Fukushima Daiichi operator accused of delaying announcement of meltdowns in reactors 2 and 3 as IAEA inspectors arrive The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said fuel rods in two more reactors were likely to have suffered a meltdown soon after they were crippled by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami in north-east Japan. Confirmation by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) that fuel in the cores of reactors 2 and 3 had melted came days after new data confirmed a similar meltdown in reactor 1 about 16 hours after the disaster. The utility, which last week suffered the biggest annual loss by any Japanese firm outside the financial sector , said most of the melted fuel in all three reactors was covered in water and did not threaten to compound the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. The temperature of the fuel rods, which are believed to have melted and settled at the bottom of flooded reactor pressure vessels, remained well below dangerous levels, the company said. “It is unlikely that the meltdowns will worsen the crisis because the melted fuel is covered in water,” said a Tepco spokesman, Takeo Iwamoto. It said the fuel rods in the reactors 2 and 3 had started melting two to three days after the earthquake and tsunami, which knocked out vital cooling systems. Tepco officials repeated their insistence that the reactors had been crippled by the waves, but speculation has mounted in recent days that the quake itself had been responsible, casting doubt on Tepco’s claims that the plant was able to withstand even the most violent seismic shifts. Tepco said it had been unable to confirm the meltdowns until it had finished analysing data, but Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University, suggested the revelation was timed to minimise its impact on the public. “In the early stages of the crisis Tepco may have wanted to avoid panic,” he told Reuters. “Now people are used to the situation … nothing is resolved, but normal business has resumed in places like Tokyo.” Tepco’s handling of the crisis will come under closer scrutiny with the arrival in Tokyo of a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The United Nations nuclear inspectors will visit the Fukushima plant and present their findings at a meeting of ministers from IAEA member-states on 20 June. Tepco has suffered recent setbacks that may derail attempts to bring the plant under control in the next six to nine months, the deadline the firm announced just over a month ago. On Monday, it said makeshift containers being used to store tens of thousands of tonnes of contaminated water were almost full. The company has yet to complete a system to reprocess the water for reuse in the reactors, raising fears that contaminated liquid could leak into the sea. A Tepco spokesman said dealing with contaminated water that has gathered in reactor buildings and trenches could take until the end of the year, adding that the volume of water being used to cool the damaged reactors could rise to about 200,000 tonnes. Tepco is working with the French nuclear engineering firm Areva to reprocess the water. Japan’s shift towards renewable energy, meanwhile, is expected to gather momentum later this week. The prime minister, Naoto Kan, will unveil plans at the G8 summit in Deauville, France, to require all new buildings to be fitted with solar panels by 2030, the Nikkei business newspaper said. Kan has already announced a comprehensive review of Japan’s nuclear energy policy and ordered the temporary closure of an atomic plant in central Japan that is considered particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage. But he is also expected to tell G8 leaders that Japan will continue to use nuclear energy after making safety improvements. Some have criticised Kan and Tepco for failing to quickly release information about the extent of the damage at Fukushima Daiichi. “I am very sorry that the public doesn’t trust the various disclosures the government has made about the accident,” Kan told parliament. Japan disaster Nuclear power Japan Energy G8 Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Green campaigners express dismay as MPs back shale gas prospecting despite evidence of environmental dangers There should be no moratorium on prospecting for shale gas in the UK despite concerns about its negative environmental impacts, a report from an influential group of MPs has advised . The UK could have “considerable” shale gas resources, particularly offshore, said the energy and climate change select committee, and should exploit these to reduce reliance on energy imports. But the MPs acknowledged that exploiting shale gas could be environmentally damaging and could spell severe problems for the renewables industry , which is facing a lobbying onslaught from gas industry representatives seeking to position their fuel as “green” because it produces less carbon than coal. Tim Yeo, the Tory MP and former minister who chairs the committee, said: “Shale gas could encourage more countries to switch from coal to gas, which in some cases could halve power station emissions. But if it has a downward effect on gas prices it could divert much needed investment away from lower carbon technologies like solar, wind, wave or tidal power.” France recently agreed a moratorium on new shale gas projects, and similar steps have been taken in several US states, after widespread reports of shale gas wells leading to contamination and dangers to homeowners. However, the MPs dismayed green campaigners by dismissing evidence that shale gas exploration can be dangerous and damaging to the environment. Drilling for shale gas requires blasting the dense underground rocks in which the gas is found with vast quantities of water mixed with chemicals. In the US, the pioneer of shale exploration, communities have had their water supply polluted with methane, meaning that in some places the water can be set on fire. Keith Allott, head of climate change at WWF-UK, said: “Concerns about water contamination and the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas are serious and deserve to be thoroughly investigated.” He cited US research that found more than 1,000 cases of contamination from gas drilling, and a recent study that found shale gas had a bigger greenhouse gas footprint than coal. There is likely to be much less shale gas in the UK than in the US, with most of the recoverable supplies believed to be in the Bowland Shale, near Blackpool. Cuadrilla Resources, a UK-based company drawing on US expertise, has so far drilled two exploratory wells in the area, with some local opposition. The MPs said there was only a risk of water contamination when the walls of the gas wells were not sufficiently well made, leading to cracks or other failures. “There is no evidence that hydraulic fracturing poses any risk to underground water aquifers provided the well casing is intact before the process commences,” they said. They called on the Environment Agency to monitor the chemicals used in the process, which in the US have included benzene and lead, and for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) to “monitor closely the current exploratory activity in the Bowland Shale in order to both assess the likely impact of large scale shale gas extraction in the UK and also to promote public confidence in the regulation of this activity”. The MPs also warned against branding shale gas as low-carbon, and as a “transition fuel” that could be used for the next decade before the widespread move to renewables is complete. “Although gas emissions are less than coal, they are still higher than renewables,” the committee concluded. “Shale gas has the potential to shift the balance in the energy markets that Decc has tried to create away from low carbon electricity generation. The UK needs to manage this risk if its aim is to increase the proportion of the UK’s energy from renewable sources.” Craig Bennett, the policy and campaigns director at Friends of the Earth, said: “Instead of seeing shale gas as a miracle fix, the government should focus on developing the clean, safe energy alternatives at our fingertips like solar power and wind.” Allott added: “Shale gas is a dangerous distraction from the urgent need for us to tackle climate change. Chasing after risky and hard-to-get fossil fuels like shale gas, tar sands or drilling for oil in the Arctic may seriously undermine the move towards renewables as the only effective and sustainable solution to our energy challenges.” Shale gas Energy Climate change Fossil fuels Gas Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
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• M&S profits fall 3.3% in UK • Customers find stores ‘difficult’ to shop in • Outlets separated according to customer type • Retailer sees ‘challenging’ trading conditions ahead High street bellwether Marks & Spencer narrowly beat City expectations on Tuesday by declaring a 13% increase in profits in its last financial year. The retailer also gave an update on its revamped store design, a result, it said, of customers saying they find the shops difficult to navigate. Underlying profits before tax rose 12.9% to £714m, with revenues up 4.2% to £9.7bn. “Our customers have told us they find our stores difficult to shop [in]. We are addressing this by segmenting our stores better, by creating a more inspiring in-store environment, and improving in-store navigation and packaging architecture,” M&S said. Stores have been separated according to the kind of customers they attract, and will be stocked differently according to which segment they fall into. “While the last store modernisation programme improved the core infrastructure of our stores, it has not delivered an inspirational shopping environment for our customers. Moreover, 90 of our stores remain unmodernised. Our aim is to complete this programme over the next three years and work on delivering an improved in-store environment across general merchandise and food,” the statement said. A new director of space, Neil Hyslop, is in charge of the revamp. As part of a broader revamp, customers will also soon start to see clothes branded as “M&S Woman” and “M&S Man”, the retailer said. It is also drafting in European designer Marcel Wanders to introduce new home products. Real estate decisions will be overseen by a new property board, M&S said, to approve capital expenditure in the UK and internationally. Capital expenditure rose to £492m from £389m the year before, as investment in new stores increased from £50m to £151m. Like-for-like revenues in the UK rose 2.9% in the year to 2 April 2011, despite the sharp slowdown in fourth-quarter general merchandise sales . “General merchandise gross margin was down as a result of increased markdowns, commodity price inflation and adverse currency pressures which more than offset the benefits of better sourcing,” the retailer said on Tuesday. The results are the first full-year figures delivered by chief executive Marc Bolland, who took up the role a year ago after leaving supermarket Morrisons. Freddie George, an analyst at broker Seymour Pierce, said the UK was the weakest aspect of the results: “In the breakdown of results, UK profits were a little light of forecasts at £678m, down 3.3% against the previous year because of weaker gross margins in general merchandise,” he said. M&S said it expected trading to be difficult this year: “We have had a good start to the new financial year but we expect trading conditions in the year ahead to be challenging due to rising pressure on consumers’ disposable incomes and high commodity prices.” UK operating costs were up 3.5% over the year, as the retailer took on new stores and its rents were revised upwards. The final dividend rose to 10.8p, a 13.7% increase. M&S shares led the FTSE 100 fallers in early trading, dropping 1.5% to 391p. Marks & Spencer Retail industry Marc Bolland Alex Hawkes guardian.co.uk
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Arriving late last night from Ireland, Barack Obama today begins the first official day of his state visit to Britain – meeting the Queen, David Cameron and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 10am: Obama, of course, flew in to Britain early to avoid the ash cloud. Not so Latvian prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis who has just called off his UK visit tomorrow and Thursday because of the Grimsvotn volcano’s spewings. 9.50am: No “beast”, the Obama car, yet visible on the streets of London so royal biographer Penny Junior is telling the BBC about preparations for tonight’s state dinner. The horseshoe-shaped table will take an astonishing seven hours to prepare, some of which time will be taken up measuring the distance between place settings so they are a uniform distance apart. Good topics of conversation with the Queen are dogs and horses (luckily Obama has a dog ). Junor also tells us: “The royal family is not that interested in wine, they are more spirit drinkers.” 9.25am: Andrew Sparrow has more on the special relationship on his politics blog: One of the depressing features of an American presidential visit to the UK is that it always triggers a banal debate about the “special relationship”. The Americans think that it’s just a symptom of British insecurity (which it probably is). British prime minsters also tend to wish that they didn’t have to keep banging on about it, but they fear that if the “special relationship” doesn’t get a mention, the press will claim that Britain has sufffered a diplomatic downgrade on their watch. So every time we go through the SR rigmarole. 9am: NPR reports on the White House’s efforts to convey Obama’s “split-screen focus” on events at home while he travels abroad . Drinking Guinness in Moneygall was juxtaposed on TV news, it says, with footage of a Missouri town devastated by a tornado. 8.45am: Fresh from a Guinness-drinking embrace of his ancestral roots in Ireland, US president Barack Obama today continues his European tour with a state visit to Britain – a country some have suggested he was somewhat less keen on . You may remember when Obama’s gift of DVDs to Gordon Brown was seen as an ominous development in that perennial favourite of the British media, the state of the special relationship. But that’s all changed now, we are told. Not only are they to meet the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge but the US president and his wife will also receive a ceremonial welcome and state banquet at Buckingham Palace, to be followed with a speech to both houses of parliament and Downing Street barbecue. Obama and David Cameron have furthermore written a joint article in the Times declaring “Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship – for us and for the world.” The two leaders will, of course, also hold political talks. Here are some of the main points likely to come out of the visit. • Deficit Cameron is hoping for an endorsement of the coalition’s deficit reduction plan, which will insulate him to an extent from Labour charges that the cuts are too deep and too fast (the Conservatives already claim that Obama’s own budget cuts are at a similar pace to Britain’s). Patrick Wintour’s report today says: “Privately, Conservative sources are increasingly confident that the Treasury and its American counterpart are now seeing eye to eye on deficit reduction after being at odds for some months” • The “essential” relationship Officially upgraded from merely “special”, the set-piece development will be the announcement of a US-British national security council to work together on international challenges and share intelligence. An Obama administration official told Reuters it will help enable “a more guided, coordinated approach to analyse the ‘over the horizon’ challenges we may face in the future.” Libya, as Britain sends in attack helicopters , will feature in their talks, though Hillary Clinton said yesterday after talks with William Hague that the US “continues to fly 25% of all sorties” and wanted other Nato members to do more. • Meeting the Queen And then there is the ceremony – visits to the royal art collection, meeting William and Kate, a 21 gun salute, a US presidential motorcade, a state banquet and – probably keenly observed – present giving. Barack Obama Simon Jeffery guardian.co.uk
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US president to inspect a guard of honour before a private lunch with the Queen Barack Obama is meeting the Queen on Tuesday with the US president formally beginning his state visit to Britain by flying by helicopter to Buckingham Palace to cement what the two countries’ elected leaders describe as “an essential relationship”. Obama arrived in the UK from Ireland on Air Force One late on Monday, earlier than planned, to avoid the volcanic ash cloud blowing down from Iceland . He stayed at the US ambassador’s residence in central London ahead of a day of royal protocol with most of the hard talking on global politics with David Cameron expected on Wednesday. The prime minister is hopeful the two leaders can assert they are aligned on tackling financial deficits as well as addressing Libya, the Arab spring and Afghanistan. Obama was expected to be greeted in the grounds of Buckingham Palace by the Duke of Edinburgh, inspecting a guard of honour before a private lunch with the Queen. Obama, accompanied by his wife Michelle, was then due to go to Westminister Abbey to lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior before meeting David and Samantha Cameron at Downing Street. They were also expected to meet opposition leader Ed Miliband at Buckingham Place where they will stay after a formal dinner. Keen royal watchers will be hoping for a repeat of the famous arm round each other embrace between the queen and Michelle, when the Obamas last visited in 2009. Any implicit endorsement of the government’s deficit reduction plan by the Democrat president would be a massive political prize for the Conservatives, helping to immunise the prime minister from some Labour attacks that the cuts go too fast and too deep. In a joint article, Obama and Cameron said despite being two leaders from two different political traditions, they saw eye to eye.” “When the United States and Britain stand together, our people and people around the world can become more secure and more prosperous. “And that is the key to our relationship. Yes, it is founded on a deep emotional connection, by sentiment and ties of people and culture. But the reason it thrives, the reason why this is such a natural partnership, is because it advances our common interests and shared values. “It is a perfect alignment of what we both need and what we both believe. And the reason it remains strong is because it delivers time and again. Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship – for us and for the world.” They also promised not to abandon the protesters fighting for democracy in the Arab spring. “We will not stand by as their aspirations get crushed in a hail of bombs, bullets and mortar fire,” said the two leaders, in an article in the Times. “We are reluctant to use force, but when our interests and values come together, we know we have a responsibility to act … We will stand with those who want to bring light into dark, support those who seek freedom in place of repression, aid those laying the building blocks of democracy.” The joint article also refers to the need to tackle deficits. Privately, Conservative sources are increasingly confident that the Treasury and its American counterpart are now seeing eye to eye on deficit reduction after being at odds for some months. They believe the US treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, has formed a close relationship with the chancellor, George Osborne. In April, Obama laid out plans to cut the deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years, a pace of reduction that the Conservatives claim is similar to the UK’s goals. The British plan aims to cut the deficit from 11.1% of gross domestic product in 2009-2010 to 1.5% of GDP in 2015-2016. Under the US president’s plan, public-sector borrowing will fall from 10.9% of GDP this year to 3.3% in 2016. The US plan starts later, but aims to achieve the same pace of reduction, using the same proportionate mix of tax rises and spending cuts. During a triumphant visit to Ireland, Obama gave a shot in the arm to the morale of a country buffeted by economic troubles. Barack Obama Monarchy London Patrick Wintour James Meikle guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …US president to inspect a guard of honour before a private lunch with the Queen Barack Obama is meeting the Queen on Tuesday with the US president formally beginning his state visit to Britain by flying by helicopter to Buckingham Palace to cement what the two countries’ elected leaders describe as “an essential relationship”. Obama arrived in the UK from Ireland on Air Force One late on Monday, earlier than planned, to avoid the volcanic ash cloud blowing down from Iceland . He stayed at the US ambassador’s residence in central London ahead of a day of royal protocol with most of the hard talking on global politics with David Cameron expected on Wednesday. The prime minister is hopeful the two leaders can assert they are aligned on tackling financial deficits as well as addressing Libya, the Arab spring and Afghanistan. Obama was expected to be greeted in the grounds of Buckingham Palace by the Duke of Edinburgh, inspecting a guard of honour before a private lunch with the Queen. Obama, accompanied by his wife Michelle, was then due to go to Westminister Abbey to lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior before meeting David and Samantha Cameron at Downing Street. They were also expected to meet opposition leader Ed Miliband at Buckingham Place where they will stay after a formal dinner. Keen royal watchers will be hoping for a repeat of the famous arm round each other embrace between the queen and Michelle, when the Obamas last visited in 2009. Any implicit endorsement of the government’s deficit reduction plan by the Democrat president would be a massive political prize for the Conservatives, helping to immunise the prime minister from some Labour attacks that the cuts go too fast and too deep. In a joint article, Obama and Cameron said despite being two leaders from two different political traditions, they saw eye to eye.” “When the United States and Britain stand together, our people and people around the world can become more secure and more prosperous. “And that is the key to our relationship. Yes, it is founded on a deep emotional connection, by sentiment and ties of people and culture. But the reason it thrives, the reason why this is such a natural partnership, is because it advances our common interests and shared values. “It is a perfect alignment of what we both need and what we both believe. And the reason it remains strong is because it delivers time and again. Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship – for us and for the world.” They also promised not to abandon the protesters fighting for democracy in the Arab spring. “We will not stand by as their aspirations get crushed in a hail of bombs, bullets and mortar fire,” said the two leaders, in an article in the Times. “We are reluctant to use force, but when our interests and values come together, we know we have a responsibility to act … We will stand with those who want to bring light into dark, support those who seek freedom in place of repression, aid those laying the building blocks of democracy.” The joint article also refers to the need to tackle deficits. Privately, Conservative sources are increasingly confident that the Treasury and its American counterpart are now seeing eye to eye on deficit reduction after being at odds for some months. They believe the US treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, has formed a close relationship with the chancellor, George Osborne. In April, Obama laid out plans to cut the deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years, a pace of reduction that the Conservatives claim is similar to the UK’s goals. The British plan aims to cut the deficit from 11.1% of gross domestic product in 2009-2010 to 1.5% of GDP in 2015-2016. Under the US president’s plan, public-sector borrowing will fall from 10.9% of GDP this year to 3.3% in 2016. The US plan starts later, but aims to achieve the same pace of reduction, using the same proportionate mix of tax rises and spending cuts. During a triumphant visit to Ireland, Obama gave a shot in the arm to the morale of a country buffeted by economic troubles. Barack Obama Monarchy London Patrick Wintour James Meikle guardian.co.uk
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Israeli PM’s speech to influential US pro-Israel lobby group restates his opposition to Barack Obama over border issues Binyamin Netanyahu has repeated his assertion that there can be no return to Israel’s “indefensible” 1967 borders. The Israeli prime minister made his pledge in an address on Monday to thousands of pro-Israel American Jews and US lawmakers in Washington, and promised to present his vision for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement in a speech to Congress on Tuesday. His speech, which drew cheers and standing ovations, came amid pressure from the Obama administration for him to do more to renew stalled Middle East peace efforts. The warm reception he enjoyed at the gala dinner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) contrasted with the contentious tone of some of his recent exchanges with Barack Obama over border issues. Netanyahu planned address on Tuesday to a joint meeting of Congress, where Israel enjoys strong bipartisan support, could similarly remind Obama, before the 2012 presidential race, of the political price he might have to pay if he tries to push the Israelis too hard. In that speech, Netanyahu said, he would “outline a vision for a secure Israeli-Palestinian peace”, but promised he would also “speak the unvarnished truth”. “This conflict has raged for 100 years because the Palestinians refuse to end it. They refuse to accept a Jewish state,” Netanyahu said. A peace agreement, he said, must assure Israel’s security. “Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 borders,” he continued, rekindling the dispute with Obama in a possible effort to placate territorial hardliners in the Israeli government. The border issue took prominence last week when Obama, in a major foreign policy speech, took the position that any negotiations on final borders of the Jewish and Palestinian states must be based on the boundaries existing before the 1967 war in which Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – lands the Palestinians claim for their hoped-for state. In direct statements and through aides, Netanyahu suggested that Obama did not understand Israel’s security needs or the realities of the region. Obama said clearly in his policy speech, and in his own address to Aipac on Sunday, that the territorial markers could be adjusted through mutually agreed land swaps – a principle accepted by the Palestinians that would allow Israel to retain major settlement blocs and assure its security. But Netanyahu has repeatedly sidelined this part of the Obama message. In a sign of the sympathy Netanyahu can hope to enjoy when he speaks to Congress, a key Obama political ally, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, challenged the president on the border issue at the Aipac dinner. “No one should set premature parameters about borders, about building or about anything else,” Reid said. The reference to building alluded to earlier US demands that Israel renew an expired moratorium on settlement construction in lands claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking talks stalled in late 2008, shortly before Obama and Netanyahu took office. Obama had hoped to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table and wrest a deal by September 2011. But those efforts foundered after Israel refused to extend a settlement construction slowdown and Palestinians abandoned negotiations after three weeks, saying continued Israeli building on land they want for a future state did not show good faith. Now, the Palestinians are refocusing their strategy on trying to obtain a unilateral declaration of statehood at the UN when the general assembly meets in September. Israel would like to derail that campaign which, if successful as expected, could compound its diplomatic isolation. The US also opposes unilateral action, which would put Washington in the awkward position of having to vote against Palestinian statehood at a time when calls for greater democracy are ringing out across the Arab world. Further complicating peace efforts is a unity deal between rival Palestinian factions that would co-opt the anti-Israel Hamas into the Palestinian government. Obama has said Israel should not be expected to negotiate with a government that does not recognise its right to exist. Anti-Israel hecklers interrupted Netanyahu’s speech several times, but supporters drowned them out, leaping to their feet, giving him a standing ovation and at one point chanting his nickname, “Bibi, Bibi”, and pumping their arms in the air. Israel Binyamin Netanyahu Middle East Barack Obama Obama administration United States US politics guardian.co.uk
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Dense plume from Iceland’s Grímsvötn volcano drifts towards UK, prompting BA to cancel flights between London and Scotland Thousands of UK air passengers face flight cancellations as the Icelandic ash cloud closed in on Britain, threatening serious disruption to schedules. Travel plans were thrown into disarray for passengers at airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while even the US president, Barack Obama, was forced to amend his itinerary , flying into London earlier than planned to avoid the dense plume drifting towards the UK. Forecasters predicted the volcanic cloud, which billowed from Iceland’s Grímsvötn volcano, would reach Scotland and Northern Ireland in the coming hours, with much of the UK being covered by midday. But as a string of carriers announced cancellations, the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, said Britons had “to learn to live” with chaos caused by volcanic activity. “My understanding is that we have gone through an unusually quiet period for volcanic eruptions in Iceland over the last 20-odd years and we are moving into a period when there is likely to be significantly more volcanic activity,” he told BBC2′s Newsnight on Monday. “So this is clearly something we have got to learn to plan around. We have got to learn to live with it.” Hammond said that since last year’s eruption the authorities had gained a “much better understanding” of the risk from ash clouds and are able to assess the thickness of different patches as well as the possibility of flying over or below a cloud. “Most importantly, the basic situation now is that the threshold for most aircraft is 20 times where it was last year. We have got from 200 microgrammes per cubic metre to 4,000 microgrammes per cubic metre as the threshold up to which most aircraft can fly. What we can’t promise is that there won’t be disruption when there is a major natural event like this.” Met Office forecaster Charles Powell said the plume could hit parts of Scotland between 1am and 7am and large swaths of Britain by lunchtime. “This area of ash will start to make its presence felt across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland and by midday I think much of the UK will be covered,” he said. Responding to warnings, British Airways announced it would not operate any flights between London and Scotland before 2pm. Only last year, the airline’s then chief executive, Willie Walsh, criticised airport closures and said blanket bans imposed on flying were “a gross overreaction to a very minor risk”. Meanwhile, Ryanair bosses said they would meet Irish officials today in a bid to have flight restrictions lifted. The airline said it strongly objected to advice from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) not to operate flights to and from Glasgow, Prestwick, Edinburgh or Aberdeen until at least 1pm. “Ryanair believe that there is no safety risk to aircraft on fights operating to and from Scotland and together with other airlines will be complaining to the transport minister and regulatory authorities about these latest and unnecessary cancellations.” Dutch airline KLM said 16 flights scheduled to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Newcastle would be cancelled, while Eastern Airways, based in Kirmington, north Lincolnshire, axed all flights and easyJet grounded some planes. Glasgow-based carrier Loganair – which operates most of its services within Scotland – said it had scrapped 36 flights due to depart between 6am and 1pm. This excluded its inter-isles flights in Orkney. Some of its flights to Birmingham and Belfast were also cancelled. Aer Lingus said it had cancelled 12 flights to and from Glasgow, Dublin, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Shannon and Cork. Air traffic control company Nats advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to Scottish aerodromes including Aberdeen, Inverness, Benbecula, Barra and Tiree. Football club Barcelona saw its travel plans thrown into disarray ahead of the Champions League final against Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday. The Catalan club will wait for today’s forecast before deciding when players will travel to London for the game. Hammond said the situation would be monitored continuously, in conjunction with the Met Office. A CAA spokesman said: “We are in a totally different world as far as procedures go now compared with last year. “If we have the same level of ash as we did last year, there will not be the same problem. Airspace will not be closed and we will notify airlines when the Met Office predicts there are medium or high levels of ash present,” the spokesman said. “If an airline has done a risk assessment as to how it will fly safely in medium or high ash levels and has liaised with aircraft manufacturers and engine makers, then they will be able to fly if the CAA considers it acceptable. No UK airline has applied to fly in high-density ash, but a number have applied for, and been given, permission for flying in medium ash.” Iceland volcano 2011 (Grimsvotn) Natural disasters and extreme weather Air transport Transport Iceland Airline industry Weather Transport policy guardian.co.uk
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Harold Camping says his prophecy that the world would end was off by five months, claiming the Rapture will actually take place on October 21 Good news for Rapture lovers! The world is going to end after all, only it’s going to take a little longer than predicted. Harold Camping, architect of Saturday’s dramatic events in which Judgment Day came and went without so much as an earthquake , has revealed what went wrong. He took to his show on his network Family Radio to reveal the simple truth: the Apocalypse was imminent, he’d just got it out by five months. So now the world is going to end – really and truly this time – on 21 October. Camping was disarmingly honest about the impact that the world’s inconvenient continuance had had on him. He had predicted that 200 million Christians would rise to heaven by 6pm on Saturday followed by the destruction of the Earth in a massive fireball. “I can tell you when May 21 came and went it was a very difficult time for me – a very difficult time. I was truly wondering what is going on. In my mind, I went back through all the promises God had made. What in the world was happening. I really was praying and praying: ‘Lord, what happened?’” Many of Camping’s followers might be asking similar questions, particularly those who gave up their jobs or donated some of the $100 million or so believed to have been spent on billboards and RV trucks advertising the imminent arrival of doomsday. But then, there’s no consumer protection legislation when it comes to Armageddon. Among the disappointed, though arguably still living, Rapture groupies were Robert Fitzpatrick, who spent all his live savings of $140,000 spreading the word of the world’s end, and Jeff Hopkins who erected a doomsday sign on top his car and spent the past few months driving from Long Island to New York city to publicise it. “I’ve been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I’ve been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car,” he told Associated Press. “I was doing what I’ve been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I’ve been stymied. It’s like getting slapped in the face.” Camping, who predicted the Apocalypse would come in 1994, appears to be impervious to the kind of knocks that would floor a lesser man. He spent Saturday night cowering in a motel to avoid the media onslaught, but has recovered his composure soon enough. Tune in to his radio show, Open Forum, on 22 October to find out whether he can bounce back yet again. Assuming, that is, the world hasn’t ended by then. The Rapture Christianity United States Religion California Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk
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You know you’re reading the liberal Washington Post when a story rejoices in the D.C. government offering “a measure of freedom she has never had” to “slip on a flower-print blouse and shave her face.” The place is Wanda Alston House, named after a lesbian activist staffer of NOW and the Human Rights Campaign who was stabbed to death in 2005. The top story in Sunday’s Metro section was headlined : “A Haven from the Streets: For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths, who face a higher risk of becoming homeless, D.C.’s Wanda Alston House offers refuge where they don’t have to fear being themselves.” Reporter Theresa Vargas was typically all sympathy and zero skepticism for the politically correct cause: As the District takes significant strides to advance the rights of LGBT residents — for example, recently legalizing same-sex marriage — the youths who pass through the Wanda Alston House tell of the vulnerability the community still faces. The house, named after an LGBT leader and mayoral adviser who was killed in 2005, is one of a handful of transitional houses in the nation that cater to people who experts say are more likely to become homeless and who, once in that category, pose challenges most shelter systems are unequipped to address. Should a transgender female be placed in a shelter with men or women? Where should a transgender male who still has the anatomy of a woman shower? …”These kids get swallowed up in the system,” says Brian Watson, who manages the house through the District’s Transgender Health Empowerment program. He says he has seen young people come from shelters who have been sexually abused, ridiculed and, in one case, made to sleep in a common living room instead of a bedroom because she was transgender. “These are good kids, really good kids,” Watson says. “They just need a chance.” The story not only dominated the front page of Metro, but all of page C-4. There were also two videos, also unanimous. In one, Watson explains “There’s just a lot of non-understanding of what is a transgender person, what is gender identity. I think that our GLB youths are at risk, but our T youth, our transgender youth, are definitely at a higher risk.”
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