国民年金保険料：０７納付率、６４％前後に低下 目標遠く
国民年金保険料の０７年度の納付率は、０６年度の６６．３％を２ポイント程度下回る６４％前後になる見通しとなった。年金記録漏れ問題への対応に追われる社会保険庁が未納対策にまで手を回せないのが原因。納付率低下は２年連続で、「０７年度は８０％に回復」という目標の達成は不可能となった。
社保庁は０２年度の納付率が過去最低の６２．８％に落ち込んだことへの反省を踏まえ、０４年１０月、納付率アップに向けた中期目標を設定。０４年度６５．７％、０５年度６９．５％、０６年度７４．５％と徐々に増加させ、最終年度の０７年度は８０％を掲げた。
ところが、景気低迷に年金不信が重なり、実績は０４年度６３．６％、０５年度６７．１％、０６年度６６．３％で、目標値との差は開く一方となっている。
そうした中、０７年度は現場の社会保険事務所職員が記録漏れ問題に人を割かれ、保険料の督促など収納対策に力を注げない。集計済みの０７年４月～０８年２月分は６３．４％にとどまっており、前年同期比２．１ポイント減。未集計の３月分を加えても６５％到達さえ難しく、社保庁も「前年度割れは確実」と認めざるを得ない情勢だ。
８０％の目標については当初から「無謀だ」と指摘され、達成は絶望視されていた。それでも社保庁は０８年度の政策目標も８０％としている。
Saturday, May 31, 2008
リニア中央新幹線：構想着々 東京ー名古屋が通勤圏に
リニア中央新幹線：構想着々 東京ー名古屋が通勤圏に
東京－名古屋を４０分で結ぶリニア中央新幹線構想が、着々と進んでいる。ＪＲ東海が昨年１２月、「建設費を自己負担し２０２５年の開業を目指す」と表明、ルート選定など具体的な作業に入っている。開通すれば、名古屋から東京への通勤も夢ではなくなり、新幹線を併用した大阪、広島からの上京も容易になる。これまで航空機を利用していた人たちがリニアに一気に流れる可能性もあり、交通地図を大きく塗り替えそうだ。
◇片道１万１０００円
「鉄道発明の１８２５年からちょうど２００年後の２０２５年に、新しい陸上交通革命を起こす」。葛西敬之ＪＲ東海会長は、リニアにかける意気込みをこう表現する。
東京－名古屋のリニア事業費は５兆１０００億円で、ＪＲ東海が全額自己負担でまかなう。東京－名古屋間の約２９０キロは、ほぼ直線で結ぶ計画。リニアにとって「命」といえるスピードを確保する狙いのほか、できるだけコストを削減したいとの思惑もある。
都市部は地権者との調整がいらない深さ約４０メートルの地下を利用し、途中も南アルプス山脈を貫くなどルートの約８割がトンネル。始発は東京駅もしくは品川駅で、名古屋までの間に複数の中間駅が設置される見通しだ。
リニアは、新幹線の時速３００キロを大きく上回る時速５００キロを実現、東京－名古屋は新幹線より５５分速い４０分で結ぶ。東京までの所要時間だけでみれば、名古屋は横浜、さいたま、千葉とほぼ肩を並べる。運行数も「のぞみ」並みの１日最大１００往復を想定している。
気になる料金は、片道約１万１０００円とする方向。定期券にした場合に現在の新幹線並みの割引が適用されるとすれば、１カ月２０万円強。ちょっと高いが、名古屋在住のビジネスマンが、東京・丸の内に毎朝通勤するのも不可能ではない。
◇航空業界は大打撃
東京－名古屋はリニアを利用し、名古屋－大阪は新幹線に乗り換えた場合、東京－大阪間は新幹線だけを利用する現在より４５分速い１時間４５分で結ばれる。一方、東京－大阪を航空機で移動する場合は、羽田、伊丹両空港から東京、大阪の中心部までの移動時間を含めると１時間４０～５０分かかる。リニアが実現すれば、列車と航空機の所要時間はほぼ対等になる。
国土交通省によると、首都圏と関西圏の移動に新幹線を使う人の割合は、０５年ですでに約８０％と、航空機の約２０％を大きく上回る。大手航空会社の関係者は「時間的な優位性が航空機にある今でさえ新幹線を使う人が圧倒的に多いのだから、その優位性がなくなればかなり厳しくなる」と警戒する。さらに、これまで航空機と新幹線が互角にシェアを奪い合ってきた東京－岡山、東京－広島でも、利用者がリニア・新幹線に流れるのは確実だ。
羽田－名古屋の航空便は東海道新幹線が開通した１９６４年以降、乗客減少に歯止めがかからず８２年に廃止された。まだ具体的な計画は示されていないが、名古屋－大阪でもリニアが建設されれば、東京－大阪は１時間で結ばれる。みずほ証券アナリストの高橋光佳氏は「東京－大阪のリニアのシェアは、ほぼ１００％になる」と予想する。【辻本貴洋】
◇中間駅誘致に躍起
リニア沿線の都府県で構成するリニア中央エクスプレス建設促進期成同盟会は、東京－大阪がリニアで結ばれれば、開業５０年で沿線への観光客増などで１５兆～２０兆円の経済効果があると試算する。東京、大阪以外の各県に中間駅を１駅ずつ置いた場合、それぞれ年４３０億円程度の経済効果が見込まれるといい、沿線各県は中間駅の誘致に躍起だ。
実際、整備新幹線が１０年に延伸予定の青森県七戸駅（仮称）周辺は０７年９月の基準地価が前年比３％も上昇し、下落が激しい青森県内で唯一の上昇地点となった。ただ、松本正之ＪＲ東海社長は「近接した場所に中間駅は置けない」と駅数増加をけん制、中間駅の建設費についても地元負担を求めている。
一方、愛知県に本社を置く松坂屋の岡田邦彦会長は「新幹線以上に移動時間が短くなれば生産性がさらに向上し、元気な名古屋に大きなプラスになる」と期待を寄せる。愛知県の神田真秋知事も「今後、いろいろな議論が加速するのではないか」と期待感を示す。【鈴木泰広、中井正裕】
◇ことば リニアモーターカー
車両に搭載した超電導磁石と地上（軌道）に並べた磁気コイルの間の磁力で車体を約１０センチ浮かせ、高速走行する鉄道。東海道新幹線開業前の１９６２年に次世代の超高速鉄道として開発が始まり、９７年から山梨県の実験線で走行試験を続けている。ＪＲ東海は０７年、東京－名古屋間の営業運転を２５年に開始すると表明した。時速５００キロで同区間を４０分で結ぶ計画。
東京－名古屋を４０分で結ぶリニア中央新幹線構想が、着々と進んでいる。ＪＲ東海が昨年１２月、「建設費を自己負担し２０２５年の開業を目指す」と表明、ルート選定など具体的な作業に入っている。開通すれば、名古屋から東京への通勤も夢ではなくなり、新幹線を併用した大阪、広島からの上京も容易になる。これまで航空機を利用していた人たちがリニアに一気に流れる可能性もあり、交通地図を大きく塗り替えそうだ。
◇片道１万１０００円
「鉄道発明の１８２５年からちょうど２００年後の２０２５年に、新しい陸上交通革命を起こす」。葛西敬之ＪＲ東海会長は、リニアにかける意気込みをこう表現する。
東京－名古屋のリニア事業費は５兆１０００億円で、ＪＲ東海が全額自己負担でまかなう。東京－名古屋間の約２９０キロは、ほぼ直線で結ぶ計画。リニアにとって「命」といえるスピードを確保する狙いのほか、できるだけコストを削減したいとの思惑もある。
都市部は地権者との調整がいらない深さ約４０メートルの地下を利用し、途中も南アルプス山脈を貫くなどルートの約８割がトンネル。始発は東京駅もしくは品川駅で、名古屋までの間に複数の中間駅が設置される見通しだ。
リニアは、新幹線の時速３００キロを大きく上回る時速５００キロを実現、東京－名古屋は新幹線より５５分速い４０分で結ぶ。東京までの所要時間だけでみれば、名古屋は横浜、さいたま、千葉とほぼ肩を並べる。運行数も「のぞみ」並みの１日最大１００往復を想定している。
気になる料金は、片道約１万１０００円とする方向。定期券にした場合に現在の新幹線並みの割引が適用されるとすれば、１カ月２０万円強。ちょっと高いが、名古屋在住のビジネスマンが、東京・丸の内に毎朝通勤するのも不可能ではない。
◇航空業界は大打撃
東京－名古屋はリニアを利用し、名古屋－大阪は新幹線に乗り換えた場合、東京－大阪間は新幹線だけを利用する現在より４５分速い１時間４５分で結ばれる。一方、東京－大阪を航空機で移動する場合は、羽田、伊丹両空港から東京、大阪の中心部までの移動時間を含めると１時間４０～５０分かかる。リニアが実現すれば、列車と航空機の所要時間はほぼ対等になる。
国土交通省によると、首都圏と関西圏の移動に新幹線を使う人の割合は、０５年ですでに約８０％と、航空機の約２０％を大きく上回る。大手航空会社の関係者は「時間的な優位性が航空機にある今でさえ新幹線を使う人が圧倒的に多いのだから、その優位性がなくなればかなり厳しくなる」と警戒する。さらに、これまで航空機と新幹線が互角にシェアを奪い合ってきた東京－岡山、東京－広島でも、利用者がリニア・新幹線に流れるのは確実だ。
羽田－名古屋の航空便は東海道新幹線が開通した１９６４年以降、乗客減少に歯止めがかからず８２年に廃止された。まだ具体的な計画は示されていないが、名古屋－大阪でもリニアが建設されれば、東京－大阪は１時間で結ばれる。みずほ証券アナリストの高橋光佳氏は「東京－大阪のリニアのシェアは、ほぼ１００％になる」と予想する。【辻本貴洋】
◇中間駅誘致に躍起
リニア沿線の都府県で構成するリニア中央エクスプレス建設促進期成同盟会は、東京－大阪がリニアで結ばれれば、開業５０年で沿線への観光客増などで１５兆～２０兆円の経済効果があると試算する。東京、大阪以外の各県に中間駅を１駅ずつ置いた場合、それぞれ年４３０億円程度の経済効果が見込まれるといい、沿線各県は中間駅の誘致に躍起だ。
実際、整備新幹線が１０年に延伸予定の青森県七戸駅（仮称）周辺は０７年９月の基準地価が前年比３％も上昇し、下落が激しい青森県内で唯一の上昇地点となった。ただ、松本正之ＪＲ東海社長は「近接した場所に中間駅は置けない」と駅数増加をけん制、中間駅の建設費についても地元負担を求めている。
一方、愛知県に本社を置く松坂屋の岡田邦彦会長は「新幹線以上に移動時間が短くなれば生産性がさらに向上し、元気な名古屋に大きなプラスになる」と期待を寄せる。愛知県の神田真秋知事も「今後、いろいろな議論が加速するのではないか」と期待感を示す。【鈴木泰広、中井正裕】
◇ことば リニアモーターカー
車両に搭載した超電導磁石と地上（軌道）に並べた磁気コイルの間の磁力で車体を約１０センチ浮かせ、高速走行する鉄道。東海道新幹線開業前の１９６２年に次世代の超高速鉄道として開発が始まり、９７年から山梨県の実験線で走行試験を続けている。ＪＲ東海は０７年、東京－名古屋間の営業運転を２５年に開始すると表明した。時速５００キロで同区間を４０分で結ぶ計画。
活断層の位置を詳細に 文科省研究、地図作製へ
活断層の位置を詳細に 文科省研究、地図作製へ
文部科学省は、日本列島にある110の主な活断層帯について、断層の走っている位置を約100倍の精度で特定する調査研究に2009年度から乗り出す。地名や番地を指定すれば断層からの距離が割り出せる地図「活断層基本図（仮称）」を、5年後メドに完成させる。地方自治体などに提供、防災対策作りに役立ててもらう。必要な調査研究費は09年度予算案の概算要求に盛り込む。
政府の地震調査研究推進本部は国内の活断層のうち、マグニチュード（Ｍ）７級の地震を起こす110を重点調査し、地震の発生確率や断層の活動時期を公表している。
文部科学省は、日本列島にある110の主な活断層帯について、断層の走っている位置を約100倍の精度で特定する調査研究に2009年度から乗り出す。地名や番地を指定すれば断層からの距離が割り出せる地図「活断層基本図（仮称）」を、5年後メドに完成させる。地方自治体などに提供、防災対策作りに役立ててもらう。必要な調査研究費は09年度予算案の概算要求に盛り込む。
政府の地震調査研究推進本部は国内の活断層のうち、マグニチュード（Ｍ）７級の地震を起こす110を重点調査し、地震の発生確率や断層の活動時期を公表している。
米グーグル、サイト利用者数も首位 ４月調査
米グーグル、サイト利用者数も首位 ４月調査
【シリコンバレー＝田中暁人】インターネット市場で米グーグルの独走が続いている。米コムスコアの調査によると、グーグルは4月、これまでシェア首位だった検索サービスに加え、米サイト利用者数でも首位になった。ネット広告の成長も続いており、ライバルである米ヤフー、米マイクロソフト（ＭＳ）との差が開いている。
グーグルの4月の米サイト利用者数は1億4100万人で、2位ヤフーを約50万人上回った。コムスコアの調査でグーグルが首位になるのは初めて。グーグルは4月の米検索シェアも61.6％と3月から約2ポイント上昇しており、サイト利用者数と検索で「２冠」を達成した。
【シリコンバレー＝田中暁人】インターネット市場で米グーグルの独走が続いている。米コムスコアの調査によると、グーグルは4月、これまでシェア首位だった検索サービスに加え、米サイト利用者数でも首位になった。ネット広告の成長も続いており、ライバルである米ヤフー、米マイクロソフト（ＭＳ）との差が開いている。
グーグルの4月の米サイト利用者数は1億4100万人で、2位ヤフーを約50万人上回った。コムスコアの調査でグーグルが首位になるのは初めて。グーグルは4月の米検索シェアも61.6％と3月から約2ポイント上昇しており、サイト利用者数と検索で「２冠」を達成した。
Foreign investments accrued in Russia exceed $220 bln
Foreign investments accrued in Russia exceed $220 bln
30.05.2008, 13.26
MOSCOW, May 30 (Itar-Tass) - The foreign investments accrued in Russia exceeded 220 billion dollars, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said at the conference devoted to the corporative management and the globalization of the world economy here on Friday.
He also noted that Russia is overcoming easily international financial and economic crises thanks to a good state of economy and the accrued gold/forex reserves.
“We are expecting further inflow of investors,” Zhukov said.
“It is also obvious that Russian companies will enter world stock markets, world capital markets and will invest actively their funds in other countries,” he said.
The deputy prime minister said, “It is necessary to pursue a strategic course for shaping the policy based on the advanced practice of corporative management.” “Our policy in this sphere has two tasks – to make the Russian corporative sector comprehensible, attractive and profitable for investors and to make it more stable to the fluctuations of the world business climate thanks to a higher transparency of our companies, the quality of managerial solutions and the responsibility of the board of directors,” Zhukov said.
30.05.2008, 13.26
MOSCOW, May 30 (Itar-Tass) - The foreign investments accrued in Russia exceeded 220 billion dollars, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said at the conference devoted to the corporative management and the globalization of the world economy here on Friday.
He also noted that Russia is overcoming easily international financial and economic crises thanks to a good state of economy and the accrued gold/forex reserves.
“We are expecting further inflow of investors,” Zhukov said.
“It is also obvious that Russian companies will enter world stock markets, world capital markets and will invest actively their funds in other countries,” he said.
The deputy prime minister said, “It is necessary to pursue a strategic course for shaping the policy based on the advanced practice of corporative management.” “Our policy in this sphere has two tasks – to make the Russian corporative sector comprehensible, attractive and profitable for investors and to make it more stable to the fluctuations of the world business climate thanks to a higher transparency of our companies, the quality of managerial solutions and the responsibility of the board of directors,” Zhukov said.
米への捜査協力差し止め求め三浦元社長が提訴 東京地裁
米への捜査協力差し止め求め三浦元社長が提訴 東京地裁
2008年05月30日19時51分
８１年の米ロサンゼルス銃撃事件で、米自治領サイパン島で身柄を拘束されている元雑貨輸入販売会社社長の三浦和義容疑者（６０）＝日本では無罪確定＝は３０日、米国から資料提供などについて捜査協力の要請があっても、日本政府に拒否を求める訴訟を東京地裁に起こした。
訴状によると、この事件の殺人罪については、０３年に日本の最高裁で三浦元社長の無罪が確定しているため、「日本政府が無罪を前提としない行為をすることは許されない」と指摘。そのうえで「仮に要請を受け入れ、資料提供などが行われれば、三浦元社長の身柄の拘束が長引くのは明らかだ」としている。
町村官房長官は今年２月の記者会見で「日本（の刑事裁判）で無罪になったからといって、捜査協力できないことはない」と述べ、米捜査当局から要請があれば、捜査に協力する用意があるとの考えを示している。
一方、米自治領サイパン島での元社長の弁護人は３０日、元社長の保釈をサイパン地裁に申し立てた。
2008年05月30日19時51分
８１年の米ロサンゼルス銃撃事件で、米自治領サイパン島で身柄を拘束されている元雑貨輸入販売会社社長の三浦和義容疑者（６０）＝日本では無罪確定＝は３０日、米国から資料提供などについて捜査協力の要請があっても、日本政府に拒否を求める訴訟を東京地裁に起こした。
訴状によると、この事件の殺人罪については、０３年に日本の最高裁で三浦元社長の無罪が確定しているため、「日本政府が無罪を前提としない行為をすることは許されない」と指摘。そのうえで「仮に要請を受け入れ、資料提供などが行われれば、三浦元社長の身柄の拘束が長引くのは明らかだ」としている。
町村官房長官は今年２月の記者会見で「日本（の刑事裁判）で無罪になったからといって、捜査協力できないことはない」と述べ、米捜査当局から要請があれば、捜査に協力する用意があるとの考えを示している。
一方、米自治領サイパン島での元社長の弁護人は３０日、元社長の保釈をサイパン地裁に申し立てた。
五洋建設「もう政治献金しません」 株主代表訴訟で和解
五洋建設「もう政治献金しません」 株主代表訴訟で和解
2008年05月30日20時57分
公共事業を受注する建設会社から自民党長崎県連への政治献金はわいろ性が強いとして、準大手ゼネコン「五洋建設」（東京都文京区）の株主が同社の元役員らに損害賠償を求めた代表訴訟は３０日、東京地裁（難波孝一裁判長）で和解が成立した。和解条項などで同社は今後、長崎県連に限らず、すべての政党の都道府県連に対する政治献金やパーティー券の購入をやめることを明らかにした。
株主側弁護団によると、ゼネコンが政治献金の中止を明らかにするのは初めてだという。公共事業に依存してきたゼネコンが、法令順守の立場からこれまでの「慣習」との決別に踏み切ったともいえる対応で、業界にも影響を与えそうだ。
今回の訴訟をめぐっては、大阪市の市民団体「株主オンブズマン」の会員が、当時の五洋建設の経営陣ら６人に対し、同社が９３～０１年に長崎県連に行った政治献金計５９００万円と、談合行為で公正取引委員会から命じられた課徴金約１億６千万円など、計約２億２千万円を求めていた。
和解成立後、記者会見した弁護団によると、６人が解決金８８００万円を支払うことで合意。同社は今後、オンブズマン側が選んだ元公正取引委員会審判官１人を加えた「談合防止コンプライアンス検証・提言委員会」（仮称）を設置し、必要費用は解決金で賄うという。
弁護団は、ゼネコンが社内に設けた法令順守のための委員会に株主側指名の第三者を加えるのは「きわめて異例だ」と指摘。弁護団長の松丸正弁護士は「談合と決別し、地方政界とゼネコンの癒着と手を切ることを宣言した。ほかのゼネコンも従うべき規範になる内容だ」と話した。
一方、五洋建設は和解について「全社を挙げてよりいっそうの法令順守の徹底を図り、実効ある体制を構築していく」とするコメントを発表した。（河原田慎一）
◇
〈自民党長崎県連の政治献金事件〉 長崎県知事選の選挙資金としてゼネコンから寄付を受けたのに政治資金収支報告書に記載しなかったとして、当時の自民党長崎県連幹事長らが公職選挙法違反（特定寄付の要求）などに問われ、０３年に長崎地裁で有罪判決を受けた。判決は、幹事長らが工事の受注実績に応じて寄付を要求したと認め、「業者は要求を断れないのが常識で、上納金を連想させる強引、露骨な要求だった」と断じた。
2008年05月30日20時57分
公共事業を受注する建設会社から自民党長崎県連への政治献金はわいろ性が強いとして、準大手ゼネコン「五洋建設」（東京都文京区）の株主が同社の元役員らに損害賠償を求めた代表訴訟は３０日、東京地裁（難波孝一裁判長）で和解が成立した。和解条項などで同社は今後、長崎県連に限らず、すべての政党の都道府県連に対する政治献金やパーティー券の購入をやめることを明らかにした。
株主側弁護団によると、ゼネコンが政治献金の中止を明らかにするのは初めてだという。公共事業に依存してきたゼネコンが、法令順守の立場からこれまでの「慣習」との決別に踏み切ったともいえる対応で、業界にも影響を与えそうだ。
今回の訴訟をめぐっては、大阪市の市民団体「株主オンブズマン」の会員が、当時の五洋建設の経営陣ら６人に対し、同社が９３～０１年に長崎県連に行った政治献金計５９００万円と、談合行為で公正取引委員会から命じられた課徴金約１億６千万円など、計約２億２千万円を求めていた。
和解成立後、記者会見した弁護団によると、６人が解決金８８００万円を支払うことで合意。同社は今後、オンブズマン側が選んだ元公正取引委員会審判官１人を加えた「談合防止コンプライアンス検証・提言委員会」（仮称）を設置し、必要費用は解決金で賄うという。
弁護団は、ゼネコンが社内に設けた法令順守のための委員会に株主側指名の第三者を加えるのは「きわめて異例だ」と指摘。弁護団長の松丸正弁護士は「談合と決別し、地方政界とゼネコンの癒着と手を切ることを宣言した。ほかのゼネコンも従うべき規範になる内容だ」と話した。
一方、五洋建設は和解について「全社を挙げてよりいっそうの法令順守の徹底を図り、実効ある体制を構築していく」とするコメントを発表した。（河原田慎一）
◇
〈自民党長崎県連の政治献金事件〉 長崎県知事選の選挙資金としてゼネコンから寄付を受けたのに政治資金収支報告書に記載しなかったとして、当時の自民党長崎県連幹事長らが公職選挙法違反（特定寄付の要求）などに問われ、０３年に長崎地裁で有罪判決を受けた。判決は、幹事長らが工事の受注実績に応じて寄付を要求したと認め、「業者は要求を断れないのが常識で、上納金を連想させる強引、露骨な要求だった」と断じた。
「軍用機はダメだ」「恨みはひとまずおけ」空自機派遣で中国賛否
「軍用機はダメだ」「恨みはひとまずおけ」空自機派遣で中国賛否
特集 四川大地震
【北京＝杉山祐之】中国のインターネット掲示板では２９日、四川大地震の被災地援助を目的とした自衛隊機の中国派遣に反対する声が続出した。一方で、日本の支援に対する感謝、歓迎を示す意見も多数寄せられており、賛否両論があふれる熱い議論が繰り広げられている。
民族主義的傾向が強いサイトの掲示板は、「断固反対！ 日本帝国主義打倒！」「オオカミを部屋に入れるようなものだ」「被災地は困っているが、日本のテントは不要」などという声がほとんどだ。
大手ニュースサイトでも、「軍用機はだめだ」「国の尊厳を捨てるな」といった反対論は多い。
しかし、「ありがとう日本」も次々に書き込まれる。「恨みはひとまずおけ。今は救援だ」という被災地優先の訴え、狭隘(きょうあい)な民族主義から脱した「大国の風格」を求める意見もある。四川大地震以降、中国のネット世論では排外色を薄め、日本の緊急援助隊に対する感謝も広まった。現時点では、単純な「愛国・反日」論に一気に傾く状況ではなさそうだ。
特集 四川大地震
【北京＝杉山祐之】中国のインターネット掲示板では２９日、四川大地震の被災地援助を目的とした自衛隊機の中国派遣に反対する声が続出した。一方で、日本の支援に対する感謝、歓迎を示す意見も多数寄せられており、賛否両論があふれる熱い議論が繰り広げられている。
民族主義的傾向が強いサイトの掲示板は、「断固反対！ 日本帝国主義打倒！」「オオカミを部屋に入れるようなものだ」「被災地は困っているが、日本のテントは不要」などという声がほとんどだ。
大手ニュースサイトでも、「軍用機はだめだ」「国の尊厳を捨てるな」といった反対論は多い。
しかし、「ありがとう日本」も次々に書き込まれる。「恨みはひとまずおけ。今は救援だ」という被災地優先の訴え、狭隘(きょうあい)な民族主義から脱した「大国の風格」を求める意見もある。四川大地震以降、中国のネット世論では排外色を薄め、日本の緊急援助隊に対する感謝も広まった。現時点では、単純な「愛国・反日」論に一気に傾く状況ではなさそうだ。
日本初官民共同開発・ＧＸロケット中止へ…コストなど問題
日本初官民共同開発・ＧＸロケット中止へ…コストなど問題
ＧＸロケットの想像図（打ち上げ会社・ギャラクシーエクスプレス提供）
文部科学省の宇宙開発委員会は、日本が初めて官民共同で推進している中型ロケット「ＧＸ」について、開発中止を勧告する方針を固めた。
民間側はすでに投じた５００億円弱が回収不能になると反発し、自民党内には偵察衛星などの防衛関連の打ち上げ用として計画続行を強く求める声もあるが、技術面、開発費などの問題があまりに大きく、現行計画のＧＸは中止に追い込まれる公算が大きくなってきている。
宇宙委では、２月からＧＸの見直しを進めてきたが、〈１〉民間側が事業との関係で強く要望している２０１１年度の初打ち上げは不可能〈２〉１機あたりの価格が高く、民間側が目指す世界の打ち上げ市場参入は困難〈３〉民間側の提案する米国での打ち上げは、日本が安全確認などに携われないのに、打ち上げ失敗時には日本政府が損害賠償を求められる可能性がある－－などの問題点を挙げている。
しかし、産業支援策としてこの計画に参加している経済産業省は「ここで事業ができなければ、投資を回収できない」と主張。民間側が「官側の担当する新型エンジンの開発が遅れ、それを待っている間も米国企業に支払いを続けねばならなかった」としていることなどから、民間負担分の取り扱いを巡る官民の調整が焦点の一つになる見通し。
ＧＸ中止に伴い、宇宙委では、官側が担当している新型エンジンの開発も中止する。将来に役立てるために、基礎的な研究は継続する方針だが、宇宙委内には「厳しい財政状況の中、不急の研究を行う余裕はない」という指摘もあることから、別途検討する。
ＧＸには、官民合わせて７００億円から８００億円近くを投じている。官民の試算によると、少なく見積もってもさらに国の負担が、９００億円弱から１４００億円以上必要で、総開発費は、当初計画の４５０億円の３倍から５倍になるという。
ＧＸロケットの想像図（打ち上げ会社・ギャラクシーエクスプレス提供）
文部科学省の宇宙開発委員会は、日本が初めて官民共同で推進している中型ロケット「ＧＸ」について、開発中止を勧告する方針を固めた。
民間側はすでに投じた５００億円弱が回収不能になると反発し、自民党内には偵察衛星などの防衛関連の打ち上げ用として計画続行を強く求める声もあるが、技術面、開発費などの問題があまりに大きく、現行計画のＧＸは中止に追い込まれる公算が大きくなってきている。
宇宙委では、２月からＧＸの見直しを進めてきたが、〈１〉民間側が事業との関係で強く要望している２０１１年度の初打ち上げは不可能〈２〉１機あたりの価格が高く、民間側が目指す世界の打ち上げ市場参入は困難〈３〉民間側の提案する米国での打ち上げは、日本が安全確認などに携われないのに、打ち上げ失敗時には日本政府が損害賠償を求められる可能性がある－－などの問題点を挙げている。
しかし、産業支援策としてこの計画に参加している経済産業省は「ここで事業ができなければ、投資を回収できない」と主張。民間側が「官側の担当する新型エンジンの開発が遅れ、それを待っている間も米国企業に支払いを続けねばならなかった」としていることなどから、民間負担分の取り扱いを巡る官民の調整が焦点の一つになる見通し。
ＧＸ中止に伴い、宇宙委では、官側が担当している新型エンジンの開発も中止する。将来に役立てるために、基礎的な研究は継続する方針だが、宇宙委内には「厳しい財政状況の中、不急の研究を行う余裕はない」という指摘もあることから、別途検討する。
ＧＸには、官民合わせて７００億円から８００億円近くを投じている。官民の試算によると、少なく見積もってもさらに国の負担が、９００億円弱から１４００億円以上必要で、総開発費は、当初計画の４５０億円の３倍から５倍になるという。
大阪府の橋下知事、警官520人削減を断念 府警が押し戻す
大阪府の橋下知事、警官520人削減を断念 府警が押し戻す
大阪府の橋下徹知事は29日、知事直轄の改革プロジェクトチーム（ＰＴ）が打ち出した警察官定数の520人削減を事実上撤回する考えを表明した。現行通りの人数を維持する考えとみられる。これまで府下の自治体の首長から厳しい批判を受けても変えなかった財政削減方針について初の一部方針転換となる。
危機的な財政下で異例の警察官の定員にまで手をつけようとしたが、治安悪化を懸念する警察側に押し戻された格好だ。救命救急センター8カ所や障害者施策への補助金カットも見直す意向を示した。
大阪府の橋下徹知事は29日、知事直轄の改革プロジェクトチーム（ＰＴ）が打ち出した警察官定数の520人削減を事実上撤回する考えを表明した。現行通りの人数を維持する考えとみられる。これまで府下の自治体の首長から厳しい批判を受けても変えなかった財政削減方針について初の一部方針転換となる。
危機的な財政下で異例の警察官の定員にまで手をつけようとしたが、治安悪化を懸念する警察側に押し戻された格好だ。救命救急センター8カ所や障害者施策への補助金カットも見直す意向を示した。
Belgian landfill ban is a drag on Shanks
Belgian landfill ban is a drag on Shanks
By Stanley Pignal
Published: May 30 2008 03:02 | Last updated: May 30 2008 03:02
An unlikely blend of Belgian legislation and finance charges on government contracts held back profits at Shanks, the waste disposal company that has operations in Britain and Benelux.
But the group, announcing results for the year to the end of March, said sales had risen 11 per cent to £564m ($1.1bn) and underlying profits – excluding amortisation and exceptional items – were up more than 10 per cent.
That came in spite of a falling contribution from Shanks’s Belgian landfill business, where volumes are in long-term decline as the government looks to ban municipal biodegradable waste from going to landfill.
Tom Drury, chief executive, said growth this year in the UK and the Netherlands would more than offset losses in Belgium.
The regulatory move towards sustainable waste management will benefit the UK business, which sold its landfill business in 2004 and hopes its municipal treatment facilities will grow through the use of private finance initiative contracts.
Accounting rules on those PFI deals led to a large non-cash adjustment to profits that, along with higher interest charges following a string of acquisitions, reduced pre-tax profits to £41.3m (£46.1m).
The final dividend of 4.2p (4p) brings the total to 6.2p (5.9p), to be paid from earnings per share of 12p (13.3p). The shares fell 9½p to 245¾p.
FT Comment
• Waste management companies look great on paper – regulation on their side, long-term contracts, stable cash flows – but those that have been listed have never quite lived up to expectations. Investors have poured money in, but the competitive pressures and complexity of the business mean most have been scalded, if not burnt. Shanks is now the only listed company in the field, and its results, though fine, are not spectacular. That makes the 17 times price/earnings ratio look outlandish at first, though there are a few hidden gems in the business that are not yielding earnings yet. A host of long-term PFI contracts could be worth almost £100m, or about 35p a share. Looking at it from a private equity perspective – an exercise traditionally worth doing in this sector – the enterprise value/ebitda is 8.2 times. That is at the low end of recent buy-outs in the sector, though those deal values have included a healthy premium. Given the unlikelihood of any more buy-outs because of treacherous market conditions, the shares look more than fully priced.
By Stanley Pignal
Published: May 30 2008 03:02 | Last updated: May 30 2008 03:02
An unlikely blend of Belgian legislation and finance charges on government contracts held back profits at Shanks, the waste disposal company that has operations in Britain and Benelux.
But the group, announcing results for the year to the end of March, said sales had risen 11 per cent to £564m ($1.1bn) and underlying profits – excluding amortisation and exceptional items – were up more than 10 per cent.
That came in spite of a falling contribution from Shanks’s Belgian landfill business, where volumes are in long-term decline as the government looks to ban municipal biodegradable waste from going to landfill.
Tom Drury, chief executive, said growth this year in the UK and the Netherlands would more than offset losses in Belgium.
The regulatory move towards sustainable waste management will benefit the UK business, which sold its landfill business in 2004 and hopes its municipal treatment facilities will grow through the use of private finance initiative contracts.
Accounting rules on those PFI deals led to a large non-cash adjustment to profits that, along with higher interest charges following a string of acquisitions, reduced pre-tax profits to £41.3m (£46.1m).
The final dividend of 4.2p (4p) brings the total to 6.2p (5.9p), to be paid from earnings per share of 12p (13.3p). The shares fell 9½p to 245¾p.
FT Comment
• Waste management companies look great on paper – regulation on their side, long-term contracts, stable cash flows – but those that have been listed have never quite lived up to expectations. Investors have poured money in, but the competitive pressures and complexity of the business mean most have been scalded, if not burnt. Shanks is now the only listed company in the field, and its results, though fine, are not spectacular. That makes the 17 times price/earnings ratio look outlandish at first, though there are a few hidden gems in the business that are not yielding earnings yet. A host of long-term PFI contracts could be worth almost £100m, or about 35p a share. Looking at it from a private equity perspective – an exercise traditionally worth doing in this sector – the enterprise value/ebitda is 8.2 times. That is at the low end of recent buy-outs in the sector, though those deal values have included a healthy premium. Given the unlikelihood of any more buy-outs because of treacherous market conditions, the shares look more than fully priced.
BBC admonished for website overspend
BBC admonished for website overspend
By Tim Bradshaw, Digital Media Correspondent
Published: May 29 2008 20:23 | Last updated: May 29 2008 20:23
The BBC’s governing body on Thursday threatened to hold back development of new online services unless the broadcaster proved it could improve financial management, following a big overspend last year.
In the first of its service reviews under the corporation’s new charter, the BBC Trust criticised the “poor financial accountability” of the BBC website as it revealed £24.9m – a third of its annual budget – had been wrongly attributed to other departments. That in turn led to it spending 48 per cent more than last year’s budget allocation.
In a statement, the BBC recognised the need to address these “regrettable” shortcomings: “We accept the trust’s conclusions that our processes and management controls were not adequate for a pan-BBC service straddling multiple cost centres.”
The trust said it would apply stronger scrutiny before allowing the BBC to spend the £39m it had earmarked for investment in bbc.co.uk this financial year. Proposed new “hyper-local” news coverage and educational services – which commercial rivals say could distort the market – are being put to a “public value test”.
Dame Patricia Hodgson, the BBC trustee leading the review, said: “We will not approve new investment until we are satisfied that management controls embed what we are doing. Obviously bbc.co.uk must develop to meet audience needs, but we must be careful to apply tests on its distinctiveness and impact on competitors.”
The BBC’s plans for online development included greater capabilities for online public feedback; personalisation of content, including ratings and recommendations; allowing the site to be accessible from mobiles, TV and wi-fi radio; and greater online support for current and archived TV programmes.
Dame Patricia said the trust wanted to apply clearer “distinctiveness criteria” to all parts of the BBC website to ensure new developments are suitable areas for the corporation. It hopes to move to a preventative stance by creating an “extra framework so developments are always considered with sensitivity” to the market, she said. The service licence is being “restructured” to reflect the criteria.
The total spend on bbc.co.uk last year reached £110m. The trust’s review revealed weak financial controls which led to £24.9m being wrongly attributed to other parts of the BBC.
The BBC said the 48 per cent overspend related to an internal reorganisation, where contributions to the site were “devolved” to other departments such as news and television, although it did not reveal where other budgets will be adjusted to compensate for the additional online costs.
Other media groups welcomed the recognition of the BBC’s potential commercial impact but said the trust could go further.
Mark Wood, ITN chief executive said: “We are alarmed at the extent of the BBC’s website funding and its ambition in the dotcom world. Commercial competitors thought the BBC website was already overfunded at a declared budget of £74.2m.”
By Tim Bradshaw, Digital Media Correspondent
Published: May 29 2008 20:23 | Last updated: May 29 2008 20:23
The BBC’s governing body on Thursday threatened to hold back development of new online services unless the broadcaster proved it could improve financial management, following a big overspend last year.
In the first of its service reviews under the corporation’s new charter, the BBC Trust criticised the “poor financial accountability” of the BBC website as it revealed £24.9m – a third of its annual budget – had been wrongly attributed to other departments. That in turn led to it spending 48 per cent more than last year’s budget allocation.
In a statement, the BBC recognised the need to address these “regrettable” shortcomings: “We accept the trust’s conclusions that our processes and management controls were not adequate for a pan-BBC service straddling multiple cost centres.”
The trust said it would apply stronger scrutiny before allowing the BBC to spend the £39m it had earmarked for investment in bbc.co.uk this financial year. Proposed new “hyper-local” news coverage and educational services – which commercial rivals say could distort the market – are being put to a “public value test”.
Dame Patricia Hodgson, the BBC trustee leading the review, said: “We will not approve new investment until we are satisfied that management controls embed what we are doing. Obviously bbc.co.uk must develop to meet audience needs, but we must be careful to apply tests on its distinctiveness and impact on competitors.”
The BBC’s plans for online development included greater capabilities for online public feedback; personalisation of content, including ratings and recommendations; allowing the site to be accessible from mobiles, TV and wi-fi radio; and greater online support for current and archived TV programmes.
Dame Patricia said the trust wanted to apply clearer “distinctiveness criteria” to all parts of the BBC website to ensure new developments are suitable areas for the corporation. It hopes to move to a preventative stance by creating an “extra framework so developments are always considered with sensitivity” to the market, she said. The service licence is being “restructured” to reflect the criteria.
The total spend on bbc.co.uk last year reached £110m. The trust’s review revealed weak financial controls which led to £24.9m being wrongly attributed to other parts of the BBC.
The BBC said the 48 per cent overspend related to an internal reorganisation, where contributions to the site were “devolved” to other departments such as news and television, although it did not reveal where other budgets will be adjusted to compensate for the additional online costs.
Other media groups welcomed the recognition of the BBC’s potential commercial impact but said the trust could go further.
Mark Wood, ITN chief executive said: “We are alarmed at the extent of the BBC’s website funding and its ambition in the dotcom world. Commercial competitors thought the BBC website was already overfunded at a declared budget of £74.2m.”
France eyes curbs on executive pay
France eyes curbs on executive pay
By Ben Hall in Paris
Published: May 29 2008 18:33 | Last updated: May 29 2008 18:33
The French government on Thursday threatened to take further action to curb pay for bosses of poorly performing companies, calling recent rises for some executives “perfectly scandalous”.
Christine Lagarde, finance minister, called on employers to ensure that remuneration for their top managers reflected the company’s performance, suggesting further legislation if they failed to do so.
The French government intends to use its presidency of the European Union, which begins in July, to press for EU-wide rules governing executive pay, officials said, arguing that there was a head of steam building among finance ministers for a Europe-wide clampdown.
Ms Lagarde’s attack comes amid a widening political backlash in Europe against allegedly excessive pay packages for top business leaders.
The Dutch government is preparing to impose an additional tax on executive bonuses and a levy on companies that pay out vast severance packages.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister, called excessive corporate pay a “social scourge” and said EU ministers would consider higher taxes on “golden goodbyes”.
“This type of increase in companies which are sometimes not doing well is perfectly scandalous,” Ms Lagarde told French radio.
She was reacting to a recent survey by L’Expansion magazine on Wednesday that found that total pay of chief executives of France’s CAC 40 leading companies, including salaries, share options and dividends, soared by 58 per cent in 2007 to €161m ($252m, £128m).
Ms Lagarde was careful to focus her criticism on companies deemed to be doing badly or that were undergoing painful restructuring including job losses.
“There is absolutely no problem when people succeed . . . let them earn lots of money,” she said, while adding that the “principle of equity” was at stake.
The government is understood to be unhappy with the level of executive pay at EADS, the aerospace group, which is in the middle of a highly controversial cost-cutting programme with thousands of job losses.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a strong stand against excessive pay-offs for company bosses as part of his drive to “moralise capitalism”. The government has already imposed restrictions on so-called “golden parachutes”.
The new rules, introduced last year, oblige companies to set performance conditions for severance packages, although it is up to the companies to set the criteria.
By Ben Hall in Paris
Published: May 29 2008 18:33 | Last updated: May 29 2008 18:33
The French government on Thursday threatened to take further action to curb pay for bosses of poorly performing companies, calling recent rises for some executives “perfectly scandalous”.
Christine Lagarde, finance minister, called on employers to ensure that remuneration for their top managers reflected the company’s performance, suggesting further legislation if they failed to do so.
The French government intends to use its presidency of the European Union, which begins in July, to press for EU-wide rules governing executive pay, officials said, arguing that there was a head of steam building among finance ministers for a Europe-wide clampdown.
Ms Lagarde’s attack comes amid a widening political backlash in Europe against allegedly excessive pay packages for top business leaders.
The Dutch government is preparing to impose an additional tax on executive bonuses and a levy on companies that pay out vast severance packages.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister, called excessive corporate pay a “social scourge” and said EU ministers would consider higher taxes on “golden goodbyes”.
“This type of increase in companies which are sometimes not doing well is perfectly scandalous,” Ms Lagarde told French radio.
She was reacting to a recent survey by L’Expansion magazine on Wednesday that found that total pay of chief executives of France’s CAC 40 leading companies, including salaries, share options and dividends, soared by 58 per cent in 2007 to €161m ($252m, £128m).
Ms Lagarde was careful to focus her criticism on companies deemed to be doing badly or that were undergoing painful restructuring including job losses.
“There is absolutely no problem when people succeed . . . let them earn lots of money,” she said, while adding that the “principle of equity” was at stake.
The government is understood to be unhappy with the level of executive pay at EADS, the aerospace group, which is in the middle of a highly controversial cost-cutting programme with thousands of job losses.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a strong stand against excessive pay-offs for company bosses as part of his drive to “moralise capitalism”. The government has already imposed restrictions on so-called “golden parachutes”.
The new rules, introduced last year, oblige companies to set performance conditions for severance packages, although it is up to the companies to set the criteria.
France hoping to broker EU deal with Russia
France hoping to broker EU deal with Russia
PARIS, May 29 – France hopes the European Union can reach a deal with Russia on a new strategic partnership by the end of 2008, Francois Fillon, French prime minister, said on Thursday after talks with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.
Mr Putin is on his first foreign trip since taking up the post of prime minister, showing he still has significant clout in shaping Russia's foreign relations.
Russia is looking to France to help it improve its strained relations with the 27-nation European Union and Mr Putin won assurances from Mr Fillon that Paris was ready to play its part.
“During the French presidency we would like to move forward and why not even conclude the strategic partnership agreement between Russia and the European Union,” Mr Fillon told reporters. France takes over the rotating EU presidency in July.
Negotiations on the new Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA), which covers energy, trade and political ties, are expected to start in June after an 18-month deadlock caused by disagreements between Russia and eastern EU members.
"We have agreed that we will together work for the earliest beginning of talks on a new strategic partnership ... We paid a lot of attention to it during talks," Mr Putin said. Most observers argue the deal will take at least 18 months to conclude.
The Russian government spokesman later said that reaching the deal with the EU this year was possible if it were to have a broad framework nature while more specific issues would be regulated by separate individual agreements.
"If we stick to this interpretation we can quite possibly reach positive results," Dmitry Peskov said.
Mr Putin had dinner with President Nicolas Sarkozy later on Thursday in a departure from protocol for prime ministerial visits that underlines Putin's continuing importance after his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, replaced him as president this month.
As prime minister, Mr Putin is in charge of Russia's $1,7 trillion economy. Many political analysts say they believe Putin and not Mr Medvedev is, at least for now, taking the lead in politics and foreign policy.
Mr Medvedev's first official trip to the West as president will be to Germany in June. In France, Putin dodged a question about human right violations – another thorny issue in Russia-EU relationship – saying it was now Medvedev's responsibility.
"Such kind of questions are in the competence of the President of the Russian Federation," Mr Putin said, adding that media reports about human rights violations in Russia were grossly exaggerated and used as a tool for political pressure.
The EU is Russia's largest trade partner, accounting for over half of all Russian trade. France lags EU members Germany, Italy and even Poland in trading with Russia but is determined to catch up.
Moscow wants a partnership accord that would give Russian goods access to the EU's internal market, visa-free travel for its citizens and cooperation in areas such as science, technology and education.
The EU, which imports a quarter of its gas from Russia, wants a stable energy supply. For the bloc that also means greater access for its firms to Russia's energy sector, something Moscow had been reluctant to concede.
Another obstacle to the EU-Russia pact is an impasse over Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation, caused by an increase in Russian raw timber export duties which Brussels says is in violation of an earlier bilateral entry deal.
Russia's hopes to join the WTO this year are rapidly waning amid mounting disagreements with EU members Finland and Sweden, hit by a Russian timber duty hike while ex-Soviet Georgia is blocking the talks over Russia's support for its breakaway regions.
The WTO rules would regulate many trade issues not covered by the framework agreement between Russia and the EU and will diminish the need for separate arrangements. Mr Fillon said France backed Russia's membership push.
"It is necessary for Russia to enter WTO as soon as possible and we support it," he said.
PARIS, May 29 – France hopes the European Union can reach a deal with Russia on a new strategic partnership by the end of 2008, Francois Fillon, French prime minister, said on Thursday after talks with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.
Mr Putin is on his first foreign trip since taking up the post of prime minister, showing he still has significant clout in shaping Russia's foreign relations.
Russia is looking to France to help it improve its strained relations with the 27-nation European Union and Mr Putin won assurances from Mr Fillon that Paris was ready to play its part.
“During the French presidency we would like to move forward and why not even conclude the strategic partnership agreement between Russia and the European Union,” Mr Fillon told reporters. France takes over the rotating EU presidency in July.
Negotiations on the new Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA), which covers energy, trade and political ties, are expected to start in June after an 18-month deadlock caused by disagreements between Russia and eastern EU members.
"We have agreed that we will together work for the earliest beginning of talks on a new strategic partnership ... We paid a lot of attention to it during talks," Mr Putin said. Most observers argue the deal will take at least 18 months to conclude.
The Russian government spokesman later said that reaching the deal with the EU this year was possible if it were to have a broad framework nature while more specific issues would be regulated by separate individual agreements.
"If we stick to this interpretation we can quite possibly reach positive results," Dmitry Peskov said.
Mr Putin had dinner with President Nicolas Sarkozy later on Thursday in a departure from protocol for prime ministerial visits that underlines Putin's continuing importance after his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, replaced him as president this month.
As prime minister, Mr Putin is in charge of Russia's $1,7 trillion economy. Many political analysts say they believe Putin and not Mr Medvedev is, at least for now, taking the lead in politics and foreign policy.
Mr Medvedev's first official trip to the West as president will be to Germany in June. In France, Putin dodged a question about human right violations – another thorny issue in Russia-EU relationship – saying it was now Medvedev's responsibility.
"Such kind of questions are in the competence of the President of the Russian Federation," Mr Putin said, adding that media reports about human rights violations in Russia were grossly exaggerated and used as a tool for political pressure.
The EU is Russia's largest trade partner, accounting for over half of all Russian trade. France lags EU members Germany, Italy and even Poland in trading with Russia but is determined to catch up.
Moscow wants a partnership accord that would give Russian goods access to the EU's internal market, visa-free travel for its citizens and cooperation in areas such as science, technology and education.
The EU, which imports a quarter of its gas from Russia, wants a stable energy supply. For the bloc that also means greater access for its firms to Russia's energy sector, something Moscow had been reluctant to concede.
Another obstacle to the EU-Russia pact is an impasse over Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation, caused by an increase in Russian raw timber export duties which Brussels says is in violation of an earlier bilateral entry deal.
Russia's hopes to join the WTO this year are rapidly waning amid mounting disagreements with EU members Finland and Sweden, hit by a Russian timber duty hike while ex-Soviet Georgia is blocking the talks over Russia's support for its breakaway regions.
The WTO rules would regulate many trade issues not covered by the framework agreement between Russia and the EU and will diminish the need for separate arrangements. Mr Fillon said France backed Russia's membership push.
"It is necessary for Russia to enter WTO as soon as possible and we support it," he said.
精神科医、総合病院離れ 病床２割減、閉鎖も相次ぐ
精神科医、総合病院離れ 病床２割減、閉鎖も相次ぐ
2008年05月29日15時17分
地域の中核病院などの総合病院で、医師不足から精神科病棟の閉鎖が相次いでいる。０２年から４年間で、精神病床がある病院数は１割、病床数は２割近く減った。総合病院の精神科は、通常の治療だけでなく、自殺未遂者やがん患者の心のケアなど役割が広がっている。事態を重く見た関係学会や厚生労働省は現状把握の調査を検討している。
日本総合病院精神医学会の調査によると、０２年に２７２あった精神病床を持つ総合病院は０６年末に２４４に、病床数も２万１７３２床から１万７９２４床に減った。調査後も休止したり診療をやめたりする病院が続いている。
廃止になっているのは主に地方の公立病院だ。自殺率が１２年連続全国１位で自殺予防に取り組む秋田県でも、精神病床がある八つの総合病院のうち、３カ所が入院病棟を閉鎖中。非常勤で維持してきた外来診療も、大学医局の医師引き揚げで厳しい状況にあるという。宮崎県では、四つの県立病院に十数人いた精神科医が昨年末に３人になった。
精神科専門の医師数は微増傾向だが、厚労省調査では、この１０年で診療所と精神科病院に勤める医師数は増加したのに対し、総合病院などは１割減。夜間休日の救急対応などの忙しさから敬遠されたとみられる。また、他科より診療報酬収入が少なく、経営側に負担感が大きいという。
厚労省は、精神障害者が入院中心から脱して地域で生活できるよう単科精神科の病床数削減の方針を打ち出した。一方、自殺未遂で入院した患者を精神科医が診察すると診療報酬が加算されたり、がん対策基本法で緩和ケアチームに精神科医の関与が求められたりと、総合病院での精神科医の役割は増している。
水野雅文・東邦大医学部教授（精神医学）は「イタリアは精神科病院を全廃し、代わりに全総合病院に精神病床を置いた。日本は、精神科病院の病床削減は進まず、総合病院の病床が減るという正反対のことが起きている。総合病院の精神科医療の診療報酬を手厚くするなどの対策が必要だ」と話す。
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「一人暮らしで心配」高齢者の帰宅にパトカー頼む病院
「診察を終えた一人暮らしのお年寄りを、パトカーで自宅まで送ってあげて」。様々な１１０番通報の中には、病院からのそんな要請もある。
警察はたとえ緊急性がなくても、「帰宅途中に事故が起きてはいけない」とパトカーを出動させているというのだが……。
今年２月深夜、東京都内の閑静な住宅街にある警察署は、１１０番を通じて近隣の病院から、高齢の患者を自宅まで送り届けてほしいと依頼された。不調を訴えて救急車で病院に運ばれたものの、診察結果に異常はなく帰宅してもらうことに。ところが、この患者はタクシー代を持っておらず、一人暮らしで引き取り手もいないという。認知症があることも想定され、同署では「迷子になる可能性もある」と判断し、パトカーを病院に向かわせた。
警視庁によると、最近、お年寄りの引き取りを求める病院の通報が警察署に寄せられるようになった。認知症などの症状がなく、単に引き受け手がいないというだけの理由で、保護を要請するケースも。ここ２年間で十数件の要請を受けた都内の別の警察署は、「保護する必要のないものが大半だが、問題が起きてからでは遅いので、自宅まで送るようにしている」と説明する。病院に出動すれば１時間程度は、本来は事件・事故など緊急事態に対応すべきパトカーが拘束されることになるという。
厚生労働省によると、急病やけがなどで救急車を使わずに病院に行った場合、緊急性があったと認められれば、交通費は国民健康保険などでカバーされる。しかし、治療を終えた後の「帰りの足」については、規定されていない。
交通費用が支払われるのは、条件を満たしている生活保護受給者だけで、ヘルパーによる送迎サービスが受けられるのも、要介護認定者に限られている。
身寄りがなく、タクシー代の持ち合わせもないような一般の高齢患者については、病院側が自主的に自宅まで送り届けたり、タクシー代を貸したりして対応しているのが実情で、こうしたケースに直面した病院の一部が、警察に出動を要請していると見られる。
神奈川県内の私立の大学病院は「病院の管理責任として、困っている患者を自宅に送り届けるようにしている」と話すが、埼玉県内の公立病院の事務長は「救急外来の利用者は急増しており、少ない職員で患者の送迎までは面倒をみられない」と本音を漏らす。
身寄りのない高齢患者の帰宅問題について、同省国民健康保険課の担当者は「国レベルで協議されたことはないと思う」と語り、都内のある区の福祉部門担当者も「福祉と医療の両分野にまたがる課題だが対応する部署はなく、公的な支援も行っていない」と言う。
都内の医療機関に勤める医療ソーシャルワーカーの女性（４８）は、「安易にパトカーを患者の『帰宅の足』に利用するのではなく、病院や行政など関係者がこの問題について議論することから始めて欲しい」と訴えている。
2008年05月29日15時17分
地域の中核病院などの総合病院で、医師不足から精神科病棟の閉鎖が相次いでいる。０２年から４年間で、精神病床がある病院数は１割、病床数は２割近く減った。総合病院の精神科は、通常の治療だけでなく、自殺未遂者やがん患者の心のケアなど役割が広がっている。事態を重く見た関係学会や厚生労働省は現状把握の調査を検討している。
日本総合病院精神医学会の調査によると、０２年に２７２あった精神病床を持つ総合病院は０６年末に２４４に、病床数も２万１７３２床から１万７９２４床に減った。調査後も休止したり診療をやめたりする病院が続いている。
廃止になっているのは主に地方の公立病院だ。自殺率が１２年連続全国１位で自殺予防に取り組む秋田県でも、精神病床がある八つの総合病院のうち、３カ所が入院病棟を閉鎖中。非常勤で維持してきた外来診療も、大学医局の医師引き揚げで厳しい状況にあるという。宮崎県では、四つの県立病院に十数人いた精神科医が昨年末に３人になった。
精神科専門の医師数は微増傾向だが、厚労省調査では、この１０年で診療所と精神科病院に勤める医師数は増加したのに対し、総合病院などは１割減。夜間休日の救急対応などの忙しさから敬遠されたとみられる。また、他科より診療報酬収入が少なく、経営側に負担感が大きいという。
厚労省は、精神障害者が入院中心から脱して地域で生活できるよう単科精神科の病床数削減の方針を打ち出した。一方、自殺未遂で入院した患者を精神科医が診察すると診療報酬が加算されたり、がん対策基本法で緩和ケアチームに精神科医の関与が求められたりと、総合病院での精神科医の役割は増している。
水野雅文・東邦大医学部教授（精神医学）は「イタリアは精神科病院を全廃し、代わりに全総合病院に精神病床を置いた。日本は、精神科病院の病床削減は進まず、総合病院の病床が減るという正反対のことが起きている。総合病院の精神科医療の診療報酬を手厚くするなどの対策が必要だ」と話す。
-----------------------
「一人暮らしで心配」高齢者の帰宅にパトカー頼む病院
「診察を終えた一人暮らしのお年寄りを、パトカーで自宅まで送ってあげて」。様々な１１０番通報の中には、病院からのそんな要請もある。
警察はたとえ緊急性がなくても、「帰宅途中に事故が起きてはいけない」とパトカーを出動させているというのだが……。
今年２月深夜、東京都内の閑静な住宅街にある警察署は、１１０番を通じて近隣の病院から、高齢の患者を自宅まで送り届けてほしいと依頼された。不調を訴えて救急車で病院に運ばれたものの、診察結果に異常はなく帰宅してもらうことに。ところが、この患者はタクシー代を持っておらず、一人暮らしで引き取り手もいないという。認知症があることも想定され、同署では「迷子になる可能性もある」と判断し、パトカーを病院に向かわせた。
警視庁によると、最近、お年寄りの引き取りを求める病院の通報が警察署に寄せられるようになった。認知症などの症状がなく、単に引き受け手がいないというだけの理由で、保護を要請するケースも。ここ２年間で十数件の要請を受けた都内の別の警察署は、「保護する必要のないものが大半だが、問題が起きてからでは遅いので、自宅まで送るようにしている」と説明する。病院に出動すれば１時間程度は、本来は事件・事故など緊急事態に対応すべきパトカーが拘束されることになるという。
厚生労働省によると、急病やけがなどで救急車を使わずに病院に行った場合、緊急性があったと認められれば、交通費は国民健康保険などでカバーされる。しかし、治療を終えた後の「帰りの足」については、規定されていない。
交通費用が支払われるのは、条件を満たしている生活保護受給者だけで、ヘルパーによる送迎サービスが受けられるのも、要介護認定者に限られている。
身寄りがなく、タクシー代の持ち合わせもないような一般の高齢患者については、病院側が自主的に自宅まで送り届けたり、タクシー代を貸したりして対応しているのが実情で、こうしたケースに直面した病院の一部が、警察に出動を要請していると見られる。
神奈川県内の私立の大学病院は「病院の管理責任として、困っている患者を自宅に送り届けるようにしている」と話すが、埼玉県内の公立病院の事務長は「救急外来の利用者は急増しており、少ない職員で患者の送迎までは面倒をみられない」と本音を漏らす。
身寄りのない高齢患者の帰宅問題について、同省国民健康保険課の担当者は「国レベルで協議されたことはないと思う」と語り、都内のある区の福祉部門担当者も「福祉と医療の両分野にまたがる課題だが対応する部署はなく、公的な支援も行っていない」と言う。
都内の医療機関に勤める医療ソーシャルワーカーの女性（４８）は、「安易にパトカーを患者の『帰宅の足』に利用するのではなく、病院や行政など関係者がこの問題について議論することから始めて欲しい」と訴えている。
丸紅元社員の稟議書偽造：出資金の運用実態なし、損失数百億円 自転車操業、償還に充て
丸紅元社員の稟議書偽造：出資金の運用実態なし、損失数百億円 自転車操業、償還に充て
大手総合商社「丸紅」（東京都千代田区）の元担当課長（３４）らが社内の稟議（りんぎ）書を偽造し、病院再生事業を巡る架空の投資話を持ちかけていたとされる問題で、元担当課長らは投資ファンドなどから集めた出資金を運用せず、そのまま償還に充てる自転車操業を繰り返していたことが分かった。丸紅ブランドの信用を悪用し、数百億円を焦げ付かせた不正は０４年ごろに始まったとみられ、警視庁捜査２課は全容解明を進めている。【鳴海崇、杉本修作】
中心だったのは、医療コンサルティング会社「アスクレピオス」＝破産手続き中＝の前社長（４６）と、丸紅のライフケアビジネス部の元担当課長で医薬品研究開発メーカー「ＬＴＴバイオファーマ」（港区）元社長。元担当課長の同僚だった丸紅の元嘱託社員２人＝ともに３月懲戒解雇＝も関与が明らかになっている。
関係者によると、前社長は０４年９月にアスク社を設立。経営悪化した病院の再生事業などを対象に投資を募り始めた。その際、元担当課長は「丸紅が医療機器を納入するから」などと説明。２０％程度の金利をつけて償還するとしていたが、実現できない場合でも丸紅が元金を保証するとして偽の稟議書や役員の印鑑を見せて信用させていた。商談には丸紅本社の会議室が使われることもあり「ライフケアビジネス部長」を名乗る別人とみられる男も顔を出したという。
契約によれば、出資金はアスク社が管理する投資事業組合に入った後、アスク社と関係があるとみられる千代田区の建築コンサルティング会社などを通じて病院に貸し付けられる仕組みだった。しかし実際には丸紅の関与はなく再生事業のスキームも架空だった。自転車操業で順調に償還しているように見せかけていたため、米証券大手リーマン・ブラザーズなどから巨額の資金を引き出すことに成功していたとみられる。
リーマンは５回に分け計約３７０億円を出資。約３カ月後に約５０億円がいったん償還されたが、その後は焦げ付いたとして警視庁に詐欺容疑で刑事告訴している。
◇丸紅側争う姿勢－－損害賠償口頭弁論
リーマンの特別目的会社「エル・ビー・エー」（東京都港区）が丸紅に対し、焦げ付いた約３２０億円を含む計約３５０億円の損害賠償を求めた訴訟の第１回口頭弁論が２８日、東京地裁（広谷章雄裁判長）で開かれた。丸紅側は「（元担当課長らが）提示した年利２５％は利息制限法の限度（２０％）を超えているのに、リーマン側が基本的な確認作業を怠った」などと主張、全面的に争う姿勢を見せた。
大手総合商社「丸紅」（東京都千代田区）の元担当課長（３４）らが社内の稟議（りんぎ）書を偽造し、病院再生事業を巡る架空の投資話を持ちかけていたとされる問題で、元担当課長らは投資ファンドなどから集めた出資金を運用せず、そのまま償還に充てる自転車操業を繰り返していたことが分かった。丸紅ブランドの信用を悪用し、数百億円を焦げ付かせた不正は０４年ごろに始まったとみられ、警視庁捜査２課は全容解明を進めている。【鳴海崇、杉本修作】
中心だったのは、医療コンサルティング会社「アスクレピオス」＝破産手続き中＝の前社長（４６）と、丸紅のライフケアビジネス部の元担当課長で医薬品研究開発メーカー「ＬＴＴバイオファーマ」（港区）元社長。元担当課長の同僚だった丸紅の元嘱託社員２人＝ともに３月懲戒解雇＝も関与が明らかになっている。
関係者によると、前社長は０４年９月にアスク社を設立。経営悪化した病院の再生事業などを対象に投資を募り始めた。その際、元担当課長は「丸紅が医療機器を納入するから」などと説明。２０％程度の金利をつけて償還するとしていたが、実現できない場合でも丸紅が元金を保証するとして偽の稟議書や役員の印鑑を見せて信用させていた。商談には丸紅本社の会議室が使われることもあり「ライフケアビジネス部長」を名乗る別人とみられる男も顔を出したという。
契約によれば、出資金はアスク社が管理する投資事業組合に入った後、アスク社と関係があるとみられる千代田区の建築コンサルティング会社などを通じて病院に貸し付けられる仕組みだった。しかし実際には丸紅の関与はなく再生事業のスキームも架空だった。自転車操業で順調に償還しているように見せかけていたため、米証券大手リーマン・ブラザーズなどから巨額の資金を引き出すことに成功していたとみられる。
リーマンは５回に分け計約３７０億円を出資。約３カ月後に約５０億円がいったん償還されたが、その後は焦げ付いたとして警視庁に詐欺容疑で刑事告訴している。
◇丸紅側争う姿勢－－損害賠償口頭弁論
リーマンの特別目的会社「エル・ビー・エー」（東京都港区）が丸紅に対し、焦げ付いた約３２０億円を含む計約３５０億円の損害賠償を求めた訴訟の第１回口頭弁論が２８日、東京地裁（広谷章雄裁判長）で開かれた。丸紅側は「（元担当課長らが）提示した年利２５％は利息制限法の限度（２０％）を超えているのに、リーマン側が基本的な確認作業を怠った」などと主張、全面的に争う姿勢を見せた。
他人の家の天袋で極楽生活…福岡、５８歳女を逮捕
他人の家の天袋で極楽生活…福岡、５８歳女を逮捕
マットレス持ち込み、食料拝借
民家の押し入れの天袋に忍び込んだとして、福岡県警粕屋署は２９日までに、住居侵入の現行犯で住所不定、無職の女（５８）を逮捕した。アカの他人の家の天袋で勝手に暮らし、ご飯どころか風呂まで拝借していた。
調べによると、同女は２８日午後３時ごろ、同県志免町の無職の男性（５７）の平屋の一戸建てに侵入した。「住むところがなかった」と供述しているが、以前から男性宅に頻繁に侵入していたといい、滞在は数カ月におよぶ可能性があるという。
天袋の中は寝床用のマットレスをはじめ、ペットボトルも完備するほどの暮らしぶりだった。
男性は１人暮らし。犯行に気付いたきっかけは、知らない間に減っていく冷蔵庫の中身だったという。
「家の中から、なぜかたびたび食べ物がなくなっていく。不審に感じたため、男性は犯人探しを始めた」（捜査幹部）
男性は最新の警報装置を部屋に設置。家の中で何かが動くとセンサーが反応、家の中に仕掛けた防犯カメラがその姿を捉え、携帯電話にメールで異常を知らせるというスグレモノだ。
２８日午後、外出した男性に警戒メールが届き、家の中で動き回る女の映像が映し出され、ビックリ仰天。１１０番通報したことで御用となった。
捜査幹部は「捜査員が踏み込むと、ひどくビックリした様子だった。長く押し入れにいたからさぞやニオイがキツイかと思いきや、意外にさっぱりとした感じ。男性がいない間に風呂に入っていたようだ」とあきれ返っていた。
----------------------------
弟子に暴行 間垣親方と豊桜に減俸処分
2008年05月29日18時02分
日本相撲協会は２９日、理事会を開き、夏場所中に弟子の力士を竹刀で暴行した協会理事の間垣親方（元横綱２代目若乃花）に、３カ月３０％の減俸処分を下した。初場所中に調理用のお玉で部屋の弟弟子を殴り、頭部にけがを負わせた十両豊桜も３カ月３０％の減俸処分とした。豊桜の師匠陸奥親方（元大関霧島）は監督責任を問われ譴責（けんせき）処分となった。
間垣親方は夏場所中、弟子にあざがつくほどの暴行を加え、発覚直後も「弟子がいけないことをしたら、けいこでしごくのは当たり前」などと話していた。理事会後に、会見した九重広報部長（元横綱千代の富士）は処分理由について「行きすぎた行為をして、暴行がどの部屋でも行われていると誤解を与える発言もあった」と説明した。
九重親方は「理事からの降格という意見が出ないことも無かったが、結果としてこういう処分になった」と話した。間垣親方は理事会では謝罪の言葉を述べたが、報道陣には無言だった。
豊桜の処分理由は、けがを負わせ、師匠や部屋に迷惑をかけたこと。陸奥親方は「私の責任。どんな処分でも受け止めます」と話した。
----------------------------------
暴力団組長、米で肝移植 「情報提供と引き換え」と米紙
2008年05月30日19時00分
【ロサンゼルス＝堀内隆】米紙ロサンゼルス・タイムズ（電子版）は３０日、山口組系暴力団「後藤組」の後藤忠正組長がＣ型肝炎を患っていた０１年、カリフォルニア大ロサンゼルス校（ＵＣＬＡ）の付属病院で肝移植を受けていたと報じた。後藤組長は当時、米入国を禁じられていたが、米連邦捜査局（ＦＢＩ）が情報提供と引き換えにビザ発給を手助けしたと伝えている。
同紙によると、米国では外国人や犯罪歴がある患者への移植を禁じる規定はないが、報道は後藤組長が０１年５月に渡米してわずか２カ月後に移植手術を受けた一方で、同時期に同病院の待機リストに載っていた患者のうち、３年以内に移植を受けられた人が３４％にとどまっていたと指摘。執刀医が後に訪日して後藤組長の診察を行っていたことにも触れ、扱いの公平性に疑問を投げかけた。
ＵＣＬＡは「臓器移植機関ネットワークが定めるガイドラインを順守しており、移植患者の評価は米国人でも外国人でも同じ」との声明を出したが、後藤組長の手術を行ったかどうかはプライバシーを理由に明らかにしなかった。
捜査当局筋の情報として同紙が報じたところによると、ビザ発給は、米国内での日本の暴力団の活動実態についての情報を提供することと引き換えだったという。また、００年から０４年にかけて、後藤組長のほかに３人の日本人がＵＣＬＡで肝移植を受けた。３人ともその後、犯罪歴や犯罪組織との関係を理由に米国入国を禁じられた。
マットレス持ち込み、食料拝借
民家の押し入れの天袋に忍び込んだとして、福岡県警粕屋署は２９日までに、住居侵入の現行犯で住所不定、無職の女（５８）を逮捕した。アカの他人の家の天袋で勝手に暮らし、ご飯どころか風呂まで拝借していた。
調べによると、同女は２８日午後３時ごろ、同県志免町の無職の男性（５７）の平屋の一戸建てに侵入した。「住むところがなかった」と供述しているが、以前から男性宅に頻繁に侵入していたといい、滞在は数カ月におよぶ可能性があるという。
天袋の中は寝床用のマットレスをはじめ、ペットボトルも完備するほどの暮らしぶりだった。
男性は１人暮らし。犯行に気付いたきっかけは、知らない間に減っていく冷蔵庫の中身だったという。
「家の中から、なぜかたびたび食べ物がなくなっていく。不審に感じたため、男性は犯人探しを始めた」（捜査幹部）
男性は最新の警報装置を部屋に設置。家の中で何かが動くとセンサーが反応、家の中に仕掛けた防犯カメラがその姿を捉え、携帯電話にメールで異常を知らせるというスグレモノだ。
２８日午後、外出した男性に警戒メールが届き、家の中で動き回る女の映像が映し出され、ビックリ仰天。１１０番通報したことで御用となった。
捜査幹部は「捜査員が踏み込むと、ひどくビックリした様子だった。長く押し入れにいたからさぞやニオイがキツイかと思いきや、意外にさっぱりとした感じ。男性がいない間に風呂に入っていたようだ」とあきれ返っていた。
----------------------------
弟子に暴行 間垣親方と豊桜に減俸処分
2008年05月29日18時02分
日本相撲協会は２９日、理事会を開き、夏場所中に弟子の力士を竹刀で暴行した協会理事の間垣親方（元横綱２代目若乃花）に、３カ月３０％の減俸処分を下した。初場所中に調理用のお玉で部屋の弟弟子を殴り、頭部にけがを負わせた十両豊桜も３カ月３０％の減俸処分とした。豊桜の師匠陸奥親方（元大関霧島）は監督責任を問われ譴責（けんせき）処分となった。
間垣親方は夏場所中、弟子にあざがつくほどの暴行を加え、発覚直後も「弟子がいけないことをしたら、けいこでしごくのは当たり前」などと話していた。理事会後に、会見した九重広報部長（元横綱千代の富士）は処分理由について「行きすぎた行為をして、暴行がどの部屋でも行われていると誤解を与える発言もあった」と説明した。
九重親方は「理事からの降格という意見が出ないことも無かったが、結果としてこういう処分になった」と話した。間垣親方は理事会では謝罪の言葉を述べたが、報道陣には無言だった。
豊桜の処分理由は、けがを負わせ、師匠や部屋に迷惑をかけたこと。陸奥親方は「私の責任。どんな処分でも受け止めます」と話した。
----------------------------------
暴力団組長、米で肝移植 「情報提供と引き換え」と米紙
2008年05月30日19時00分
【ロサンゼルス＝堀内隆】米紙ロサンゼルス・タイムズ（電子版）は３０日、山口組系暴力団「後藤組」の後藤忠正組長がＣ型肝炎を患っていた０１年、カリフォルニア大ロサンゼルス校（ＵＣＬＡ）の付属病院で肝移植を受けていたと報じた。後藤組長は当時、米入国を禁じられていたが、米連邦捜査局（ＦＢＩ）が情報提供と引き換えにビザ発給を手助けしたと伝えている。
同紙によると、米国では外国人や犯罪歴がある患者への移植を禁じる規定はないが、報道は後藤組長が０１年５月に渡米してわずか２カ月後に移植手術を受けた一方で、同時期に同病院の待機リストに載っていた患者のうち、３年以内に移植を受けられた人が３４％にとどまっていたと指摘。執刀医が後に訪日して後藤組長の診察を行っていたことにも触れ、扱いの公平性に疑問を投げかけた。
ＵＣＬＡは「臓器移植機関ネットワークが定めるガイドラインを順守しており、移植患者の評価は米国人でも外国人でも同じ」との声明を出したが、後藤組長の手術を行ったかどうかはプライバシーを理由に明らかにしなかった。
捜査当局筋の情報として同紙が報じたところによると、ビザ発給は、米国内での日本の暴力団の活動実態についての情報を提供することと引き換えだったという。また、００年から０４年にかけて、後藤組長のほかに３人の日本人がＵＣＬＡで肝移植を受けた。３人ともその後、犯罪歴や犯罪組織との関係を理由に米国入国を禁じられた。
笠松競馬場土地明け渡し訴訟、岐阜地裁が地主側の請求認める
笠松競馬場土地明け渡し訴訟、岐阜地裁が地主側の請求認める
名馬・オグリキャップを出した笠松競馬場（岐阜県笠松町）の地主組合の一部８６人が、運営主体の県地方競馬組合（管理者・広江正明笠松町長）を相手取り、貸与している競馬場の土地明け渡しなどを求めた訴訟の判決が２９日、岐阜地裁であった。
野村高弘裁判長は地主側の主張を認め、同組合に土地の明け渡しを命じた。
地主側は土地の約３割を所有しているため、競馬廃止の可能性も出ている。判決を受けて、地主、組合側の双方が午後から記者会見を開く。
訴えによると、地主らは２００５年度、赤字経営が続く笠松競馬の存続に協力しようと、借地代を０４年度の１坪（３・３平方メートル）２１４０円から事実上無償としたが、収支が黒字に転じたことから、０６年度は１坪１９２０円の借地代を要求。しかし、同組合は４００～６００円を提示し、交渉が決裂した。
このため、地主らは０５年度で土地の貸借契約は終わったとして０６年６月、土地の明け渡しと、同年４月以降の借地代相当額として約３億１０００万円の支払いを求めて提訴した。
名馬・オグリキャップを出した笠松競馬場（岐阜県笠松町）の地主組合の一部８６人が、運営主体の県地方競馬組合（管理者・広江正明笠松町長）を相手取り、貸与している競馬場の土地明け渡しなどを求めた訴訟の判決が２９日、岐阜地裁であった。
野村高弘裁判長は地主側の主張を認め、同組合に土地の明け渡しを命じた。
地主側は土地の約３割を所有しているため、競馬廃止の可能性も出ている。判決を受けて、地主、組合側の双方が午後から記者会見を開く。
訴えによると、地主らは２００５年度、赤字経営が続く笠松競馬の存続に協力しようと、借地代を０４年度の１坪（３・３平方メートル）２１４０円から事実上無償としたが、収支が黒字に転じたことから、０６年度は１坪１９２０円の借地代を要求。しかし、同組合は４００～６００円を提示し、交渉が決裂した。
このため、地主らは０５年度で土地の貸借契約は終わったとして０６年６月、土地の明け渡しと、同年４月以降の借地代相当額として約３億１０００万円の支払いを求めて提訴した。
ギョーザの具から基準４万倍のメタミドホス…兵庫・高砂
ギョーザの具から基準４万倍のメタミドホス…兵庫・高砂
中国製冷凍ギョーザによる中毒事件で、兵庫県警は２９日、同県高砂市の家族が食べて中毒を起こした「中華ｄｅごちそう ひとくち餃子(ギョーザ)」のトレーに付着していた具片から１グラムあたり約１万３２００ｐｐｍの有機リン系殺虫剤「メタミドホス」を検出したと発表した。
ニラの残留基準値（０・３ｐｐｍ）の約４万４０００倍で、県警は意図的な混入の可能性が高いとみている。
警察庁科学警察研究所が、トレーに付着していた具片０・９５２グラムを鑑定していた。これまでに包装袋やトレー、家族の胃の洗浄液からも検出されていた。
中国製冷凍ギョーザによる中毒事件で、兵庫県警は２９日、同県高砂市の家族が食べて中毒を起こした「中華ｄｅごちそう ひとくち餃子(ギョーザ)」のトレーに付着していた具片から１グラムあたり約１万３２００ｐｐｍの有機リン系殺虫剤「メタミドホス」を検出したと発表した。
ニラの残留基準値（０・３ｐｐｍ）の約４万４０００倍で、県警は意図的な混入の可能性が高いとみている。
警察庁科学警察研究所が、トレーに付着していた具片０・９５２グラムを鑑定していた。これまでに包装袋やトレー、家族の胃の洗浄液からも検出されていた。
Superbugs On the Rise; GMOs to Blame?
Superbugs On the Rise; GMOs to Blame?
* Gut superbug causing more illnesses, deaths
Associated Press, 5/28/08
Straight to the Source
ATLANTA - The number of people hospitalized with a dangerous intestinal superbug has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year, according to a new study.
The germ, resistant to some antibiotics, has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. The study found it played a role in nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, more than double the number in 2000.
The infection, Clostridium difficile, is found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It is spread by spores in feces. But the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap.
C-diff, as it's known, has grown resistant to certain antibiotics that work against other colon bacteria. The result: When patients take those antibiotics, competing bacteria die off and C-diff explodes.
This virulent strain of C-diff was rarely seen before 2000.
"The nature of this infection is changing. It's more severe," said Dr. L. Clifford McDonald, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert who was not part of the study.
There are other factors that play into the rise of C-diff cases as well, including a larger of number of patients who are older and sicker. "And there may be some overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics," said Dr. Marya Zilberberg, a University of Massachusetts researcher and lead author of the study.
The Zilberberg study was based on a sample of more than 36 million annual discharges from non-governmental U.S. hospitals. That data was used to generate the study's national estimates.
The research is being published in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC publication.
Using other scientists' estimates, the study concluded that 2.3 percent of the cases in 2004 were fatal - about 5,500 deaths. That was nearly double the percentage of C-diff-related cases that ended in death in 2000.
Many of the people who died had other health problems. The study did not try to determine if Clostridium difficile was the main cause of death in each case, Zilberberg said.
But earlier research concluded the infection is the underlying cause of thousands of deaths annually, and the problem is getting worse.
C-diff has become an acute health concern in Canada, where it was blamed for 260 deaths at seven Ontario hospitals recently, and 2,000 deaths in Quebec since 2002.
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is currently working with U.S. hospitals to study prevalence of the infection and what infection control measures seem to work best.
"This is not a time for alarm, but more a time for educating health professionals to understand this particular pathogen," said Kathy Warye, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based association.
-----------------------
Switzerland Bans GMOs till 2012
* GM crops banned in Switzerland until 2012
Agra Europe, 5/29/08
Straight to the Source
The Swiss Federal Council (government) has voted to extend the country's moratorium on genetically modified (GM) plants for a further three years beyond the current expiry date of November 2010, Dow Jones reports.
The extension is to allow time for a national research programme into the benefits and risks of GM crops to be completed and the results assessed. Questions over the biological safety of GM plants and the coexistence of GM, conventional and organic crops are being addressed.
The Council imposed a moratorium on the commercial cultivation of GM crops in 2005, on the basis that there was no demand for them in Switzerland at the time and that big gaps remained in scientific knowledge about the risks of this technology.
Shortly after that, the research programme was launched, and this is expected to reach a conclusion around the middle of 2012. However, the Council said last week that it must be allowed to take its course without political pressure.
According to the Council, the moratorium has not caused any obvious problems, either for the farming industry, researchers, or international relations. In fact, it claimed, Swiss farmers have benefited from being able to market their produce on international markets as GM-free.
------------------------
Australian Chefs Reject GMOs
* Top chefs say no to GM foods
The Age, 5/29/08
Straight to the Source
More than 50 of the country's top chefs have united to protest against the introduction of genetically modified (GM) food crops to Australia.
Last month, GM canola crops were planted for the first time in NSW and Victoria after the two states announced they would let their bans on genetically engineered food crops expire.
In response, local celebrity chefs including Neil Perry and Kylie Kwong have signed on to the GM Free Chefs' Charter, launched in collaboration with Greenpeace in Sydney.
The charter, unveiled at chef Jared Ingersoll's Danks Street Depot restaurant in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Waterloo, calls for the NSW and Victorian governments to reverse their position on growing GM canola and demands thorough labelling of all food products that contain GM ingredients.
Oils, starches and sugars, as well as animal feed derived from GM ingredients, should all come with a label, says the charter, which will be presented to Australian governments later this year.
Meat from animals which have eaten GM feed should also be signposted, it says.
There are currently no laws on the labelling of food containing GM canola.
Speaking at the charter's launch, Mr Ingersoll said the unknown long-term effects of eating GM foods were a major concern to him, both as a chef and a parent.
"I don't really want to put food in the mouth of my children that I'm not sure whether or not it's going to be damaging for them," he said.
"I'm not the sort of person that stands in the way of technology making advancement to make things better for people ... but with genetically modified food, once we go down that path then there's no going back.
"We are in the very unique position of having an amazing countryside that can produce lots of beautiful food and if we do take the path of Canada and other GM nations, it's going to be really limiting as to what direction we go in," he said.
GM food crops are known to be difficult to contain, and a 2001 Western Australian parliamentary inquiry into gene technology found the segregation of GM crops from non-GM crops was not practical and cross-contamination was "inevitable".
Mr Ingersoll said the rigorous labelling of GM foods was essential to allow consumers to make informed choices about what they ate.
"What I want to see happen today is that we start to see some labelling, we start to see some responsible action being taken that gives the consumer the opportunity to make the decision, because one thing I know is that politicians will do what they want, big companies will do what they want, but everybody relies on customers," he said.
"Without people supporting these (GM) businesses then these businesses won't be there. So we need to get this labelling in place to give consumers the ability to make their decisions."
* Gut superbug causing more illnesses, deaths
Associated Press, 5/28/08
Straight to the Source
ATLANTA - The number of people hospitalized with a dangerous intestinal superbug has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year, according to a new study.
The germ, resistant to some antibiotics, has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. The study found it played a role in nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, more than double the number in 2000.
The infection, Clostridium difficile, is found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It is spread by spores in feces. But the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap.
C-diff, as it's known, has grown resistant to certain antibiotics that work against other colon bacteria. The result: When patients take those antibiotics, competing bacteria die off and C-diff explodes.
This virulent strain of C-diff was rarely seen before 2000.
"The nature of this infection is changing. It's more severe," said Dr. L. Clifford McDonald, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert who was not part of the study.
There are other factors that play into the rise of C-diff cases as well, including a larger of number of patients who are older and sicker. "And there may be some overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics," said Dr. Marya Zilberberg, a University of Massachusetts researcher and lead author of the study.
The Zilberberg study was based on a sample of more than 36 million annual discharges from non-governmental U.S. hospitals. That data was used to generate the study's national estimates.
The research is being published in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC publication.
Using other scientists' estimates, the study concluded that 2.3 percent of the cases in 2004 were fatal - about 5,500 deaths. That was nearly double the percentage of C-diff-related cases that ended in death in 2000.
Many of the people who died had other health problems. The study did not try to determine if Clostridium difficile was the main cause of death in each case, Zilberberg said.
But earlier research concluded the infection is the underlying cause of thousands of deaths annually, and the problem is getting worse.
C-diff has become an acute health concern in Canada, where it was blamed for 260 deaths at seven Ontario hospitals recently, and 2,000 deaths in Quebec since 2002.
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is currently working with U.S. hospitals to study prevalence of the infection and what infection control measures seem to work best.
"This is not a time for alarm, but more a time for educating health professionals to understand this particular pathogen," said Kathy Warye, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based association.
-----------------------
Switzerland Bans GMOs till 2012
* GM crops banned in Switzerland until 2012
Agra Europe, 5/29/08
Straight to the Source
The Swiss Federal Council (government) has voted to extend the country's moratorium on genetically modified (GM) plants for a further three years beyond the current expiry date of November 2010, Dow Jones reports.
The extension is to allow time for a national research programme into the benefits and risks of GM crops to be completed and the results assessed. Questions over the biological safety of GM plants and the coexistence of GM, conventional and organic crops are being addressed.
The Council imposed a moratorium on the commercial cultivation of GM crops in 2005, on the basis that there was no demand for them in Switzerland at the time and that big gaps remained in scientific knowledge about the risks of this technology.
Shortly after that, the research programme was launched, and this is expected to reach a conclusion around the middle of 2012. However, the Council said last week that it must be allowed to take its course without political pressure.
According to the Council, the moratorium has not caused any obvious problems, either for the farming industry, researchers, or international relations. In fact, it claimed, Swiss farmers have benefited from being able to market their produce on international markets as GM-free.
------------------------
Australian Chefs Reject GMOs
* Top chefs say no to GM foods
The Age, 5/29/08
Straight to the Source
More than 50 of the country's top chefs have united to protest against the introduction of genetically modified (GM) food crops to Australia.
Last month, GM canola crops were planted for the first time in NSW and Victoria after the two states announced they would let their bans on genetically engineered food crops expire.
In response, local celebrity chefs including Neil Perry and Kylie Kwong have signed on to the GM Free Chefs' Charter, launched in collaboration with Greenpeace in Sydney.
The charter, unveiled at chef Jared Ingersoll's Danks Street Depot restaurant in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Waterloo, calls for the NSW and Victorian governments to reverse their position on growing GM canola and demands thorough labelling of all food products that contain GM ingredients.
Oils, starches and sugars, as well as animal feed derived from GM ingredients, should all come with a label, says the charter, which will be presented to Australian governments later this year.
Meat from animals which have eaten GM feed should also be signposted, it says.
There are currently no laws on the labelling of food containing GM canola.
Speaking at the charter's launch, Mr Ingersoll said the unknown long-term effects of eating GM foods were a major concern to him, both as a chef and a parent.
"I don't really want to put food in the mouth of my children that I'm not sure whether or not it's going to be damaging for them," he said.
"I'm not the sort of person that stands in the way of technology making advancement to make things better for people ... but with genetically modified food, once we go down that path then there's no going back.
"We are in the very unique position of having an amazing countryside that can produce lots of beautiful food and if we do take the path of Canada and other GM nations, it's going to be really limiting as to what direction we go in," he said.
GM food crops are known to be difficult to contain, and a 2001 Western Australian parliamentary inquiry into gene technology found the segregation of GM crops from non-GM crops was not practical and cross-contamination was "inevitable".
Mr Ingersoll said the rigorous labelling of GM foods was essential to allow consumers to make informed choices about what they ate.
"What I want to see happen today is that we start to see some labelling, we start to see some responsible action being taken that gives the consumer the opportunity to make the decision, because one thing I know is that politicians will do what they want, big companies will do what they want, but everybody relies on customers," he said.
"Without people supporting these (GM) businesses then these businesses won't be there. So we need to get this labelling in place to give consumers the ability to make their decisions."
「演歌の殿堂」新宿コマ劇場、閉鎖へ
「演歌の殿堂」新宿コマ劇場、閉鎖へ
2008年05月29日01時46分
阪急阪神東宝グループのコマ・スタジアムは２８日、東京都新宿区の「新宿コマ劇場」を年内で閉鎖すると発表した。１９５６年に開場し、大人から子供まで楽しめる庶民的な劇場として親しまれたが、近年、客足が遠のいていた。半世紀余りの歴史に幕を閉じる。
氷川きよしさんのコンサートも開かれた新宿コマ劇場
新宿コマ劇場は美空ひばりさん、北島三郎さん、五木ひろしさん、小林幸子さんら大物歌手の座長公演で知られ、「演歌の殿堂」の異名をとった。エノケンこと榎本健一さんの喜劇や「マツケンサンバ」の松平健さんの座長公演、「ピーターパン」「アニーよ銃をとれ」などミュージカルの上演も多かった。
コマのように回りながらせり上がる３段の円形舞台が劇場名の由来になった。ギリシャの古代劇場を模した円状のスタジアム型の客席も特色で、２０８８席と首都圏最大級を誇った。
７０年代に全盛期を築いたが、近年、演歌の人気が下火になり、新ジャンルのミュージカルなどの企画公演も不振だった。築５０年が過ぎて建物の老朽化も目立っていた。
この夏には「モーニング娘。」と宝塚歌劇のＯＧが共演する「シンデレラ」を予定するなど若者の集客にも力を入れ始めた矢先の閉鎖決定となった。１２月の「愛と青春の宝塚」が最後の主催公演となる。
閉鎖後は東宝が主体となり、隣接する新宿東宝会館と一体として再開発する予定。新施設に劇場ができるかは検討段階だという。
コマ・スタジアムは劇場の撤去費用などの再開発事業費に、東宝の全面的な支援を仰ぐ。今後も演劇興行は規模を縮小しながら、他の劇場を使って続ける。同社は０３年、従業員を３分の１程度まで減らすことなどを柱とした経営再建計画を発表。０５年には大阪市北区の「梅田コマ劇場」を閉鎖するなどし、経営の立て直しに努めてきた。
コマ劇場がある歌舞伎町商店街振興組合の城克（まさる）事務局長（５４）は「歌舞伎町を全国区にしたランドマーク的存在だった。無くなるのは寂しいが、新施設が町の起爆剤になれば」と語った。
都内で飲食業を営む男性（４８）はコマ劇に何度も通った。「回転式の舞台がとても印象に残っており、残念でならない。コマ劇の名前だけでも残せないものか」と語った。
2008年05月29日01時46分
阪急阪神東宝グループのコマ・スタジアムは２８日、東京都新宿区の「新宿コマ劇場」を年内で閉鎖すると発表した。１９５６年に開場し、大人から子供まで楽しめる庶民的な劇場として親しまれたが、近年、客足が遠のいていた。半世紀余りの歴史に幕を閉じる。
氷川きよしさんのコンサートも開かれた新宿コマ劇場
新宿コマ劇場は美空ひばりさん、北島三郎さん、五木ひろしさん、小林幸子さんら大物歌手の座長公演で知られ、「演歌の殿堂」の異名をとった。エノケンこと榎本健一さんの喜劇や「マツケンサンバ」の松平健さんの座長公演、「ピーターパン」「アニーよ銃をとれ」などミュージカルの上演も多かった。
コマのように回りながらせり上がる３段の円形舞台が劇場名の由来になった。ギリシャの古代劇場を模した円状のスタジアム型の客席も特色で、２０８８席と首都圏最大級を誇った。
７０年代に全盛期を築いたが、近年、演歌の人気が下火になり、新ジャンルのミュージカルなどの企画公演も不振だった。築５０年が過ぎて建物の老朽化も目立っていた。
この夏には「モーニング娘。」と宝塚歌劇のＯＧが共演する「シンデレラ」を予定するなど若者の集客にも力を入れ始めた矢先の閉鎖決定となった。１２月の「愛と青春の宝塚」が最後の主催公演となる。
閉鎖後は東宝が主体となり、隣接する新宿東宝会館と一体として再開発する予定。新施設に劇場ができるかは検討段階だという。
コマ・スタジアムは劇場の撤去費用などの再開発事業費に、東宝の全面的な支援を仰ぐ。今後も演劇興行は規模を縮小しながら、他の劇場を使って続ける。同社は０３年、従業員を３分の１程度まで減らすことなどを柱とした経営再建計画を発表。０５年には大阪市北区の「梅田コマ劇場」を閉鎖するなどし、経営の立て直しに努めてきた。
コマ劇場がある歌舞伎町商店街振興組合の城克（まさる）事務局長（５４）は「歌舞伎町を全国区にしたランドマーク的存在だった。無くなるのは寂しいが、新施設が町の起爆剤になれば」と語った。
都内で飲食業を営む男性（４８）はコマ劇に何度も通った。「回転式の舞台がとても印象に残っており、残念でならない。コマ劇の名前だけでも残せないものか」と語った。
副都心線６月開業に向け商圏激変？動く大型店
副都心線６月開業に向け商圏激変？動く大型店
東京の池袋―新宿―渋谷を直結する新たな地下鉄「副都心線」の6月14日開業を控え、沿線の大手小売業が集客強化に動き出した。池袋では積年のライバルだった西武百貨店と東武百貨店が共同で集客作戦を展開。ビックカメラは池袋、渋谷店の営業時間を1時間延ばす。新線開通で人の流れが大きく変わる可能性があり、池袋、新宿、渋谷間の顧客争奪競争が激しさを増しそうだ。
開業に合わせ、池袋の西武百と東武百はそれぞれの店舗入り口に共同案内所を設ける。相互に店内や周辺商業施設などを案内しあって、池袋全体への集客につなげる。
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地価上昇地点が大幅減少 国交省調査
国土交通省が29日発表した2008年の第1四半期の全国の主要100地点の地価動向で、前四半期（07年第4四半期）より地価が上昇したのは41地点だった。前四半期の上昇地点の87から大幅に減った。
地域別では東京圏の43地点中で地価が上昇したのは20地点。前四半期の40地点から半減した。前四半期には地価が下落した地点はなかったが、今回は吉祥寺（東京都）、新浦安（千葉県）、本八幡（同）の3地点が下落となった。
また大阪圏（17地点から6地点）、名古屋圏（11地点から2地点）、地方圏（19地点から13地点）と、全圏で地価の上昇地点は前四半期より減った。調査は国交省が07年に始めた。
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資源高、素材の代替加速 食料でも活用拡大
資源・食料価格の高騰を受け、企業が割安な代替素材の活用に動き出した。住友化学は自動車用電池向けに希少金属（レアメタル）のコバルトを使わない基幹部品の量産を2010年にも開始。古河電気工業は銅より安いアルミニウムを使用する自動車向け電線を実用化する。雪印乳業や日本ハムは低価格のチーズ代替品を開発した。資源高が企業経営から家計までを圧迫するなか、幅広い製品で素材転換が加速し日本勢が主導する新市場が生まれつつある。
新興国の経済成長などを背景に、国際商品の原油やレアメタルを含む金属類、食料の価格が軒並み急上昇している。第一生命経済研究所の試算では資源高が日本の産業界の総コストを07年で10兆7000億円押し上げた。08年は約17兆円に達する見通しで、資源高対策が企業の最大の経営課題になっている。
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タクシー離れ、全国に拡大 景気足踏み感や値上げで敬遠
タクシーの客離れが全国に広がり始めた。各地の業界団体に4月の運送収入（1日1台当たり）を聞いたところ、前年割れが続く東京都心に続き、埼玉、札幌などの落ち込みが目立ち、堅調だった名古屋も横ばいになった。運賃引き上げに最近の節約志向が重なり、タクシー利用を敬遠する傾向が強まっている。
埼玉県南部地区の運送収入は年明け以降、前年比増だったが、4月は0.6％減に転じた。札幌（4.9％減）や群馬県北部地区（6.8％減）も落ち込みが鮮明で、昨春、全国に先駆けて運賃を上げた大分地区も減少傾向にある。特に「歓楽街などで夜間稼働率が低下している」（北海道ハイヤー協会）という。
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フェラガモ、日本で値下げ バッグや靴、10％前後
伊高級ブランドの「サルヴァトーレ・フェラガモ」を輸入販売するフェラガモ・ジャパン（東京・中央）は6月3日から、婦人用のバッグや靴など主要15品目を平均10％前後値下げする。同ブランドが値下げするのは世界で初めてで、日本に限って実施する。高額消費が低迷する懸念があると見て、原材料高で競合ブランドが値上げする中、逆張りの値下げに出る。
対象は婦人用のバッグと靴、紳士用の靴でそれぞれ5品目。全売上高に占める割合は不明だが、いずれも売れ筋の商品という。例えば、婦人用ではトートバッグを8万5000円から7万5000円に11.8％、ドライビングシューズは6万円から5万8000円に3.3％それぞれ下げる。紳士靴は8万2000円から7万4000円に9.8％下げる。
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私立高生「格差」進む 経済的理由の中退最多
2008年05月31日22時40分
経済的理由で私立高校を中退した生徒が０７年度に全国で少なくとも４０７人いたと、全国私立学校教職員組合連合（全国私教連）が調査結果を公表した。調査対象の生徒の約０．２％に当たり、９８年の調査開始以来最悪の数字となった。全国私教連は「経済格差が進み学費負担が重くなっている。退学理由は分からないことも多く、経済的な理由での退学はほかにもいるはず」とみている。
私立高校組合を通じて調査し、全校数の約５分の１にあたる２３４校（約１９万５千人）から回答があった。経済的理由による中退者は前年の１８８人（０．１％）から２倍以上に増え、過去最多だった０２年の３５５人（０．２％）も上回り、１校あたり１．７４人の割合だった。学費の３カ月以上滞納者は１８０５人で昨年の１５２１人から増えたが、対象生徒に占める割合はほぼ同じだった。
東京の池袋―新宿―渋谷を直結する新たな地下鉄「副都心線」の6月14日開業を控え、沿線の大手小売業が集客強化に動き出した。池袋では積年のライバルだった西武百貨店と東武百貨店が共同で集客作戦を展開。ビックカメラは池袋、渋谷店の営業時間を1時間延ばす。新線開通で人の流れが大きく変わる可能性があり、池袋、新宿、渋谷間の顧客争奪競争が激しさを増しそうだ。
開業に合わせ、池袋の西武百と東武百はそれぞれの店舗入り口に共同案内所を設ける。相互に店内や周辺商業施設などを案内しあって、池袋全体への集客につなげる。
-------------------
地価上昇地点が大幅減少 国交省調査
国土交通省が29日発表した2008年の第1四半期の全国の主要100地点の地価動向で、前四半期（07年第4四半期）より地価が上昇したのは41地点だった。前四半期の上昇地点の87から大幅に減った。
地域別では東京圏の43地点中で地価が上昇したのは20地点。前四半期の40地点から半減した。前四半期には地価が下落した地点はなかったが、今回は吉祥寺（東京都）、新浦安（千葉県）、本八幡（同）の3地点が下落となった。
また大阪圏（17地点から6地点）、名古屋圏（11地点から2地点）、地方圏（19地点から13地点）と、全圏で地価の上昇地点は前四半期より減った。調査は国交省が07年に始めた。
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資源高、素材の代替加速 食料でも活用拡大
資源・食料価格の高騰を受け、企業が割安な代替素材の活用に動き出した。住友化学は自動車用電池向けに希少金属（レアメタル）のコバルトを使わない基幹部品の量産を2010年にも開始。古河電気工業は銅より安いアルミニウムを使用する自動車向け電線を実用化する。雪印乳業や日本ハムは低価格のチーズ代替品を開発した。資源高が企業経営から家計までを圧迫するなか、幅広い製品で素材転換が加速し日本勢が主導する新市場が生まれつつある。
新興国の経済成長などを背景に、国際商品の原油やレアメタルを含む金属類、食料の価格が軒並み急上昇している。第一生命経済研究所の試算では資源高が日本の産業界の総コストを07年で10兆7000億円押し上げた。08年は約17兆円に達する見通しで、資源高対策が企業の最大の経営課題になっている。
-----------------------
タクシー離れ、全国に拡大 景気足踏み感や値上げで敬遠
タクシーの客離れが全国に広がり始めた。各地の業界団体に4月の運送収入（1日1台当たり）を聞いたところ、前年割れが続く東京都心に続き、埼玉、札幌などの落ち込みが目立ち、堅調だった名古屋も横ばいになった。運賃引き上げに最近の節約志向が重なり、タクシー利用を敬遠する傾向が強まっている。
埼玉県南部地区の運送収入は年明け以降、前年比増だったが、4月は0.6％減に転じた。札幌（4.9％減）や群馬県北部地区（6.8％減）も落ち込みが鮮明で、昨春、全国に先駆けて運賃を上げた大分地区も減少傾向にある。特に「歓楽街などで夜間稼働率が低下している」（北海道ハイヤー協会）という。
----------------------
フェラガモ、日本で値下げ バッグや靴、10％前後
伊高級ブランドの「サルヴァトーレ・フェラガモ」を輸入販売するフェラガモ・ジャパン（東京・中央）は6月3日から、婦人用のバッグや靴など主要15品目を平均10％前後値下げする。同ブランドが値下げするのは世界で初めてで、日本に限って実施する。高額消費が低迷する懸念があると見て、原材料高で競合ブランドが値上げする中、逆張りの値下げに出る。
対象は婦人用のバッグと靴、紳士用の靴でそれぞれ5品目。全売上高に占める割合は不明だが、いずれも売れ筋の商品という。例えば、婦人用ではトートバッグを8万5000円から7万5000円に11.8％、ドライビングシューズは6万円から5万8000円に3.3％それぞれ下げる。紳士靴は8万2000円から7万4000円に9.8％下げる。
----------------------
私立高生「格差」進む 経済的理由の中退最多
2008年05月31日22時40分
経済的理由で私立高校を中退した生徒が０７年度に全国で少なくとも４０７人いたと、全国私立学校教職員組合連合（全国私教連）が調査結果を公表した。調査対象の生徒の約０．２％に当たり、９８年の調査開始以来最悪の数字となった。全国私教連は「経済格差が進み学費負担が重くなっている。退学理由は分からないことも多く、経済的な理由での退学はほかにもいるはず」とみている。
私立高校組合を通じて調査し、全校数の約５分の１にあたる２３４校（約１９万５千人）から回答があった。経済的理由による中退者は前年の１８８人（０．１％）から２倍以上に増え、過去最多だった０２年の３５５人（０．２％）も上回り、１校あたり１．７４人の割合だった。学費の３カ月以上滞納者は１８０５人で昨年の１５２１人から増えたが、対象生徒に占める割合はほぼ同じだった。
経団連と自民、サマータイムの導入推進で一致
経団連と自民、サマータイムの導入推進で一致
日本経団連は29日午前、自民党と政策を語る会を都内で開いた。経団連側は地球温暖化対策の一環で、夏季に時計の針を進めるサマータイムの実施を要請。自民党地球温暖化対策推進本部の野田毅委員長は「我々もその方向でやろうと思っている。法改正も必要であり、周知期間などを考えるとできるだけ早くやりたい」と応じた。
サマータイムに関して経団連は早くから導入を支持しており、韓国経済界とも共同実施を検討中。野田委員長は「今国会で何とかうまくできないか」と発言。「すでに超党派の議連があり、（同日夕の）議連総会でも要請したい」とも話し、政治手続きを進めていく考えを示した。
税や社会保障を巡っては経団連側が「安定的な社会保障制度を確立するには消費税の引き上げ以外に選択肢はない」（森田富治郎副会長）と指摘。自民党の津島雄二税制調査会長は「（引き上げの必要性は）多くの方が認めている。できるだけ早く結論を出したい」と話した。経団連は6月4日に民主党とも政策を語る会を開く。ただ、自民党との会とは異なり御手洗冨士夫会長は出席しない。
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日本経団連：７５歳以上の給与「非課税に」…提言検討
日本経団連は、消費税率の引き上げに合わせて所得税の減免措置も講じる税制改革案を提示する。子育て世代への税負担軽減に加え、７５歳以上の高齢者の給与所得などを非課税とすることを検討し、７月にも提言をまとめる。７５歳以上を対象にスタートした後期高齢者医療制度に対して「姥（うば）捨て山」との批判が高まる中での提案は、与野党の税制論議にも大きな影響を与えそうだ。
７５歳以上の高齢者が、給与や事業から得た所得を非課税にするよう要望する。一律的な優遇措置の導入には「富裕層を過度に優遇する」との批判が予想されるため、株式の売買や配当など投資収益については、税制優遇の提言は行わないとみられる。
５月２８日の定時総会で２期目を迎えた経団連の御手洗冨士夫会長は「消費税の引き上げを財源に安定した社会保障制度の確立」を最優先課題に掲げている。ただ、消費税引き上げには国民の反発もあり、御手洗会長は「経済へのインパクトを最小限に抑えるため、減税も同時に検討すべきだ」との考えを示していた。
子育て世代や高齢者らの生活支援を検討するのは消費税引き上げに向けた地ならしとも言え、経団連関係者は「日本経済の発展を支えてきた高齢者の不安感をなくすことがすべての前提。高齢者の就労促進のためにも、政府は税制面で思い切った対策を講じるべきだ」と指摘している。
日本経団連は29日午前、自民党と政策を語る会を都内で開いた。経団連側は地球温暖化対策の一環で、夏季に時計の針を進めるサマータイムの実施を要請。自民党地球温暖化対策推進本部の野田毅委員長は「我々もその方向でやろうと思っている。法改正も必要であり、周知期間などを考えるとできるだけ早くやりたい」と応じた。
サマータイムに関して経団連は早くから導入を支持しており、韓国経済界とも共同実施を検討中。野田委員長は「今国会で何とかうまくできないか」と発言。「すでに超党派の議連があり、（同日夕の）議連総会でも要請したい」とも話し、政治手続きを進めていく考えを示した。
税や社会保障を巡っては経団連側が「安定的な社会保障制度を確立するには消費税の引き上げ以外に選択肢はない」（森田富治郎副会長）と指摘。自民党の津島雄二税制調査会長は「（引き上げの必要性は）多くの方が認めている。できるだけ早く結論を出したい」と話した。経団連は6月4日に民主党とも政策を語る会を開く。ただ、自民党との会とは異なり御手洗冨士夫会長は出席しない。
--------------------
日本経団連：７５歳以上の給与「非課税に」…提言検討
日本経団連は、消費税率の引き上げに合わせて所得税の減免措置も講じる税制改革案を提示する。子育て世代への税負担軽減に加え、７５歳以上の高齢者の給与所得などを非課税とすることを検討し、７月にも提言をまとめる。７５歳以上を対象にスタートした後期高齢者医療制度に対して「姥（うば）捨て山」との批判が高まる中での提案は、与野党の税制論議にも大きな影響を与えそうだ。
７５歳以上の高齢者が、給与や事業から得た所得を非課税にするよう要望する。一律的な優遇措置の導入には「富裕層を過度に優遇する」との批判が予想されるため、株式の売買や配当など投資収益については、税制優遇の提言は行わないとみられる。
５月２８日の定時総会で２期目を迎えた経団連の御手洗冨士夫会長は「消費税の引き上げを財源に安定した社会保障制度の確立」を最優先課題に掲げている。ただ、消費税引き上げには国民の反発もあり、御手洗会長は「経済へのインパクトを最小限に抑えるため、減税も同時に検討すべきだ」との考えを示していた。
子育て世代や高齢者らの生活支援を検討するのは消費税引き上げに向けた地ならしとも言え、経団連関係者は「日本経済の発展を支えてきた高齢者の不安感をなくすことがすべての前提。高齢者の就労促進のためにも、政府は税制面で思い切った対策を講じるべきだ」と指摘している。
Gazprom, Kogaz plan working group for gas supplies to S. Korea
Gazprom, Kogaz plan working group for gas supplies to S. Korea
13:29 | 29/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russian energy giant Gazprom and South Korea's gas corporation Kogas have agreed to set up a working group on gas supplies to South Korea, the head of Russia's industrial safety watchdog said on Thursday.
"Gazprom and Kogaz will set up a working group to address issues concerning natural gas supplies to South Korea through a gas pipeline before signing a [gas cooperation] agreement," Konstantin Pulikovsky, the Rostekhnadzor chief, who also heads a bilateral intergovernmental commission, told the ninth Russian-Korean forum in Moscow.
A Gazprom official confirmed that the parties had been negotiating the issue.
South Korea relies almost entirely on imports for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) needs. It has a diversified gas transportation network, linking coastal liquefied natural gas terminals to key consumption centers across the country, which makes it possible to use natural gas not only in electricity generation but also in the industrial and the utility sectors.
In the fall of 2006, an intergovernmental agreement on natural gas supplies to Korea was signed in Seoul.
In October 2006, Gazprom Marketing and Trading Ltd., part of the Gazprom group, delivered the first LNG shipment to Korea. The second was made in January 2007.
Gazprom has previously said that Russia would be able to start supplying up to 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year to South Korea from 2012-13.
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Kazakhmys purchases power plant for $1bn
By Isabel Gorst in Astana
Published: May 30 2008 07:16 | Last updated: May 30 2008 07:16
Kazakhmys, the London-listed copper producer, has bought Kazakhstan’s biggest power plant, diversifying into the commercial electricity business at a time of growing energy demand in the central Asian country.
The move comes as Kazakhstan launches a drive to attract investment in the neglected electricity sector to prevent looming power shortages.
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Eni and Suez sign asset swap deal
By Sarah Laitner in Brussels and Peggy Holinger in Paris
Published: May 30 2008 06:57 | Last updated: May 30 2008 06:57
Two of Italy’s top three energy providers could be French if the proposed merger of Gaz de France and Suez goes ahead, after Italian utility Eni agreed to a E2.7bn asset swap.
Suez and Eni on Thursday signed a deal that will see the Italian group take over the French utility’s 57.5 per cent stake in Distrigaz, the Belgian gas supplier, for a price of E2.7bn. In return, Eni will cede the concession to supply gas to Rome, some Italian power generation capacity, and gas exploration and production assets in the UK, Gulf of Mexico, Egypt and Indonesia.
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Kazakhstan enacts oil agt with Azerbaijan on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
29.05.2008, 18.34
ASTANA, May 29 (Itar-Tass) -- Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed into law the bill on the ratification of the treaty with Azerbaijan on delivering Kazakhstan-produced crude oil to world markets across the Caspian Sea and the territory of Azerbaijan through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline system, the presidential press-service told Itar-Tass.
The lower house of parliament voted for the bill on May 26. The upper house gave the bill a go ahead and it was handed over to the president for signature.
“Under the agreement there will emerge a system of transporting Kazakhstan-produced crude oil across the Caspian Sea into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,” the lower house’s committee for international affairs, defense and security said in its conclusion. “In part, an Eskene-Kuryk pipeline is to be laid in Western Kazakhstan and the throughput of the port of Kuryk expanded. From Kuryk tankers will carry oil across the Caspian to Baku, where it will be pumped into the BTC system.
Two Kazakh oil fields – Kashagan and Tengiz – will provide the oil.”
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, designed to bring Caspian crude to the Mediterranean coast, went operational in the summer of 2006. The 1767-kilometer-long pipeline runs through Azerbaijan (443 kilometers), Georgia (248 kilometers) and Turkey (1,076 kilometers). From the Turkish port of Ceyhan tankers carry oil to Europe. The pipeline’s throughput is 50 million tonnes a year. If necessary, it can be increased to 75 million tonnes.
Most of the oil filling it is produced at Azerbaijan’s Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli blocks. It was decided to draw crude from Kazakhstan to make the BTC more effective.
The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic and Kazakhstan’s KazMunaiGaz national company have negotiated an inter-government agreement to export part of Kazakhstan’s crude through the BTC since November 2002.
On June 16 Kazakhstan formalized its participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project by signing an agreement with Azerbaijan on the promotion of oil traffic from Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and, eventually, to international markets through the pipeline system. When the oil-rich Kashagan field is tapped, the amount of oil traffic along this route may go up to 25 million tonnes a year.
13:29 | 29/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russian energy giant Gazprom and South Korea's gas corporation Kogas have agreed to set up a working group on gas supplies to South Korea, the head of Russia's industrial safety watchdog said on Thursday.
"Gazprom and Kogaz will set up a working group to address issues concerning natural gas supplies to South Korea through a gas pipeline before signing a [gas cooperation] agreement," Konstantin Pulikovsky, the Rostekhnadzor chief, who also heads a bilateral intergovernmental commission, told the ninth Russian-Korean forum in Moscow.
A Gazprom official confirmed that the parties had been negotiating the issue.
South Korea relies almost entirely on imports for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) needs. It has a diversified gas transportation network, linking coastal liquefied natural gas terminals to key consumption centers across the country, which makes it possible to use natural gas not only in electricity generation but also in the industrial and the utility sectors.
In the fall of 2006, an intergovernmental agreement on natural gas supplies to Korea was signed in Seoul.
In October 2006, Gazprom Marketing and Trading Ltd., part of the Gazprom group, delivered the first LNG shipment to Korea. The second was made in January 2007.
Gazprom has previously said that Russia would be able to start supplying up to 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year to South Korea from 2012-13.
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Kazakhmys purchases power plant for $1bn
By Isabel Gorst in Astana
Published: May 30 2008 07:16 | Last updated: May 30 2008 07:16
Kazakhmys, the London-listed copper producer, has bought Kazakhstan’s biggest power plant, diversifying into the commercial electricity business at a time of growing energy demand in the central Asian country.
The move comes as Kazakhstan launches a drive to attract investment in the neglected electricity sector to prevent looming power shortages.
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Eni and Suez sign asset swap deal
By Sarah Laitner in Brussels and Peggy Holinger in Paris
Published: May 30 2008 06:57 | Last updated: May 30 2008 06:57
Two of Italy’s top three energy providers could be French if the proposed merger of Gaz de France and Suez goes ahead, after Italian utility Eni agreed to a E2.7bn asset swap.
Suez and Eni on Thursday signed a deal that will see the Italian group take over the French utility’s 57.5 per cent stake in Distrigaz, the Belgian gas supplier, for a price of E2.7bn. In return, Eni will cede the concession to supply gas to Rome, some Italian power generation capacity, and gas exploration and production assets in the UK, Gulf of Mexico, Egypt and Indonesia.
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Kazakhstan enacts oil agt with Azerbaijan on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
29.05.2008, 18.34
ASTANA, May 29 (Itar-Tass) -- Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed into law the bill on the ratification of the treaty with Azerbaijan on delivering Kazakhstan-produced crude oil to world markets across the Caspian Sea and the territory of Azerbaijan through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline system, the presidential press-service told Itar-Tass.
The lower house of parliament voted for the bill on May 26. The upper house gave the bill a go ahead and it was handed over to the president for signature.
“Under the agreement there will emerge a system of transporting Kazakhstan-produced crude oil across the Caspian Sea into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,” the lower house’s committee for international affairs, defense and security said in its conclusion. “In part, an Eskene-Kuryk pipeline is to be laid in Western Kazakhstan and the throughput of the port of Kuryk expanded. From Kuryk tankers will carry oil across the Caspian to Baku, where it will be pumped into the BTC system.
Two Kazakh oil fields – Kashagan and Tengiz – will provide the oil.”
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, designed to bring Caspian crude to the Mediterranean coast, went operational in the summer of 2006. The 1767-kilometer-long pipeline runs through Azerbaijan (443 kilometers), Georgia (248 kilometers) and Turkey (1,076 kilometers). From the Turkish port of Ceyhan tankers carry oil to Europe. The pipeline’s throughput is 50 million tonnes a year. If necessary, it can be increased to 75 million tonnes.
Most of the oil filling it is produced at Azerbaijan’s Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli blocks. It was decided to draw crude from Kazakhstan to make the BTC more effective.
The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic and Kazakhstan’s KazMunaiGaz national company have negotiated an inter-government agreement to export part of Kazakhstan’s crude through the BTC since November 2002.
On June 16 Kazakhstan formalized its participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project by signing an agreement with Azerbaijan on the promotion of oil traffic from Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and, eventually, to international markets through the pipeline system. When the oil-rich Kashagan field is tapped, the amount of oil traffic along this route may go up to 25 million tonnes a year.
Britain cancels major healthcare IT contract with Fujitsu
Britain cancels major healthcare IT contract with Fujitsu
AFP - 2 hours 28 minutes ago
LONDON (AFP) - Britain has cancelled a major contract with Fujitsu that was part of its ambitious programme to computerise healthcare records in England, a government spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
The 10-year, 896-million-pound (1.1-billion-euro, 1.8-billion-dollar) agreement was originally signed in January 2004 and had been set to run to 2013.
But a spokeswoman for the National Health Service's (NHS) Connecting for Health agency said a termination notice had been issued.
"Regrettably and despite best efforts by all parties, it has not been possible to reach an agreement on the core Fujitsu contract that is acceptable to all parties," she told AFP.
Negotiations on the matter had been going on since July 2007, she added.
"The NHS will therefore end the contract early by issuing a termination notice. Work has started immediately on planning the necessary arrangements."
Fujitsu was responsible for installing the new system in the south of England.
Thursday's edition of The Financial Times reported that the dispute centred around the government's demands for more flexibility in the IT system being installed, which would have cost more.
Fujitsu had requested either increased compensation or the continuation of the original requirements, said the report. A company spokesman confirmed to the FT that the talks had broken down.
The contract was part of the government's 12.4-billion-pound programme to computerise England's healthcare records, one of the most ambitious such programmes in the world.
AFP - 2 hours 28 minutes ago
LONDON (AFP) - Britain has cancelled a major contract with Fujitsu that was part of its ambitious programme to computerise healthcare records in England, a government spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
The 10-year, 896-million-pound (1.1-billion-euro, 1.8-billion-dollar) agreement was originally signed in January 2004 and had been set to run to 2013.
But a spokeswoman for the National Health Service's (NHS) Connecting for Health agency said a termination notice had been issued.
"Regrettably and despite best efforts by all parties, it has not been possible to reach an agreement on the core Fujitsu contract that is acceptable to all parties," she told AFP.
Negotiations on the matter had been going on since July 2007, she added.
"The NHS will therefore end the contract early by issuing a termination notice. Work has started immediately on planning the necessary arrangements."
Fujitsu was responsible for installing the new system in the south of England.
Thursday's edition of The Financial Times reported that the dispute centred around the government's demands for more flexibility in the IT system being installed, which would have cost more.
Fujitsu had requested either increased compensation or the continuation of the original requirements, said the report. A company spokesman confirmed to the FT that the talks had broken down.
The contract was part of the government's 12.4-billion-pound programme to computerise England's healthcare records, one of the most ambitious such programmes in the world.
ＬＥＤ照明で100ワット電球並みの明るさ 東芝ライテック
ＬＥＤ照明で100ワット電球並みの明るさ 東芝ライテック
東芝ライテックは明るさが100ワットの電球と同程度の発光ダイオード（ＬＥＤ）照明器具「Ｅ―ＣＯＲＥ100」を8月1日に発売する。同社のＬＥＤ照明として初めて教室やオフィスに使用できる明るさにした。3000時間の使用を想定した1年間の二酸化炭素（ＣＯ2）排出量は1灯当たり17キログラムで、白熱電球の6分の1。
明るさや光の色などが異なる8機種をそろえる。照らす角度が大きい4機種を8月1日、小さい4機種を9月1日に発売する。天井埋め込み型で、使用電力は 14ワット。光が直接目に入りにくい反射板の構造にすることで、ＬＥＤ照明特有の「まぶしさ」を抑えた。価格は3万9900―4万2000円。年間6万台の販売を目標にする。
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三井化学、高機能樹脂の新工場・200億円投じ11年にも
三井化学は200億円を投じ、食品包装などに使う樹脂の工場を新設する。2011年の稼働を目指す。フィルムなどに加工した際に見た目がきれいに仕上がり、においも少ない高性能製品を生産する。消費者による食の安全に関する意識の高まりで需要が広がると判断した。高機能品シフトを進め、収益力を高める。
三井化学の子会社、プライムポリマー（東京・港）が合成樹脂ポリプロピレン（ＰＰ）の新工場を建設する。生産能力は年15万―20万トンを計画。立地は千葉県市原市の生産拠点内が最有力で、09年度中にも最終的に事業化を判断する。
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花王、減量で実質値上げ拡大
日用品最大手の花王は今秋以降、価格は据え置いたまま容量を減らす実質値上げを拡大する方針を明らかにした。6月下旬から看板商品の洗剤「アタック」を実質値上げすることを決めているが、予想以上の原材料高を受け、一段の価格転嫁は避けられないと判断。他の洗剤「ニュービーズ」で検討しているほか、生理用品なども対象とみられる。他社にも同じ動きが広がる可能性が高く、食品に続いて日用品の値上げが本格化してきた。
尾崎元規社長が日本経済新聞記者に明らかにした。日用品は原料や容器に石油化学成分、天然油脂、紙などを使っており、花王は2007年度当初に前年度比 80億円と見込んでいた調達コスト増分が210億円にまで膨らみ、07年度連結決算は2期ぶりに営業減益となった。このため今春に紙おむつの内容量を 5―10％減らし、6月から衣料用粉末洗剤「アタック」の容量を1.1キログラムから1キログラムに減らす。
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伊藤忠、欧州に大型太陽光発電
伊藤忠商事は欧州で大規模な太陽光発電施設の開発事業を始める。1100億円を超す資金を投じて、まず東欧で広大な敷地に太陽電池パネルを敷き詰めた「ソーラーパーク」を建設する。欧州各国は環境保全のため二酸化炭素（ＣＯ2）を排出しない太陽光発電への助成策を拡充している。シャープや住友商事も発電事業を計画しており、日本企業が一斉に欧州での事業に動き始めた。
ドイツやスペインでは太陽光による電力は電力会社が家庭用電力料金の3倍の価格で購入する。東欧など他の国も優遇策の導入を進めている。
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セブンイレブン、中国でＦＣ展開
セブン―イレブン・ジャパンは中国全土でコンビニエンスストアをフランチャイズチェーン（ＦＣ）展開する。今秋をメドに北京で出店を始めるほか、台湾の食品大手「統一企業グループ」に上海でＦＣ店を出す権利を与える。セブンは米子会社を通じて香港と深センのみでＦＣ展開してきたが、成長著しい中国全土での展開を目指す。
ＦＣ展開は上海と北京の2地区から始める。このほど全額出資子会社「セブン―イレブン中国」を設け、台湾でセブンイレブンの運営実績を持つ統一グループに、上海市内でのＦＣ権を与える。北京では現地合弁会社を通じて直営店を出してきたが、商品管理や物流の体制が整ったと判断。ＦＣ展開を始める。
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ＪＦＥスチール、30万トン級の鉱石運搬船が完成
ＪＦＥスチールは30日、ユニバーサル造船が建造していた積載量30万トンの自社専用船が完成したと発表した。鉱石運搬用で、同じ用途の船としては世界最大級という。ブラジルや豪州の積み出し港から、粉状鉱石の焼結を担うフィリピンの子会社への鉄鉱石輸送に用いる。年間約150万トンを運搬する計画だ。
船主は川崎汽船で、ＪＦＥスチールは15年間自社専用として使う契約を結んでいる。長期にわたり安定的に使える船の確保で、輸送費の低減につなげる。同社は7月上旬にも同じ船型の船をさらに1隻導入する。
----------------------
トイレットペーパー、卸値９％上げで決着
古紙を使ったトイレットペーパー大手の信栄製紙（静岡県富士宮市）グループと丸富製紙（静岡県富士市）グループが大手小売りなどと進めていた値上げ交渉が9％上げでほぼ決着した。12ロール入りは代理店卸値（東京）が約20円上がって240―250円と5年ぶりの高値となる。小売店での特売減少や値上がり加速につながりそうだ。
信栄製紙などが原料高を理由に昨年11月に表明した値上げが5月出荷分までに浸透した。昨年も2回の値上げを打ち出し、卸値は緩やかに上昇してきた。今回の値上げにより、直近の底値だった2006年前半より3―4割高くなる。
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サンリオがクルーズ事業 ロイヤルウイングを買収
サンリオは客船を運航する「ロイヤルウイング」（横浜市）を買収し、クルーズ事業に進出する。船内でサンリオのキャラクターが登場するミュージカルや関連商品販売を展開する。直営店やテーマパークとの集客の相乗効果を狙う。
29日付でロイヤル社の経営陣が持つ株式の取得や第三者割当増資などで同社発行済み株式の95％を取得した。買収額は約4億円。代表権を持つ取締役を含む役員3人を派遣した。サンリオはテーマパークで公演するミュージカルなどをもとに客船向けに制作。「ハローキティ」など人気キャラクターを使った独自商品も販売する。
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さよなら日航「鶴丸」 東京・羽田空港
約半世紀の間、日本航空機のシンボルとして親しまれてきた「鶴丸」マークが31日、大阪（伊丹）発羽田行き１３８便（ボーイング７７７）でラストフライトを迎える。東京・羽田空港にファンらが集まり、別れを惜しんだ。
この日夕、羽田空港では、折り返しが１３８便となる大阪行き１３３便がほぼ満席。搭乗客358人に記念証が配られ、歴代の制服を着た客室乗務員らが「さよなら鶴丸」の横断幕を掲げて見送った。
日航子会社の社員だった横浜市の高田敦子さん（40）は「このマークにあこがれて入社した」。同市の国家公務員の男性（51）は「鶴丸には数え切れないほど乗った。寂しい」と話していた。
東芝ライテックは明るさが100ワットの電球と同程度の発光ダイオード（ＬＥＤ）照明器具「Ｅ―ＣＯＲＥ100」を8月1日に発売する。同社のＬＥＤ照明として初めて教室やオフィスに使用できる明るさにした。3000時間の使用を想定した1年間の二酸化炭素（ＣＯ2）排出量は1灯当たり17キログラムで、白熱電球の6分の1。
明るさや光の色などが異なる8機種をそろえる。照らす角度が大きい4機種を8月1日、小さい4機種を9月1日に発売する。天井埋め込み型で、使用電力は 14ワット。光が直接目に入りにくい反射板の構造にすることで、ＬＥＤ照明特有の「まぶしさ」を抑えた。価格は3万9900―4万2000円。年間6万台の販売を目標にする。
--------------------
三井化学、高機能樹脂の新工場・200億円投じ11年にも
三井化学は200億円を投じ、食品包装などに使う樹脂の工場を新設する。2011年の稼働を目指す。フィルムなどに加工した際に見た目がきれいに仕上がり、においも少ない高性能製品を生産する。消費者による食の安全に関する意識の高まりで需要が広がると判断した。高機能品シフトを進め、収益力を高める。
三井化学の子会社、プライムポリマー（東京・港）が合成樹脂ポリプロピレン（ＰＰ）の新工場を建設する。生産能力は年15万―20万トンを計画。立地は千葉県市原市の生産拠点内が最有力で、09年度中にも最終的に事業化を判断する。
---------------------
花王、減量で実質値上げ拡大
日用品最大手の花王は今秋以降、価格は据え置いたまま容量を減らす実質値上げを拡大する方針を明らかにした。6月下旬から看板商品の洗剤「アタック」を実質値上げすることを決めているが、予想以上の原材料高を受け、一段の価格転嫁は避けられないと判断。他の洗剤「ニュービーズ」で検討しているほか、生理用品なども対象とみられる。他社にも同じ動きが広がる可能性が高く、食品に続いて日用品の値上げが本格化してきた。
尾崎元規社長が日本経済新聞記者に明らかにした。日用品は原料や容器に石油化学成分、天然油脂、紙などを使っており、花王は2007年度当初に前年度比 80億円と見込んでいた調達コスト増分が210億円にまで膨らみ、07年度連結決算は2期ぶりに営業減益となった。このため今春に紙おむつの内容量を 5―10％減らし、6月から衣料用粉末洗剤「アタック」の容量を1.1キログラムから1キログラムに減らす。
--------------------
伊藤忠、欧州に大型太陽光発電
伊藤忠商事は欧州で大規模な太陽光発電施設の開発事業を始める。1100億円を超す資金を投じて、まず東欧で広大な敷地に太陽電池パネルを敷き詰めた「ソーラーパーク」を建設する。欧州各国は環境保全のため二酸化炭素（ＣＯ2）を排出しない太陽光発電への助成策を拡充している。シャープや住友商事も発電事業を計画しており、日本企業が一斉に欧州での事業に動き始めた。
ドイツやスペインでは太陽光による電力は電力会社が家庭用電力料金の3倍の価格で購入する。東欧など他の国も優遇策の導入を進めている。
---------------------
セブンイレブン、中国でＦＣ展開
セブン―イレブン・ジャパンは中国全土でコンビニエンスストアをフランチャイズチェーン（ＦＣ）展開する。今秋をメドに北京で出店を始めるほか、台湾の食品大手「統一企業グループ」に上海でＦＣ店を出す権利を与える。セブンは米子会社を通じて香港と深センのみでＦＣ展開してきたが、成長著しい中国全土での展開を目指す。
ＦＣ展開は上海と北京の2地区から始める。このほど全額出資子会社「セブン―イレブン中国」を設け、台湾でセブンイレブンの運営実績を持つ統一グループに、上海市内でのＦＣ権を与える。北京では現地合弁会社を通じて直営店を出してきたが、商品管理や物流の体制が整ったと判断。ＦＣ展開を始める。
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ＪＦＥスチール、30万トン級の鉱石運搬船が完成
ＪＦＥスチールは30日、ユニバーサル造船が建造していた積載量30万トンの自社専用船が完成したと発表した。鉱石運搬用で、同じ用途の船としては世界最大級という。ブラジルや豪州の積み出し港から、粉状鉱石の焼結を担うフィリピンの子会社への鉄鉱石輸送に用いる。年間約150万トンを運搬する計画だ。
船主は川崎汽船で、ＪＦＥスチールは15年間自社専用として使う契約を結んでいる。長期にわたり安定的に使える船の確保で、輸送費の低減につなげる。同社は7月上旬にも同じ船型の船をさらに1隻導入する。
----------------------
トイレットペーパー、卸値９％上げで決着
古紙を使ったトイレットペーパー大手の信栄製紙（静岡県富士宮市）グループと丸富製紙（静岡県富士市）グループが大手小売りなどと進めていた値上げ交渉が9％上げでほぼ決着した。12ロール入りは代理店卸値（東京）が約20円上がって240―250円と5年ぶりの高値となる。小売店での特売減少や値上がり加速につながりそうだ。
信栄製紙などが原料高を理由に昨年11月に表明した値上げが5月出荷分までに浸透した。昨年も2回の値上げを打ち出し、卸値は緩やかに上昇してきた。今回の値上げにより、直近の底値だった2006年前半より3―4割高くなる。
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サンリオがクルーズ事業 ロイヤルウイングを買収
サンリオは客船を運航する「ロイヤルウイング」（横浜市）を買収し、クルーズ事業に進出する。船内でサンリオのキャラクターが登場するミュージカルや関連商品販売を展開する。直営店やテーマパークとの集客の相乗効果を狙う。
29日付でロイヤル社の経営陣が持つ株式の取得や第三者割当増資などで同社発行済み株式の95％を取得した。買収額は約4億円。代表権を持つ取締役を含む役員3人を派遣した。サンリオはテーマパークで公演するミュージカルなどをもとに客船向けに制作。「ハローキティ」など人気キャラクターを使った独自商品も販売する。
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さよなら日航「鶴丸」 東京・羽田空港
約半世紀の間、日本航空機のシンボルとして親しまれてきた「鶴丸」マークが31日、大阪（伊丹）発羽田行き１３８便（ボーイング７７７）でラストフライトを迎える。東京・羽田空港にファンらが集まり、別れを惜しんだ。
この日夕、羽田空港では、折り返しが１３８便となる大阪行き１３３便がほぼ満席。搭乗客358人に記念証が配られ、歴代の制服を着た客室乗務員らが「さよなら鶴丸」の横断幕を掲げて見送った。
日航子会社の社員だった横浜市の高田敦子さん（40）は「このマークにあこがれて入社した」。同市の国家公務員の男性（51）は「鶴丸には数え切れないほど乗った。寂しい」と話していた。
De Beers welcomes probe into diamond exports
De Beers welcomes probe into diamond exports
Reuters - Wednesday, May 28 10:27 am
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - De Beers, the world's biggest diamond producer, said on Wednesday it welcomed a fresh probe by South Africa's parliament of allegations that it exported a huge volume of diamonds during the mid-1990s.
Some parliamentarians have alleged that De Beers exported the gems to London in the period leading up to the black majority rule in South Africa -- a time of massive capital flight and tax avoidance.
The team, assisted by South Africa's auditor-general, would hope to determine the De Beers London stockpile records between the period December 3, 1992 to March 19, 1998, which a top official told Reuters amounted to about 1 billion rand (65.33 million pounds).
De Beers, which is 45 percent owned by global mining giant Anglo American , welcomed the investigation.
"We are ready to participate in this investigation completely and we have been ready to do so from the start," Tom Tweedy, De Beers' spokesman in Johannesburg said.
"There was nothing extraordinary on the exports and nothing was done out of the normal process of diamond exports."
The recommendation to set up the team, contained in a public accounts committee report adopted by parliament, re-opens a long standing dispute, which both De Beers and a senior South African government official said last year had been settled.
Tweedy reiterated De Beers had last year taken part in a similar probe by another parliamentary organ, and provided documents requested by a parliamentary sub-committee.
"We understood it had been sorted out," Tweedy said.
At one stage, South Africa considered litigation to compel De Beers to pay a disputed 15 percent export tax on the shipment of 22 million carats of uncut diamonds to London in 1992.
But De Beers has strenuously denied that exports in the mid-1990s were larger than normal or that it had benefited from improper exemptions of export duties.
Reuters - Wednesday, May 28 10:27 am
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - De Beers, the world's biggest diamond producer, said on Wednesday it welcomed a fresh probe by South Africa's parliament of allegations that it exported a huge volume of diamonds during the mid-1990s.
Some parliamentarians have alleged that De Beers exported the gems to London in the period leading up to the black majority rule in South Africa -- a time of massive capital flight and tax avoidance.
The team, assisted by South Africa's auditor-general, would hope to determine the De Beers London stockpile records between the period December 3, 1992 to March 19, 1998, which a top official told Reuters amounted to about 1 billion rand (65.33 million pounds).
De Beers, which is 45 percent owned by global mining giant Anglo American , welcomed the investigation.
"We are ready to participate in this investigation completely and we have been ready to do so from the start," Tom Tweedy, De Beers' spokesman in Johannesburg said.
"There was nothing extraordinary on the exports and nothing was done out of the normal process of diamond exports."
The recommendation to set up the team, contained in a public accounts committee report adopted by parliament, re-opens a long standing dispute, which both De Beers and a senior South African government official said last year had been settled.
Tweedy reiterated De Beers had last year taken part in a similar probe by another parliamentary organ, and provided documents requested by a parliamentary sub-committee.
"We understood it had been sorted out," Tweedy said.
At one stage, South Africa considered litigation to compel De Beers to pay a disputed 15 percent export tax on the shipment of 22 million carats of uncut diamonds to London in 1992.
But De Beers has strenuously denied that exports in the mid-1990s were larger than normal or that it had benefited from improper exemptions of export duties.
China's rich have insatiable appetite for haute couture
China's rich have insatiable appetite for haute couture
By Susan Fenton Reuters - Thursday, May 29 03:02 am
HONG KONG (Reuters) - European and American fashion designers feeling the pinch from the credit crisis can look to the growing ranks of China's nouveau riche to boost sales.
China's millionaires' club is expanding rapidly and many new members are women who don't even blink when asked to pay a cool $10,000 (5,000 pounds) for a cocktail dress from a top international designer.
"The Chinese are the newcomers to the global market," said Sebastian Suhl, Asia-Pacific chief executive of Italian fashion house Prada, which has nine stores in China.
"They're very hungry to learn about fashion. Fashion represents obviously status, but luxury is also a kind of bridge to the modern world for them."
As the Chinese economy surged more than 10 percent annually over the past five years, the country boasted 345,000 U.S. dollar millionaires by the end of 2006, a third of whom were women, according to a report by Merrill Lynch and consultancy Capgemini.
Some 5,000 mainland Chinese had assets exceeding $30 million, accounting for a third of Asia-Pacific's super-rich.
Even affluent Chinese women, without millions in the bank, are willing to spend their savings on designer fashions, seen as the ultimate status symbol in a communist country that is increasingly becoming preoccupied with the trappings of wealth.
Elegantly dressed Chinese manager Zhang Ning, 30, has never been to France but she likes to wear Hermes which she says is the epitome of style.
"I like its simplicity, it makes me feel elegant," said Zhang, who works as a manager at an electric power company in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
"France for me is elegance: good fashion and wines."
While luxury goods makers such as Louis Vuitton have benefited from booming demand from Chinese keen to show off their newfound wealth by wearing clothes and accessories emblazoned with prestigious logos, Western couture houses such Hermes are now tapping into the more discreet tastes of the super-rich.
"The mainland Chinese market is still very accessories oriented but we believe that will change," said Alex Bolen, chief executive of New York-based couture house Oscar de la Renta, whose sleek cocktail dresses retail for up to $10,000, while its evening gowns approach double that.
"There's definitely a market for the cocktail dress. But what has surprised us, pleasantly, is how rapidly the customer has also adopted our daywear."
ASPIRATIONAL MARKET
Leading the charge is upmarket Hong Kong department store Lane Crawford which is bringing designers to China who are seen as being on the cutting edge in the West but are not well-known in China.
The opening of Lane Crawford's first store in Beijing last October has expanded the China presence of British designers such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney and heralded the arrival of more niche designers including Dries Van Noten, Hussein Chalayan and Rick Owens.
Buyers from Lane Crawford now take prized front-row seats at fashion shows in Paris and Milan, alongside buyers from high-end U.S. retailers Saks and Nieman Marcus.
Meanwhile, Chinese fashion editors, headed by Vogue China, have become an influential presence on the European fashion scene.
China's ongoing transition to a more market-oriented economy after decades of strict communist rule is producing a constant stream of newly rich.
Their purchasing power and the growing sophistication of a more established wealthy clientele is creating a very diverse market for fashion, says Angelica Cheung, editor of Vogue China. The magazine was launched in 2005 and it has 320,000 readers.
"It's very different from the West, there are a lot of entrepreneurial opportunities and there are wealthy people emerging all the time," said Cheung.
"A young woman who might now be on a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan (362 pounds) could next year be running her own business. So it's a very aspirational market. Her first luxury product might be a Louis Vuitton bag but within a few years she might move on to something more niche such as Marni."
Chanel is the most preferred high-end fashion brand for affluent Chinese followed by Giorgio Armani, according to a report by MasterCard.
Oscar de la Renta says China is central to a strategy for Asia which it hopes will account for 20 percent of its sales within five years, up from 5 percent at present, helped by its burgeoning accessories' business.
Luxury brands can easily sell their perfume and cosmetics in local department stores. But when it comes to ready-to-wear fashion, they are all competing for space and customers in a handful of luxury malls such as Plaza 66 in Shanghai and Lane Crawford in Beijing where rents are sky high.
"They're overpaying (on rent) but they're looking at China as an investment," said Marcel Braun, Hong Kong-based executive vice-president of Swiss company DKSH, which advises luxury firms on market expansion.
"Fifteen years ago brands came and left. Now they can't do that anymore, China's too important."
Rampant copying of accessories brands remains a problem for luxury goods firms in China, but it is much less evident among high-end apparel.
Yet nevertheless high-quality copies of designer handbags can be purchased across Beijing and Shanghai for just a pittance of the retail price of the originals.
FINDING THE RIGHT MODEL
China's luxury market is still in its infancy and luxury retailers are experimenting to find the right model and get the sales strategy right, analysts say.
Lane Crawford has pieces of modern art on display in its spacious Beijing store, aiming to offer a new concept in shopping. It sells more than 600 high-end fashion brands, but visitors to the store say shoppers are often scarce.
Lane Crawford says its Beijing store is the first stage in a long-term plan for China and other stores will be rolled out in the future.
Retail analysts say that having a flagship store rather than being among dozens of brands carried in a high-class department store is the best way to achieve brand recognition and exclusivity in China.
However, it is difficult and expensive to find good sites for boutiques in China due to exorbitant rentals in high-end areas.
Reaching out beyond Beijing and Shanghai is the next step. The southern boom city of Shenzhen replaced Chengdu in 2007 as the city with the highest average spending on luxury goods, according to Credit Suisse, while the size of the luxury markets in Shenzhen and Wuhan doubled.
Braun says fast-growing northeastern cities such as Dalian offer better opportunities for expansion than southern cities.
Zhang Ning from Guangzhou heads to Hong Kong to shop at Hermes because there is no sales tax and luxury items are 30 percent cheaper than on the mainland.
A long-established market for luxury goods, Hong Kong also offers a much wider choice of designers.
Neighbouring Macau, a former Portuguese enclave, is also becoming a shopping hub for affluent mainland Chinese following the arrival of U.S. casino operators in the past few years.
Prada's edgier offshoot Miu Miu earlier this year staged its first fashion show in Asia in Macau, flying in the Crazy Horse cabaret revue from Paris to perform in front of local glitterati at the ritzy Wynn Macau casino resort, which houses Prada and Chanel boutiques in its ground-floor lobby.
"I believe Macau will be comparable to Hong Kong in terms of sales in the next few years," said Prada's Suhl.
Miu Miu, which sells at Lane Crawford in Beijing, plans to open its first independent mainland China store in Shenzhen this year. Meanwhile, Hermes is preparing for the opening of a 500-square-metre store in Beijing before the Olympic Games in August.
China sales will help offset a long-term decline in business in Japan, aggravated by its rapidly aging population, it says.
--------------------
Dior pulls Stone ads from China
By Geoff Dyer in Beijing
Published: May 28 2008 18:46 | Last updated: May 29 2008 17:15
Christian Dior on Thursday pulled advertisements featuring Sharon Stone from stores across China after the actress suggested the Sichuan earthquake might have been retribution for China’s policies in Tibet.
LVMH, the world’s largest luxury-goods maker, urged Ms Stone to clarify remarks suggesting the earthquake in Sichuan province two weeks ago, which has killed at least 68,109 people, had been ”karma”.
----------------------
French tour operators say Chinese boycott 'catastrophic'
AFP - 50 minutes ago
PARIS (AFP) - French tour operators fear a "catastrophic" plunge in business after an order was apparently given to Chinese travel agents to stop selling trips to the country.
France is the most popular European holiday destination for Chinese tourists and some 700,000 flocked to the country last year, with Paris, the Cote d'Azur and the Loire chateau region the most popular destinations.
But many cancelled their trips after demonstrators disrupted the Olympic flame's passage through Paris in April, and travel agents in Beijing said they had now been advised to remove France from their destinations from this week.
"It is a catastrophic year for Chinese tourism in France," Philippe Yao, director of the China Comfort Travel agency in France, told AFP on Thursday.
He said his agency had already had several cancellations following the pro-Tibet demonstrations in Paris, and warned of "serious economic consequences" for the sector.
Among those who cancelled was a group of 35 Chinese couples travelling to celebrate their weddings in a French chateau.
"The advice to discourage Chinese tourists from visiting France hasn't been officially confirmed, but it is being applied now by the travel agencies," said Pierre Shi, director of the China Travel Service agency.
Anti-French actions broke out across China after the chaotic Paris leg of the torch relay ahead of August's Olympic Games in Beijing.
Hundreds of people protested outside branches of the French supermarket chain Carrefour, prompting French President Nicolas Sarkozy to send envoys to Beijing in an effort to defuse tensions.
French authorities are trying to confirm that "the Beijing tourism administration apparently issued a recommendation" to travel agents to stop selling trips to France, a diplomatic source told AFP on Thursday.
"Chinese tourists who have already received their visas and paid for their trips won't cancel. The flow of visitors will likely drop in the months to come," said Paul Roll, director of the Paris Tourism Office.
Maison de la France, the French tourism promotion agency, said its office in Beijing was "trying, along with the French ambassador in China, to clarify the situation."
By Susan Fenton Reuters - Thursday, May 29 03:02 am
HONG KONG (Reuters) - European and American fashion designers feeling the pinch from the credit crisis can look to the growing ranks of China's nouveau riche to boost sales.
China's millionaires' club is expanding rapidly and many new members are women who don't even blink when asked to pay a cool $10,000 (5,000 pounds) for a cocktail dress from a top international designer.
"The Chinese are the newcomers to the global market," said Sebastian Suhl, Asia-Pacific chief executive of Italian fashion house Prada, which has nine stores in China.
"They're very hungry to learn about fashion. Fashion represents obviously status, but luxury is also a kind of bridge to the modern world for them."
As the Chinese economy surged more than 10 percent annually over the past five years, the country boasted 345,000 U.S. dollar millionaires by the end of 2006, a third of whom were women, according to a report by Merrill Lynch and consultancy Capgemini.
Some 5,000 mainland Chinese had assets exceeding $30 million, accounting for a third of Asia-Pacific's super-rich.
Even affluent Chinese women, without millions in the bank, are willing to spend their savings on designer fashions, seen as the ultimate status symbol in a communist country that is increasingly becoming preoccupied with the trappings of wealth.
Elegantly dressed Chinese manager Zhang Ning, 30, has never been to France but she likes to wear Hermes which she says is the epitome of style.
"I like its simplicity, it makes me feel elegant," said Zhang, who works as a manager at an electric power company in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
"France for me is elegance: good fashion and wines."
While luxury goods makers such as Louis Vuitton have benefited from booming demand from Chinese keen to show off their newfound wealth by wearing clothes and accessories emblazoned with prestigious logos, Western couture houses such Hermes are now tapping into the more discreet tastes of the super-rich.
"The mainland Chinese market is still very accessories oriented but we believe that will change," said Alex Bolen, chief executive of New York-based couture house Oscar de la Renta, whose sleek cocktail dresses retail for up to $10,000, while its evening gowns approach double that.
"There's definitely a market for the cocktail dress. But what has surprised us, pleasantly, is how rapidly the customer has also adopted our daywear."
ASPIRATIONAL MARKET
Leading the charge is upmarket Hong Kong department store Lane Crawford which is bringing designers to China who are seen as being on the cutting edge in the West but are not well-known in China.
The opening of Lane Crawford's first store in Beijing last October has expanded the China presence of British designers such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney and heralded the arrival of more niche designers including Dries Van Noten, Hussein Chalayan and Rick Owens.
Buyers from Lane Crawford now take prized front-row seats at fashion shows in Paris and Milan, alongside buyers from high-end U.S. retailers Saks and Nieman Marcus.
Meanwhile, Chinese fashion editors, headed by Vogue China, have become an influential presence on the European fashion scene.
China's ongoing transition to a more market-oriented economy after decades of strict communist rule is producing a constant stream of newly rich.
Their purchasing power and the growing sophistication of a more established wealthy clientele is creating a very diverse market for fashion, says Angelica Cheung, editor of Vogue China. The magazine was launched in 2005 and it has 320,000 readers.
"It's very different from the West, there are a lot of entrepreneurial opportunities and there are wealthy people emerging all the time," said Cheung.
"A young woman who might now be on a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan (362 pounds) could next year be running her own business. So it's a very aspirational market. Her first luxury product might be a Louis Vuitton bag but within a few years she might move on to something more niche such as Marni."
Chanel is the most preferred high-end fashion brand for affluent Chinese followed by Giorgio Armani, according to a report by MasterCard.
Oscar de la Renta says China is central to a strategy for Asia which it hopes will account for 20 percent of its sales within five years, up from 5 percent at present, helped by its burgeoning accessories' business.
Luxury brands can easily sell their perfume and cosmetics in local department stores. But when it comes to ready-to-wear fashion, they are all competing for space and customers in a handful of luxury malls such as Plaza 66 in Shanghai and Lane Crawford in Beijing where rents are sky high.
"They're overpaying (on rent) but they're looking at China as an investment," said Marcel Braun, Hong Kong-based executive vice-president of Swiss company DKSH, which advises luxury firms on market expansion.
"Fifteen years ago brands came and left. Now they can't do that anymore, China's too important."
Rampant copying of accessories brands remains a problem for luxury goods firms in China, but it is much less evident among high-end apparel.
Yet nevertheless high-quality copies of designer handbags can be purchased across Beijing and Shanghai for just a pittance of the retail price of the originals.
FINDING THE RIGHT MODEL
China's luxury market is still in its infancy and luxury retailers are experimenting to find the right model and get the sales strategy right, analysts say.
Lane Crawford has pieces of modern art on display in its spacious Beijing store, aiming to offer a new concept in shopping. It sells more than 600 high-end fashion brands, but visitors to the store say shoppers are often scarce.
Lane Crawford says its Beijing store is the first stage in a long-term plan for China and other stores will be rolled out in the future.
Retail analysts say that having a flagship store rather than being among dozens of brands carried in a high-class department store is the best way to achieve brand recognition and exclusivity in China.
However, it is difficult and expensive to find good sites for boutiques in China due to exorbitant rentals in high-end areas.
Reaching out beyond Beijing and Shanghai is the next step. The southern boom city of Shenzhen replaced Chengdu in 2007 as the city with the highest average spending on luxury goods, according to Credit Suisse, while the size of the luxury markets in Shenzhen and Wuhan doubled.
Braun says fast-growing northeastern cities such as Dalian offer better opportunities for expansion than southern cities.
Zhang Ning from Guangzhou heads to Hong Kong to shop at Hermes because there is no sales tax and luxury items are 30 percent cheaper than on the mainland.
A long-established market for luxury goods, Hong Kong also offers a much wider choice of designers.
Neighbouring Macau, a former Portuguese enclave, is also becoming a shopping hub for affluent mainland Chinese following the arrival of U.S. casino operators in the past few years.
Prada's edgier offshoot Miu Miu earlier this year staged its first fashion show in Asia in Macau, flying in the Crazy Horse cabaret revue from Paris to perform in front of local glitterati at the ritzy Wynn Macau casino resort, which houses Prada and Chanel boutiques in its ground-floor lobby.
"I believe Macau will be comparable to Hong Kong in terms of sales in the next few years," said Prada's Suhl.
Miu Miu, which sells at Lane Crawford in Beijing, plans to open its first independent mainland China store in Shenzhen this year. Meanwhile, Hermes is preparing for the opening of a 500-square-metre store in Beijing before the Olympic Games in August.
China sales will help offset a long-term decline in business in Japan, aggravated by its rapidly aging population, it says.
--------------------
Dior pulls Stone ads from China
By Geoff Dyer in Beijing
Published: May 28 2008 18:46 | Last updated: May 29 2008 17:15
Christian Dior on Thursday pulled advertisements featuring Sharon Stone from stores across China after the actress suggested the Sichuan earthquake might have been retribution for China’s policies in Tibet.
LVMH, the world’s largest luxury-goods maker, urged Ms Stone to clarify remarks suggesting the earthquake in Sichuan province two weeks ago, which has killed at least 68,109 people, had been ”karma”.
----------------------
French tour operators say Chinese boycott 'catastrophic'
AFP - 50 minutes ago
PARIS (AFP) - French tour operators fear a "catastrophic" plunge in business after an order was apparently given to Chinese travel agents to stop selling trips to the country.
France is the most popular European holiday destination for Chinese tourists and some 700,000 flocked to the country last year, with Paris, the Cote d'Azur and the Loire chateau region the most popular destinations.
But many cancelled their trips after demonstrators disrupted the Olympic flame's passage through Paris in April, and travel agents in Beijing said they had now been advised to remove France from their destinations from this week.
"It is a catastrophic year for Chinese tourism in France," Philippe Yao, director of the China Comfort Travel agency in France, told AFP on Thursday.
He said his agency had already had several cancellations following the pro-Tibet demonstrations in Paris, and warned of "serious economic consequences" for the sector.
Among those who cancelled was a group of 35 Chinese couples travelling to celebrate their weddings in a French chateau.
"The advice to discourage Chinese tourists from visiting France hasn't been officially confirmed, but it is being applied now by the travel agencies," said Pierre Shi, director of the China Travel Service agency.
Anti-French actions broke out across China after the chaotic Paris leg of the torch relay ahead of August's Olympic Games in Beijing.
Hundreds of people protested outside branches of the French supermarket chain Carrefour, prompting French President Nicolas Sarkozy to send envoys to Beijing in an effort to defuse tensions.
French authorities are trying to confirm that "the Beijing tourism administration apparently issued a recommendation" to travel agents to stop selling trips to France, a diplomatic source told AFP on Thursday.
"Chinese tourists who have already received their visas and paid for their trips won't cancel. The flow of visitors will likely drop in the months to come," said Paul Roll, director of the Paris Tourism Office.
Maison de la France, the French tourism promotion agency, said its office in Beijing was "trying, along with the French ambassador in China, to clarify the situation."
Russia scraps another batch of Topol systems under START-1 treaty
Russia scraps another batch of Topol systems under START-1 treaty
15:05 | 29/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has dismantled another six outdated Topol mobile ballistic missile systems under a major international treaty on strategic arms reduction, the Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement on Thursday.
"We scrapped six outdated Topol mobile systems. This is the second such procedure conducted this year," the statement said.
The first batch of six Topol systems this year was scrapped between March 17 and 26.
All of the systems were based in the Udmurt Republic in the eastern Urals.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-I) was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union on July 31, 1991, five months before the Union collapsed, and remains in force between the U.S., Russia, and three other ex-Soviet states.
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have since disposed of all their nuclear weapons or transferred them to Russia, and the U.S. and Russia have reduced the number of delivery vehicles to 1,600, with no more than 6,000 warheads. The treaty is set to expire December 5, 2009.
Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM.
The first Topol missiles became operational in 1985, and at the time the START I Treaty was signed, the Soviet Union had some 290 Topol ICBMs deployed.
Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after a series of successful test launches last year, the missile will be progressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobile version of the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) missile.
The Strategic Missile Forces press service earlier said 36 mobile Topol ICBMs were dismantled in 2007 under close monitoring by U.S. inspectors.
--------------------------
Russia helps to upgrade NATO's MiGs
14:20 | 29/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - An unusually camouflaged plane catches visitors' eye at the ILA-2008 Air Show in Berlin. It is an upgraded Soviet-made MiG-29SD fighter plane from the Slovakian Air Force that meets all NATO standards.
The issue of using Soviet military equipment cropped up a long time ago, following the merger of the two Germanies. The new Germany was the one to demonstrate two possible ways of dealing with the matter: keeping the more advanced models, including MiG-29s, in operation for a definite period, and selling the older systems to other countries and regions, such as Turkey and Africa.
As former Warsaw Pact countries joined NATO, things got more complicated. The vast numbers of Soviet-made weapons in the Polish, Czech, Slovakian, Hungarian and other armies threatened to upset the delicate balance between alliance and non-alliance arms in NATO.
A seemingly simple solution - replacing the Soviet weapons with Western models - could not be implemented because Western-manufactured equipment was too costly for the young democracies, while older systems when demothballed often had worse characteristics than the Soviet arms of the 1960s and 1980s, and called for huge sums of money to modernize them.
The way out was found by upgrading and converting Soviet equipment to Western standards. A lot can be said about various projects to convert different models of ground, naval and air equipment, but two stand out: the MiG-21 Lancer in Romania and the MiG-29SD in Slovakia.
Israeli specialists, with a background in the aircraft business, helped to bring the Lancer up to par. Israel's IAI company fitted Romania's MiG-21M/MF combat planes and MiG-21UM trainers with new avionics, including multi-functional LCD panels, a helmet-mounted targeting system, and an onboard computer, as well as all-purpose pylons to use both Soviet/Russian- and Western-made arms and equipment containers.
The project, promising to be a success, nevertheless almost flopped. Upgraded without the manufacturer's advice and refitted with parts of doubtful quality, MiG-21 fighters started to crash and lost the fame of the practically indestructible machines they enjoyed since the 1950s. This made other countries using Soviet aircraft with plans to re-engineer them sit up and take notice of their contractors.
As a result, Bulgaria and Slovakia using Soviet fighter planes - this time MiG-29s - decided to turn to the manufacturing country for their repairs and improvements.
Slovakian MiGs are perhaps the most successful example of adapting Soviet aircraft to NATO standards. These planes have been equipped with an improved Russian-designed radar, a mid-air refueling system, and Western-made communication, friend-or-foe identification and radio navigation systems. The cockpit is fitted with multi-functional LCD screens. The armaments have remained unchanged - Russian-built R-27 and R-73 missiles satisfy the Slovakian top brass.
The upgraded MiGs have also been completely overhauled, enabling them to stay in service until the early 2030s. During this time they may undergo several more refits and may be provided with more advanced equipment to keep them in proper fighting condition.
The success of the Slovakian contract shows that Russia's defense industry can stand its own against the West in its home field - aircraft for NATO's air forces. And not only in aircraft - Greece's purchase of Russian ships and air defense systems is another fine example. Hopefully, contracts, both filled and to be filled, are only a beginning, the beginning of the Russian defense industry's comeback to the European market.
--------------------------
Russia launches production of new MiG-29M/M2 fighter
17:15 | 30/ 05/ 2008
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - The Sokol aircraft plant, based in Nizhny Novgorod, central Russia, is to launch production of the MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum fighter plane, the company's general director said on Friday.
Mikhail Shibayev said the first aircraft to be produced is planned to be completed in the second quarter of 2010.
MiG's general director, Anatoly Belov, said the new aircraft will use the most advanced technology, specifically the Zhuk-M onboard radar and cutting-edge avionics.
He said the fighter will be sold both at home and abroad, adding that the company had already received an order for the aircraft from an undisclosed foreign customer.
The plane's integrated weapon control system is built around the Zhuk-M airborne radar, an IR search and track system and a helmet-mounted target designation system.
The fighter has the capability to detect air targets at ranges of up to 120 km and has the potential to attack four targets simultaneously.
-----------------------
Algerian scandal: swapping MiGs for MiGs
17:07 | 30/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - In 2007, Algeria cancelled a $1.3 billion contract for the sale of 34 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters and said it would return 15 MiG-29s purchased from the MiG corporation in 2006-2007 to Russia.
The Algerian decision was motivated by the fact that the warplanes had used or substandard components.
Many analysts said the incident highlighted a major crisis plaguing the Russian defense industry, and that the industry was becoming increasingly unable to manufacture sophisticated military equipment.
This spring, the media reported that Russia and Algeria were in talks to supply MiG-35 fighters, the more advanced versions of the MiG-29, to El Jazair. Representatives of Rosoboronexport, the main Russian state arms exporter, told a news conference at the Berlin Air Show ILA 2008 that the company would offer its MiG-35s to Algeria.
The rather suspicious Algerian scandal should not be used to assess the potential of Russia's defense industry. According to some analysts, the incident was provoked by European aircraft producers attempting to oust Moscow from the lucrative North African market.
By fueling the scandal, Algeria may have hoped to sign a more profitable contract.
It is an open secret that rival military-equipment producers often resort to different tactics. Suffice it to recall the 2006-2007 scandal involving the so-called Al Yamamah (Dove) deals regarding the Tornado, Hawk and Eurofighter Typhoon warplane sales by BAE Systems, a British defense and aerospace company, to Saudi Arabia from 1985 till 2006.
The United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office accused BAE of maintaining a $33.4 million slush fund for bribing members of the Saudi royal family.
On December 1, 2006, The Daily Telegraph ran a front page story suggesting that Saudi Arabia had given the U.K. ten days to suspend the Serious Fraud Office investigation into BAE/Saudi Arabian transactions or they would take the deal to France.
On December 14, 2006, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith announced that the investigation would be discontinued.
Many analysts believe the scandal was triggered by French secret services trying to facilitate a Rafale fighter victory in the Saudi tender.
After the MiG scandal, Algeria received an opportunity to buy the most advanced Russian warplanes. The MiG-35, which looks just like the MiG-29, features sophisticated components and equipment, including a state-of-the-art fire-control system with a phased-array radar. The multi-channel fire-control system helps launch air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles.
Unlike the Mig-29 air-superiority fighter, the MiG-35 can be called a multi-role fighter.
The MiG-35's cockpit features multi-role liquid-crystal monitors, and the hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) system allows the pilot to access the cockpit functions and fly the aircraft. Having all switches on the stick and throttle allows the pilot to keep his hands on both control columns, thus eliminating the need to take his eyes off the horizon and the heads-up display (HUD).
The plane owes its enhanced maneuverability to vectored-thrust engines. This makes it possible to down enemy aircraft in short-range dogfights and escape incoming missiles.
The fighter's two-seat version featuring the same avionics is, in fact, an improvised command center for coordinating operations at the flight and squadron level, and can accomplish the most difficult objectives together with single-seat MiG-35s.
Although MiG warplanes have a shorter range, less powerful radars and carry less ordnance, the more expensive heavy-duty Sukhoi fighters boasting more impressive specifications are less suited for the Algerian Air Force's relatively small area of operations.
15:05 | 29/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has dismantled another six outdated Topol mobile ballistic missile systems under a major international treaty on strategic arms reduction, the Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement on Thursday.
"We scrapped six outdated Topol mobile systems. This is the second such procedure conducted this year," the statement said.
The first batch of six Topol systems this year was scrapped between March 17 and 26.
All of the systems were based in the Udmurt Republic in the eastern Urals.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-I) was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union on July 31, 1991, five months before the Union collapsed, and remains in force between the U.S., Russia, and three other ex-Soviet states.
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have since disposed of all their nuclear weapons or transferred them to Russia, and the U.S. and Russia have reduced the number of delivery vehicles to 1,600, with no more than 6,000 warheads. The treaty is set to expire December 5, 2009.
Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM.
The first Topol missiles became operational in 1985, and at the time the START I Treaty was signed, the Soviet Union had some 290 Topol ICBMs deployed.
Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after a series of successful test launches last year, the missile will be progressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobile version of the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) missile.
The Strategic Missile Forces press service earlier said 36 mobile Topol ICBMs were dismantled in 2007 under close monitoring by U.S. inspectors.
--------------------------
Russia helps to upgrade NATO's MiGs
14:20 | 29/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - An unusually camouflaged plane catches visitors' eye at the ILA-2008 Air Show in Berlin. It is an upgraded Soviet-made MiG-29SD fighter plane from the Slovakian Air Force that meets all NATO standards.
The issue of using Soviet military equipment cropped up a long time ago, following the merger of the two Germanies. The new Germany was the one to demonstrate two possible ways of dealing with the matter: keeping the more advanced models, including MiG-29s, in operation for a definite period, and selling the older systems to other countries and regions, such as Turkey and Africa.
As former Warsaw Pact countries joined NATO, things got more complicated. The vast numbers of Soviet-made weapons in the Polish, Czech, Slovakian, Hungarian and other armies threatened to upset the delicate balance between alliance and non-alliance arms in NATO.
A seemingly simple solution - replacing the Soviet weapons with Western models - could not be implemented because Western-manufactured equipment was too costly for the young democracies, while older systems when demothballed often had worse characteristics than the Soviet arms of the 1960s and 1980s, and called for huge sums of money to modernize them.
The way out was found by upgrading and converting Soviet equipment to Western standards. A lot can be said about various projects to convert different models of ground, naval and air equipment, but two stand out: the MiG-21 Lancer in Romania and the MiG-29SD in Slovakia.
Israeli specialists, with a background in the aircraft business, helped to bring the Lancer up to par. Israel's IAI company fitted Romania's MiG-21M/MF combat planes and MiG-21UM trainers with new avionics, including multi-functional LCD panels, a helmet-mounted targeting system, and an onboard computer, as well as all-purpose pylons to use both Soviet/Russian- and Western-made arms and equipment containers.
The project, promising to be a success, nevertheless almost flopped. Upgraded without the manufacturer's advice and refitted with parts of doubtful quality, MiG-21 fighters started to crash and lost the fame of the practically indestructible machines they enjoyed since the 1950s. This made other countries using Soviet aircraft with plans to re-engineer them sit up and take notice of their contractors.
As a result, Bulgaria and Slovakia using Soviet fighter planes - this time MiG-29s - decided to turn to the manufacturing country for their repairs and improvements.
Slovakian MiGs are perhaps the most successful example of adapting Soviet aircraft to NATO standards. These planes have been equipped with an improved Russian-designed radar, a mid-air refueling system, and Western-made communication, friend-or-foe identification and radio navigation systems. The cockpit is fitted with multi-functional LCD screens. The armaments have remained unchanged - Russian-built R-27 and R-73 missiles satisfy the Slovakian top brass.
The upgraded MiGs have also been completely overhauled, enabling them to stay in service until the early 2030s. During this time they may undergo several more refits and may be provided with more advanced equipment to keep them in proper fighting condition.
The success of the Slovakian contract shows that Russia's defense industry can stand its own against the West in its home field - aircraft for NATO's air forces. And not only in aircraft - Greece's purchase of Russian ships and air defense systems is another fine example. Hopefully, contracts, both filled and to be filled, are only a beginning, the beginning of the Russian defense industry's comeback to the European market.
--------------------------
Russia launches production of new MiG-29M/M2 fighter
17:15 | 30/ 05/ 2008
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - The Sokol aircraft plant, based in Nizhny Novgorod, central Russia, is to launch production of the MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum fighter plane, the company's general director said on Friday.
Mikhail Shibayev said the first aircraft to be produced is planned to be completed in the second quarter of 2010.
MiG's general director, Anatoly Belov, said the new aircraft will use the most advanced technology, specifically the Zhuk-M onboard radar and cutting-edge avionics.
He said the fighter will be sold both at home and abroad, adding that the company had already received an order for the aircraft from an undisclosed foreign customer.
The plane's integrated weapon control system is built around the Zhuk-M airborne radar, an IR search and track system and a helmet-mounted target designation system.
The fighter has the capability to detect air targets at ranges of up to 120 km and has the potential to attack four targets simultaneously.
-----------------------
Algerian scandal: swapping MiGs for MiGs
17:07 | 30/ 05/ 2008
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - In 2007, Algeria cancelled a $1.3 billion contract for the sale of 34 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters and said it would return 15 MiG-29s purchased from the MiG corporation in 2006-2007 to Russia.
The Algerian decision was motivated by the fact that the warplanes had used or substandard components.
Many analysts said the incident highlighted a major crisis plaguing the Russian defense industry, and that the industry was becoming increasingly unable to manufacture sophisticated military equipment.
This spring, the media reported that Russia and Algeria were in talks to supply MiG-35 fighters, the more advanced versions of the MiG-29, to El Jazair. Representatives of Rosoboronexport, the main Russian state arms exporter, told a news conference at the Berlin Air Show ILA 2008 that the company would offer its MiG-35s to Algeria.
The rather suspicious Algerian scandal should not be used to assess the potential of Russia's defense industry. According to some analysts, the incident was provoked by European aircraft producers attempting to oust Moscow from the lucrative North African market.
By fueling the scandal, Algeria may have hoped to sign a more profitable contract.
It is an open secret that rival military-equipment producers often resort to different tactics. Suffice it to recall the 2006-2007 scandal involving the so-called Al Yamamah (Dove) deals regarding the Tornado, Hawk and Eurofighter Typhoon warplane sales by BAE Systems, a British defense and aerospace company, to Saudi Arabia from 1985 till 2006.
The United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office accused BAE of maintaining a $33.4 million slush fund for bribing members of the Saudi royal family.
On December 1, 2006, The Daily Telegraph ran a front page story suggesting that Saudi Arabia had given the U.K. ten days to suspend the Serious Fraud Office investigation into BAE/Saudi Arabian transactions or they would take the deal to France.
On December 14, 2006, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith announced that the investigation would be discontinued.
Many analysts believe the scandal was triggered by French secret services trying to facilitate a Rafale fighter victory in the Saudi tender.
After the MiG scandal, Algeria received an opportunity to buy the most advanced Russian warplanes. The MiG-35, which looks just like the MiG-29, features sophisticated components and equipment, including a state-of-the-art fire-control system with a phased-array radar. The multi-channel fire-control system helps launch air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles.
Unlike the Mig-29 air-superiority fighter, the MiG-35 can be called a multi-role fighter.
The MiG-35's cockpit features multi-role liquid-crystal monitors, and the hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) system allows the pilot to access the cockpit functions and fly the aircraft. Having all switches on the stick and throttle allows the pilot to keep his hands on both control columns, thus eliminating the need to take his eyes off the horizon and the heads-up display (HUD).
The plane owes its enhanced maneuverability to vectored-thrust engines. This makes it possible to down enemy aircraft in short-range dogfights and escape incoming missiles.
The fighter's two-seat version featuring the same avionics is, in fact, an improvised command center for coordinating operations at the flight and squadron level, and can accomplish the most difficult objectives together with single-seat MiG-35s.
Although MiG warplanes have a shorter range, less powerful radars and carry less ordnance, the more expensive heavy-duty Sukhoi fighters boasting more impressive specifications are less suited for the Algerian Air Force's relatively small area of operations.
France to let in eastern workers
France to let in eastern workers
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, right, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says France will open its labour market in July to migrants from eight EU members in Central and Eastern Europe.
Visiting Poland, Mr Sarkozy said France would lift all the curbs it put in place when the countries joined the bloc four years ago.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski praised France's decision as "very important".
The eight are: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
All of them - formerly in the Soviet bloc - joined the EU in 2004.
However, jobs in France will remain restricted for workers from Romania and Bulgaria, which joined in 2007.
French presidency
"I confirm that all the barriers will be lifted from July 1, so one year in advance," said Mr Sarkozy.
France had previously announced it would admit the workers from 2009, but brought the move forward to coincide with France adopting the presidency of the EU, on 1 July 2008.
The barriers were put in place by several countries to avoid an influx of labour from the east when the EU expanded in 2004.
Of the 15 states in the EU at the time, only Britain, Ireland and Sweden granted free access to the newcomers.
Economists say the estimated one million immigrants, including many Poles, who arrived in Britain after May 2004 have been a boon to the economy.
Critics, however, say they have put a strain on housing, schools and other services.
About half of the immigrants have since returned home.
All EU states must open their labour markets to the 2004 entrants by 2011. Restrictions are still in place in several countries, including Germany, Austria, Denmark and Belgium.
--------------------
Gypsies face uncertain future in Italy
By Guy Dinmore, reporting from Rome and Naples
Published: May 29 2008 02:41 | Last updated: May 29 2008 02:41
Italy’s Gypsy communities are living in fear of attacks on their homes by Mafia-backed mobs and possible deportation under tough anti-immigration legislation tabled by the new centre-right government.
Slideshow: A community living in fear
The Roma community is blaming right-wing nationalists and the media for whipping up a xenophobic frenzy over security and immigration during April’s elections
Presenting a package of security policies last week in Naples, Silvio Berlusconi, elected prime minister for a third time last month, said the state had a duty to “uphold the right of citizens not to be afraid”.
However, the racist rhetoric of some rightwing candidates elected in April on law and order platforms has unleashed a spate of assaults against the Roma, or Gypsy, people who are blamed for fomenting crime. In the Naples mob-controlled suburb of Ponticelli, criminal gangs and residents have torched the homes of several hundred Gypsies.
Their illegal settlements were still smouldering as the prime minister unveiled proposals that have left many confused over their future.
The Secondigiliano camp, set up by the Naples council in 1995 for Gypsies from former Yugoslavia, houses about 90 families, or 900 people. Unlike the deprivation of Ponticelli, the barrack-like bungalows and caravans look well kept and some have neat gardens.
“This law of Berlusconi – where will they send us to?” asked a man at the camp, who did not want to be named. His five children, who attend school and receive medical care, had papers stating they were born in a Naples hospital, but nothing else.
His wife had an Italian interior ministry statement declaring her stateless. He only had an Italian residence permit that expired in 2001, which he has not been able to renew.
Their unclear status is typical of an estimated 30,000 ex-Yugoslav Gypsies in Italy. Some, such as those in Secondigliano, live in reasonable conditions. But many, even in the third generation, exist in squalid illegal camps with high mortality rates, as do the more recently arrived Gypsies from Romania who perhaps number 50,000.
“We are living in fear. All of Italy is against us. The media has declared war on us,” said the man. “The whole government is fascist,” he added.
Sensationalised reports that a young Romanian Gypsy woman had been arrested in Naples for trying to steal a baby triggered the attacks in Ponticelli. Copycat assaults followed in other cities. Repubblica, a centre-left daily, published a poll that said 68 per cent of Italians wanted to deal with the “Gypsy problem” by expelling all of them.
What the government really intends to do is unclear. Like much security legislation, the proposed laws may be diluted in parliament or not implemented in full. Officials insist the package is not targeted at any particular group. But for about 100,000 Gypsies without Italian citizenship, the legislation stirs memories of centuries of repression.
Under Mr Berlusconi’s draft legislation to go before parliament, EU citizens – which would include Romanian Gypsies – must have adequate housing and regular incomes to stay in Italy for more than three months. Illegal entry would carry a jail sentence of up to four years. Child beggars would be taken into state care.
Roberto Maroni, the hardline interior minister from the xenophobic Northern League, says foreigners living in “shacks” will be expelled under the proposals.
By immediate decree, expulsion of illegal immigrants will be made easier. Landlords who rent to illegals will have properties confiscated and mayors will be given enhanced powers to preserve “urban security”.
Gianni Alemanno, Rome’s first postwar rightwing mayor, has started, albeit slowly, his campaign pledge to clear the city of 20,000 “nomads” (as Italians call Gypsies). Rome, Milan and Naples are also appointing commissioners to tackle their Gypsy problem.
Leftwing groups accuse the government of diverting social discontent with low wages and poor factory conditions towards vulnerable minorities.
Mario Marazziti, spokesman for Sant’ Egidio, a Catholic NGO, says the election campaign played on a perception of widespread crime despite statistics to the contrary. Noting that the Mafia and “nazi-skins” have been allegedly involved in attacking Gypsies, he says the government risks unleashing something it cannot control.
“If you open the gates, the lions get out and it is difficult to get them back in,” he warns.
...............................................
Rights groups accuse authorities of fuelling racism
Amnesty International and other human rights groups have severely criticised Italy’s new centre-right government and its centre-left predecessor for discriminating against the Roma community and legitimising the use of racist language.
Responding to a spate of attacks “by non-state actors” on Gypsy camps in Naples and other cities, Amnesty and nine other NGOs making up the EU Roma Policy Coalition issued a statement accusing Italy of “blatantly disregarding the values and principles of the European Union”. They said Italian authorities were making arbitrary detentions to facilitate expulsions, drawing up discriminatory laws and measures and “fuelling racism through anti-Romani speech”.
Amnesty’s 2007 worldwide report, released on Tuesday, criticised the previous Italian government led by Romano Prodi for issuing a decree that empowered local authorities to expel EU citizens based on concerns for public security. It said the decree appeared directed against Romanian Gypsies.
Government spokesmen on Wednesday did not respond to the accusations. Rightwing officials have criticised vigilante attacks and insisted the security package was not aimed at Gypsies in particular.
--------------------
Italy condemned for 'racism wave'
Firemen hose down a camp of Roma people that was set on fire on the outskirts of Naples (file images from 14 May 2008)
Human rights group Amnesty International has said it is extremely alarmed by what it calls a "climate of discrimination" in Italy.
The Italian section of the rights body said recent tough new immigration measures were a worrying trend.
It added that politicians from both sides of the spectrum were legitimising the use of racist language.
Last week, Italy's new centre-right government introduced a series of measures aimed at improving security.
Illegal immigration will become punishable by up to four years in prison, it will be easier to expel illegal immigrants and there will be a three-year prison sentence for using minors to beg for money.
Attacks on Roma
But the head of Amnesty International in Italy, Daniela Carboni, said the moves represented "heavy restrictions and new crimes that will target, above all, immigrants".
She said the organisation was particularly worried by the measure that would mean attempted illegal immigrants could be held for up to 18 months in a detention centre.
"Amnesty International is extremely alarmed both by the contents and haste of these measures... and by the climate of discrimination which preceded them," Ms Carboni said in the report.
"2007 was characterised by the impotence of Western governments "
Amnesty International annual report
World 'failing on human rights'
There is deep suspicion throughout the country of the Roma community, whom many Italians blame for a disproportionate amount of crime.
In mid-May Italian police were forced to intervene to protect Roma Gypsies who came under attack from local residents in Naples, who set their camps alight.
Ms Carboni urged the Italian government to investigate fully the torching of the two Roma slum communities.
In April's national elections the centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi - which includes the anti-immigration Northern League and the post-Fascist Alleanza Nazionale - swept to victory, pledging to tackle illegal immigration.
In Rome, Gianni Alemanno, also of the Alleanza Nazionale, was elected mayor on a pledge to expel 20,000 people.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, right, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says France will open its labour market in July to migrants from eight EU members in Central and Eastern Europe.
Visiting Poland, Mr Sarkozy said France would lift all the curbs it put in place when the countries joined the bloc four years ago.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski praised France's decision as "very important".
The eight are: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
All of them - formerly in the Soviet bloc - joined the EU in 2004.
However, jobs in France will remain restricted for workers from Romania and Bulgaria, which joined in 2007.
French presidency
"I confirm that all the barriers will be lifted from July 1, so one year in advance," said Mr Sarkozy.
France had previously announced it would admit the workers from 2009, but brought the move forward to coincide with France adopting the presidency of the EU, on 1 July 2008.
The barriers were put in place by several countries to avoid an influx of labour from the east when the EU expanded in 2004.
Of the 15 states in the EU at the time, only Britain, Ireland and Sweden granted free access to the newcomers.
Economists say the estimated one million immigrants, including many Poles, who arrived in Britain after May 2004 have been a boon to the economy.
Critics, however, say they have put a strain on housing, schools and other services.
About half of the immigrants have since returned home.
All EU states must open their labour markets to the 2004 entrants by 2011. Restrictions are still in place in several countries, including Germany, Austria, Denmark and Belgium.
--------------------
Gypsies face uncertain future in Italy
By Guy Dinmore, reporting from Rome and Naples
Published: May 29 2008 02:41 | Last updated: May 29 2008 02:41
Italy’s Gypsy communities are living in fear of attacks on their homes by Mafia-backed mobs and possible deportation under tough anti-immigration legislation tabled by the new centre-right government.
Slideshow: A community living in fear
The Roma community is blaming right-wing nationalists and the media for whipping up a xenophobic frenzy over security and immigration during April’s elections
Presenting a package of security policies last week in Naples, Silvio Berlusconi, elected prime minister for a third time last month, said the state had a duty to “uphold the right of citizens not to be afraid”.
However, the racist rhetoric of some rightwing candidates elected in April on law and order platforms has unleashed a spate of assaults against the Roma, or Gypsy, people who are blamed for fomenting crime. In the Naples mob-controlled suburb of Ponticelli, criminal gangs and residents have torched the homes of several hundred Gypsies.
Their illegal settlements were still smouldering as the prime minister unveiled proposals that have left many confused over their future.
The Secondigiliano camp, set up by the Naples council in 1995 for Gypsies from former Yugoslavia, houses about 90 families, or 900 people. Unlike the deprivation of Ponticelli, the barrack-like bungalows and caravans look well kept and some have neat gardens.
“This law of Berlusconi – where will they send us to?” asked a man at the camp, who did not want to be named. His five children, who attend school and receive medical care, had papers stating they were born in a Naples hospital, but nothing else.
His wife had an Italian interior ministry statement declaring her stateless. He only had an Italian residence permit that expired in 2001, which he has not been able to renew.
Their unclear status is typical of an estimated 30,000 ex-Yugoslav Gypsies in Italy. Some, such as those in Secondigliano, live in reasonable conditions. But many, even in the third generation, exist in squalid illegal camps with high mortality rates, as do the more recently arrived Gypsies from Romania who perhaps number 50,000.
“We are living in fear. All of Italy is against us. The media has declared war on us,” said the man. “The whole government is fascist,” he added.
Sensationalised reports that a young Romanian Gypsy woman had been arrested in Naples for trying to steal a baby triggered the attacks in Ponticelli. Copycat assaults followed in other cities. Repubblica, a centre-left daily, published a poll that said 68 per cent of Italians wanted to deal with the “Gypsy problem” by expelling all of them.
What the government really intends to do is unclear. Like much security legislation, the proposed laws may be diluted in parliament or not implemented in full. Officials insist the package is not targeted at any particular group. But for about 100,000 Gypsies without Italian citizenship, the legislation stirs memories of centuries of repression.
Under Mr Berlusconi’s draft legislation to go before parliament, EU citizens – which would include Romanian Gypsies – must have adequate housing and regular incomes to stay in Italy for more than three months. Illegal entry would carry a jail sentence of up to four years. Child beggars would be taken into state care.
Roberto Maroni, the hardline interior minister from the xenophobic Northern League, says foreigners living in “shacks” will be expelled under the proposals.
By immediate decree, expulsion of illegal immigrants will be made easier. Landlords who rent to illegals will have properties confiscated and mayors will be given enhanced powers to preserve “urban security”.
Gianni Alemanno, Rome’s first postwar rightwing mayor, has started, albeit slowly, his campaign pledge to clear the city of 20,000 “nomads” (as Italians call Gypsies). Rome, Milan and Naples are also appointing commissioners to tackle their Gypsy problem.
Leftwing groups accuse the government of diverting social discontent with low wages and poor factory conditions towards vulnerable minorities.
Mario Marazziti, spokesman for Sant’ Egidio, a Catholic NGO, says the election campaign played on a perception of widespread crime despite statistics to the contrary. Noting that the Mafia and “nazi-skins” have been allegedly involved in attacking Gypsies, he says the government risks unleashing something it cannot control.
“If you open the gates, the lions get out and it is difficult to get them back in,” he warns.
...............................................
Rights groups accuse authorities of fuelling racism
Amnesty International and other human rights groups have severely criticised Italy’s new centre-right government and its centre-left predecessor for discriminating against the Roma community and legitimising the use of racist language.
Responding to a spate of attacks “by non-state actors” on Gypsy camps in Naples and other cities, Amnesty and nine other NGOs making up the EU Roma Policy Coalition issued a statement accusing Italy of “blatantly disregarding the values and principles of the European Union”. They said Italian authorities were making arbitrary detentions to facilitate expulsions, drawing up discriminatory laws and measures and “fuelling racism through anti-Romani speech”.
Amnesty’s 2007 worldwide report, released on Tuesday, criticised the previous Italian government led by Romano Prodi for issuing a decree that empowered local authorities to expel EU citizens based on concerns for public security. It said the decree appeared directed against Romanian Gypsies.
Government spokesmen on Wednesday did not respond to the accusations. Rightwing officials have criticised vigilante attacks and insisted the security package was not aimed at Gypsies in particular.
--------------------
Italy condemned for 'racism wave'
Firemen hose down a camp of Roma people that was set on fire on the outskirts of Naples (file images from 14 May 2008)
Human rights group Amnesty International has said it is extremely alarmed by what it calls a "climate of discrimination" in Italy.
The Italian section of the rights body said recent tough new immigration measures were a worrying trend.
It added that politicians from both sides of the spectrum were legitimising the use of racist language.
Last week, Italy's new centre-right government introduced a series of measures aimed at improving security.
Illegal immigration will become punishable by up to four years in prison, it will be easier to expel illegal immigrants and there will be a three-year prison sentence for using minors to beg for money.
Attacks on Roma
But the head of Amnesty International in Italy, Daniela Carboni, said the moves represented "heavy restrictions and new crimes that will target, above all, immigrants".
She said the organisation was particularly worried by the measure that would mean attempted illegal immigrants could be held for up to 18 months in a detention centre.
"Amnesty International is extremely alarmed both by the contents and haste of these measures... and by the climate of discrimination which preceded them," Ms Carboni said in the report.
"2007 was characterised by the impotence of Western governments "
Amnesty International annual report
World 'failing on human rights'
There is deep suspicion throughout the country of the Roma community, whom many Italians blame for a disproportionate amount of crime.
In mid-May Italian police were forced to intervene to protect Roma Gypsies who came under attack from local residents in Naples, who set their camps alight.
Ms Carboni urged the Italian government to investigate fully the torching of the two Roma slum communities.
In April's national elections the centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi - which includes the anti-immigration Northern League and the post-Fascist Alleanza Nazionale - swept to victory, pledging to tackle illegal immigration.
In Rome, Gianni Alemanno, also of the Alleanza Nazionale, was elected mayor on a pledge to expel 20,000 people.
Soaring costs put pressure on North Sea
Soaring costs put pressure on North Sea
By Andrew Bolger, Scotland Correspondent
Published: May 28 2008 23:28 | Last updated: May 28 2008 23:28
The North Sea oil and gas industry is caught in a painful pincer movement between rapidly soaring costs and steadily declining reserves.
To date, the equivalent of 37bn barrels of oil have been extracted from the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). That leaves up to 25.5bn barrels still to be recovered.
----------------------
Oil Producers Answer Calls For Action
By Sky News SkyNews - Wednesday, May 28 05:04 pm
The world's leading oil producers say the black stuff is too expensive and they plan to increase supplies to help ease the global fuel crisis.
A source at Opec said its 13 members were uncomfortable with the current price of crude, which last week hit a record $135 a barrel.
Based on present supply and demand, he said it should be fetching $60-$70 a barrel.
Saudia Arabia has indicated it will increase supply to drive the price down.
Experts say oil has been driven to its present level by speculators who see it as a safer haven for their money than the weak dolllar.
Earlier, Gordon Brown said the oil crisis is a global as well as a national problem and asked the UK gas and oil industry to help.
"This is not just a national problem," he told a meeting of industry representatives.
"It is a global problem of supply and demand, not just in the short term but the medium term and the long term."
Mr Brown said the key issue facing North Sea producers now was how to maintain supply for the "next few years".
Britain has so far produced 37 billion barrels of oil and gas and it is estimated there are another 25 billion barrels available.
Writing in the Guardian Mr Brown called on nations to unite to stabilise the price of oil, which used to be just $10 US a decade ago.
On Tuesday, lorry drivers delivered a petition to Downing Street calling on the Government to help save the haulage industry by reducing the duty on diesel.
Ministers are also under mounting pressure to ditch controversial proposals to increase road tax on gas guzzling cars.
In his article, Mr Brown acknowledges the public's concern about the impact the rising oil price is having on transport and fuel bills.
He said the UK is arguing for a global strategy to address the impact of higher oil prices and was pressing for this to top the agenda at the forthcoming G8 summit in Japan.
Mr Brown said the best long-term solution for consumers and the environment would be a radically different energy policy.
He writes: "We need to accelerate the development and deployment of alternative sources of energy, reducing global dependence on oil."
He said Britain will invest more in renewables and build more nuclear power stations to reduce the UK's CO2 emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, Business Secretary John Hutton outlined plans for increased North Sea oil production with the creation of two new fields.
The new West Don and Don South West developments are due to start production in the first half of next year.
At their peak they are expected to produce up to 50,000 barrels of oil - 50 million barrels in all.
By Andrew Bolger, Scotland Correspondent
Published: May 28 2008 23:28 | Last updated: May 28 2008 23:28
The North Sea oil and gas industry is caught in a painful pincer movement between rapidly soaring costs and steadily declining reserves.
To date, the equivalent of 37bn barrels of oil have been extracted from the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). That leaves up to 25.5bn barrels still to be recovered.
----------------------
Oil Producers Answer Calls For Action
By Sky News SkyNews - Wednesday, May 28 05:04 pm
The world's leading oil producers say the black stuff is too expensive and they plan to increase supplies to help ease the global fuel crisis.
A source at Opec said its 13 members were uncomfortable with the current price of crude, which last week hit a record $135 a barrel.
Based on present supply and demand, he said it should be fetching $60-$70 a barrel.
Saudia Arabia has indicated it will increase supply to drive the price down.
Experts say oil has been driven to its present level by speculators who see it as a safer haven for their money than the weak dolllar.
Earlier, Gordon Brown said the oil crisis is a global as well as a national problem and asked the UK gas and oil industry to help.
"This is not just a national problem," he told a meeting of industry representatives.
"It is a global problem of supply and demand, not just in the short term but the medium term and the long term."
Mr Brown said the key issue facing North Sea producers now was how to maintain supply for the "next few years".
Britain has so far produced 37 billion barrels of oil and gas and it is estimated there are another 25 billion barrels available.
Writing in the Guardian Mr Brown called on nations to unite to stabilise the price of oil, which used to be just $10 US a decade ago.
On Tuesday, lorry drivers delivered a petition to Downing Street calling on the Government to help save the haulage industry by reducing the duty on diesel.
Ministers are also under mounting pressure to ditch controversial proposals to increase road tax on gas guzzling cars.
In his article, Mr Brown acknowledges the public's concern about the impact the rising oil price is having on transport and fuel bills.
He said the UK is arguing for a global strategy to address the impact of higher oil prices and was pressing for this to top the agenda at the forthcoming G8 summit in Japan.
Mr Brown said the best long-term solution for consumers and the environment would be a radically different energy policy.
He writes: "We need to accelerate the development and deployment of alternative sources of energy, reducing global dependence on oil."
He said Britain will invest more in renewables and build more nuclear power stations to reduce the UK's CO2 emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, Business Secretary John Hutton outlined plans for increased North Sea oil production with the creation of two new fields.
The new West Don and Don South West developments are due to start production in the first half of next year.
At their peak they are expected to produce up to 50,000 barrels of oil - 50 million barrels in all.
Ban on cluster bombs agreed
Ban on cluster bombs agreed
By Stephen Fidler in London and Daniel Dombey in Washington
Published: May 29 2008 01:07 | Last updated: May 29 2008 01:07
More than 100 governments agreed a draft treaty to ban the use of cluster munitions on Wednesday in the face of strong warnings from the US to its allies not to do so.
The agreement came after a late decision by Britain, which helped to break deadlock at the talks by agreeing to take its stocks of cluster weapons out of service.
Cluster bombs break up in the air and launch up to several hundred bomblets over wide areas.
They are blamed for heavy civilian casualties because the nature of the weapon makes it hard to discriminate between combatants and civilians and because many bomblets fail to explode on impact and kill or wound people after hostilities are over.
The US had warned the Washington embassies of its Nato partners against agreeing a ban, diplomats said. Officials claimed the treaty would bar joint peacekeeping and other operations with signatories because the US military kept cluster weapons in its stockpiles.
The deal came at an international conference in Dublin at which 116 nations were represented. They agreed to an immediate ban on the use of cluster munitions and a destruction of stockpiles over an eight-year period.
Officials from some governments represented, including Japan, Finland and Poland, were referring back to their capitals to secure agreement for the text.
Campaigners heralded the deal. “We are very pleased with the outcome. More than 100 states have agreed to ban every type of cluster munition that has ever been used,” said Simon Conway, a former British army officer and co-chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
He said campaigners had some misgivings about aspects of the agreement. The US is not a signatory to the treaty and its military almost certainly keeps cluster bombs in its bases on UK soil. The draft does not explicitly forbid this, but Mr Conway said Britain was likely to ask Washington to move the weapons before the eight-year deadline was up.
The clause that has raised US concerns forbids signatories from assisting others in the use of cluster bombs, forbidding joint operations – such as those in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 – where such bombs are used.
Last week, Stephen Mull, US acting assistant secretary for political military affairs, said: “If the convention passes in its current form, any US military ship would be technically not able to get involved in a peacekeeping operation, in providing disaster relief or humanitarian assistance. That’s because most US military units have in their inventory these kinds of weapons.”
The US is among a number of governments, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel, that did not part in the Dublin talks.
Mr Conway said he hoped that the treaty would have a demonstration effect – as the 1997 convention banning landmines had deterred militaries of governments that were not signatories, including the US, from using anti-personnel mines. “The only government using landmines now is Burma, a pariah state,” he said.
By Stephen Fidler in London and Daniel Dombey in Washington
Published: May 29 2008 01:07 | Last updated: May 29 2008 01:07
More than 100 governments agreed a draft treaty to ban the use of cluster munitions on Wednesday in the face of strong warnings from the US to its allies not to do so.
The agreement came after a late decision by Britain, which helped to break deadlock at the talks by agreeing to take its stocks of cluster weapons out of service.
Cluster bombs break up in the air and launch up to several hundred bomblets over wide areas.
They are blamed for heavy civilian casualties because the nature of the weapon makes it hard to discriminate between combatants and civilians and because many bomblets fail to explode on impact and kill or wound people after hostilities are over.
The US had warned the Washington embassies of its Nato partners against agreeing a ban, diplomats said. Officials claimed the treaty would bar joint peacekeeping and other operations with signatories because the US military kept cluster weapons in its stockpiles.
The deal came at an international conference in Dublin at which 116 nations were represented. They agreed to an immediate ban on the use of cluster munitions and a destruction of stockpiles over an eight-year period.
Officials from some governments represented, including Japan, Finland and Poland, were referring back to their capitals to secure agreement for the text.
Campaigners heralded the deal. “We are very pleased with the outcome. More than 100 states have agreed to ban every type of cluster munition that has ever been used,” said Simon Conway, a former British army officer and co-chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
He said campaigners had some misgivings about aspects of the agreement. The US is not a signatory to the treaty and its military almost certainly keeps cluster bombs in its bases on UK soil. The draft does not explicitly forbid this, but Mr Conway said Britain was likely to ask Washington to move the weapons before the eight-year deadline was up.
The clause that has raised US concerns forbids signatories from assisting others in the use of cluster bombs, forbidding joint operations – such as those in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 – where such bombs are used.
Last week, Stephen Mull, US acting assistant secretary for political military affairs, said: “If the convention passes in its current form, any US military ship would be technically not able to get involved in a peacekeeping operation, in providing disaster relief or humanitarian assistance. That’s because most US military units have in their inventory these kinds of weapons.”
The US is among a number of governments, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel, that did not part in the Dublin talks.
Mr Conway said he hoped that the treaty would have a demonstration effect – as the 1997 convention banning landmines had deterred militaries of governments that were not signatories, including the US, from using anti-personnel mines. “The only government using landmines now is Burma, a pariah state,” he said.
Tanzania blows hot and cold over biofuels
Tanzania blows hot and cold over biofuels
By Alan Beattie
Published: May 28 2008 20:30 | Last updated: May 28 2008 20:30
Last year, by one estimate, the government of Mozambique received bids from foreign investors to buy a remarkable 110,000 square kilometres of land, more than an eighth of the entire country.
More than a century after the last “scramble for Africa”, when European imperial powers fought to colonise the continent, the global boom in biofuels is causing a stampede into one of the world’s biggest areas of uncultivated terrain.
---------------------
Rice Slumps to Two-Month Low on Increased Supply, Fewer Curbs
By Jae Hur
May 29 (Bloomberg) -- Rice tumbled to the lowest in more than two months on speculation higher output and lifting of export curbs will boost supplies, alleviating a global food crisis that sent the price to a record last month.
Rice for July delivery on the Chicago Board of Trade fell as much as 4.1 percent to $17.70 per 100 pounds after declining by the daily limit for the past three days. The world's output of milled rice will rise to a record this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization forecast on May 22.
Rice, the main food for half the world, has lost as much as 29 percent since it was driven to a record $25.07 last month on trade curbs imposed by China, Vietnam and India. Cambodia lifted a ban on overseas shipments this week, and Vietnam has said it may allow new export contracts to be signed from the end of June.
``Speculators have been fleeing the market following recent supply news,'' Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager of the research department at IDO Securities Co., said today from Tokyo.
The July contract fell 64.5 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $17.805 per 100 pounds at 12:35 p.m. Singapore time, after declining by the daily limit of $1.15 yesterday. The contract earlier fell to the lowest since March 20. The price is still 69 percent higher than a year ago.
Provincial leaders from Vietnam's Mekong Delta, the nation's main rice-growing area, have asked the government to raise the country's 2008 export target back to 4.5 million metric tons from 4 million tons, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported today. Vietnam on March 30 had cut the annual target by 11 percent to 4 million tons to ensure local supplies and curb inflation.
Social Unrest
Record prices for food and energy, including wheat, corn, soybeans and palm oil, have stoked concern about shortages and caused unrest from Haiti to Egypt. Cereal prices will stay high for ``some time,'' threatening stability, the FAO said in a report yesterday.
``In some poor countries, increased food-import bills might lead to substantial widening of the current account deficit,'' the FAO said. Eritrea, Niger and Botswana are among those most vulnerable since they import all their oil and at least three- quarters of their wheat, rice and corn, the FAO said.
Thailand, the world's biggest rice exporter, yesterday cut the benchmark export price of white rice by 7.5 percent from a record, according to Sompetch Anuchon, an official at the Thai Rice Exporters Association. The price of 100 percent Grade B white rice dropped to $960 a ton from $1,038 last week.
Farmers across Asia have boosted rice production to take advantage of the higher prices. Global output of milled rice in 2008 will be 445.3 million tons, compared with last year's record 435.2 million tons, according to the FAO.
``Concerns over tight supplies will ease this summer as many producers in Asia will harvest their crops,'' Takaki Shigemoto, an analyst at Tokyo-based broker Okachi & Co., said today. ``This will help some producers remove their export curbs.''
---------------------
German milk strike spreads to other European countries
AFP - Wednesday, May 28 07:14 pm
BERLIN (AFP) - With food costs soaring around the world, German dairy farmers began a strike over falling milk prices Wednesday in a protest that a European milk body said is spreading to other countries.
Nearly 30,000 German dairy farmers halted milk deliveries to retailers Wednesday on the second day of their strike, according to the European Milk Board, based in the western German city of Hamm.
It said deliveries dropped by some 60 percent in Switzerland's Zurich region and in the Netherlands, where the Dutch Dairymen Board urged its 4,000 producers to "keep milk on the farm."
Austria's IG Milch dairy association weighed in with a call on the country's 43,000 dairy producers to halt deliveries in protest at the milk price.
"We urge all producers to cease delivery to dairy factories completely from Thursday," said the federation's president, Ewald Gruenzweil.
He warned consumers, especially hospitals, kindergarten nurseries and schools, to start stocking dairy products.
"We're predicting (supermarket) shelves to empty rather quickly as people start hoarding, following this determined action in Germany and other European countries," Gruenzweil added.
Germany's BDM dairy federation, which represents almost half of the country's producers, said it had also received "declarations of support" from Belgium, Luxembourg and "parts of France."
"I expect more countries to join the strike," deputy president Stefan Mann told the Frankfurter Rundschau daily.
The strike in Germany, Europe's biggest milk producer, began on Tuesday as farmers heeded a call by the BDM to stop supplying milk in order to force up prices that are currently hovering between 28 and 34 euro cents (0.43-0.53 dollar cents) per litre (2.2 pints to the litre).
"We plan to decrease the flow to the food industry further still in coming days and then supermarkets will start feeling the pinch," said Hans Foldenauer, a spokesman for the BDM.
Germany opposed a decision by European Union agriculture ministers in March to allow a bloc-wide increase in production of two percent as part of a larger plan to phase out dairy subsidies by 2015.
Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer warned there was a risk the move could lead to "new milk lakes and butter mountains," a reference to surplus production in Europe triggered in 1984.
Milk prices increased by an average 8.1 percent in the EU last year but have slipped back since reaching a peak in the autumn.
The BDM said that milk prices agreed between suppliers and supermarkets have fallen by as much as 15 euro cents per litre compared to last year, while dairies' operating costs have risen.
It is demanding that the milk price be pushed up to 43 cents per litre.
The Swiss farmers' trade union Uniterre said some 100 dairy producers in the west of the country voted Wednesday in favour of joining a delivery strike in the German-speaking part of Switzerland in support of German producers.
"We have been negotiating about the milk price for years without any success. So we can only conclude that a strike is the only way forward," a union representative told the ATS news agency.
Switzerland's Big-M union said the 200 producers in the Zurich region had delivered virtually no milk on Wednesday.
The milk price protest seemed set to spread to Romania next week.
Romanian agricultural trade union Agrostar said dairy farmers would stage a three-day picket outside the French embassy in Bucharest and the headquarters of dairy company Danone to demand better prices for their milk.
--------------------
World Bank studying food aid to ease crisis: source
AFP - Wednesday, May 28 11:16 pm
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The World Bank is studying the creation of a special fund to help combat aspects of the global food crisis which is threatening an increasing number of developing nations, a source said Wednesday.
The source, who requested anonymity, but is familiar with the matter, said the issue was to be discussed by the board of the multilateral Washington-based institution on Thursday.
Escalating global prices of foodstuffs such as corn, rice and wheat have sparked protests in many countries, particularly less developed states, and raised concerns that many of the world's poor will face increased hunger problems.
The source said the precise amount of aid that could be provided has not yet been finalized, but another source said the fund could amount up to 200 million dollars.
"This is more for things like school feeding programs, food for work programs," said the first source who spoke with AFP, adding that the funds would likely be disbursed quickly if the program is approved.
It is envisaged that any funds put together would provide targeted and limited relief rather than trying to tackle or ease the problem of food shortages and spiking commodity prices on a broad basis.
The World Bank declined to comment.
The multilateral institution, the World Food Organisation and other aid groups are due to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to deal with the global food crisis.
Senior officials including World Bank president Robert Zoellick will meet on the sidelines of an African development conference in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, the Bank's Tokyo office chief Kazushige Taniguchi said on Friday.
Top officials from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are also expected to attend, he said.
An international summit hosted by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization is also set to address the crisis.
The FAO's estimate of the number of hungry people in 2002-04 was 862 million, including 830 million in developing countries.
Large food-producing countries such as Brazil have recently moved to halt certain food exports to deal with sharp increases in food prices in their domestic markets.
Rising populations, strong demand from developing countries, increased cultivation of crops for biofuels and increasing floods and droughts have sent food prices soaring across the globe.
Japan wants to make the global food situation one of the major themes of the Group of Eight summit it will host in July.
--------------------
Help For Poorest With Rising Fuel Bills
By Sky News SkyNews - 45 minutes ago
New measures aimed at helping vulnerable and elderly people with their fuel bills are being announced today by the Government.
The proposals will see assistance given to households to improve their energy efficiency and cut costs.
They will also ensure they are on the best value tariff with their gas and electricity providers.
Campaigners have dismissed the plan as a mere "reshuffling" of old ideas and say it does not go far enough to alleviate fuel poverty.
Fuel poverty is said to occur when a household pays more than 10% of its income on energy bills.
Among the measures being announced is a pilot scheme to ensure people applying for Warm Front grants are referred to their energy supplier for tariff advice.
In addition £150,000 will be ploughed into watchdog Ofgem's national awareness campaign on social assistance for the vulnerable.
Ministers have also pledged £3m to encourage microgeneration - small scale alternative energy schemes - among fuel poor communities.
Environment Minister Phil Woolas said: "Encouraging energy efficiency is crucial because it really does cut costs.
"These new measures will make homes across the country more energy efficient and give people at risk of fuel poverty a boost where they need it most."
But Ed Matthew, warm homes campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: "The new fuel poverty measures announced today won't fix the problem - people will still be left out in the cold.
"The only way to warm up our four million fuel poor homes is to super-insulate them and help them produce their own energy.
"The Government must stop reshuffling the same tired old ideas and instead jump-start a widespread and strategic programme of energy efficiency and renewable energy."
By Alan Beattie
Published: May 28 2008 20:30 | Last updated: May 28 2008 20:30
Last year, by one estimate, the government of Mozambique received bids from foreign investors to buy a remarkable 110,000 square kilometres of land, more than an eighth of the entire country.
More than a century after the last “scramble for Africa”, when European imperial powers fought to colonise the continent, the global boom in biofuels is causing a stampede into one of the world’s biggest areas of uncultivated terrain.
---------------------
Rice Slumps to Two-Month Low on Increased Supply, Fewer Curbs
By Jae Hur
May 29 (Bloomberg) -- Rice tumbled to the lowest in more than two months on speculation higher output and lifting of export curbs will boost supplies, alleviating a global food crisis that sent the price to a record last month.
Rice for July delivery on the Chicago Board of Trade fell as much as 4.1 percent to $17.70 per 100 pounds after declining by the daily limit for the past three days. The world's output of milled rice will rise to a record this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization forecast on May 22.
Rice, the main food for half the world, has lost as much as 29 percent since it was driven to a record $25.07 last month on trade curbs imposed by China, Vietnam and India. Cambodia lifted a ban on overseas shipments this week, and Vietnam has said it may allow new export contracts to be signed from the end of June.
``Speculators have been fleeing the market following recent supply news,'' Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager of the research department at IDO Securities Co., said today from Tokyo.
The July contract fell 64.5 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $17.805 per 100 pounds at 12:35 p.m. Singapore time, after declining by the daily limit of $1.15 yesterday. The contract earlier fell to the lowest since March 20. The price is still 69 percent higher than a year ago.
Provincial leaders from Vietnam's Mekong Delta, the nation's main rice-growing area, have asked the government to raise the country's 2008 export target back to 4.5 million metric tons from 4 million tons, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported today. Vietnam on March 30 had cut the annual target by 11 percent to 4 million tons to ensure local supplies and curb inflation.
Social Unrest
Record prices for food and energy, including wheat, corn, soybeans and palm oil, have stoked concern about shortages and caused unrest from Haiti to Egypt. Cereal prices will stay high for ``some time,'' threatening stability, the FAO said in a report yesterday.
``In some poor countries, increased food-import bills might lead to substantial widening of the current account deficit,'' the FAO said. Eritrea, Niger and Botswana are among those most vulnerable since they import all their oil and at least three- quarters of their wheat, rice and corn, the FAO said.
Thailand, the world's biggest rice exporter, yesterday cut the benchmark export price of white rice by 7.5 percent from a record, according to Sompetch Anuchon, an official at the Thai Rice Exporters Association. The price of 100 percent Grade B white rice dropped to $960 a ton from $1,038 last week.
Farmers across Asia have boosted rice production to take advantage of the higher prices. Global output of milled rice in 2008 will be 445.3 million tons, compared with last year's record 435.2 million tons, according to the FAO.
``Concerns over tight supplies will ease this summer as many producers in Asia will harvest their crops,'' Takaki Shigemoto, an analyst at Tokyo-based broker Okachi & Co., said today. ``This will help some producers remove their export curbs.''
---------------------
German milk strike spreads to other European countries
AFP - Wednesday, May 28 07:14 pm
BERLIN (AFP) - With food costs soaring around the world, German dairy farmers began a strike over falling milk prices Wednesday in a protest that a European milk body said is spreading to other countries.
Nearly 30,000 German dairy farmers halted milk deliveries to retailers Wednesday on the second day of their strike, according to the European Milk Board, based in the western German city of Hamm.
It said deliveries dropped by some 60 percent in Switzerland's Zurich region and in the Netherlands, where the Dutch Dairymen Board urged its 4,000 producers to "keep milk on the farm."
Austria's IG Milch dairy association weighed in with a call on the country's 43,000 dairy producers to halt deliveries in protest at the milk price.
"We urge all producers to cease delivery to dairy factories completely from Thursday," said the federation's president, Ewald Gruenzweil.
He warned consumers, especially hospitals, kindergarten nurseries and schools, to start stocking dairy products.
"We're predicting (supermarket) shelves to empty rather quickly as people start hoarding, following this determined action in Germany and other European countries," Gruenzweil added.
Germany's BDM dairy federation, which represents almost half of the country's producers, said it had also received "declarations of support" from Belgium, Luxembourg and "parts of France."
"I expect more countries to join the strike," deputy president Stefan Mann told the Frankfurter Rundschau daily.
The strike in Germany, Europe's biggest milk producer, began on Tuesday as farmers heeded a call by the BDM to stop supplying milk in order to force up prices that are currently hovering between 28 and 34 euro cents (0.43-0.53 dollar cents) per litre (2.2 pints to the litre).
"We plan to decrease the flow to the food industry further still in coming days and then supermarkets will start feeling the pinch," said Hans Foldenauer, a spokesman for the BDM.
Germany opposed a decision by European Union agriculture ministers in March to allow a bloc-wide increase in production of two percent as part of a larger plan to phase out dairy subsidies by 2015.
Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer warned there was a risk the move could lead to "new milk lakes and butter mountains," a reference to surplus production in Europe triggered in 1984.
Milk prices increased by an average 8.1 percent in the EU last year but have slipped back since reaching a peak in the autumn.
The BDM said that milk prices agreed between suppliers and supermarkets have fallen by as much as 15 euro cents per litre compared to last year, while dairies' operating costs have risen.
It is demanding that the milk price be pushed up to 43 cents per litre.
The Swiss farmers' trade union Uniterre said some 100 dairy producers in the west of the country voted Wednesday in favour of joining a delivery strike in the German-speaking part of Switzerland in support of German producers.
"We have been negotiating about the milk price for years without any success. So we can only conclude that a strike is the only way forward," a union representative told the ATS news agency.
Switzerland's Big-M union said the 200 producers in the Zurich region had delivered virtually no milk on Wednesday.
The milk price protest seemed set to spread to Romania next week.
Romanian agricultural trade union Agrostar said dairy farmers would stage a three-day picket outside the French embassy in Bucharest and the headquarters of dairy company Danone to demand better prices for their milk.
--------------------
World Bank studying food aid to ease crisis: source
AFP - Wednesday, May 28 11:16 pm
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The World Bank is studying the creation of a special fund to help combat aspects of the global food crisis which is threatening an increasing number of developing nations, a source said Wednesday.
The source, who requested anonymity, but is familiar with the matter, said the issue was to be discussed by the board of the multilateral Washington-based institution on Thursday.
Escalating global prices of foodstuffs such as corn, rice and wheat have sparked protests in many countries, particularly less developed states, and raised concerns that many of the world's poor will face increased hunger problems.
The source said the precise amount of aid that could be provided has not yet been finalized, but another source said the fund could amount up to 200 million dollars.
"This is more for things like school feeding programs, food for work programs," said the first source who spoke with AFP, adding that the funds would likely be disbursed quickly if the program is approved.
It is envisaged that any funds put together would provide targeted and limited relief rather than trying to tackle or ease the problem of food shortages and spiking commodity prices on a broad basis.
The World Bank declined to comment.
The multilateral institution, the World Food Organisation and other aid groups are due to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to deal with the global food crisis.
Senior officials including World Bank president Robert Zoellick will meet on the sidelines of an African development conference in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, the Bank's Tokyo office chief Kazushige Taniguchi said on Friday.
Top officials from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are also expected to attend, he said.
An international summit hosted by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization is also set to address the crisis.
The FAO's estimate of the number of hungry people in 2002-04 was 862 million, including 830 million in developing countries.
Large food-producing countries such as Brazil have recently moved to halt certain food exports to deal with sharp increases in food prices in their domestic markets.
Rising populations, strong demand from developing countries, increased cultivation of crops for biofuels and increasing floods and droughts have sent food prices soaring across the globe.
Japan wants to make the global food situation one of the major themes of the Group of Eight summit it will host in July.
--------------------
Help For Poorest With Rising Fuel Bills
By Sky News SkyNews - 45 minutes ago
New measures aimed at helping vulnerable and elderly people with their fuel bills are being announced today by the Government.
The proposals will see assistance given to households to improve their energy efficiency and cut costs.
They will also ensure they are on the best value tariff with their gas and electricity providers.
Campaigners have dismissed the plan as a mere "reshuffling" of old ideas and say it does not go far enough to alleviate fuel poverty.
Fuel poverty is said to occur when a household pays more than 10% of its income on energy bills.
Among the measures being announced is a pilot scheme to ensure people applying for Warm Front grants are referred to their energy supplier for tariff advice.
In addition £150,000 will be ploughed into watchdog Ofgem's national awareness campaign on social assistance for the vulnerable.
Ministers have also pledged £3m to encourage microgeneration - small scale alternative energy schemes - among fuel poor communities.
Environment Minister Phil Woolas said: "Encouraging energy efficiency is crucial because it really does cut costs.
"These new measures will make homes across the country more energy efficient and give people at risk of fuel poverty a boost where they need it most."
But Ed Matthew, warm homes campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: "The new fuel poverty measures announced today won't fix the problem - people will still be left out in the cold.
"The only way to warm up our four million fuel poor homes is to super-insulate them and help them produce their own energy.
"The Government must stop reshuffling the same tired old ideas and instead jump-start a widespread and strategic programme of energy efficiency and renewable energy."
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