Gloom for European manufacturers

Gloom for European manufacturers

By Norma Cohen in London

Published: August 11 2008 20:08 | Last updated: August 11 2008 20:08

Optimism among European manufacturers has fallen sharply from the beginning of this year as the global economic slowdown and rapid input price inflation depress the business outlook, according to the latest KPMG/Market survey.

The survey found that average expectations both for profits and employment prospects had turned negative for the first time since the survey began in January 2006.

Results were based on about 3,700 manufacturers, with values ranging from –100 (most negative) to +100 (most positive). The net balance of companies forecasting a growth in activity fell to just +14.1 from +43.5 in January, with evidence of significant concern about the possibility of stagflation, a combination of rising inflation and sluggish growth.

Prospects for company profits plummeted to –13.2 from +15.8 six months earlier as almost 40 per cent of manufacturers now said they expected these to fall. Employment prospects had fallen to –6.9 from +9.7 earlier this year.

Manufacturers pointed in particular to strong increases in the prices of raw materials and energy as threats to their output.

But the survey among manufacturers in the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China – the so-called Bric countries – showed a stark contrast, with business activity, profits, employment and capacity utilisation all expected to rise.

For the Bric countries, sharp increases in some commodity prices has led to a surge in business activity. However, the survey showed that Bric manufacturers were not immune to those price rises, with 70 per cent of companies forecasting an acceleration of input price inflation, and only 43 per cent expecting to be able to raise prices to cover those increases due to softer customer demand.

Within the European Union, the most optimistic forecasts for the business outlook were from manufacturers in the Netherlands (+37 per cent) and Germany (+26.1 per cent), while the gloomiest outlook came from businesses based in Spain (–26.6 per cent) and Ireland (–5.0 per cent). In the UK, manufacturers’ expectations were +19.3 per cent, about the same level as in Poland.

A net balance of –13.2 per cent of those surveyed expected higher profits, with manufacturers in Spain the most gloomy (–38.0 per cent). For the UK, the balance of those expecting higher profits was –4.2.

Among industrial sectors in Europe, manufacturers of electrical and optical equipment were most upbeat, with 30.2 per cent reporting a positive outlook, while chemicals and plastics companies reported a 26.1 per cent positive reading. The outlook for clothing and textiles registered the worst outlook at –19.1 per cent.

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Tokyo’s forex margin trades set to soar

By Lindsay Whipp in Tokyo

Published: August 11 2008 23:58 | Last updated: August 11 2008 23:58

The number of Japanese investors with foreign exchange margin trading accounts will probably rise 46 per cent this fiscal year, because of a gradual weakening of the yen and as more financial institutions offer such accounts, according to the Yano Research Institute.

From a survey of 128 firms, Yano expects the number of foreign exchange margin trading accounts (accounts for borrowing money for foreign currency trading) to rise to 1.79m in the year ending March 2009.

Japanese retail investors are keen to invest in foreign-currency products, as low interest rates in Japan (currently 0.5 per cent) make it increasingly difficult to find yield at home.

The Australian dollar has been a popular currency as interest rates are at a 12-year high of 7.25 per cent and the economy has benefited from the commodities boom that has drawn Japanese retail investors to products such as Uridashi bonds (foreign-denominated bonds sold to Japanese retail investors).

The Bank of Japan is seen as having little scope with which to raise rates any time soon, given that the economy is showing increasing signs of slowing, with some economists expecting negative growth in the April-June quarter.

Growing pessimism about the economy has contributed to the recent weakening of the yen, which has lost 10 per cent against the US dollar since the beginning of the fiscal year on April 1, now trading around the Y110 mark.

Last year, the number of forex trading accounts surged 92 per cent to 1.23m, as services expanded and as online brokerages and other institutions lured clients by removing fees. The balance of those accounts will probably increase 30 per cent to Y906bn ($8.22bn), this fiscal year, compared with Y696.4bn last year, which represented a 14 per cent rise.

The gains in the value of the outstanding balances last year may have been mildly muted by the sudden weakness in the US dollar against the yen, which fell to a 12-year low in March, in reaction to the fallout of the subprime crisis, causing a decline in the balances at a small number of institutions, the statement said.

In spite of the growing outstanding balances and number of accounts, the total trading volume of “exchange forex margin” contracts on the Tokyo Financial Exchange has been showing signs of slowing. The total number of contracts traded in July dropped 6 per cent from a year earlier to 4.05m. In June the figure was unchanged at 3.95m, while May saw a 25 per cent increase to 3.39m.

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The Short View: US dollar and commodities

By John Authers, Investment Editor

Published: August 11 2008 19:35 | Last updated: August 11 2008 19:35

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Shakespeare said, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune. A tide in world markets that had lasted since 2000 seems to have reached its flood. Now it appears to be retreating, taking with it many assumptions.

Last week saw a huge shift in foreign exchange, with big sales of the euro and commodity-backed currencies. That looks to have ended an extended period when it was safe to bet against the dollar. On a trade-weighted basis, the dollar is at its strongest in almost six months and has gained almost 8 per cent since hitting a low in March.

US equities closely tracked the declining dollar. They have drastically underperformed the rest of the world since 2000. That tide also seems to have turned.

The pattern is turbulent, but the MSCI US index has beaten the MSCI EAFE index, covering the developed world outside the US, by about 7 per cent since December. That appears to have been the nadir of a trend that had seen the US underperform the EAFE by 37 per cent since early 2002.

Whether this is really the parting of the waves depends on commodity markets. The dollar has been an almost perfect inverse of energy prices in recent years. Its ascent last week came as the sentiment took hold that the break in oil prices was permanent.

Oil markets would normally react negatively to news of war in the Caucasus, a critical oil-exporting region. The fact that crude prices kept falling suggests that traders are now overwhelmed by a belief that the world economy is in bad shape. That is bad for oil prices.

This is not good news for anyone, but implies that investors should bet that US assets will at least do less badly than others. To quote Shakespeare: “On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.”

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Manila launches assault on separatists

By Roel Landingin in Manila

Published: August 11 2008 17:09 | Last updated: August 11 2008 17:09

Almost 130,000 people have fled their homes following clashes between Philippine government security forces and Muslim separatist rebels in the central Mindanao province of North Cotabato, according to officials.

The military launched air and ground attacks over the weekend when hundreds of rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front failed to comply with a government deadline to leave about a dozen villages in North Cotabato. Political leaders in the largely Christian province about 885km south of Manila are opposing a landmark peace deal with the MILF.

The attacks came days after the Philippine Supreme Court blocked government representatives from signing the peace deal.

Despite the fighting, the government proceeded with voting on Monday for government posts in the autonomous region encompassing neighbouring predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao.

“Generally, the elections there [were] very, very peaceful. The turnout is very, very good,” said José Melo, chairman of the Commission on Elections, indicating that 50-60 per cent of the region’s 1.7m voters took part. Poll officials also used the elections to test automated vote counting technology being considered for the presidential and legislative polls in 2010.

Fighting has been confined to five towns in North Cotabato but the use of heavy bombardment and air attacks by government forces quickly raised the number of displaced families from just 21,211 before the weekend to 129,819, according to the government’s disaster management agency. The number of affected villages jumped from just over a dozen to 42.

The government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the president, and the 12,500-strong MILF rebel army have been holding talks since 2001 in an effort to address the three decade-old separatist conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people.

An earlier peace deal with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), from which the MILF split in the 1970s, has failed to bring peace and progress to Mindanao. The armed forces and the MILF signed a ceasefire deal in 2003 that has largely held in spite of occasional clashes.

However, observers are worried that government mishandling of the peace process, particularly Mrs Macapagal’s failure to forge a broad consensus in support of the new peace deal, could lead to fighting, not just between the MILF and the armed forces, but also between the Muslim rebels and Christian militias fearful of losing land and property to the MILF.

“The renewed fighting in North Cotabato goes to show that when the government bungles the peace negotiations, it is the citizens who suffer,” said Risa Hontiveros, a lawmaker and peace advocate.

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Credit crunch ‘echoes Latin debt crisis’

By Richard Lapper in Santiago

Published: August 11 2008 23:17 | Last updated: August 11 2008 23:17

US financial regulators are making the same mistakes as their Latin American equivalents in the debt crisis of the early 1980s, according to Andrés Velasco, Chile’s finance minister.

Public guarantees for private financial activities had to be coupled with strong regulation, he said, while regulators and credit ratings agencies should have been more vigilant about the risks associated with new financial instruments.

“You learn the hard way,” Mr Velasco told the Financial Times. “This is a more modern and a much bigger version of what we have seen in emerging markets over the last couple of decades.

“The US has made, on a different scale of course, some of the same mistakes Latin America made two decades ago. The US [is living] through [the] movie whose end in Latin America we know full well.”

Like several other countries in Latin America, Chile suffered a devastating debt crisis 25 years ago. But the country – arguably the region’s most successful economy in recent years – has remained largely immune from recent instability on global financial markets.

It has, however, been hit by rising food and energy prices, with annual inflation standing at 9.5 per cent. This is significantly lower than in Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela but high by its own recent standards.

Mr Velasco stressed that Chile would persevere with its tough counter-cyclical fiscal policies, but argued that $22bn (€15bn, £11bn) of scheduled investment in energy generation would also be needed to reduce inflationary pressure.

Chile imports a big chunk of its energy and food requirements and has been hard hit by a recent drought that affected hydroelectric generation capacity and a cut in supplies from Argentina. Mr Velasco said the 3 percentage-point difference between Chile’s inflation and the lower rates in Brazil and Peru was principally due to these twin shocks.

“We are doing a tremendous amount to increase energy supply. You look at private forecasts of energy supply and they see prices falling at the end of the decade,” said Mr Velasco. Two new liquid natural gas plants are scheduled to come on stream by the end of 2009.

The fight against inflation would take place on a number of additional fronts, claimed Mr Velasco, with the government looking for support from employers and trades unions. “Business will have to think twice about increasing margins,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government would keep faith with its tough fiscal policy; the 2008 rate of increase in public spending is expected to tail off slightly compared with what had been expected earlier this year.

“Fiscal policy has been extremely tight,” said Mr Velasco. “We have run a surplus of 7 percentage points or more for three years running. We have paid back every penny of public debt. You would be hard pressed to find any country in the world with better public finances.”

Fiscal savings have been injected into offshore stabilisation funds, which now hold more than $21bn.

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Sudan seeks $1bn to put into agriculture

By Andrew England and Barney JopsoN

Published: August 12 2008 03:00 | Last updated: August 12 2008 03:00

Sudan is seeking to attract at least $1bn of capital for its agricultural sector from Arab and Asian investment groups, which are turning to Africa in search of new food supplies as their governments try to manage the impact of commodity price inflation.

The investment ministry is marketing a portfolio of 17 large-scale projects that would cover an area of 880,000 hectares, one of its officials told the Financial Times.

Abdalla Elhag Mohamed, director of external relations at the ministry, said: "Everyone coming to Sudan is asking about agriculture, to the extent that we are struggling to cope."

The country sees agricultural development as a vital means of reducing its dependence on oil revenues.

The greatest interest has come from governments in the Middle East, where overseas agricultural projects are being seen as tools for ensuring food security following big increases in the prices of rice and wheat, staple foods for the region.

Abu Dhabi is preparing to launch a project to develop more than 28,000 hectares of Sudanese land and Egypt has said it is considering a venture in the giant Gezira scheme, one of Sudan's few irrigation projects. Saudi Arabia, which plans to set up large-scale agricultural projects in a number of countries, has also held talks with Khartoum.

Sudan has been described as a possible bread basket for the Middle East and has great productive potential in land close to the Blue and White Nile rivers and the River Nile proper. But the farming sector is underdeveloped and in need of capital, irrigation systems, roads, machinery and technology.

Sudan has been blighted by decades of conflict and, in spite of oil wealth that began to flow nine years ago, its ability to invest in agriculture has been limited by vast spending on the military in Darfur and other parts of the country where it faces armed opposition.

"In this difficult situation, when we are fighting, it is difficult to say, 'Let them die and we will invest in agriculture'," said Mr Mohamed. The government wants to secure investments totalling $1.04bn (€694m, £543m) for 17 lead projects, which are all in northern Sudan and include wheat, maize, fruit and vegetable production. But besides those, Mr Moh-amed said, there were "hundreds of projects" and "millions of hectares" available.

Sudan's previous efforts to attract agricultural investment had little success partly because they were government-to-government initiatives that hit bureaucratic and diplomatic barriers. This time it has vowed to give the private sector a much bigger role.

Mr Mohamed said "very many" investors from China, India and Malaysia were examining opportunities in the country and he added that Khartoum was also trying to drum up interest in South Africa, Brazil and Argentina. He declined to name specific institutions.

Khartoum is insisting that investors agree to terms that will yield clear benefits for Sudan.

"It's not only to take back to their country. Local people will not accept that," Mr Mohamed said. "It should be very clear in the agreements what proportion of food will remain in Sudan, what other social services they will provide, what new technology they will introduce, the employment they will create and the training for local people."

Sudan's city-dwellers have felt the effects of global inflation in the rising cost of wheat, which is an urban staple, but the country has not been hit as hard as others in Africa. "There are complaints but there've been no riots," said Abdul-Rahim Hamdi, a former finance minister close to the regime.

Foreign direct investment in agriculture rose to $279m in 2007, from $188m in 2006, but it was dwarfed by FDI of $3.1bn in the industrial sector and $1.6bn in the service sector, according to the investment ministry.

Much of the capital has flowed to the oil sector from China and Malaysia. But the regime is aware that its oil reserves are finite and it may lose a large portion if semi-autonomous southern Sudan votes for independence in a referendum scheduled for 2011.

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Algeria tightens foreign investor rules

By Heba Saleh in Cairo

Published: August 11 2008 22:58 | Last updated: August 11 2008 22:58

Algeria has announced tighter terms for foreign investors in what appears to be a review of policy after sharp criticism of the country’s investment climate last month by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the president.

A cryptic announcement on Sunday said the north African country would start taking a majority stake in foreign investments “in accordance with its national interests and means”. This would extend terms that are already applied to the oil and gas industries to other sectors of the economy.

The government did not say when the change would come into effect or to which investments it would apply.

Another measure announced last week obliges foreign investors who obtain tax exemptions to reinvest in Algeria amounts equivalent to the breaks they have received within four years.

Mr Bouteflika had lambasted the investment regime at a meeting with local government officials in which he said foreigners had been allowed to profit at Algeria’s expense without reinvesting some of their earnings in the country.

In spite of sustained economic growth underpinned by high prices for oil and gas, Algeria’s major exports, the country suffers from high unemployment and poor-quality government services to its 34m people.

Mr Bouteflika cited the example of an unnamed investor who, he said, had turned a $700m (€470m, £366m) investment into $2bn dollars of profit in a few years. “I ought to take half of that [profit],” he said. “He [the investor] will still end up ahead.”

Oil and gas are already governed by provisions that give the national company, Sonatrach, a 51 per cent stake in all projects.

Reda Hamiani, the head of the Algerian Forums des Entreprise, a business association, said Algerian participation in foreign investments outside hydrocarbons could come from the private sector. “The trend now is that foreign investment should be better controlled,” said Mr Hamiani.

“We are still waiting for the details, though in principle we agree with the decision. However, we don’t think it is necessary for local investors to have the majority stake. Maybe the state should fix a minimum Algerian participation, like 10 per cent.”

He and others fear the decision might deter investment. “If a foreign investor will not have a controlling stake, how is he going to bring his best people to Algeria to manage his project,” said a foreign business executive who monitors Algeria. “Obviously they feel comfortable [about this] because they are so cash rich.”

Algerian analysts say the changes are being made in response to criticism that local banks have been funding big projects by foreign interests but that the profits go out of the country.

They add that the authorities, who are still in the throes of a lengthy transition from a command economy, were rattled when Egypt-based Orascom Construction Industries, OCI, sold its cement business, including its Algerian assets, to the French group Lafarge.

“They want to be able to control who gets to invest in Algeria,” said Ihsane El Qadi, the economics editor of Al Watan newspaper. “But our problem is not the identity or nationality of investors, but the fact that investments are not creating jobs.”

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Small emirate has powerful ambitions

By Simeon Kerr

Published: August 11 2008 15:43 | Last updated: August 11 2008 15:43

In the 1980s Khater Massaad was asked to survey Ras al-Khaimah’s Hajjar mountains to see if there were any mineral deposits that could bolster the emirate’s modest and diminishing hydrocarbon reserves.

Mr Massaad did not strike gold but he did discover large amounts of limestone and clay. Nearly 30 years later these have become the building blocks for RAK Ceramics, the emirate’s most successful company, of which Mr Massaad is chief executive.

Ras al-Khaimah’s quarries have proved to be a highly profitable seam. Construction in Dubai (an hour’s drive away) and the rest of the Gulf provides strong demand for the emirate’s five cement factories, while its rocks and aggregate have become prized in the building boom.

Supplying bulk commodities is no longer enough for Ras al-Khaimah, however.

Since Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al-Qassimi replaced his brother as crown prince in 2003, Ras al-Khaimah has developed an ambition to rival Dubai for diversification and property.

Various real estate developments are riding the wave of the Gulf property boom. Hamra Village was the first development in the emirate to offer sales to foreigners and the latest project is Gateway City, at the entrance to Ras al-Khaimah, which is located in the far eastern part of the United Arab Emirates.

Tourism projects, aided by the creation of the emirate’s own airline, are also moving forward and include a hotel resort nestled amid the Hajjar mountains.

But there is a potentially fatal check to these ambitions. Ras al-Khaimah, which has a population of just 250,000, depends on the UAE’s federal electricity and water authority for its power needs.

The FEWA, even though it has access to the fifth largest gas reserves in the world, does not have much power to spare. It can guarantee only an extra 300MW per year to the ambitious emirate – well below the 3,000MW of additional capacity that Mr Massaad says is needed during the next five years.

Numerous villas and apartments that are scheduled to be handed over to the public imminently lie dormant without power. Ras al-Khaimah is acting to tackle this serious predicament, says Mr Massad, who these days is chief executive of the Ras al-Khaimah Investment Authority as well as RAK Ceramics.

The government expects more than 100MW of power to come online in the next two months at new gas-fired power stations. These plants will use the emirate’s share of Qatari gas pumped through the Dolphin pipeline, which is run by Abu Dhabi. Another 120MW is expected in a year’s time.

If Ras al-Khaimah’s plans are to be realised, this incremental supply is not going to be sufficient. Qatar has placed a moratorium on further development in its north field, and that blocks the UAE’s access to any more supply through the Dolphin pipeline.

The intention is that Ras al-Khaimah should import coal into a region that has the world’s largest hydro­carbon reserves – an irony that is not lost on Mr Massad. “We need the power,” he says.

In a deal with the UK’s Independent Power Corporation, Ras al-Khaimah is planning to build a 600MW coal-fired power station, the region’s first. The plan is to expand it to a massive 3,000MW four or five years after completion.

Delivery of this fresh power, says Mr Massad, will allow the emirate to pursue its development initiatives.

Ras al-Khaimah has launched a mining investment company, RAK Minerals & Metals Investment, which is helping to source Indonesian coal for the power plant, along with other mining investments in Armenia and Congo.

Industry, from glass factories to automobile assembly plants, forms the centrepiece of Ras al-Khaimah’s future, which will build on the experience of the ceramics plant.

RAK Ceramics, which has raised production to three times UAE demand, exports 85 per cent of its output of 70m sq m a year. It is targeting further overseas expansion, especially into vibrant markets in India and Pakistan via a third factory in India.

“We want sustainable industry, not just building materials, so that finished goods can be exported from here,” Mr Massaad says.

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French are left out in the 'froid'

By Victor Mallet

Published: August 12 2008 03:00 | Last updated: August 12 2008 03:00

France is not having the best of times so far in this Olympics. The country had yet to register its first gold medal by the end of yesterday's action, a day in which it also suffered an agonising setback.

After three legs of the men's 4x100m swimming relay, its team led the mighty American quartet. But the hapless French were overhauled and beaten to gold by just 0.08sec.

The French are also losing on another front at these games despite much dogged determination and financial support on their part. This concerns the nation's eccentric quest for perpetual linguistic pre-eminence in the Olympic movement.

Not many of the 5,000-plus members of the media covering the games would have given the subject a thought had a Canadian journalist not asked Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, for his views on the matter during a news conference.

Mr Rogge - a Belgian count, former Olympic yachtsman and flawless French speaker - harked back to the founding of the modern Olympics by Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin and noted that, although both French and English were official languages of the IOC, French took precedence in the case of disputes.

The IOC, Mr Rogge continued, insisted that all signs be in French, English and the language of the host country, and in Beijing the medal announcements would be made in French, English and then Chinese. "So I can say that French has its full, legitimate place in the Olympic movement."

Behind these words lie a well-financed campaign by France, led by its foreign ministry and supported by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (the OIF, a group of largely French-speaking nations), to ensure French is used at the games.

For the ministry, the Olympic effort is part of an €50m drive to ensure that French "continues to be a major language of international communication". The OIF, meanwhile, has appointed a kind of chief language inspector in Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French prime minister, who will be "Grand Témoin de la Francophonie" at the Olympics.

If Mr Raffarin is meticulous, he will quickly discover that his Chinese hosts do not care one way or the other about the use of French. Only in the signposts and formal announcements under the IOC's influence does French take its rightful place. Elsewhere, as always in China, Chinese and English are the languages of choice.

France has tried and failed before in Asia. In the 1990s, when French nostalgia about its former colonies in Indochina was at its peak, Paris made heroic, but ultimately futile, attempts to enhance the status of French in the region.

In Cambodia, for example, the French government insisted that medical and other students financed by French aid should be taught in French but had to retreat in the face of demonstrations by students demanding to be taught in English.

This FT correspondent, a Francophile whose children speak French, takes no pleasure in the waning power of French. However, with global communications increasingly dominated by English, Spanish and Chinese, it may be time for the French to stop funding campaigns to persuade others to speak a language they have little use for.

The French counter-argument is that many languages and cultures - not just French - are being overwhelmed by American influence and that Paris is standing up for the little guy.

"I'm not normally that patriotic but I was really happy that the announcements were made in French," Stéphanie Balme, a Beijing-based politics professor from Sciences Po in Paris, said after watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics. "I think most French and European people feel the same way. It shows the necessity of cultural diversity."

If French does survive in China as a useful medium of expression, it is unlikely to retain its purity. In the FT's room at the faux-rococo Howard Johnson Regal Court Hotel in Beijing, the hot and cold taps in the bathroom are marked "warm" and "froid".

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Baltic states turn on Russia

By Robert Anderson in Stockholm

Published: August 11 2008 17:04 | Last updated: August 11 2008 17:04

The Baltic states, past victims of Kremlin attacks, have called on the European Union to suspend its drive for closer relations with Russia after its invasion of Georgia.

“We have to review our policy. Can we consider a partner a country who behaves like this?” President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia said in an interview. He added: “It’s time to stop sticking our head in the sand.”

The presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, together with Poland, issued a joint statement at the weekend warning that the Georgian conflict would be a credibility “litmus test” for Nato and the EU.

This immediately prompted a warning from the Russian ambassador to Latvia that they would pay for their attitude. “One must not hurry on such serious issues, as serious mistakes can be made that have to be paid for a long time afterwards,” Alexander Veshnyakov told the Baltic News Service on Monday.

The Baltic states fought for their independence against Russia in the early 1990s and have suffered frequent Russian interference since.

After Estonia moved a Soviet war memorial in spring last year, Russia interrupted border traffic and nationalists attacked Estonia’s embassy in Moscow and launched a wave of cyber attacks against public and private institutions. Georgia is now suffering similar web-based attacks and Estonia has sent two of its experts to give advice.

Baltic leaders believe they have been vindicated by Russia’s attack on Georgia and they hope that EU foreign ministers will share their tough attitude when they meet on Wednesday.

“It’s very difficult for any country to take the same view of the EU-Russian relationship as they did before,” said President Ilves. “The (Russian) behaviour has been so egregious that we can’t close our eyes any more.”

President Ilves said that this would not be an anti-Russian coalition, as some EU states such as Italy fear, stressing: “It’s a pro-democracy, pro-rule of law coalition that is emerging right now.”

The Baltic and Polish presidents are calling for a review of the planned new Partnership and Co-operation Agreement between Russia and the EU and for the suspension of the programme to ease EU-Russia visa restrictions.

The presidents accuse Moscow of failing to meet the minimum requirements for the visa facilitation programme and of abusing the scheme in South Ossetia.

“The visa facilitation policy was complicit in what happened in Georgia,” said President Ilves, pointing out that Russia issued passports to inhabitants of the separatist region - granting them easier access to the EU than Georgians - and then used the presence of Russian nationals there to help justify its invasion.

The presidents also criticise Nato’s failure to give Georgia a timetable for membership earlier this year: “We regret that the not granting of Nato’s Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia was seen as a green light for aggression in the region,” their statement said.

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Kazakh rival lifts ENRC stake to block bid

By Carola Hoyos and Maggie Urry in London

Published: August 11 2008 18:50 | Last updated: August 12 2008 04:00

Kazakhmys, the copper miner, has effectively blocked its biggest rival Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation from making a hostile bid for it by raising its stake in its corporate compatriot to just over 25 per cent.

Kazakhmys said on Monday it had lifted its stake from 22.2 to 25.02 per cent, a rise that gives it the ability to block any special resolutions ENRC might propose that require a 75 per cent majority.

Oleg Novachuk, chief executive of Kazakhmys, said: “The recent decline in mining equities provided an opportunity to modestly increase our holding in ENRC.”

However, Michael Rawlinson, analyst at Liberum Capital, said the stake-build was important.

“For a small sum, Kazakhmys have effectively neutered ENRC’s ability to issue shares and acquire large assets, including Kazakhmys itself,” he said.

Hostility between the two groups, which are listed in London and members of the FTSE 100 index, has persisted for many months. First, ENRC made an indicative bid for Kazakhmys which was rebuffed, then Kazakhmys continued to build its stake in ENRC. In June, it bought a block of shares representing 7.7 per cent of ENRC from the Kazakh government.

Kazakhmys said it had “no current intention” of bidding for ENRC or of putting itself in a position where it was obliged to bid. However, many industry analysts believe the two will eventually merge, in a sector buzzing with speculation since Xstrata bid £5bn ($9.5bn) for Lonmin last week.

Michael Carter, chief executive of Visor Capital, a Kazakh investment bank, said: “This puts them [Kazakmys] much more in the driver’s seat of any major transaction.”

It is likely Kazakhmys will press for a board seat at ENRC. It had requested board representation before ENRC floated on the London Stock Exchange last December but was refused.

Kazakhmys is mainly a copper mining company while ENRC concentrates on iron, aluminium and ferrochrome. It is thought the Kazakh government, which has stakes in both companies, would be keen for a merger to produce a champion to rival groups such as BHP Billiton.

ENRC shares, which peaked at more than £15 in June, fell 5.69 per cent to £10.60, giving it a market capitalisation of £14.5bn. Kazakhmys shares, which exceeded £19 in May, fell 1.12 per cent to £12.34.

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LG leapfrogs Samsung in US but Motorola stays on top

By Paul Taylor in New York

Published: August 12 2008 03:00 | Last updated: August 12 2008 03:00

LG Electronics, the Korean mobile phone manufacturer, has overtaken rival Samsung to take second place in the US handset market behind Motorola in the latest quarter.

The figures, prepared by Strategy Analytics, a Boston-based research firm, underscore the popularity of several touchscreen-based handsets made by LG, including the Vu and Voyager. Both are sold by Verizon Wireless in competition with Apple's iPhone offered exclusively by AT&T in the US.

Overall the US market increased by 5.3 per cent to 41.9m phones from the year-earlier quarter, growing more slowly than Asia and Africa. Global unit sales rose 15 per cent to 297m, Strategy Analytics said.

LG accounted for 21 per cent of the phones sold in the US last quarter, regaining the number two ranking which it lost to Samsung two years ago. Motorola, the struggling US mobile phone maker, widened its share of unit sales to 25.8 per cent, while Samsung's share fell to 18.6 per cent.

Research in Motion, the Canadian manufacturer of the BlackBerry, took the number four spot in the US, lifting its market share to more than 10 per cent for the first time. The company garnered 10.6 per cent of units shipped, helped by demand for its Pearl and Curve multimedia devices.

Nokia, the global market leader with more than 41 per cent of unit sales worldwide, ranked fifth. It almost doubled its US market share to 9.5 per cent. Apple's share of US unit sales fell to 1 per cent from 2.7 per cent in the previous quarter after it phased out the original iPhone ahead of the launch in July of the 3G iPhone.

In spite of the popularity of the iPhone, Verizon Wireless, the mobile joint venture between Verizon Communications and the UK's Vodafone, has been adding subscribers faster than AT&T's mobile unit in recent quarters, helped in part by LG's Vu and Voyager handsets.

LG has also emerged as the biggest supplier of handsets to Verizon Wireless, which operates a nationwide 3G network based on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology, a rival to GSM-based systems.

While Motorola could lose its number one US ranking this year to LG, most analysts believe this is unlikely. Under Greg Brown, Motorola's co-chief executive, it has shown signs of stabilising its global and US market share after a slide.

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Tesco to open grocery stores in India, supply goods to Tata
AFP
AFP - 1 hour 34 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - Tesco, the biggest British retailer, announced Tuesday plans to open wholesale grocery stores in India that will supply goods to hypermarkets owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Group.
(Advertisement)

"This is another exciting development for Tesco," the group's chief executive Terry Leahy said in a statement.

"It complements our entries into China and the United States, giving us access to another of the most important economies in the world. Our wholesale cash-and-carry format will bring improved value, range and service to thousands of Indian businesses," he added.

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三菱ＵＦＪ、米銀を完全子会社化　3000億円超でＴＯＢ

　三菱ＵＦＪフィナンシャル・グループは12日、約65％を出資する米有力地方銀行のユニオンバンカル・コーポレーション（ＵＮＢＣ、カリフォルニア州）を完全子会社化する方向で最終調整に入った。ＴＯＢ（株式公開買い付け）で約35％分の株式を追加取得する案が有力で、金額は3000億円を超える見通し。完全子会社化で経営の自由度を高め、海外の柱である米国事業を強化する。

　ＵＮＢＣはニューヨーク証券取引所に上場しており、ＴＯＢが成立すれば上場廃止となる。ＵＮＢＣのほかの株主や金融当局と協議し、近く完全子会社化を最終決定するとみられる。

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7月の企業物価7.1％上昇、最終製品に波及も

　日銀が12日発表した7月の国内企業物価指数（2005年＝100、速報値）は112.0となり、前年同月に比べ7.1％上昇した。伸び率は第2次石油ショックが影を落とした1981年1月（8.1％）以来、27年6カ月ぶりの水準。石油・石炭製品や鉄鋼などが大幅に上昇したことを背景に、トラックなど最終製品にもじわりと価格転嫁が進んできている。消費者物価がさらに上昇する可能性もあり、企業や家計の負担感は一段と強まっている。

　国内企業物価指数の7月の伸び率は6月より1.4ポイント高まり、5％台後半とみていた市場の見通しを大きく上回った。前年同月比プラスは、53カ月連続。

　業種別では石油・石炭製品が同43.6％上昇。ナフサ高でエチレンなど化学製品も7.3％上がった。日本の原油価格の指標となるドバイ原油が1カ月で 14％上がった6月の原油市況の高騰を反映した。電力・都市ガス・水道も、7月からの電気料金引き上げで8.1％伸び、幅広い企業に原料高の影響が広がっている。

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株譲渡益や配当の税率、60歳以上は10％を維持　日証協が要望へ

　日本証券業協会は2009年度の税制改正で、60歳以上の高齢者に限り、株式の譲渡益や配当にかかる軽減税率（10％）を維持するよう要望する。高齢者の投資離れを食い止めるため、来年1月に予定している軽減税率の見直しを適用しないよう求める。

　日証協はこの要望を「投資マル優（高齢者向け投資優遇）制度」としてまとめ、9月から自民党などに導入を働きかける。同党の麻生太郎幹事長は300万円までの株式投資について、配当金を非課税とする「証券マル優制度」（仮称）の創設を提案しており、経済対策ともからんだ証券税制論議が活発化しそうだ。

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政府・与党：株譲渡益など非課税の方向で検討

　政府・与党は１１日、一定額以下の株式の売買で得た譲渡益や配当を非課税にする方向で検討に入った。景気刺激策の一環で、低迷する株式市場の活性化を促す狙いがある。証券税制をめぐっては、自民党の麻生太郎幹事長が３００万円以下の株式投資を対象に配当の非課税を提案。与謝野馨経済財政担当相も同日の記者会見で「額としてはそう大きなものではない」と前向きな姿勢を示した。ただ、与党内には「生活者対策を優先すべきだ」との声もあり、今秋の税制改正に向け調整を進める。

　証券税制は０３年度税制改正で、株式の譲渡益と配当にかかる税率を本来の２０％から１０％に引き下げる優遇措置が講じられた。０９年以降、段階的に戻すことになっているが、証券業界などからは代替策を求める声が上がっている。

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財務次官、麻生氏の証券税制発言に「まず金融所得課税一体化」

　財務省の杉本和行事務次官は11日の記者会見で、自民党の麻生太郎幹事長が経済対策として証券優遇税制の拡充を提案したことについて「2008年度の税制改正から金融所得課税の一体化を進めている。まずはこの措置を確実に実施し、証券市場が活性化することを望んでいる」と述べ、具体化に慎重な姿勢を示した。

　一方、金融庁の佐藤隆文長官は同日の記者会見で「現在の制度やこれまでの経緯に配慮しながら、（8月末の金融庁としての）税制改正要望に盛り込むかを検討したい」と語った。

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地デジ移行に必要な経費、国債で賄い分割払い　総務省検討

　総務省は2011年7月の地上デジタル放送の完全移行に必要な経費について、財源を国債で賄う「国庫債務負担行為」を適用する方向で財務省と調整に入った。総務省は必要経費を国費だけで2000億円超と試算している。毎年度の情報通信関連予算を圧迫しないようにするため、必要経費を5―7年程度かけて分割払いする。

　総務省所管の情報通信関連予算は年1400億円弱。これとは別に生活保護世帯への地デジ専用チューナーの無償配布などを計画しており、3、4年で2000億円以上の追加負担が必要になる見込みだ。その予算をどう確保するかが大きな課題になっている。

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物価高・省エネを柱に　政府経済対策、「考え方」提示

　政府・与党は11日、経済対策として打ち出す「安心実現のための総合対策」の考え方をまとめた。生活の不安を招いている物価高対策や省エネルギー対策を柱に、8月末の具体策づくりを目指す。ただ財政再建との両立は難しく、財源手当てを前提とするなら不要との見方もある。規制緩和など将来の成長基盤を築く対策には踏み込んでおらず、内需を盛り上げる改革の方向は見えない。

　今回の対策は、福田康夫首相が4日に内閣改造を受けて与謝野馨経済財政担当相に作成を指示した。国民の不安解消を目指すとともに無駄な政策をなくす改革も並行して実施することを原則とした。経財相は関係閣僚や与党幹部と会って基本的な考え方をまとめた。

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金融業でもクルマ離れが影　損保大手7社、4―6月業績不振

　ガソリン高などを背景にした自動車の販売低迷が、金融業界の業績にも影響を及ぼしている。損害保険大手7社が11日発表した2008年4―6月期決算は、自動車保険の落ち込みが響き、単体の保険料収入が6社で前年同期を下回った。消費者のクルマ離れや小型車志向が定着し、損保やリース、信販会社など “クルマ依存型”の金融業は事業構造の転換を迫られている。

　7社合計の自動車保険の保険料収入は、前年同期比1.3％減の8174億円。4月から自動車保険の保険料を値上げした損害保険ジャパン以外の6社が落ち込んだ。

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人事院勧告、本省若手の待遇厚く　「調整手当創設を」

　人事院は11日まとめた2008年度の国家公務員（一般職）の給与勧告で、中央省庁の本省に勤務する若手職員らに新たな手当を09年度から支給するよう求めた。景気の低迷で伸び悩む民間企業の賃金動向を踏まえ、09年度の月給と期末・勤勉手当（ボーナス、現行4.5カ月）を2年ぶりに据え置くよう要請した。

　人事院は毎年、民間の給与水準を調べ、官民格差を是正する措置を国会と内閣に勧告している。労働基本権の制約を受けている国家公務員は労使間で賃金交渉ができないためだ。

　本省の若手職員らに支給するよう求めた新手当の名称は「本府省業務調整手当」。国会対応や予算編成作業などの負担が重い点を考慮し、来年4月から支給すべきだと勧告した。係長には基本給の4％、係員には2％を月給に上乗せして支払う。支給額は月4000―1万5000円程度。初年度は移行期間として、それぞれ2％、1％に抑える。

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医師研修のプログラム、地域の実情反映　厚労省が09年度から

　厚生労働省は医師の臨床研修制度を見直し、2009年度から大学病院が独自に研修プログラムを一部変更できるようにする。大学病院ごとに特色のある計画を作成してもらい、地域の実情に応じた医療体制を整える。同省は医師不足が指摘される救急医療などの診療科目に重点を置いた研修が増えれば、地域医療の崩壊に歯止めをかける効果があるとみている。

　見直しの対象は医学部を持つ79の国立・私立大学病院。特に「地域医療に影響のある分野」について、来年度から研修プログラムの一部変更を認める。地域内で不足している診療科の研修期間を長くするなど、厚労省が認める範囲内で独自の研修を組むことが可能になる。

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久留米井筒屋、来年２月で閉店

　北九州市に本店を置く百貨店の井筒屋は12日、子会社を通じて運営する久留米井筒屋（福岡県久留米市）を来年2月末で閉店すると発表した。福岡市中心街や郊外の大型商業施設への顧客流出が響き、2008年2月期で約63億円の債務超過に陥っていた。

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東急不、5000億円投資　オフィスなど開発、３年計画

　東急不動産は2010年度までの3年間に最大5000億円を投入、オフィスや商業施設の再開発を進める。需要が見込める渋谷や千代田などの都心部や地方中核都市を対象に、オフィス・商業施設事業を拡大する。都心部ではオフィスや商業施設の供給不足が続く半面、米国の信用力の低い個人向け住宅融資（サブプライムローン）問題で欧米系ファンドの不動産投資が一服し、優良ビルを割安な価格で取得できると判断。不動産市況が悪化するなか、優良案件に経営資源を集中する。

　同社が開発投資を積極化するのは本社のある東京・渋谷のほか千代田、中央、港の都心４区を中心とした都心部。このほか大阪や名古屋など大都市圏でも開発を進め3年間で過去最大規模の4500億―5000億円を投入、合わせて12プロジェクトを手掛ける計画。

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ハウス食品、カレー店をアジアで拡大　11年末めど4倍の60店に

　ハウス食品はアジアでカレーレストランの出店を急拡大する。グループ会社でカレーチェーン最大手の壱番屋と組み、日本式のカレーを提供。中国と韓国、台湾で店舗数を現在の14店から2011年末には4倍超の60店に引き上げる。将来は東南アジアでの出店も検討する。主力商品の固形ルーの販売拡大を目的に店舗展開をしてきたが、同事業単独で採算が見込めると判断した。

　中国では年内に、上海や北京などに計8店舗を出店する計画。来年以降はフランチャイズチェーン（ＦＣ）方式も検討して出店を加速。瀋陽や大連なども含め、計40店体制にする予定だ。

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新市庁舎整備、横浜市が民間から公募　関内地区、事業効率化狙う

　横浜市は新市庁舎の整備事業案を民間から公募する。現在の市庁舎が立つ港町地区や新市庁舎の移転候補地である北仲通南地区など、関内地区全体の一体整備案を募集する。現市庁舎は老朽化が激しいうえ、組織の拡大で手狭になっている。民間のノウハウを生かし、コスト削減や事業効率化を実現したい考えだ。

　市は新市庁舎を再整備事業の核に据える。みなとみらい（ＭＭ）21地区に比べ業務や商業機能が見劣りする関内地区全体の活性化につなげる。

　市は新市庁舎整備について(1)港町地区周辺(2)港町地区と北仲通南地区(3)北仲通南地区――の3案を候補としている。新市庁舎の規模はいずれも13万2000―14万3000平方メートルを想定。これら3案に基づいた事業計画や資金・収支計画のほか、関内地区全体の再活性化策も併せて募集する。

　提案は2010年度以降に予定する事業者募集の際の資格要件とする。企業グループでの募集も可能。市は11月下旬までに優秀提案を決め、今年度中に事業手法を絞り込む。問い合わせは都市整備局企画課（電話045・671・2024）。

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マツタケ売り場国際色　中国産は不安、メキシコ産存在感

　代表的な秋の味覚、マツタケ。今シーズンは国産が猛暑の影響で品薄となり、割高になりそうだが、輸入物は中国産が消費者の敬遠ムードもあり、店頭価格も前年比1―2割安。一方、メキシコや北欧など新顔産地が売り場で存在感を増す。マツタケ売り場は価格や産地の面で多種多様になっている。

　一部の百貨店では輸入マツタケの販売が始まった。横浜そごうの店頭には中国産が並ぶ。前年より1―2割安い値段で販売している。中国産は100グラム800円程度、1箱（5―6本入り）で2500―3500円程度の店が多い。

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国宝仏像３体、金堂に搬入へ　唐招提寺で作業始まる

　奈良市の唐招提寺で、2000年から続いた金堂の解体修理がほぼ終了したのに伴い、国宝の仏像3体を堂内に戻すための作業が12日、始まった。

　国宝は境内の作業所に置かれており、同日はまず千手観音立像に布などを巻きつけ、運搬の際に傷つかないよう備える。本尊・盧舎那仏（るしゃなぶつ）坐像や薬師如来立像も順次梱包する。

　千手観音立像は26日に金堂に運び込む予定で、太い腕10本を残して外された943本の手も取り付けられる。9月下旬には、国宝三尊が約8年ぶりに金堂にそろう。

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中国空軍が“禁酒令”…今まで勤務中に飲んでたのか？

　中国の通信社、中国新聞社は１２日までに、中国の空軍がこのほど、勤務中の飲酒や飲酒運転などを禁じる規定を公布したと報じた。

　同社によると、空軍が禁酒を命じる規定を出すのは初めて。詳しい理由は不明だが、北京五輪に熱狂し、つい飲酒してしまうなど軍内部の綱紀の乱れが原因の可能性もありそうだ。

　公布されたのは「飲酒を厳格に規制する空軍部隊規定」。勤務日の昼食時や勤務期間中の飲酒を禁止するとし、違反した場合は免職や降格などの処分を受ける。飲酒運転も厳禁で、抜き打ち検査を始めているという。

　空軍当局者は「規律強化と空軍の良好なイメージ維持に有利」とだけ説明している。

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路上強盗：プーさんの姿で…２０歳容疑者逮捕　警視庁

　クマのプーさんやヒョウ、ネズミの着ぐるみ姿で路上強盗－－警視庁王子署は１１日、東京都北区上十条、職業不詳、石川正幸容疑者（２０）を強盗傷害容疑で逮捕した。遊び仲間の１５、１６歳の少年ら３人とともに、着ぐるみ姿で襲ったもので「成り行きでやった」と供述している。

　調べでは、石川容疑者は先月２７日午前１時半ごろ、自宅近くの路上で、会社員の男性（２７）ら２人に「見たな」と因縁をつけ、近くの公園まで連れていき、殴るなどして現金計約１万８０００円を奪った疑い。男性は唇を切り約２週間のけが。

　着ぐるみは、男子高校生（１６）の家にあったもの。翌日に王子署に出頭した高校生ら３人は近く書類送検される見通し。

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ウナギ偽装で損失６億７０００万円－－マルハニチロＨＤ

　マルハニチロホールディングスは１１日、子会社の神港魚類（神戸市）が関与した産地偽装ウナギの販売と同ウナギから禁止抗菌剤が検出された問題で、０８年４～６月期連結決算で関連損失６億７０００万円を特別損失として計上したと発表した。販売が見込めない在庫の損失と、問題になったウナギの回収費用を処理した。０９年３月期の業績予想は修正しない。

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戦時下の食事を再現　意外に美味だったが…

　「配給」「国策炊き」「雑草」－－太平洋戦争当時、食生活は窮乏し、国民は空腹をまぎらわすのに工夫を重ねた。その苦労を知ろうと、戦時中の毎日新聞の記事などから、当時のレシピを辻クッキングスクール東京本部・家庭料理研究室の鈴木博子室長に再現してもらった。世界各地で食糧不足が深刻化する現在、日本にとって６０年余り前の食糧難が無関係であってほしいものだが……。【江刺弘子】

　調理したのは「水みそ汁」（毎日新聞・１９４４年４月２８日付）、「白オムレツ」（週刊毎日＝現サンデー毎日＝１９４４年４月２日号）、「茶殻の利用」（週刊毎日・１９４３年１０月１０日号）の３品。いずれも記事には分量や具体的な作り方があるわけでなく、ありあわせの野菜を利用し、手順を簡単に記しているだけだ。

　「水みそ汁」は、だしをとらずに水でみそを溶き、野菜を入れたもの。野菜といっても芋の葉程度だったかもしれない。それでも空襲警報がいつあるかわからない中で、簡単に作れる汁物があれば、食卓を預かるものには便利だっただろう。再現では白ネギ、キュウリ、シソ、ミョウガをいれ、最後に白ゴマを散らした。そのせいか、だしを使ってないもののつゆがおいしい。みそは仙台味噌を使ったが、その塩味が具の風味を引き立ているように感じる。冷やしてご飯にかけると宮崎の郷土料理「冷や汁」のようにもなりそうだ。

　「白オムレツ」は水溶きうどん粉を薄く焼いた生地に、野菜を包み込んだもので、粉としょうゆで作ったソースをかけて食べる。「オムレツ」とは名ばかりで、卵はなし。それでも厚さ１ミリ程度の生地は、粉っぽさを感じさせず、うっすらとついた焦げ目部分が味の変化を感じさせ食欲をそそる。単調になりがちな野菜料理も、生地に巻くだけで、目先が変わり、食が進むようだ。「白オムレツ」でも記事には、「野菜を刻んで」という表現で、具体的な野菜の指定はない。今回はキャベツ、ニンジン、ニラを利用したが、実際はありあわせといっても芋の茎など１種類の野菜をはさむ程度だったと想像する。またソースには砂糖を入れ、みたらし団子風の味に仕上げたが、記事には、ミカンなどの皮粉を代用するとあった。

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アイヌ：有識者懇が初会合　先住権や支援策など検討

　政府の「アイヌ政策のあり方に関する有識者懇談会」の初会合が１１日、首相官邸で開かれた。アイヌを先住民族と認めるよう政府に求めた６月の国会決議を受けて設置された。先住民族と認定する場合の先住権の扱いや新たな支援策などを検討し、１年後をメドに報告書をまとめる予定。

　初会合では町村信孝官房長官が「アイヌが名誉と尊厳を保持し次世代に継承していくうえで必要な施策提言をお願いしたい」とあいさつ。座長に選ばれた佐藤幸治・京大名誉教授が記者会見し「アイヌにとって今、何が必要なのか具体的な施策を考えることを優先させたい」と述べ、よく分かっていない全国的なアイヌの実態調査を行う考えを示した。

　懇談会には北海道ウタリ協会の加藤忠理事長がアイヌ代表として参加。９月の次回会合では加藤理事長と高橋はるみ北海道知事がアイヌの現状や課題について説明する。

　アイヌ民族に関する政府の有識者懇は９５年も設置され、９６年に文化振興などを求める報告書を提出。９７年、北海道旧土人保護法（１８９９年制定）が廃止され、アイヌ語や伝統的な民族舞踊などの普及・発展を図る新法「アイヌ文化振興法」が成立した。

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がん患者：３割が転職、４割収入減…東京大講座調査

　がん患者の４人に３人が現在の仕事を続けたいと考えているが、実際には３人に１人が転職していることが、東京大医療政策人材養成講座の調査で分かった。約４割は収入も下がり、がん患者が厳しい就労環境に直面している現状が浮き彫りになった。

　治療中や治療経験のあるがん患者に３月、仕事の変化や、仕事への不安などを尋ねた。４０３人（男性４０人、女性３６３人）が有効回答。２０～４０代の働き盛りの世代が約７割を占め、乳がん患者が最も多かった。

　がんと診断された時点で、３０６人（７５．９％）が「これまでの仕事を続けたい」と思っていたが、うち９５人（３１％）が診断後に仕事が変わった。内訳は解雇１４人、依願退職２３人、廃業８人などだった。収入は１５６人（３８．７％）が「下がった」と回答した。

　調査時点で働いている２８０人のうち、仕事の継続に６１．１％が不安を感じ、不安なく続けるために「同僚や上司の理解が必要」と答えた人が６８．６％を占め、トップだった。

　仕事をしていない１２３人のうち、８５％が仕事に就きたいと回答。うち約半数が「これまでの社会経験を生かした仕事」、４割が「病気の経験を生かした仕事」を希望した。

　また、「がんを理由に主要業務をはずされた」「病気のことを言うと、正社員になるのが難しい」「育児休暇のように、がんの治療休暇がほしい」など切実な声が上がった。

　調査チームの桜井なおみさん（４１）は「乳がんや子宮がんは術後２年間は毎月、３年目からは３カ月に１回の治療が必要で、女性の就職はより厳しい。治療を受けながら働けるよう、柔軟な勤務体制の導入が必要だ」と話している。

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The future of Georgia and Saakashvili falls into Russia’s hands
12.08.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/106068-georgia_saakashvili-0

The troops of Abkhazia, another unrecognized republic and an enclave in Georgia, have launched an operation to oust the Georgian military men from the upper part of the Kodori Gorge, Interfax reports with reference to the Abkhazian Defense Ministry.

The point units of the Abkhazian army – about 2,000 people - entered the upper part of the Kodori Gorge at about 8 a.m. Tuesday. Georgia has about 2,500 men in the region. All civilians have been evacuated through the humanitarian corridor, Abkhazian defense officials said.

Abkhazian fighter jets bombed Georgia’s battle positions in Ajar. Abkhazia’s defense officials stated that Georgia’s groups in the region had been encircled and defeated as a result of the landing operation.

Georgia launched missiles from man-portable systems targeting Abkhazian combat helicopters Tuesday morning.

Officials from the Defense Ministry of Abkhazia stated that the Georgian troops had an opportunity to leave the upper part of the Kodori Gorge through the humanitarian corridor.

Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh announced partial mobilization in the republic on August 10.

Sergei Shamba, the Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, stated that Russian troops were not participating in the operations in the Kodori Gorge. Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vitali Churkin confirmed the information.

“Our troops in Abkhazia remain within the security zone. Our defense officials strongly deny all panic reports which claim that the Russian troops had supposedly occupied the town of Gori and advanced towards Tbilisi [Georgia’s capital],” Churkin said as the session of the UN Security Council ended Tuesday.

Abkhazia opened the second front on August 9 and launched an operation to oust the Georgian troops from the Kodori Gorge.

Georgia’s parliament will hold a special meeting Tuesday, at 1:00 p.m. local time upon Mikhail Saakashvili’s decision.

“The special session of the parliament will be held to discuss measures to guarantee law and order and to provide people with everything that they need,” ITAR-TASS quoted Saakashvili as saying.

There were no incidents reported last night in Georgia. Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, lives and functions as usual. The public transport, including the metro, the airport, stores and state institutions, work according to their usual schedule.

The prime minister of Georgia urged the nation to keep calm.

“The president holds intensive telephone conversations with leaders of different countries. We are expecting adequate help, although we are disappointed that the situation has been brought to its current condition,” the prime minister said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is arriving in Moscow Tuesday to conduct negotiations with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Sarkozy’s prime goal is to make the authorities of Russia and Georgia sit down for talks.

Russian news agencies say that the Kremlin may put forward tough conditions for peace, which may include a requirement for Mikhail Saakashvili to step down from the position of Georgia’s president.

Sarkozy has virtually become the first Western leader who publicly estimated Moscow’s requirement to Tbilisi to undertake a commitment not to use force.

Russia has repeatedly asked Georgia to sign a legally binding document not to use force for the solution of Georgia’s conflict with the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia. However, Georgia’s Saakashvili claimed that he did not see a need in signing the document. If Georgia had signed the document with Russia, it would have entailed the nation’s direct responsibility for the military actions against S. Ossetia.

France , Germany and Finland, the chairing state at the OSCE, will most likely become Russia’s international mediators. Moscow is not likely to agree for such services from the USA since the US administration openly supports Tbilisi at the UN Security Council.

Russia needs to conduct negotiations with European states to start the political regulation of the conflict. Sarkozy’s visit to Moscow could be a good opportunity to start the process.

In addition to Saakashvili’s resignation, Moscow will strive for his persecution at the special International Tribunal for South Ossetia.

The Kremlin considers the question of Saakashvili’s exemption from power to be a principal issue in the solution of the conflict. Nicolas Sarkozy will thus have to either personally convince the Georgian president of the need to step down or explain at the Kremlin that Russia’s conditions would be unfeasible.

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Bush: Why don’t you shut up?
12.08.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/106067-bushshutup-0

Taking the words of the illustrious King of Spain, in his imbecillic retort to President Hugo Chavez, we use them not as a response to a diatribe but rather, a just retort to an imbecile. President George W. Bush, why don’t you shut up?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? In your statement on Monday regarding the legitimate actions of the Russian Federation in Georgia, you failed to mention once the war crimes perpetrated by Georgian military forces, which American advisors support, against Russian and Ossetian civilians. Kinda embarrassing, eh?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Your faithful ally, Mikhail Saakashvili, was announcing a ceasefire deal while his troops, with your advisors, were massing on Ossetia’s border, which they crossed under cover of night and destroyed Tskhinvali, targeting civilian structures just like your forces did in Iraq. Kinda humanitarian, eh?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? The military forces of your faithful ally, Georgia, supported by American advisors, while on a mission as peacekeepers in Ossetia, were ordered to open fire on Russian peacekeeping forces in the same team. Kinda noble, eh?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Your American transport aircraft gave a ride home to thousands of Georgian soldiers from Iraq directly into the combat zone. Did your boys wish them good luck as they stepped off the aircraft? I can almost hear it, “Give ‘em Hell!” Kinda friendly, eh?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? How do you account for the fact that among the Georgian soldiers fleeing the fighting yesterday you could clearly hear officers using American English giving orders to “Get back inside” and how do you account for the fact that there are reports of American soldiers among the Georgian casualties? Kinda odd, eh?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Do you really think anyone gives any importance whatsoever to your words after 8 years of your criminal and murderous regime and policies? Do you really believe you have any moral ground whatsoever and do you really imagine there is a single human being anywhere on this planet who does not stick up his middle finger every time you appear on a TV screen? Kinda makes ya’ll think, eh?

Do you really believe you have the right to give any opinion or advice after Abu Ghraib? After Guantanamo? After the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens? After the torture by CIA operatives? Kinda difficult, eh?

Do you really believe you have any right to make a statement on any point of international law after your trumped-up charges against Iraq and the subsequent criminal invasion? Like spittin’ into the wind, right?

President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Suppose Russia for instance declares that Georgia has weapons of mass destruction? And that Russia knows where these WMD are, namely in Tblisi and Poti and north, south, east and west of there? And that it must be true because there is “magnificent foreign intelligence” such as satellite photos of milk powder factories and baby cereals producing chemical weapons and which are currently being “driven around the country in vehicles”? Suppose Russia declares for instance that “Saakashvili stiffed the world” and it is “time for regime change”?

Nice and simple, isn’t it, President Bush?

So, why don’t you shut up? Oh and by the way, send some more of your military advisors to Georgia, they are doing a sterling job. And they look all funny down the night sight, all green. Hahaha!

Thank you, That would be all.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY

PRAVDA.Ru

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Stratfor acknowledges Russia defeated US, not Georgian army in South Ossetia
11.08.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/ussr/106054-georgia_usa-0

The USA acknowledged that Russia had virtually defeated the US, but not the Georgian army in South Ossetia. US instructors have spent four years training the Georgian army for an attack against Russian citizens. The US administration refused to help Saakashvili, because the true goal of the new game in the Caucasus is absolutely different.

Experts of Stratfor, the so-called Shadow CIA, stated that the Russian army had not only preserved its battling capacity but also proved to the whole world that was it capable of defeating an armed enemy, trained by US instructors.

A report from Stratfor particularly mentions that the operation in South Ossetia has exercised three things. First off, Russia has proved to have the army capable of conducting successful operations, in which many Western observers doubted before. Secondly, the Russians have showed that they can defeat the forces trained by US advisors. Finally, Russia has shown that the USA and NATO do not find themselves in the situation when they can interfere into a conflict from the military point of view.

At the same time, the experts consider it to be a military demonstration of Russia to former republics of the Soviet Union, including Ukraine, the entire Caucasus and Central Asia. In addition, they see a hidden warning to Poland and the Czech Republic against the background of a possible deployment of elements of the US missile defense system in those countries. However, the experts exclude an opportunity for Moscow to organize an intervention against some of the above-mentioned countries.

Stratfor’s statement means that the fight is over for Georgia and that the US administration is not going to cross the red line in its relations with Russia. Saakashvili’s hopes for NATO to become involved in a conflict with Russia went up in smoke.

The USA is pursuing absolutely different goals, and the creation of the Great Georgia is surely not on its list. The Republicans organized the provocation to portray Russia as a monster on the globe on the threshold of the November elections. This plays into the hands of John McCain, who openly says that “Russia’s imperial ambition” needs to be curbed.

This way or other, the USA has used the small country of Georgia as a toy.

Sergei Balmasov
Pravda.ru

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幸田シャーミンさん、国連広報局長を提訴　名誉棄損で

2008年8月12日19時31分

　国連広報センター（東京都渋谷区）の所長を６月に辞任したジャーナリストの幸田シャーミンさん（５２）は１２日、ニューヨークの国連本部で広報局長を務める赤阪清隆氏（５９）に慰謝料１千万円を求め、東京地裁に提訴した。赤阪氏が記者会見で幸田さんの辞任の理由を説明する際、幸田さんによる部下へのパワーハラスメントを指摘したことなどについて、「事実ではなく、名誉を傷つけられた」としている。

　幸田さんによると、赤阪氏は広報局長名で出した文書の中で、幸田さんの行動に対して改善などを求める勧告が出されたと指摘。幸田さんは「勧告は知らされていない。赤阪氏からの手紙にも、ハラスメントは全く認められなかったとあった。にもかかわらず国連の公式見解であるように発言したことは許し難い」と訴えた。

　一方、広報センターは「勧告があったとは聞いているが、コメントする立場にない」としている。