Consortium wins Mecca rail project

Consortium wins Mecca rail project

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AFP

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A Saudi-French-Chinese consortium has bagged the 1.8 billion dollar civil works contract for the Mecca-Medina high speed railway, a project official said on Saturday. Skip related content
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The Al-Rajhi construction group together with France's Alstom and China Railway Engineering won the 6.8 billion riyal (1.8 billion dollar) contract, an official of the Saudi Railways Organisation told AFP, declining to be named.

The civil works contract is the first stage of a six billion dollar plan to build a 444 kilometre (275 mile) high-speed railroad linking the two Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina through the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

The project aims to ferry hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Mecca and Medina at speeds reaching 360 kilometres (225 miles) per hour.

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Chinese data buoy ship operators

By Miles Johnson

Published: February 7 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 7 2009 02:00

European equities enjoyed a second consecutive week of gains after hope grew that the global economy might be bottoming out.

Nordic shipping operators soared on Wednesday after improved manufacturing data from China was taken as evidence that demand for commodities in the world's third-largest economy could recover in 2009.

Norwegian shipping company Golden Ocean Group jumped 46 per cent over the week to NKr7, and Denmark's Norden rose 33 per cent to DKr247.50.

Two of Scandinavia's largest banks, SEB and Danske Bank , said they would raise new capital to cover losses from bad loans. Until now, Swedbank was the only large bank to have raised a significant amount of extra capital, tapping investors for SKr12bn in November.

Swedish bank SEB rose 28.8 per cent over the week to SKr46, despite announcing the SKr15bn rights issue and saying it would pay no dividend for 2008. Danske Bank, meanwhile, ended the week 11 per cent lower at DKr270.70 after saying it would apply for DKr26bn from the Danish government capital injection scheme.

Swedish bank shares have come under pressure, due in part to their exposure to the Baltic region, which is forecast to suffer a gruelling recession.

At the start of the week, the January European purchasing managers index data provided a slither of good news. Eurozone manufacturing activity shrank at a lower rate than in the previous month, but was still at its second-lowest level in the survey's 12-year history.

Data remained mixed, however, with a fourth consecutive fall in Germany factory orders appearing to have little impact on the European Central Bank's decision to keep its key interest rate unchanged on Thursday.

The pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 index rose 2 per cent to 826.37, taking its gains for the week to 3.4 per cent and for the fortnight to 8.1 per cent.

US investor Warren Buffett injected $2.6bn (€2bn) into Swiss Re after the world's second-largest reinsurer reported a near SFr1bn loss and said it could stage a rights issue for an extra SFr2bn. The company said Mr Buffett would be issued with bonds containing an option to convert into shares at SFr25.

On Friday, Swiss Re shares sank to a 18-year low, closing 40 per cent lower on the week at SFr18.60.

Yesterday shares in Swiss wealth manager Julius Baer plunged 40 per cent after an anonymous letter sent to regulators claimed the bank had suffered a trading scandal was circulated to traders.

Julius Baer said the letter referred to a "minor trading incident" in October, which had been dealt with internally and the Swiss regulator informed. The bank announced full-year results showing a 25 per cent drop in net profit and a 32 per cent rise in withdrawals. Its shares closed 13 per cent down for the week at SFr30.

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Metals gain on demand signals from China

By Chris Flood

Published: February 7 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 7 2009 02:00

Hopes for a rapid revival in the Chinese economy brought an early hint of spring to commodity markets this week, with gains for base metals and a dramatic rebound in shipping costs.

The Baltic Dry index, the benchmark for freight costs for dry bulk commodities such as iron ore, coal and grains, jumped 53.5 per cent, helped by signs of a pick-up in Chinese demand for iron ore as steelmakers depleted their inventories. The Baltic has a volatile history and shipbrokers were cautious about hailing the performance as a prelude to a sustained upturn in the freight market.

Chinese bank lending figures and its latest manufacturing purchasing managers' survey also fuelled hopes that the government's measures to stimulate the economy were working.

Among the base metals, copper rose 13.2 per cent to $3,570 a tonne while aluminium gained 9 per cent at $1,470 a tonne. These gains were viewed as noteworthy as inventory levels for base metals have continued to rise, suggesting demand remains weak.

Traders say the early signs of improvement in leading indicators, such as the January PMI surveys, have prompted some hedge funds, particularly short-term momentum players, to reduce their short positions (bets on prices falling).

Crude oil prices fell yesterday as further large US job losses in January added to concerns about the outlook for demand. Nymex March West Texas Intermediate sank below $40 a barrel, falling $2.57 to a low of $38.60 before recovering slightly to trade $1.00 lower at $40.17, down 4.2 per cent this week. ICE March Brent fell 25 cents to $46.21 a barrel, down about 1 per cent.

Morgan Stanley is forecasting oil prices will average $35 a barrel over the whole of 2009 after falling to a low of $25 in the second quarter, with global demand poised to register its largest annual contraction since 1982.

Gold prices dipped 0.3 per cent to $912 a troy ounce yesterday as the dollar strengthened on hopes the US government would announce plans for a "bad bank" early next week to help unblock credit markets.

Goldman Sachs predicted gold would reach the $1,000 mark in the next three months.

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Saudis show the way for Washington policymakers

By Henny Sender

Published: February 7 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 7 2009 02:00

In March of 2005, a year before the Saudi Arabian stock market reached its peak, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency summoned its charges among the banks to its elegant Riyadh headquarters.

Concerned that investors were putting money into shares without regard for fundamentals, the central bank's officials warned the banks not to finance excessive speculation.

"We were accused of micro-managing. They said that the SAMA was intrusive when we said 'slow down'," recalls Muhammad Al-Jasser, the SAMA vice-governor. "Now they want to kiss our foreheads."

Today, Saudi regulators look prescient precisely because of that conservative stance. The SAMA never ceased believing that "regulation must be part of the financial markets", says Mr Al-Jasser. "The private interest of bankers must be guided like traffic. The rules must be applied to prevent excessive risk-taking."

The contrast with many of the SAMA's peers could not be more stark, especially in the US, where "there was a dismal failure of regulatory oversight," Mr Al-Jasser noted at a conference in Riyadh last month. At the same time, the SAMA's investment philosophy looks equally prescient. While many central banks from China to Qatar were establishing funds to pursue higher returns with at least a portion of their reserves, the SAMA did not. It eschewed the siren song of alternative investments and faithfully continued to buy US Treasury debt, using its dollar- denominated oil earnings to do so.

In retrospect, with many hedge funds down 50 per cent and the majority of private equity-owned companies worth far less today than at the peak two years ago, the SAMA's choices seem more brilliant than boring.

At a time when both Washington and Wall Street have lost their certitude, both capitals could do worse than look at the SAMA.

In the past, it was the US that portrayed itself as the role model for the rest of the world. US regulators believed their financial system was the best in the world, both in terms of its ability to allocate capital efficiently and because American financial institutions were considered well capitalised and well managed.

Money from the rest of the world flowed to the US, adding to the sense of complacency. Today, though, the US can no longer take these assumptions for granted.

If Saudi Arabia is in relatively good shape, it is thanks partly to the fact it chose to limit its participation in global financial markets.

Looking at Saudi today and contrasting its relative health with current conditions in the US, it is possible to conclude that financial markets can be overdeveloped as well as underdeveloped, that more sophisticated does not always mean wiser and that the endless leverage created by the securitisation machine is often perilous to the health of investors. As a result of its sound approach to regulation and its careful management of its reserves, Saudi is in far better shape than most of its neighbours in the region; neighbours who pursued more ambitious investment policies and were less prudent in regulating. Now, even though the Saudi stock market and the price of oil are both way down, the Saudis can afford to take strong countercyclical measures to support their economy thanks to the SAMA's cautious investment approach.

This year, Saudi will run a budget deficit. But unlike many nations, it can well afford to do so - government debt is a mere 13 per cent of GDP. "In the good days, we rebuilt our reserves and paid down debt so we could cushion the economy and spend more than we are taking in during the bad times," adds Mr Al-Jasser. "Now our reserves will come down."

There may be a lot of scepticism regarding Saudi's ambitious development projects, its economic cities and its new university (with one of the largest endowments in the world).

But at a conference in Riyadh last week, the sense that the US no longer has all the answers was palpable. At a panel on financial globalisation, the largest round of applause went to Sheikh Saleh Kamel, chairman of the General Council for Islamic Banks, who noted: "We didn't make mistakes, the Americans did."

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Bank aid prompts fears over support for Dubai

By Robin Wigglesworth in Abu Dhabi and Simeon Kerr in,Dubai

Published: February 6 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 6 2009 02:00

Abu Dhabi's unilateral move to recapitalise its own banks has sparked fears among investors that the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates may hesitate to support Dubai as the impact of the credit crunch worsens.

A senior Abu Dhabi official said this week's decision to inject Dh16bn ($4.3bn, €3.4bn, £3bn) of extra tier I capital into its five banks, but ignore other banks of the seven-emirate federation, was meant to add an addition layer of protection for its own local houses.

Bankers warned that Abu Dhabi's go-it-alone attitude could indicate that the federal government might not be as willing as expected in rescuing Dubai entities that face default.

Investors in Dubai bonds, at least, jumped to that conclusion as the cost of insuring against its default yesterday jumped to record highs.

Dubai - the commercial hub of the UAE - is struggling under the weight of about $80bn of short-term debt, about $20bn of which is due for repayment or refinancing this year. Abu Dhabi can rely on vast oil revenues and investment income from the world's largest sovereign wealth fund. The federal government, underpinned by Abu Dhabi's vast wealth, had previously led efforts to stave off recession, injecting Dh50bn of deposits into UAE banks, with promises of a further Dh20bn to come, and opening a Dh50bn credit facility at the central bank.

Dubai's two troubled mortgage providers are also in the process of being folded into federally-backed institutions in Abu Dhabi.

"Abu Dhabi feels that Dubai has been reckless, and probably wants to teach it a lesson," a senior regional banker said. "There are a lot of ruler lieutenants involved and they are arguing, but some sort of settlement will have to be reached eventually."

Some observers say Abu Dhabi sees the crisis as an opportunity to assert its undisputed supremacy in the country's federal structure, while Dubai is striving to maintain its autonomy within the confines of the 37-year-old federation.

Dubai shares fell while Abu Dhabi equities rose yesterday.

"With the global slowdown having a bigger impact on the Dubai economy and the real estate correction more severe, the absence of any similar move by the Dubai government does not bode well," Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note.

The injection "could further raise investor concerns over Abu Dhabi's willingness to step in and help Dubai with any potential financing problem", it added.

Dubai officials, for their part, have said the emirate will solve its debt problems alone. And senior Abu Dhabi officials say they will not offer aid until formally requested by Dubai.

But Dubai's globally oriented economy, argue bankers, may well still need further financial aid from the capital to avoid a default, especially if credit markets remain locked down and global economic recovery takes time.

"Abu Dhabi is not going to let Dubai slide, but the price will be high," a senior local banker said.

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South Africa's gold miners face an ever deeper problem

By Tom Burgis

Published: February 6 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 6 2009 02:00

The ammonia still hangs heavy in the air from the last blast. Drenched in sweat, the faces of the miners on the morning shift betray nothing but concentration. When the previous night's explosion took them a few metres further into the South African rock this week, their gold mine, Mponeng, became the world's deepest.

The pride of the managers at Anglogold Ashanti's flagship operation is not enough, however, to reverse the terminal decline of an industry that at its peak in the 1970s produced two-thirds of the world's gold.

Today, South Africa's mines account for less than 10 per cent of supply.

Last year, output fell by 14 per cent to an estimated 232 tonnes, pushing the country into third place behind China and the US, according to GFMS, the consultancy.

The last time output fell so precipitously, in 1901, the Boer War was raging and bubonic plague was rife in Cape Town. That Mponeng has surpassed its neighbour to reach a depth of 3,778m is a reminder that South Africa's mines are deep and difficult: 123 years after the stupendous riches of the Witwatersrand basin lured its first prospectors to a settlement they called Johannesburg, they could hardly be otherwise.

"We've gone through all the sweet spots," says Graham Briggs, chief executive of Harmony, the world's ninth biggest producer, whose entire production currently comes from South Africa. Mr Briggs laments that "the grade [quality] year on year is downwards".

South Africa's woes spread well beyond its domestic miners into the global gold market, helping to hold down the world's mined gold supply last year to 2,385 tonnes, down 3.6 per cent from 2007.

That drop, just as investors are hoarding gold amid the global financial crisis, has helped to push gold prices above $900 an ounce. The only reason prices are not higher is because jewellery demand for gold, particularly in India and the Middle East, has collapsed.

Banks such as UBS and Goldman Sachs this week have forecast that gold prices will rise above $1,000 an ounce in the near term, probably hitting an all-time high. John Reade, a precious metal strategist at UBS in London, says fear is helping to drive up prices.

"Purchases of physical gold have jumped over the past six months as investors' fears about the current financial crisis . . . have intensified."

Yet while investors may see gold as an island of security in a financial tempest, there is nothing easy about digging out the precious metal at a depth equivalent to 10 Empire State buildings.

The temperature on the lower levels of Mponeng hovers around 35 degrees centigrade despite the 180 tonnes of ice pumped into the mine every hour. Every month or so, the shafts' steel girders are tested by a "seismic event".

Such dangers, coupled with the backlash of years of rising fatalities, have propelled safety to the forefront of South African gold mining agendas. Already, fewer miners are dying. But there are further difficulties: Aids kills about 600 South Africans a day; apartheid has been dismantled but the skills shortage created by decades of systematically undereducating the majority remains.

"Most of the operations are mature and their life-of-mine is limited without developing resources below 4,000 metres," says David Davis, senior gold analyst at Credit Suisse Standard Securities.

The costs of starting such a mine from scratch "would be prohibitive unless the gold price was, say, $2,000 [an ounce]". Most analysts' long-term forecasts are closer to $900.

All the same, executives predict static or increased output over last year's level, which should help keep prices high if investors

continue to demand large amounts of bullion.

As South Africa's old mines yield less and less, companies such as Harmony, which is constructing a potentially lucrative mine in Papua New Guinea, and the other two South African gold giants - Anglogold and Gold Fields, respectively the world's third and fourth largest producers - are increasingly turning their attention abroad.

These days Anglogold, formerly the gold arm of Anglo American, considers itself a global company, with an array of international listings. While Mark Cutifani, chief executive, says he is "committed to South Africa", the country will soon yield only 40 per cent of Anglogold's output. The difficulties of operating so far underground will cap production.

Nick Holland, Gold Fields' chief executive, told the Financial Times that he is scouting for more assets in West Africa, Asia, Australia and Andean South America. Despite the rehabilitation of South Deep, one of the Witwatersrand's great mines, he predicts the company that is a descendant of Cecil Rhodes' gold venture will see the South African share of its production fall to about 50 per cent.

But like his counterparts, Mr Holland refuses to give up on South Africa. In the short term at least, the financial markets have created what he calls a "perfect storm". Frazzled investors are deserting emerging market currencies such as the rand in order to plough cash into gold, the ultimate store of value.

But South Africa is not running out of gold. It is there in abundance - only at fantastic depths. While smaller companies are picking through the scraps of previously abandoned mines, the consensus is that no one in their right mind would embark on a new mega-project - least of all foreign miners unfamiliar with the geological complexities.

One bellwether will come when Anglogold's board decides in July whether or not to spend "two-figure billions" on pushing into the huge reef that extends even deeper than Mponeng. The push deeper than the current record of 3,778m down into the earth will depend a lot on whether investor appetite for gold pushes it beyond another all-time high: the $1,030.80 a troy ounce price it reached last March. Yesterday in London, the record appeared a bit closer, with spot gold trading at $918.55 an ounce, less than 15 per cent below its peak.

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Sarkozy hits at UK response to crisis

By Ben Hall in Paris and George Parker and Norma Cohen in,London

Published: February 7 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 7 2009 02:00

Nicolas Sarkozy has delivered a stinging assessment of Britain's response to the economic crisis, suggesting the UK was a country where industry was finished and banks lay "close to ruin".

The French president also triggered a row with the Czech government after urging his country's car companies to close their eastern Europe factories and move production back to France.

He set out to defend his own €26bn stimulus package, focused on investment, by claiming Britain's approach to boosting consumption through a cut in value-added tax was having "absolutely no impact".

"If England does that, it is because it doesn't have any industry left," he said in a television interview on Thursday night. Mr Sarkozy said the UK had abandoned its manufacturing industry 25 years ago, making a bet instead on financial services. But now UK banks were "extremely exposed" to problems in the US.

However, while attacking UK policy, Mr Sarkozy adjusted his own to head off domestic criticism, promising at least a further €1.4bn for social measures this year and floating the prospect of tax cuts for low-income families.

Mr Sarkozy also announced partial scrapping of a local tax on business at a cost of €8bn next year, a move designed to improve the competitiveness of industry, especially carmakers.

In return, he urged Renault and Peugeot-Citroën to repatriate production, prompting a riposte from Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister. "Attempts to use the financial crisis to introduce forms of protectionism risk slowing and endangering the recovery of the European economy and the confidence of consumers and investors," he said.

The Elysée insisted that Mr Sarkozy's remarks were intended for domestic political consumption rather than as an explicit attack on the policies of Gordon Brown, the UK premier.

The £12.5bn (€14bn) VAT cut was the centrepiece of Mr Brown's November stimulus.

Mr Brown's teamargued that industry accounted for a larger share of the UK economy than in France. In 2006, the latest year for which data are available, industry accounted for 24 per cent of GDP in the UK and 21 per cent in France, according to the World Bank.

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Lying low is risky for Liechtenstein

By Matthew Engel

Published: February 7 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 7 2009 02:00

The least newsworthy election in Europe reaches its climax tomorrow, and hardly anyone outside Liechtenstein is likely to take much notice of the outcome. But the upshot may well be a major change in the way the country does business, with consequences that will reverberate across the financial world.

This strange microstate has more registered companies (about 75,000) than people (about 35,000) - and 15 different banks. It has maintained its independence for centuries by keeping its head well below the level of the surrounding Alps. And since the war, it has maintained one of the highest per capita incomes in the world by keeping its mouth collectively shut.

As the saying goes: "Swiss bankers keep their lips sealed, but the Liechtenstein bankers don't even have tongues." Though it is hundreds of miles from the sea, it has become the epitome of "offshore", to the frustration of other tax authorities.

Now after a year of devastatingly bad publicity, there is a growing consensus here that Liechtenstein will have to offer wholehearted co-operation with the US and EU on suspected tax evaders - or face potential ruin.

Otmar Hasler, prime minister, yesterday repeated an offer made last year: the government will accept international standards on exchanging tax information but only if the EU negotiates double taxation agreements to assist the country's exports.

Mr Hasler's Progressive Citizens' party (FBP, "the Blacks") and main opposition Fatherland Union (VU, "the Reds") are currently in coalition, and are considered indistinguishable ideologically. The policy is unlikely to be affected whoever takes charge after the weekend. And there has been more passion in arguments about the smoking ban.

Shaking a fist at the world is seen as essential electorally. But the few close observers of the country's opaque politics believe that, with Liechtenstein's reputation in danger of turning toxic, the defiance bears little relationship to reality.

"They are going to move slowly because that is the way they do things," said a European diplomat. "But in private they are making the right noises. They realise they can't continue the way they have been going."

Liechtenstein's politicians have only limited room for manoeuvre even in their own minute backyard due to the wealth and power of the ruling family, headed by Prince Hans-Adam II, who can dismiss the government and any minister and veto any law. The family also owns the largest bank, LGT, and has stayed popular by nurturing the country's wealth as well as its own.

But Liechtenstein's situation now looks like the last scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . Everyone imaginable is lined up to gun the outlaws down. Alone in Europe, they have the ill-will of Barack Obama, US president, who spoke out forcefully against tax evasion as a senator. The Senate Investigations Committee has attacked them.

Germans became aware of the country's existence a year ago when Klaus Zumwinkel, CEO of Deutsche Post, was revealed to have salted away €10m ($12.9m, £8.7m). Since then Liechtenstein-registered lorries have been daubed with insulting slogans. In Britain, the BBC programme Panorama ran an exposé of tax havens this week in which Liechtenstein was singled out for special condemnation by Stephen Timms, treasury minister.

So far, none of the Liechtenstein banks have had to be bailed out and the recession is largely a rumour from the distant world beyond the mountains. The country's third party, the Free List, has been a consistent critic of the banks' secrecy, and expects to pay the electoral penalty tomorrow for not showing solidarity. It also expects to be proved right.

"Deep down everybody knows," says Andrea Matt, party leader. "But till now nobody wants to talk about it. If we don't change the banking sector, it will die. If we change it, it has a chance."

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Coma case provokes crisis in Rome

By Guy Dinmore in Venice

Published: February 7 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 7 2009 02:00

Pressure from senior Roman Catholic clerics has provoked a connstitutional crisis in Italy over the highly emotional case of a father seeking the right of his daughter to die having lain in a coma for over 16 years.

Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government reversed course yesterday to pass a decree forbidding doctors from withholding food from Eluana Englaro despite final victory in the courts by her father.

Doctors say she is in vegetative state following an accident in 1992.

Giorgio Napolitano, Italy's president and a former communist, told the government he would refuse to sign the decree, saying it was not constitutional. Mr Berlusconi responded by saying she might recover and could even have a child. He declared he would take the matter to parliament and force the president's hand.

The landmark case of Ms Englaro has captured the imagination of Italy for years, with many Italians moved by the dignity of her father Beppino Englaro in pursuing his cause through the courts and in the face of opposition from officials who refused to implement the court ruling.

Doctors started to reduce feeding yesterday. They say it could take about 10 days for her to die.

Mr Berlusconi's coalition had been divided over the issue and had wanted to remain aloof. But politicians and commentators said pressure from senior Italian cardinals and the Vatican obliged his government to respond at the last moment, as doctors prepared to stop feeding.

The action brings fresh attention to the Catholic Church, following criticism of the Pope last Tuesday by Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, for his controversial rehabilitation of a bishop who expressed doubts in a recent interview as to whether the Holocaust had really happened.

"This is a clerical dictatorship," said one former parliamentarian as secular Italians protested against the interference of the church.

*Vatican radio yesterday cancelled a discussion with a leading pharmaceutical executive after discovering his company manufactures contraceptives, Andrew Jack reports .

Daniel Vasella, a Catholic who is chief executive of Novartis, the pharmaceutical giant based in Switzerland, had been invited to Vatican Radio's "commentator of the week" slot.

Although the Vatican said participants did not necessarily have to express its views, Mr Vasella was dropped on Friday.

"The approach of the Vatican to artificial contraception cannot be subject to the smallest doubt," Vatican Radio said on its website. "We ask Mr Vasella and our listeners to understand this decision. We have only just learnt from the press that Novartis also produces contraceptives."

Hexal, Novartis' German-based generic medicines subsidiary which it purchased in 2006, makes contraceptives including the Bella brand. It also has some distribution rights for NorLevo, the "morning after" pill.,

Earlier this year, l'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's official newspaper, published an article reiterating its opposition to hormonal contraceptive pills, and stressing their potential carcinogenic effects.

Pedro José María Simón Castellví, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, wrote: "The means of contraception violate at least five important rights: the right to life, the right to health, the right to education, all right to information (their spread is at the expense of information on natural resources) and the right to equality between the sexes (the burden of contraception falls mostly on women)."

Last year, the Vatican criticised a decision by Italian regulators to authorise the use of the morning after pill. Abortion has long been legal in Italy, but doctors may refuse because of their religious convictions to carry out terminations.

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現代自動車、日本で観光バス販売　ウォン安で国産より２割安く

　韓国の自動車最大手、現代自動車が日本のバス市場に参入した。日本法人のヒュンダイモータージャパン（東京・千代田）を通じ、日本の排ガス規制に対応した大型観光バスの輸入販売を始めた。ライン生産方式の採用などで価格を約2500万―2700万円と国産車に比べ2―3割安くした。世界的な金融危機をきっかけにしたウォン安・円高も生かし、年内に日本で200台の販売をめざす。

　整備・保守は各地に整備拠点などを持つヤマト運輸や輸入車販売大手のヤナセと協力し、全国的なサービス体制を整えた。日本で販売するのは韓国で4割超のシェアを持つ「ユニバース」と呼ぶ車種で、日本向けに右ハンドル仕様を設定。今後、同じ右ハンドル車が主流の英国などにも投入する計画だ。(00:08)

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家賃保証のレントゴー、失業者に低家賃住宅　月５万円以内

　家賃保証のレントゴー保証（東京・新宿）は、職と住まいを失った非正規労働者らに低家賃で住宅を提供する支援事業に乗り出した。全国で1000戸程度の物件を確保、相談窓口を設け、受け付けを始めた。入居時の保証を引き受けるほか、自治体などの公的支援制度を紹介し、借り手の自立を後押しする。社会貢献の意味合いもあるが、再就職につなげれば事業として成り立つとみている。

　提供する住宅は提携先のマンション管理会社などから確保。家賃は月5万円以内、敷金や礼金を含め入居時に必要な費用が10万円以内ですむ物件をそろえた。雇用対策が喫緊の課題になっている自治体で同社の事業に関心を示すところが増えている。複数の自治体がすでに借り手に代わって保証料を負担する方向で提携交渉を進めている。(07日　16:00)

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製造業、初の最終赤字　今期1兆円超、上場企業日経集計

　上場製造業全体の2009年3月期の連結最終損益が赤字になる見通しになった。赤字転落は決算が連結中心になった00年3月期以降、初めて。非製造業も合わせた全産業では、連結の売上高が前期より6％減、経常利益が62％減る見通しで、32すべての業種が減益か赤字になる。世界的な景気後退による需要の急減に、円高や株安が追い打ちをかける。前期までの6期連続増益で厚みを増した財務基盤を生かし、各社は収益回復のための構造改革を急ぐ。

　日本経済新聞社が6日までに決算発表を終えた3月期決算企業（金融、新興3市場を除く）972社の今期の業績予想をまとめた。このうち製造業は自動車や電機など588社で、最終的なもうけを示す最終損益は合計で1兆1299億円の赤字になる見通しだ。非製造業は商社や通信の減益率が比較的小さく28％減益にとどまる。(07日　07:00)

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エルピーダ、台湾勢と統合協議継続　金融支援、現地当局に要請へ

　半導体大手のエルピーダメモリは6日、台湾の半導体メーカー3社と経営統合を視野に、資本提携協議を継続する方針を表明した。合意を前提に台湾当局に金融支援を求める考え。これとは別に、エルピーダは取引先企業への出資要請を始めたほか、日本の公的資金の活用も検討している。経営環境の急激な悪化を受け、様々な選択肢を準備し資本増強を急ぐ。

　エルピーダはパソコンなどに使われる記憶用の半導体メモリー（ＤＲＡＭ）で国内唯一の専業メーカー。昨年秋から、すでに提携している力晶半導体、力晶とエルピーダの合弁会社である瑞晶電子、中堅の茂徳科技と統合を視野に入れた交渉に入った。(07:00)

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ＪＡＳＲＡＣ：音楽著作権管理、新規参入を制限　公取委が排除命令方針

　音楽著作権を管理する社団法人「日本音楽著作権協会」（ＪＡＳＲＡＣ、本部・東京都渋谷区）が、テレビ・ラジオ番組で使う楽曲の使用料を巡り、同業他社の新規参入や事業展開を制限しているとして、公正取引委員会は独占禁止法違反（私的独占）で改善を求める排除措置命令を出す方針を固め、事前通知した。

　ＪＡＳＲＡＣはテレビ・ラジオの放送局との間で「包括的利用許諾契約」を結んでいる。楽曲の利用回数とは無関係に、事業収入の１・５％を放送局側から徴収する。

　ＪＡＳＲＡＣが同業他社を大きく上回る数の楽曲を管理しており、「使い放題」の包括契約は利用しやすいため、放送局側は同業他社と新たな契約を結ぶのを避ける傾向が強い。公取委はＪＡＳＲＡＣの手法が同業他社の排除につながっているとみて、改善を求める方針。

　著作権管理は従来、ＪＡＳＲＡＣだけが行っていた。規制緩和で０１年に著作権等管理事業法が施行され、新規参入が可能になった。しかしＪＡＳＲＡＣの独占状態は続き、現在も９９％のシェアを占めている。

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もうけすぎ公益法人、漢検協会を文科省が立ち入り調査へ (1/2ページ)
2009.2.6 23:33

　公益事業では認められない巨額の利益を得ていたことが発覚した財団法人・日本漢字能力検定協会（京都市下京区）。空前の「漢字ブーム」にも乗り、協会主催の漢字検定の受検者は草創期の４０００倍あまりに達する一方、大久保昇理事長が代表を務める広告会社へ多額の業務委託料を支払っていたことや、閑静な住宅街の豪邸購入など、不可解な点が次々と明るみに出てきている。９日にも文部科学省が立ち入り調査を行い、財務状況や取引の妥当性などを調べる。

　■豪邸と供養塔

　古刹（こさつ）・南禅寺にほど近い京都市左京区の閑静な住宅地。和風の豪邸が立ち並ぶ一角に協会所有の邸宅はある。約３５００平方メートルの土地に庭園が広がり、建物の延べ床面積は約１３００平方メートル。平成１５年７月、約６億７０００万円で購入した。

　協会は「将来的に漢字資料館を造る目的で所有している」とし、文科省にも「資料館として使えるように改築をしている」と説明。しかし現在も非公開で、門は閉ざされたままだ。

　翌年には天龍寺塔頭（たっちゅう）の宝厳院（同市右京区）供養塔を約３４５万円で購入。同省は「目的外支出にあたる恐れがある」とみている。

　一方平成１８～２０年度に、大久保理事長が代表を務める広告会社に約８億円の業務委託料を支払っていたことも発覚した。文科省は立ち入り調査で、委託料の妥当性や意思決定の経緯などを調べる方針だ。

　■総資産７３億円

　漢字検定は昭和５０年にスタート。受検者は６７０人だったが、平成４年に旧文部省から財団法人に認定され、検定が同省奨励の「認定技能審査」になった。「『文部省お墨付きの検定』をうたい文句に学校に営業をかけとことなどで受検者数がうなぎのぼりに増加した」（関係者）という。

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大相撲：元若麒麟大麻所持　相撲協会に改善命令も　文科相、聴取の意向

　大相撲の元十両力士、若麒麟の鈴川真一容疑者（２５）による大麻取締法違反事件について、塩谷立文部科学相は６日の閣議後会見で「繰り返し問題が起こる残念な事態」と指摘した。

　「このまま日本相撲協会が自主的に（再発防止策に取り組む）というわけにはいかない。所管官庁として意見を言ったり、改善命令をすることもあるかもしれない」と述べ、協会側から直接事情を聴きたい意向を示した。

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武蔵川理事長が文科省に謝罪へ

2009年2月7日 紙面から

　相撲協会が白旗－。武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）が６日、監督官庁の文科省へ謝罪に出向くことを決めた。

　大麻取締法違反で逮捕された元十両若麒麟容疑者を日本相撲協会は解雇。これを塩谷立文科相から「処分が甘い」と指摘されたが、武蔵川理事長は「（文科省へ）行かない」と突っぱねていたが…。

　この日は一転。「行きますよ。（日程は）まだ決まってないけど、いろんな報告をしないといけないし」。事業部長の伊勢ノ海理事（元関脇藤ノ川）も「再発防止の案を出して、謝罪することになる」と語った。

　この日、塩谷立文科相が閣議後会見で「これだけ度重なると今までの状態では済まない。改善命令もあり得る。話し合う機会を持ちたい」と話したことを受けたものとみられる。

　時太山死亡事件後の０７年９月に当時の北の湖理事長（元横綱）が、当時の渡海紀三朗文科相に呼び出され、行政指導を受けている。それより重い改善命令をちらつかされ、呼び出しに応じることを決めたとみられる。

　武蔵川理事長は来週中にも伊勢ノ海事業部長と文科省に出向き、謝罪とともに再発防止案を述べることになる。伊勢ノ海事業部長は再発防止案の柱として大麻検査を重ねることを挙げ、改善命令には「何と言われても仕方がない。弁明の余地はない」と語った。　

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相撲協会に改善命令も！塩谷文科相が断言　従わない場合、財団法人認可取り消しも
２日、若麒麟の解雇処分を発表した記者会見で、頭を下げる武蔵川理事長（左）と九重理事

　ついに相撲協会が土俵際に追いつめられた。日本相撲協会の監督官庁となる文科省の塩谷立大臣（５８）は６日、定例会見で相撲協会の相次ぐ不祥事に「改善命令もあり得る」と断言した。今後、発令された改善命令を協会が守れない場合は、財団法人の認可取り消しという最悪の事態に発展する可能性も浮上する。武蔵川理事長（元横綱・三重ノ海）は来週中にも塩谷大臣と面会する意向だが、監督官庁からの強権発動予告に相撲協会は、一刻も早い改善策の提示、実行はもちろん、不祥事再発も許されない状況になった。

　相撲協会を監督する文科省トップが、ついに伝家の宝刀を抜く構えをみせた。２年前の力士死亡事件、昨年の大麻問題、そして今回の元若麒麟の大麻事件と連続する不祥事に塩谷大臣は「これだけ問題が度重なり、今までのやり方では済まされない。改善命令もあり得る」と相撲協会の心臓に剣先を突きつけた。

　０７年１０月、文科省は序ノ口力士死亡事件を受け５項目の行政指導を行ったが、改善命令はこれよりも重い意味を持つ。文科省によると、監督する法人に改善命令を発令し仮に従わなかった場合、処分について旧民法７１条で定められており「最終的には認可の取り消しになります」と断言する。法人資格を失えば、税制面の優遇措置が消滅して運営が厳しくなることはもちろん、社会的信用も失墜。一気に国技・大相撲は命を失う危機に立たされる。

　それだけに、協会は具体的な不祥事の再発防止策を打ち出すことが急務だ。塩谷大臣は「閉鎖的な体質を改善することが今後の課題」と明かした。現在３人が務める外部役員の拡大はもちろん、親方など内部の人間だけで構成する評議員も外部へ門戸を開く必要が出てくる。もちろん、大麻事件の再発防止策として協会が打ち出した全協会員への抜き打ち尿検査など、きめ細かい具体策も不可欠になる。

　塩谷大臣の発言を受け、武蔵川理事長は「今回の報告もしなくてはいけないし、文科省に行きます」と来週中にも同大臣と面会する意向を示した。生活指導部特別委員会の伊勢ノ海委員長（元関脇・藤ノ川）は「今、再発防止へこういう方針でやっていますという報告をしたいし、大臣からもアドバイスをいただきたい」と誠実に受け止めた。果たして伝家の宝刀は抜かれるか。相撲界の運命はそこにかかっている。

　◆主な文科省による相撲協会への指導

　▽１９５７年３月　衆院予算委員会で、相撲協会は公益法人だが興行的と追及。文部省（当時）は改革へ着手し、国会でも審議。最終的には文部省と協会が会談し、相撲茶屋の廃止など５項目の改革実施を決める。

　▽２００７年９月２８日　序ノ口力士死亡事件を受け、北の湖理事長（当時）を呼び「真相究明」など５項目にわたる行政指導を実施。

　▽０８年９月８日　一連の大麻問題で辞任した北の湖前理事長に代わって就任した武蔵川理事長に対し、内部だけで固めていた協会の理事を外部から招くよう強く要請する。

（2009年2月7日06時01分 スポーツ報知）

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大相撲：元若麒麟大麻所持　協会理事長「報告に行く」　文科相「改善命令」発言で

　大相撲の元十両・若麒麟容疑者（２５）の大麻取締法違反事件で、塩谷立文部科学相が日本相撲協会から直接事情を聴きたいと話したことを受け、武蔵川理事長（元横綱・三重ノ海）は６日、文科省に出向く考えを示した。理事長は「行きますよ。いろいろ報告をしないといけない」と話し、来週にも自ら文科相に説明する意向。伊勢ノ海理事（元関脇・藤ノ川）も「不祥事が頻繁に起き、弁解の余地はない。大臣にご指導いただきたい」と語った。

　塩谷文科相は６日の閣議後会見で、「所管官庁として意見を言ったり、改善命令をすることもあるかもしれない」と述べた。３日にも元若麒麟の解雇処分に対し「軽すぎるという印象があることも否めない」と発言していた。

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武蔵川理事長、やっぱり文科省に謝罪します

　日本相撲協会の武蔵川理事長（６１）＝元横綱三重ノ海＝が６日、角界の大麻問題再発を受け、監督官庁の文部科学省に謝罪と事情説明に行く方針を示した。元幕内若麒麟真一容疑者（２５）＝本名・鈴川真一＝の逮捕後、武蔵川理事長は事情説明には行かない姿勢を貫いていたが、この日午前、塩谷立文科相が事情聴取の意向を示唆したことで、一転して態度を変えた。

　　◇　　◇

　きっかけは塩谷文科相の記者会見での談話だった。「これだけ度重なるということは（協会運営は）今までの状態ではすまない。話し合う機会を持ちたい」。席上で「改善命令」の可能性も示唆し、協会をけん制した。これを受け、武蔵川理事長は「行きますよ。いろいろな報告をしなきゃいけないし」と明言。元若麒麟容疑者の逮捕後、一貫して文科省の訪問を否定してきたが、文科相の発言に腹をくくった。

　協会ナンバー２の伊勢ノ海理事（元関脇藤ノ川）と訪問することが濃厚で、先だって今後の再発防止策を協会内部で練る。日取りは指定されていないが、早ければ来週にも文科省に出向く。生活指導部特別委員会の委員長も務める伊勢ノ海理事は「（改善命令は）なんと言われようと弁解しようがない」と恐縮しきり。対策案は薬物乱用対策の尿検査が軸で、今月中にアンチ・ドーピング委員会を開き具体的な実施方法を話し合う。

　０７年９月には時津風部屋の力士暴行死事件を受け、当時の渡海文科相、松浪文科副大臣に北の湖前理事長（元横綱北の湖）が呼び出された。事件の真相究明、事件関係者の処分など５項目の指導を受けた。

　「改善命令」は行政指導と違って強制力があり、一般的に法人が法令違反をした場合に下されるもので、実際に出る可能性は不透明。しかし、大臣の口からこの言葉が出た事実は重い。「外部の人に役員に入ってもらったが、ほかにも改善すべき点はある」と塩谷文科相。協会に新たな宿題が突き付けられた。

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元露鵬・元白露山、復帰へトレーニング中…検査手続き不当裁判、全面的に争う

　昨年９月に日本相撲協会が行った大麻の尿検査で陽性反応を示し協会を解雇されたロシア出身の元露鵬（２８）、元白露山（２７）が、検査を行った生活指導部特別委員会（当時・再発防止検討委員会）の伊勢ノ海委員長（元関脇・藤ノ川）ら４委員に対し、検査手続きの不当による１億円の損害賠償を求めた裁判（岡健太郎裁判長）の第１回口頭弁論が６日、東京地裁で開かれた。

　裁判後、元露鵬らの塩谷安男弁護士（５８）はあらためて実例を挙げた上で検査手続きの不当を訴え、裁判で全面的に争う姿勢を打ち出した。現在、２人は角界復帰に向け「トレーニング中」で、元白露山は母国ロシアに戻り古傷のひざの手術を受けるなど「早く相撲界に戻りたくてウズウズしている」と同弁護士は明かす。また、協会が抜き打ち尿検査を定例化する案については「すべて外部委員じゃないと意味がないでしょ」と切り捨てた。

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元露鵬、白露山裁判で代理人が「陰謀説」

　尿検査で大麻に陽性反応を示し、日本相撲協会から解雇されたロシア出身の元露鵬（２８）元白露山（２７）兄弟が「検査手続きは不当」として、再発防止検討委員会（現生活指導部特別委員会）の伊勢ノ海理事らに慰謝料計１億円を求めた訴訟の第１回口頭弁論が６日、東京地裁で行われた。

　原告側代理人の塩谷安男弁護士は弁論後、「若ノ鵬が大麻所持で逮捕され、同じロシア人が色眼鏡で見られていた」などと主張。さらに元若麒麟も受けた昨年９月２月の簡易尿検査に言及。「（元）露鵬が言うには（３回検査を受けた）若麒麟はいつの間にかいなくなった。３回目の検査をちゃんとやったのか疑わしい。外国人だけを対象にしたのでは」と批判した。

　その上で同弁護士は「証拠はないが、この尿検査は、白露山の師匠の北の湖親方（当時理事長）、露鵬の元師匠の大鵬さん（当時相撲博物館館長の納谷幸喜氏）を追い落とす狙いがあったのではないか」などと指摘した。これに伊勢ノ海理事は「本来、全力士が大麻に潔白ということを示すための検査だった。そんなことはない」などと反論した。