Paper expected to hit newsstands within the next few weeks priced at 30p Alexander Lebedev is poised to bring his brand of cut-price national news to the weekend market with the launch of a 30p Saturday edition of the i. Lebedev gave the greenlight to launch 20p weekday national newspaper the i in October last year in a bid to boost the flagging fortunes of stablemate the Independent and build on his portfolio of UK newspapers, which includes the London Evening Standard. After a shaky start , largely due to the bad weather before Christmas, the self-styled “essential daily briefing” has managed to build up daily sales of more than 170,000 fuelled by a multimillion pound ad campaign starring Dom Joly and Jemima Khan. The Independent publisher is now set to launch the i into the weekend market with a 30p Saturday version. It is understood it will hit newsstands on Saturday 7 May. Senior executives have been ecstatic at the success of the spin-off paper – particularly as there appears to have been little cannibalisastion of readership of the main Independent newspaper. Last month at a party celebrating the 100th issue of the i, Independent editor-in-chief Simon Kelner quipped the title was the “highlight of a long and not very glorious career” . The i recorded a slight month-on-month sales dip in March and executives are keen to maintain momentum with the incremental cost of producing a Saturday edition considered to be well worth the possible revenue gains. Saturday is considered to be the most profitable, and biggest-selling, day of the week for many national titles. For the Independent, which has seen its paid-for circulation in the UK and Ireland drop to less than 85,000, the launch has been something of a lifeline. The Independent has been negotiating to as much as double the amount it charges for advertising by bundling space in the 20p spin-off into deals based on the fact that the combined headline circulation of both titles tops 353,000. The total paid-for circulation of the two titles is 255,000. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . i Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers Independent Print Alexander Lebedev Media business Mark Sweney guardian.co.uk
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Heron Tower and Shard to be among the last of iconic buildings as austerity drive ushers in the era of ‘ground-scrapers’ The architect of the Gherkin has declared that the “age of bling” is over in the City, pronouncing the end of the London skyscraper boom. The recently-finished Heron Tower, along with the Shard, the Cheesegrater and the Walkie Talkie, which are still under construction and are due to open by 2014, will be the last generation of iconic skyscrapers, he says, as property developers turn to more modest, less expensive schemes. The towers were all conceived before the financial crisis and some of them were nearly scrapped during the property downturn. “The age of bling is over,” Ken Shuttleworth, the architect at Norman Foster’s firm which designed the Gherkin, told Bloomberg News . He said the 40-storey tower, which opened in 2004, would never get off the ground today. “Money now drives everything, so if you can build something for half the price, you will.” Tenants are demanding “austere and efficient” buildings that are more likely to be “ground-scrapers” than high-rises, he said. “The tall glass box is dead.” Tall buildings cost more to build than low-rise structures with the same amount of space. At the same time, many tenants are reluctant to pay a premium for being in a tower as belt-tightening continues. Property tycoon Gerald Ronson recently admitted it will take about 18 months to let all space in his Heron Tower, with the lower floors going for about £55 a sq ft while the top floors will command more. Rents in the City today are around the same level as in the 1980s. Nonetheless, demand for office space in the City is on the rise again. Assuming that banks and other financial firms will be taking on 11,500 new staff over the next three years as the economy recovers, BNP Paribas Real Estate estimates that they will need an additional 1.6m sq ft of space – equivalent to four Shards or five Heron Towers. Its research shows that typical take up in the City is 3.1m sq ft every year, and the banks’ expansion will mean extra requirements of about 550,000 sq ft a year up to 2014. Two of the biggest new office buildings, the Cheesegrater and the Walkie Talkie, will not be completed until 2014. Dan Bayley, head of central London at BNP Paribas Real Estate, said: “The general trend seems to be that the smaller – perhaps more nimble – occupiers expect to see the strongest growth; the really big banks are only expecting very modest growth. This suggests that the trend we have seen in the first quarter – more deals but fewer really big ones – is likely to continue.” According to DTZ Research, free space in the City amounted to 7.2m sq ft at the end of March. Availability has risen by 201,000 sq ft, nearly 3%, after December. Within this, the amount of secondhand space available is down by 8%, while new space grew by 14%. Construction industry Financial sector Architecture London Financial crisis Banking Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
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Change.org founder says staff have stabilised website after it became completely inaccessible following denial-of-service attacks The social campaigns website Change.org has alleged Chinese hackers have launched a distributed denial-of-service attack on it, after it hosted a petition calling for the release of detained artist Ai Weiwei. The founder of the US-based site said staff appeared to have stabilised the platform after it became totally inaccessible for short periods due to the attacks, which began early on Monday. Around 90,000 people have signed the petition calling for Ai’s release, which was launched two weeks ago by leading members of the international arts community, including Richard Armstrong, director of the Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, Glen Lowry of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Sir Nicholas Serota of the Tate. “We do not know the reason or exact source of these attacks,” said Ben Rattray, the founder of Change.org. “All we know is that after the unprecedented success of a campaign by leading global art museums using our platform to call on the Chinese government to release Ai Weiwei, we became the victims of highly sophisticated denial of service attacks from locations in China.” Rattray said that the initial attacks had all been traced to IP addresses in China, although hackers often use several computers to disguise their whereabouts. He added that he believed the petition was the cause of the attack because it was the most popular international campaign on the site at the moment and the first that he knew of on Change.org to directly criticise Chinese authorities. The site has apologised to users for inconvenience, but Rattray added: “Rather than take the appeal down, we will continue to stand with Ai Weiwei’s supporters to defend freedom of speech.” A spokesman for the ministry of information and industry technology in Beijing said it was not aware of the issue. Chinese authorities have responded to previous allegations of China-based cyber-attacks by saying they are “resolutely opposed” to hackers and that China is their biggest victim. Ai has been missing since officials stopped him at Beijing airport on 3 April. Authorities say the 53-year-old artist is under investigation for economic crimes, but police have not notified his family of detention. Several friends and colleagues have also disappeared, although his lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan returned home on Tuesday after several days absence. His friend Wen Tao, his driver and cousin Zhang Jinsong, accountant Hu Mingfen and designer Liu Zhenggang remain missing. Ai Weiwei China United States guardian.co.uk
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Gold hits new record price as global economic fears push investors into seeking safe havens Gold has smashed through the $1,500-an-ounce barrier for the first time, pushed higher by worries about global inflation, the European debt crisis and the state of the American economy. Spot gold set a new record of $1,501.26 (£917) an ounce in Asian trading, underpinned by a weak dollar. Standard & Poor’s downgrade of America’s debt outlook on Monday sparked a new flight into safe-haven investments. The ratings agency lowered its credit outlook to “negative” from “stable,” pointing to fiscal problems in the US. This sent shares tumbling and came at a time of fresh fears over the eurozone debt crisis, with Portugal edging closer to a bailout and Greece under pressure at home to default on its debt . US treasury secretary Tim Geithner, however, shrugged off S&P’s warnings and sought to reassure Wall Street that the world’s biggest economy would hang on to its gold-star AAA rating. Jonathan Barratt of Commodity Broking Services described the latest move in gold as “sensational”. He told Reuters: “Everything’s feeding into this – sovereign debt, the weaker dollar, inflation and investment demand. It is unusual to do it in Asian time. It goes to show how much appetite there is in Asia for bullion.” Analysts at Barclays Capital believe gold could go up to $1,520 an ounce in the next two to four weeks. Many investors see gold and other precious metals as the best place to park their money in times of uncertainty. Spot silver hit a 31-year high of $44.34 an ounce. Brian Ostroff of Windermere Capital described silver as “gold on steroids” on Tuesday. Gold has gained 32% over the past year, while silver has more than doubled in value. Gold Commodities United States Global economy Economics European debt crisis US economy Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
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King’s Fund report finds NHS finance directors pessimistic about health service reforms as waiting times rise NHS finance directors predict ward closures, job cuts and other reductions as they struggle to make ends meet and prepare for the reorganisation of England’s health system, according to the King’s Fund thinktank. With some hospital waiting times the worst for three years, A&E departments overstretched , and surgeons warning that patients are being denied key treatments, the first in a series of planned quarterly monitoring reports highlights “significant concern” among some of those responsible for contributing to £20bn of “efficiency savings” in the NHS over four years and for ensuring that new bodies taking over services in the next three years do not start with deficits. Most say they are unlikely to meet productivity targets this year. The challenging picture painted by the report, from a respected independent analyst of the health service, comes during the government’s two-month “pause ” in trying to push through its controversial legislation. It has promised to listen and make “substantive” changes to its plans, although NHS staff have been told by the chief executive, David Nicholson, to “maintain momentum on the ground” . The report analyses recent government figures, including those pertaining to the period between referral to hospital and treatment . In February this year, nearly 15% of hospital patients had waited more than 18 weeks to be admitted, the highest figure since April 2008, and part of a steady increase since the government relaxed waiting-time targets in June last year. The views of 26 trust finance directors, collected over the internet last month, provided government critics with more ammunition. The panel, made up of directors from acute hospital, mental health and primary care trusts, was not intended to be statistically representative, but to give “a qualitative account” of what is happening, according to the report. Most warned that they are unlikely to meet this year’s productivity targets. Workforce changes, sometimes involving only cuts to agency staff, were mentioned 16 times as a way of meeting targets, and closures of wards or other services were mentioned 12 times. Four directors specified reducing the length of time people spent in hospital, with one panel member commenting: “A saving is not a saving until the activity has reduced AND the beds or theatres have closed AND the jobs taken out, Only then do commissioners and providers save money.” “Back-office” savings were listed by six directors, although others expressed scepticism, with one saying that although these were “particularly popular with politicians”, they made only a modest contribution. More than half the panel said the government should be more realistic, including over the impact of treatment tariff changes on trust incomes and the need to ration treatments. Several wanted an end to incremental pay progression for staff. John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund and lead author of the report, said: “It highlights significant concern amongs NHS finance directors – who are well placed to report the stresses in the system – about the prospects for the years ahead. With hospital waiting times rising, the NHS faces a considerable challenge in maintaining performance as the financial squeeze begins to bite.” The shadow health secretary, John Healey, said the report would increase concerns that the NHS was “slipping backwards again” under the Tories. “Frontline staff and managers are massively distracted by David Cameron’s top-down reorganisation of the health service, and the signs of strain are now there for all to see. So much for Mr Cameron’s pledge to ‘protect’ the NHS – it is fast becoming his biggest broken promise.” David Flory, deputy chief executive of the NHS, said: “Average waiting times remain low and broadly stable; just nine weeks for admitted patients and 3.5 weeks for outpatients. People with cancer symptoms continue to see a specialist quickly, MRSA and C difficile rates are at their lowest level since records began, and the NHS has achieved a healthy financial surplus in line with its plans. “Despite continued good performance, the NHS is still facing pressure from growing demand and will do so for many years to come. This particular snapshot shows that the NHS must maintain its focus on waiting times and improving patient outcomes, while dealing with the extra demands on the service.” A Department of Health statement added that the King’s Fund had used data that did not take account of patients who declined two reasonable offers of admission, for example, to allow them to go on holiday before an operation. Figures adjusted to take account of “patient initiated pauses” showed nearly nine in 10 patients admitted to hospital started treatment within 18 weeks of referral from their GP. Follow the NHS reforms blog at guardian.co.uk Public sector cuts NHS Public finance Public services policy James Meikle guardian.co.uk
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Police said to be linking timing of incidents to media coverage of Old Firm controversies involving Celtic and Glasgow rivals Rangers Parcel bombs intended to kill or maim have been sent to the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, and two other prominent fans of the club – the manager’s lawyer and a senior Labour politician. The three devices, discovered at several locations in the west of Scotland over the past month, are considered dangerous, a senior police source has confirmed. One, addressed to Lennon at Celtic’s training ground, was intercepted by Royal Mail staff, but a second was forwarded to the constituency office of the Labour MSP Trish Godman, a former deputy presiding officer of the Scottish parliament and a Celtic fan. Her office staff became suspicious and alerted Strathclyde police. Detectives initially believed the parcels were elaborate hoaxes intended to distress their targets, but later decided that they were viable explosive devices. The third device was addressed to Paul McBride QC who, speaking at the Faculty of Advocates lawyers’ offices in Edinburgh, made outspoken attacks on the Scottish Football Association for its treatment of Lennon over alleged disciplinary offences. It is understood all the devices were all sent from within Scotland. Anti-terrorism branch officers were initially involved but have ruled out loyalist terrorist involvement. The device sent to McBride was apparently posted in Ayrshire. It was discovered in a letterbox by a postal worker and taken to a sorting office. Ministers in the Scottish government secretly convened a cabinet sub-committee meeting on Saturday to discuss the discoveries. News media were asked not to report the incidents to avoid prejudicing a police investigation. A source close to McBride said he was “appalled and disgusted at being targeted for voicing honest opinions and has nothing but praise for the way police conducted themselves in this inquiry”. Police sources told the BBC that the devices were liquid-based and not nail bombs, but were rudimentary and did not seem to have been made by someone with paramilitary training. There are reports that police are linking the timing of the incidents to media coverage of the Old Firm controversies involving Celtic and their Glasgow rivals Rangers, or Celtic’s complaints of discriminatory treatment. Police have warned one other high profile figure linked to the incident, the Glasgow-born BBC broadcaster Aasmah Mir, 39, who is an avid Celtic fan and married to Piara Powar, a director of the campaign group Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare), the Daily Record reported . Fare recently complained to Uefa about sectarian chanting by Rangers fans at European matches. Officers are expected to appeal for calm ahead of this weekend’s Old Firm clash. Previous games between the two sides this season have seen dozens of arrests for disorder and public order offences. The incidents mark a significant escalation in a campaign against Lennon, a Northern Irish Catholic, that has involved death threats, hate mail, bullets sent in the post and a previous letter bomb. Lennon, his wife and children have left their home and have been living under 24-hour guard at a secret location for some weeks. The former Northern Ireland player has been involved in repeated disputes with the Scottish football authorities and Rangers over refereeing decisions, the conduct of each team’s players and his own behaviour. Although he has not been directly been in disputes about sectarianism, senior figures at Celtic, including the chairman and former Labour home secretary, John Reid, and the Catholic church were involved in public rows over alleged bias against the club. In March, the first minister, Alex Salmond, convened a meeting involving both clubs, the football authorities and Strathclyde police to clamp down on the violent on-field disputes involving both clubs and sectarianism in the stands, largely involving Rangers fans. Both clubs agreed to allow senior police officers onto training grounds to remind players they face arrest for on-field misconduct. Asked about the latest discoveries, Salmond told BBC Scotland: “We will not tolerate this sort of criminality in Scotland, and as an indication of the seriousness with which we view these developments the cabinet sub-committee met last Saturday to ensure that the police investigation has every possible support to come to a successful conclusion.” Michael Kelly, a former Celtic director and the Lord Provost of Glasgow, told the BBC: “This now is terrorism, purely and simply. “It’s got nothing to do with football and the background of the summit and the Old Firm game. It’s up to the police to refocus their targets on these people and to catch them.” Neil Lennon Celtic Rangers John Reid Alex Salmond Scottish politics Scotland Crime Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Police said to be linking timing of incidents to media coverage of Old Firm controversies involving Celtic and Glasgow rivals Rangers Parcel bombs intended to kill or maim have been sent to the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, and two other prominent fans of the club – the manager’s lawyer and a senior Labour politician. The three devices, discovered at several locations in the west of Scotland over the past month, are considered dangerous, a senior police source has confirmed. One, addressed to Lennon at Celtic’s training ground, was intercepted by Royal Mail staff, but a second was forwarded to the constituency office of the Labour MSP Trish Godman, a former deputy presiding officer of the Scottish parliament and a Celtic fan. Her office staff became suspicious and alerted Strathclyde police. Detectives initially believed the parcels were elaborate hoaxes intended to distress their targets, but later decided that they were viable explosive devices. The third device was addressed to Paul McBride QC who, speaking at the Faculty of Advocates lawyers’ offices in Edinburgh, made outspoken attacks on the Scottish Football Association for its treatment of Lennon over alleged disciplinary offences. It is understood all the devices were all sent from within Scotland. Anti-terrorism branch officers were initially involved but have ruled out loyalist terrorist involvement. The device sent to McBride was apparently posted in Ayrshire. It was discovered in a letterbox by a postal worker and taken to a sorting office. Ministers in the Scottish government secretly convened a cabinet sub-committee meeting on Saturday to discuss the discoveries. News media were asked not to report the incidents to avoid prejudicing a police investigation. A source close to McBride said he was “appalled and disgusted at being targeted for voicing honest opinions and has nothing but praise for the way police conducted themselves in this inquiry”. Police sources told the BBC that the devices were liquid-based and not nail bombs, but were rudimentary and did not seem to have been made by someone with paramilitary training. There are reports that police are linking the timing of the incidents to media coverage of the Old Firm controversies involving Celtic and their Glasgow rivals Rangers, or Celtic’s complaints of discriminatory treatment. Police have warned one other high profile figure linked to the incident, the Glasgow-born BBC broadcaster Aasmah Mir, 39, who is an avid Celtic fan and married to Piara Powar, a director of the campaign group Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare), the Daily Record reported . Fare recently complained to Uefa about sectarian chanting by Rangers fans at European matches. Officers are expected to appeal for calm ahead of this weekend’s Old Firm clash. Previous games between the two sides this season have seen dozens of arrests for disorder and public order offences. The incidents mark a significant escalation in a campaign against Lennon, a Northern Irish Catholic, that has involved death threats, hate mail, bullets sent in the post and a previous letter bomb. Lennon, his wife and children have left their home and have been living under 24-hour guard at a secret location for some weeks. The former Northern Ireland player has been involved in repeated disputes with the Scottish football authorities and Rangers over refereeing decisions, the conduct of each team’s players and his own behaviour. Although he has not been directly been in disputes about sectarianism, senior figures at Celtic, including the chairman and former Labour home secretary, John Reid, and the Catholic church were involved in public rows over alleged bias against the club. In March, the first minister, Alex Salmond, convened a meeting involving both clubs, the football authorities and Strathclyde police to clamp down on the violent on-field disputes involving both clubs and sectarianism in the stands, largely involving Rangers fans. Both clubs agreed to allow senior police officers onto training grounds to remind players they face arrest for on-field misconduct. Asked about the latest discoveries, Salmond told BBC Scotland: “We will not tolerate this sort of criminality in Scotland, and as an indication of the seriousness with which we view these developments the cabinet sub-committee met last Saturday to ensure that the police investigation has every possible support to come to a successful conclusion.” Michael Kelly, a former Celtic director and the Lord Provost of Glasgow, told the BBC: “This now is terrorism, purely and simply. “It’s got nothing to do with football and the background of the summit and the Old Firm game. It’s up to the police to refocus their targets on these people and to catch them.” Neil Lennon Celtic Rangers John Reid Alex Salmond Scottish politics Scotland Crime Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
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Abdul Ati al-Obeidi says regime prepared to consider interim government before elections six months after conflict ends Libya could hold free elections, supervised by the United Nations, within six months of the end of the conflict engulfing the country, its foreign minister has told the Guardian. Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, who took over from Moussa Koussa after his defection from Libya last month , said the regime was prepared to consider an interim national government before elections could be held. A six-month period had been discussed, he said. Obeidi said discussions about reform included “whether the Leader [Muammar Gaddafi] should stay and in what role, and whether he should retire”. Gaddafi’s future has become a pivotal issue between the regime and the opposition, which has demanded his departure. Obeidi said: “Everything will be on the table.” The minister struck a notably conciliatory tone when speaking in his Tripoli office to the Guardian, the BBC, ITN and the Washington Post. Asked about how diplomatic efforts could bridge the gulf between the Libyan government and the opposition, he said: “It is not a case of it going our way or their way, it’s a case of how we can sit together with our brothers.” The international community must accept that Libya’s future should be for Libyans alone to decide. “The US, Britain and France – sometimes those countries contradict themselves. They talk about democracy but when it comes to Libya, they say he [Gaddafi] should leave. It should be up to the Libyan people. This should not be dictated from any other head of state. It is against the principle of democracy.” The US and most European countries have made it clear that Gaddafi must relinquish power as part of any negotiated settlement to the civil war that has divided Libya and dominated the international diplomatic agenda for two months. The rebel opposition in the east of the country insists on Gaddafi’s departure as a pre-condition for peace talks. A roadmap to a negotiated settlement, proposed by the African Union and accepted by the Libyan government, was rejected by the opposition because it allowed for a continued role for Gaddafi . Obeidi accused western countries of standing in the way of a peace deal along the lines of the AU’s proposal. “What’s stopping it? Britain, France and to a certain extent the US are stopping it by continuing bombardment, arming the other side and making them more defiant.” The AU plan includes an immediate ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid, the protection of foreign nationals in Libya, and dialogue between Libyan parties on the establishment of a transition period towards political reform. Obeidi insisted that the Libyan government was ready to negotiate a ceasefire, involving all parties including Nato and monitored by international observers. “If there is a real ceasefire and these bombs stop, we could have a real dialogue among Libyans. It cannot be done with what is going on now.” The Libya government had been accused of not being serious about a ceasefire, he said. “This is not true.” But, he added, a ceasefire needed a “mutual understanding and a mediator”. If Nato stopped its air strikes, Libyans would be able to resolve their differences. “We are all Libyans, their [the rebels'] blood is Libyan.” His conciliatory tone towards the opposition was in marked contrast to the belligerence shown by other government officials who routinely speak of the rebels as “armed gangs” and “terrorists”. But, he said, the UK and France were impeding progress towards a ceasefire by offering military assistance to the rebels . The Anglo-French agreement to send a team of military advisers to Benghazi would “prolong the confrontation, there is no doubt about that”. “The more the west gives arms, the more they will plant hatred. We do not want to be another Iraq or Somalia. The west could advise the other side to listen to common sense and study the peace initiatives.” A ceasefire, Obeidi said, was “the only way to give peace a chance. The situation for sure is not so bright now. But I think we can have a light at the end of the tunnel.” Despite the foreign minister’s talk of ceasefires and peace agreements, Libyan government forces continued their assault on the besieged city of Misrata. Aid organisations are intensifying efforts to bring essential supplies to the city and evacuate those trapped by the fighting. Witnesses describe intense pounding from government troops with Grad rockets, Katyushas and cluster bombs, and firing on civilians from government snipers. Obeidi, whose family comes from Benghazi, now the heart of the rebel opposition in the east, said that since being appointed foreign minister he had spent most of his time outside Libya, discussing potential resolutions to the crisis. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Nato France Europe United States Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
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The plane carrying Michelle Obama was too close to a military jet, an incident that has put the FAA in the spotlight again Air traffic controllers directed a plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama to abort a landing at Andrews Air Force Base because it was too close to a military cargo jet, officials said, in yet another embarrassment for the Federal Aviation Administration. The episode puts the FAA back into the spotlight as officials struggle to calm public jitters about flying that have been raised by nine suspensions of air traffic controllers and supervisors around the country in recent weeks, including five for sleeping on the job. This latest incident occurred at about 5pm (2100 GMT) on Monday when a Boeing 737 belonging to the Air National Guard, one of several guard planes used by the White House, came within about three miles of a massive C-17 as the planes were approaching Andrews to land, according to the FAA and Major Michelle Lai, a spokeswoman for Andrews. The FAA requires a minimum separation of five miles between two planes when the plane in the lead is as large as the 200-ton cargo jet, in order to avoid dangerous wake turbulence that can severely affect the trailing aircraft. The FAA is investigating the incident as a possible error by controllers at a regional radar facility in Warrenton, Virginia, that handles approaches and departures for several airports, including Andrews, where the president’s aircraft, Air Force One, is maintained. The C-17 and Mrs Obama’s plane didn’t have the proper separation when controllers in Warrenton handed them off to the Andrews controllers, a source familiar with the incident said. Andrews air traffic controllers initially ordered the plane to conduct a series of turns to bring it farther from the military jet. When that didn’t provide enough distance, controllers realised that there might not be enough time for the cargo plane to clear the Andrews runway before Mrs Obama’s plane landed. Controllers then directed the pilot of Mrs Obama’s plane to execute a “go-around” to stop descending and start climbing and circle the airport, located in a Maryland suburb of Washington. A go-around is considered a type of aborted landing. “The aircraft were never in any danger,” the FAA said in a statement. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, was also on the plane with Mrs Obama. The first lady and Mrs Biden had been in New York earlier in the day for a joint TV interview. The first lady’s office declined to comment and referred all questions to officials at the FAA and Andrews. The president’s West Wing press office did likewise. The National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information about the incident but hasn’t yet decided whether it will open a formal investigation, board spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. The controllers in Warrenton and at Andrews work for the FAA, and it is their job to keep planes separated. When aircraft get too close, the FAA counts that as an operation error. Over the past several years, errors by controllers have increased substantially. The first disclosed case of a controller falling asleep on duty occurred March 23 at Washington’s Reagan National airport, not far from Andrews. The most recent was this week when a controller at a regional radar facility near Cleveland was suspended for watching a movie on a DVD player when he was supposed to be monitoring air traffic. The head of the US air traffic system resigned last week. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has said the higher number of known errors is due to better reporting and technology that can determine more precisely how close planes are in the air. Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation of Alexandria, Virginia, said the kind of spacing error that occurred in the handling of Mrs Obama’s plane happens every day. “It was more an embarrassment than a danger,” said Voss, a former controller. United States Michelle Obama Air transport guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Doug Smith has a good piece over at Naked Capitalism about the $88 million budget cut for HUD housing counselors, calling it “a stiletto in the back of sane housing markets”: Do the math. The market has too much supply and too little demand. The trends point to even worse un-affordability down the road – meaning more supply and less demand. So, as said, even the empirically wrong-headed extend and pretend strategy requires efforts aimed at reversing instead of exacerbating this picture. Among other things, reduced housing supply means, as Yves has repeatedly pointed out, doing principal modifications that are actually affordable – which, in turn, requires a new, separate underwriting effort. And, the same applies on the demand side: only careful underwriting leads to affordable, sustainable purchases – and the asset values that go with that. The banks do not know how to do this work. Nor, as long as they seek usurious rents, will they ever learn. But non-profit affordable housing groups do know how to do this work . They know how to prepare people to buy homes that will remain affordable. They know how to help people find affordable solutions to avoiding foreclosure and staying in homes. And, finally, the dedicated, professional foreclosure counselors know how to help people who cannot afford to stay accept that reality and find the most humane route out of their homes. Efficiency, as we’ve come to learn, is not part of the efficient market hypothesis. Unsustainable and predatory returns grounded in ignoring the balance sheet not to mention tail and even non-tail risks – yes, those are part of the efficient market hypothesis. But efficiency itself? Not so much. But the self-serving proponents of this false theory remain in control. So, instead of rational, efficient capital finding its way to high performing organizations who know how to prepare and underwrite home ownership that avoids a plague of delinquency and foreclosure, our purveyors of capital prefer the casino, come what may. As a result, high performing groups like the excellent non-profit housing counselors –groups with strong track records of low delinquency and foreclosure — depend on government funding and private charity. Yet, the grown ups in government now stupidly endanger many of these groups instead of providing even more support for their economy-saving efforts. It is an upside down world. Apologists for Obama and the Congress often speak soberly about taking scalpels to budgets as part of shared sacrifice and tough decisions. In this as so many other cases, that is arrogant and ignorant nonsense. These decisions affecting less than one one-thousandth of one percent of the federal budget are not ‘tough’ – at least on those who make them. Which means there’s nothing shared by the decision makers in the sacrifices that will now get worse. Finally, these are most certainly not scalpels. They are stilettos in the backs of everyday Americans and the people of good performing organizations who serve them — who see and treat them as customers instead of income-and-asset targets to be strip-mined. But, then, the ill-got profits from strip mining are more likely than the meager, shrinking resources of everyday consumers to find their way into the political war chests of a post-Citizens United oligarchy.
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