founder of Waterstones to launch Spotify for books

    

      

 founder of Waterstones to launch Spotify for books

literature correspondent,London(weastar times/telegraph):::

Tim Waterstone is to launch a new digital books business which aims to become the literary version of Spotify, charging readers a flat rate to access as much reading matter as they like online.

The project, Read Petite, will specialise in short stories and serialisations, following in the tradition of 19th Century novelists like Dickens, creator of Oliver Twist, and Vanity Fair author Anthony Trollope, who used to publish their novels chapter by chapter in newspapers and magazines.

Short stories have traditionally been very difficult to sell in paper form, but Mr Waterstone said they would be suited to commuters and other time-pressed bibliophiles.

“It worked for Dickens and it worked for us. If you are going to read on a laptop, or a smartphone or a tablet, [a short story] is about as much as you want,” Mr Waterstone told our correspondent. “This is not slush pile publishing. There is an absolutely staggering treasure trove [of material] available.”

Read Petite will only publish works by authors who have already been picked up by traditional publishing house, although the material itself might be unpublished. Mr Waterstone said it has already unearthed little-known works by Brighton Rock author Graham Greene and Aldous Huxley, best known for his portrayal of a dystopian future in Brave New World.

Royal Liverpool Hospital extensition build within this yr under new health development plan

    

      

Royal Liverpool Hospital extensition build 

within this yr under new health 

development plan

royal correspondent,liverpool(wp/Ebc):::

The Department for Health and the Treasury have approved the funding and the hospital is now assessing bids from two construction companies.

A decision is expected in the next few weeks on which of the bidders - Carillion or Horizon - will design and build the hospital.

The Royal Liverpool University and Broadgreen Hospital Trust said after the bidder is appointed, final planning permission would be obtained, with work on the hospital expected to begin middle of this  year.

Chief executive Aidan Kehoe said he was "delighted" with the news.

North Yorkshire add more mobile camera as countrywide strict security plan

    

      

North Yorkshire add more mobile camera 

as countrywide strict security plan

national security reporter,york(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

During the first year of using the mobile safety camera van, fatal crashes,street gangs control  caused by speeding had dropped from 14 to seven.

More than 26,000 speeding motorists have been caught, including a motorcyclist who registered 144mph.

Three new mobile cameras will take to the roads from Friday.countrywide strict security plan under this project run.

North Yorkshire Police said speeding was responsible for 24% of all road deaths in the county over the three years to 2010.

Because of that, and the fact that the county is popular with bikers, the force brought in a mobile safety camera pilot in June 2011.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Spittal said: "The results from the pilot scheme fully justify the expansion of our mobile safety camera capability.

"We have witnessed some extreme offences brought before the courts, supported by indisputable evidence captured by the high-tech equipment used in the safety camera van."

The cameras will be self-funding with the running costs paid through levies generated by speed awareness course fees.

Vans will be sent to routes highlighted through intelligence and collision data as well as those flagged up by residents as being hotspots for speeding.

current account launch by Post Offices under new financial&banking law

    

      

current account launch  by Post Offices under new financial&banking law

royal/financial  correspondent,London(wp/weastar times/telegraph):::

The Post Office said it will introduce the account in a small number of branches in the coming weeks, widening through its 11,500-strong branch network in  end of 2013 or may be earlier this year.

The personal account market is dominated by THE ROYAL ENGLAND  four biggest banks – Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Net west, and HSBC, who hold almost three quarters of the market. Santander is the main challenger in fifth place.

New entrants have struggled to make an impact in recent years, held back by the economic crisis for extra country scotland(kicked off),northern ireland(kicked off) or welse(kick off) and open under new  regulatory restrictions(THE ROYAL ENGLAND) .

However, the Post Office already has a large branch network and is a trusted provider of financial services in partnership with the Bank of THE ROYAL ENGLAND. Three million customers use its financial products such as insurance and foreign exchange.

The Post Office said that it has told the new regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), about its current account plans.

Nick Kennett, director of financial services at Post Office said: "The introduction of the Post Office current account is the logical next step towards meeting the needs of our customers and becoming one of the key players in the financial services market.

"We have been offering financial services for over 10 years and our announcement today means we will now offer everything from travel money to mortgages.

"The launch of the current account is part of our plans to improve customer experience and develop new products to bring in new business as we continue to build a profitable and modern network."

The Post Office said it would release further details about the account in the coming weeks. Customers can register an interest in the new current account through the Post Office's website.

Consumer experts said the introduction of a current account made the Post Office a “serious challenger” to the major banks. The current account market is a big prize, worth £8.8bn in revenue, according to the Office of Fair Trading.

“What we are in desperate need for is wider choice, particularly in the bank account market, where most products are from big brands,” said Kevin Mountford, head of banking at MoneySupemarket.com.

“The Post Office current account should have mass market appeal due to its large customer base and ease of access, so I expect this account will be very popular.”

Changes to make it easier for people to switch current accounts are being introduced this September by the Payments Council.

Customers can chose their switch date and the whole process will take seven days as opposed to the 18 days it currently takes. Payment agreements will be switched automatically to their new account.