Protest delays Egypt court ruling

2 December 2012 Last updated at 05:27 ET

Protests by the president's supporters have prevented Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court from meeting in Cairo for a key ruling on a draft constitution, state media say.

Hundreds of protesters gathered to try to block any ruling that would question the document's legality.

President Mohammed Morsi has said a referendum on the constitution will be held on 15 December.

His opponents say the draft constitution undermines basic freedoms.

Sunday's delay is the latest development in an unfolding confrontation between Mr Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood supporters on one side, and his mainly secular political opponents and the judiciary on the other.

Mr Morsi adopted sweeping new powers in a decree on 22 November that stripped the judiciary of any power to challenge his decisions, so it is unclear what effect a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling would have.

However, analysts say any ruling opposing his decisions would be a direct challenge and would bolster the opposition campaign to have his decree annulled.

'Democratic system'

The Egyptian state news agency Mena says demonstrations outside the constitutional court have prevented the judges from getting into the building.

Continue reading the main story

• Sharia remains the main source of legislation
• Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's leading authority, to be consulted on "matters related to Sharia"
• Christianity and Judaism to be the main source of legislation for Christians and Jews
• Religious freedom to be limited to Muslims, Christians and Jews
• Limits president to two four-year terms of office

It is not clear yet whether they will reconvene elsewhere on Sunday and a statement from the court is expected in the next few hours.

The court was to rule on whether to dissolve both the constituent assembly that passed the draft constitution and the Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament, the Shura Council.

However, Mr Morsi's decree was passed with the intention of making any such rulings unenforceable.

The president's supporters are wary of the court, as it dissolved an Islamist-dominated lower house of parliament in an earlier confrontation in June.

The draft constitution was rushed through the constituent assembly on Thursday night.

After receiving a copy of the document on Saturday, Mr Morsi called on "all Egyptians" to take part in the referendum, whether or not they agreed with the draft.

"The world is looking at how Egyptians will build their institutions to establish their democratic system," the president said.

His announcement was hailed at a rally in Cairo on Saturday, with the crowds chanting, "The people support the president's decision!"

'Struggle will continue'

The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says that the two weeks until the ballot will be tense, as Egyptians prepare to vote not just on the constitution but also on the country's future.

The draft constitution and the recent decree have prompted widespread protests by opponents.

Many anti-government activists remain camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

"Morsi put to referendum a draft constitution that undermines basic freedoms and violates universal values. The struggle will continue," key opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei tweeted on Saturday.

If approved, the new text will overwrite all constitutional declarations - including Mr Morsi's decree - and a new parliament should be elected within 60 days.

Among the historic changes to Egypt's system of government, the draft limits a president to two four-year terms. It also introduces some civilian oversight of the military.

The draft keeps in place an article defining "principles of Sharia", or Islamic law, as the main source of legislation.

Mr Morsi's supporters point to the fact that he is Egypt's first freely elected president and argue that liberals and secularists do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians.

But the extent of Mr Morsi's new powers has raised fears that he might become a new dictator.

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Deficit cut 'could take longer'

2 December 2012 Last updated at 06:13 ET

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Chancellor George Osborne says the rich will pay more, but welfare spending must also come down.

Chancellor George Osborne has admitted that curbing the UK's financial deficit is "taking longer" than planned.

But he told the BBC the government was "making progress" and that to "turn back now would be a complete disaster".

Mr Osborne, who delivers his Autumn Statement on Wednesday, said well-off people would "pay their fair share".

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said Mr Osborne's judgement had been "woefully lacking" and more investment was needed to promote economic growth.

The coalition has set a target of reducing debt as a share of national income by the next general election, due in 2015.

UK public sector net borrowing, excluding financial interventions, hit £8.6bn in October, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), marking a rise from the £5.9bn borrowed in October 2011.

But last week the ONS confirmed that the UK's economy had grown by 1% during the third quarter of this year, following a recession lasting nine months.

'Pay our way'

Mr Osborne refused to divulge any details of the economic forecasts from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, which will be unveiled during Wednesday's statement.

But he told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "We had two targets. One was to get debt share falling as a share of national income by 2015/16 and also to balance the current budget.

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Ed Balls: "Unless you have a long-term jobs and growth plan you don't get the welfare bill down."

"It is clearly taking longer to deal with Britain's debts. It is clearly taking longer to recover from the financial crisis than one would have hoped, but we have made real progress.

"The deficit is down by a quarter. There are a million more jobs in the private sector and to turn back now, to go back to the borrowing and the debt and the spending that Ed Balls represents would be a complete disaster for our country."

He added that some people were calling for more borrowing and others for more spending cuts, but the government had "got the right plan and we should stick to that plan".

The deficit had been cut by a quarter, he added.

Mr Osborne said of an economic recovery that "underpinning it will be the confidence of this country to pay its way in the world".

However, Labour's Mr Balls told the Andrew Marr Show that the chancellor's "judgement has been proved to be woefully lacking".

He added: "The growth plan is a shambles. There's nothing there... We are in a hole with no growth and borrowing rising."

'Fair share'

According to the Sunday Times, the chancellor is poised to cut the £50,000 annual tax relief cap on pension contributions to as little as £30,000 in his Autumn Statement.

The change, affecting the wealthiest pension pots, would reportedly bring in up to £1.8bn a year.

Mr Balls said such a course would be "deeply unfair" and attacked the government for previously cutting the top rate of income tax from 50% to 45%.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the Autumn Statement was a Budget by any other name and some tax rises for the wealthy and cuts in welfare were widely expected.

Mr Osborne said: "The richest have paid more in all of my Budgets."

He added: "The richest will have to bear their fair share... more than they pay at the moment."

But Mr Balls said: "There's a millionaires' tax cut worth £3bn... Why should pensioners pay more?"

Former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott told BBC One's Sunday Politics: "What matters in the Autumn Statement is to get the economy going."

He said his party "must fight much harder to ensure we get policies [in government] to get it going".

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Japan tunnel collapse traps cars

2 December 2012 Last updated at 06:41 ET

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The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says it is not known how many cars are trapped

A major road tunnel has collapsed in Japan, trapping a number of vehicles and leaving at least seven people missing, media reports say.

Survivors described how large sections of concrete fell on top of cars in the Sasago tunnel.

A fire broke out and rescuers said a number of charred bodies had been seen.

The incident started at 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT Saturday), about 80km (50 miles) west of Tokyo on a road that links it to the city of Nagoya.

The tunnel is one of the longest in Japan.

'Frightened'

Pictures from closed circuit TV cameras inside the tunnel showed a section of up to 100m (328ft) that had caved in on the Tokyo-bound lanes on the Chuo Expressway in Yamanashi prefecture.

Thick black smoke blew out of the tunnel, hampering the rescue, which had to be suspended for several hours because a further collapse was feared.

When it resumed, the first fatalities were found.

A spokesman for Yamanashi Prefectural Police told Agence France-Presse: "A number of charred bodies were confirmed inside. The number of dead is not known."

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield Hayes, in Tokyo, says CCTV pictures now show rescuers moving freely over the collapsed roof sections.

He says there has already been criticism of the rescue services, which media say took three hours to reach the collapse site.

One woman who made her way out of the tunnel said she was with five other people in a van, but added: "I have no idea about what happened to the others. I don't know how many vehicles were ahead and behind ours."

A reporter for the NHK broadcaster described driving through the tunnel as it began to collapse, seeing other cars trapped and on fire. His car was badly damaged, he said.

Another survivor told the broadcaster that he saw "a concrete part of the ceiling fall off all of a sudden when I was driving inside. I saw a fire coming from a crushed car".

Survivor Tomohiro Suzuki said: "A part of the ceiling, just as wide as the road, had collapsed straight down and broken in the middle into a V-shape."

He and his family walked for an hour to get out, with the smoke worsening.

"I heard after a while on the public address system that a fire had occurred inside the tunnel and the sprinkler system was going to be activated," he told Jiji Press.

"I kept wondering when the fire would spread and catch us," Mr Suzuki said.

The twin-bore Sasago tunnel is an estimated 4.3km (2.7 miles) long and is on one of the major highways out of Tokyo.

The road has had to be closed because of the seriousness of the accident and this is expected to bring traffic chaos as thousands of weekend travellers head back to Tokyo on Sunday afternoon.

Our correspondent says there will be serious question about how a major tunnel on one of Japan's most important traffic arteries could have failed so catastrophically, with the private company that runs the highway saying the tunnel had undergone a major inspection just two months ago and had been given a clean bill of health.

Japan is prone to large earthquakes, but none were reported in the area in the morning.

One tunnel expert, Prof Chikaosa Tanimoto, told AFP that earlier quakes or vehicle vibrations could have caused old ceiling panels or pillars to deteriorate.

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Leveson reform 'would be illegal'

2 December 2012 Last updated at 06:48 ET

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Shami Chakrabarti tells the BBC's Andrew Marr that she does support Leveson's report

A key adviser to Lord Justice Leveson says his proposal for compulsory press regulation would be illegal because it would breach the Human Rights Act.

The judge's report recommended an independent self-regulatory body for the industry, backed up by legislation.

But Liberty's Shami Chakrabarti said although she supported the principles of Leveson's report, she "got off the bus" at compulsory regulation.

Actor and campaigner Hugh Grant said reforms "simply won't work without it".

Lord Justice Leveson proposed creating a new, independent watchdog, but the debate over any legislation underpinning it has caused a split in the coalition.

'Carrots and sticks'

Ms Chakrabarti, one of six assessors who worked on the Leveson Inquiry, told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme she supported the "carrots and sticks" in the report, that meant press who signed up to a new watchdog would be subject to lower penalties than those who did not.

"The bombshell, or the difference, is what do you do if people don't join the club or don't set up a club. And Leveson doesn't want compulsory regulation of the press, but he says if they don't play ball, politicians may have to consider it. That is where I get off the bus," she said.

She told the Mail on Sunday that, in a democracy, regulation of the press and imposing standards on it must be voluntary.

"A compulsory statute to regulate media ethics in the way the report suggests would violate the act, and I cannot support it."

Continue reading the main story

Would:

• Create a process to "validate" the independence and effectiveness of the new self-regulation body
• Validate a new process of independent arbitration for complainants - which would benefit both the public and publishers by providing speedy resolutions
• Place a duty on government to protect the freedom of press

Would not:

• Establish a body to regulate the press directly
• Give any Parliament or government rights to interfere with what newspapers publish

She also said Labour leader Ed Miliband had been "hasty" in declaring his full backing for the Leveson report.

Mr Miliband has said Prime Minister David Cameron must back Lord Justice Leveson's proposal by Christmas.

If Mr Cameron has not signed up by then, Mr Miliband says he will pull out of cross-party talks.

Mr Miliband told the Observer the prime minister has "one last chance to show leadership" or his party will begin rallying for a Commons vote in January, which could see Mr Cameron defeated.

Mr Cameron has indicated he has "serious concerns and misgivings" about legislation following the Leveson report.

'Complicated issue'

Chancellor George Osborne told the BBC he did not think Labour should be setting deadlines before Christmas.

He said Ms Chakrabarti had spoken "very powerfully about the risks of legislation" and it was important that the parties continued talking to find a consensus.

"This is a very complicated issue and we have got to get it right," he said.

Conservative MP John Whittingdale, who chairs the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, has called for self-regulation rather than new laws, saying legislation could stifle free speech.

"As people come to think about this carefully, they will realise the dangers of going down this road," he said.

However, shadow chancellor Ed Balls told the Andrew Marr show Mr Cameron should "get on and do it".

"I'm somebody who was always very sceptical about imposing statutory legislation on the press but that's not what Leveson did," he said.

Also appearing on the programme, actor Hugh Grant claimed Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations were "mild" and branded Mr Cameron's position "very close to disgraceful".

He spoke of his "astonishment" at Mr Cameron's "betrayal" by declaring there was no need for statutory underpinning.

'Papers challenged'

Campaign group Hacked Off, which represents people who have been victims of press intrusion, has launched a petition for Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations to be carried out in full. It now has about 100,000 signatures.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wants a new law introduced without delay.

David Cameron will attend a meeting on Tuesday with Culture Secretary Maria Miller and newspaper editors.

Mrs Miller has said the "gauntlet has been thrown down" to papers to demonstrate how they could regulate themselves without legislation.

Lord Justice Leveson's 2,000 page report into press culture, practices and ethics, published on Thursday, followed an eight-month public inquiry launched in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

The report said a regulatory body proposed by the press at the inquiry was insufficiently independent.

Lord Justice Leveson said the press - having failed to regulate itself in the past - must create a new and tough regulator but it had to be backed by legislation to ensure it was effective.

Press Complaints Commission chairman Lord Hunt has said the Press Complaints Commission should be replaced by another organisation within months, although the idea of legislation has been largely rejected by newspapers.

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Osborne boosts tax avoider probes

2 December 2012 Last updated at 07:08 ET

Chancellor George Osborne has pledged more funds for the UK authorities to tackle tax avoidance by multinationals.

He told the BBC that an announcement would be made on Monday about the "extra investment" for the Inland Revenue to deal with the issue.

It comes as Starbucks said it was in talks with HM Revenue and Customs about how much tax it pays.

Big-name firms including Starbucks have been criticised after it emerged they pay little or no UK corporation tax.

A Public Accounts Committee report on the issue of how much tax multinational firms pay in the UK is due on Monday.

"We have listened to feedback from our customers and employees, and understand that to maintain and further build public trust we need to do more," said a Starbucks statement.

"As part of this we are looking at our tax approach in the UK. The company has been in discussions with HMRC for some time and is also in talks with The Treasury."

It said more details would be released later this week.

Mr Osborne did not single out any firms while making his announcement on the Andrew Marr Show.

He also said that as well as his extra funding for the UK authorities, it was also necessary to work at an international level on the issue.

"It is actually Britain who has been working with Germany and France to get those rules on the international table," he said.

But he also warned against "pricing Britain out of the world economy.", adding that "if we make our taxes less competitive that will just mean more companies stay out of Britain".

The PAC report is expected to be critical of the current way in which multinational firms used UK tax legislation.

In November the committee took evidence from executives from Starbucks, Google and Amazon over the amount of tax the companies have paid in the UK.

After the hearings, PAC chair Margaret Hodge MP said: "One of our concerns is that the ability of global companies to choose where to they put their costs and their profits gives them an unfair tax advantage that damages UK-based businesses,"

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Plain packs for Australia smokers

30 November 2012 Last updated at 20:08 ET By Duncan Kennedy BBC News, Sydney

Australia has become the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes.

From now, all tobacco company logos and colours will be banned from packets.

They have been replaced by a dreary, uniform, green/brown, colour accompanied by a raft of anti-smoking messages and photographs.

The only concession to the tobacco companies is their name and the name of the brand variant in small print at the bottom of the box.

"This is the last gasp of a dying industry," declared Australia's Health Minister Tanya Plibersek.

Anne Jones of the anti-smoking group Ash (Action on Smoking and Health) agrees.

"Plain packaging has taken the personality away from the pack", she says.

"Once you take away all the colour coding and imagery and everything is standardised with massive health warnings, you really do de-glamorise the product."

Cigarette packets were practically the last platform for tobacco companies to advertise themselves.

Commercials on Australian television and radio were banned in 1976. Newspapers followed in 1989.

Targets set

Tobacco sponsorship of sport and cultural events was prohibited in 1992.

That left the packets themselves, which became a target for the current Labor government.

The government's efforts were led by then-Health Minister Nicola Roxon whose own father, Jack, died from a smoking-related illness when she was 10.

Continue reading the main story

Plain packaging is here to stay in Australia. We now plan to go after the ingredients contained in cigarettes"

End Quote Anne Jones of Ash

The government argued that with 15,000 smokers dying each year at a cost to society of AU$30bn (£19bn) it had a duty to act.

It set the target of reducing smoking levels from 16% of the population in 2007, to less than 10% by 2018.

In May 2011, Cancer Council Australia released a review of the evidence surrounding the introduction of plain packaging. The review suggested that packaging plays an important part in encouraging young people to try cigarettes.

That was followed by a telling video, released by anti-smoking campaigners, showing children discussing existing cigarette packets.

One boy says the red on one packet reminds him of his favourite car, a girl admires the pink on another packet, while another boy talks about the "heavenly" colours on his box.

The combined messages about the efficacy of logos and colours in selling cigarettes, helped prompt the government to begin its legislative push to introduce plain packaging.

Not surprisingly, the tobacco industry resisted.

A consortium of major companies, including Phillip Morris, Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco (BAT) came together to plan a counter punch.

That included an extensive media campaign to try to persuade the public and government of the shortcomings of plain packaging.

BAT's spokesman, Scott McIntyre, says: "Plain packaging has always been misleading and won't stop smoking because branded cigarettes will be smuggled in and because tobacco companies will have to respond to that by cutting prices to stay competitive."

Despite those arguments, last August Australia's High Court ruled in favour of the government.

It threw out technical arguments by the tobacco companies that the government was trying to "acquire" their intellectual property rights by removing logos.

"Plain packaging is a game changer," says Anne Jones, a veteran of anti-smoking campaigns.

"It means that you can take on big tobacco and win."

It's known that Britain, France, Norway, India and New Zealand have been among those following the Australian court case closely, to see if there are any lessons for similar plain packaging measures in their countries.

Rare legal set back

But Scott McIntyre of BAT says it is not that straightforward, arguing that the Australian government only won because of the peculiarities of Australian constitutional law.

But there is no doubt that tobacco companies have suffered a rare legal set back, although there could still be further action by them at the World Trade Organization.

"We don't fear that," says Anne Jones of Ash.

"Plain packaging is here to stay in Australia. We now plan to go after the ingredients contained in cigarettes."

Anti-smoking lobbyists like Anne Jones know that packaging changes alone wont significantly curb smoking, especially among established smokers.

Price, availability, information campaigns and health messages play an equally important role.

But cigarette packets will no longer be mini, mobile advertising boards and, for those working to reduce smoking levels, plain packaging is an important stage in the shift to a smoking-free society.

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N Korea date for rocket launch

1 December 2012 Last updated at 06:09 ET

North Korea is to launch a long-range rocket between 10 and 22 December, its official news agency says.

The KCNA agency said the aim was to launch a satellite.

Previous - unsuccessful - launches have been criticised as breaches of a UN ban on North Korean ballistic missile tests.

The announcement is likely to increase tensions with North Korea's neighbours, with South Korea expressing concern over Pyongyang's announcement.

South Korean officials called the move a "grave provocation" and a "challenge to the international community".

The atmosphere in South Korea is especially tense as the country prepares for a presidential election scheduled for 19 December, the BBC's Lucy Williamson reports from Seoul.

North Korea's most recent rocket launch, in April, was a failure.

The US, Japan and South Korea said the rocket flew only for a short time before breaking up and crashing into waters off the Korean peninsula.

Earlier this week South Korea halted a satellite launch minutes before take-off after problems were found during the final checks.

'Peaceful purposes'

North Korean scientists and technicians had now "analysed the mistakes" of the April launch, the Korean Committee for Space Technology said, via KCNA.

The rocket will be of the same Unha-3 variety as was used in the April test. It will be launched "southward" from the Sohae base near the Chinese border, KCNA said, implying it would be directed over the East China Sea.

The flight path had been chosen to avoid debris falling on neighbouring countries, the agency said.

"Unha" is Korean for "galaxy", and is the name given by North Korea to the space launcher version of its Taepodong-2 missile, which has an estimated range of 2,200km. The missile has not yet been successfully tested.

There had been recent speculation that North Korea would attempt another launch soon, with a UN Security Council committee on Thursday warning the country against such a move.

Saturday's statement insisted the forthcoming launch would be for "peaceful purposes".

The test will be the second to take place under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, who took over leadership of the country after the death of his father Kim Jong-il almost a year ago.

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Egypt Islamists rally for Morsi

1 December 2012 Last updated at 06:31 ET

Islamist backers of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi are holding mass rallies to support his sweeping new powers and the drafting of a constitution.

The demonstrations in Cairo come after days of rival protests by supporters and opponents of the president.

His opponents are angry that the draft constitution was hastily passed by an Islamist-dominated assembly on Friday.

The assembly acted before Egypt's top court could meet to rule on whether the body of MPs should be dissolved.

Senior judges have been in a stand-off with the president since he granted himself sweeping new powers last week.

'God's law'

Thousands of supporters of Mr Morsi, carrying flags and portraits of the president, gathered outside Cairo university on Saturday.

"The people support the president's decision!" they chanted, while a banner read: "The people want the implementation of God's law."

Riot police stood by, with roadblocks erected to contain crowds.

Continue reading the main story

• Sharia remains the main source of legislation
• Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's leading authority, to be consulted on "matters related to Sharia"
• Christianity and Judaism to be the main source of legislation for Christians and Jews
• Religious freedom to be limited to Muslims, Christians and Jews
• Limits president to two four-year terms of office

Mr Morsi's supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties had called for a huge turnout to show that the president's recent moves were supported by the public.

Under an emergency decree issued last week, Mr Morsi's decisions cannot be revoked by any authority, including the judiciary, until the new constitution has been ratified and a fresh parliamentary election held.

The decree also states that the courts cannot dissolve the constituent assembly.

Mr Morsi says he will give up his extraordinary powers once the new constitution is approved by a referendum.

Members of the constituent assembly are scheduled to hand him the draft of the constitution they quickly adopted at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Friday.

The president is then expected to ratify the draft and schedule a referendum.

The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says Mr Morsi may announce the referendum on Saturday and hold it in as little as two weeks' time.

Our correspondent says the key question will be whether the opposition can mobilise its support and get it to the ballot boxes to vote in the referendum.

On Friday, tens of thousands of people opposed to the president rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Demonstrators chanted slogans, including "The people want the fall of the regime!" - one of the rallying cries against former President Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled last year.

In the city of Alexandria, supporters and opponents of the president clashed on the streets.

'Divisive move'

The extent of Mr Morsi's new powers has raised fears that he might become a new dictator.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has written to the president, asking him to reconsider his decree.

In her letter, Ms Pillay "warned that approving a constitution in these circumstances could be a deeply divisive move", her spokesman said.

Mr Morsi's decree of 22 November gave the 100-member constituent assembly until January to complete the draft constitution.

Opponents filed 43 separate lawsuits challenging the process.

When the Supreme Constitutional Court, Egypt's highest judicial authority, said it would soon rule on the lawsuits, supporters of the president in the assembly decided to pass a rushed draft to head off the threat of dissolution.

During a marathon session that began on Thursday and continued through the night, the assembly voted on and passed all 234 articles.

Among the historic changes to Egypt's system of government, the draft limits the amount of time a president can serve to two four-year terms.

It also introduces some civilian oversight of the military establishment.

The draft keeps in place an article defining "principles of Sharia", or Islamic law, as the main source of legislation.

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Snow falls in some parts of UK

1 December 2012 Last updated at 06:47 ET

Snow has fallen across parts of northern England and southern Scotland, with more forecast over the weekend.

Up to an inch (25mm) of snow settled in some areas. Temperatures fell early on Saturday to -7C at Shap, in Cumbria.

Meanwhile, two of Scotland's five ski resorts have opened for business this weekend because there is enough snow cover to get the season under way.

The Met Office said recent wet weather, which flooded about 800 UK homes, meant "an increased risk of icy patches".

Heavy bursts of rain have been forecast for Sunday and Monday in parts of the UK, with up to 20mm (0.75in) expected in flood-hit south west England.

BBC Weather forecaster Mike Silverstone said: "It could potentially cause more flooding issues there. It's not going to help."

He said a band of rain would move from western England eastwards late on Sunday going into Monday morning.

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Nearly 70 flood warnings are still in place after heavy rain and winds battered parts of Britain earlier in the week.

Three people died in the storms.

And hundreds of households are continuing the clean-up process in the aftermath of flooding, which hit parts of England and Wales.

As cold weather approaches, BBC Weather said there was a yellow warning of ice across the UK, which meant there was an "increased risk of icy patches".

The Met Office has issued a low-level warning of severe weather, affecting much of the UK for Saturday morning.

It said: "Due to the recent wet weather there is an increased risk of icy patches, even on roads that have been treated with salt, where water run off/seepage may wash off any earlier salt treatment.

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Scotland's snow sports areas are hoping for an early season boost

"The public should be aware of the risk of ice on roads and pavements."

Frosty weather is expected to last for the next few days, with more snow predicted in northern England and Scotland on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the snowsports centres at Cairngorm and the Lecht said there was enough snow cover to get the season under way.

There was around 76mm (3in) of fresh snow at CairnGorm Mountain overnight. Operators have invested in four new snow cannons in order to open their higher runs.

The Cairngorms range has had snowfalls since October.

Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) has reported snow covering summits in the range. It has also reported on the summit of Creag Meagaidh.

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Care home regulation 'not fit'

1 December 2012 Last updated at 06:56 ET

Regulation of the care sector is not fit for purpose, care minister Norman Lamb has said as he unveiled proposals on England care homes for consultation.

He also said there was a "significant lack of corporate accountability for the quality of care".

One suggested measure involves companies having to open up their books to inspectors to ensure they are financially sound.

Proposals were drawn up after the collapse of Southern Cross last year.

The country's biggest provider had thousands of elderly residents at more than 750 care homes across the UK.

Mr Lamb said its demise showed the need for "greater oversight of providers' finances".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he widened out his concerns to include the recent case of abuse uncovered at the Winterbourne View care home in Bristol: "I think there is a significant lack of corporate accountability for the quality of care that is provided in care homes and in private hospitals and that's something that I'm determined to address.

"I've been looking at that in terms of the government's response to the horrors of Winterbourne View. And I just have a sense that the whole regulatory model for the care sector is not actually yet fit for purpose."

Rent bill

There had been concerns about Southern Cross's business model for years and it struggled to balance the books as local authorities reduced the amounts they were spending on social care.

Continue reading the main story

When a patient or service user is moved from one care setting to another due to providers failing, it can have catastrophic effects on their mental and physical health"

End Quote Dr Peter Carter Royal College of Nursing

The firm was brought down by having to pay a £250m rent bill as councils made cuts.

After its collapse, other operators had to step in to take over the care of more than 30,000 people.

The Department of Health has started a consultation on how to prevent such a situation happening again.

One proposal is to give regulators the power to go through the books of the biggest providers and challenge them to prove their business models are sound.

Regular checks

Mr Lamb said there did not appear to be any current providers who were in the same financial state as Southern Cross was just before its collapse, "but you have to keep this regularly under check, because the level of anxiety people suffered as a result of what happened with Southern Cross is completely unacceptable".

If things go wrong, a "much more planned and controlled exit" was needed, "so that no-one is adversely affected", he added.

"We want to make sure every person receiving care and support will continue to get the care they need if a provider exits the market, regardless of whether they are paid for by the state or pay for care themselves.

"Southern Cross demonstrated that we need greater oversight of providers' finances and better plans to support people if their independent provider goes out of business."

Regular requests for information about company finances would be made by the regulator, and Mr Lamb stressed that it would also challenge business models that were very complex or looked unsustainable.

'Tackle the crisis'

Shadow health minister Liz Kendall said Labour was concerned about whether the proposed requirements on care home providers to provide financial information were sufficiently strong.

It would also examine whether the Care Quality Commission or Monitor, an independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, had the skills, experience or resources to properly scrutinise the financial structures of companies, or the power to take effective action to prevent financial failure if risks emerge.

"However, the underlying challenge facing the government is to tackle the crisis in social care funding. There have been financial pressures for many years, but the government's cuts are now driving care services to breaking point."

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said the proposals were a "welcome step forward".

"For some time we have been concerned about the ability of providers to deliver high quality care and run on a sound financial footing," he said.

"When a patient or service user is moved from one care setting to another due to providers failing, it can have catastrophic effects on their mental and physical health."

In Wales, care homes are regulated by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW); in Scotland, the Care Inspectorate is responsible for regulating care homes; while in Northern Ireland, care home standards are the responsibility of the Regulation Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).

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