Locals to get more say on wind farms
By Anonymous on Jun 05, 2013 10:37 pm 5 June 2013 Last updated at 19:09 ET 
Onshore wind farms generate 3% of the UK's electricity supply
Local communities are to be given more powers to resist onshore wind farms, but also offered greater incentives to accept them, the government says.
Planning guidance in England will be changed to ensure local opposition can override national energy targets.
But the measures will see a five-fold rise in the benefits paid by developers to communities hosting wind farms.
The subsidies could be used to provide money off energy bills, pay for energy efficiencies or fund local initiatives.
The government said the measures would ensure local communities had a greater stake in the planning process.
It said it expected the industry to revise its measures by the end of the year to include an increase in the recommended community benefit package in England.
This increase will be from £1,000 per megawatt (MW) of installed capacity per year, to £5,000 per MW per year for the lifetime of the wind farm.
This means a medium-sized 20 MW wind farm could produce a benefits package to the local community worth £100,000 a year.
It would be up to local communities and developers to decide how this money was spent.
For example, in a similar scheme run by the wind farm company RES at its Meikle Carewe operation, near Aberdeen, will see local residents get £122 off their annual electricity bills.
Energy Secretary Edward Davey said: "It is important that onshore wind is developed in a way that is truly sustainable - economically, environmentally and socially - and today's announcement will ensure that communities see the windfall from hosting developments near to them, not just the wind farm".
Protection of landscape The Department for Communities and Local Government will also make sure local people have more say in the planning of wind farms and that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override the planning concerns of communities.
"We want to give local communities a greater say on planning, to give greater weight to the protection of landscape, heritage and local amenity," said Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles.
Planning approvals for wind farms in England have dropped in recent years, a situation the government is keen to turn around.
In 2008, about 70% of applications were approved, but approvals were down to 35% in 2012.
In 2011, onshore wind farms generated 3% of the UK's electricity supply.
BBC deputy political editor James Landale says the coalition government wants to generate more renewable energy, but knows that onshore wind farms are hugely unpopular, so is aiming to shift the balance more in favour of local communities.
A Conservative source said the prime minister felt it was important to take local people into account so that if they did not want wind farms they could stop them.
But Lib Dem sources emphasised other changes, namely that developers would be told to give local people five times the subsidy they currently get for accepting a wind farm - a greater incentive for residents but also a greater cost for developers, our correspondent says.
He adds that the bottom line is that these changes will almost certainly mean fewer onshore wind farms and they will add to coalition tensions.
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Government to make Mau Mau apology
By Anonymous on Jun 05, 2013 08:58 pm 5 June 2013 Last updated at 16:30 ET 
The government is expected to apologise to those imprisoned during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, the BBC understands.
Compensation for the victims is also expected to be announced.
UK-based law firm Leigh Day is representing more than 5,000 Kenyan men and women who say they were tortured or otherwise mistreated by the British administration in Kenya in the 1950s.
The British fought a bitter battle with Mau Mau insurgents demanding land and an end to colonial rule.
A court in London last year ruled against the British government, which had argued the events in question had occurred too long ago to allow justice to be done.
Read in browser » US condemns Syrian siege of Qusair
By Anonymous on Jun 06, 2013 12:09 am 5 June 2013 Last updated at 14:38 ET 
France's foreign minister said he had "no doubt" that sarin had been used by "the Syrian regime"
France's President, Francois Hollande, says the growing proof of chemical weapons use by in Syria "obliges the international community to act".
However, Mr Hollande cautioned: "We can only act within the framework of international law".
He spoke hours after Syrian government forces retook full control of the strategic western town of Qusair, after a siege lasting more than two weeks.
Meanwhile, the US and Russia failed to set a date for proposed peace talks.
The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said the international conference might now be held in July, rather than June as had been planned.
He called the lack of agreement between Washington and Moscow "embarrassing", but also noted that neither side in the Syrian conflict was ready to commit to attending.
Sarin 'used' On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius revealed that samples taken from locations of alleged chemical weapon attacks in Syria, including Saraqeb and Jobar, and brought to France had tested positive for the nerve agent, sarin.
Continue reading the main story Qusair is a small town, but its weight now is so significant some have called it a Battle for Damascus - in military and political terms.
Qusair lies on vital supply routes for both government and opposition forces, and the last three weeks of pitched battles have been waged in the midst of growing pressure on all sides to go to the negotiating table.
If and when all sides attend a conference, entitled "Geneva II", they want to go from a position of strength on the battlefield.
Hezbollah's admission that its fighters have been fighting alongside Syrian troops in Qusair confirms what was at stake in a town which lies only 10km from Lebanon's border.
Images of Syrian state TV show Qusair is now a virtual ghost town. In Syria, every battlefield is also a major humanitarian crisis. And this is not likely to be the last fight for this area, and every other.
Mr Fabius said he had "no doubt" that sarin had been used by "the Syrian regime and its accomplices", but did not specify instances of its use. The US says more proof is needed.
The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, and has in turn accused the rebels of doing so, an allegation that they have also rejected.
On Wednesday, Mr Hollande told reporters: "We have the elements which now allow us to give certainty over the use of chemical weapons in Syria - at what level we still do not know."
"What has happened in Syria must be one more piece of pressure that can be put on the Syrian regime and its allies."
Qusair 'in ruins' Meanwhile, a BBC correspondent taken to Qusair by the Syrian government on Wednesday after it was re-captured from the rebels says the town is in ruins.
The town had been the focus of fierce fighting for more than two weeks between rebels and troops backed by a pro-government militia and fighters from the militant Lebanese Shia Islamist group, Hezbollah.
State TV reported that a large number of rebels had died and many others had surrendered as troops advanced swiftly.
The rebels said they withdrew overnight in the face of a massive assault.
"In the face of this huge arsenal and lack supplies and the blatant intervention of Hezbollah... tens of fighters stayed behind and ensured the withdrawal of their comrades along with the civilians," said a statement quoted by the Reuters news agency.
The previously bustling town where 30,000 people once lived is now in ruins, with not one building visible that escaped the intense fighting, reports the BBC's Lyse Doucet, who was taken to Qusair by the Syrian government.
There appears to be only a handful of civilians left - a few farmers on tractors heading out of the town and one family loading up a vehicle, our correspondent says.
Continue reading the main story Strategic town of Qusair
- Estimated population of 30,000 people
- Up to 10,000 people have fled to neighbouring towns and 1,500 people are wounded, the UN says
- Some 23 villages and 12 farms west of Qusair are reportedly inhabited by Lebanese Shia
- Near the main route from Damascus to port of Tartous, a gateway to the heartland of President Assad's Alawite sect
She adds that both Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters are in evidence everywhere - travelling in trucks and armoured vehicles, firing guns in celebration and moving on foot through the streets.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it fears there are shortages of food, water and medical supplies.
George Sabra, the interim chairman of the main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, said there were hundreds of injured people awaiting help in the Qusair area and called on the Red Cross to be allowed access.
Qusair lies only 10km (6 miles) from the Lebanese border and is close to important supply routes for both the government and rebels.
The army said Qusair's capture was "a clear message to all those who share in the aggression on Syria... that we will continue our string of victories until we regain every inch of Syrian land".
Correspondents say the battle for Qusair has highlighted Hezbollah's growing role in the Syrian conflict - a development that has heightened sectarian tensions in the wider region.
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The BBC's Jim Muir: "People are being kept weeks and weeks just to register with the UN."
Hundreds of Syrian refugees have been pouring across the border into the Lebanese town of Arsal, many of them attempting to register with the local municipality for supplies of water, food and other supplies.
More than 80,000 people have been killed in Syria and more than 1.5 million have fled the country since an uprising against Mr Assad began in 2011, according to UN estimates.
The UN reported on Tuesday that the war had reached "new levels of brutality", with evidence of massacres and children being taken hostage of forced to witness - and sometimes participate in - atrocities.
Read in browser » Labour 'would cap welfare spending'
By Anonymous on Jun 06, 2013 02:49 am 5 June 2013 Last updated at 22:02 ET 
Ed Miliband will say that social security spending must be subject to financial discipline
Ed Miliband is to promise to cap spending on social security so that a future Labour government can "turn the economy around".
The party leader will also pledge to allow councils to negotiate lower rents with landlords to cut housing benefit and free up money for housebuilding.
Mr Miliband will say only people who pay in to the system for more than two years should get jobseeker's allowance.
But the Conservatives said he was "too weak" to deliver change.
Mr Miliband's speech appears to represent a further move by Labour away from so-called "universal" benefits, awarded to all, irrespective of income.
Earlier this week, shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the party would end winter fuel payments for pensioners on high and top-level income tax rates.
And on Wednesday BBC political editor Nick Robinson reported that Labour's leadership had decided not to reverse the coalition's decision to axe child benefits for households where one person is earning at least £50,000.
'Bring down the bill' In his speech at Newham Dockside, in east London, Mr Miliband will say: "The next Labour government will have less money to spend.
"If we are going to turn our economy around, protect our NHS, and build a stronger country we will have to be laser focused on how we spend every single pound.
"Social security spending, vital as it is, cannot be exempt from that discipline."
He will promise to cap "structural" social spending - such as housing benefit and disability allowances - for three years from the government's 2015-16 spending review.
This would not affect parts of the welfare budget affected by changes in unemployment.
The idea of a cap was suggested by Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in the Budget in March.
No overall figure for this will be given by Mr Miliband in his speech.
But, to help cut costs, he will argue that councils should be encouraged to make "immediate" savings by negotiating lower rents from private landlords, through measures such as bulk purchasing.
Rather than return the money saved to the Treasury, they should keep future costs down by investing more in building new homes, Mr Miliband will argue.
"We can't afford to pay billions on ever-rising rents when we should be building homes to bring down the bill," he will say.
"Thirty years ago for every £100 pounds we spent on housing, £80 was invested in bricks and mortar and £20 was spent on housing benefit.
"Today, for every £100 we spend on housing, just £5 is invested in bricks and mortar and £95 goes on housing benefit.
"We expect individual families to negotiate with their landlords when we know there aren't enough houses to go around.
"It is inevitable that tenants end up paying over the odds - and so does the state, in the housing benefit bill. It's time to tackle this problem at source."
'Faith shaken' In the speech, the Labour leader will outline plans to cut long-term unemployment and encourage employers to pay a "living wage", keeping the costs of in-work benefits down.
He will pledge to restore the "contributory principle" to jobseeker's allowance, so that only people who have paid in "for significantly longer" than the current minimum of two years will be eligible.
The party will look at whether to give more than the current £71-a-week rate to those who have contributed longest, he will say.
Mr Miliband is expected to say: "People's faith in the system has been shaken by a system that appears to give a minority of people something for nothing and other people nothing for something.
"Currently, after two years of work, someone is entitled to contributory jobseeker's allowance.
"They get £71 per week, whether they've worked for two years or 40 years.
"Two years of work is a short period to gain entitlement to extra help.
"And £71 is in no sense a proper recognition of how much somebody who has worked for many decades has paid into the system.
"A longer period of qualification would mean some new claimants would have to work longer than they expected before being entitled to extra support if they lose their job - but greater support for those who have worked for a longer time, providing real recognition of their contribution."
Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps called the speech "completely empty".
He added: "Ed Miliband is too weak to deliver the tough decisions on welfare hardworking people rightly want to see. His plans would actually increase welfare spending, and mean more borrowing and more debt."
Read in browser » US agency 'collecting phone records'
By Anonymous on Jun 06, 2013 03:21 am 6 June 2013 Last updated at 03:21 ET 
The US National Security Agency is collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of Americans, according to the Guardian newspaper.
The British paper published what it said was a secret court order directing the Verizon company to hand over electronic data on all its customers on an "ongoing daily basis".
Civil liberties groups said the details of the report were "stunning".
The US government and Verizon have not commented on the report.
The US Center for Constitutional Rights said it appears to be "the broadest surveillance order to ever have been issued".
The document published by the Guardian was signed by Judge Roger Vinson of the secret Intelligence Surveillance Court on 25 April and lasts until 19 July.
It requires Verizon - one of the largest phone companies in the US - to disclose to the NSA the details of all calls it processes, both domestic and international.
The data includes telephone numbers, calling card numbers, International Mobile Subscriber Identity numbers (IMSI), International Mobile station Equipment Identity number (IMEI) as well as the time and duration.
The contents of the call, nor the names, addresses or financial information of the callers are not required.
The order also contains a gagging order, requiring that "no person shall disclose to any other person that the FBI or NSA has sought or obtained tangible things under this Order".
The Guardian said the document "shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk - regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing".
The paper said the NSA, the White House and the Department of Justice had all declined to comment. A spokesman for Verizon, Ed McFadden, told the Associated Press the company had no comment.
The White House was heavily criticised last month for gathering the phone records of journalists at the Associated Press.
The story prompted both questions from both Republicans and Democrats in Washington about how the White House was balancing the need for national security with privacy rights.
Read in browser » Premier League revenues set to soar
By Anonymous on Jun 05, 2013 07:02 pm 5 June 2013 Last updated at 19:02 ET By Bill Wilson Business reporter, BBC News 
The rise in Premier League revenues was mainly down to sponsorship deals signed by the two Manchester clubs
Premier League clubs' revenue reached a record £2.36bn in 2011-12, according to football finance experts at Deloitte.
It estimates revenue grew to £2.5bn in 2012-13, and will grow by a further £600m, or 25%, in 2013-14, when the league's new broadcast deal kicks in.
Deloitte says this should take the projected revenue of Premier League clubs above £3bn for the first time.
It says this cash, plus new spending rules, "could provide huge benefits to the long-term development" of football.
"Despite operating in a challenging economic environment, English club football's profile, exposure and increasingly global interest have continued to drive revenue growth for the top clubs," said Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.
Across English football, the revenue of the top 92 clubs exceeded £3bn for the first time in 2011-12.
However, worries remain about the proportion of revenues being spent on player wages.
Almost 75% of the Premier League clubs' revenue increase in 2011-12 was spent on wages, which increased by £64m, or 4%, to £1.7bn. It meant the overall Premier League wages-to-revenue ratio remained at 70%.
"It is the age-old picture; revenues continue to be healthy and wage levels continue to be a concern," said Mr Jones.
In the second tier of English Football - the Championship - spending on wages increased by £53m (13%) to £476m in 2011-12. Deloitte says this was driven in part by the number of clubs being in receipt of parachute payments from the Premier League and the change in the mix of clubs.
"Championship clubs continue to overstretch off the field as they seek playing success to reach the Premier League," Mr Jones said.
In the summer of 2012, the Premier League clubs had a total debt of £2.4bn.
Of that, some £1.4bn was in interest-free soft loans from owners (2011: £1.5bn), of which around 90% related to three clubs: Chelsea (£895m), Newcastle United (£267m) and Queens Park Rangers (£93m).
The remaining £1bn interest-bearing debt was equivalent to about 40% of total annual revenues.
Mr Jones said that debt in the Premier League was much less of a concern than it was four or five years ago, adding, "when you look at how much of that is in soft loans, the interest-paying debt that is left is not that much".
Deloitte also said that a number of financial fair play rules, including those introduced by the Premier League and Championship (independently of those also drawn up by European governing body Uefa) should focus the minds of clubs in respect to overall spending.
Continue reading the main story The business of European football |
|---|
| League | Revenue 2011-12 | Wages 2011-12 |
|---|
| Source: Deloitte |
 Premier League, England | 2.9bn euros | 2bn euros (70% of revenue) |
 Bundesliga, Germany | 1.9bn euros | 1bn euros (51% of revenue) |
 La Liga, Spain | 1.8bn euros | 1.1bn euros (60% of revenue) |
 Serie A, Italy | 1.6bn euros | 1.2bn euros (75% of revenue) |
 Ligue 1, France | 1.1bn euros | 0.8bn euros (74% of revenue) |
Continue reading the main story Uefa's own break-even requirement, the cornerstone of its Financial Fair Play Regulations, will apply to clubs in its competitions for the first time in the 2013-14 season, and covers the clubs' financial results for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
"The new era of cost constraints aims to help clubs across Europe to achieve a more sustainable balance between their costs and revenues and encourages investment for the longer-term benefit of football," said Deloitte.
Continue reading the main story PREMIER LEAGUE FINANCES 2011-12
- Revenues of £2.4bn, £900m ahead of second highest revenue earning league, the German Bundesliga
- Total revenues up by 4%
- Total operating profits of £98m, second behind the Bundesliga's £154m
- Premier League clubs' revenues ranged from £320m (Manchester United) to £53m (Wigan Athletic)
- Commercial revenue was the main area of growth (up 15%)
- Majority of increase in commercial revenues was down to new sponsor deals at Manchester United and Manchester City
- Broadcast revenue (up 1%) and matchday revenue (down 1%) changed only marginally
- Pre-tax losses of £245m, compared to £280m a year earlier
- Only eight Premier League clubs made a net profit
- At summer 2012 Premier League net debt was £2.4bn, 'consistent with 2011'
Source: Deloitte
On the broadcasting landscape, Deloitte says the "step change" in the UK pay-TV market has been the emergence of BT Sport as a broadcaster of live 38 Premier League football from next season.
Mr Jones said BT was the "biggest beast" broadcaster Sky had yet faced and that "the scale and pace of the channel's success may have a huge impact on football's longer-term financial fortunes".
Outside of England, Deloitte said SPL clubs in Scotland had average revenues of about £12.7m each in 2011-12, with wages accounting for 68% of turnover. It said the revenue total of the top Scottish clubs would have been hit last season by Rangers' absence, but that a "creditable performance by Celtic in reaching the Champions League knock-out phase will soften this impact".
Deloitte also looked at the finances of the other leagues in the "Big Five" group with England - Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
In 2011-12, for the fifth successive year, the German Bundesliga joined the Premier League in being the only ones in the quintet to generate an operating profit.
And the relative strength of Germany's corporate sector and economy was reflected in the fact that money from commercial deals and sponsorship contributed almost half of the clubs' total revenues in 2011-12.
In Spain the combined wages to revenue ratios for Real Madrid and Barcelona fell to 47%, but rose to a worrying 77% for the other 18 La Liga clubs, many of whom have suffered recent financial difficulties.
Italy's Serie A clubs had the highest wages to revenue ratio (of 75%) amongst the five leagues, and suffered the highest operating losses (160m euros).
In France, the Ligue 1 clubs' operating loss of 67m euros was an improvement compared with the previous season.
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