stopped", said Thames Coastguard.

None of the 489 passengers on board were injured, and no pollution has been reported.

A helicopter hovers above the ferry (Pic: Alex Dace)

The passengers started to leave the ferry at 3pm, and are now all off.

A spokeswoman for Thames Coastguard said: "We got contacted just after midday today.

"We were told that the Sirena Seaways had struck the quay at Parkeston and was taking on water but that was quickly stopped."

The ferry was pictured tilted to one side after the crash (Pic: Kevin Dace)

The master of the ferry sorted the water issue, the spokeswoman said.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters were sent to assist at the scene while the ship's own crew plugged the hole from inside and built a compartment with water tight doors to stem the leak as part of regular safety precautions."

Terry Jewell, station officer, said: "This is one of the regular ferries that comes into Harwich and as it docked it hit the side of the quay making a hole under the water line."

Almost 500 passengers are on board the ferry (Pic: Kevin Dace)

Sirena Seaways is part of the ferry operator DFDS Seaways which travels to France, Holland and Denmark.

In a statement, DFDS said: "We can confirm that Sirena Seaways sustained some damage on entering the port at Harwich during today's scheduled arrival at 12pm.

"The situation is currently being assessed and we should have further details shortly on the timings of when the Harwich to Esbjerg service will resume. We would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused to their travel plans."

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Lansley Was Warned Of Baby Deaths In 2010

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

A former Health Secretary was warned about a cover up over baby deaths at a hospital in Cumbria three years ago.

Andrew Lansley received a letter from James Titcombe whose son Joshua died aged just nine days at Furness General Hospital.

In the letter, written on June 4, 2010, Mr Titcombe raises concerns about regulatory bodies, including the hospitals watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

He writes: "Despite all of these regulatory bodies, Joshua's death was preceded by the preventable deaths of other babies, yet no action was taken in time to make a different (sic) to our son."

He continues, "...there seems to be a gap in that the CQC can not investigate individual events and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman do not assess complaints to their office against principles of patient safety".

"In order to save lives in the NHS and react more quickly when things go wrong it is clear to me that the system in place at the moment needs to change," said Mr Titcombe.

Current Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (L) with Andrew Lansley

He received a response from a Department of Health official on June 15, 2011, stating that "the Department of Health is unable to comment on individual cases and therefore the Secretary of State is not able to intervene personally on your behalf".

Hospital watchdog officials have been accused of a cover-up for allegedly deleting a report which showed they had failed to investigate properly a series of baby deaths.

James Titcombe and other families who lost babies at the hospital are now calling for a police investigation and an independent inquiry to establish who knew about the alleged cover-up.

Mr Titcombe told Sky News he believes the CQC may have been under pressure from senior health officials not to uncover another big hospital scandal.

He added: "What's important now is that there is really a forensic examination of possibly the Department of Health's involvement, what ministers knew at the time, what David Nicolson (head NHS England) knew at the time ... these are really important questions."

He said that there was evidence, for example, that people who worked in the CQC at the time believed that the organisation was "dancing to the tune of the Department of Health".

An extract from James Titcombe's letter to Andrew Lansley

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Concerns about the capability of the CQC were raised with the Department on a number of occasions by different sources, including Mr Titcombe.

"The Department of Health launched a Performance and Capability Review into the CQC which commenced in October 2011. In February 2012, the review concluded and the Chief Executive of the CQC resigned.

"We apologise to Mr Titcombe for not keeping him updated on this process."

Meanwhile the Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, David Morris, has written to Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary.

Andy Burnham was Health Secretary under Labour until May 2010

Mr Burnham was Health Secretary until Labour lost the General Election in May 2010.

In his letter Mr Morris asks Mr Burnham: "How much 'pressure' did you put on the CQC to 'tone down' its criticism of hospitals? You were the Labour Secretary of State for Health, when the first whitewash inspection of the Morecambe Bay NHS trust occurred in the spring of 2010. This was a crucial pre-election season for you."

He has also requested that Mr Burnham make public any emails, texts and letters in which the CQC was discussed and detail conversations he had with Cynthia Bower, the former head of the CQC, before the hospital was given a clean bill of health.

In a lengthy letter responding to Mr Morris, Mr Burnham denied he was trying to cover up problems at NHS hospitals.

He said: "You have made this allegation a number of times over recent days and I am glad to be able to set the record straight. The real position is the precise opposite of what you claim.

"When I was appointed in June 2009, one of my first decisions was to appoint Robert Francis QC to conduct an independent inquiry into what went wrong at Stafford. Separately, the Department raised concerns with me about the effectiveness of CQC and I began taking steps to deal with it.

"In late 2009, when problems emerged unexpectedly at Basildon and Thurrock Hospital, it became clear to me that an in-depth look at all hospitals in England was needed so that all problems could be flushed out, action taken and reassurance given to the public.

He added that "far from covering up any problems at hospitals in the pre-election period, I hope you can now see how was actively working to identify them."

A Labour spokesperson said: "This is a shocking cover-up on this Government's watch and they're clearly more interested in blaming others.

"David Morris will have a full answer later today and he'll be told in no uncertain terms that he should stop peddling these baseless and groundless allegations.

"People will see it for what it is - a political smokescreen to divert attention from Government and Andrew Lansley.

"Both this week's report and the three-year Mid Staffs inquiry found no evidence of Ministerial pressure."

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US Wants Taliban Talks 'Back On Track'

US Secretary of State John Kerry says he hopes to get talks with the Taliban "back on track," but is unsure if that is possible.

Mr Kerry warned that a recently opened Taliban office in Qatar may have to close if the peace talks do not proceed.

"We need to see if we can get back on track. I don't know whether that's possible or not," Mr Kerry told a newss conference in Doha.

"If there is not a decision ... to move forward by the Taliban in short order, then we may have to consider whether or not the office has to be closed," he said.

Mr Kerry is on a seven-nation trip through the Middle East and Asia

Mr Kerry met with his counterparts in the Qatari capital on the first stop of a seven-nation trip through the Middle East and Asia where he is tackling foreign policy issues.

Talks between the US officials and the Taliban had been set to take place on Thursday in Qatar, but Afghan government anger at the fanfare surrounding the opening of the Taliban office in the Gulf state threw preparations into confusion.

The opening of the Taliban office was ostensibly a practical step to pave the way for peace talks to end Afghanistan's 12-year-old war.

But the official-looking protocol surrounding the event raised angry protests in Kabul that the office would develop into a Taliban government-in-exile.

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Edward Snowden Charged With Espionage

Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who revealed secret government spying programmes, has been charged with espionage by US authorities.

As a provisional arrest warrant was issued and Hong Kong authorities asked to detain him, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange jumped to his defence in a statement circulated online.

US prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint, charging Mr Snowden with three offences including unauthorised communication of national defence information, which comes under the Espionage Act, and theft of government property.

He is also charged with willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorised person.

All three crimes listed carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.

Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, has urged the world to "stand with" Mr Snowden.

Court papers list three offences including theft of government property

Wednesday marked a year since Assange sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations that he raped one woman and sexually molested another.

In a statement he said: "The US government is spying on each and every one of us, but it is Edward Snowden who is charged with espionage for tipping us off," he said.

"The word 'traitor' has been thrown around a lot in recent days. But who is really the traitor here?"

The former CIA technician, who has worked for America's National Security Agency (NSA), leaked details of American telephone and internet surveillance programmes.

He revealed the existence of a surveillance system called Prism that was set up by the NSA to track the use of the internet directly from ISP servers.

Protests in support of Mr Snowden have taken place in Hong Kong

The NSA and FBI have said that the secret programme provided "critical leads" in preventing "dozens of terrorist events" - although some terror experts dispute the claims.

President Obama has also said the programmes were carried out with "systems of checks and balances" and overseen by the courts and the US Congress.

The Prism revelations sparked outcry in the UK when The Guardian reported that the GCHQ eavesdropping agency had been accessing information about British citizens through Prism.

Mr Snowden fled to Hong Kong on May 20 after copying the last set of documents he intended to disclose at the NSA's office in Hawaii.

Sky News Asia correspondent Mark Stone said the move marks the official start of government attempts to bring him back to the US.

"We are yet to hear from the Hong Kong police and authorities on whether or not they will act on the request by the Americans to arrest Edward Snowden.

"It's my understanding that they know exactly where he is. The Americans haven't yet asked for his extradition, they have simply asked the authorities to arrest him."

The NSA programme helped to prevent terror attacks, say US spy chiefs

There are reports a private plane is on standby to take Mr Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland, where he hopes to get asylum.

The latest documents from Mr Snowden claim to show that British spies have secretly accessed fibre-optic cables carrying emails, Facebook messages and other communications.

The Guardian reports that GCHQ can analyse data from the network of cables that carry global phone calls and internet traffic under an operation codenamed Tempora.

It claims that communications between innocent people are being processed, as well as those from people marked out as security threats.

"It's not just a US problem," Mr Snowden told The Guardian.

"The UK has a huge dog in this fight. They (GCHQ) are worse than the US."

Mr Snowden worked for the NSA as an employee of various outside contractors, including Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton.

"I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building," Mr Snowden previously told The Guardian.

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Le Mans: Driver Dies After Aston Martin Crash

Denmark's Allan Simonsen has died following a crash at Le Mans sports car race in France.

The 34-year-old was taken to hospital on Saturday after his Aston Martin crashed about 10 minutes into the 24 hour race.

He died at the hospital soon after arrival.

Simonsen was participating for the seventh time in the endurance race.

In a statement, event organisers Automobile Club de l'Ouest said: "In a serious condition, Allan Simonsen was transferred immediately to the Circuit Medical Centre where he died soon after due to his injuries."

The cause of the crash in western France is being investigated.

The race was stopped for about an hour after the crash to repair the barriers.

The last driver death at the 24-hour annual event happened in 1986.

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Syria: 'Friends' Agree Urgent Rebel Support

Western and Arab countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al Assad have agreed to give urgent military support to rebels fighting for his overthrow.

Ministers from the 11 main countries which form the Friends of Syria group agreed "to provide urgently all the necessary material and equipment to the opposition on the ground".

They also condemned "the intervention of Hizbollah militias and fighters from Iran and Iraq," demanding that they withdraw immediately.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague a the meeting in Doha

The support will be channelled through a Western-backed rebel military command, the ministers agreed during talks in Doha.

Guerrillas from Lebanon's Shiite pro-Iranian Hizbollah organisation spearheaded the recapture of the strategic border town of Qusair from mainly Sunni Muslim rebels two weeks ago.

Hizbollah and Shiite Iraqi gunmen have also been fighting around the shrine of Sayyid Zainab, south of Damascus, while Iranian military commanders are believed to be advising Mr Assad's officers on their counter-offensives against the rebels.

The ministers said the growing sectarian nature of the conflict and the foreign interventions "threaten the unity of Syria (and) broaden the conflict" across the region.

They also expressed strong concern at the increasing presence of "terrorist elements" and growing radicalisation in Syria.

Ministers from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States attended the talks in Doha.

Speaking at the meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the support for the rebels would help change the balance on the battlefield, where regime forces have scored recent victories.

Mr Kerry expressed concern about Iran and Hizbollah fighters in Syria.

"That is a very, very dangerous development. Hizbollah is a proxy for Iran ... Hizbollah in addition to that is a terrorist organisation."

Mr Kerry blamed Hizbollah and Mr Assad with thwarting efforts to diffuse sectarian rebels and to negotiate a settlement.

The two-year-long civil war in Syria has so far left 93,000 people dead.

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Riot Police Clash With Protesters In Turkey

Riot police have fired water cannon to clear protesters from Istanbul's Taksim Square, in the first clash at the site for a week.

More follows...

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