Investors flee European lenders
By Chris Hughes and Richard Milne in London
Published: September 29 2008 19:51 | Last updated: September 29 2008 19:51
European bank stocks suffered heavy selling on Monday as investors fretted over their ability to raise capital – and what might happen to equity and debtholders in any future bail-outs.
A large handful of Europe’s biggest banking names suffered falls of more than 15 per cent, with the greatest casualties found among institutions with thin capital bases or a heavy reliance on wholesale funding. Meanwhile, the cost of credit protection widened for a raft of European lenders.
Equity analysts said the selling was partly indiscriminate and it was hard to rationalise some of the share price falls.
“The market is worried about banks getting into a Lehman Brothers situation, of needing capital but not being able to raise it,” said one analyst who asked not to be named. “Put simply, investors have got very scared.”
That fear was compounded by the difficulty of predicting how national governments would deal with the next bank to require support, given that the US had allowed Lehman to fail, Bradford & Bingley had been nationalised in the UK, Fortis had received a highly dilutive equity injection from three Europe states, and Hypo Real Estate had secured an emergency financing package with central bank backing.
In Germany, Aareal and Commerzbank – the two banks bearing closest comparison with HRE’s commercial property lending business – saw their shares tumble by 42 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. Both protested at the falls and rejected any similarities to HRE’s problems with short-term financing.
Aareal said it had “solid funding” while EuroHypo, the commercial lending arm of Commerzbank, said it had a conservative and long-term refinancing policy.
Even Unicredit, the Italian bank that had become seen as one of the relative winners from the credit crisis, suffered via its association with HRE, which was formerly owned by HVB, the German bank it acquired in 2005. Heavy selling saw the shares suspended in mid-morning trade.
Dexia, Fortis’s Belgian peer and one of Europe’s most highly leveraged financial institutions, was down 30 per cent amid talk of an imminent capital raising. The bank’s total assets exceed Belgian’s gross domestic product by 73 per cent.
Irish banks were hit, with Anglo Irish Bank falling 46 per cent and Allied Irish Banks down 16 per cent, dragging the sector lower. AIB and Bank of Ireland each have asset bases equivalent to Ireland’s GDP.
Natixis, France’s fourth-largest bank which this month completed a €3.7bn rights issue, fell 15 per cent in spite of affirmations of support from the two mutual banks which hold 70 per cent of the equity.
Meanwhile, Swedbank, the Swedish bank, fell 19 per cent as investors fretted about its exposure to the Baltics, where it is the largest lender, and its status as one of the largest creditors to Lehman, which owes it $1.35bn.
Elsewhere in Europe the focus is on some of the hundreds of small, often unlisted, lenders that dominate banking systems. Denmark is expecting the collapse of further small banks after several failures and in Spain bankers expect those small lenders most exposed to property developers to consolidate or struggle.
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The Short View: Confidence in banks
By John Authers, Investment Editor
Published: September 29 2008 19:18 | Last updated: September 29 2008 19:18
This wasn’t supposed to happen. US lawmakers hammered out a bail-out deal that dealt with almost all the objections from politicians (if not from economists). That should have been the cue for a relief rally.
Yet equities and credit sold off heavily. That was because the core problem of collapsing confidence in banks’ balance sheets had crossed the Atlantic, as shown by the Fortis rescue.
Euribor, the rate at which European banks lend to each other, jumped, bringing the spread of interbank rates over official overnight rates to its highest since the crisis began.
While this measure of banking stress is still lower than in the UK and the US, continental Europe could find the problem harder so solve. The political travails the US suffered working out a (flawed) holistic response are nothing compared with the difficulties of producing a eurozone-wide rescue.
The bigger European banks represent a much higher share of their home countries’ gross domestic products, implying a greater economic cost for any rescue. Furthermore, they operate with much greater gross leverage than their US counterparts. In other words, their shareholders’ equity is a much smaller proportion of their total assets.
Assets are about 12 times equity for banks such as JPMorgan and Wells Fargo; for some big European banks, leverage is quadruple that. John Hussman, a US fund manager, points out that the sequence of US financials to hit the buffers has been almost exactly in the order that could be predicted from their gross leverage. The less capital a bank has as a cushion, the quicker sentiment turns against it.
To this painful dynamic was added the news that Wachovia, the fourth-largest US bank, had accepted a rescue buy-out from Citigroup. The US is creating a cadre of huge banks that are too big to fail. Europe, we now see, has already done so.
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The Short View: Market sell-off
By John Authers, Investment Editor
Published: September 29 2008 22:13 | Last updated: September 29 2008 22:13
Even before Congress failed to pass the flawed Tarp (troubled asset relief programme) that politicians had hammered out over the weekend, world markets had a terrible day.
The rescue of Fortis and the nationalisation of Bradford & Bingley showed that the crisis of confidence in banks’ balance sheets had crossed the Atlantic to Europe, where banks are more levered, and where it would be harder for politicians to agree on a rescue package.
The market drama after the vote dwarfed anything since the crash of October 1987.
US stocks suffered their worst decline since then. Other markets fared worse. Latin American stocks, the only emerging markets trading at the time, suffered severe falls, with the Brazilian stock exchange forced to close after the Bovespa index fell more than 10 per cent. Crude oil futures fell more than $11 to $95 per barrel at one point. All other commodities bar precious metals fell severely. The dollar gained. The market’s clear belief is that without a better political response, the crisis of US capitalism will force a global recession.
The timing is terrible, coming just as volume would normally dip for the Jewish new year. The quarter end affects the stricken interbank lending market, and means hedge fund investors must decide by Tuesday whether to remove money.
And the frustration of Wall Streeters is understandable. They were indeed instrumental in getting the US, and the world, into this mess. But two figures loom large.
The maximum cost to the US taxpayer of the Tarp presented to Congress was $700bn. Monday’s loss in market value for S&P 500 stocks, after the Tarp was voted down, came to about $930bn. Most of that loss will have fallen on US taxpayers.
Those taxpayers have more of an interest in a Tarp becoming reality than they or Congress appear to understand.
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India and Europe in civil nuclear accord
By Tony Barber in Marseilles
Published: September 29 2008 23:08 | Last updated: September 29 2008 23:08
The European Union and India are to co-operate more closely on civil nuclear research and development as a way of strengthening a partnership that has often been seen as falling short of its potential.
Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president, and Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, announced the agreement on Monday at an EU-India summit that also produced promises of closer co-ordination of climate change and energy security policies.
The EU-Indian nuclear initiative followed a landmark vote last Saturday in the US House of Representatives that helped clear the way for India to buy nuclear power plants, technology and fuel in the US.
India, officially a nuclear weapons power since 1998, has been denied access to civilian nuclear technology for more than 30 years because of its test of a nuclear device in 1974 and its refusal to sign the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Like the US administration, the EU takes the view that India, as a friendly democracy sharing many common values, should not be ostracised but encouraged to develop civilian nuclear energy and to assume its responsibilities as one of the world’s nuclear powers.
“France has confidence in India,” Mr Sarkozy said.
France, current holder of the EU presidency, is the member state with the most extensive experience of civilian nuclear power. It is keen to exploit the commercial opportunities presented by India’s need for new sources of energy to fuel its rapid economic expansion.
The US-Indian nuclear deal has been three years in the making and is on the brink of receiving final approval from the Senate.
By raising the bar for western strategic co-operation with India, the deal exposed Europe’s relatively low profile – trade issues aside – in New Delhi.
The EU and India said they planned to boost their joint work in the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (Iter) project, a French-based scheme to test environment-friendly, electricity-producing fusion power plants.
They also said they would sign a separate agreement between New Delhi and Euratom, the EU’s atomic energy agency, on fusion energy research.
However, the EU and India will be unable to conclude a trade accord by the end of this year, as once hoped, and remain at loggerheads on key issues in the Doha talks on liberalising world trade.
Mr Singh, noting that the EU-India summit had produced agreement on co-operation in clean coal technologies and solar energy, told reporters: “I am extremely satisfied . . . The holding of annual summits reflects the great importance both sides place on this strategic relationship.”
He said the EU and India had set themselves the goal of signing the trade deal by the end of 2009 and increasing total trade turnover to €100bn ($144bn, £80bn) five years from now. The 27 nation bloc’s trade with India amounted to just less than €56bn last year.
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Moscow to lend $50bn to indebted business
By Catherine Belton in Moscow
Published: September 30 2008 03:00 | Last updated: September 30 2008 03:00
Russia announced new measures to stave off a liquidity crisis yesterday as Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, said a state-controlled bank would extend $50bn (€34.7bn, £27.7bn) in loans to help the country's debt-laden companies and banks pay off foreign loans.
But Russia's main bourses sank sharply with the dollar-denominated RTS closing down 7.5 per cent, and the rouble-denominated Micex falling 5.5 per cent, as a crisis of confidence continued to depress the money markets and second and third- tier companies were starved of cash.
The market drop means the RTS has by now lost more than half the "bounce back" gains made since Russia unveiled a $100bn-plus liquidity package on September 18 to halt the steep falls that caused the government to close down the bourse for two days.
Mr Putin's announcement came as a sign of increasing fears about Russian companies' and banks' ability to refinance the $40bn in external debt that falls due by the end of the year as global credit markets worsened.
Mr Putin said the state-owned development bank, Vneshekonombank (VEB), would loan up to $50bn to Russian companies who had to pay back foreign debts acquired before September 25. Andrei Klepach, the deputy economy minister, later said these funds would originate from the country's $560bn in hard currency reserves.
International ratings agency Standard and Poors has expressed concern that Russia's rescue package could eat into the $180bn in windfall revenues it has saved in two sovereign wealth funds.
"It is very difficult to predict at this time how much this is going to cost the government," said Frank Gill, sovereign analyst at Standard and Poors.
Mr Putin also said the central bank would be allowed to lend to banks without a collateral, a move that analysts said would be a key measure to get money moving in the system as collateral limits are reached.
The central bank is also to accept the potential losses incurred by other banks funding the money market.
Julian Rimmer, trader at Uralsib investment bank, said that the announcement that VEB would lend $50bn to companies to refinance debt would alleviate the situation, but it might not get liquidity to where it is most needed in the second and third-tier companies. These are being starved of cash because of the crisis of confidence and have no foreign debt.
"There is no liquidity and even if the governments pumps it in it is not getting to the second and third tier companies . . . The only place they can raise money is by selling shares.
"The problem for Russia is coming from a stock market and real estate bubble and that deleveraging process is still under way," he said.
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Fiat to invest in Serbia carmaker
By Neil MacDonald
Published: September 30 2008 03:00 | Last updated: September 30 2008 03:00
Italy's auto giant Fiat yesterday agreed with Serbia to invest €940m ($1.4bn, £750m) to revive Zastava, the failing, state-owned carmaker, in the country's most important foreign investment since the Yugoslav break-up, officials said.
The Italian company is to hold 67 per cent of a joint venture with the state to build new car models - starting with an updated Fiat 500 by the end of next year, industry analysts said.
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Russia to build 26 nuclear power reactors over 12 years
29.09.2008, 14.25
VIENNA, September 29 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia intends to build 26 major nuclear power reactors over twelve years to come, the chief of the state-run corporation Rosatom, Sergei Kiriyenko, said on Monday.
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Gazprom may get down to work in Gulf of Venezuela in October
26.09.2008, 16.08
ORENBURG, September 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia’s gas giant Gazprom may get down to work in the Gulf of Venezuela in October, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said after talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Hugo Chavez.
“I believe that Gazprom may start sinking the first well in the Gulf of Venezuela as early as October,” Shmatko said. “One should bear in mind that before Venezuela had no experience of developing offshore deposits on its own. I believe that such cooperation will benefit both Gazprom and Venezuela.”
He added that the agreements concluded between Gazprom and Venezuela’s PDVSA “put on record the achievements of bilateral cooperation, the basis from which to build up.”
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Russia-Syria cooperation no threat to Mideast stability - Lavrov
20:35 | 29/ 09/ 2008
Print version
NEW YORK, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - The military and technical ties between Russia and Syria do not pose a threat to the balance of power in the Middle East, Russia's foreign minister said Monday.
Sergei Lavrov said the cooperation between the countries was "in line with the international law" and "in the interests of strengthening stability and maintaining security" in regions close to Russia's borders.
"We are not doing anything that could upset the balance of power in this or that region," Lavrov told reporters.
During last month's talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, Lavrov confirmed that Russia was ready to supply Syria with defensive weapons. Media reports said earlier Moscow and Damascus had agreed on deliveries of the latest Russian MiG-29SMT fighter.
Syria, a major importer of Russian weapons, also bought 36 Pantsir S1E air-defense systems from Russia, and hopes to receive Strelets short-range air defense systems, Iskander tactical missile systems, Yak-130 aircraft and two Amur-1650 submarines.
Media has also reported Russian plans to rebuild the Soviet-era Navy maintenance site in the northern Syrian port of Tartus, the only Russian foothold in the Mediterranean, and turn it into a permanent naval base.
The reports say about 10 Russian warships and three floating piers are deployed there while Russia expands the port and builds a dock in nearby El-Latakia. There has been no official confirmation of the reports.
Israel and the United States are sensitive about Russian-Syrian military and technical cooperation, fearing not only a reinforcement of Syria's armed forces, but also the possibility that modern weapons could fall into the hands of Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon or be passed on to Iran, in violation of the existing international embargo.
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Russian Foreign Intelligence Service declassifies Munich Agreement papers
19:23 | 29/ 09/ 2008
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti's Valery Yarmolenko) - The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR in Russian abbreviation) has declassified archive materials related to the 1938 Munich Agreement, which triggered the most dramatic events of the 20th century.
Head of the SVR press office Sergei Ivanov allowed Yarmolenko to familiarize himself with the declassified documents.
"The declassified intelligence documents reflect the political processes which took place before and after the Munich Agreement of September 30, 1938, which is also called the 'Munich conspiracy,'" Ivanov explained.
These documents were kept in the archives as top secret for 70 years. They show that the Soviet political leadership was informed about the preparations for the meeting of Neville Chamberlain and Eduard Daladier, on the one hand, and Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, on the other, and predict its potential military and political consequences for Europe. The papers show what unprecedented pressure Britain and France brought to bear on Czechoslovakia, demanding that it ceded Sudeten to Germany.
"Moscow was receiving secret reports to the effect that the British and French ambassadors in Prague were persuading the Czechoslovak president to give over the Sudeten region to the Germans. Moreover, Prague was offered to cancel mutual assistance pacts with other countries," Ivanov said.
Memo #8604, which was sent to Moscow by Russian intelligence from Prague several days before the signing of the Munich Agreement reads: "On September 19, British Ambassador Newton and French Ambassador De Lacroix conveyed to Milan Hodza (Czechoslovak prime minister in 1935-1938) the following on behalf of Chamberlain and Daladier, respectfully:
"Guided by the lofty principles of preserving peace in Europe, they consider it necessary for Germany to incorporate the Sudeten region. A system of mutual aid pacts with other countries should be cancelled. Instead, all of Czechoslovakia's neighbors, plus France and Britain will guarantee the inviolability of its frontiers."
These actions destroyed the existing elements of the collective resistance system. The Western policymakers did this behind the back of the Soviet Union, which had mutual aid agreements with Czechoslovakia and France.
The 1938 declassified documents also reveal the details of the correspondence between European embassies and their foreign policy departments.
For example, the British ambassador in Warsaw warned the Foreign Office that if Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, the Polish leadership would seize the Tesin region, and that is what exactly happened. Having enlisted Germany's support, Poland took part in dismembering Czechoslovakia. Later, Poland also fell victim to Germany.
The Finnish ambassador in London reported that if Hitler moved his troops to Czechoslovakia, France would not be able to render it effective military aid.
"The Soviet Union was ready to render such support to Czechoslovakia, but because of the heavy pressure from London and Paris, Prague did not dare address Moscow with such a request," Ivanov recalled.
Soviet intelligence sources reported that many capitals closely watched the geopolitical situation in Europe after the conclusion of the Munich Agreement as well.
"As early as November 1938, diplomatic missions of a number of countries reported to their departments that Britain and France would not prevent Germany's eastward expansion," Ivanov said.
SVR veteran, Maj.-Gen. Lev Sotskov (Ret.), who sorted the archive documents, is confident that the Munich Agreement eventually destroyed the collective security system in Europe and led to the outbreak of WWII.
Sotskov served in the Foreign Intelligence Service since 1956 both abroad and in the central office. Now he is studying the archives on the history of intelligence. He wrote "Operation Tarantella" and "Unknown Separatism," and took part in the compilation of a collection of documents, entitled "Baltic Countries and Geopolitics."
Sotskov believes that the declassified documents make it possible to take a new and deeper look at the role the world leaders played in the late 1930s in Europe.
"The documents received after the Munich conspiracy are particularly valuable. They analyze the post-Munich situation in Europe and clearly show that Britain was trying to draw Germany and the Soviet Union into active hostilities," Sotskov emphasized in an interview with RIA Novosti.
In a memo on December 21, 1938, Lavrenty Beria reported to Stalin about the Soviet-seized documents, which included reports of Finnish envoys to London, Paris, and Warsaw on Germany's eastward expansion, and the position of the British, French, and Polish governments on this issue.
Thus, Finnish Ambassador in London Grippenberg reported to his Foreign Ministry: "I heard the opinion that German propaganda of colonies is false. As Britons put it, it is a smokescreen to cover the preparations of a plan concerning Soviet Ukraine. Hitler himself told French Ambassador Francois-Poncet that he was not even thinking about any colonies," the document reads.
Later, on November 25, Grippenberg reported his conversation with a British government member who assured him that Britain and France would not interfere in Germany's eastward expansion.
"Britain's position is as follows: let's wait until Germany and the U.S.S.R. get involved in a big conflict," the document reads.
Commenting on it, Sotskov explained that despite the circumstances, the Soviet Union was still trying to set up some system for resisting the Nazi aggression. As a result, Britain and France had to send their military missions to Moscow for negotiations.
"Moscow presented very detailed information about the resources which it could use against Hitler's Germany. In the event of an anti-Hitler agreement with Britain and France, the U.S.S.R. was ready to employ 120 infantry divisions, 16 cavalry divisions, 5,000 tanks and as many aircraft," Sotskov said.
However, despite this, the talks with Britain and France failed. It became obvious that they were working toward their super goal, he noted.
The documents make it abundantly clear that both Britain and France realized that their position was driving the U.S.S.R. into a corner and that Moscow would have to come to terms with the Germans.
As a result, the U.S.S.R. signed the Nonaggression Pact with Germany, which allowed it to move its border to the West and gain some time for the preparations to repel the aggression, Sotskov explained.
"It became obvious that a policy of appeasing Hitler did not work, and that concessions only encouraged him further. This compelled the Soviet leadership to look for ways of ensuring national security in this foreign policy environment," he pointed out.
"The Western model of appeasing the aggressor (the Munich Agreement) failed to achieve the desired effect, and the war broke out in the West. France surrendered to Hitler, and the cabinet of ministers changed in Britain. The anti-Hitler coalition took shape later under the pattern suggested by the Soviet Union in 1935: the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and later de Gaulle's France," Sotskov said.
He believes that Europe should draw conclusions from the events around the Munich Agreement, as well as from the events in the Balkans and the recent crisis in the Caucasus (South Ossetia).
"First of all, appeasing any aggressor, whether big or small, is a flawed policy. The United States wants to dominate the world, and it does not matter whose model, Hitler's or Bush's, it is using to achieve this goal," he said.
Unless aggressive actions are nipped in the bud, the region and probably the entire continent will be in for big trouble, Sotskov believes.
He is convinced that Europe needs a system of collective security, and this is the second lesson. "The bloc system no longer works. However, it transpires that the lesson has not been learned. Instead of curbing Georgia, the aggressor, the United States suggests encircling Russia," he summed up.
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石油・天然ガス、広域探査を実施 領海など、経産省案
経済産業省は29日の総合資源エネルギー調査会石油分科会で、日本の領海と排他的経済水域（ＥＥＺ）での海洋エネルギー開発の骨子案を示した。石油・天然ガスでは、探査船を使って2008年度から11年間で約6.2万平方キロメートルを立体的に探査する。さらに有望な地点を選定し、機動的にボーリングを実施する。
次世代エネルギーとして期待され、ＥＥＺ内の埋蔵量も多い「メタンハイドレート」は18年度までに技術整備や経済性、環境への影響を検証し、将来の商業化を目指すことを打ち出した。15年度までアラスカなどの永久凍土地帯での陸上産出試験の継続なども盛り込んだ。(10:46)
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ベトナム・スイスとのＥＰＡ大筋合意、09年にも発効へ
政府は29日、日本とベトナム、日本とスイスの間でそれぞれ、関税撤廃などを盛り込んだ経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）の締結交渉で大筋合意に達したと発表した。署名や国会承認を経て、来年にも発効する見通しだ。これでＥＰＡ締結は計11カ国・地域となり、「骨太方針2008」で掲げた「09年初めまでに12 以上」との目標に道筋ができた格好だ。
ベトナムとのＥＰＡでは、今後10年間で貿易額の約92％で関税がなくなる。日本からの輸出では、現地で調達困難な自動車・家電用の部品や素材などについて大幅に自由化される。ベトナムからの輸入では、今後エビや冷凍タコなどが無税になる。さらにベトナムから日本への看護師・介護福祉士の将来的な受け入れも、協議を継続することを確認した。
欧州諸国とは初となるスイスとのＥＰＡでは、両国とも先進国であることから10年以内に貿易額の約99％で関税を撤廃する。日本やスイスで生産されたことを証明する「原産地証明」について、商工会議所などの第三者証明制度に加え、認定輸出者による自己証明制度も導入する。(07:00)
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ベトナム製油所のプロピレン、丸紅が全量買い取りへ
丸紅は30日、ベトナムの国営石油会社ペトロベトナムから合成樹脂原料のプロピレンを買い取る契約を同社と結んだと発表した。同社がベトナム中部に建設中のズンクアット製油所で生産するプロピレンの全量にあたる年間15万トン分を買い取り、アジア各国に販売する。
ズンクアット製油所はベトナム初の製油所で、2009年2月に稼働を予定している。今回の契約により丸紅がアジアで扱うプロピレン量は年間55万トンに増え、アジア地域で取引されている数量の約3分の1を占めることになる。(15:13)
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外国人の日本旅行、平均支出は24万円 ＪＮＴＯ調べ
日本政府観光局（ＪＮＴＯ）がまとめた訪日外国人の消費動向調査によると、1回の日本旅行での消費額は1人あたり平均約24万2000円だった。航空運賃など訪日前に支払った費用を除く「滞在中の消費額」は11万8000円だった。
調査したうちの主な15カ国・地域で「滞在中の消費額」が最も多かったのは、インドからの旅行者で約17万5000円だった。フランス（約15万 7000円）、米国（約15万円）が続いた。最も少なかったのは韓国で約6万8000円だった。比較的近くから来る人は、滞在日数が短めになる傾向があり、こうした差が付いたようだ。「土産代」では中国と香港からの旅行者が平均8万円台で、3位の台湾に約2万円の差を付けた。
調査は2007年12月9―20日に面接方式で実施。成田空港や関西国際空港など国内の主要8空港で、出国直前の4659人から回答を得た。(11:59)
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イオン、1000億円超を調達 店舗資産の流動化活用で
イオンは2009年2月期中に、不動産の流動化手法を使い1000億円を超える店舗資産を現金に換え、投資資金などを確保する。10月2日に埼玉県に開業する国内最大級のショッピングセンター（ＳＣ）「イオンレイクタウン」（越谷市）のほか3、4店を対象とする。調達資金は新店などへの投資のほか、有利子負債の削減に充てる。
レイクタウンでは店舗の開発段階から資産を流動化する手法を導入した。特定目的会社（ＳＰＣ）を活用し、各店舗から得られる収益を裏付けに、金融機関や投資家から出資やローンで資金を集めた。ＳＰＣはイオン子会社のイオンリテールにＳＣを一括で貸し出し、イオンリテールは賃料をＳＰＣに払う。(07: 00)
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日航3労組、10月1日にスト計画 国内線１万4000人影響も
日本航空は29日、同社の3つの労働組合が10月1日にストライキを計画していると発表した。ストに突入した場合、国際線は通常通り運航するが、国内線は地方路線を中心に152便が欠航、4便が遅延し1万4000人に影響が出る恐れがあるとしている。
スト計画の背景には、経営再建を目指した会社側の人件費削減案がある。
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西友、約20店を閉鎖 ウォルマート、規模より黒字化優先
米ウォルマート・ストアーズ傘下の西友は29日、全体の約5％に当たる約20店の閉鎖と約350人の早期退職者募集を柱とするリストラ策を発表した。西友は6年前から最終赤字が続いていたが、全国400店近い店舗網と売上高を維持するためウォルマートは閉鎖に消極的だった。だが日本国内の消費不振が一段と深刻になり、回復の見込みの薄い不採算店を放置する余裕はなくなった。
店舗は09年半ばまでに閉鎖する予定。西友は対象店を公表しなかったが、大型スーパーのリヴィン水戸店（水戸市）、リヴィン上田店（長野県上田市）、西友追浜店（神奈川県横須賀市）などとみられる。7月に西友が吸収合併した子会社サニー（福岡市）の小型食品スーパーなども含まれる。(07:00)
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新日石、三洋と次世代型太陽電池を生産 来春に新会社
新日本石油と三洋電機は次世代型の太陽電池を共同で開発・生産する。来春、新会社を設立し従来型に比べコストが半分程度になる薄膜型を事業化する。新日石はガソリン販売の落ち込みを受け、新エネルギー事業を強化。太陽電池国内3位の三洋は新日石と組み、投資負担を軽減しながら新型太陽電池の事業化を急ぐ。
30日午後に発表する。三洋が岐阜工場（安八町）で開発中の薄膜型事業を2009年4月をメドに新会社として切り出し、新日石が出資する。出資比率は今後詰める。新会社は量産に向け製造方法の確立を急ぐ。投資規模は数百億円に上る見通しだ。(16:00)
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三洋、韓国半導体工場を閉鎖へ 東南アに事業移管
三洋電機は10月にも韓国の半導体工場（馬山市）を閉鎖する方針を固めた。300人前後とみられる従業員は、全員が退職する見通し。閉鎖後はベトナムやフィリピンなどの工場に業務を移管する。三洋の半導体事業は2008年3月期で営業赤字だった。拠点の統廃合で製造コストを圧縮し、早期の黒字化を目指す。
閉鎖するのは樹脂の封止や検査など「後工程」と呼ばれる業務を手掛ける工場。1972年に韓国に建設したが、設備の老朽化に伴い生産効率が悪化していた。閉鎖により同社の半導体の後工程工場は国内外で計7カ所になる。 (17:56)
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東京・千代田区、麹町で屋外広告規制 ネオン禁止
東京都千代田区は麹町で屋外広告の大きさ、色などを規制する地区計画を10月中にまとめる。ネオン広告を禁止するほか、原色の使用を制限する。特に皇居の近くや上智大学の周辺などでは自家用広告以外は認めず、屋上の設置も禁止する。都心部では派手な広告が相次ぎ、景観を損ねていると判断。地域の要望を背景に、独自のルールをつくることにした。
地区計画は都市計画法にもとづく地域の街づくりのプラン。このままでは強制力はないが、同区は都の条例を活用し、拘束力を持たす方向で検討している。
麹町の屋外広告規制は、内堀通りから四ツ谷駅までの新宿通り沿いの地域。これらの地域で、点滅する広告や赤や黄色の光源の使用を禁止する。色についても、地上から高さ10メートルを超える場所に設置する広告については、原色や派手な色は看板の3分の1以下とする。具体的には、色の種類、明暗（明度）、鮮やかさ（彩度）を示す「マンセル記号」を使い、厳密に定める。
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フェンシング脚光、太田選手の銀メダル引き金
北京五輪で太田雄貴選手（22）が日本勢初の銀メダルに輝いたフェンシングの注目が高まっている。練習場には問い合わせや体験入室が相次ぎ、剣や防具などを買い求める人も増加するなど、五輪閉幕から1カ月が経過しても、人気は続いている。指導者や練習施設の不足など課題も浮かぶが、関係者らは「脱・マイナー競技」に向けたチャンスと期待している。
40年以上の歴史を持つ「東京フェンシングスクール」（東京・目黒）には北京五輪以降、毎日5件前後の問い合わせが続く。剣と防具を使って試合の練習をできる体験入室の申し込みは、本格的に始めた場合に剣や防具など道具一式に10万円程度かかるという事情もあり、これまでは月2、3人だった。それが9月に入ってから10人を超えた。大半は小中学生で、40歳代の父母が「子供にやらせてみたい」と挑戦させるケースが目立つという。(16:00)
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法科大学院、定数減や統合など盛る 中教審が提言まとめ
法科大学院の改革策を議論している中央教育審議会の法科大学院特別委員会は30日、実績が伸び悩んでいる法科大学院に対し、定員の削減や他校との統合などを求める中間報告案を正式にまとめた。
法科大学院は文部科学省が多くの大学に設置を認めた結果、乱立気味になって定員割れが頻発。司法試験の合格率も思うように伸びず、制度の見直しを求める声がある。中教審が定員減や統廃合を進める姿勢を初めて明確に示したことで、今後再編が本格化する可能性がある。
文科省は近く大学設置基準を見直し、複数の大学が共同で学部や大学院を設置・運営できるようにする方針。法科大学院も共同運営できるようになることから、教員を自前でそろえられなかったり、志願者を10分集められなかったりする法科大学院が、大規模校の傘下に入るなどの統廃合が容易になる。(16: 00)
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こんにゃく入りゼリー飲んだ幼児、また死亡事故
国民生活センターは30日、1歳10カ月の男児がこんにゃく入りゼリーをのどに詰まらせ、今月に入って死亡する事故があったと発表した。
同様の死亡事故は1995年以降で17件目。このうち1―7歳の乳幼児が10件、68―87歳の高齢者が6件を占めており、同センターは「子どもや高齢者は絶対に食べないように」と注意を呼びかけている。
同センターによると、男児は今年7月29日、兵庫県の祖母宅で、凍らせた一口サイズのこんにゃく入りゼリーをおやつとして食べた際、のどに詰まらせた。すぐに病院に救急搬送されたが、窒息による多臓器不全で今月20日になって死亡した。(13:24)
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更新講習、割れる評価 09年度からの教員免許
2009年度からの教員免許更新制で導入される「更新講習」への評価が分かれている。現在、各地で来年度をにらんで「予備講習」が試行されているが、「現場で使える内容で充実していた」との意見の一方、「教育委員会が従来実施していた研修と変わらない」との声も。文部科学省は「本番に向けて改善したい」としている。
予備講習は5月から来年3月まで、文科相が認定した全国126の大学などが開催。教育の最新事情を学ぶ「必修」と専門教科などを学ぶ「選択」に分かれ、既に半数以上が実施された。(07:00)
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金融安定化法案、米下院で否決…選挙控え統制効かず
金融安定化法案が米下院で否決されたのは、米政府が法案通過を急ぎ過ぎたことに加えて、選挙を控えた議員が、有権者の間で不人気な「ウォール街救済策」に反対票を投じざるを得なかったことが大きい。民主、共和両党とも党幹部が法案成立への協力を強く呼び掛けたものの、議員にとっては自らの当落が懸かっているだけに、安易に応じられず、党の統制は効かなかった格好だ。
同法案をめぐっては、ポールソン米財務長官が「このままだと住宅、自動車、学費のローンが得られなくなる」と実体経済への影響を強く説いたが、「マネーゲームを繰り広げて、巨額の利益を上げたウォール街を血税を投じて救うことに米国の多くの有権者は納得せず、反対の声があがっていた」（外資系金融機関アナリスト）。
１１月の米大統領選や上下両院選挙を控え、議員はこうした有権者の声は無視できない。特に同法案を否決した下院は「２年ごとに全員が改選されるため、世論動向にはことのほか敏感」（同）とされる。
党幹部が法案成立に協力するよう呼びかけた共和党でも、下院共和党トップのベイナー院内総務は当初、「ウォール街を救済するために税金を使う法案には同意しない」と強硬な姿勢を示していた。
一方、ブッシュ大統領は「金融恐慌」の可能性を警告し、法案成立の必要性を繰り返し訴えた。反対する共和党議員の切り崩し工作を図ったものの、下院の投票で賛成に回った共和党議員は３分の１に満たなかった。政権末期の影響力低下も否決の一因といえそうだ。
政府と議会が法案の大筋合意を発表した２８日未明の記者会見では、ペロシ下院議長（民主）ら民主、共和両党の幹部、原案を提示したポールソン財務長官が、それぞれの努力をたたえ合い、党派、立場を超えた挙国態勢を演出したが、一般議員たちはこうしたパフォーマンスに冷淡な反応を示した。
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痴漢：「警察署協議会委員」伏せて発表 神奈川県警
神奈川県警神奈川署が痴漢行為の疑いで現行犯逮捕した容疑者について「川崎警察署協議会」委員であることを伏せて発表していたことが３０日分かった。同協議会は警察不祥事をきっかけに全国で警察署ごとに設置された組織で、委員は公安委員会の委嘱を受けている。神奈川署は「病院事務員」としか発表していなかった。
県迷惑行為防止条例違反（痴漢行為）容疑で逮捕されたのは、東京都町田市に住む男（４５）。調べでは、２６日午前８時２０分ごろ、ＪＲ横浜線を走行中の下り普通電車内で、前に立っていた同市内の女性会社員の下半身を左手で触った疑い。女性が男の手を押さえ、東神奈川駅で駅員を通じ１１０番した。
神奈川署は事件から約７時間後の２６日午後３時半ごろ、男の住所や名前、逮捕容疑を発表したが、職業や肩書は「団体職員」とし、毎日新聞の取材にも「病院事務員」としか明らかにしなかった。
男は「電車が込んでいて揺れて当たった」と容疑を否認しているという。神奈川署の串田寛副署長は「容疑者が否認しており、事実関係がはっきりしないので最低限必要な広報にとどまった」と説明している。
警察署協議会は、神奈川県警などの一連の不祥事を受け、地域住民の意見を警察活動に反映させるため０１年から全国の警察署に設置された。署長が委員候補者に関する参考資料を公安委員会に提出し、公安委が委嘱することになっている。【鈴木一生、池田知広】
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楳図かずおさん：「訴訟は新参者いじめ」自宅外壁訴訟尋問
漫画家の楳図かずおさん（７２）が東京都武蔵野市に新築した自宅を巡り、近隣住民２人が紅白横じま模様の外壁の撤去を求めた訴訟の口頭弁論が２９日、東京地裁（畠山稔裁判長）であった。初の本人尋問で楳図さんは「赤白のストライプは私のトレードマーク。素晴らしい出来になった」と述べた。
楳図さんは「近所の人からは『夢がある』との声もいただいた」とも主張。原告住民に対しては「悪意を感じる。新参者の私に対するいじめのようなもの」と語った。一方、原告住民側は「紅白の壁は住宅地にはそぐわない」などと訴えた。
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在ドイツ元日本大使館書記官が公費の不正使用試みて処分、大使館は隠蔽 (1/2ページ)
2008.9.30 12:47
元書記官の不祥事が発覚した在ドイツ日本大使館（黒沢潤撮影）元書記官の不祥事が発覚した在ドイツ日本大使館（黒沢潤撮影）
【ベルリン＝黒沢潤】経済産業省から出向していた在ドイツ日本大使館の元１等書記官（４２）が２００５年、公費を私的な飲み食いに使おうとして発覚し、大使館から「厳重注意」の処分を受けていたことが３０日、分かった。公金の不正使用を意図したにもかかわらず、大使館は処分の事実を隠蔽（いんぺい）していた。大使館関係者は「こうした事例はたびたび存在する。氷山の一角だ」と指摘している。
大使館などが産経新聞に明らかにしたところによると、元１等書記官は０５年４月まで、経産省から出向していたキャリア官僚。ドイツ国内のレストランで同年１月、妻と私的に食べた昼食代９８ユーロ（約１５０００円）を、公費で支払おうと試みた。
大使館によると、元書記官は「ドイツ政府関係者１人と昼食をともにするため、１００ユーロが必要」との書類を作成し、大使館に提出した。しかし、この独政府関係者は実際にレストランに現れることはなく、元書記官は妻と昼食を食べた。
数日後、食事代のレシートを大使館に提出し、９８ユーロを受け取ろうと試みたところ、レストランに偶然、居合わせた人物から情報を提供された大使館が元１等書記官を追及、事態が発覚した。
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サッカー：ポーランド協会活動停止に
サッカーの２０１２年欧州選手権をウクライナと共催するポーランド協会が２９日、不正に対する取り組みを怠ったという理由で同国オリンピック委員会の仲裁裁判所から活動停止処分を受けた。
同国スポーツ省の調査で同協会の活動に多くの違反が発覚し、役員構成に不正も見られた。正常化を目指して仲裁裁判所からの指名で暫定的に会長に就任した弁護士は欧州サッカー連盟（ＵＥＦＡ）のプラティニ会長に「欧州選手権の準備は中断なしに進める」という書簡を送ったという。（ＡＰ共同）
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ＹＯＳＨＩＫＩ：相撲協会に猛抗議
「Ｘ ＪＡＰＡＮ」のＹＯＳＨＩＫＩ（年齢非公表）が、日本相撲協会に怒りを爆発させた。２９日、マスコミ各社にファクスを寄せ、一部で報じられた大相撲秋場所千秋楽（２８日、両国国技館）でのトラブルについて説明した。優勝した友人の横綱白鵬のお祝いに駆け付けた際、同協会の世話人から「畳の上だぞ。靴を脱げ」などと、いきなり怒鳴られたことに「お客さんをこのように扱う相撲協会って少しおかしくないですか？」と訴えた。
トラブルは白鵬と記念撮影をするため、支度部屋を訪れた際に起きた。ブーツを履いていたＹＯＳＨＩＫＩを同協会の警備担当の世話人が「畳の上だぞ。靴を脱げ」と一喝。さらに「そこ、靴脱いで」と再び怒鳴った。
記念撮影では笑顔だったＹＯＳＨＩＫＩも「あの世話人の態度は人を不愉快にさせますね」と怒り心頭。Ｘ ＪＡＰＡＮの制作運営管理委員会とＹＯＳＨＩＫＩのマネジメント側はこの日、同協会に対して「言動が失礼」として書面で抗議、謝罪を求めた。
同委員会によるとＹＯＳＨＩＫＩは白鵬の希望で千秋楽を観戦。取組後、白鵬から「記念撮影だけでもしてほしい」と懇願され支度部屋を訪問した。すでに撮影は始まっていたが、同行したスタッフは「混乱を避けるため別の場所にいてほしいと言われ、外の車の中で約３０分待機していた」と説明した。
部屋に入ると入り口は関係者や取材陣でごった返していた。その時、ＹＯＳＨＩＫＩとスタッフに、世話人から「急げ」「走れ」の声が飛んだ。白鵬の前でカメラを構える取材陣を避けて脇から向かったところ「靴を脱げ」と怒鳴られた。混雑で足元が確認できる状況ではなかった。
ＹＯＳＨＩＫＩは「僕はもともと呉服屋の長男。いくらアメリカ生活が長いとはいえ、平気で畳の上を靴で歩いたりはしません」と説明。白鵬はその日のうちにＹＯＳＨＩＫＩに自ら謝罪。白鵬の属する宮城野部屋も「横綱の客人に対して態度が失礼すぎる」として、きょう３０日にも相撲協会に抗議する見込みだ。
ＹＯＳＨＩＫＩと白鵬は約１年前に知人を介して知り合った。白鵬がＹＯＳＨＩＫＩの大ファンで、３月の「Ｘ ＪＡＰＡＮ」の復活公演にも訪れている。（スポニチ）
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元若ノ鵬「爆弾発言」が爆破するのは…
2008/9/30 このエントリーを含むはてなブックマーク はてなRSSに追加 この記事を含むECナビ人気ニュース Yahoo!ブックマークに登録 newsing it! コメント(6)
＜テレビウォッチ＞「現役時代、八百長を強要されていた」―大麻所持で日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内の若ノ鵬(20)が昨日(9月29日)の記者会見で「爆弾発言」を行った。
「ささやき」でもあったの…
新たに噴出した火の粉に、意図を測りかねた小倉キャスター。｢『証言すれば(相撲界に)戻れるんですよ……』などと『ささやき』でもあったのですかね~｣と取り上げた。
この八百長疑惑問題は、報じた週刊現代(講談社)に対し、協会側が名誉棄損の訴えを起こしている。
元若ノ鵬は、同訴訟の講談社側の証人として10月3日に出廷する考えを明らかにしたもので、10分足らずで終わった会見は……
「今の協会は汚いです。たとえ私が戻れなかったとしても、今のままでは我慢できません……」と言って明かした八百長の中身は「無理やりアンフェアな取組を強要され、お金を渡された。『断ったりするとかわいがりするぞ』と言われた」。
しかし、「アンフェアな取組の相手は？」には「そのことは裁判でいいます」。また「物的証拠はあるのか？」には「私自身が目撃者です」と、爆弾発言にしてはしまりのない会見で終わった。
この元若ノ鵬の行動で解せないのは、地位確認の訴えを東京地裁に起こしている最中なのに、代理人の宮田眞弁護士にはこの件を一切相談をしていないこと。
宮田弁護士は「会見を知ったのは昨日。インターネットで。会見を止めさせるには間に合わなかった」とか。
しかも、会見終了後、元若ノ鵬から「『これで協会に早く戻れますかね~』と電話があった」らしい。で、宮田弁護士は「そんなことになるわけない。かえって復帰を困難にした」と答えたという。宮田弁護士は証人に立つことを考え直すよう説得するという。
ニューズウイーク日本語版編集長の竹田圭吾も「関わっていた人たちを巻き込むことで、得をする人たちが利用しているのではと感じなくもない」と、元若ノ鵬本人の意図かどうかは懐疑的。
リポーターによると、元若ノ鵬は起訴猶予で釈放された9月8日時点で、所持金は27万円。弁護士費用やハイヤー代などは弁護士が立て替えているという。
出直しスタートの協会に新たな火の粉が降り注いだ感じだが、横綱審議委員の内館牧子は「信ぴょう性に疑問。横審がコメントする問題でない」と一蹴した。
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「八百長証言」の「な～んだ」な実相
2008/9/30 このエントリーを含むはてなブックマーク はてなRSSに追加 この記事を含むECナビ人気ニュース Yahoo!ブックマークに登録 newsing it! コメント(3)
＜テレビウオッチ＞きのう（9月29日）元幕内力士若ノ鵬（20）が行った『八百長相撲』裁判で証言するという会見は、相撲協会をぶっ壊すのでは、と期待させるような威勢良さがあった。
たまらんという感じ
「アンフェアな取り組みを強いられてお金を渡された……私自身が目撃者です。証人です」
当然、代理人である弁護士と打ち合わせたうえでの発言だろうとの推測を呼ぶ。が、当の弁護士から報道各社に送られてきたFaxには、「会見は寝耳に水であり、本人から全く知らされておりませんでした」とあった。その後、立花裕人レポーターが弁護士をつかまえて電話取材した、元若ノ鵬と弁護士の会話は――
若「先生、ボクがんばりました。これで（相撲協会に）復帰できますよね」
弁「こんな会見で復帰できるわけがないだろう。裁判で何をしゃべるんだ!?」
若「しゃべることないです。くわしいことは何も知らないから」……
これでは、会見内容が疑われてもしかたない。
スタジオゲストのやくみつる（再発防止検討委員会メンバー）は「若ノ鵬の、協会に戻りたい、もう一度、相撲をとりたいという気持ちはホンモノのようだ。彼の後見人の方たちも、なんとか2年をメドに復活させたいと考えていた。その意思に反して軽挙妄動に走った。おバカさん過ぎるという印象を受ける」と話した。
また、大澤孝征（弁護士）は「申立書を読む限りでは、（大麻吸飲での解雇処分は重すぎるとする主張は）裁判的にはいいところまで行きそうと思っていた。が、そこに、八百長相撲をしたという不正行為が加われば、解雇事由がより強まる。弁護士にとってはたまらんという感じ」と語った。
立花レポーターによると、元若ノ鵬の弁護士は、「証人として出廷させるとは限らない。再会見も検討中」とのこと。そういえば、元露鵬、元白露山と、彼らの弁護士の動向もこのところ聞こえてこない。どうしているのだろうか。
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週刊現代側は元若ノ鵬へ金銭供与否定せず
元若ノ鵬の一方的な発表とわずかな質疑応答で打ち切られた会見に、報道陣は週刊現代側に詰め寄った。対応した担当者は「これは若ノ鵬さんの意向ですから」と繰り返した。取材陣がさらに「元露鵬、元白露山と接触したのか？」と問うと「答えられない。否定はしない」などと返した。元若ノ鵬への金銭供与については「答えられない」と否定はしなかった。
［2008年9月30日8時43分 紙面から］
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八百長認めた！元若ノ鵬が暴露連発、大麻力士や親方他にもいる
カメラのフラッシュを浴びながら会見に臨んだ元若ノ鵬
大麻取締法違反で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内・若ノ鵬（２０）が２９日、都内で会見し、現役時代に八百長を強要されて応じたことと、八百長疑惑で協会と係争中の週刊現代（講談社）側の証人として法廷に立つ意向を表明した。また、ほかにも大麻を吸った親方や力士がいることも強調。現代側は１０月３日の口頭弁論で証人申請し、やはり大麻問題で解雇された元露鵬（２８）、元白露山（２６）への出廷依頼も示唆。大麻問題で解雇された力士が法廷で報復する泥沼の展開に入った。
黒い着物に身を包んだ元若ノ鵬は、次々と“爆弾”を落とした。
「１６歳で相撲界に入り、幕内に上がったらアンフェアな取組を強いられ、お金を渡された。断るとかわいがりをすると言われた。親方（間垣＝元横綱・２代目若乃花）も知っていたが、注意しなかった。親方も現役時代にアンフェアなことをしていたからだ」
用意した文書を母国のロシア語で読み上げ、現役時代に八百長に関与したことを明言した。
さらに同じロシア出身の元露鵬、元白露山の解雇について「協会は吸っていないと話す２人を解雇し、本当に大麻を吸っている親方や力士は処分していない」と主張。「今の相撲界は汚い。きれいな世界に戻したい」と訴えたが、相撲界への明らかな反逆だった。
今回の会見は、横綱・朝青龍ら現役力士が絡んだとされる「八百長訴訟」で現代側の証人を務めることのアピールが目的。同席した現代側は、朝青龍が出廷して口頭弁論が行われる１０月３日の裁判で、証人申請することを明かした。裁判所に認められれば年内にも法廷に立つ元若ノ鵬は、八百長があった具体的な取組、金額などの詳細は裁判で説明するとした。
用意したメモ書きを読み上げた元若ノ鵬
もっとも、元若ノ鵬に近い関係者は相撲界浄化が目的ではないと指摘。「すべては金です。先週の金曜日に現代の編集長と若ノ鵬が会って出廷が決まったようだ」現代側が謝礼を払い証人を頼んだ―との見方を示した。週刊現代編集部も出廷について「私どもが出てほしいと求めました」と認め、謝礼に関しては「申し上げられません」と否定はしなかった。
別の関係者は「若ノ鵬の預金は今、２０万円ぐらいしかない」と明かす。実は今月８日の釈放後、日本の知人らが、せん別を渡す代わりにロシアへ帰国することを勧めたが、それを拒否。関係者は「現代が払ったのはそれ以上だろう。１０００万円は超えているのでは」と話した。
現代側は、元露鵬、元白露山の証人申請に関しても「否定はしません」と話した。元若ノ鵬は「相撲界の悪事の真実を話します」と訴えたが、貧すれば鈍する、の構図が浮かび上がった。
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八百長！大麻！サク裂“若ノ鵬爆弾！”
大麻取締法違反で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内・若ノ鵬（２０＝本名・ガグロエフ・ソスラン）が２９日に都内で会見を開き、八百長報道で協会と係争中の週刊現代側の証人になる意向を明らかにした。会見では現役時代に八百長を強要され、金銭を渡されたと発言。大麻問題では他にも吸った力士や親方がいるとぶちまけた。元若ノ鵬は角界復帰を希望して解雇の無効と地位保全を求め東京地裁に提訴していたが、今回の行動が訴訟に影響を及ぼすのは必至だ。【八百長特集】
午前１１時から行われた会見には報道陣約１００人とテレビカメラ２５台が集まった。元若ノ鵬は通訳を通じ、復帰を求めている“元職場”をおとしめる発言を繰り返した。
「１６歳で日本に来て、やっと幕内に上がれたと思ったら、いきなりアンフェアな取組を強いられ、お金を渡されました。それを断ったりすると“かわいがり”をするぞと言われました」。昨年１１月の九州場所で新入幕を果たして以降、他の力士から八百長を強要され、その結果、報酬を受け取ったと“告発”した。
矛先は元師匠の間垣親方（元横綱・２代目若乃花）らにも向けられた。「親方たちも知っていたにもかかわらず、相手に注意すらしてくれませんでした。親方たちも現役時代にアンフェアな取組をしてきたからです」。さらに、角界の大麻汚染の広がりを指摘するように「吸っていないと言っている露鵬、白露山を解雇したにもかかわらず、本当に大麻を吸っている力士や親方には何の処分を下さないのはどういうことなのか」と主張した。
会見は、東京地裁に解雇処分の撤回と元若ノ鵬の地位保全を求めていた宮田眞弁護士には寝耳に水の出来事だった。「何のつもりでこんなことをやったのか。私が配慮していたことが全部つぶされてしまった」と怒りを隠せない様子。宮田弁護士によれば、既に仮処分申請も済ませ、手順を踏んで復帰を求めていく方針だったという。しかし、会見を知ったのは前夜。本人に連絡がついたのは会見の直前だった。「会見を開くなら私は引くぞ」と言うと、元若ノ鵬は黙り「もうやめられない」と言ったという。今後について宮田弁護士は「どうするか会って検討する」と話すにとどめたが、関係者は「（元若ノ鵬は）お金に困っていたからなあ。前夜はホテルに缶詰めになっていたようだ」と話した。
この日の会見は、八百長報道で協会と係争中の週刊現代の仕切りで行われた。元若ノ鵬は八百長の回数や報酬額などの質問には一切答えず「裁判で話します。きょうはこれ以上話せない。週刊現代のために」と繰り返した。関係者によれば、元若ノ鵬が八百長に関与した２人の力士名を具体的に挙げたＤＶＤを作製し、協会に送りつけているとの情報もある。週刊現代側は八百長報道問題で朝青龍が出廷する１０月３日の裁判で、元若ノ鵬を証人申請する予定。角界を揺るがせた大麻問題は思わぬ事態を迎えた。
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元露鵬、元白露山は近日中に提訴
精密検査で大麻の陽性反応を示し、日本相撲協会を解雇された元露鵬、元白露山が、解雇処分撤回を求めて近日中に提訴する可能性が高まった。代理人である塩谷安男弁護士は２９日、「２、３日中に訴える方向性が強い」と明言した。訴状の内容については（１）陽性反応の信ぴょう性について（１）検査手続きの適切さについて（３）解雇処分が重いとする量刑不当についてとなる。
一方、２人が八百長疑惑裁判の原告に名を連ねていることについて、同弁護士は「言われるままやってきたんでしょう。原告から外すのが筋」と指摘。同協会の吉川弁護士も「外してほしいのなら、個人の意思を尊重しなければいけませんから」と話した。２人とも昨年の提訴時は幕内だった。
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大相撲：外部理事と監事の人事案承認へ 協会理事会
日本相撲協会は３０日、東京・両国国技館で理事会を開催。協会を監督する文部科学省から求められていた外部役員招くことについて、理事会と評議員会（総会）で執行部が提案した理事と監事の人事案を承認する見通し。外部役員は理事２人、監事１人の計３人。理事には早大教授の伊藤滋氏（７７）、弁護士で元東京高検検事長の村山弘義氏（７１）らの名が挙がっている。承認されれば戦後初の大相撲未経験者の就任となる。
大相撲界では昨年の時津風部屋の力士暴行死事件を受けて今年２月、松浪健四郎副文科相（当時）が外部理事の起用を提案した。４月にも国技館を訪れ、北の湖前理事長に早期実現を要望。期限を９月末に区切り、再三にわたって求めていた。【飯山太郎】
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相撲協会、外部役員に東大名誉教授の伊藤滋氏ら３人を起用
日本相撲協会は３０日、両国国技館で理事会、評議員会を開き、新理事に東大名誉教授の伊藤滋氏（７７）と、弁護士で元東京高検検事長の村山弘義氏（７１）、議決権を持たない監事には元警視総監の吉野準氏（７３）の就任を承認した。
親方だけで構成されてきた相撲協会の役員に、協会外部の人材が起用されるのは、戦後では初めて。戦前には陸軍出身の軍人が、理事長や理事を務めた例がある。
昨年、時津風部屋で起きた力士の傷害致死事件を受け、文科省から外部役員の登用を９月末の期限で求められていた。
伊藤理事は記者会見で、「国技のあり方を考え直し、力士教育に経験を生かしたい」と語り、武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）と親交のある村山理事は「相撲ファンの一人として、協会運営に生かしたい」と話した。吉野監事も「ファンあっての大相撲が議論の出発点」と語った。任期は、役員が次に改選される２０１０年１月末までで、以降は２年ごと。
同日、武蔵川理事長から報告を受けた塩谷文科相は、「期限内に要請に応えていただいき、今後の協会運営に期待が持てる。国民の目線で相撲をとらえる外部役員は、大きな役割を担うはず」と期待を寄せた。
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「一般社会」の視点に期待＝改革につながる起用に－相撲協会に外部から役員
日本相撲協会が、ようやく外部から役員を招いた。不祥事続きの相撲協会には、監督官庁の文部科学省だけでなく、政府高官からも「どうしても身内に甘くなる。元力士でなければ役員になれないというのは改めた方がいい」と催促されていた。
反発した親方も多く、起用する役職をめぐって迷走した時期もあった。外から厳しくせっつかれ、重い腰を上げたが、迎え入れたタイミングは悪くない。
武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）は就任後、初の本場所を終えたばかり。新理事長主導で選んだ３人は、いずれも好角家ではあるが、もちろん相撲は素人だ。
東大名誉教授で都市防災論などが専門の伊藤新理事は、小学生のころ、ラジオの大相撲中継にかじりついた。その上で「普通の市民として相撲を眺めた者として、自由な立場」で意見を伝えるという。村山理事は元東京高検検事。こちらは「個性と持ち味を生かしたい」と法律の専門家として力を尽くす構えだ。
相撲協会に「一般社会」の感覚が不足しているのは明らか。再発防止への取り組みが、戦後初の組織改革に及んだ。守るべきものを守りつつ、２１世紀にも支持される大相撲へ。自由闊達（かったつ）な議論が望まれる。（了）
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相撲協会新役員略歴
◇伊藤滋氏の略歴
伊藤 滋氏（いとう・しげる）東大院博士課程修了（建築学）。東大教授、慶大教授などを経て９２年東大名誉教授。元内閣官房・都市再生戦略チーム座長。７７歳。東京都出身。父は作家の伊藤整。
◇村山弘義氏の略歴
村山 弘義氏（むらやま・ひろよし）新潟大人文卒。６２年に検事任官。長野、福岡両地検検事正、東京高検検事長などを経て００年から弁護士に。７１歳。新潟県出身。
◇吉野準氏の略歴
吉野 準氏（よしの・じゅん）東大経卒。６０年警察庁入庁。香川県警本部長、総理秘書官、警察庁警備局長などを経て９３年警視総監に。９４年退官。７３歳。北海道出身。（了）
（2008/09/30-18:32）
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相撲協会新役員関係・談話
◇いろいろな意見聞く
武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海） 素晴らしい経験の持ち主ばかり。力を借りて、いろいろな意見を聞きながら、協会一丸となって頑張っていきたい。
◇教育面で手伝いたい
伊藤滋外部理事 教育に関してはお手伝いできることが多々ある。国技としての相撲はどういう考え方で成り立っているのか、という教養を組み立てていきたい。経理面でも意見を言えると思う。
◇大相撲発展のために
村山弘義外部理事 相撲ファンの一人として、いささかでも協会のため、大相撲の発展のために役に立てれば幸い。自分の個性を生かして運営に加わりたい。
◇ファンあっての相撲
吉野準監事 組織のための組織という考え方になりがちだが、ファンあっての大相撲というのが議論の出発点。その点でもう一度、相撲協会は見直すべきだと思う。監事として力を尽くしたい。
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
China lawyers pressed to end milk advice
China lawyers pressed to end milk advice
By Mure Dickie in Beijing
Published: September 28 2008 16:33 | Last updated: September 28 2008 16:33
Officials in a number of Chinese provinces are pressuring lawyers to pull out of a volunteer legal advice group set up to help the families of thousands of children who were poisoned by contaminated milk powder, according to people involved in the group.
The pressure faced by the lawyers seeking to help victims of the toxic milk scandal underscores the difficulties faced by the legal profession and civic groups that seek to tackle potentially sensitive issues in China, even when they do so openly and within an entirely legal framework.
People around China have been outraged by the contamination of milk powder and other dairy products with the industrial chemical melamine and by the fact that it was only made public after extensive delays. About 13,000 children are in hospital and four have died.
Lawyers set up a volunteer group to advise milk poisoning victims on issues such as the government’s policy on free medical care for them and how to preserve evidence that would be needed for any eventual compensation claim.
However, more than 20 lawyers suddenly pulled out in recent days under pressure from officials, according to organisers.
“There are so many victims and these children really need our help but the government is not letting us help them,” said one person involved in organising the group.
Li Fangping, a Beijing lawyer and leading member of the group, said that in some cases, the heads of legal practices had been called in by provincial judicial authorities and ordered to cease all involvement.
“They are under very great pressure,” Mr Li said.
Some of the lawyers who have withdrawn from the group on Sunday denied that their withdrawal was the result of pressure, while others declined to comment.
Justice ministry officials could not be reached for comment.
However, a lawyer in central Henan province, where officials appear to be particularly suspicious of the legal volunteers, said he had been directly ordered to pull out of the group.
“We feel there really shouldn’t be any problem doing this kind of work, but right now it seems very perilous,” he said.
The poisoning of infants fed on milk powder from some of China’s biggest dairy producers follows the death of thousands of children in allegedly shoddily-built schools that collapsed during the devastating earthquake that hit southwestern Sichuan in May.
In a speech to an international business forum at the weekend, Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, said Beijing would work to improve food industry safety.
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Cameron backs curbs on City bonuses
By Jean Eaglesham, Chief Political Correspondent
Published: September 28 2008 20:06 | Last updated: September 28 2008 20:06
David Cameron backed curbs on City bonuses as part of a crackdown on financial regulation, but pledged to avoid “bashing the financiers” rhetoric, as he sought on Sunday to regain the political initiative in the markets crisis.
The Conservative leader used the opening day of his party’s annual conference to lead a session on the credit crunch, which had been hastily parachuted into the programme to replace a scheduled celebration of recent Tory election victories. Mr Cameron is facing his worst polls for some months, as voters respond positively to Gordon Brown’s handling of the financial turmoil. The opposition party’s initial defence of the City, seized on by Labour, has also left it appearing on the defensive.
Mr Cameron led the counter-attack on Sunday, telling delegates his message to the prime minister was “you have had your boom and your reputation is now bust”. William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, used a Churchillian analogy in a bid to take the sting out of Mr Brown’s cutting jibe about not trusting “novices” to run the economy. “At times of crisis throughout history this country has shown a striking readiness to ditch those who have made matters worse and call for new leadership equal to the hour.”
The Conservatives will on Monday aim to get on the front-foot on regulation by setting out a wide-ranging “reconstruction plan” for the economy, designed to curb excessive government and bank borrowing, as well as strengthening the financial regulatory system.
The plan signalled a subtle shift in the Tory approach of supporting the existing status quo of light-touch regulation of the City in favour of tougher curbs. As well as supporting the Financial Services Authority’s review of “reckless bonus structures” – to use the Tories’ new terminology – the plan warned: “We reserve the right to return to the issue of pay and bonuses if the new FSA supervision proves ineffective.”
Mr Cameron said he believed “in some cases” the bonus structure had led people to take to very risky decisions. “I am in favour of free markets, yes, but the market has to be regulated, it needs rules,” the Conservative leader told the BBC.
But he shied away from the wholesale assault on capitalism heard in some quarters of Labour’s conference last week, stating: “What you won’t hear from me this week is sort of easy, cheap lines, kind of just beating up on the market system, bashing the financiers. It’s not going to pay a single mortgage, it’s not going to save a single job.”
Demands from some on the right wing of the party for a more radical tax-cutting approach to kickstarting the economy were flatly rejected by Mr Cameron. Stressing that the top priority of an incoming Conservative government would be to reduce debt and “keep spending under control”, the Tory leader again ruled out upfront unfunded tax cuts. “We had that big battle. We won that big battle [by ruling out such cuts] and in my view we’ve been completely vindicated . . . it’s not going to be reopened,” he asserted.
The Tories dismissed concerns over the sharp narrowing of their opinion poll lead over Labour in the last couple of weeks. A BPIX survey for the Sunday Telegraph showed the lead virtually halved from 23 points in August to 12 points.
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Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands partially nationalise Fortis
AFP
AFP - Monday, September 29 12:26 am
BRUSSELS (AFP) - The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg rode to the rescue of Fortis on Sunday with a 11.2 billion euro bailout to keep the US-born financial crisis from claiming a victim in Europe.
Top officials from the three countries hastily hammered out plans to partially nationalise Fortis over the weekend after the banking and insurance group failed to dispel liquidity concerns in recent days.
"The important thing is that it's a Benelux agreement. The governments are directly intervening to take control of the three banks in the three countries," Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders told a press conference.
"We said that we would not leave any client by the wayside," he said.
Fortis saw nearly a quarter of its value on the stock market wiped out over the last week as it battled to dispel repeated concerns about its liquidity, insisting as recently as Friday that it had ample funding.
Despite such assurances, Fortis shares plummeted more than 20 percent on Friday alone, and that was before the surprise announcement that chief executive Herman Verwilst was stepping down.
Under the hastily arranged rescue, Belgium will make the biggest contribution, taking a 49 percent stake in the Belgian arm of the company, Fortis Bank NV/SA, for 4.7 billion euros.
The Dutch government will take a 49 percent stake in the Dutch arm, Fortis Bank Nederland Holding, for 4.0 billion euros and Luxembourg will buy a 49 percent stake in Fortis Banque Luxembourg for 2.5 billion euros through a convertible loan.
Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said the four billion euros were "not wasted money as in exchange we gain the right to vote in the bank, as well as influence, something which is appreciated by depositors and households in these uncertain times".
"We are giving people security, Fortis will be stronger," Bos told Dutch television.
"Circumstances are extreme, these are no normal times," he added, calling the rescue operation "a strong signal that the three governments are ready to back a bank in trouble".
The rescue also foresees the sale of Fortis' recently acquired interest in Dutch bank ABN Amro and the departure of its chairman Maurice Lippens.
Hours after assuring that the group did not face the prospect of failure, chief executive Herman Verwilst unexpectedly stepped down late Friday and was replaced with immediate effect by the head of its banking division, Filip Dierckx.
While a takeover of Fortis had been the preferred solution, French banking group BNP Paribas pulled out of negotiations because of disagreement over the price and guarantees, several sources close to the talks said.
Fortis management and the Belgian government balked at BNP Paribas' offer of 1.6 euros per share -- which was well below the 5.18 euros the share closed at on Friday.
The drama surrounding Fortis was also a sign that Europe's weakest banks were unlikely to emerge unscathed from the US-born crisis currently roiling the financial sector.
Amid concerns over Fortis, Spanish banking giant Santander said early Monday it would take over the retail deposits and branch network of British bank Bradford and Bingley as top British officials tried to secure its future.
German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland reported that German mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate was on the brink of bankruptcy.
The turmoil in Europe's banking sector comes as leading US lawmakers agreed an unprecedented plan to rescue struggling financial institutions and avert an economic meltdown.
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Benelux governments rescue Fortis
Reuters
By Antonia Van De Velde and Marcin Grajewski Reuters - 12 minutes ago
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Benelux governments nationalised parts of banking and insurance group Fortis in a bid to prevent U.S.-style financial contagion engulfing one of Europe's top 20 banks.
After emergency talks with European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg governments agreed to inject 11.2 billion euros (8.9 billion pounds) into the financial group.
Fortis will sell the parts of Dutch bank ABN AMRO it bought last year to Dutch rival ING in a deal expected to be finalised within two weeks, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters. It was the purchase of the ABN assets that precipitated Fortis' trouble.
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme announced the bailout at a news conference on Sunday after a weekend of high drama in the first major bank crisis to hit the euro zone in 13 months of global financial turmoil that began in the United States.
Sources close to the talks said the Benelux governments chose a partial state buyout after investor confidence collapsed last week and two private bidders offered paltry terms.
"We could have not intervened, but the question was whether Fortis would have survived on Monday," Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos told reporters.
Each government will take a 49 percent stake in Fortis banks in their respective countries. Belgium will put in 4.7 billion euros, the Netherlands 4 billion and Luxembourg 2.5 billion, the latter in the form of a convertible loan.
Fortis said in a statement it expected total negative value adjustments of about 5 billion euros after tax in the third quarter. It added its core equity would be around 30 billion euros, resulting in a 9.5 billion euro excess core equity.
Fortis's Tier 1 ratio would be above 9 percent under Basel I rules and a capital ratio under Basel II of about 13 percent.
Fortis also said it was facing an impairment from the sale of the parts of Dutch bank ABN AMRO that it acquired for 24 billion euros last year.
The most likely private bidder for Fortis, France's BNP Paribas, pulled out after offering just 1.60 euros per share, compared to Friday's closing price of 5.20, and demanding state guarantees against possible future losses, a source said.
Another source close to the talks said BNP Paribas had offered 2 euros a share and the Dutch ING Group just 1.5. "There was no serious bidder for the intrinsic value of the whole group," the source said.
Trichet, who as ECB head is responsible for safeguarding financial stability in the euro zone, joined Leterme, Bos and the heads of both countries' central banks in the talks.
The presence of the ECB chief -- unprecedented in a commercial bank rescue -- underlined the seriousness of concern for the integrity of the euro zone's financial system.
Shares in Ping An, China's number two insurer, slid nearly 10 percent on Monday on fears it will have to absorb larger than expected losses from its 5 percent stake in Fortis.
TOO BIG TO FAIL
Financial players around the world were hoping U.S. lawmakers would finally sign off on a deal to create a $700 billion government fund to buy bad debt from ailing U.S. banks in a bid to stem a credit crisis threatening the global economy.
Fortis' size, with 85,000 staff worldwide, and its cross-border structure, made it too big to be allowed to fail. Its nationalisation dwarfs Britain's state takeover of fallen mortgage lender Northern Rock last year.
Fortis Chairman Maurice Lippens, accused by shareholders of concealing the bank's troubles for too long, resigned.
Fortis' precursors traded with Catherine the Great and financed the U.S. purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon. Its main constituent bank, Societe Generale, was the chief financier of the industrialisation of Belgium and the Netherlands.
BNP Paribas and ING declined comment on reports that they had bid for all or part of Fortis.
A mooted ING purchase of the Dutch operations of ABN AMRO would raise competition issues because the combined firm would dominate retail banking in the Netherlands.
New Fortis CEO Filip Dierckx inadvertently gave an insight into the rescue plans when a document he took into the meeting with the Belgian and Dutch finance ministers and central bankers and Trichet was photographed by Reuters.
It listed a range of options including "Fortis sells its stake in ABN AMRO for x billion euros to xx" and "governments of Belgium and Luxembourg to invest xx billion euros in Fortis."
ABN TAKEOVER BLAMED
The problems at Fortis, whose shares dropped by a third last week on investor concerns about its liquidity and funding, stem from last year's 70 billion euro purchase of ABN with partners Royal Bank of Scotland and Spain's Santander.
Fortis has been weighed down by its 24 billion euro outlay for ABN in a market that is neither conducive to more capital increases, nor willing to pay for the assets it wants to sell.
Its shares plummeted more than 20 percent to 15-year lows on Friday despite a statement that its position was strong and a pledge to expand asset sales to as much as 10 billion euros.
The group's market capitalisation slumped from 50 billion euros after the ABN purchase to just 12 billion euros on Friday.
The stakes were high in Belgium, where Fortis is the biggest private sector employer and where more than 1.5 million households, roughly half the country, bank with the group.
Fortis named Dierckx as chief executive on Friday evening, hastily replacing caretaker Herman Verwilst.
In London, regulators were in talks on the future of troubled lender Bradford & Bingley, raising the prospect that a second British bank could be nationalised.
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France and Belgium ready to help troubled Dexia
AFP
AFP - 1 hour 54 minutes ago
PARIS (AFP) - France and Belgium will step in to support the bank Dexia, the countries' finance ministers said Monday, as it saw a fifth of its stock market value wiped out in morning trading in Brussels.
(Advertisement)
France's Christine Lagarde noted that the Caisse des Depots state financial institution was a Dexia shareholder and would "assume its responsibilities".
The Caisse des Depots -- which manages tens of billions of euros of French public money invested in large French firms and finance groups, public sector pension funds and social housing -- holds 11 percent of Dexia's shares.
Earlier, Lagarde's Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders had said Brussels was also ready to step in to help Dexia, following the partial nationalisation of the beleaguered Dutch-Belgian banking and insurance giant Fortis.
After sliding nearly 33 percent in early trading in Brussels, Dexia's shares were showing a loss of 23.34 percent in later trade in Paris, amid ongoing chaos on world financial markets following the recent credit crunch.
A spokeswoman for Dexia, which notably acts as banker for French local government, insisted that the group was in no immediate danger of collapse.
"Our liquidity is very good. Our group is very solid at the capital level," she said, adding however that: "The situation is so exceptional (on the markets) that developments have to be constantly monitored."
Lagarde said that private French investors had little to fear from the cloud hanging over Dexia, as it has no French depositors.
Dexia was founded in 1996 as a merger of France's Credit Local and Belgium's Credit Communal. While it specialises in local government finance, it also has 5.5 million individual clients in Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Turkey.
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Iceland takes over Glitnir
By Robert Anderson in Stockholm
Published: September 29 2008 12:52 | Last updated: September 29 2008 12:52
The Icelandic government on Monday said it had taken over Glitnir, the island’s third largest bank, by injecting €600m ($862m) of equity after the lender’s funding position sharply deteriorated.
The bank rescue confirmed market worries about the ability of Iceland’s banks to withstand the current credit squeeze, given their weak base of deposits at home and their dependence on wholesale funding. Icelandic banks have increased their balance sheets aggressively in recent years to expand out of their volatile home market.
Shares in Glitnir were halted head of the announcement but other banks fell sharply, with Kaupthing, the largest by market capitalisation, sinking 4 per cent. The Icelandic kronor also fell to IKr143.27 against the euro by lunchtime.
Glitnir said that the bank had experienced adverse developments in its funding position in the past few days, forcing it to initiate talks with the government.
“Having the government as an owner strengthens the capital base of the bank and removes all doubt about Glitnir’s financial strength,” Larus Welding, chief executive, said in a statement.
The government is due to inject €600m of equity on Monday for a 75 per cent stake. “The purpose of this action is to enhance stability within the financial system,” the government said in a statement , adding that it did not intend to hold the stake for an extended period.
The Icelandic authorities insist that Glitnir´s capital and asset portfolio remain solid and that its loan book is of good quality. Glitnir’s capital adequacy ratio will be 14.5 per cent after the bail-out.
Iceland’s banks have been hurt both by the bursting of the island’s asset price bubble and by the tighter global credit markets, particularly as they had borrowed in the wholesale market to make private-equity style deals on their own account and for their Icelandic clients.
Shares in the banks have fallen sharply this year and the cost of insuring bank debt against default has soared.
The Icelandic kronor has also fallen almost 60 per cent against the dollar this year because of concerns over the island’s faltering economy, large current account deficit and external borrowing. The fall of the kronor has added to the banks’ problems as it has increased the size of their debt burden.
The banks have tried to reduce their reliance on wholesale market funding and volatile revenue streams such as proprietary trading, particularly by increasing their deposits using internet accounts. Glitnir’s deposit to loan ratio, however, remained the lowest among big Icelandic banks at around 35 per cent.
In its second-quarter results Glitnir reported net profit down 20 per cent, while the cost of bad loans soared to IKr4.5bn (€32m) compared with IKr247m in the same period last year.
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国際送金サービス開放へ、専門業者参入に道 金融庁方針
2008年9月29日21時19分
金融庁は２９日、銀行法で銀行だけに認めている国際送金などの為替取引業務を、銀行以外にも開放する方針を固めた。欧米のように「送金専門業者」が参入できるようにする。諸外国に比べ高い送金手数料が下がれば、利用者の利便性が高まる。金融審議会の作業部会で議論を進め、来年の法改正をめざす方針だ。
世界では、インターネットなどを活用した安価な送金サービスが次々に登場している。日本では新規参入が難しく、外国人労働者や旅行者が増えるなか割高な銀行のサービスが問題視されていた。政府の規制改革会議も「技術革新に伴い独占の意味が薄れてきた」として、規制緩和を求めている。
また、送金業務に近いコンビニエンスストアの「収納代行サービス」や、運送業者の「代金引換サービス」についても、新たに許可制や登録制などを導入し、預かり資産の保全・管理に規制をかけることを検討する。０７年度の取扱金額は両サービスで８兆円超に上るが、資金を預かる業者が倒産した場合の顧客保護のルールが不十分だった。
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「相撲界をきれいに」元・若ノ鵬の八百長告発会見全文掲載
大麻所持の容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元関取・若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン（20）が、29日都内のホテルで記者会見し、相撲界の「八百長」および「大麻汚染」の実態を裁判所で証言することを明らかにした。
（会見の全文はこちらから）
会見は、現在、日本相撲協会と"八百長報道"問題で係争中の「週刊現代」（講談社）が主導し、元・若ノ鵬がロシア語のコメントを読み上げる形で行われた。元・若ノ鵬は同裁判で、講談社側の証人として法廷に立つことになるという。
日本相撲協会は、07年2月、八百長疑惑を報じた「週刊現代」に「名誉を傷つけられた」として、発行元の講談社と発行人、編集人、執筆したフリーライターを相手取り、計約4億8000万円の損害賠償と謝罪広告の掲載を求めている。
●以下、若ノ鵬のコメントと質疑応答の全文
（日本語で）よろしくお願いします。みなさんこんにちは。
（以下、ロシア語で）本日はお集まりいただきまして、どうもありがとうございます。そして、私がご迷惑をおかけしたことを、ここで改めて、お詫び申し上げます。
私は相撲が大好きで、もう一度相撲界に戻れることを信じています。しかし、現在の相撲協会は汚いです。たとえ私が戻れたとしても、今のままではがまんできません。何をされるか分からないからです。
wakanoho02.jpg 私は16歳で日本に来ました。それから相撲の世界に入りました。強くなりたい、大関、横綱になりたいと思い、がんばってきました。しかし、やっと幕内に上がれたと思ったら、無理やりに、アンフェアな取り組みを強いられ、お金を渡されました。
また、それを断ったりすると、「かわいがり」をするぞ、と言われました。このことは親方たちも知っていたにも関わらず、相手に注意すらしてくれませんでした。
なぜなら、親方たちも、現役時代にアンフェアな取り組みをしてきたからです。以上の詳細については、現在訴訟中の「週刊現代」側の証人として、法廷で話します。
また、今回の大麻一連の問題において、私と同じロシア出身ということで露鵬・白露山には大変迷惑をかけてしまいました。協会は北の湖親方を理事長から下ろしました。また、大麻など吸っていないと言っている露鵬・白露山を、解雇という、大変重い処分を下しました。
それにも関わらず、本当に大麻を吸っている力士や親方には何の処分もしないのは、どういうことなのか、と思います。このことも、今後、私の知っている限りのことを話したいと思います。
また、今後、そのほかの、相撲協会の中で行われている悪事の真実についても話したいと思います。
以上の決意に至ったのは、大好きな相撲をきれいな世界に戻したい、その中でもう一度、私の夢をかなえたい、という思いと、外国人力士の名誉回復のためです。
どうぞ、みなさん、ご理解のほど、お願い申し上げます。
──アンフェアな取り組みという話がありましたが、八百長というような言い方もされますけれど、最初にそういったアンフェアな取り組みを頼まれた相手の力士は誰だったのですか？ それはいつごろでしたか？ また、見返りに、お金はいくらくらいもらったんでしょうか？
（日本語で）そのことは裁判で、はっきり言う。今、ちょっと、言わないですけど、裁判の中で言う。
──アンフェアな取り組みは何番くらいあったんですか？
（日本語で）その詳しい話を裁判でする。今日は、これより、詳しく話さない。裁判で話します。週刊現代のために。
──9月11日に相撲協会を解雇になってから、今日、現代側の証人としてこの会見をするまでに、どういう形で話が成立して、いちばん現代側の証人になろうと思った理由は何ですか？
（ロシア語で）私の思いは相撲界を正したい、相撲界をきれいにしたい、そういう強い思いがありまして、今のような状況になっているわけです。
──いつ現代と接点を持ったんですか？
（元・若ノ鵬は答えず、司会の「週刊現代」編集部が）それについては現段階でお答えできませんので、ごめんなさい。
──アンフェアな取り組みを持ちかけられた、その話には、たとえばやり取りのテープとか、そのお金のやり取りですね、書類とか、そういった物的証拠はあるんですか？
（ロシア語で）私自身が目撃者、証人です。
中盆―私が見続けた国技・大相撲の"深奥"
元小結・板井の八百長告発本。
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元若ノ鵬：代理人、会見知らされず「極めて遺憾」
大麻取締法違反（所持）容疑で逮捕され、起訴猶予処分となったロシア出身の元幕内力士、若ノ鵬（２０）が２９日、大相撲の八百長報道訴訟で講談社側の証人として出廷する意向を明らかにした。だが会見では「アンフェアな取組を強いられ、お金を渡された」と話しながら、詳細は「裁判で話す」と語るのみで、１０分程で一方的に打ち切った。
若ノ鵬の代理人の宮田真弁護士は会見を知らされておらず「寝耳に水。極めて遺憾だ」と不快感をあらわにした。日本相撲協会を解雇された若ノ鵬は協会を相手取って力士としての地位確認を求める訴訟を起こしており、宮田弁護士は「早期に協会に戻りたいとの気持ちから行った会見で、訴訟に有利になる行為と誤解したようだ」とコメントした。
協会では、原告でもある朝青龍と顧問弁護士が打ち合わせを持った。顧問弁護士の一人は「来月３日の朝青龍の本人尋問に向けた話をした」と説明した。武蔵川理事長は若ノ鵬の会見について「何も聞いていないし、何も言えない。（誰から頼まれたかなど）具体的な名前でも出たら対応を考える」と述べた。【飯山太郎】
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元若ノ鵬の弁護士「会見は寝耳に水」
大麻所持容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン元力士（２０）が、八百長を強要された経験があるとして法廷で証言する意向を会見で示したことに対し、代理人の宮田真弁護士らは２９日、「これまでの本人の話と異なる事実がある」とのコメントを発表した。
宮田弁護士らは「会見は寝耳に水で、全く知らなかった。本人は、会見をすれば相撲協会に早く戻れて地位確認を求める訴訟にも有利になると誤解しており、経緯を確認したい」としている。
ガグロエフ元力士は同日の会見で、八百長疑惑記事をめぐる訴訟で週刊誌側の証人になる意向を表明した。
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横綱審議委、朝青龍の進退触れず 八百長問題も議論せず
2008年9月29日20時51分
大相撲の横綱審議委員会が２９日、東京・国技館であり、秋場所で２場所連続途中休場した朝青龍について武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）が報告した。同日、理事長と会った朝青龍は「ひじの故障が思わしくない。非常に厳しいものがある」と話したという。
海老沢勝二委員長は「（委員側からは）進退という重すぎる言葉はひと言も出なかった」と話した。内館牧子委員によると「来場所も出て途中休場したらどうするか」との質問が出た際、理事長は「進退をかけて出てくるだろうから、こちらから（引退勧告できる横審に）何かを言うことはない」と答えたという。
元若ノ鵬が同日、東京都内で「アンフェアな取組を強いられ、無理やり金を渡された」と話した問題は、議論されなかったという。武蔵川理事長は報道陣に「聞いていないから何も言えない。誰のことか分からない。何か出たら対応する」と話した。
By Mure Dickie in Beijing
Published: September 28 2008 16:33 | Last updated: September 28 2008 16:33
Officials in a number of Chinese provinces are pressuring lawyers to pull out of a volunteer legal advice group set up to help the families of thousands of children who were poisoned by contaminated milk powder, according to people involved in the group.
The pressure faced by the lawyers seeking to help victims of the toxic milk scandal underscores the difficulties faced by the legal profession and civic groups that seek to tackle potentially sensitive issues in China, even when they do so openly and within an entirely legal framework.
People around China have been outraged by the contamination of milk powder and other dairy products with the industrial chemical melamine and by the fact that it was only made public after extensive delays. About 13,000 children are in hospital and four have died.
Lawyers set up a volunteer group to advise milk poisoning victims on issues such as the government’s policy on free medical care for them and how to preserve evidence that would be needed for any eventual compensation claim.
However, more than 20 lawyers suddenly pulled out in recent days under pressure from officials, according to organisers.
“There are so many victims and these children really need our help but the government is not letting us help them,” said one person involved in organising the group.
Li Fangping, a Beijing lawyer and leading member of the group, said that in some cases, the heads of legal practices had been called in by provincial judicial authorities and ordered to cease all involvement.
“They are under very great pressure,” Mr Li said.
Some of the lawyers who have withdrawn from the group on Sunday denied that their withdrawal was the result of pressure, while others declined to comment.
Justice ministry officials could not be reached for comment.
However, a lawyer in central Henan province, where officials appear to be particularly suspicious of the legal volunteers, said he had been directly ordered to pull out of the group.
“We feel there really shouldn’t be any problem doing this kind of work, but right now it seems very perilous,” he said.
The poisoning of infants fed on milk powder from some of China’s biggest dairy producers follows the death of thousands of children in allegedly shoddily-built schools that collapsed during the devastating earthquake that hit southwestern Sichuan in May.
In a speech to an international business forum at the weekend, Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, said Beijing would work to improve food industry safety.
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Cameron backs curbs on City bonuses
By Jean Eaglesham, Chief Political Correspondent
Published: September 28 2008 20:06 | Last updated: September 28 2008 20:06
David Cameron backed curbs on City bonuses as part of a crackdown on financial regulation, but pledged to avoid “bashing the financiers” rhetoric, as he sought on Sunday to regain the political initiative in the markets crisis.
The Conservative leader used the opening day of his party’s annual conference to lead a session on the credit crunch, which had been hastily parachuted into the programme to replace a scheduled celebration of recent Tory election victories. Mr Cameron is facing his worst polls for some months, as voters respond positively to Gordon Brown’s handling of the financial turmoil. The opposition party’s initial defence of the City, seized on by Labour, has also left it appearing on the defensive.
Mr Cameron led the counter-attack on Sunday, telling delegates his message to the prime minister was “you have had your boom and your reputation is now bust”. William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, used a Churchillian analogy in a bid to take the sting out of Mr Brown’s cutting jibe about not trusting “novices” to run the economy. “At times of crisis throughout history this country has shown a striking readiness to ditch those who have made matters worse and call for new leadership equal to the hour.”
The Conservatives will on Monday aim to get on the front-foot on regulation by setting out a wide-ranging “reconstruction plan” for the economy, designed to curb excessive government and bank borrowing, as well as strengthening the financial regulatory system.
The plan signalled a subtle shift in the Tory approach of supporting the existing status quo of light-touch regulation of the City in favour of tougher curbs. As well as supporting the Financial Services Authority’s review of “reckless bonus structures” – to use the Tories’ new terminology – the plan warned: “We reserve the right to return to the issue of pay and bonuses if the new FSA supervision proves ineffective.”
Mr Cameron said he believed “in some cases” the bonus structure had led people to take to very risky decisions. “I am in favour of free markets, yes, but the market has to be regulated, it needs rules,” the Conservative leader told the BBC.
But he shied away from the wholesale assault on capitalism heard in some quarters of Labour’s conference last week, stating: “What you won’t hear from me this week is sort of easy, cheap lines, kind of just beating up on the market system, bashing the financiers. It’s not going to pay a single mortgage, it’s not going to save a single job.”
Demands from some on the right wing of the party for a more radical tax-cutting approach to kickstarting the economy were flatly rejected by Mr Cameron. Stressing that the top priority of an incoming Conservative government would be to reduce debt and “keep spending under control”, the Tory leader again ruled out upfront unfunded tax cuts. “We had that big battle. We won that big battle [by ruling out such cuts] and in my view we’ve been completely vindicated . . . it’s not going to be reopened,” he asserted.
The Tories dismissed concerns over the sharp narrowing of their opinion poll lead over Labour in the last couple of weeks. A BPIX survey for the Sunday Telegraph showed the lead virtually halved from 23 points in August to 12 points.
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Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands partially nationalise Fortis
AFP
AFP - Monday, September 29 12:26 am
BRUSSELS (AFP) - The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg rode to the rescue of Fortis on Sunday with a 11.2 billion euro bailout to keep the US-born financial crisis from claiming a victim in Europe.
Top officials from the three countries hastily hammered out plans to partially nationalise Fortis over the weekend after the banking and insurance group failed to dispel liquidity concerns in recent days.
"The important thing is that it's a Benelux agreement. The governments are directly intervening to take control of the three banks in the three countries," Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders told a press conference.
"We said that we would not leave any client by the wayside," he said.
Fortis saw nearly a quarter of its value on the stock market wiped out over the last week as it battled to dispel repeated concerns about its liquidity, insisting as recently as Friday that it had ample funding.
Despite such assurances, Fortis shares plummeted more than 20 percent on Friday alone, and that was before the surprise announcement that chief executive Herman Verwilst was stepping down.
Under the hastily arranged rescue, Belgium will make the biggest contribution, taking a 49 percent stake in the Belgian arm of the company, Fortis Bank NV/SA, for 4.7 billion euros.
The Dutch government will take a 49 percent stake in the Dutch arm, Fortis Bank Nederland Holding, for 4.0 billion euros and Luxembourg will buy a 49 percent stake in Fortis Banque Luxembourg for 2.5 billion euros through a convertible loan.
Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said the four billion euros were "not wasted money as in exchange we gain the right to vote in the bank, as well as influence, something which is appreciated by depositors and households in these uncertain times".
"We are giving people security, Fortis will be stronger," Bos told Dutch television.
"Circumstances are extreme, these are no normal times," he added, calling the rescue operation "a strong signal that the three governments are ready to back a bank in trouble".
The rescue also foresees the sale of Fortis' recently acquired interest in Dutch bank ABN Amro and the departure of its chairman Maurice Lippens.
Hours after assuring that the group did not face the prospect of failure, chief executive Herman Verwilst unexpectedly stepped down late Friday and was replaced with immediate effect by the head of its banking division, Filip Dierckx.
While a takeover of Fortis had been the preferred solution, French banking group BNP Paribas pulled out of negotiations because of disagreement over the price and guarantees, several sources close to the talks said.
Fortis management and the Belgian government balked at BNP Paribas' offer of 1.6 euros per share -- which was well below the 5.18 euros the share closed at on Friday.
The drama surrounding Fortis was also a sign that Europe's weakest banks were unlikely to emerge unscathed from the US-born crisis currently roiling the financial sector.
Amid concerns over Fortis, Spanish banking giant Santander said early Monday it would take over the retail deposits and branch network of British bank Bradford and Bingley as top British officials tried to secure its future.
German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland reported that German mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate was on the brink of bankruptcy.
The turmoil in Europe's banking sector comes as leading US lawmakers agreed an unprecedented plan to rescue struggling financial institutions and avert an economic meltdown.
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Benelux governments rescue Fortis
Reuters
By Antonia Van De Velde and Marcin Grajewski Reuters - 12 minutes ago
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Benelux governments nationalised parts of banking and insurance group Fortis in a bid to prevent U.S.-style financial contagion engulfing one of Europe's top 20 banks.
After emergency talks with European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg governments agreed to inject 11.2 billion euros (8.9 billion pounds) into the financial group.
Fortis will sell the parts of Dutch bank ABN AMRO it bought last year to Dutch rival ING in a deal expected to be finalised within two weeks, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters. It was the purchase of the ABN assets that precipitated Fortis' trouble.
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme announced the bailout at a news conference on Sunday after a weekend of high drama in the first major bank crisis to hit the euro zone in 13 months of global financial turmoil that began in the United States.
Sources close to the talks said the Benelux governments chose a partial state buyout after investor confidence collapsed last week and two private bidders offered paltry terms.
"We could have not intervened, but the question was whether Fortis would have survived on Monday," Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos told reporters.
Each government will take a 49 percent stake in Fortis banks in their respective countries. Belgium will put in 4.7 billion euros, the Netherlands 4 billion and Luxembourg 2.5 billion, the latter in the form of a convertible loan.
Fortis said in a statement it expected total negative value adjustments of about 5 billion euros after tax in the third quarter. It added its core equity would be around 30 billion euros, resulting in a 9.5 billion euro excess core equity.
Fortis's Tier 1 ratio would be above 9 percent under Basel I rules and a capital ratio under Basel II of about 13 percent.
Fortis also said it was facing an impairment from the sale of the parts of Dutch bank ABN AMRO that it acquired for 24 billion euros last year.
The most likely private bidder for Fortis, France's BNP Paribas, pulled out after offering just 1.60 euros per share, compared to Friday's closing price of 5.20, and demanding state guarantees against possible future losses, a source said.
Another source close to the talks said BNP Paribas had offered 2 euros a share and the Dutch ING Group just 1.5. "There was no serious bidder for the intrinsic value of the whole group," the source said.
Trichet, who as ECB head is responsible for safeguarding financial stability in the euro zone, joined Leterme, Bos and the heads of both countries' central banks in the talks.
The presence of the ECB chief -- unprecedented in a commercial bank rescue -- underlined the seriousness of concern for the integrity of the euro zone's financial system.
Shares in Ping An, China's number two insurer, slid nearly 10 percent on Monday on fears it will have to absorb larger than expected losses from its 5 percent stake in Fortis.
TOO BIG TO FAIL
Financial players around the world were hoping U.S. lawmakers would finally sign off on a deal to create a $700 billion government fund to buy bad debt from ailing U.S. banks in a bid to stem a credit crisis threatening the global economy.
Fortis' size, with 85,000 staff worldwide, and its cross-border structure, made it too big to be allowed to fail. Its nationalisation dwarfs Britain's state takeover of fallen mortgage lender Northern Rock last year.
Fortis Chairman Maurice Lippens, accused by shareholders of concealing the bank's troubles for too long, resigned.
Fortis' precursors traded with Catherine the Great and financed the U.S. purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon. Its main constituent bank, Societe Generale, was the chief financier of the industrialisation of Belgium and the Netherlands.
BNP Paribas and ING declined comment on reports that they had bid for all or part of Fortis.
A mooted ING purchase of the Dutch operations of ABN AMRO would raise competition issues because the combined firm would dominate retail banking in the Netherlands.
New Fortis CEO Filip Dierckx inadvertently gave an insight into the rescue plans when a document he took into the meeting with the Belgian and Dutch finance ministers and central bankers and Trichet was photographed by Reuters.
It listed a range of options including "Fortis sells its stake in ABN AMRO for x billion euros to xx" and "governments of Belgium and Luxembourg to invest xx billion euros in Fortis."
ABN TAKEOVER BLAMED
The problems at Fortis, whose shares dropped by a third last week on investor concerns about its liquidity and funding, stem from last year's 70 billion euro purchase of ABN with partners Royal Bank of Scotland and Spain's Santander.
Fortis has been weighed down by its 24 billion euro outlay for ABN in a market that is neither conducive to more capital increases, nor willing to pay for the assets it wants to sell.
Its shares plummeted more than 20 percent to 15-year lows on Friday despite a statement that its position was strong and a pledge to expand asset sales to as much as 10 billion euros.
The group's market capitalisation slumped from 50 billion euros after the ABN purchase to just 12 billion euros on Friday.
The stakes were high in Belgium, where Fortis is the biggest private sector employer and where more than 1.5 million households, roughly half the country, bank with the group.
Fortis named Dierckx as chief executive on Friday evening, hastily replacing caretaker Herman Verwilst.
In London, regulators were in talks on the future of troubled lender Bradford & Bingley, raising the prospect that a second British bank could be nationalised.
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France and Belgium ready to help troubled Dexia
AFP
AFP - 1 hour 54 minutes ago
PARIS (AFP) - France and Belgium will step in to support the bank Dexia, the countries' finance ministers said Monday, as it saw a fifth of its stock market value wiped out in morning trading in Brussels.
(Advertisement)
France's Christine Lagarde noted that the Caisse des Depots state financial institution was a Dexia shareholder and would "assume its responsibilities".
The Caisse des Depots -- which manages tens of billions of euros of French public money invested in large French firms and finance groups, public sector pension funds and social housing -- holds 11 percent of Dexia's shares.
Earlier, Lagarde's Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders had said Brussels was also ready to step in to help Dexia, following the partial nationalisation of the beleaguered Dutch-Belgian banking and insurance giant Fortis.
After sliding nearly 33 percent in early trading in Brussels, Dexia's shares were showing a loss of 23.34 percent in later trade in Paris, amid ongoing chaos on world financial markets following the recent credit crunch.
A spokeswoman for Dexia, which notably acts as banker for French local government, insisted that the group was in no immediate danger of collapse.
"Our liquidity is very good. Our group is very solid at the capital level," she said, adding however that: "The situation is so exceptional (on the markets) that developments have to be constantly monitored."
Lagarde said that private French investors had little to fear from the cloud hanging over Dexia, as it has no French depositors.
Dexia was founded in 1996 as a merger of France's Credit Local and Belgium's Credit Communal. While it specialises in local government finance, it also has 5.5 million individual clients in Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Turkey.
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Iceland takes over Glitnir
By Robert Anderson in Stockholm
Published: September 29 2008 12:52 | Last updated: September 29 2008 12:52
The Icelandic government on Monday said it had taken over Glitnir, the island’s third largest bank, by injecting €600m ($862m) of equity after the lender’s funding position sharply deteriorated.
The bank rescue confirmed market worries about the ability of Iceland’s banks to withstand the current credit squeeze, given their weak base of deposits at home and their dependence on wholesale funding. Icelandic banks have increased their balance sheets aggressively in recent years to expand out of their volatile home market.
Shares in Glitnir were halted head of the announcement but other banks fell sharply, with Kaupthing, the largest by market capitalisation, sinking 4 per cent. The Icelandic kronor also fell to IKr143.27 against the euro by lunchtime.
Glitnir said that the bank had experienced adverse developments in its funding position in the past few days, forcing it to initiate talks with the government.
“Having the government as an owner strengthens the capital base of the bank and removes all doubt about Glitnir’s financial strength,” Larus Welding, chief executive, said in a statement.
The government is due to inject €600m of equity on Monday for a 75 per cent stake. “The purpose of this action is to enhance stability within the financial system,” the government said in a statement , adding that it did not intend to hold the stake for an extended period.
The Icelandic authorities insist that Glitnir´s capital and asset portfolio remain solid and that its loan book is of good quality. Glitnir’s capital adequacy ratio will be 14.5 per cent after the bail-out.
Iceland’s banks have been hurt both by the bursting of the island’s asset price bubble and by the tighter global credit markets, particularly as they had borrowed in the wholesale market to make private-equity style deals on their own account and for their Icelandic clients.
Shares in the banks have fallen sharply this year and the cost of insuring bank debt against default has soared.
The Icelandic kronor has also fallen almost 60 per cent against the dollar this year because of concerns over the island’s faltering economy, large current account deficit and external borrowing. The fall of the kronor has added to the banks’ problems as it has increased the size of their debt burden.
The banks have tried to reduce their reliance on wholesale market funding and volatile revenue streams such as proprietary trading, particularly by increasing their deposits using internet accounts. Glitnir’s deposit to loan ratio, however, remained the lowest among big Icelandic banks at around 35 per cent.
In its second-quarter results Glitnir reported net profit down 20 per cent, while the cost of bad loans soared to IKr4.5bn (€32m) compared with IKr247m in the same period last year.
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国際送金サービス開放へ、専門業者参入に道 金融庁方針
2008年9月29日21時19分
金融庁は２９日、銀行法で銀行だけに認めている国際送金などの為替取引業務を、銀行以外にも開放する方針を固めた。欧米のように「送金専門業者」が参入できるようにする。諸外国に比べ高い送金手数料が下がれば、利用者の利便性が高まる。金融審議会の作業部会で議論を進め、来年の法改正をめざす方針だ。
世界では、インターネットなどを活用した安価な送金サービスが次々に登場している。日本では新規参入が難しく、外国人労働者や旅行者が増えるなか割高な銀行のサービスが問題視されていた。政府の規制改革会議も「技術革新に伴い独占の意味が薄れてきた」として、規制緩和を求めている。
また、送金業務に近いコンビニエンスストアの「収納代行サービス」や、運送業者の「代金引換サービス」についても、新たに許可制や登録制などを導入し、預かり資産の保全・管理に規制をかけることを検討する。０７年度の取扱金額は両サービスで８兆円超に上るが、資金を預かる業者が倒産した場合の顧客保護のルールが不十分だった。
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「相撲界をきれいに」元・若ノ鵬の八百長告発会見全文掲載
大麻所持の容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元関取・若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン（20）が、29日都内のホテルで記者会見し、相撲界の「八百長」および「大麻汚染」の実態を裁判所で証言することを明らかにした。
（会見の全文はこちらから）
会見は、現在、日本相撲協会と"八百長報道"問題で係争中の「週刊現代」（講談社）が主導し、元・若ノ鵬がロシア語のコメントを読み上げる形で行われた。元・若ノ鵬は同裁判で、講談社側の証人として法廷に立つことになるという。
日本相撲協会は、07年2月、八百長疑惑を報じた「週刊現代」に「名誉を傷つけられた」として、発行元の講談社と発行人、編集人、執筆したフリーライターを相手取り、計約4億8000万円の損害賠償と謝罪広告の掲載を求めている。
●以下、若ノ鵬のコメントと質疑応答の全文
（日本語で）よろしくお願いします。みなさんこんにちは。
（以下、ロシア語で）本日はお集まりいただきまして、どうもありがとうございます。そして、私がご迷惑をおかけしたことを、ここで改めて、お詫び申し上げます。
私は相撲が大好きで、もう一度相撲界に戻れることを信じています。しかし、現在の相撲協会は汚いです。たとえ私が戻れたとしても、今のままではがまんできません。何をされるか分からないからです。
wakanoho02.jpg 私は16歳で日本に来ました。それから相撲の世界に入りました。強くなりたい、大関、横綱になりたいと思い、がんばってきました。しかし、やっと幕内に上がれたと思ったら、無理やりに、アンフェアな取り組みを強いられ、お金を渡されました。
また、それを断ったりすると、「かわいがり」をするぞ、と言われました。このことは親方たちも知っていたにも関わらず、相手に注意すらしてくれませんでした。
なぜなら、親方たちも、現役時代にアンフェアな取り組みをしてきたからです。以上の詳細については、現在訴訟中の「週刊現代」側の証人として、法廷で話します。
また、今回の大麻一連の問題において、私と同じロシア出身ということで露鵬・白露山には大変迷惑をかけてしまいました。協会は北の湖親方を理事長から下ろしました。また、大麻など吸っていないと言っている露鵬・白露山を、解雇という、大変重い処分を下しました。
それにも関わらず、本当に大麻を吸っている力士や親方には何の処分もしないのは、どういうことなのか、と思います。このことも、今後、私の知っている限りのことを話したいと思います。
また、今後、そのほかの、相撲協会の中で行われている悪事の真実についても話したいと思います。
以上の決意に至ったのは、大好きな相撲をきれいな世界に戻したい、その中でもう一度、私の夢をかなえたい、という思いと、外国人力士の名誉回復のためです。
どうぞ、みなさん、ご理解のほど、お願い申し上げます。
──アンフェアな取り組みという話がありましたが、八百長というような言い方もされますけれど、最初にそういったアンフェアな取り組みを頼まれた相手の力士は誰だったのですか？ それはいつごろでしたか？ また、見返りに、お金はいくらくらいもらったんでしょうか？
（日本語で）そのことは裁判で、はっきり言う。今、ちょっと、言わないですけど、裁判の中で言う。
──アンフェアな取り組みは何番くらいあったんですか？
（日本語で）その詳しい話を裁判でする。今日は、これより、詳しく話さない。裁判で話します。週刊現代のために。
──9月11日に相撲協会を解雇になってから、今日、現代側の証人としてこの会見をするまでに、どういう形で話が成立して、いちばん現代側の証人になろうと思った理由は何ですか？
（ロシア語で）私の思いは相撲界を正したい、相撲界をきれいにしたい、そういう強い思いがありまして、今のような状況になっているわけです。
──いつ現代と接点を持ったんですか？
（元・若ノ鵬は答えず、司会の「週刊現代」編集部が）それについては現段階でお答えできませんので、ごめんなさい。
──アンフェアな取り組みを持ちかけられた、その話には、たとえばやり取りのテープとか、そのお金のやり取りですね、書類とか、そういった物的証拠はあるんですか？
（ロシア語で）私自身が目撃者、証人です。
中盆―私が見続けた国技・大相撲の"深奥"
元小結・板井の八百長告発本。
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元若ノ鵬：代理人、会見知らされず「極めて遺憾」
大麻取締法違反（所持）容疑で逮捕され、起訴猶予処分となったロシア出身の元幕内力士、若ノ鵬（２０）が２９日、大相撲の八百長報道訴訟で講談社側の証人として出廷する意向を明らかにした。だが会見では「アンフェアな取組を強いられ、お金を渡された」と話しながら、詳細は「裁判で話す」と語るのみで、１０分程で一方的に打ち切った。
若ノ鵬の代理人の宮田真弁護士は会見を知らされておらず「寝耳に水。極めて遺憾だ」と不快感をあらわにした。日本相撲協会を解雇された若ノ鵬は協会を相手取って力士としての地位確認を求める訴訟を起こしており、宮田弁護士は「早期に協会に戻りたいとの気持ちから行った会見で、訴訟に有利になる行為と誤解したようだ」とコメントした。
協会では、原告でもある朝青龍と顧問弁護士が打ち合わせを持った。顧問弁護士の一人は「来月３日の朝青龍の本人尋問に向けた話をした」と説明した。武蔵川理事長は若ノ鵬の会見について「何も聞いていないし、何も言えない。（誰から頼まれたかなど）具体的な名前でも出たら対応を考える」と述べた。【飯山太郎】
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元若ノ鵬の弁護士「会見は寝耳に水」
大麻所持容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン元力士（２０）が、八百長を強要された経験があるとして法廷で証言する意向を会見で示したことに対し、代理人の宮田真弁護士らは２９日、「これまでの本人の話と異なる事実がある」とのコメントを発表した。
宮田弁護士らは「会見は寝耳に水で、全く知らなかった。本人は、会見をすれば相撲協会に早く戻れて地位確認を求める訴訟にも有利になると誤解しており、経緯を確認したい」としている。
ガグロエフ元力士は同日の会見で、八百長疑惑記事をめぐる訴訟で週刊誌側の証人になる意向を表明した。
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横綱審議委、朝青龍の進退触れず 八百長問題も議論せず
2008年9月29日20時51分
大相撲の横綱審議委員会が２９日、東京・国技館であり、秋場所で２場所連続途中休場した朝青龍について武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）が報告した。同日、理事長と会った朝青龍は「ひじの故障が思わしくない。非常に厳しいものがある」と話したという。
海老沢勝二委員長は「（委員側からは）進退という重すぎる言葉はひと言も出なかった」と話した。内館牧子委員によると「来場所も出て途中休場したらどうするか」との質問が出た際、理事長は「進退をかけて出てくるだろうから、こちらから（引退勧告できる横審に）何かを言うことはない」と答えたという。
元若ノ鵬が同日、東京都内で「アンフェアな取組を強いられ、無理やり金を渡された」と話した問題は、議論されなかったという。武蔵川理事長は報道陣に「聞いていないから何も言えない。誰のことか分からない。何か出たら対応する」と話した。
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Government to nationalise Bradford & Bingley
Government to nationalise Bradford & Bingley
Reuters
By Steve Slater and Sumeet Desai Reuters - 17 minutes ago
LONDON (Reuters) - The government will nationalise troubled mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley and is discussing the sale of its savings book and branches, people in the banking industry familiar with the matter said.
(Advertisement)
The Treasury is leading talks on the rescue of the bank and said on Sunday discussions were continuing and a decision will be announced before Monday's market opening.
The Treasury would have preferred a private sector rescue for Britain's ninth biggest mortgage provider but rivals appear unwilling to come in as a "white knight" amid a global credit crisis and weakening housing market.
The BBC said B&B will be nationalised and its mortgage book merged with Northern Rock, the lender taken under state ownership in February.
The government this month brokered the takeover of HBOS, Britain's biggest home lender, by rival Lloyds TSB.
B&B is the latest bank to be hit by a global financial crisis, which was sparked by losses on poor quality U.S. home loans and has claimed a number of high-profile victims in the United States and Europe.
The crisis and the weakening economy have heaped pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose party lags the opposition Conservatives in opinion polls and whose leadership has been questioned by some in his own party.
BRANCHES COULD BE SOLD
B&B's 24 billion pounds of savings and its 200 branches could be sold to a rival or rivals. Spain's Santander, which owns Abbey and is in the process of buying Alliance & Leicester, was in talks about possibly taking over deposits and branches, an industry source said.
But rivals are reluctant to take ownership of B&B's book of 41 billion pounds of residential loans -- representing 3.4 percent of UK mortgages -- as many of them are higher risk buy-to-let and self-certified loans and the British housing market is weakening, raising the prospect of rising bad debts.
The government could nationalise B&B using legislation put through to deal with the Northern Rock crisis.
A spokesman for B&B said: "We can confirm we are working with regulatory authorities to bring clarity to the bank's future." He said news would be announced before Monday's stock market opening and customers' savings were safe.
B&B shares tumbled to a record low on Friday and the cost of insuring its debt jumped, prompting regulators to step up efforts to find potential white knights for the bank.
Its shares closed on Friday at 20 pence, valuing it at under 300 million pounds.
Another option being considered is asking a group of banks to take part in a "lifeboat rescue" of B&B, where they would take all or the best of its mortgage book, the sources said.
The top five banks -- HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds TSB and HBOS -- and Santander already own about 30 percent of B&B between them after they stepped in to help save a rights issue that flopped in June.
Talks were also being held in Amsterdam and Brussels on the fate of another European bank, troubled Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis, and one report said it may sell itself or the ABN AMRO Dutch banking business it acquired last year.
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Bahrain's Unicorn eyes bank acquisitions
Reuters
Reuters - 25 minutes ago
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank said on Sunday it was looking to spend up to $2 billion (1.09 billion pounds) to buy banks in the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia and the Gulf and plans to arrange $1.5 billion of Islamic bonds by year end.
(Advertisement)
Fred Stonehouse, head of strategic mergers and acquisitions at the Islamic bank, said it planned to convert any banks it acquires to comply with Islamic banking rules that ban interest.
"In the UK we see potential businesses we could acquire and Islamicise as appropriate," he told Reuters.
"In Southeast Asia we have two opportunities we are looking at and in the (Gulf Arab region) we have four deals we are looking at ... We are in no rush to conclude these," he added.
"The total acquisition value of these would be in the range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion ... There are some mid-range institutions and one fairly sizeable one."
The bank also said it would buy family-owned foreign exchange firm Bahrain Financing Company, without giving details of the cost of the deal.
Stonehouse said Unicorn planned to expand Bahrain Finance Company both organically and through acquisitions over the next two years in Bahrain, Kuwait and the Gulf Arab region.
The deal would be concluded by the end of October, he said.
Unicorn is also looking to arrange $1.5 billion worth of sukuk in the Gulf Arab region by year end, Majid al-Sayed Bader al-Refai, the bank's managing director and chief executive said.
In January Unicorn bought 80 percent of U.S. electronics firm Victron Inc for $70 million in its second purchase in the United States in two months. In December, it bought 75 percent of Open-Silicon Inc, a microchip maker.
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Belgian officials eye Fortis solution
AFP
AFP - 2 hours 7 minutes ago
BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian banking officials sought to hammer out a plan on Sunday aimed at maintaining confidence in the Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis, a spokesman for Belgium's financial regulator said.
(Advertisement)
Officials were hoping to reach a solution on Fortis, whose shares have been hammered by liquidity concerns, by Sunday "afternoon or evening," said the spokesman for the Belgian Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission (CBFA).
"There always are meetings and we are always examining initiatives that we will take with the BNB (Belgium's central bank)," the spokesman said.
Belgian officials were coordinating with authorities in the Netherlands overseeing Fortis, including the Dutch Central Bank, in order to find a common solution, he said.
Belgian ministers held a cabinet meeting late Saturday with central bank and CBFA officials to discuss the global financial crisis, and "especially Fortis," said a spokesman for Prime Minister Yves Leterme.
The spokesman refused to give more details, saying, "We will make a statement as soon as there is a solution, but not before that because it's unnecessary."
In Amsterdam, Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos met late Saturday with top central bank officials, the ANP news agency reported, but no details were given about the subject of the meeting.
Fortis said late Friday it had replaced its chief executive, Herman Verwilst, with Filip Dierckx, head of its banking division.
After two days of steep slides in its share price, the Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance group hastily arranged a news conference to assure clients that their deposits were safe and that it had ample funding.
But shares in the group only fell further, sliding nearly 21 percent Friday -- down 71 percent since the beginning of the year.
Fortis's market value stood late Friday at 13 billion euros -- one third of what it was at the end of 2007. Despite assurances, some banking analysts said the group was looking increasingly vulnerable to a takeover.
"A takeover by ING (of the Netherlands) or BNP Paribas (of France) is more and more possible," Dresdner Kleinwort analyst Jaap Meijer said, adding that BNP Paribas had already shown interest in Fortis in 1999.
Other potential buyers include Spain's Santander, Germany's Deutsche Bank or Britain's HSBC.
Fortis's Belgian rivals Dexia and KBC refused to comment on a report by the De Tijd newspaper that they could be involved in a rescue deal for the beleaguered bank.
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Bank of China says open to Wall Street buys
Reuters
Reuters - Sunday, September 28 08:56 am
TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - Bank of China, the country's largest foreign-exchange lender, is open to buying into U.S. banks in the wake of the global financial crisis, a senior executive said on Sunday.
(Advertisement)
Banking industry observers in China are torn over whether the fall in the share prices of many U.S. financial firms presents more of a risk or a buying opportunity.
Zhu Min, vice-president of Bank of China , did not shy away when asked whether his bank was currently considering making investments in Wall Street.
"We are open. From a business point of view, we are looking for all the possible deals everywhere," Zhu told a meeting of the World Economic Forum being held in this northern port city.
While Zhu did not elaborate, his remarks contrast with more cautious comments by senior executives of other Chinese banks on their plans for expanding overseas.
Guo Shuqing, chairman of China Construction Bank Corp said on Saturday that CCB would be relatively careful in considering whether to make purchases abroad, especially in the United States.
Jiang Jianqing, chairman of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China , said on Friday that the country's biggest lender would be careful in exploring U.S. acquisitions during the current turmoil.
Others were more optimistic.
Antony Leung, chairman of greater China for U.S. private-equity house Blackstone Group , said on Sunday that the recent fall in asset prices could present good buying opportunities for Chinese investors, including China Investment Corp (CIC), the $200 billion (108.7 billion pound) sovereign wealth fund.
"Right now, whether we're talking about CIC or other investors, I think it's a chance you see only once a century," Leung told the forum.
"When the market is good, it's hard to even get the opportunity to buy a relatively big strategic stake in a good-quality company overseas. Now you have that chance."
The steep losses CIC has incurred since it invested $3 billion in Blackstone last year have been a source of uncertainty among Chinese bankers about venturing abroad.
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Long View: Testing times for true believers in a bull run
By John Authers, Investment editor
Published: September 26 2008 20:31 | Last updated: September 26 2008 20:31
Writing anything about this financial crisis is nerve-racking. People may be reading how financial journalists wrote about this crisis decades from now, and things we now accept as unquestioned orthodoxy may come to be ridiculed. I am acutely conscious of this as I covered Washington Mutual for the Financial Times in the late 1990s.
WaMu on Friday became the biggest bank failure in US history (a title it will hopefully keep for a while). Its decline, as has been amply documented, lay in its huge portfolio of mortgages and mortgage-backed bonds.
A decade ago, assumptions were different. The last WaMu story I wrote covered a day when its share price fell 5 per cent in June 1999. It fell because investors were worried that it was retreating from its policy of levering up by buying mortgage-backed securities.
Analysts told me that retreating from leverage would harm WaMu’s revenues in the short term, along with its earnings and its share price.
The implicit assumption was that leverage was good. Shareholders punished companies and executives when they paid down their debt and took less risk.
This should remind us of the breadth of the failure of the global markets system that we are now witnessing. Shareholders themselves egged on the lending binge in the US, and did so before the stratospheric growth in the credit derivatives market.
Bearing this in mind, let us make some assumptions about what the next few days may hold.
Let us assume that the politicians agree on some form of a bail-out for the financial system.
The reason for the assumption? If the failure of WaMu, the quintessential Main Street bank, does not make clear that the “Wall Street” crisis will have real implications on Main Street, then the credit market suggests that other banks will come under the same pressure. That could force lawmakers to do something.
Let us also assume that a bail-out, in whatever form it finally passes, would have the following effects; it would allow the money markets to unfreeze and it would stem the threat of panic over the banking system. It should thus avert the scenario of a return to the 1930s, in which regulators allowed a market dislocation to turn into the Great Depression by allowing banks to fail.
Compared to the present outlook, these outcomes would be good. But that is all a bail-out would achieve. Beyond that, the world after a bail-out will not look pretty for investors.
Long-term valuation measures do not give a strong “buy” signal. Over the past century, the best long-term market-timing signals have come from cyclically adjusted price/earnings ratios. These adjust for the short-term profit cycle by taking a share price’s multiple of the long-term average of a company’s profits.
There are various ways to calculate this, but the version used by Andrew Smithers, of Smithers & Co. in London, is typical. By his reckoning, the US stock market entered this week about 40 per cent above its long-term “fair value”. Over history, this measure has had to move well below its long-term average to send a clear buying signal.
Further, long-term market bottoms tend to happen when an economy is in recession. But the latest revised figures for US growth show that a recession had not started even by the end of the second quarter – cheap money from the Fed, a devalued dollar and tax rebates had delayed this hour of reckoning.
A US recession in the months to come, with credit so constricted, seems close to a certainty. This will limit corporate earnings, which are still supposed, according to brokers’ estimates, to grow quite well next year.
There is relative value to be found elsewhere. Both Europe and the emerging markets now look cheap, at least compared with the US.
The MSCI emerging markets index now trades at an earnings multiple more than 25 per cent cheaper than that of the MSCI World index of developed markets; and the FTSE-Eurofirst index trades at less than half the multiple of the S&P 500.
When this bear market comes to an end, there will be great value opportunities in Europe and in the emerging world. But the problem is that both have grown much cheaper relative to the US, even as concern over the US has intensified. A year ago, the emerging markets were actually at a premium to the developed world, while Europe was only at a 10 per cent discount to the US.
The markets believe that a US recession would be worse for the rest of the world than it would be for the US. Hopeful concepts of “decoupling” from the US have been jettisoned.
With funds flowing on that assumption, stocks outside the US could keep cheapening relative to the US, even with a bail-out.
There will be bargains for those alert enough to find them. There always are. But, whatever happens now in Washington, a broader creation of wealth lies further in the future. The assumption that resolving this scare will lead to a new bull market should be tested; just like the old assumption that leverage was good for WaMu.
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東証、純利益６割減 今期見通し下方修正
東京証券取引所は2009年3月期の純利益見通しを、期初計画の100億円から60億―70億円に下方修正する方針を固めた。売買代金の低迷で、営業収益の柱となる取引参加料金収入が想定を下回っているためで、前期に比べ約60％減の大幅減益となる。
東証は当初、今期の1日当たりの平均売買代金を2兆9000億円程度と見込んでいた。しかし、今年4―6月期の平均売買代金が約2兆5000億円にとどまったほか、個人投資家の取引縮小などにより、売買代金が下期に回復するのも難しい情勢となっている。(10:07)
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三井住友銀、カタールＬＮＧ船向け協調融資15億ドル
【ロンドン＝吉田ありさ】三井住友銀行はカタールの大型液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）輸送船9隻の建造や用船資金として総額15億ドルの協調融資（シンジケートローン）を単独で取りまとめた。世界的な金融市場の混乱が始まった昨夏以降、船舶融資としては最大規模。欧米銀が与信を圧縮するなかで大型調達案件を成功させてカタールとの関係を強化し、今後の資源プロジェクト融資拡大を目指す。
借り手はカタール政府系ガス輸送会社の100％子会社ナキラット社。融資団は三井住友銀のほかＢＮＰパリバ、大手スペイン銀ＢＢＶＡなど国内外の12の金融機関が参加する。三井住友銀は2年前にも同社のＬＮＧ船向け協調融資を取りまとめており、2案件で総額57億6500万ドルの協調融資となる。 (07:00)
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厚労省、医薬品卸の販売対象を統一
厚生労働省は来年6月から、医薬品卸の販売先の規定を統一する。現在は都道府県ごとに販売できる業種が一部異なっている。改正薬事法の施行にあわせて販売先の業種を省令で定め、全国の基準を一本化する。
新たに規定する販売先は、国や地方自治体、助産所、救急用自動車、歯科技工所、航空運送事業者、船舶所有者など14業種。これまでは薬局や病院などの主要販売先を除く販売先については都道府県の判断に任せていた。(07:00)
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日テレ、地上波ドラマを翌日ネット配信 11月に参入
日本テレビ放送網は芸能プロダクションのアミューズと連携し、地上波テレビで流したドラマをインターネットで配信する。アミューズ所属のサザンオールスターズの楽曲をテーマにドラマを制作し、出演俳優もアミューズを中心とすることで、ネット配信の権利を処理しやすくした。日テレは番組コンテンツの多重活用でＣＭ収入の落ち込みを補うことを狙う。
11月1―9日にサザンの楽曲をテーマにした約10分の短編ドラマ「ｔｈｅ 波乗りレストラン」33作品を地上波で放送する。このうち約10作品を放送翌日から携帯電話の日テレのサイトなどで11月中旬まで有料配信する。地上波ドラマのネット配信は、ＮＨＫも12月に連続ドラマなどを翌日にネット配信するサービスを開始する。(10:08)
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トヨタ、中国で減産 販売減速、新興国に波及
トヨタ自動車は中国で減産に乗り出した。広東省の主力工場で中小型車の生産を1割程度減らす。米国に次ぐ自動車市場の中国では世界景気減速の影響で需要に急ブレーキがかかり、マツダも減産に入った。インドでも販売が減少に転じ、最大手のスズキの生産が落ち込んでいる。日米欧の不振を補ってきた新興国に需要減速が波及すれば、自動車各社の業績にマイナスとなり、部品や素材など幅広い産業に影響が及ぶのは必至だ。
トヨタは今月、広州汽車集団（広東省）と折半出資する広州トヨタ（同）でラインの速度を落とし、小型車「ヤリス」などの生産調整に入った。少なくとも数カ月は続くもよう。広州はトヨタの中国主力拠点（能力年20万台）で、生産調整は初めてという。(07:00)
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新日石と出光興産、ベトナムで原油生産 国内需要減、海外に活路
【ホーチミン＝西岡貴司】新日本石油はベトナム南西部の海域に位置する新たな油田で原油の生産を始めた。同社の権益分の生産量は約2割増えることになる。出光興産も同国で初の生産を始める。石油元売りの主力事業であるガソリンなどの国内は市場縮小が加速。一方で原油価格は足元では乱高下しているものの、高い水準にあることから、原油の開発・生産事業の強化を急ぐ。
新日石はベトナム国営石油会社、ペトロベトナムと共同で新油田「フンドン油田」を開発した。すでに新日石がペトロベトナムなどと共同生産しているランドン油田の北側に位置する。現在の生産量は日量1万2000バレル。09年には日量1万5000バレルに増やし、新日石の権益分は日量約5000バレルとなる。(07:00)
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日航、ＮＹ貨物便を全廃 需要急減や燃料高で
日本航空は来年1月に北米路線の貨物便を大幅に減らす。シカゴ経由を含めて週7便ある成田―ニューヨーク線を全廃するほか、成田―ロサンゼルス線を減便し週19便を週10便にする。米国景気の減速で輸送需要が急激に縮小している。また燃料価格は引き続き高い水準にあり、燃費がかさむ長距離路線では採算に合わないと判断した。
来年1月から日航の北米貨物便はロサンゼルスとシカゴの2路線だけになる。同事業はバブル崩壊後に一時縮小したが、その後は一貫して拡大し、2007年末には8路線21便になった。今年に入って縮小の方針を打ち出し、アトランタやサンフランシスコ線を1月に廃止していた。(07:00)
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ツガミ、中国工場を増強 小型旋盤増産へ
工作機械中堅のツガミは中国で主力の小型旋盤の月産能力を2倍の140台に引き上げる。小型旋盤の需要は落ち込んでいるものの、中長期的には新興国を中心に需要は拡大すると判断した。
生産子会社の津上精密机床（浙江省）に延べ床面積7000平方メートルの新棟を増設しており、11月に完成する。順次、切削機械などの生産設備を導入する。ツガミの小型旋盤は主にハードディスク駆動装置（ＨＤＤ）モーターや半導体検査用プローブなど精密部品加工に使われる。(07:00)
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エンジャパン、今期単独税引き益26％減
求人サイト大手のエン・ジャパンは26日、2008年12月期の単独税引き利益が前期比26％減の31億円になりそうだと発表した。従来予想は8％増の45億円としており、一転して減益となる。国内景気の減速で求人広告の需要が減る。
売上高は3％減の221億円（従来予想は261億円）の見通し。主力の社会人向け転職情報サイトで、金融や不動産業界などから求人広告の受注が減少。単価も下落傾向にある。転職支援事業が堅調だが、落ち込みを補えない。
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京成ホテル、09年５月解散 京成電鉄が資産取得
京成電鉄は26日、子会社の京成ホテル（東京・墨田）が所有するホテルを買収し、京成ホテルを解散すると発表した。ホテルの運営は別の子会社が担当する。借入金の金利負担が重荷になっていた京成ホテルの資産を京成電鉄に移すことで、財務体質を改善する狙いがある。
京成ホテルが所有する犬吠埼京成ホテル（千葉県銚子市）とミラマーレ水戸京成ホテル（茨城県水戸市）の土地建物など計52億円の資産を京成電鉄が取得する。12月にホテルの運営部門は京成電鉄の完全子会社に事業譲渡し、京成ホテルは2009年5月に解散・清算する。ホテルの従業員は新しい運営会社に異動する。
京成ホテルは約40億円の借入金の金利負担などで業績が悪化し、08年3月期まで経常損益は3期連続、最終損益は4期連続の赤字に陥っていた。
京成電鉄は資産の取得に伴い、09年3月期連結業績予想を下方修正した。取得する京成ホテルの資産の時価が約21億円のため、差額約31億円を特別損失として計上。107億円を見込んでいた最終利益は11億円減の96億円に減少する。
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桂宮さまが入院、敗血症の疑い
宮内庁は28日、三笠宮さまの次男、桂宮さま（60）が敗血症の疑いで同日午前に東大病院（東京・文京）に入院されたと発表した。桂宮さまは国体出席のため28日から大分県入りされる予定だったが、27日に発熱があり取りやめていた。
桂宮さまは天皇陛下のいとこにあたる。(19:47)
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劇団四季が入場料初の値下げ 平均15％、Ｓ席1万円切る
劇団四季は11月30日から人気ミュージカル「ライオンキング」「ウィキッド」など全公演の入場料を平均15％値下げする。入場料を下げるのは初めて。Ｓ席のチケット料金を1万円以下に抑え、値ごろ感を打ち出し、客離れを防ぐ。演劇最大手の値下げは他の興行にも影響しそうだ。
来年2月公演分の「キャッツ」の一般Ｓ席（従来は1万1550円）を約15％安い9800円とするなど全席を1万円以下にする。対象は東京都内の「四季劇場」をはじめ、大阪、名古屋など9カ所の常設劇場と地方公演。
一部の席種は子供料金も新設。同社は値下げによる減益分は2008年3月期の経常利益の約4割に相当する年間約10億円になると見込む。(18:26)
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政府、スーダンＰＫＯへ自衛官派遣 10月中下旬に
政府はスーダン南部で展開している国連平和維持活動（ＰＫＯ）の国連スーダン派遣団（ＵＮＭＩＳ）司令部に10月中下旬に陸上自衛官2人を派遣する方針を決めた。国連平和維持活動協力法に基づき、実施計画などを10月3日にも閣議決定する。(07:01)
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三浦元社長弁護側、ロス移送容認を検討 徹底抗戦姿勢崩さず
【サイパン（米自治領）27日共同】1981年の米ロサンゼルス銃撃事件で、サイパンで拘置中の元会社社長三浦和義容疑者（61）＝日本では無罪確定＝に対する殺人の共謀容疑の逮捕状にロス郡地裁が有効性を認めたことを受け、サイパンの弁護団は27日、三浦元社長の無罪を勝ち取るため徹底抗戦の姿勢を示す一方、移送は認める選択肢の検討も始めた。
移送された場合、カリフォルニア州で刑事訴追の手続きが始まることになる。弁護側は移送に同意する場合、共謀容疑での訴追に対して徹底的に争い、元社長の釈放と無罪を目指す戦略に軸足を移すとみられる。(07:00)
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三浦元社長：白石さん事件も再捜査 殺人容疑で米ロス当局
【ロサンゼルス吉富裕倫】８１年のロス銃撃事件で今年２月に米自治領サイパンで逮捕された元輸入雑貨販売会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（６１）について、米ロサンゼルスの捜査当局が、７９年に変死体で発見された白石千鶴子さん（当時３４歳）事件についても殺人容疑で再捜査していることが分かった。捜査関係者が「元社長をめぐる事件全体を再捜査する中で、白石さんの事件についても捜査している」と明らかにした。
白石さんは７９年に渡米後、行方不明になった。この年ロサンゼルス郊外で女性の変死体が発見されたが、８４年、歯型鑑定から白石さんと確認された。三浦元社長は、当時白石さんと交際中だったとされ、死後に白石さんの口座から４２６万円を引き出していたことが判明している。三浦元社長は、白石さんと重なる時期に渡米していたが、事件への関与は否定し、日米いずれの捜査当局からも立件されなかった。
日本の刑法では殺人罪の公訴時効（当時１５年）が成立しているが、カリフォルニア州に殺人罪の時効はない。ただ、捜査関係者は、新証拠の有無や訴追の可能性については明らかにしなかった。
三浦元社長は、ロス銃撃事件の逮捕状無効の申し立てをロサンゼルス郡地裁に起こしていたが、２６日（現地時間）、同地裁は殺人容疑の逮捕状を無効、殺人の共謀罪での訴追を有効とする決定を出した。このため、元社長は、現在拘置されているサイパンからロサンゼルスへ移送される見通しが強まっている。
【ことば】白石千鶴子さん変死事件 三浦和義元社長の元交際相手だった白石千鶴子さん（当時３４歳）が７９年３月、米国・ロサンゼルス入りした直後から行方不明になり、母親が捜索願を提出した８３年に捜査が始まった。ロス市警は８４年、歯型のＸ線写真から７９年５月にロス市中心部から北西約３５キロの荒れ地で発見された変死体を千鶴子さんと断定した。「ロス疑惑」の一つとして日米当局が捜査したが立件できなかった。
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猪木、解雇ロシア元力士ＩＧＦ入り“容認”
３人まとめて面倒みてやる！アントニオ猪木が２６日、拠点とする米ニューヨークへの出発を前に都内で会見し、大麻問題で相撲協会を解雇された元露鵬、元白露山、元若ノ鵬のＩＧＦ入りを容認する考えを明かした。
猪木は７１年、自身が日本プロレスを追放された経験から「（相撲協会は）ちゃんと教育していたのか。１回のミスでかわいそうだ。彼らの心情が分かる」とロシアの元３力士に同情的だった。
旧ソ連時代にハシミコフ（８９年にＩＷＧＰ王座獲得）らを発掘し、ボクシング界には元ＷＢＣ世界フライ級王者・勇利アルバチャコフらを来日させる橋渡し役となった猪木。今回の大麻問題でもロシア大使館関係者から相談を受けた経緯を明かし、パイプがあるというプーチン前大統領の名を挙げて「お願いされたら受けてやる」と明言した。
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元若ノ鵬、八百長問題告発へ ２９日に会見、裁判でも証言
大相撲の八百長疑惑記事をめぐり、日本相撲協会と名誉棄損の民事訴訟で係争中の「週刊現代」（講談社）は２８日、大麻所持容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン元力士（２０）が、八百長問題について告発し、法廷で証言する意向であることを明らかにした。ガグロエフ元力士は２９日に東京都内で記者会見する。
同誌の八百長疑惑記事に関する訴訟は現在、３つが係争中。１０月３日には力士が原告に加わった訴訟で、横綱朝青龍が東京地裁に出廷する予定。
ガグロエフ元力士は解雇が厳しすぎるとして処分の無効を訴え、地位確認を求めて東京地裁に提訴している。
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High-speed railroad traffic between Helsinki, St Petersburg to start in 2010
26.09.2008, 21.09
HELSINKI, September 26 (Itar-Tass) -- High-speed railroad traffic between Helsinki and St. Petersburg will become available in 2010, Finnish Transport Minister Anu Vehvilainen said in comments on the Friday meeting with Russian counterpart Igor Levitin.
The Russian government decided several days ago to assign $1 billion for the high-speed railroad project, and another $1.5 billion would come from Russian Railroads, Levitin said. Four trains of seven cars capable of traveling at 220 kilometers per hour have been ordered to Alstrom Transport, he said. Thus, the traveling time will reduce from current five hours to 3.5 hours.
Russia and Finland will test the pilot project of simpler border and customs procedures onboard the new train, he said. A new technology allows to pass the formalities onboard a moving train, he noted.
Reuters
By Steve Slater and Sumeet Desai Reuters - 17 minutes ago
LONDON (Reuters) - The government will nationalise troubled mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley and is discussing the sale of its savings book and branches, people in the banking industry familiar with the matter said.
(Advertisement)
The Treasury is leading talks on the rescue of the bank and said on Sunday discussions were continuing and a decision will be announced before Monday's market opening.
The Treasury would have preferred a private sector rescue for Britain's ninth biggest mortgage provider but rivals appear unwilling to come in as a "white knight" amid a global credit crisis and weakening housing market.
The BBC said B&B will be nationalised and its mortgage book merged with Northern Rock, the lender taken under state ownership in February.
The government this month brokered the takeover of HBOS, Britain's biggest home lender, by rival Lloyds TSB.
B&B is the latest bank to be hit by a global financial crisis, which was sparked by losses on poor quality U.S. home loans and has claimed a number of high-profile victims in the United States and Europe.
The crisis and the weakening economy have heaped pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose party lags the opposition Conservatives in opinion polls and whose leadership has been questioned by some in his own party.
BRANCHES COULD BE SOLD
B&B's 24 billion pounds of savings and its 200 branches could be sold to a rival or rivals. Spain's Santander, which owns Abbey and is in the process of buying Alliance & Leicester, was in talks about possibly taking over deposits and branches, an industry source said.
But rivals are reluctant to take ownership of B&B's book of 41 billion pounds of residential loans -- representing 3.4 percent of UK mortgages -- as many of them are higher risk buy-to-let and self-certified loans and the British housing market is weakening, raising the prospect of rising bad debts.
The government could nationalise B&B using legislation put through to deal with the Northern Rock crisis.
A spokesman for B&B said: "We can confirm we are working with regulatory authorities to bring clarity to the bank's future." He said news would be announced before Monday's stock market opening and customers' savings were safe.
B&B shares tumbled to a record low on Friday and the cost of insuring its debt jumped, prompting regulators to step up efforts to find potential white knights for the bank.
Its shares closed on Friday at 20 pence, valuing it at under 300 million pounds.
Another option being considered is asking a group of banks to take part in a "lifeboat rescue" of B&B, where they would take all or the best of its mortgage book, the sources said.
The top five banks -- HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds TSB and HBOS -- and Santander already own about 30 percent of B&B between them after they stepped in to help save a rights issue that flopped in June.
Talks were also being held in Amsterdam and Brussels on the fate of another European bank, troubled Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis, and one report said it may sell itself or the ABN AMRO Dutch banking business it acquired last year.
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Bahrain's Unicorn eyes bank acquisitions
Reuters
Reuters - 25 minutes ago
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank said on Sunday it was looking to spend up to $2 billion (1.09 billion pounds) to buy banks in the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia and the Gulf and plans to arrange $1.5 billion of Islamic bonds by year end.
(Advertisement)
Fred Stonehouse, head of strategic mergers and acquisitions at the Islamic bank, said it planned to convert any banks it acquires to comply with Islamic banking rules that ban interest.
"In the UK we see potential businesses we could acquire and Islamicise as appropriate," he told Reuters.
"In Southeast Asia we have two opportunities we are looking at and in the (Gulf Arab region) we have four deals we are looking at ... We are in no rush to conclude these," he added.
"The total acquisition value of these would be in the range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion ... There are some mid-range institutions and one fairly sizeable one."
The bank also said it would buy family-owned foreign exchange firm Bahrain Financing Company, without giving details of the cost of the deal.
Stonehouse said Unicorn planned to expand Bahrain Finance Company both organically and through acquisitions over the next two years in Bahrain, Kuwait and the Gulf Arab region.
The deal would be concluded by the end of October, he said.
Unicorn is also looking to arrange $1.5 billion worth of sukuk in the Gulf Arab region by year end, Majid al-Sayed Bader al-Refai, the bank's managing director and chief executive said.
In January Unicorn bought 80 percent of U.S. electronics firm Victron Inc for $70 million in its second purchase in the United States in two months. In December, it bought 75 percent of Open-Silicon Inc, a microchip maker.
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Belgian officials eye Fortis solution
AFP
AFP - 2 hours 7 minutes ago
BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian banking officials sought to hammer out a plan on Sunday aimed at maintaining confidence in the Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis, a spokesman for Belgium's financial regulator said.
(Advertisement)
Officials were hoping to reach a solution on Fortis, whose shares have been hammered by liquidity concerns, by Sunday "afternoon or evening," said the spokesman for the Belgian Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission (CBFA).
"There always are meetings and we are always examining initiatives that we will take with the BNB (Belgium's central bank)," the spokesman said.
Belgian officials were coordinating with authorities in the Netherlands overseeing Fortis, including the Dutch Central Bank, in order to find a common solution, he said.
Belgian ministers held a cabinet meeting late Saturday with central bank and CBFA officials to discuss the global financial crisis, and "especially Fortis," said a spokesman for Prime Minister Yves Leterme.
The spokesman refused to give more details, saying, "We will make a statement as soon as there is a solution, but not before that because it's unnecessary."
In Amsterdam, Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos met late Saturday with top central bank officials, the ANP news agency reported, but no details were given about the subject of the meeting.
Fortis said late Friday it had replaced its chief executive, Herman Verwilst, with Filip Dierckx, head of its banking division.
After two days of steep slides in its share price, the Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance group hastily arranged a news conference to assure clients that their deposits were safe and that it had ample funding.
But shares in the group only fell further, sliding nearly 21 percent Friday -- down 71 percent since the beginning of the year.
Fortis's market value stood late Friday at 13 billion euros -- one third of what it was at the end of 2007. Despite assurances, some banking analysts said the group was looking increasingly vulnerable to a takeover.
"A takeover by ING (of the Netherlands) or BNP Paribas (of France) is more and more possible," Dresdner Kleinwort analyst Jaap Meijer said, adding that BNP Paribas had already shown interest in Fortis in 1999.
Other potential buyers include Spain's Santander, Germany's Deutsche Bank or Britain's HSBC.
Fortis's Belgian rivals Dexia and KBC refused to comment on a report by the De Tijd newspaper that they could be involved in a rescue deal for the beleaguered bank.
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Bank of China says open to Wall Street buys
Reuters
Reuters - Sunday, September 28 08:56 am
TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - Bank of China, the country's largest foreign-exchange lender, is open to buying into U.S. banks in the wake of the global financial crisis, a senior executive said on Sunday.
(Advertisement)
Banking industry observers in China are torn over whether the fall in the share prices of many U.S. financial firms presents more of a risk or a buying opportunity.
Zhu Min, vice-president of Bank of China , did not shy away when asked whether his bank was currently considering making investments in Wall Street.
"We are open. From a business point of view, we are looking for all the possible deals everywhere," Zhu told a meeting of the World Economic Forum being held in this northern port city.
While Zhu did not elaborate, his remarks contrast with more cautious comments by senior executives of other Chinese banks on their plans for expanding overseas.
Guo Shuqing, chairman of China Construction Bank Corp said on Saturday that CCB would be relatively careful in considering whether to make purchases abroad, especially in the United States.
Jiang Jianqing, chairman of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China , said on Friday that the country's biggest lender would be careful in exploring U.S. acquisitions during the current turmoil.
Others were more optimistic.
Antony Leung, chairman of greater China for U.S. private-equity house Blackstone Group , said on Sunday that the recent fall in asset prices could present good buying opportunities for Chinese investors, including China Investment Corp (CIC), the $200 billion (108.7 billion pound) sovereign wealth fund.
"Right now, whether we're talking about CIC or other investors, I think it's a chance you see only once a century," Leung told the forum.
"When the market is good, it's hard to even get the opportunity to buy a relatively big strategic stake in a good-quality company overseas. Now you have that chance."
The steep losses CIC has incurred since it invested $3 billion in Blackstone last year have been a source of uncertainty among Chinese bankers about venturing abroad.
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Long View: Testing times for true believers in a bull run
By John Authers, Investment editor
Published: September 26 2008 20:31 | Last updated: September 26 2008 20:31
Writing anything about this financial crisis is nerve-racking. People may be reading how financial journalists wrote about this crisis decades from now, and things we now accept as unquestioned orthodoxy may come to be ridiculed. I am acutely conscious of this as I covered Washington Mutual for the Financial Times in the late 1990s.
WaMu on Friday became the biggest bank failure in US history (a title it will hopefully keep for a while). Its decline, as has been amply documented, lay in its huge portfolio of mortgages and mortgage-backed bonds.
A decade ago, assumptions were different. The last WaMu story I wrote covered a day when its share price fell 5 per cent in June 1999. It fell because investors were worried that it was retreating from its policy of levering up by buying mortgage-backed securities.
Analysts told me that retreating from leverage would harm WaMu’s revenues in the short term, along with its earnings and its share price.
The implicit assumption was that leverage was good. Shareholders punished companies and executives when they paid down their debt and took less risk.
This should remind us of the breadth of the failure of the global markets system that we are now witnessing. Shareholders themselves egged on the lending binge in the US, and did so before the stratospheric growth in the credit derivatives market.
Bearing this in mind, let us make some assumptions about what the next few days may hold.
Let us assume that the politicians agree on some form of a bail-out for the financial system.
The reason for the assumption? If the failure of WaMu, the quintessential Main Street bank, does not make clear that the “Wall Street” crisis will have real implications on Main Street, then the credit market suggests that other banks will come under the same pressure. That could force lawmakers to do something.
Let us also assume that a bail-out, in whatever form it finally passes, would have the following effects; it would allow the money markets to unfreeze and it would stem the threat of panic over the banking system. It should thus avert the scenario of a return to the 1930s, in which regulators allowed a market dislocation to turn into the Great Depression by allowing banks to fail.
Compared to the present outlook, these outcomes would be good. But that is all a bail-out would achieve. Beyond that, the world after a bail-out will not look pretty for investors.
Long-term valuation measures do not give a strong “buy” signal. Over the past century, the best long-term market-timing signals have come from cyclically adjusted price/earnings ratios. These adjust for the short-term profit cycle by taking a share price’s multiple of the long-term average of a company’s profits.
There are various ways to calculate this, but the version used by Andrew Smithers, of Smithers & Co. in London, is typical. By his reckoning, the US stock market entered this week about 40 per cent above its long-term “fair value”. Over history, this measure has had to move well below its long-term average to send a clear buying signal.
Further, long-term market bottoms tend to happen when an economy is in recession. But the latest revised figures for US growth show that a recession had not started even by the end of the second quarter – cheap money from the Fed, a devalued dollar and tax rebates had delayed this hour of reckoning.
A US recession in the months to come, with credit so constricted, seems close to a certainty. This will limit corporate earnings, which are still supposed, according to brokers’ estimates, to grow quite well next year.
There is relative value to be found elsewhere. Both Europe and the emerging markets now look cheap, at least compared with the US.
The MSCI emerging markets index now trades at an earnings multiple more than 25 per cent cheaper than that of the MSCI World index of developed markets; and the FTSE-Eurofirst index trades at less than half the multiple of the S&P 500.
When this bear market comes to an end, there will be great value opportunities in Europe and in the emerging world. But the problem is that both have grown much cheaper relative to the US, even as concern over the US has intensified. A year ago, the emerging markets were actually at a premium to the developed world, while Europe was only at a 10 per cent discount to the US.
The markets believe that a US recession would be worse for the rest of the world than it would be for the US. Hopeful concepts of “decoupling” from the US have been jettisoned.
With funds flowing on that assumption, stocks outside the US could keep cheapening relative to the US, even with a bail-out.
There will be bargains for those alert enough to find them. There always are. But, whatever happens now in Washington, a broader creation of wealth lies further in the future. The assumption that resolving this scare will lead to a new bull market should be tested; just like the old assumption that leverage was good for WaMu.
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東証、純利益６割減 今期見通し下方修正
東京証券取引所は2009年3月期の純利益見通しを、期初計画の100億円から60億―70億円に下方修正する方針を固めた。売買代金の低迷で、営業収益の柱となる取引参加料金収入が想定を下回っているためで、前期に比べ約60％減の大幅減益となる。
東証は当初、今期の1日当たりの平均売買代金を2兆9000億円程度と見込んでいた。しかし、今年4―6月期の平均売買代金が約2兆5000億円にとどまったほか、個人投資家の取引縮小などにより、売買代金が下期に回復するのも難しい情勢となっている。(10:07)
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三井住友銀、カタールＬＮＧ船向け協調融資15億ドル
【ロンドン＝吉田ありさ】三井住友銀行はカタールの大型液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）輸送船9隻の建造や用船資金として総額15億ドルの協調融資（シンジケートローン）を単独で取りまとめた。世界的な金融市場の混乱が始まった昨夏以降、船舶融資としては最大規模。欧米銀が与信を圧縮するなかで大型調達案件を成功させてカタールとの関係を強化し、今後の資源プロジェクト融資拡大を目指す。
借り手はカタール政府系ガス輸送会社の100％子会社ナキラット社。融資団は三井住友銀のほかＢＮＰパリバ、大手スペイン銀ＢＢＶＡなど国内外の12の金融機関が参加する。三井住友銀は2年前にも同社のＬＮＧ船向け協調融資を取りまとめており、2案件で総額57億6500万ドルの協調融資となる。 (07:00)
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厚労省、医薬品卸の販売対象を統一
厚生労働省は来年6月から、医薬品卸の販売先の規定を統一する。現在は都道府県ごとに販売できる業種が一部異なっている。改正薬事法の施行にあわせて販売先の業種を省令で定め、全国の基準を一本化する。
新たに規定する販売先は、国や地方自治体、助産所、救急用自動車、歯科技工所、航空運送事業者、船舶所有者など14業種。これまでは薬局や病院などの主要販売先を除く販売先については都道府県の判断に任せていた。(07:00)
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日テレ、地上波ドラマを翌日ネット配信 11月に参入
日本テレビ放送網は芸能プロダクションのアミューズと連携し、地上波テレビで流したドラマをインターネットで配信する。アミューズ所属のサザンオールスターズの楽曲をテーマにドラマを制作し、出演俳優もアミューズを中心とすることで、ネット配信の権利を処理しやすくした。日テレは番組コンテンツの多重活用でＣＭ収入の落ち込みを補うことを狙う。
11月1―9日にサザンの楽曲をテーマにした約10分の短編ドラマ「ｔｈｅ 波乗りレストラン」33作品を地上波で放送する。このうち約10作品を放送翌日から携帯電話の日テレのサイトなどで11月中旬まで有料配信する。地上波ドラマのネット配信は、ＮＨＫも12月に連続ドラマなどを翌日にネット配信するサービスを開始する。(10:08)
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トヨタ、中国で減産 販売減速、新興国に波及
トヨタ自動車は中国で減産に乗り出した。広東省の主力工場で中小型車の生産を1割程度減らす。米国に次ぐ自動車市場の中国では世界景気減速の影響で需要に急ブレーキがかかり、マツダも減産に入った。インドでも販売が減少に転じ、最大手のスズキの生産が落ち込んでいる。日米欧の不振を補ってきた新興国に需要減速が波及すれば、自動車各社の業績にマイナスとなり、部品や素材など幅広い産業に影響が及ぶのは必至だ。
トヨタは今月、広州汽車集団（広東省）と折半出資する広州トヨタ（同）でラインの速度を落とし、小型車「ヤリス」などの生産調整に入った。少なくとも数カ月は続くもよう。広州はトヨタの中国主力拠点（能力年20万台）で、生産調整は初めてという。(07:00)
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新日石と出光興産、ベトナムで原油生産 国内需要減、海外に活路
【ホーチミン＝西岡貴司】新日本石油はベトナム南西部の海域に位置する新たな油田で原油の生産を始めた。同社の権益分の生産量は約2割増えることになる。出光興産も同国で初の生産を始める。石油元売りの主力事業であるガソリンなどの国内は市場縮小が加速。一方で原油価格は足元では乱高下しているものの、高い水準にあることから、原油の開発・生産事業の強化を急ぐ。
新日石はベトナム国営石油会社、ペトロベトナムと共同で新油田「フンドン油田」を開発した。すでに新日石がペトロベトナムなどと共同生産しているランドン油田の北側に位置する。現在の生産量は日量1万2000バレル。09年には日量1万5000バレルに増やし、新日石の権益分は日量約5000バレルとなる。(07:00)
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日航、ＮＹ貨物便を全廃 需要急減や燃料高で
日本航空は来年1月に北米路線の貨物便を大幅に減らす。シカゴ経由を含めて週7便ある成田―ニューヨーク線を全廃するほか、成田―ロサンゼルス線を減便し週19便を週10便にする。米国景気の減速で輸送需要が急激に縮小している。また燃料価格は引き続き高い水準にあり、燃費がかさむ長距離路線では採算に合わないと判断した。
来年1月から日航の北米貨物便はロサンゼルスとシカゴの2路線だけになる。同事業はバブル崩壊後に一時縮小したが、その後は一貫して拡大し、2007年末には8路線21便になった。今年に入って縮小の方針を打ち出し、アトランタやサンフランシスコ線を1月に廃止していた。(07:00)
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ツガミ、中国工場を増強 小型旋盤増産へ
工作機械中堅のツガミは中国で主力の小型旋盤の月産能力を2倍の140台に引き上げる。小型旋盤の需要は落ち込んでいるものの、中長期的には新興国を中心に需要は拡大すると判断した。
生産子会社の津上精密机床（浙江省）に延べ床面積7000平方メートルの新棟を増設しており、11月に完成する。順次、切削機械などの生産設備を導入する。ツガミの小型旋盤は主にハードディスク駆動装置（ＨＤＤ）モーターや半導体検査用プローブなど精密部品加工に使われる。(07:00)
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エンジャパン、今期単独税引き益26％減
求人サイト大手のエン・ジャパンは26日、2008年12月期の単独税引き利益が前期比26％減の31億円になりそうだと発表した。従来予想は8％増の45億円としており、一転して減益となる。国内景気の減速で求人広告の需要が減る。
売上高は3％減の221億円（従来予想は261億円）の見通し。主力の社会人向け転職情報サイトで、金融や不動産業界などから求人広告の受注が減少。単価も下落傾向にある。転職支援事業が堅調だが、落ち込みを補えない。
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京成ホテル、09年５月解散 京成電鉄が資産取得
京成電鉄は26日、子会社の京成ホテル（東京・墨田）が所有するホテルを買収し、京成ホテルを解散すると発表した。ホテルの運営は別の子会社が担当する。借入金の金利負担が重荷になっていた京成ホテルの資産を京成電鉄に移すことで、財務体質を改善する狙いがある。
京成ホテルが所有する犬吠埼京成ホテル（千葉県銚子市）とミラマーレ水戸京成ホテル（茨城県水戸市）の土地建物など計52億円の資産を京成電鉄が取得する。12月にホテルの運営部門は京成電鉄の完全子会社に事業譲渡し、京成ホテルは2009年5月に解散・清算する。ホテルの従業員は新しい運営会社に異動する。
京成ホテルは約40億円の借入金の金利負担などで業績が悪化し、08年3月期まで経常損益は3期連続、最終損益は4期連続の赤字に陥っていた。
京成電鉄は資産の取得に伴い、09年3月期連結業績予想を下方修正した。取得する京成ホテルの資産の時価が約21億円のため、差額約31億円を特別損失として計上。107億円を見込んでいた最終利益は11億円減の96億円に減少する。
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桂宮さまが入院、敗血症の疑い
宮内庁は28日、三笠宮さまの次男、桂宮さま（60）が敗血症の疑いで同日午前に東大病院（東京・文京）に入院されたと発表した。桂宮さまは国体出席のため28日から大分県入りされる予定だったが、27日に発熱があり取りやめていた。
桂宮さまは天皇陛下のいとこにあたる。(19:47)
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劇団四季が入場料初の値下げ 平均15％、Ｓ席1万円切る
劇団四季は11月30日から人気ミュージカル「ライオンキング」「ウィキッド」など全公演の入場料を平均15％値下げする。入場料を下げるのは初めて。Ｓ席のチケット料金を1万円以下に抑え、値ごろ感を打ち出し、客離れを防ぐ。演劇最大手の値下げは他の興行にも影響しそうだ。
来年2月公演分の「キャッツ」の一般Ｓ席（従来は1万1550円）を約15％安い9800円とするなど全席を1万円以下にする。対象は東京都内の「四季劇場」をはじめ、大阪、名古屋など9カ所の常設劇場と地方公演。
一部の席種は子供料金も新設。同社は値下げによる減益分は2008年3月期の経常利益の約4割に相当する年間約10億円になると見込む。(18:26)
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政府、スーダンＰＫＯへ自衛官派遣 10月中下旬に
政府はスーダン南部で展開している国連平和維持活動（ＰＫＯ）の国連スーダン派遣団（ＵＮＭＩＳ）司令部に10月中下旬に陸上自衛官2人を派遣する方針を決めた。国連平和維持活動協力法に基づき、実施計画などを10月3日にも閣議決定する。(07:01)
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三浦元社長弁護側、ロス移送容認を検討 徹底抗戦姿勢崩さず
【サイパン（米自治領）27日共同】1981年の米ロサンゼルス銃撃事件で、サイパンで拘置中の元会社社長三浦和義容疑者（61）＝日本では無罪確定＝に対する殺人の共謀容疑の逮捕状にロス郡地裁が有効性を認めたことを受け、サイパンの弁護団は27日、三浦元社長の無罪を勝ち取るため徹底抗戦の姿勢を示す一方、移送は認める選択肢の検討も始めた。
移送された場合、カリフォルニア州で刑事訴追の手続きが始まることになる。弁護側は移送に同意する場合、共謀容疑での訴追に対して徹底的に争い、元社長の釈放と無罪を目指す戦略に軸足を移すとみられる。(07:00)
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三浦元社長：白石さん事件も再捜査 殺人容疑で米ロス当局
【ロサンゼルス吉富裕倫】８１年のロス銃撃事件で今年２月に米自治領サイパンで逮捕された元輸入雑貨販売会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（６１）について、米ロサンゼルスの捜査当局が、７９年に変死体で発見された白石千鶴子さん（当時３４歳）事件についても殺人容疑で再捜査していることが分かった。捜査関係者が「元社長をめぐる事件全体を再捜査する中で、白石さんの事件についても捜査している」と明らかにした。
白石さんは７９年に渡米後、行方不明になった。この年ロサンゼルス郊外で女性の変死体が発見されたが、８４年、歯型鑑定から白石さんと確認された。三浦元社長は、当時白石さんと交際中だったとされ、死後に白石さんの口座から４２６万円を引き出していたことが判明している。三浦元社長は、白石さんと重なる時期に渡米していたが、事件への関与は否定し、日米いずれの捜査当局からも立件されなかった。
日本の刑法では殺人罪の公訴時効（当時１５年）が成立しているが、カリフォルニア州に殺人罪の時効はない。ただ、捜査関係者は、新証拠の有無や訴追の可能性については明らかにしなかった。
三浦元社長は、ロス銃撃事件の逮捕状無効の申し立てをロサンゼルス郡地裁に起こしていたが、２６日（現地時間）、同地裁は殺人容疑の逮捕状を無効、殺人の共謀罪での訴追を有効とする決定を出した。このため、元社長は、現在拘置されているサイパンからロサンゼルスへ移送される見通しが強まっている。
【ことば】白石千鶴子さん変死事件 三浦和義元社長の元交際相手だった白石千鶴子さん（当時３４歳）が７９年３月、米国・ロサンゼルス入りした直後から行方不明になり、母親が捜索願を提出した８３年に捜査が始まった。ロス市警は８４年、歯型のＸ線写真から７９年５月にロス市中心部から北西約３５キロの荒れ地で発見された変死体を千鶴子さんと断定した。「ロス疑惑」の一つとして日米当局が捜査したが立件できなかった。
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猪木、解雇ロシア元力士ＩＧＦ入り“容認”
３人まとめて面倒みてやる！アントニオ猪木が２６日、拠点とする米ニューヨークへの出発を前に都内で会見し、大麻問題で相撲協会を解雇された元露鵬、元白露山、元若ノ鵬のＩＧＦ入りを容認する考えを明かした。
猪木は７１年、自身が日本プロレスを追放された経験から「（相撲協会は）ちゃんと教育していたのか。１回のミスでかわいそうだ。彼らの心情が分かる」とロシアの元３力士に同情的だった。
旧ソ連時代にハシミコフ（８９年にＩＷＧＰ王座獲得）らを発掘し、ボクシング界には元ＷＢＣ世界フライ級王者・勇利アルバチャコフらを来日させる橋渡し役となった猪木。今回の大麻問題でもロシア大使館関係者から相談を受けた経緯を明かし、パイプがあるというプーチン前大統領の名を挙げて「お願いされたら受けてやる」と明言した。
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元若ノ鵬、八百長問題告発へ ２９日に会見、裁判でも証言
大相撲の八百長疑惑記事をめぐり、日本相撲協会と名誉棄損の民事訴訟で係争中の「週刊現代」（講談社）は２８日、大麻所持容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン元力士（２０）が、八百長問題について告発し、法廷で証言する意向であることを明らかにした。ガグロエフ元力士は２９日に東京都内で記者会見する。
同誌の八百長疑惑記事に関する訴訟は現在、３つが係争中。１０月３日には力士が原告に加わった訴訟で、横綱朝青龍が東京地裁に出廷する予定。
ガグロエフ元力士は解雇が厳しすぎるとして処分の無効を訴え、地位確認を求めて東京地裁に提訴している。
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High-speed railroad traffic between Helsinki, St Petersburg to start in 2010
26.09.2008, 21.09
HELSINKI, September 26 (Itar-Tass) -- High-speed railroad traffic between Helsinki and St. Petersburg will become available in 2010, Finnish Transport Minister Anu Vehvilainen said in comments on the Friday meeting with Russian counterpart Igor Levitin.
The Russian government decided several days ago to assign $1 billion for the high-speed railroad project, and another $1.5 billion would come from Russian Railroads, Levitin said. Four trains of seven cars capable of traveling at 220 kilometers per hour have been ordered to Alstrom Transport, he said. Thus, the traveling time will reduce from current five hours to 3.5 hours.
Russia and Finland will test the pilot project of simpler border and customs procedures onboard the new train, he said. A new technology allows to pass the formalities onboard a moving train, he noted.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
豪政府、3500億円拠出し住宅ローン証券購入 住宅市場テコ入れ
豪政府、3500億円拠出し住宅ローン証券購入 住宅市場テコ入れ
【シドニー＝高佐知宏】オーストラリアのスワン財務相は26日、40億豪ドル（約3500億円）を拠出して豪州国内で発行された住宅ローン担保証券（ＲＭＢＳ）を購入すると発表した。購入先など詳細は不明だが、財務相は「世界的な信用収縮で冷え込んだ豪住宅市場を活性化させるため」と説明している。
豪州のＲＭＢＳ市場は1990年代に四半期ベースで約180億豪ドルまで一時拡大したが、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）問題が表面化した2007年半ば以降は25億豪ドル程度にまで縮小している。
一方、豪準備銀行（中央銀行）は25日、豪金融機関について「米住宅関連資産への関与は限られており、今後も高い収益性を維持する」との見解を発表した。 (23:40)
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三浦元社長の移送一時的に停止、新たに人身保護請求審理へ
特集 ロス疑惑
１９８１年のロス疑惑「一美さん銃撃事件」を巡り、米自治領北マリアナ・サイパンで拘置中の元輸入雑貨会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（６１）（日本で無罪確定）の弁護側は２６日、北マリアナ連邦地裁に、ロサンゼルスへの三浦元社長の移送取り消しと即時釈放を求める人身保護請求を行った。
連邦地裁は移送を一時的に停止し、２９日に審理する。三浦元社長の弁護側などが明らかにした。
三浦元社長の移送を巡っては、北マリアナ上級裁判所が１２日、移送許可を決定。北マリアナ最高裁も２３日、弁護側の上訴を退けたため、弁護側が「身柄拘束は憲法違反」として、新たに連邦地裁への請求を行った。
ロサンゼルス郡上級裁判所は２６日午後（日本時間２７日午前）、三浦元社長が逮捕状の破棄を求めた訴訟で、逮捕状が有効かどうかの判断を示す。
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【ロス疑惑】三浦容疑者「１勝１敗」今後どうなる？ (1/2ページ)
2008.9.27 22:18
三浦和義容疑者三浦和義容疑者
【ロサンゼルス＝松尾理也】ロス疑惑銃撃事件で逮捕され、米自治領サイパン島で拘置中の元会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（６１）＝日本で無罪確定＝が逮捕状の無効を申し立てた裁判で、ロサンゼルス郡地裁のバンシックレン裁判官は２６日、殺人罪での逮捕を「日本で無罪判決を受けており、同じ罪で２度裁かれることを禁じる一事不再理規定に反する」として無効とする一方、共謀罪での訴追は有効とする決定を下した。「入り口」段階の法律論争をめぐって半年以上も足踏みを続けてきた事件の審理がいよいよ動き出すか、注目される。
▼終身刑も
「殺人罪での訴追が認められなかったことは喜ばしい。共謀罪が認められたことには失望している」。三浦容疑者の弁護人、ゲラゴス氏の表情は硬かった。一方、逮捕直後は「１カ月もすれば移送は完了する」と楽観していながら、ゲラゴス氏の攻撃に防戦一方だった検察側は安堵の表情を浮かべた。
カリフォルニア州刑法では殺人での共謀罪は禁固２５年から終身刑と重い。検察関係者は「いたずらに殺人罪での訴追にこだわって上訴するよりも、決定をはずみに速やかな移送にこぎつけ、本裁判の開始を目指すのではないか」と話す。
サイパンの弁護団は現在、三浦容疑者の移送を阻止する構えをとっている。サイパン自治領最高裁がゴーサインを出し、移送間近かと思われたが、弁護側は新たにサイパンにある連邦地裁に人身保護請求を申し立てた。現在は再び移送が停止されている状態だ。
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Long View: Testing times for true believers in a bull run
By John Authers, Investment editor
Published: September 26 2008 20:31 | Last updated: September 26 2008 20:31
Writing anything about this financial crisis is nerve-racking. People may be reading how financial journalists wrote about this crisis decades from now, and things we now accept as unquestioned orthodoxy may come to be ridiculed. I am acutely conscious of this as I covered Washington Mutual for the Financial Times in the late 1990s.
WaMu on Friday became the biggest bank failure in US history (a title it will hopefully keep for a while). Its decline, as has been amply documented, lay in its huge portfolio of mortgages and mortgage-backed bonds.
A decade ago, assumptions were different. The last WaMu story I wrote covered a day when its share price fell 5 per cent in June 1999. It fell because investors were worried that it was retreating from its policy of levering up by buying mortgage-backed securities.
Analysts told me that retreating from leverage would harm WaMu’s revenues in the short term, along with its earnings and its share price.
The implicit assumption was that leverage was good. Shareholders punished companies and executives when they paid down their debt and took less risk.
This should remind us of the breadth of the failure of the global markets system that we are now witnessing. Shareholders themselves egged on the lending binge in the US, and did so before the stratospheric growth in the credit derivatives market.
Bearing this in mind, let us make some assumptions about what the next few days may hold.
Let us assume that the politicians agree on some form of a bail-out for the financial system.
The reason for the assumption? If the failure of WaMu, the quintessential Main Street bank, does not make clear that the “Wall Street” crisis will have real implications on Main Street, then the credit market suggests that other banks will come under the same pressure. That could force lawmakers to do something.
Let us also assume that a bail-out, in whatever form it finally passes, would have the following effects; it would allow the money markets to unfreeze and it would stem the threat of panic over the banking system. It should thus avert the scenario of a return to the 1930s, in which regulators allowed a market dislocation to turn into the Great Depression by allowing banks to fail.
Compared to the present outlook, these outcomes would be good. But that is all a bail-out would achieve. Beyond that, the world after a bail-out will not look pretty for investors.
Long-term valuation measures do not give a strong “buy” signal. Over the past century, the best long-term market-timing signals have come from cyclically adjusted price/earnings ratios. These adjust for the short-term profit cycle by taking a share price’s multiple of the long-term average of a company’s profits.
There are various ways to calculate this, but the version used by Andrew Smithers, of Smithers & Co. in London, is typical. By his reckoning, the US stock market entered this week about 40 per cent above its long-term “fair value”. Over history, this measure has had to move well below its long-term average to send a clear buying signal.
Further, long-term market bottoms tend to happen when an economy is in recession. But the latest revised figures for US growth show that a recession had not started even by the end of the second quarter – cheap money from the Fed, a devalued dollar and tax rebates had delayed this hour of reckoning.
A US recession in the months to come, with credit so constricted, seems close to a certainty. This will limit corporate earnings, which are still supposed, according to brokers’ estimates, to grow quite well next year.
There is relative value to be found elsewhere. Both Europe and the emerging markets now look cheap, at least compared with the US.
The MSCI emerging markets index now trades at an earnings multiple more than 25 per cent cheaper than that of the MSCI World index of developed markets; and the FTSE-Eurofirst index trades at less than half the multiple of the S&P 500.
When this bear market comes to an end, there will be great value opportunities in Europe and in the emerging world. But the problem is that both have grown much cheaper relative to the US, even as concern over the US has intensified. A year ago, the emerging markets were actually at a premium to the developed world, while Europe was only at a 10 per cent discount to the US.
The markets believe that a US recession would be worse for the rest of the world than it would be for the US. Hopeful concepts of “decoupling” from the US have been jettisoned.
With funds flowing on that assumption, stocks outside the US could keep cheapening relative to the US, even with a bail-out.
There will be bargains for those alert enough to find them. There always are. But, whatever happens now in Washington, a broader creation of wealth lies further in the future. The assumption that resolving this scare will lead to a new bull market should be tested; just like the old assumption that leverage was good for WaMu.
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Price fixers could face US-style lawsuits
By Michael Peel, Legal Correspondent
Published: September 26 2008 23:01 | Last updated: September 26 2008 23:01
Companies involved in price-fixing would face the prospect of large US-style consumer damages claims under plans that are close to being endorsed by the government, competition lawyers say.
The proposals – which lawyers say could be published as early as next month – would be an important step towards the emergence of mass “class action” lawsuits in which big groups of people file joint claims running into billions of pounds.
The plan would be strongly supported by consumer bodies but treated with suspicion by business groups, which fear its scope could be extended beyond price-fixing to include potentially costly damages claims in other fields.
John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI, the business lobby group, said companies were worried that legal “mission creep” would allow consumers to bring big lawsuits against companies alleging wrongdoing in areas such as financial services, pharmaceuticals and employment.
He said: “We are very nervous about the proposals because we think the government may open a Pandora’s box. British business at chief executive level gets very worried about moves towards American class action litigation.”
Competition lawyers told the Financial Times that the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform was close to launching its plans, including a key proposal to assume that consumers joined damages lawsuits unless they specifically opted out. A document was expected to be published for consultation soon, with a view to changing the law next year.
The lawyers said the proposals would mirror closely those floated last month by the Civil Justice Council. These balance plans to introduce an automatic consumer opt-in to lawsuits against safeguards, such as judicial scrutiny of claim groups and their funders to make sure they are bona fide.
The DBERR plans would be a victory for consumer groups, which claim existing laws stifle the public’s rights by making it all but impossible for lawyers to assemble big groups of claimants and win large payouts.
Deborah Prince, head of legal affairs for Which?, the consumer group, said it would be “bloody marvellous” if the government followed the thrust of the CJC recommendations, which were “absolutely spot on”.
A handful of previous price-fixing consumer damages lawsuits – over goods ranging from airline tickets to replica football shirts – have failed to generate the hoped-for interest, amid lawyers’ complaints the system is stacked against claimants.
In a case involving a conspiracy by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to fix the prices of passenger fuel surcharges, only a small fraction of an estimated 6m eligible consumers have claimed refunds of up to £20 per return flight.
The business department confirmed it planned to make proposals on competition this autumn, although it declined to say when these would be published. It also declined to comment on the detail of its plans.
Lawyers said the DBERR’s proposals had been held up because of consultation with other ministries.
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The big payouts
In the US companies frequently pay out more than $1bn (£540m) in damages to settle class action lawsuits. Big cases include:
● Visa and Mastercard paid more than $3bn to settle a class action case brought by millions of merchants, who claimed they were unlawfully forced to accept the companies’ debit cards as well as their credit cards
● Microsoft paid $1.1bn to settle a class action claim that it overcharged consumers for Windows, the computer operating system. Consumers and corporations in California received vouchers for rebates on hardware or software as part of the deal
●El Paso Natural Gas, the energy company, paid $1.1bn over allegations that it manipulated the market for natural gas pipeline transmission capacity into California
Source: Global Competition Review
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Gulf funds poised to pounce on US assets
By Roula Khalaf in London
Published: September 27 2008 02:19 | Last updated: September 27 2008 02:19
Arab sovereign wealth funds are likely to pounce on distressed US assets after the government bail-out plan eases the extraordinary tensions in financial markets, according to one of the top intermediaries in the Gulf.
Gary Long, the president of Investcorp, the private equity group which channels petrodollars from some of the biggest private and institutional investors in the Gulf and invests them in western markets, said private investors and sovereign wealth funds were taking a different attitude to the Wall Street meltdown.
Wealthy private investors, “shell-shocked” by the crisis in the US financial system, were now expected to become more cautious and conservative. But institutions, including sovereign wealth funds, will be looking for opportunities.
“Institutional investors recognise that after a period of turmoil there will be a time when market opportunities will be great, so they are seeing what’s happening as such a period,” Mr Long told the Financial Times.
“But it’s hard to hide if you’re a [private] investor. Every market is embattled: even the local stock markets, even real estate markets have been questioned. So private investors are going to be a little more conservative as opposed to chasing high returns,” he added.
In recent weeks, the Middle East’s SWFs, flush with oil-fuelled liquidity, have been remarkably quiet as some of the US financial stocks they had rushed to rescue over the past year were devastated by the global crisis.
Facing pressure at home, the $200bn (€137bn, £108bn) Kuwait Investment Authority earlier this week revealed that it had lost $270m on its Citibank investment but recorded no losses on its investment in Merrill Lynch, which has been bought by Bank of America. The KIA had ploughed $5bn into the two banks in January.
American institutions scouring the oil-rich Gulf for capital have also been rebuffed, according to regional bankers.
Sovereign funds are not in the business of bailing out faltering banks, they were told, particularly at a time when they were under domestic pressure to intervene at home and shore up tumbling equity markets that were suffering from a spillover effect of the global turmoil.
But people close to some of the region’s sovereign wealth funds say that while they do not want to be seen as white knights, they are not sitting on the sidelines.
“Now the crisis is being dealt with, once that phase is mapped out, it will take years to bring back balance to the market and assets will be available at more reasonable valuations. So if you have cash it could be an interesting opportunity,” says one person close to the $50bn Qatar Investment Authority.
Mr Long, meanwhile, said he expected sovereign wealth funds also to join hands with private equity firms in investing in distressed US assets. This year one Gulf fund set up a $1bn partnership with Investcorp to buy mezzanine debt related to US commercial property.
“The bigger sovereign wealth funds have always had most of their investments through intermediaries,” he said.
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Cold comfort in eating a Big Mac
By Gillian Tett
Published: September 26 2008 21:09 | Last updated: September 26 2008 21:09
Do you trust the smiling face of Ronald McDonald more than Uncle Sam? If the markets are a guide, the answer might be “yes”.
This week, the cost of insuring against a US default via credit derivatives hit record levels. on Friday, London dealers were quoting between 23 and 28 basis points, meaning it costs €23,000 ($33,600) to €28,000 a year to insure €10m in bonds. But the quotes for McDonald’s were about 25bp-26bp.
Yes, you read that right: the entity that brought us big fries and the floppy clown commands as much gravitas in the credit world as the mighty US of A.
These CDS prices might seem weird: it is extremely unlikely the US will default. But there are at least two factors making investors jittery. One is the rising cost of US bail-out plans. If you spend $50bn here (to support money market funds), $85bn there (to rescue AIG), another $30bn (to complete the Bear Stearns deal) and then $700bn (for a bail-out), soon you are talking serious numbers.
More specifically, the rescue proposals from Hank Paulson, US Treasury secretary, are threatening to push gross US debt well above 70 per cent of GDP for the first time since 1954.
But raw maths is not the only problem; the more pernicious challenge is psychological. Recent events have left investors so dazed and confused. Many no longer know what America is supposed to stand for, or what institutions they can trust. Just look at Washington Mutual, the fourth largest US retail bank, which collapsed and was partly acquired by JPMorgan. This event was an appalling shock, because WaMu was once considered a secure bastion.
However, another, less obvious, consequence is that it also shook sentiment in the bond world, even in an ultra-dull but important corner of finance known as the “covered bond” sector.
The US has very recently begun to look to covered bonds as a white knight of mortgage finance. Two US banks, WaMu and Bank of America, were trail-blazers in this arena. Consequently, an information black-out for much of on Friday on the fate of these bonds, which investors had thought were almost risk-free, sparked fears of losses. Lawyers, regulators and bond investors were tossed into uncharted waters.
If this was an isolated case, the shock would be manageable. What makes it pernicious, however, is that investors keep being chucked into uncharted waters on a daily basis. Last week, for example, the world’s biggest bastion of free-market capitalism suddenly appeared to back a massive, quasi-socialist, bail-out plan. Before that, Lehman Brothers collapsed, creating unprecedented chaos for creditors and trading partners.
Then an American money market fund “broke the buck”, even though such funds were never supposed to do that. And even before the WaMu shock, a list of other “safe” assets – such as auction rate securities – had suddenly turned lethal too.
It is little wonder then that there was such a clamour for gold coins on Thursday that the US Mint ran out of stocks. Nor is it a surprise that investors consider Ronald McDonald such a safe bet. After all, the great thing about hamburgers is that people keep eating these, even – or especially – when the world turns upside down.
Better still, when you order a Big Mac, you know what to expect. That is blatantly not the case with bundles of mortgage debt. And after the events of last week, such certainty is now also lacking from US banks and its policy-making world. Moreover, whatever rabbit Mr Paulson might pull out of his hat, the sad truth is that it will take months – if not years – to rebuild this shattered trust. Better keep stocking up on comfort food, be it a Big Mac, chocolate, or anything else.
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Loans success exaggerated at World Bank
By Chris Giles in London
Published: September 27 2008 03:31 | Last updated: September 27 2008 03:31
The management of the World Bank tended last year to inflate the reported success of its lending to the poorest countries while the organisation was consumed by wrangles over the leadership of Paul Wolfowitz, its president until June 2007.
The Bank also struggles to address the big global issues of climate change and communicable diseases when these conflict with the interests of individual poor countries, according to the annual assessment by the Bank’s watchdog.
In its annual review of development effectiveness, the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank said on Friday that the medium-term outcomes from Bank lending had improved, but there had also been a dip in performance in 2007.
“A single year’s data is not, by itself, a cause for alarm, but vigilance is needed to ensure that it does not foreshadow a persistent decline,” the report said.
When the Bank was suffering enormous internal strife last year, the group also found it had developed a tendency to inflate the reported success of its lending.
The gap between the Bank’s own evaluation of the success of its lending projects and those from the independent monitors doubled last year, prompting the group to suggest: “[World Bank] management is less likely to identify problem projects and take timely remedial action.”
One of the prime concerns of the Bank’s official watchdog – which reports to the Bank’s donor countries – is that, while the Bank’s senior management prioritises global challenges such as climate change, much of the Bank’s day-to-day operations on the ground may conflict with these global ambitions.
When it was in a borrowing country’s self-interest to support a global challenge, for example in efforts to stop an infectious disease, the group said the Bank’s standard practices “work well”. However, it was far less effective when the benefits seemed far flung to a country while domestic costs of tackling a global challenge were immediate.
Global warming is the most important example of the Bank’s difficulties combining a strategic ambition with its lending operations. “To date ... the Bank has not been able to call on an attractive large-scale funding programme or invoke an international framework to encourage comprehensive action on climate change,” the report said.
The group recommended that the Bank’s management dedicate budgets specifically for such ambitions.
However the management rejected the recommendation, saying that the core mission of the Bank was “growth and poverty reduction” and other issues needed to be put in that context.
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Medvedev bolsters links with US foe
By Catherine Belton in Moscow
Published: September 26 2008 18:40 | Last updated: September 26 2008 18:40
Russia and Venezuela signed several energy pacts on Friday as Moscow sent a clear signal to Washington it was strengthening ties with the US foe amid a deepening diplomatic chill over Georgia.
The two presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Hugo Chávez, pledged closer co-operation as Mr Chávez visited Russia for the second time in just over two months. His visit came as a fleet of Russian warships were sailing towards the Venezuelan coast for naval exercises.
The exercises will mark the first such action in the US’s backyard since the end of the cold war. They show Russia’s increasing frustration at what it sees as US meddling in its near abroad, including over Georgia and the positioning of the US missile defence shield near its borders.
Russia is still bristling at the US condemnation of its military intervention against Georgia over the breakaway enclave of South Ossetia, insisting its intervention was a just response to an attack launched first by Georgia. Analysts fear the war of words could strengthen hawkish anti-western elements in the Russian government.
Sergei Markov, the Kremlin-linked political analyst, said all taboos on co-operating with enemies of the US had been lifted.
“After such insolent and false positions of the US over South Ossetia, limits on co-operating with enemies of the US have ceased to exist,” he said.
Russia also agreed this week to lend Venezuela $1bn (€682m, £540m) to buy military equipment, boosting growing arms sales that have seen Russia sell $4.4bn in weaponry to Mr Chávez’s regime between 2005 and 2007.
Dmitry Trenin, analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, said Russia wanted to send a symbolic message to the US. “This is sending a message to the US saying, ‘Get off my back or I will poke you in the eye and see if it hurts or not’,” said Dmitry Trenin, analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Centre. “They don’t want a confrontation but they are certainly pushing back.”
“They are trying to make the US see there are some red lines. This is a symbolic message – but if there are miscalculations on either side, we could have an incident that no one wants,” he said.
Mr Trenin said tension was mounting over US warships anchored in the Georgian port of Poti in the Black Sea – there ostensibly to provide humanitarian aid.
“Both sides need to be extremely careful. They need to establish rules where they keep demonstrations at the level of demonstrations and not worse.”
The energy agreements signed on Friday included a broad memorandum calling for the creation of a joint Russian-Venezuelan consortium between PDVSA (Petroleos De Venezuela) and Russia’s Gazprom, Rosneft, TNK-BP, Surgutneftegaz and Lukoil to develop fields in Venezuela as Russia seeks access to US energy markets.
Just hours after Mr Chávez’s visit, Mr Medvedev turned up the military rhetoric, announcing plans to build an upgraded nuclear deterrent system by 2020, including a space defence system and nuclear submarines. The plan would also bring all units to a state of constant combat readiness.
Speaking to army chiefs after military exercises, Mr Medvedev said, the conflict with Georgia had proved the need to push ahead with the upgrade. “Just recently we have had to rebuff an aggression unleashed by the Georgian regime and, as we found, a war can flare up suddenly and can be absolutely real. And local, smouldering conflicts, which are sometimes even called ‘frozen conflicts’, will turn into a real military conflagration,” he said.
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Russia joins UN move to condemn Tehran
By James Blitz in London
Published: September 27 2008 02:29 | Last updated: September 27 2008 02:29
Russia has moved to reaffirm the unity of the world’s leading powers in confronting Iran over its nuclear programme by backing a new United Nations Security Council resolution that condemns Tehran.
Earlier this week, Russia looked as though it might be extending its recent disagreements with the west into fresh areas by scuppering plans for a meeting of foreign ministers from major powers to discuss the Iran dossier.
But in a surprise move, Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, on Friday held an impromptu encounter with his counterparts at the UN in New York and gave his backing to a new Security Council resolution reasserting that Iran must suspend its uranium enrichment programme.
The new resolution – backed by the US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany – was set to be tabled at the Security Council on Friday night. The resolution does not detail any new sanctions to be levied on Iran, something that Russia opposes at this stage.
However, western diplomats believe it will make clear to the Iranians that whatever differences Russia and the west may have in other spheres, the leading powers are united in seeking a suspension of the uranium enrichment programme.
Western diplomats say Russia’s decision to cancel an earlier foreign ministers’ meeting planned for Thursday was prompted by anger that the US and its allies had moved to cancel a regular session of the G8 in New York. In the aftermath of Russia’s incursion into Georgia, meetings of the G8 have been suspended until Moscow is deemed to be complying with international demands that it withdraws from Georgia.
However, western diplomats say Mr Lavrov later came to realise that the scuppering of Thursday’s meeting by Russia had badly damaged the international community’s longstanding battle to force the Iranians to back down on uranium enrichment.
Earlier this year, the six powers offered Iran a refreshed package of incentives to suspend uranium enrichment, in return for which Tehran would get significant economic assistance.
Diplomats say that the passage of a new UN resolution would now show the Iranians that recent international divisions over Georgia do not give Tehran an excuse for continuing to ignore the offer.
Some diplomats say the passage of a new UN resolution may also be a platform from which the European Union can make the case for a new raft of EU sanctions.
Pressure on the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany to pass a resolution on Iran this week was particularly intense because Tehran was last week heavily criticised by the UN’s atomic energy watchdog.
In an unexpectedly sharp criticism of Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said its attempts to get Tehran to clear up allegations that it militarised its nuclear programme had reached a “dead end”.
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Saudi religious police get tough on fashion
By Abeer Allam in Riyadh
Published: September 27 2008 02:42 | Last updated: September 27 2008 02:42
In an attempt to reassert their power, Saudi Arabia’s religious police have ordered shopkeepers in downtown Riyadh to get rid of all adorned abayas, the black robes worn by women in the kingdom, as shopping picks up ahead of the Eid religious holidays next week.
Salesmen in Al-Maagaliah market, just across the block from the headquarters of the religious police, or mutawa’a, this week were turning away frustrated shoppers who wanted abayas with a hint of colour or decoration, telling them that shopowners could face fines or prison.
In recent years, the signature flowing robe that covers Saudi women from head to toe started to show some form with trimmed sleeves, beads or colour, a sign of relaxation of the strict social norms in the conservative kingdom.
Though the changes were subtle, abayas provoked a tug of war between the liberal voices lobbying to give women more choice and conservative religious institutions determined to impose their austere ways through the religious police.
Liberal commentators say the religious police who roam shopping malls and public places are using the crackdown to demonstrate their continued authority after recent moves that have curbed their arbitrary powers.
After allegations of gross violations of human rights led to media uproar, the mutawa’a have been banned from chasing suspects without an escort from the regular police. They have also been forced to carry government-issued identification cards.
Women’s rights activists, however, are concerned that the crackdown on the abaya marks a setback after early symbolic gains achieved since King Abdullah came to power in 2005.
“They [the mutawa’a] want women to be faceless, nameless and shrouded in blackness,’’ said Samar Falan, a women’s rights activist and writer based in the city of Jeddah.
“We kept quiet when we should have confronted the radicals. I believe Muslim women should dress modestly and cover their hair, but they do not have to look gruesome.”
Saudi women have been pushing for more rights, and the government has sought to promote the participation of women in the workforce. But with every step forward comes another step back.
The mutawa’a does impose its morality on men too, forcing them sometimes to cut their hair or choose more modest shirts. But while men have a range of dress options – western attire or traditional white Saudi garb – women essentially have none.
“They should focus on fighting vices, not women,’’ says Buthaina Nassr, another activist. “I do not understand why they force us to wear black in such a hot country while men can wear white.”
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Putin erases border between Russia and South Ossetia
26.09.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/kremlin/106464-putin_ossetia-0
The recently signed interstate agreement between South Ossetia and Russia provides a legal base to erase the border between the two nations, Itar-Tass reports with reference to a statement from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
“I think we will have to sign several other documents which, on the one hand, will ensure Russia’s interests from the point of the external boundary security and, on the other hand, will give people an opportunity to communicate freely without administrative obstacles,” Putin stated at a meeting with regional leaders of the ruling United Russia party.
“In essence, we will liquidate the border between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia. We will give people an opportunity to feel safe, grow children, develop their country, their republic and to communicate freely without any formalities on the state border,” the prime minister said.
Putin pointed out that it did not go about the incorporation of South Ossetia into the structure of the Russian Federation. However, he added, Russia would provide all necessary help for the maximum reintegration of the Ossetian nation.
“I think that it will be enough if we assist in the economic restoration of South Ossetia,” the prime minister specified.
It is worthy of note that the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not prevent South Ossetia’s incorporation into Russia. However, the position the S. Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity has not been distinctive for its definiteness. Before Russia signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with S. Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity announced his intention to retrieve the unity with North Ossetia and join Russia. However, the president rejected his own statement the same day and said that he had been misunderstood.
“We are not going to refuse from our independence that we obtained at the cost of countless victims. South Ossetia does not intend to join Russia,” Kokoity said.
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ＡＩＧ、エジソン生命とスター生命の売却検討
米保険最大手アメリカン・インターナショナル・グループ（ＡＩＧ）が経営再建策の一環で、日本のＡＩＧエジソン生命保険とＡＩＧスター生命保険の売却を検討していることが26日、明らかになった。両社の2007年度の保険料収入は合計で6000億円超。米金融危機が国内生保の再編につながる可能性が出てきた。
2社自体は経営が悪化しているわけではなく、売却されても保険の契約はそのまま引き継がれる見通しだ。(07:00)
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日本とベトナム、ＥＰＡ大筋合意 来週前半にも
日本とベトナム両政府が、来週前半にも関税の撤廃などを盛り込んだ経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）の締結で大筋合意することが26日分かった。日本からの輸出では10年以内に主な自動車部品や鉄鋼製品などの関税が撤廃され、輸出の増加が期待される。輸入では魚介類や衣料製品などが対象となり、国内消費者にも価格低下などのメリットがありそうだ。
日越のＥＰＡ交渉は2007年1月に始まった。9月中旬にハノイで開かれた第9回会合で、日本からの自動車部品や鉄鋼などの主要品目についてほぼ合意した。その後、両政府間で事務作業などを進めており、交渉が決着する状況となった。両国の貿易額の9割強で関税が撤廃される見通しだ。(07:00)
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米シティのサムライ債販売、市場混乱で再説明
金融危機の余波を受け米シティグループの円建て外債（サムライ債）を販売している証券会社が投資家への説明に追われている。販売期間中に債券の価値が大きく変わった理由を説明する義務が生じたからだ。通常は購入時に価格変動の可能性などを説明すればよいが、今回はリスクがあることを改めて念押しする珍しい事態となった。
シティ債は過去最大級となる3150億円のサムライ債。しかし投資家は米金融機関の信用力に神経質になっており、シティが7月に発行した既発サムライ債の利回りはリーマン破綻前の12日の年3.17％から19日には4.32％まで急上昇した。
今回のシティ債の発行条件は年3.22％。三菱東京ＵＦＪ銀行債（3月発行）の1％を大幅に上回り、東京市場で流通している個人向け債券の利回りとしては極めて高い水準にある。金融商品取引法に関連するルールでは販売期間中に債券利回りが0.5％以上変わった場合、リスクを再説明するよう求めており、シティ債を扱う日興コーディアル証券や東海東京証券などは顧客へ説明を始めた。
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新興国株投信振るわず 金融危機、個人マネーに打撃
市場の混乱で、個人マネーの傷口が広がっている。今年3月末から直近までの投資信託の運用成績を調べたところ、個人に人気のあるロシア、中国などＢＲＩＣｓを中心に新興国の株式で運用する投信が軒並み30―40％も下落した。米金融危機で資金流入はさらに細り、新興国には株価下落が広がっている。リスクをとって運用してきた個人の投資意欲が一段と減退しそうだ。
調査会社ＱＵＩＣＫ・ＱＢＲが純資産残高100億円以上の559本の追加型投信を対象に、今年3月31日から9月19日にかけての運用成績を調査した。下落率が大きかった50の投信のうち、49が海外株式を運用対象とするものだった。特にロシア、中国など新興国株式で運用する投信ほど下落率が大きい。この間、ロシア株の代表的な指数であるＲＴＳは4割弱、上海総合は4割強それぞれ下落した。
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ＡＩＧ関連投信 新規購入・解約申し込み、再開の動き広がる
アメリカン・インターナショナル・グループ（ＡＩＧ）の関連証券を組み入れ、解約の受け付けを停止していた投資信託で受け付けを再開する動きが広がっている。野村アセットマネジメントは26日、「野村コモディティ投信」など3本の投資信託の新規購入と解約の申し込み受け付けを再開すると発表。大和証券投資信託委託など、主要な運用会社も受け付けを再開している。
これらの投信はＡＩＧの関連会社が発行する仕組み債を組み入れていたが、ＡＩＧが米政府の管理下に入った影響で仕組み債が売買できない状況が続き、投信の新規購入や解約もできなくなっていた。26日までに仕組み債の売買が再開されたため、投信の売買も再開した。(07:00)
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水産庁、クロマグロ漁獲抑制を交渉へ 韓国などと
水産庁は26日、クロマグロの国際漁業管理に関する水産業界向け説明会を東京・霞が関で開いた。メキシコ、韓国などの関係国間で、蓄養ビジネス向けを含めたクロマグロの漁獲を抑制する交渉に乗り出す方針を明らかにした。
日本近海に産卵場がある太平洋のクロマグロの資源状態について「黄色のランプがついている状態」（宮原正典審議官）と説明。蓄養向けを含めて日本国内での漁獲を増やさないよう指導し、蓄養向け漁獲が増えているメキシコや最近蓄養が始まった韓国にも漁獲抑制を要請。その他の国には蓄養を控えるよう求める方針を説明した。(07:00)
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全信組連、仙北信組に７億円の資本支援
全国信用協同組合連合会（全信組連）は仙北信用組合（宮城県栗原市）に対して7億2000万円の資本支援を実施することを決めた。同信組の発行する優先出資証券を9月末までに引き受ける。仙北信組の2008年3月末の自己資本比率は5.17％で、不良債権比率は14.49％。資本注入を受けることで経営基盤の強化をねらう。(07:00)
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「松下電器」社名変更控え取り外し 本社屋上の看板
「松下」に幕――。パナソニックへの社名変更を来月1日に控えた松下電器産業は27日、大阪府門真市の本社社屋の屋上看板から「松下電器」の4文字を取り外した。屋上看板には青地に白の「Ｐａｎａｓｏｎｉｃ」のネオンサインが残った。歴史的な“衣替え”は名実ともに大詰めを迎えた。
松下は創業90周年を機に、社名とブランド名をパナソニックに統一。国内の白物家電ブランドなどとして80年間続いた「ナショナル」も姿を消す。(13:37)
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スティール、日本株売却 08年累計700億円、運用成績が悪化
米投資ファンドのスティール・パートナーズが、保有する日本株の売却を進めている。今年1月以降、日清食品やシチズンホールディングスなど10社の保有比率を減らし、その売却総額は約700億円に達した模様。日本株低迷の影響で、スティールの運用成績は悪化しており、投資先の再評価を進めていると見られる。
スティールは昨年まで投資していた約30社のうち10社の株式を今年に入り売却した。金融庁に提出した株式保有割合の変更報告書をもとに、売却日の終値で売却規模を試算すると、その総額は約740億円。日清食品とシチズンの保有比率の低下が目立っており、2社ともに売却額は200億円を超える計算だ。
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家電量販店各社、白物家電の店頭価格上げ ヤマダは平均７％
大手家電量販各社は今月末以降、相次ぎ洗濯機や冷蔵庫など白物家電の新商品の店頭実勢価格を引き上げる。最大手のヤマダ電機が昨秋の新商品に比べて平均約7％引き上げるほか、ヨドバシカメラなど他社も3―10％程度上げるもよう。鋼材価格の上昇でメーカーが引き上げる卸値をほぼそのまま転嫁する。
冷蔵庫などは家電量販店での取扱量が多く、量販店側の価格交渉力が強いとされる。メーカーが求める値上げを量販店側がのむかが焦点だったが、鋼材や樹脂の価格が大幅に上昇していることから、量販店も値上げを容認した。
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豪の「日の丸ガス田」 国際石油帝石、事業費２兆円に膨張
国際石油開発帝石ホールディングスが豪州で計画する天然ガスプロジェクトの総投資額が2兆1000億円強となり、当初見通しの3倍に増えることが26 日、明らかになった。液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）基地の建設地変更に加え、資材費の上昇や環境対策の費用増が要因。同様の理由でエネルギー開発や石化プロジェクトで投資額などの計画見直しが相次いでいる。資源価格はなお高水準にあるが、今後、開発案件で採算確保が課題に浮上しそうだ。
同社は仏トタルと共同で豪州のダーウィンにＬＮＧ基地を建設する計画を発表。ガス田開発とあわせた総投資額を200億ドル（約2兆1000億円）強とした。当初は60億ドルを計画していた。投資額は出資比率に合わせて、国際石油開発帝石側が76％を負担する。(07:00)
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三洋、協調融資で1000億円調達
三洋電機は26日、三井住友銀行など13行と約1000億円の協調融資（シンジケートローン）契約を結んだ。太陽電池や2次電池などへの投資拡大で 2009年3月期も1225億円の設備投資を計画しているが、今回の契約で今期分の資金確保にめどがたつ。三洋がシンジケートローンを組むのは05年3月以来。(07:00)
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松下、薄型テレビの海外販売を拡充 欧米中国、６割増の２万店
松下電器産業は海外で薄型テレビの販売体制を拡充する。2008年度末までに欧州、米国、中国の主要3市場の販売店数を前年度末より6割多い計2万店に増やす。ＢＲＩＣｓなど新興国向けモデル数も約100種類へと3割拡大。松下は08年度の薄型テレビの世界販売台数を前年度比5割増の1100万台に引き上げる計画。世界規模で販売力をテコ入れし目標達成を目指す。
米国では販売店を6割増の6900店に増やし、地域量販店との取引を広げる。欧州も6割増の1万1600店、中国は8割増の2160店にそれぞれ拡充、各店舗で薄型テレビ「ビエラ」を展示するようにする。テレビとブルーレイ・ディスク録画再生機などとの連携機能をアピールできる店舗数も3市場合計で 4000店舗に倍増させる。(07:00)
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ＮＨＫ、関連団体を約20に削減検討 ９公益法人見直し
ＮＨＫは10月にまとめる2009年度から5カ年の次期経営計画で、現在29ある関連団体を20程度まで減らす検討に入った。これまで再編を進めてきた子会社に加え、9つある公益法人の見直しに踏み込む。
ＮＨＫの公益法人はＮＨＫサービスセンターやＮＨＫ放送研修センターなど9つの財団や学校法人で構成。国が公益法人改革に向け認定基準を見直すのに合わせ、公益事業の性格が薄い団体の解散や再編に踏み切る。(07:00)
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三浦元社長の逮捕容疑、共謀罪は有効 ロス郡地裁支部
【ロサンゼルス＝中前博之】1981年の米ロサンゼルス銃撃事件で殺人と共謀の容疑で逮捕され、サイパンで拘置中の元会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（61）＝日本では無罪確定＝が申し立てた逮捕状取り消し請求訴訟で、ロス郡地裁支部（バン・シックレン裁判長）は26日午後（日本時間27日午前）、共謀容疑についてのみ逮捕は「有効」とする判断を言い渡した。近くロス郡地裁で実質審理が始まる見通し。
カリフォルニア州刑法によると、殺人での共謀罪の量刑は禁固25年以上から終身刑。恩赦で軽減される可能性もある。弁護側は上訴を検討中。元社長のロスへの移送時期などは週明けにサイパンで判断が出る見通しだ。(27日 10:16)
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微量の放射性物質、配送中紛失 大阪―京都間で行方不明
2008年9月27日20時41分
国土交通省と文部科学省は２７日、実験用の放射性物質リン３２の液体１ミリリットルが配送中になくなったと発表した。プラスチック容器（直径５．５センチ、高さ８センチ）を、発泡スチロール製容器と段ボール箱で包んでいた。国内で輸送中の放射性物質の紛失は前例がないという。
放射性物質は２４日、千葉県市原市の日本アイソトープ協会の施設から、京都府南丹市の研究機関あてに発送された。大阪空港まで航空輸送され、宅配業者が２５日未明、大阪府豊中市の営業所で下請け業者に配送を依頼したところまでは存在を確認しているが、その後行方不明になったという。
放射能量は３７メガベクレルで、半減期は１４．２日。段ボール箱表面の放射線は自然放射線程度という。しかし、のみ込んだ場合は８８．８ミリシーベルト被曝（ひばく）する可能性があり、放射線業務従事者の年間被曝線量限度の５０ミリシーベルトを超えるという。
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社協購入のリーマン社債１億円回収困難に 埼玉・東松山
2008年9月27日19時35分
米証券大手リーマン・ブラザーズ発行の社債１億円分を埼玉県東松山市社会福祉協議会（会長・坂本祐之輔市長）が所有し、同社の経営破綻（はたん）によってすべて焦げ付く恐れが出てきたことが２７日、分かった。資金運用のため、昨年１１月に国内大手証券会社から購入したという。
市社協などによると、額面１億円の円貨社債を９９７０万円で購入。購入資金には、市から交付された「地域福祉基金」（３億６９００万円）を充てた。償還日の１２月１９日には元本と、約１４０万円の利払いを受けるはずだった。
リーマンの破綻を受け、市社協は１０月１日に開く臨時理事会で社債は事実上ゼロとみなし、全額を特別損失として計上したい考えだ。坂本市長は「破綻するとは夢にも思っていなかった。今後のことは理事会とも協議して対応したい」との談話を出した。
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公務員に「協約締結権」へ前向き 甘利担当相
2008年9月26日22時43分
甘利公務員制度担当相は２６日の報道各社のインタビューで、労働基本権の一部である「協約締結権」を一般の公務員に与えることについて「良いのではないか」と述べ、前向きな考えを示した。６月に成立した国家公務員制度改革基本法では与野党の修正協議により「自律的労使関係制度を措置する」と記されたが、政府内には「人件費増大につながる」と慎重な意見も根強い。
基本法には、能力や実績に応じた公務員の処遇が盛り込まれており、労働組合側は地位を守るため協約締結権の付与を求めていた。基本法の国会審議では、付与を強く求める民主党側に歩み寄る形で、付与を「検討」としていた政府案を修正し、「措置する」と踏み込んだ経緯がある。具体的な措置は３年以内に結論を出すことになっている。
一方、行革担当も兼務する甘利氏は、複数の特命担当相がいる内閣府の指揮系統が分かりにくいことから「省庁再々編が必要だ」と語った。
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米大手銀ワコビア、シティなどと合併検討か 米紙報道
2008年9月27日10時17分
【ニューヨーク＝丸石伸一】経営不安が高まっている銀行大手の米ワコビアが、同業大手との合併を検討している、と複数の米紙が２６日報じた。合併候補として米シティグループのほか、米ウェルズ・ファーゴやスペインのバンコ・サンタンデールの３社の名が挙げられている。
報道では、ワコビアはシティグループなど３社とそれぞれ合併について予備的な交渉に入った。交渉はどれも初期段階で、合意できるかどうかは不透明という。取締役らが今週末に対応を協議する見通しだとも報じられている。
ワコビアはほかの米大手と同様、米低所得者向け（サブプライム）住宅ローン関連の損失拡大に苦しみ、直近の０８年４～６月期決算まで２四半期続けて当期赤字を計上した。それでも、保有する住宅ローン関連などの追加損が膨らむことへの懸念などが根強く、株価下落が続いている。２６日の終値は、半年前より７割近く安い水準だ。
ワコビアをめぐっては、米金融大手モルガン・スタンレーとも合併協議をしていると報じられていた。だが、モルガン・スタンレーは２２日、三菱ＵＦＪフィナンシャル・グループから最大２０％の出資を受けることを発表。このため、ワコビアは別の交渉相手を求めたものとみられる。
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皇太子さま呼び捨て 都議からの批判で石原知事「発言を考えてみたい」
2008.9.27 00:42
皇太子さまに２０１６年の東京五輪招致の協力を求める際、会見などで「皇太子に協力を求めたい」などと、皇太子さまを呼び捨てにした発言を繰り返してきた東京都の石原慎太郎知事に対し、民主党都議が２６日、都議会一般質問で「公人として礼を失している」などと批判。石原知事は「今後、発言の形について考えてみたい」と述べ、呼称を見直すことも視野に入れた見解を示した。
石原知事は７月、定例会見で、東京五輪招致活動への皇太子さまの協力について宮内庁の野村一成東宮大夫が「協力は難しい」との見解を示したことに対し「宮内庁ごときが僭越（せんえつ）だ」などと激怒。その際の会見で、「皇太子の意向もただした上でだね、国を代表して皇太子に協力していただこう」などと呼び捨てにする発言を繰り返した。
【シドニー＝高佐知宏】オーストラリアのスワン財務相は26日、40億豪ドル（約3500億円）を拠出して豪州国内で発行された住宅ローン担保証券（ＲＭＢＳ）を購入すると発表した。購入先など詳細は不明だが、財務相は「世界的な信用収縮で冷え込んだ豪住宅市場を活性化させるため」と説明している。
豪州のＲＭＢＳ市場は1990年代に四半期ベースで約180億豪ドルまで一時拡大したが、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）問題が表面化した2007年半ば以降は25億豪ドル程度にまで縮小している。
一方、豪準備銀行（中央銀行）は25日、豪金融機関について「米住宅関連資産への関与は限られており、今後も高い収益性を維持する」との見解を発表した。 (23:40)
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三浦元社長の移送一時的に停止、新たに人身保護請求審理へ
特集 ロス疑惑
１９８１年のロス疑惑「一美さん銃撃事件」を巡り、米自治領北マリアナ・サイパンで拘置中の元輸入雑貨会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（６１）（日本で無罪確定）の弁護側は２６日、北マリアナ連邦地裁に、ロサンゼルスへの三浦元社長の移送取り消しと即時釈放を求める人身保護請求を行った。
連邦地裁は移送を一時的に停止し、２９日に審理する。三浦元社長の弁護側などが明らかにした。
三浦元社長の移送を巡っては、北マリアナ上級裁判所が１２日、移送許可を決定。北マリアナ最高裁も２３日、弁護側の上訴を退けたため、弁護側が「身柄拘束は憲法違反」として、新たに連邦地裁への請求を行った。
ロサンゼルス郡上級裁判所は２６日午後（日本時間２７日午前）、三浦元社長が逮捕状の破棄を求めた訴訟で、逮捕状が有効かどうかの判断を示す。
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【ロス疑惑】三浦容疑者「１勝１敗」今後どうなる？ (1/2ページ)
2008.9.27 22:18
三浦和義容疑者三浦和義容疑者
【ロサンゼルス＝松尾理也】ロス疑惑銃撃事件で逮捕され、米自治領サイパン島で拘置中の元会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（６１）＝日本で無罪確定＝が逮捕状の無効を申し立てた裁判で、ロサンゼルス郡地裁のバンシックレン裁判官は２６日、殺人罪での逮捕を「日本で無罪判決を受けており、同じ罪で２度裁かれることを禁じる一事不再理規定に反する」として無効とする一方、共謀罪での訴追は有効とする決定を下した。「入り口」段階の法律論争をめぐって半年以上も足踏みを続けてきた事件の審理がいよいよ動き出すか、注目される。
▼終身刑も
「殺人罪での訴追が認められなかったことは喜ばしい。共謀罪が認められたことには失望している」。三浦容疑者の弁護人、ゲラゴス氏の表情は硬かった。一方、逮捕直後は「１カ月もすれば移送は完了する」と楽観していながら、ゲラゴス氏の攻撃に防戦一方だった検察側は安堵の表情を浮かべた。
カリフォルニア州刑法では殺人での共謀罪は禁固２５年から終身刑と重い。検察関係者は「いたずらに殺人罪での訴追にこだわって上訴するよりも、決定をはずみに速やかな移送にこぎつけ、本裁判の開始を目指すのではないか」と話す。
サイパンの弁護団は現在、三浦容疑者の移送を阻止する構えをとっている。サイパン自治領最高裁がゴーサインを出し、移送間近かと思われたが、弁護側は新たにサイパンにある連邦地裁に人身保護請求を申し立てた。現在は再び移送が停止されている状態だ。
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Long View: Testing times for true believers in a bull run
By John Authers, Investment editor
Published: September 26 2008 20:31 | Last updated: September 26 2008 20:31
Writing anything about this financial crisis is nerve-racking. People may be reading how financial journalists wrote about this crisis decades from now, and things we now accept as unquestioned orthodoxy may come to be ridiculed. I am acutely conscious of this as I covered Washington Mutual for the Financial Times in the late 1990s.
WaMu on Friday became the biggest bank failure in US history (a title it will hopefully keep for a while). Its decline, as has been amply documented, lay in its huge portfolio of mortgages and mortgage-backed bonds.
A decade ago, assumptions were different. The last WaMu story I wrote covered a day when its share price fell 5 per cent in June 1999. It fell because investors were worried that it was retreating from its policy of levering up by buying mortgage-backed securities.
Analysts told me that retreating from leverage would harm WaMu’s revenues in the short term, along with its earnings and its share price.
The implicit assumption was that leverage was good. Shareholders punished companies and executives when they paid down their debt and took less risk.
This should remind us of the breadth of the failure of the global markets system that we are now witnessing. Shareholders themselves egged on the lending binge in the US, and did so before the stratospheric growth in the credit derivatives market.
Bearing this in mind, let us make some assumptions about what the next few days may hold.
Let us assume that the politicians agree on some form of a bail-out for the financial system.
The reason for the assumption? If the failure of WaMu, the quintessential Main Street bank, does not make clear that the “Wall Street” crisis will have real implications on Main Street, then the credit market suggests that other banks will come under the same pressure. That could force lawmakers to do something.
Let us also assume that a bail-out, in whatever form it finally passes, would have the following effects; it would allow the money markets to unfreeze and it would stem the threat of panic over the banking system. It should thus avert the scenario of a return to the 1930s, in which regulators allowed a market dislocation to turn into the Great Depression by allowing banks to fail.
Compared to the present outlook, these outcomes would be good. But that is all a bail-out would achieve. Beyond that, the world after a bail-out will not look pretty for investors.
Long-term valuation measures do not give a strong “buy” signal. Over the past century, the best long-term market-timing signals have come from cyclically adjusted price/earnings ratios. These adjust for the short-term profit cycle by taking a share price’s multiple of the long-term average of a company’s profits.
There are various ways to calculate this, but the version used by Andrew Smithers, of Smithers & Co. in London, is typical. By his reckoning, the US stock market entered this week about 40 per cent above its long-term “fair value”. Over history, this measure has had to move well below its long-term average to send a clear buying signal.
Further, long-term market bottoms tend to happen when an economy is in recession. But the latest revised figures for US growth show that a recession had not started even by the end of the second quarter – cheap money from the Fed, a devalued dollar and tax rebates had delayed this hour of reckoning.
A US recession in the months to come, with credit so constricted, seems close to a certainty. This will limit corporate earnings, which are still supposed, according to brokers’ estimates, to grow quite well next year.
There is relative value to be found elsewhere. Both Europe and the emerging markets now look cheap, at least compared with the US.
The MSCI emerging markets index now trades at an earnings multiple more than 25 per cent cheaper than that of the MSCI World index of developed markets; and the FTSE-Eurofirst index trades at less than half the multiple of the S&P 500.
When this bear market comes to an end, there will be great value opportunities in Europe and in the emerging world. But the problem is that both have grown much cheaper relative to the US, even as concern over the US has intensified. A year ago, the emerging markets were actually at a premium to the developed world, while Europe was only at a 10 per cent discount to the US.
The markets believe that a US recession would be worse for the rest of the world than it would be for the US. Hopeful concepts of “decoupling” from the US have been jettisoned.
With funds flowing on that assumption, stocks outside the US could keep cheapening relative to the US, even with a bail-out.
There will be bargains for those alert enough to find them. There always are. But, whatever happens now in Washington, a broader creation of wealth lies further in the future. The assumption that resolving this scare will lead to a new bull market should be tested; just like the old assumption that leverage was good for WaMu.
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Price fixers could face US-style lawsuits
By Michael Peel, Legal Correspondent
Published: September 26 2008 23:01 | Last updated: September 26 2008 23:01
Companies involved in price-fixing would face the prospect of large US-style consumer damages claims under plans that are close to being endorsed by the government, competition lawyers say.
The proposals – which lawyers say could be published as early as next month – would be an important step towards the emergence of mass “class action” lawsuits in which big groups of people file joint claims running into billions of pounds.
The plan would be strongly supported by consumer bodies but treated with suspicion by business groups, which fear its scope could be extended beyond price-fixing to include potentially costly damages claims in other fields.
John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI, the business lobby group, said companies were worried that legal “mission creep” would allow consumers to bring big lawsuits against companies alleging wrongdoing in areas such as financial services, pharmaceuticals and employment.
He said: “We are very nervous about the proposals because we think the government may open a Pandora’s box. British business at chief executive level gets very worried about moves towards American class action litigation.”
Competition lawyers told the Financial Times that the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform was close to launching its plans, including a key proposal to assume that consumers joined damages lawsuits unless they specifically opted out. A document was expected to be published for consultation soon, with a view to changing the law next year.
The lawyers said the proposals would mirror closely those floated last month by the Civil Justice Council. These balance plans to introduce an automatic consumer opt-in to lawsuits against safeguards, such as judicial scrutiny of claim groups and their funders to make sure they are bona fide.
The DBERR plans would be a victory for consumer groups, which claim existing laws stifle the public’s rights by making it all but impossible for lawyers to assemble big groups of claimants and win large payouts.
Deborah Prince, head of legal affairs for Which?, the consumer group, said it would be “bloody marvellous” if the government followed the thrust of the CJC recommendations, which were “absolutely spot on”.
A handful of previous price-fixing consumer damages lawsuits – over goods ranging from airline tickets to replica football shirts – have failed to generate the hoped-for interest, amid lawyers’ complaints the system is stacked against claimants.
In a case involving a conspiracy by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to fix the prices of passenger fuel surcharges, only a small fraction of an estimated 6m eligible consumers have claimed refunds of up to £20 per return flight.
The business department confirmed it planned to make proposals on competition this autumn, although it declined to say when these would be published. It also declined to comment on the detail of its plans.
Lawyers said the DBERR’s proposals had been held up because of consultation with other ministries.
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The big payouts
In the US companies frequently pay out more than $1bn (£540m) in damages to settle class action lawsuits. Big cases include:
● Visa and Mastercard paid more than $3bn to settle a class action case brought by millions of merchants, who claimed they were unlawfully forced to accept the companies’ debit cards as well as their credit cards
● Microsoft paid $1.1bn to settle a class action claim that it overcharged consumers for Windows, the computer operating system. Consumers and corporations in California received vouchers for rebates on hardware or software as part of the deal
●El Paso Natural Gas, the energy company, paid $1.1bn over allegations that it manipulated the market for natural gas pipeline transmission capacity into California
Source: Global Competition Review
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Gulf funds poised to pounce on US assets
By Roula Khalaf in London
Published: September 27 2008 02:19 | Last updated: September 27 2008 02:19
Arab sovereign wealth funds are likely to pounce on distressed US assets after the government bail-out plan eases the extraordinary tensions in financial markets, according to one of the top intermediaries in the Gulf.
Gary Long, the president of Investcorp, the private equity group which channels petrodollars from some of the biggest private and institutional investors in the Gulf and invests them in western markets, said private investors and sovereign wealth funds were taking a different attitude to the Wall Street meltdown.
Wealthy private investors, “shell-shocked” by the crisis in the US financial system, were now expected to become more cautious and conservative. But institutions, including sovereign wealth funds, will be looking for opportunities.
“Institutional investors recognise that after a period of turmoil there will be a time when market opportunities will be great, so they are seeing what’s happening as such a period,” Mr Long told the Financial Times.
“But it’s hard to hide if you’re a [private] investor. Every market is embattled: even the local stock markets, even real estate markets have been questioned. So private investors are going to be a little more conservative as opposed to chasing high returns,” he added.
In recent weeks, the Middle East’s SWFs, flush with oil-fuelled liquidity, have been remarkably quiet as some of the US financial stocks they had rushed to rescue over the past year were devastated by the global crisis.
Facing pressure at home, the $200bn (€137bn, £108bn) Kuwait Investment Authority earlier this week revealed that it had lost $270m on its Citibank investment but recorded no losses on its investment in Merrill Lynch, which has been bought by Bank of America. The KIA had ploughed $5bn into the two banks in January.
American institutions scouring the oil-rich Gulf for capital have also been rebuffed, according to regional bankers.
Sovereign funds are not in the business of bailing out faltering banks, they were told, particularly at a time when they were under domestic pressure to intervene at home and shore up tumbling equity markets that were suffering from a spillover effect of the global turmoil.
But people close to some of the region’s sovereign wealth funds say that while they do not want to be seen as white knights, they are not sitting on the sidelines.
“Now the crisis is being dealt with, once that phase is mapped out, it will take years to bring back balance to the market and assets will be available at more reasonable valuations. So if you have cash it could be an interesting opportunity,” says one person close to the $50bn Qatar Investment Authority.
Mr Long, meanwhile, said he expected sovereign wealth funds also to join hands with private equity firms in investing in distressed US assets. This year one Gulf fund set up a $1bn partnership with Investcorp to buy mezzanine debt related to US commercial property.
“The bigger sovereign wealth funds have always had most of their investments through intermediaries,” he said.
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Cold comfort in eating a Big Mac
By Gillian Tett
Published: September 26 2008 21:09 | Last updated: September 26 2008 21:09
Do you trust the smiling face of Ronald McDonald more than Uncle Sam? If the markets are a guide, the answer might be “yes”.
This week, the cost of insuring against a US default via credit derivatives hit record levels. on Friday, London dealers were quoting between 23 and 28 basis points, meaning it costs €23,000 ($33,600) to €28,000 a year to insure €10m in bonds. But the quotes for McDonald’s were about 25bp-26bp.
Yes, you read that right: the entity that brought us big fries and the floppy clown commands as much gravitas in the credit world as the mighty US of A.
These CDS prices might seem weird: it is extremely unlikely the US will default. But there are at least two factors making investors jittery. One is the rising cost of US bail-out plans. If you spend $50bn here (to support money market funds), $85bn there (to rescue AIG), another $30bn (to complete the Bear Stearns deal) and then $700bn (for a bail-out), soon you are talking serious numbers.
More specifically, the rescue proposals from Hank Paulson, US Treasury secretary, are threatening to push gross US debt well above 70 per cent of GDP for the first time since 1954.
But raw maths is not the only problem; the more pernicious challenge is psychological. Recent events have left investors so dazed and confused. Many no longer know what America is supposed to stand for, or what institutions they can trust. Just look at Washington Mutual, the fourth largest US retail bank, which collapsed and was partly acquired by JPMorgan. This event was an appalling shock, because WaMu was once considered a secure bastion.
However, another, less obvious, consequence is that it also shook sentiment in the bond world, even in an ultra-dull but important corner of finance known as the “covered bond” sector.
The US has very recently begun to look to covered bonds as a white knight of mortgage finance. Two US banks, WaMu and Bank of America, were trail-blazers in this arena. Consequently, an information black-out for much of on Friday on the fate of these bonds, which investors had thought were almost risk-free, sparked fears of losses. Lawyers, regulators and bond investors were tossed into uncharted waters.
If this was an isolated case, the shock would be manageable. What makes it pernicious, however, is that investors keep being chucked into uncharted waters on a daily basis. Last week, for example, the world’s biggest bastion of free-market capitalism suddenly appeared to back a massive, quasi-socialist, bail-out plan. Before that, Lehman Brothers collapsed, creating unprecedented chaos for creditors and trading partners.
Then an American money market fund “broke the buck”, even though such funds were never supposed to do that. And even before the WaMu shock, a list of other “safe” assets – such as auction rate securities – had suddenly turned lethal too.
It is little wonder then that there was such a clamour for gold coins on Thursday that the US Mint ran out of stocks. Nor is it a surprise that investors consider Ronald McDonald such a safe bet. After all, the great thing about hamburgers is that people keep eating these, even – or especially – when the world turns upside down.
Better still, when you order a Big Mac, you know what to expect. That is blatantly not the case with bundles of mortgage debt. And after the events of last week, such certainty is now also lacking from US banks and its policy-making world. Moreover, whatever rabbit Mr Paulson might pull out of his hat, the sad truth is that it will take months – if not years – to rebuild this shattered trust. Better keep stocking up on comfort food, be it a Big Mac, chocolate, or anything else.
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Loans success exaggerated at World Bank
By Chris Giles in London
Published: September 27 2008 03:31 | Last updated: September 27 2008 03:31
The management of the World Bank tended last year to inflate the reported success of its lending to the poorest countries while the organisation was consumed by wrangles over the leadership of Paul Wolfowitz, its president until June 2007.
The Bank also struggles to address the big global issues of climate change and communicable diseases when these conflict with the interests of individual poor countries, according to the annual assessment by the Bank’s watchdog.
In its annual review of development effectiveness, the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank said on Friday that the medium-term outcomes from Bank lending had improved, but there had also been a dip in performance in 2007.
“A single year’s data is not, by itself, a cause for alarm, but vigilance is needed to ensure that it does not foreshadow a persistent decline,” the report said.
When the Bank was suffering enormous internal strife last year, the group also found it had developed a tendency to inflate the reported success of its lending.
The gap between the Bank’s own evaluation of the success of its lending projects and those from the independent monitors doubled last year, prompting the group to suggest: “[World Bank] management is less likely to identify problem projects and take timely remedial action.”
One of the prime concerns of the Bank’s official watchdog – which reports to the Bank’s donor countries – is that, while the Bank’s senior management prioritises global challenges such as climate change, much of the Bank’s day-to-day operations on the ground may conflict with these global ambitions.
When it was in a borrowing country’s self-interest to support a global challenge, for example in efforts to stop an infectious disease, the group said the Bank’s standard practices “work well”. However, it was far less effective when the benefits seemed far flung to a country while domestic costs of tackling a global challenge were immediate.
Global warming is the most important example of the Bank’s difficulties combining a strategic ambition with its lending operations. “To date ... the Bank has not been able to call on an attractive large-scale funding programme or invoke an international framework to encourage comprehensive action on climate change,” the report said.
The group recommended that the Bank’s management dedicate budgets specifically for such ambitions.
However the management rejected the recommendation, saying that the core mission of the Bank was “growth and poverty reduction” and other issues needed to be put in that context.
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Medvedev bolsters links with US foe
By Catherine Belton in Moscow
Published: September 26 2008 18:40 | Last updated: September 26 2008 18:40
Russia and Venezuela signed several energy pacts on Friday as Moscow sent a clear signal to Washington it was strengthening ties with the US foe amid a deepening diplomatic chill over Georgia.
The two presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Hugo Chávez, pledged closer co-operation as Mr Chávez visited Russia for the second time in just over two months. His visit came as a fleet of Russian warships were sailing towards the Venezuelan coast for naval exercises.
The exercises will mark the first such action in the US’s backyard since the end of the cold war. They show Russia’s increasing frustration at what it sees as US meddling in its near abroad, including over Georgia and the positioning of the US missile defence shield near its borders.
Russia is still bristling at the US condemnation of its military intervention against Georgia over the breakaway enclave of South Ossetia, insisting its intervention was a just response to an attack launched first by Georgia. Analysts fear the war of words could strengthen hawkish anti-western elements in the Russian government.
Sergei Markov, the Kremlin-linked political analyst, said all taboos on co-operating with enemies of the US had been lifted.
“After such insolent and false positions of the US over South Ossetia, limits on co-operating with enemies of the US have ceased to exist,” he said.
Russia also agreed this week to lend Venezuela $1bn (€682m, £540m) to buy military equipment, boosting growing arms sales that have seen Russia sell $4.4bn in weaponry to Mr Chávez’s regime between 2005 and 2007.
Dmitry Trenin, analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, said Russia wanted to send a symbolic message to the US. “This is sending a message to the US saying, ‘Get off my back or I will poke you in the eye and see if it hurts or not’,” said Dmitry Trenin, analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Centre. “They don’t want a confrontation but they are certainly pushing back.”
“They are trying to make the US see there are some red lines. This is a symbolic message – but if there are miscalculations on either side, we could have an incident that no one wants,” he said.
Mr Trenin said tension was mounting over US warships anchored in the Georgian port of Poti in the Black Sea – there ostensibly to provide humanitarian aid.
“Both sides need to be extremely careful. They need to establish rules where they keep demonstrations at the level of demonstrations and not worse.”
The energy agreements signed on Friday included a broad memorandum calling for the creation of a joint Russian-Venezuelan consortium between PDVSA (Petroleos De Venezuela) and Russia’s Gazprom, Rosneft, TNK-BP, Surgutneftegaz and Lukoil to develop fields in Venezuela as Russia seeks access to US energy markets.
Just hours after Mr Chávez’s visit, Mr Medvedev turned up the military rhetoric, announcing plans to build an upgraded nuclear deterrent system by 2020, including a space defence system and nuclear submarines. The plan would also bring all units to a state of constant combat readiness.
Speaking to army chiefs after military exercises, Mr Medvedev said, the conflict with Georgia had proved the need to push ahead with the upgrade. “Just recently we have had to rebuff an aggression unleashed by the Georgian regime and, as we found, a war can flare up suddenly and can be absolutely real. And local, smouldering conflicts, which are sometimes even called ‘frozen conflicts’, will turn into a real military conflagration,” he said.
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Russia joins UN move to condemn Tehran
By James Blitz in London
Published: September 27 2008 02:29 | Last updated: September 27 2008 02:29
Russia has moved to reaffirm the unity of the world’s leading powers in confronting Iran over its nuclear programme by backing a new United Nations Security Council resolution that condemns Tehran.
Earlier this week, Russia looked as though it might be extending its recent disagreements with the west into fresh areas by scuppering plans for a meeting of foreign ministers from major powers to discuss the Iran dossier.
But in a surprise move, Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, on Friday held an impromptu encounter with his counterparts at the UN in New York and gave his backing to a new Security Council resolution reasserting that Iran must suspend its uranium enrichment programme.
The new resolution – backed by the US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany – was set to be tabled at the Security Council on Friday night. The resolution does not detail any new sanctions to be levied on Iran, something that Russia opposes at this stage.
However, western diplomats believe it will make clear to the Iranians that whatever differences Russia and the west may have in other spheres, the leading powers are united in seeking a suspension of the uranium enrichment programme.
Western diplomats say Russia’s decision to cancel an earlier foreign ministers’ meeting planned for Thursday was prompted by anger that the US and its allies had moved to cancel a regular session of the G8 in New York. In the aftermath of Russia’s incursion into Georgia, meetings of the G8 have been suspended until Moscow is deemed to be complying with international demands that it withdraws from Georgia.
However, western diplomats say Mr Lavrov later came to realise that the scuppering of Thursday’s meeting by Russia had badly damaged the international community’s longstanding battle to force the Iranians to back down on uranium enrichment.
Earlier this year, the six powers offered Iran a refreshed package of incentives to suspend uranium enrichment, in return for which Tehran would get significant economic assistance.
Diplomats say that the passage of a new UN resolution would now show the Iranians that recent international divisions over Georgia do not give Tehran an excuse for continuing to ignore the offer.
Some diplomats say the passage of a new UN resolution may also be a platform from which the European Union can make the case for a new raft of EU sanctions.
Pressure on the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany to pass a resolution on Iran this week was particularly intense because Tehran was last week heavily criticised by the UN’s atomic energy watchdog.
In an unexpectedly sharp criticism of Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said its attempts to get Tehran to clear up allegations that it militarised its nuclear programme had reached a “dead end”.
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Saudi religious police get tough on fashion
By Abeer Allam in Riyadh
Published: September 27 2008 02:42 | Last updated: September 27 2008 02:42
In an attempt to reassert their power, Saudi Arabia’s religious police have ordered shopkeepers in downtown Riyadh to get rid of all adorned abayas, the black robes worn by women in the kingdom, as shopping picks up ahead of the Eid religious holidays next week.
Salesmen in Al-Maagaliah market, just across the block from the headquarters of the religious police, or mutawa’a, this week were turning away frustrated shoppers who wanted abayas with a hint of colour or decoration, telling them that shopowners could face fines or prison.
In recent years, the signature flowing robe that covers Saudi women from head to toe started to show some form with trimmed sleeves, beads or colour, a sign of relaxation of the strict social norms in the conservative kingdom.
Though the changes were subtle, abayas provoked a tug of war between the liberal voices lobbying to give women more choice and conservative religious institutions determined to impose their austere ways through the religious police.
Liberal commentators say the religious police who roam shopping malls and public places are using the crackdown to demonstrate their continued authority after recent moves that have curbed their arbitrary powers.
After allegations of gross violations of human rights led to media uproar, the mutawa’a have been banned from chasing suspects without an escort from the regular police. They have also been forced to carry government-issued identification cards.
Women’s rights activists, however, are concerned that the crackdown on the abaya marks a setback after early symbolic gains achieved since King Abdullah came to power in 2005.
“They [the mutawa’a] want women to be faceless, nameless and shrouded in blackness,’’ said Samar Falan, a women’s rights activist and writer based in the city of Jeddah.
“We kept quiet when we should have confronted the radicals. I believe Muslim women should dress modestly and cover their hair, but they do not have to look gruesome.”
Saudi women have been pushing for more rights, and the government has sought to promote the participation of women in the workforce. But with every step forward comes another step back.
The mutawa’a does impose its morality on men too, forcing them sometimes to cut their hair or choose more modest shirts. But while men have a range of dress options – western attire or traditional white Saudi garb – women essentially have none.
“They should focus on fighting vices, not women,’’ says Buthaina Nassr, another activist. “I do not understand why they force us to wear black in such a hot country while men can wear white.”
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Putin erases border between Russia and South Ossetia
26.09.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/kremlin/106464-putin_ossetia-0
The recently signed interstate agreement between South Ossetia and Russia provides a legal base to erase the border between the two nations, Itar-Tass reports with reference to a statement from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
“I think we will have to sign several other documents which, on the one hand, will ensure Russia’s interests from the point of the external boundary security and, on the other hand, will give people an opportunity to communicate freely without administrative obstacles,” Putin stated at a meeting with regional leaders of the ruling United Russia party.
“In essence, we will liquidate the border between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia. We will give people an opportunity to feel safe, grow children, develop their country, their republic and to communicate freely without any formalities on the state border,” the prime minister said.
Putin pointed out that it did not go about the incorporation of South Ossetia into the structure of the Russian Federation. However, he added, Russia would provide all necessary help for the maximum reintegration of the Ossetian nation.
“I think that it will be enough if we assist in the economic restoration of South Ossetia,” the prime minister specified.
It is worthy of note that the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not prevent South Ossetia’s incorporation into Russia. However, the position the S. Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity has not been distinctive for its definiteness. Before Russia signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with S. Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity announced his intention to retrieve the unity with North Ossetia and join Russia. However, the president rejected his own statement the same day and said that he had been misunderstood.
“We are not going to refuse from our independence that we obtained at the cost of countless victims. South Ossetia does not intend to join Russia,” Kokoity said.
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ＡＩＧ、エジソン生命とスター生命の売却検討
米保険最大手アメリカン・インターナショナル・グループ（ＡＩＧ）が経営再建策の一環で、日本のＡＩＧエジソン生命保険とＡＩＧスター生命保険の売却を検討していることが26日、明らかになった。両社の2007年度の保険料収入は合計で6000億円超。米金融危機が国内生保の再編につながる可能性が出てきた。
2社自体は経営が悪化しているわけではなく、売却されても保険の契約はそのまま引き継がれる見通しだ。(07:00)
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日本とベトナム、ＥＰＡ大筋合意 来週前半にも
日本とベトナム両政府が、来週前半にも関税の撤廃などを盛り込んだ経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）の締結で大筋合意することが26日分かった。日本からの輸出では10年以内に主な自動車部品や鉄鋼製品などの関税が撤廃され、輸出の増加が期待される。輸入では魚介類や衣料製品などが対象となり、国内消費者にも価格低下などのメリットがありそうだ。
日越のＥＰＡ交渉は2007年1月に始まった。9月中旬にハノイで開かれた第9回会合で、日本からの自動車部品や鉄鋼などの主要品目についてほぼ合意した。その後、両政府間で事務作業などを進めており、交渉が決着する状況となった。両国の貿易額の9割強で関税が撤廃される見通しだ。(07:00)
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米シティのサムライ債販売、市場混乱で再説明
金融危機の余波を受け米シティグループの円建て外債（サムライ債）を販売している証券会社が投資家への説明に追われている。販売期間中に債券の価値が大きく変わった理由を説明する義務が生じたからだ。通常は購入時に価格変動の可能性などを説明すればよいが、今回はリスクがあることを改めて念押しする珍しい事態となった。
シティ債は過去最大級となる3150億円のサムライ債。しかし投資家は米金融機関の信用力に神経質になっており、シティが7月に発行した既発サムライ債の利回りはリーマン破綻前の12日の年3.17％から19日には4.32％まで急上昇した。
今回のシティ債の発行条件は年3.22％。三菱東京ＵＦＪ銀行債（3月発行）の1％を大幅に上回り、東京市場で流通している個人向け債券の利回りとしては極めて高い水準にある。金融商品取引法に関連するルールでは販売期間中に債券利回りが0.5％以上変わった場合、リスクを再説明するよう求めており、シティ債を扱う日興コーディアル証券や東海東京証券などは顧客へ説明を始めた。
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新興国株投信振るわず 金融危機、個人マネーに打撃
市場の混乱で、個人マネーの傷口が広がっている。今年3月末から直近までの投資信託の運用成績を調べたところ、個人に人気のあるロシア、中国などＢＲＩＣｓを中心に新興国の株式で運用する投信が軒並み30―40％も下落した。米金融危機で資金流入はさらに細り、新興国には株価下落が広がっている。リスクをとって運用してきた個人の投資意欲が一段と減退しそうだ。
調査会社ＱＵＩＣＫ・ＱＢＲが純資産残高100億円以上の559本の追加型投信を対象に、今年3月31日から9月19日にかけての運用成績を調査した。下落率が大きかった50の投信のうち、49が海外株式を運用対象とするものだった。特にロシア、中国など新興国株式で運用する投信ほど下落率が大きい。この間、ロシア株の代表的な指数であるＲＴＳは4割弱、上海総合は4割強それぞれ下落した。
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ＡＩＧ関連投信 新規購入・解約申し込み、再開の動き広がる
アメリカン・インターナショナル・グループ（ＡＩＧ）の関連証券を組み入れ、解約の受け付けを停止していた投資信託で受け付けを再開する動きが広がっている。野村アセットマネジメントは26日、「野村コモディティ投信」など3本の投資信託の新規購入と解約の申し込み受け付けを再開すると発表。大和証券投資信託委託など、主要な運用会社も受け付けを再開している。
これらの投信はＡＩＧの関連会社が発行する仕組み債を組み入れていたが、ＡＩＧが米政府の管理下に入った影響で仕組み債が売買できない状況が続き、投信の新規購入や解約もできなくなっていた。26日までに仕組み債の売買が再開されたため、投信の売買も再開した。(07:00)
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水産庁、クロマグロ漁獲抑制を交渉へ 韓国などと
水産庁は26日、クロマグロの国際漁業管理に関する水産業界向け説明会を東京・霞が関で開いた。メキシコ、韓国などの関係国間で、蓄養ビジネス向けを含めたクロマグロの漁獲を抑制する交渉に乗り出す方針を明らかにした。
日本近海に産卵場がある太平洋のクロマグロの資源状態について「黄色のランプがついている状態」（宮原正典審議官）と説明。蓄養向けを含めて日本国内での漁獲を増やさないよう指導し、蓄養向け漁獲が増えているメキシコや最近蓄養が始まった韓国にも漁獲抑制を要請。その他の国には蓄養を控えるよう求める方針を説明した。(07:00)
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全信組連、仙北信組に７億円の資本支援
全国信用協同組合連合会（全信組連）は仙北信用組合（宮城県栗原市）に対して7億2000万円の資本支援を実施することを決めた。同信組の発行する優先出資証券を9月末までに引き受ける。仙北信組の2008年3月末の自己資本比率は5.17％で、不良債権比率は14.49％。資本注入を受けることで経営基盤の強化をねらう。(07:00)
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「松下電器」社名変更控え取り外し 本社屋上の看板
「松下」に幕――。パナソニックへの社名変更を来月1日に控えた松下電器産業は27日、大阪府門真市の本社社屋の屋上看板から「松下電器」の4文字を取り外した。屋上看板には青地に白の「Ｐａｎａｓｏｎｉｃ」のネオンサインが残った。歴史的な“衣替え”は名実ともに大詰めを迎えた。
松下は創業90周年を機に、社名とブランド名をパナソニックに統一。国内の白物家電ブランドなどとして80年間続いた「ナショナル」も姿を消す。(13:37)
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スティール、日本株売却 08年累計700億円、運用成績が悪化
米投資ファンドのスティール・パートナーズが、保有する日本株の売却を進めている。今年1月以降、日清食品やシチズンホールディングスなど10社の保有比率を減らし、その売却総額は約700億円に達した模様。日本株低迷の影響で、スティールの運用成績は悪化しており、投資先の再評価を進めていると見られる。
スティールは昨年まで投資していた約30社のうち10社の株式を今年に入り売却した。金融庁に提出した株式保有割合の変更報告書をもとに、売却日の終値で売却規模を試算すると、その総額は約740億円。日清食品とシチズンの保有比率の低下が目立っており、2社ともに売却額は200億円を超える計算だ。
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家電量販店各社、白物家電の店頭価格上げ ヤマダは平均７％
大手家電量販各社は今月末以降、相次ぎ洗濯機や冷蔵庫など白物家電の新商品の店頭実勢価格を引き上げる。最大手のヤマダ電機が昨秋の新商品に比べて平均約7％引き上げるほか、ヨドバシカメラなど他社も3―10％程度上げるもよう。鋼材価格の上昇でメーカーが引き上げる卸値をほぼそのまま転嫁する。
冷蔵庫などは家電量販店での取扱量が多く、量販店側の価格交渉力が強いとされる。メーカーが求める値上げを量販店側がのむかが焦点だったが、鋼材や樹脂の価格が大幅に上昇していることから、量販店も値上げを容認した。
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豪の「日の丸ガス田」 国際石油帝石、事業費２兆円に膨張
国際石油開発帝石ホールディングスが豪州で計画する天然ガスプロジェクトの総投資額が2兆1000億円強となり、当初見通しの3倍に増えることが26 日、明らかになった。液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）基地の建設地変更に加え、資材費の上昇や環境対策の費用増が要因。同様の理由でエネルギー開発や石化プロジェクトで投資額などの計画見直しが相次いでいる。資源価格はなお高水準にあるが、今後、開発案件で採算確保が課題に浮上しそうだ。
同社は仏トタルと共同で豪州のダーウィンにＬＮＧ基地を建設する計画を発表。ガス田開発とあわせた総投資額を200億ドル（約2兆1000億円）強とした。当初は60億ドルを計画していた。投資額は出資比率に合わせて、国際石油開発帝石側が76％を負担する。(07:00)
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三洋、協調融資で1000億円調達
三洋電機は26日、三井住友銀行など13行と約1000億円の協調融資（シンジケートローン）契約を結んだ。太陽電池や2次電池などへの投資拡大で 2009年3月期も1225億円の設備投資を計画しているが、今回の契約で今期分の資金確保にめどがたつ。三洋がシンジケートローンを組むのは05年3月以来。(07:00)
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松下、薄型テレビの海外販売を拡充 欧米中国、６割増の２万店
松下電器産業は海外で薄型テレビの販売体制を拡充する。2008年度末までに欧州、米国、中国の主要3市場の販売店数を前年度末より6割多い計2万店に増やす。ＢＲＩＣｓなど新興国向けモデル数も約100種類へと3割拡大。松下は08年度の薄型テレビの世界販売台数を前年度比5割増の1100万台に引き上げる計画。世界規模で販売力をテコ入れし目標達成を目指す。
米国では販売店を6割増の6900店に増やし、地域量販店との取引を広げる。欧州も6割増の1万1600店、中国は8割増の2160店にそれぞれ拡充、各店舗で薄型テレビ「ビエラ」を展示するようにする。テレビとブルーレイ・ディスク録画再生機などとの連携機能をアピールできる店舗数も3市場合計で 4000店舗に倍増させる。(07:00)
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ＮＨＫ、関連団体を約20に削減検討 ９公益法人見直し
ＮＨＫは10月にまとめる2009年度から5カ年の次期経営計画で、現在29ある関連団体を20程度まで減らす検討に入った。これまで再編を進めてきた子会社に加え、9つある公益法人の見直しに踏み込む。
ＮＨＫの公益法人はＮＨＫサービスセンターやＮＨＫ放送研修センターなど9つの財団や学校法人で構成。国が公益法人改革に向け認定基準を見直すのに合わせ、公益事業の性格が薄い団体の解散や再編に踏み切る。(07:00)
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三浦元社長の逮捕容疑、共謀罪は有効 ロス郡地裁支部
【ロサンゼルス＝中前博之】1981年の米ロサンゼルス銃撃事件で殺人と共謀の容疑で逮捕され、サイパンで拘置中の元会社社長、三浦和義容疑者（61）＝日本では無罪確定＝が申し立てた逮捕状取り消し請求訴訟で、ロス郡地裁支部（バン・シックレン裁判長）は26日午後（日本時間27日午前）、共謀容疑についてのみ逮捕は「有効」とする判断を言い渡した。近くロス郡地裁で実質審理が始まる見通し。
カリフォルニア州刑法によると、殺人での共謀罪の量刑は禁固25年以上から終身刑。恩赦で軽減される可能性もある。弁護側は上訴を検討中。元社長のロスへの移送時期などは週明けにサイパンで判断が出る見通しだ。(27日 10:16)
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微量の放射性物質、配送中紛失 大阪―京都間で行方不明
2008年9月27日20時41分
国土交通省と文部科学省は２７日、実験用の放射性物質リン３２の液体１ミリリットルが配送中になくなったと発表した。プラスチック容器（直径５．５センチ、高さ８センチ）を、発泡スチロール製容器と段ボール箱で包んでいた。国内で輸送中の放射性物質の紛失は前例がないという。
放射性物質は２４日、千葉県市原市の日本アイソトープ協会の施設から、京都府南丹市の研究機関あてに発送された。大阪空港まで航空輸送され、宅配業者が２５日未明、大阪府豊中市の営業所で下請け業者に配送を依頼したところまでは存在を確認しているが、その後行方不明になったという。
放射能量は３７メガベクレルで、半減期は１４．２日。段ボール箱表面の放射線は自然放射線程度という。しかし、のみ込んだ場合は８８．８ミリシーベルト被曝（ひばく）する可能性があり、放射線業務従事者の年間被曝線量限度の５０ミリシーベルトを超えるという。
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社協購入のリーマン社債１億円回収困難に 埼玉・東松山
2008年9月27日19時35分
米証券大手リーマン・ブラザーズ発行の社債１億円分を埼玉県東松山市社会福祉協議会（会長・坂本祐之輔市長）が所有し、同社の経営破綻（はたん）によってすべて焦げ付く恐れが出てきたことが２７日、分かった。資金運用のため、昨年１１月に国内大手証券会社から購入したという。
市社協などによると、額面１億円の円貨社債を９９７０万円で購入。購入資金には、市から交付された「地域福祉基金」（３億６９００万円）を充てた。償還日の１２月１９日には元本と、約１４０万円の利払いを受けるはずだった。
リーマンの破綻を受け、市社協は１０月１日に開く臨時理事会で社債は事実上ゼロとみなし、全額を特別損失として計上したい考えだ。坂本市長は「破綻するとは夢にも思っていなかった。今後のことは理事会とも協議して対応したい」との談話を出した。
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公務員に「協約締結権」へ前向き 甘利担当相
2008年9月26日22時43分
甘利公務員制度担当相は２６日の報道各社のインタビューで、労働基本権の一部である「協約締結権」を一般の公務員に与えることについて「良いのではないか」と述べ、前向きな考えを示した。６月に成立した国家公務員制度改革基本法では与野党の修正協議により「自律的労使関係制度を措置する」と記されたが、政府内には「人件費増大につながる」と慎重な意見も根強い。
基本法には、能力や実績に応じた公務員の処遇が盛り込まれており、労働組合側は地位を守るため協約締結権の付与を求めていた。基本法の国会審議では、付与を強く求める民主党側に歩み寄る形で、付与を「検討」としていた政府案を修正し、「措置する」と踏み込んだ経緯がある。具体的な措置は３年以内に結論を出すことになっている。
一方、行革担当も兼務する甘利氏は、複数の特命担当相がいる内閣府の指揮系統が分かりにくいことから「省庁再々編が必要だ」と語った。
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米大手銀ワコビア、シティなどと合併検討か 米紙報道
2008年9月27日10時17分
【ニューヨーク＝丸石伸一】経営不安が高まっている銀行大手の米ワコビアが、同業大手との合併を検討している、と複数の米紙が２６日報じた。合併候補として米シティグループのほか、米ウェルズ・ファーゴやスペインのバンコ・サンタンデールの３社の名が挙げられている。
報道では、ワコビアはシティグループなど３社とそれぞれ合併について予備的な交渉に入った。交渉はどれも初期段階で、合意できるかどうかは不透明という。取締役らが今週末に対応を協議する見通しだとも報じられている。
ワコビアはほかの米大手と同様、米低所得者向け（サブプライム）住宅ローン関連の損失拡大に苦しみ、直近の０８年４～６月期決算まで２四半期続けて当期赤字を計上した。それでも、保有する住宅ローン関連などの追加損が膨らむことへの懸念などが根強く、株価下落が続いている。２６日の終値は、半年前より７割近く安い水準だ。
ワコビアをめぐっては、米金融大手モルガン・スタンレーとも合併協議をしていると報じられていた。だが、モルガン・スタンレーは２２日、三菱ＵＦＪフィナンシャル・グループから最大２０％の出資を受けることを発表。このため、ワコビアは別の交渉相手を求めたものとみられる。
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皇太子さま呼び捨て 都議からの批判で石原知事「発言を考えてみたい」
2008.9.27 00:42
皇太子さまに２０１６年の東京五輪招致の協力を求める際、会見などで「皇太子に協力を求めたい」などと、皇太子さまを呼び捨てにした発言を繰り返してきた東京都の石原慎太郎知事に対し、民主党都議が２６日、都議会一般質問で「公人として礼を失している」などと批判。石原知事は「今後、発言の形について考えてみたい」と述べ、呼称を見直すことも視野に入れた見解を示した。
石原知事は７月、定例会見で、東京五輪招致活動への皇太子さまの協力について宮内庁の野村一成東宮大夫が「協力は難しい」との見解を示したことに対し「宮内庁ごときが僭越（せんえつ）だ」などと激怒。その際の会見で、「皇太子の意向もただした上でだね、国を代表して皇太子に協力していただこう」などと呼び捨てにする発言を繰り返した。
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