New Russian army unit begins major exercise

New Russian army unit begins major exercise

20.03.2009, 07.01

MOSCOW, March 20 (Itar-Tass) -- A new Russian permanent readiness army unit will begin a major exercise on Friday aimed to correct the flaws exposed by the August war with Georgia for South Ossetia.

The mechanized infantry brigade of the 41st army of the Siberian military district was created in the framework of the army reform and will train combat fire during the four-day exercise at the Yurginsky range near Kemerovo. It will engage up to five thousand servicemen and over a thousand pieces of hardware, including 400 armored vehicles and 20 combat aircraft.

“Taking into account the experience of combat operations in South Ossetia high-precision weapons will be for the first time used on a large scale. They include Krasnopol artillery complex, Kastet guided armaments, Shturm-S anti-tank missile system,” aide to the Ground Forces commander-in-chief Colonel Igor Konashenkov told Tass.

“Electronic smoke screen erection system of radiation, chemical and biological defense forces will be used,” he added.

“The active phase of the exercise includes three stages – brigade advance on the adversary positions, repulsion of counterattack, and airborne assault,” he said.

Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Boldyrev will supervise the exercise.

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Iran says first satellite successfully completes mission
16:12 | 19/ 03/ 2009

TEHRAN, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - Iran's first satellite has successfully completed its scientific mission after more than a month in orbit, an Iranian space research expert announced Thursday on state television.

Iran put its first communications satellite, Omid (Hope), into a near-Earth orbit on February 2. The satellite was carried into orbit by a home-made launch vehicle, Safir (Messenger).

"The satellite had no technical problems in orbit and it fulfilled completely all the tasks set before it," Asghar Ebrahimi said.

He said that the satellite orbited Earth 700 times and would remain in orbit for another 38 days before entering the Earth's atmosphere. He added that a number of countries, including Russia, Britain and the United States, had used information collected by the satellite during its mission.

Iranian Communications Minister Mohammad Soleimani earlier said that the country's scientists were working on the creation of four new satellites to be placed into near-Earth orbit.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last week that pressure from Western powers trying to keep Iran in economic isolation has in fact spurred the country to become a space and nuclear power.

Western powers led by the United States, along with Israel, have accused Tehran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology for their delivery. Iran says it needs its nuclear program for electric power generation, and its missile program for space exploration.

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NATO uses Baltic States in anti-Russian activities
20.03.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/107270-baltic_states-0

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been NATO members for five years already. The West actively uses the three Baltic States to put pressure on Russia. The Baltic region may eventually become the arms depot located very close to Russia’s western borders.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the three Baltic States, former Soviet Union republics, joined NATO in 2004. US army bases have not been deployed on the coast of the Baltic Sea, as Russian defense officials believed. The three countries did not sign the Conventional Arms Reduction Treaty in Europe, which allows to turn the territories of the three states into uncontrollable arms depots.

The three countries became more expressive in their anti-Russian sentiments soon after they became the full-fledged members of the alliance. NATO headquarters believed that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia would solve their problems with national minorities on their territories. They also believed that the membership in the alliance would help the countries finally establish normal relations with Russia.

However, the Baltic States preserved their old complexes and continued to say that the policy of the Kremlin was unpredictable and dangerous. They hope that NATO would support them in case of conflicting situations with Russia.

The alliance has changed its attitude towards Russia a lot lately. The three Baltic States have become a springboard for NATO’s eastward expansion. It is an open secret that NATO intends to grant its membership to Ukraine and Georgia, as well as to other former Soviet republics – Azerbaijan, Armenia and Moldavia. The Baltic States became the guardians of those countries to contribute to their reforms aimed at the integration into Euro-Atlantic organizations.

Ukrainian and Georgian officers can undergo a military training in an Estonian defense college. It is not ruled out that the graduates of that educational institution took part in the recent war in the Caucasus, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia.

One may say that the Baltic States play an important role in the North Atlantic bloc. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have a very good geographical location. The radar stations on their territories are capable of monitoring the central part of Russia.

The alliance also uses the armed forces of the Baltic States: their military men serve in Iraq, in the Balkans and in Afghanistan.

Poland , Hungary and the Czech Republic can be of much greater use to NATO, of course. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the Baltic States play the key role in the politics of the alliance as far as Russia’s interests on the post-Soviet space are concerned.

Russia has come to terms with the NATO membership of the three Baltic countries in spite of the fact that there are many political and military problems to deal with at this point.

Mikhail Vovk

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Chávez to nationalise Santander bank unit

CARACAS, March 19 – Venezuela will go ahead with the nationalisation of the local unit of Spanish bank Grupo Santander, president Hugo Chávez said on Thursday, weeks after officials said the purchase was on hold.

Since first winning office a decade ago, Mr Chávez has nationalised large swathes of the Opec nation’s economy and this year has moved to increase state control of farms and food production inspite of a sharp drop in oil income.

“We are not retreating. Today we have returned to the subject, I announce the nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela to strengthen the national public banking system,” Mr Chávez said during a televised meeting with ministers.

Grupo Santander owns Banco de Venezuela, one of the largest banks in the Opec nation’s financial system.

The former paratrooper who plans to build a socialist system in Venezuela has been busy since winning a referendum in February that allows him to run for re-election as often as he likes.

Over the last month he has threatened to take over the country’s top private employer Empresas Polar, nationalised a rice mill belonging to Cargill, the US food group, and taken over a number of farms, including a plantation belonging to Smurfitt Kappa, the Irish cardboard maker.

He also has stripped control of ports and airports from state governments, weakening opposition governors who previously controlled some of the country’s main trade routes.

Mr Chávez ordered the purchase of Banco de Venezuela in July but talks with the Spanish company stalled as oil prices plummeted in recent months, and bank officials and a top government official linked to the discussions said in March that the sale would not happen this year.

Local media reported last year the Mr Chávez offered $1.2bn for the bank, $600,000 less Santander’s asking price.

Mr Chávez say he wants the Santander unit to help channel state resources to small farmers and other grass-roots groups.

Venezuela took over four major oil projects in 2007 worth an estimated $30bn. In most cases fair compensation was paid, but US companies Exxon and ConocoPhillips quit the country over the move and filed arbitration claims against Venezuela.

Compensation has yet to be agreed for Venezuela’s largest steel plant and three foreign owned cement companies, all of which were taken over by the government last year.

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IMF gloomy over public finances

By Norma Cohen

Published: March 19 2009 10:28 | Last updated: March 19 2009 23:31

Britain’s public finances will be in far worse shape than those of most other developed countries over the next two years, according to a new forecast released on Thursday by the International Monetary Fund.

By 2010, Britain’s deficit will be much bigger relative to the size of its economy than even the US, and nearly twice as big as the average among G20 nations. The IMF calculates that borrowings will balloon to 11 per cent of gross domestic product by 2010 while those of the US will rise to 8.9 per cent. The G20 average, weighted for the size of its respective economies, will be 6.3 per cent.

Meanwhile new data from the Office for National Statistics, released on Thursday, gave credence to that forecast, revealing the toll that falling profits and rising job losses jare taking on public sector finances. The data prompted private sector economists to revise upwards the size of the required government borrowing for 2008-09 to about £95bn.

Gemma Tetlow, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, noted that this was £17bn more than had been projected as recently as last November in the government’s pre-Budget report. “As a share of national income, this would be the highest level of public sector net borrowing for 15 years,” she said.

Total receipts in February were £40.7bn, down from £45.1bn in the same month in 2008, according to the ONS, while for the financial year to the end of February, receipts were £14.3bn below their level at the same time last year. The biggest declines in government revenue came from smaller value added tax and income tax receipts.

Expenditure in February was £26.7bn higher than in the previous financial year. Net social benefits, which include payments to the unemployed, were £1bn higher at £12.1bn.

Responding to the latest IMF forecasts George Osborne, shadow chancellor, said: “These dreadful figures show how the Labour government has given us the worst public finances in the developed world. When Gordon Brown sits down at the London summit next month, he will find himself as the person forecast to have both the worst budget deficit and the longest recession in the G20.”

The public sector current budget was in deficit by £1.8bn in February compared with a surplus of £4.6bn in 2008. In the financial year to date, the public sector current budget deficit totalled £43.8bn, sharply higher than the deficit of £2.1bn recorded a year ago. Public sector net debt at the end of February was £717.3bn, equal to 49 per cent of GDP, but if financial sector intervention is stripped out, the figure falls to £594.1bn or 40.7 per cent of GDP.

Colin Ellis, economist at Daiwa Securities SMBC, noted that the government’s own pre-Budget report forecasts “have been progressively exposed as being too optimistic” and said that the actual deficit for 2008-09 could turn out to be as large as £90bn.

The government is widely expected to revise both its economic and financial outlook when it releases its budget on April 22.

Thursday’s data include some reclassifications related to government intervention in the financial sector. The main change in February was a reclassification of government claims on the Icelandic banks after the payment of compensation to UK depositors. These claims, totalling around £7bn, have inflated the public sector net cash requirement and net debt by a similar amount.

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IMF says stability plan lacks detail

By Edward Luce in Washington

Published: March 20 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 20 2009 02:00

The Obama administration's plans to stabilise the financial system lack "essential details" and have left the markets uncertain about how it intends to recapitalise the teetering US banking sector, says the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF report, which comes out days before the administration plans to unveil the mechanism of its public-private funding vehicle for removing toxic assets from bank balance sheets, adds to the pressure on Tim Geithner, US Treasury secretary, to provide greater clarity on the bail-out plan.

"Critical details concerning the valuation of distressed assets remain unclear," says the IMF report, which was released in advance of next month's summit of the Group of 20 countries in London.

"The plan also does not address how severely undercapitalised or insolvent banks will be resolved . . . greater clarity on all these issues will be critical to ensure the plan's effectiveness."

Mr Geithner, whose first attempt last month to spell out his guidelines for dealing with toxic assets was given a thumbs down by the markets, will next week put flesh on those plans.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama defended Mr Geithner amid calls for his resignation, saying he was "making all the right moves in terms of playing a bad hand".

In its report, the IMF forecasts the global economy will decline by 1 per cent in 2009 - its first contraction in 60 years. The fund, whose own role is likely to be expanded at the G20 summit next month with proposals for a doubling of its shareholder capital to $500bn (£344bn), says the global economy is unlikely to turn round until governments achieve a "decisive breakthrough" in resolving the financial crisis.

"To break the negative feedback loop, it is extremely critical to resolve the uncertainty concerning the balance sheets of financial institutions," it says.

"Systematic and proactive approaches have started to supplant ad hoc interventions but financial sector policies still lack coherence and credibility. Greater international policy co-ordination is crucial for restoring market trust."

Mr Geithner may draw some comfort from the IMF's recommendation of using market mechanisms properly to evaluate troubled assets, which is at the heart of his plan. But the fund urges governments to consider temporary nationalisation of failing banks, an option he has ruled out.

The IMF says the approach with the best record would involve three steps: toxic assets to be removed from bank balance sheets and transferred to a publicly owned asset management company; viable banks to be recapitalised; insolvent institutions closed or temporarily nationalised.

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レセプト電子請求、例外措置拡大を検討　自民、高齢の医師など

　自民党は19日、レセプト（診療報酬明細書）のオンライン請求を2011年4月から原則として完全義務化する政府方針について、例外措置を拡大する方向で検討を始めた。請求件数が少ない医療機関や高齢の医師などを例外とすることを検討する。今後、政府の規制改革会議などでの議論を踏まえ、条件を詰める。

　政府は「規制改革推進のための3カ年計画」で11年度からレセプトのオンラインでの請求を原則として完全義務化することを閣議決定している。しかし対応が難しい小規模な医療機関などが廃業に追い込まれるとして、日本医師会などから反対の声が出ていた。(11:57)

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景気、3カ月連続「大幅悪化」　日銀の3月月報

　日銀は19日公表した3月の金融経済月報で、景気の現状判断を3カ月連続で「大幅に悪化している」とした。前日までの金融政策決定会合での議論を踏まえ、月報での最も厳しい表現を据え置いた。一方、生産の先行きについては「在庫調整圧力が減衰するにつれ、減少テンポも次第に緩やかになっていく」との見通しを示した。

　景気の現状判断では輸出や設備投資を「大幅な減少」とするなど、主要項目の判断は据え置いた。先行きも「当面、悪化を続ける可能性が高い」との判断を変えなかったが、企業が在庫調整を急速に進めた結果、4月以降は生産の減少幅が縮小していくと予想している。

　1―3月の生産は前期比20％超の減少幅を予測。企業への聞き取り調査の結果を踏まえ、4―6月には減少幅が一ケタ台に縮小する可能性があるとみている。(07:00)

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海賊対策、ジブチ駐留で協定　政府、月内にも締結

　政府はアフリカ・ソマリア沖での海賊対策で自衛隊の拠点となるジブチと、自衛隊員の同国駐留に関する地位協定を月内にも締結する方針を固めた。すでに派遣した護衛艦に加え、4月以降にもＰ３Ｃ哨戒機を追加投入するのに備えた措置。自衛隊の海外派遣での地位協定は、イラク復興支援に際してクウェート政府と結んだ例に続いて2つ目となる。

　政府は13日に現行法に基づいて海上警備行動を発令し、海上自衛隊の護衛艦2隻を14日にソマリア沖に出港させた。これに加えて4月以降にＰ３Ｃ哨戒機を投入。護衛艦とＰ３Ｃによる上空からの警備とあわせ、同海域で日本の船舶を海賊行為から守れるようにする。(07:00)

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労務職員給与「地域の民間給与水準反映を」　総務省

　総務省は19日、地方自治体の清掃職員や学校給食員ら「技能労務職員」の給与が同業の民間労働者より高いとの指摘を受け、是正を求める有識者研究会の報告書を公表した。報告書は「地域の民間給与水準を反映すべきだ」と明記。是正のための手法として、(1)類似業務の民間労働者の給与を自治体が独自調査し比較(2)厚生労働省の統計「賃金センサス」から同種の労働者のデータを抽出し比較――などを例示した。(00:05)

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厚労省、うつ病や自殺の労災基準見直し

　厚生労働省は19日、うつ病や自殺の労災認定基準を見直すことを決めた。ストレス強度の評価項目を現状の31項目から43項目に増やし、「ひどい嫌がらせ」「違法行為の強要」などを追加する。同日の専門家検討会が了承。来年度から新基準での認定を始める。

　都道府県労働局の労災認定では、うつ病などの精神疾患や自殺が、業務上の心理的負荷が原因かどうかを精神科医3人による合議で決定。その際、従来は「病気やケガ」「重大なミス」「仕事の内容の変更」「セクハラ」などの具体的な出来事の有無を判断材料に、総合判定で弱、中、強の3段階に分類。強の場合、労災に当たるとしている。

　同省は新たな判断基準として▽多額の損失を出した▽ひどい嫌がらせやいじめ、暴行を受けた▽非正規社員であることを理由に差別や不利益扱いを受けた―― など12項目を追加。総合判定の方法も明確化し、「職場の現状に沿った労災認定ができるようになる」（同省労災補償部）としている。(07:00)

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纒向遺跡：卑弥呼時代の建物群　王権の中枢か　奈良
纒向遺跡で見つかった３世紀前半の建物跡（後方の森は箸墓古墳）＝奈良県桜井市で２００９年３月１８日、幾島健太郎撮影
纒向遺跡で見つかった３世紀前半の建物跡（後方の森は箸墓古墳）＝奈良県桜井市で２００９年３月１８日、幾島健太郎撮影

　ヤマト政権発祥の地で邪馬台国の「最有力候補地」とされる纒向（まきむく）遺跡（奈良県桜井市）で、女王・卑弥呼（？～２４８年ごろ）と同時期の３世紀前半の建物群が見つかり、桜井市教委が２０日発表した。一帯は大規模に整地され、柵で複雑に区画。柱筋は東西方向にそろい、三つの建物が計画的に並んでいた。こうした特異な構造は同時期では例がないといい、市教委は「王権の中枢施設の一角の可能性がある」としている。

　纒向遺跡は東西約２キロ、南北約１．５キロで、卑弥呼の墓との説がある箸墓（はしはか）古墳をはじめ、前方後円墳が誕生した場所。各地の土器が持ち込まれており、邪馬台国やヤマト政権との関係が取りざたされてきた。

　今回の調査地点では、７８年度に柵と建物跡を確認。区域を約４００平方メートルに広げ、今年２月から再度調査、前回確認した５メートル四方の建物跡と、これを逆コの字状に囲む柵列を検出した。柵列は更に北、南、東の３方向に延び、総延長は４０メートル以上になるとみられる。

　この建物跡の東側で、東に延びる新たな建物跡（南北６メートル以上）を確認。柵の西側で見つかっていた柱穴は、今回の調査で建物跡であることが判明した。【林由紀子】

　▽石野博信・兵庫県立考古博物館長（考古学）の話　３世紀前半に、建物が方位や柱筋をそろえて計画的に並ぶ例は他になく、驚きだ。邪馬台国の有力候補地から見つかったということは高く評価でき、都の一端をうかがわせる。

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政府：対イラクでＯＤＡ本格化　企業進出の動きも

　政府は、イラクで治安改善の兆しが見える中、政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）による支援の本格化と民間企業の進出を通じ、日イラク関係を強化していく方針だ。

　イラク戦争の「終結」から約半年後の０３年１０月、日本は米国に次ぐ規模の約５０億ドルの資金供与を約束したが、その後の治安悪化と政権の混乱で、支援のペースは大幅に遅れた。

　しかし、昨年１２月の航空自衛隊の撤退以降、「これからが本当の復興支援の時期」（外務省幹部）ととらえ、支援を積極化。国際協力機構（ＪＩＣＡ）は近く同国北部アルビルにイラク初となる事務所を開設する計画で、今月初旬から関係者３人が現地入り。１７日にはクルド人自治区での上下水道整備事業など約３６０億円の大型円借款契約を交わした。戦争で破壊された水道や電気、道路などインフラ面の改修、整備が急務で、一層の円借款や技術協力を進める。

　民間ベースでも動きが活発化している。今年１月、安倍晋三元首相がバグダッド入りし、イラク首脳との間で「日イラクパートナーシップ宣言」に調印。今月１日には石油業界や商社の１２社の役員ら約２０人による「官民合同ミッション」が同国を訪問した。世界金融危機で、アラブ首長国連邦（ＵＡＥ）などの「湾岸バブル」が崩壊した影響で、イラクに商機をうかがう企業も増えつつある。

　日本は、米国主導のイラク戦争を支持した上で、自衛隊を派遣してきたが、隊員の攻撃による民間人の犠牲は出ていない。松永秀樹・ＪＩＣＡ中東２課長は「イラク国民の日本に対する良い印象は今も変わらない。そうした親日感を基盤に中長期的にイラクを支援していく姿勢が重要だ」と話す。