Lloyds Banking Group back in profit
By Anonymous on Aug 01, 2013 02:56 am 1 August 2013 Last updated at 02:08 ET 
Lloyds Banking Group has returned to profit, after announcing a profit of £2.1bn ($3.2bn) for the six months to the end of June.
It compares with a loss of £456m for the same period last year.
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Councils 'make huge parking profits'
By Anonymous on Jul 31, 2013 08:58 pm 31 July 2013 Last updated at 20:58 ET 
Councils use parking charges and fines to pay for the cost of parking services
Parking charges are providing huge cash surpluses for some English councils, according to the RAC Foundation.
The 359 councils across England had a total current account surplus of £565m from on and off-street parking schemes in 2011-12, according to the figures.
Eight of the biggest 10 surpluses came from London councils with Westminster leading the way with a £41.6m profit.
Westminster City Council disputed many of the figures but said it would work with motorists to reduce fines.
The other two councils making the top 10 were Brighton and Hove in sixth with £14.4m and Cornwall eighth with £7.9m.
The total profit was a £54m increase on the surplus from 2010-11 and only 52 of the councils reported a deficit on their 2011-12 parking operations.
The RAC Foundation figures, produced for them by transport consultant David Leibling, are from the annual returns that councils make to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
They are based on three factors - on-street parking charges, off-street parking charges and parking penalties.
Running costs of parking operations are deducted from this total to produce the surplus or deficit figure.
Continue reading the main story Top 10 parking surpluses
- Westminster £41.6m
- Kensington and Chelsea £28.1m
- Camden £25m
- Hammersmith and Fulham £19.5m
- Wandsworth £16.1m
- Brighton and Hove £14.4m
- Islington £10.9m
- Cornwall £7.9m
- Newham £7.3m
- Hounslow £7.3m
Source: RAC Foundation. Figures for 2011-12
While disputing many of the figures, Westminster City Council still signalled its intention to work with motorists and road users.
Councillor Daniel Astaire, Westminster City Council cabinet member for business, said: "The system is already changing and councils are already looking to work with motorists to issue fewer fines and crucially increase the amount of people parking correctly.
"Parking is about traffic management, tackling congestion and trying to implement positive benefits for businesses and high streets.
"If we stay in this Jurassic age of pure rhetoric about cash cows and money making, innovation will be stifled and we cannot engage with motorists properly in order to find the best solutions that will benefit everyone."
Kensington and Chelsea Council made the second biggest surplus of £28.1m and a spokesman told BBC London: "There is a greater demand for parking spaces in Kensington and Chelsea than practically anywhere else in the country.
"The council has discretion on how to spend any surplus that may arise, within the allowable purposes provided for by Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984."
Havering Council had the second lowest figures in London, despite its surplus of £703,000 having gone up by £563,000.
A spokeswoman said: "These latest figures show our commitment to giving residents and visitors to the borough value for money, as well as showing our support for local high streets and as a result the wider economy.
"Havering has so much to offer and parking charges are a key factor in encouraging people to shop in the borough and improving trade for businesses.
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Is technology the answer to London's parking problems? BBC London's Tom Edwards finds out
"Despite being the third largest London borough, parking charges in Havering are still among the lowest in London and have stayed the same for several years. But in April this year, we cut prices even further."
Councillor Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association's economy and transport board, said: "Parking revenue is spent on paying for parking services.
"Any money left over goes towards transport services like filling potholes, concessionary travel and road improvement projects.
"As the report makes clear, many councils have to subsidise parking services as the cost is not covered by charges.
"Parking charges and fines help councils keep traffic flowing and pedestrians and motorists safe."
On Wednesday, government figures showed that money made from parking charges and fines by English councils is set to continue to rise.
The councils expect that net income from parking services is likely to increase from £601m in 2012-13 to £635m in 2013-14.
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said: "This municipal parking profit shows why we need to review and rein in unfair town hall parking rules. The law is clear that parking is not a tax or cash cow for town hall officers."
Last week, the High Court ruled against Barnet Council's move to raise the cost of residents' parking permits in a landmark victory for campaigners.
Mrs Justice Lang ruled that the council acted unlawfully when it increased permit costs to generate more money for road maintenance.
The council had claimed it had the power to raise extra cash through permits, and said it would appeal.
Read in browser » Living room TV 'making a comeback'
By Anonymous on Jul 31, 2013 07:00 pm 31 July 2013 Last updated at 19:00 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News Continue reading the main story 
The way we were - in the 1950s homes were likely to have one screen at most
The way we are - Ofcom says mobile devices are bringing us back to the living room
Continue reading the main story UK families are more likely to watch TV together now than they have been in over a decade, according to a study.
Communications regulator Ofcom said 91% of adults watched their main TV set once a week - up from 88% in 2002.
It said the popularity of smartphones and tablets was taking teens out of bedrooms back into family rooms.
However, their attention may be distracted. Most family members now multi-tasked while sat in front of the TV, the study said.
Far from technology pulling family time apart, it said, the huge growth in mobile was actually having the opposite effect. Family members are being brought together just as they were in the 1950s when a TV was likely to be a home's only screen.
"There are number of factors that are fuelling this - we're now watching on much bigger, better television sets," said Jane Rumble, Ofcom's head of media research.
"But also, there's the rise of connected devices, such as a smartphone or tablet. We're coming into the living room today clutching those devices, they offer a range of opportunities to do things while we're watching television."
More than half of those surveyed said they distracted themselves from television by talking on the phone, texting friends, using social networks or even watching different content altogether on YouTube or other streaming sites.
Instant messaging apps like Whatsapp are more popular among young people than normal texts
A quarter of those asked also said they were "media meshers", people who use devices to do something related to the programme they are watching. This might be tweeting or using tie-in apps for shows such as Britain's Got Talent.
Backing up a long-regarded view of the sexes, the research said it was women who were more likely to multi-task when watching TV.
These changing habits have left advertisers needing to adapt but change is slow in happening, said Daniel Knapp, director of advertising research at the IHS consultancy.
"Advertising is an extremely conservative industry, focusing on what works and where a return on investment is clear," he told the BBC.
Multiplying machines The trend has been attributed largely to massively increased ownership of smartphones and tablets.
Ofcom said that just over half of adults now use a smartphone, up from 27% just two years ago. The number of tablet owners has more than doubled too, from 11% to 24% in a year.
It means the average UK household owns more than three devices capable of connecting to the internet, with one in five homes having more than six.
In contrast to the proliferation of mobile devices, the number of televisions we own is steadily decreasing.
Teenagers' bedrooms, once incomplete without a small TV in the corner, are now less likely to have sets.
According to Ofcom's data, 52% of UK kids aged 5-15 have TVs in their room, compared with 69% in 2007.
Watching television - particularly sports and other live events - is becoming a pursuit enjoyed solely in the living room on TVs that are getting larger.
Sets measuring 43in (109cm) or above accounted for 15.8% of all TV sales during the first three months of this year, up 4.3% on 2012, said Ofcom.
Despite the popularity of on-demand services such as the BBC's iPlayer, the huge majority of TV watching is still as-broadcast.
"Although there are changes in audience behaviour, when it comes to overall scale, on-demand still cannot complete with linear TV," said Mr Knapp.
Breaking up The Communications Market Report, which the regulator publishes once a year, also looks at habits across various different parts of our digital lives.
Tablets are seen by parents as a great way to keep children entertained with apps, as well as providing a way for the youngsters to watch the programmes they want while the adults view other shows.
One in three parents said they encouraged their child to use their tablet for school or college work.
Almost all tablet-owning parents said they used the device to keep kids entertained
For teens and younger adults aged 16-24 sending messages via mobile internet messaging apps, rather than the typical SMS text, is now more popular.
And compared to older generations, this age group has less restraint when it comes to what is off-limits.
One in five 16-24 year olds said they considered it reasonable to start a relationship via text, email or instant message.
Sixteen percent said they had no problem with ending a relationship in this way. Two percent of over-75s surveyed thought the same.
The report also indicated:
- 85% of tablet owners keep it at home
- 91% of parents said their children use a tablet
- 11% of tablet owners use their device in the bathroom
- Drama is the most popular programme genre to watch on catch-up, news is the least popular
- Mobile internet use among the over-55s has increased considerably in the past three years
Read in browser » Votes counted in Zimbabwe polls
By Anonymous on Aug 01, 2013 02:23 am 31 July 2013 Last updated at 17:46 ET 
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Mark Lowen reports on the day's voting, which featured long queues of determined voters
Vote counting has begun in Zimbabwe's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Turnout was high in a fierce contest between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and PM Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC.
Some polling stations remained open into the evening to allow those already queuing at closing time to cast votes.
Mr Mugabe, 89, has said he will step down after 33 years in power if he and his party lose. Zanu-PF denied MDC claims it doctored the electoral roll.
African Union (AU) observers have described the voting as "orderly and peaceful".
Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have shared an uneasy coalition government since 2009 under a deal brokered to end the deadly violence that erupted after a disputed presidential poll the previous year.
Western observers barred Polls opened at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and had been due to close at 19:00.
Continue reading the main story At the scene
Brian Hungwe, Harare
People are queuing with enthusiasm and determination.
Most of the voters have been speaking of the hope that the outcome will make a huge difference in their lives.
The polling officers told me some voters had been turned away for various reasons, such as because their names are missing from the voters' roll in their ward.
The majority of these are newly registered voters - and party agents are having to intervene to get electoral officials to check with the electoral commission's national command centre to see if the names are on the constituency register.
If the name is verified, they can go ahead and vote, but it is a long, tedious process which voters are finding frustrating.
Thabo Kunene, Bulawayo
Hundreds braved the cold and the wind to stand in queues, which started forming as early as 04:30. A security guard said he saw some people sleeping opposite one polling station.
Women with babies strapped to their backs were being given special preference by other voters and allowed to go to the front. Women selling tea and coffee nearby made good business as those in the queues bought hot drinks to ward off the cold.
At one polling station in Makhokhoba, voting was progressing in an impressively ordered manner. People from different parties were chatting to each other and laughing but they avoided discussing who would win.
However, because of the high turnout election officials said people who were still waiting in queues to vote by 19:00 would have until midnight to cast their ballots.
Results are due within five days.
To be declared a winner, a presidential candidate must win more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate reaches this mark, a run-off will be held on 11 September.
The elections were the first to be held under the new constitution approved in a referendum in March this year.
The government barred Western observers from monitoring Wednesday's elections, but the AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as local organisations, have been accredited.
Zimbabwe Election Support Network, the main domestic monitoring agency, said the vote appeared to be taking place without too many problems, Reuters news agency reports.
"There are some concerns around long queues, but generally it's smooth," said its spokesman Thabani Nyoni.
Former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo, who heads the AU monitors, said the elections seemed credible.
"It's been quiet, it's been orderly. The first place I called in this morning, they opened prompt at seven o'clock and there haven't been any serious incidents that... would not reflect the will of the people." he told Reuters.
But while big queues were reported across the country, there were numerous complaints that voters were unable to find their names on the electoral roll.
According to villagers, MDC polling agents and local election observers, some irregularities were recorded in parts of rural Masvingo district.
Continue reading the main story 
Zimbabweans have been voting in fiercely contested presidential and parliamentary elections. These voters queued up in the capital, Harare, before polls opened. It is winter in Zimbabwe, so the mornings are chilly.
Before polls opened there were already allegations of fraud over the voters' roll which was only published on the eve of the elections. The document features the names of thousands of dead people. Some names also appear twice or three times with variations to their ID numbers or home address.
Zanu-PF's Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change's Morgan Tsvangirai are the main contenders in the presidential poll. Mr Tsvangirai's supporters are hoping it will be third time lucky for him.
Mr Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe for 33 years, has said he will step down if defeated. His wife Grace (middle) has played a prominent part in his campaign. Campaigning was mostly peaceful, with few reports of intimidation.
Mr Tsvangirai, casting his ballot in Harare with his wife Elizabeth Macheka, described the poll as a historic moment.
But there have been reports of some violence, especially in Mashonaland West, a Zanu-PF stronghold. The house of 65-year-old Monica Chivera, from Hurungwe, was set ablaze on Friday in an incident suspected to be politically motivated arson. ''We were force-marched to a Zanu-PF meeting but I did not do a slogan denouncing Tsvangirai. I escaped with my five children but I lost virtually everything,'' the widow said.
In the same region on the same day a young family's thatched hut was also set ablaze by an unknown arsonist. ''I lost everything,'' said 18-year-old expectant mother Chipo Matemo whose husband Daniel Bhobho is a Zanu-PF activist. Police said the incident was being investigated.
Some had hoped for the election to be held later in the year so there would be more time to prepare but the Constitutional Court ruled it must be held by 31 July. Zanu-PF has been campaigning on a platform of indigenisation and economic empowerment. At its campaign launch in Harare, a spelling mistake was noticed on the main banner. After an hour a sticker was put over the word "indegenise".
The turnout is expected to be high among the 6.4 million people registered to vote, with tens of thousands of people attending rallies in recent weeks.
To be declared the victor, a presidential candidate must win more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate reaches this mark, a run-off will be held on 11 September.
Continue reading the main story And on Tuesday, the MDC accused Zanu-PF of doctoring the roll of registered voters, which was released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) only on the eve of the polls after weeks of delay.
Continue reading the main story Zimbabwe election: Key facts
- About 6.4 million registered voters
- Voting takes place between 05:00 GMT and 17:00 GMT
- Vote for president and parliament
- Zanu-PF's Robert Mugabe and MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai are the main presidential contenders
- Mr Mugabe, 89, is seeking to extend his 33-year rule
- Mr Tsvangirai, 61, hopes to become president after three failed attempts
- The poll ends the fractious coalition between Zanu-PF and MDC, which was brokered by regional mediators after disputed elections in 2008 that were marred by violence
- First election under new constitution
The MDC claimed the roll dated back to 1985 and was full of anomalies.
A BBC correspondent has seen the document and says it features the names of thousands of dead people.
MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti said there were as many as two million such names, while some genuine voters were not finding their names on the rolls.
"The greatest worry which we have is the number of persons that are being turned away," he added.
A Zanu-PF spokesman denied the allegations and pointed out that appointees from both parties were on Zec.
He also accused Mr Biti, who is finance minister, of not funding the commission properly. Zec has not commented.
In addition to Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, there are three other candidates standing for the presidency - Welshman Ncube, leader of the breakaway MDC-Mutambara; Dumiso Dabengwa of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu), and Kisinoti Munodei Mukwazhe, who represents the small Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP).
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Read in browser » 'WWIII Queen's speech' text revealed
By Anonymous on Aug 01, 2013 02:25 am 31 July 2013 Last updated at 20:25 ET 
In a Whitehall-written script, the Queen speaks of the "madness" of war
The Queen was expected to urge the people of the United Kingdom to "pray" in the event of a nuclear war, government documents from 1983 reveal.
The script for a hypothetical broadcast has the monarch describing the threat to the "brave country" as "greater" than any other in history.
It also mentions the Queen's son Prince Andrew, then in the Royal Navy.
Devised by Whitehall officials at one of the most fraught periods of the Cold War, it was never recorded.
The document, released by the government under the 30-year rule, was drawn up as part of a war-gaming exercise in the spring of 1983, working through potential scenarios.
'Terrors' Although it was only a simulation, the text of the Queen's address - written as if broadcast at midday on Friday 4 March 1983 - seeks to prepare the country for the ordeal of World War III.
The script reads: "Now this madness of war is once more spreading through the world and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds.
The speech includes a reference to Prince Andrew, then serving in the Royal Navy
"I have never forgotten the sorrow and the pride I felt as my sister and I huddled around the nursery wireless set listening to my father's [George VI's] inspiring words on that fateful day in 1939 [at the start of the World War II].
"Not for a single moment did I imagine that this solemn and awful duty would one day fall to me.
"But whatever terrors lie in wait for us all, the qualities that have helped to keep our freedom intact twice already during this sad century will once more be our strength."
Striking a personal note, the script continues: "My husband and I share with families up and down the land the fear we feel for sons and daughters, husbands and brothers who have left our side to serve their country.
"My beloved son Andrew is at this moment in action with his unit and we pray continually for his safety and for the safety of all servicemen and women at home and overseas.
"It is this close bond of family life that must be our greatest defence against the unknown.
"If families remain united and resolute, giving shelter to those living alone and unprotected, our country's will to survive cannot be broken."
In the war-gaming exercise, Orange bloc forces - representing the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies - launch a chemical weapon attack on the UK.
Blue forces - representing Nato - retaliate with a "limited-yield" nuclear strike, forcing Orange to sue for peace.
The exercise came in the year that US President Ronald Reagan both enraged and alarmed Moscow with his denunciation of the Soviet Union as the "evil empire", his plans for a "Star Wars" ballistic missile shield in space, and the deployment of US nuclear cruise missiles to Europe - including to RAF Greenham Common.
Tensions increased when the Soviets shot down a South Korean airliner that strayed into their airspace, killing all 269 on board.
A Nato military exercise, codenamed Able Archer, then nearly triggered an actual conflict with the Soviet leadership apparently convinced it was cover for a genuine attack.
The Soviet Union and the US later negotiated a reduction in the number of nuclear weapons, as the Cold War came to an end.
Read in browser » British Gas plans free power offer
By Anonymous on Jul 31, 2013 05:16 pm 31 July 2013 Last updated at 16:48 ET 
Earlier, British Gas warned that fuel bills could go up again this winter
British Gas has said it is planning to offer free power at weekends to some of its customers.
The idea is to encourage consumers to use more of their electricity at the weekend when there is less demand from businesses, according to the BBC's industry correspondent John Moylan .
The scheme would be available to its one million UK customers who have smart meters.
British Gas is understood to have already started piloting the scheme.
The parent company, Centrica, already offers the scheme - called Free Power Saturday - in its Direct Energy operations in Texas and the north-east of the United States.
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