US claims naval clash with China

US claims naval clash with China

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: March 10 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 10 2009 02:00

The US claimed yesterday that Chinese ships had harassed US naval vessels in a series of incidents that occurred over the past week in the South China Sea.

The Pentagon said five Chinese ships "shadowed and aggressively manoeuvred in dangerously close proximity" to the USNS Impeccable, a surveillance ship, which it said was operating in international waters.

"US navy ships and aircraft routinely operate in international waters around the world, and this area is one such location where we operate regularly," said Major Stewart Upton, a Pentagon official.

Relations between the US and Chinese militaries have improved significantly since 2001 when a US spy aircraft was forced to land on the Chinese island of Hainan. But the relationship has been complicated by incidents such as when the USS Kitty Hawk was refused permission at the last minute to dock at Hong Kong port in 2007.

David Sedney, the top Pentagon official for China, recently returned from Beijing, where he held talks aimed at restarting military exchanges between the powers. China last year suspended exchanges after George W. Bush, then US president, approved an arms sales package for Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. The Pentagon is also preparing to release its annual report on the Chinese military, which creates friction between the two countries every year.

According to the Pentagon, the Chinese vessels surrounded the Impeccable, telling the ship to leave the area. After two ships came within 50 feet of the Impeccable, the US ship sprayed its fire hoses at the Chinese vessels.

The Pentagon said the

episode with the Impeccable was the latest in a series of four incidents in which Chinese ships manoeuvred dangerously close to US ships.

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China says US naval ship broke the law

By Kathrin Hille in Beijing

Published: March 10 2009 07:35 | Last updated: March 10 2009 08:56

China accused the US of “illegal” intrusion into its exclusive economic zone, in a spat that could torpedo the two countries’ efforts to improve their military relationship after months of disruption.

The US Navy surveillance ship Impeccable had “moved about in China’s EEZ in the South China Sea without approval from China,” said Ma Zhaoxu, a Foreign Ministry spokesman. He said this was in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Chinese laws and regulations, but refused to specify which legal requirements exactly had been violated.

The accusation followed a complaint by the US government on Monday that Chinese coast guard vessels, fishing trawlers and naval vessels had harassed the Impeccable on Sunday 75 miles south of the Chinese island of Hainan in international waters.

That incident, during which the Chinese ships came “dangerously close” to the US vessel and threw debris in its way, followed several similar incidents last week, the White House said.

China refused to give its own account of the incident but only insisted that the US statement seriously contradicted the facts. “We demand the US stop such moves immediately and take efficient steps to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” Mr Ma said.

However, Washington has already stated it will continue its surveillance missions in international waters, and called on China to observe international law.

The controversy is similar to an incident in 2002, when Chinese naval vessels shepherded the USNS Bowditch, a US Navy survey vessel in the Yellow Sea. As in the current case, the US blamed China of breaking international law because the ship was in international waters, while China accused the US of violating international law, arguing the US vessel was in its exclusive economic zone.

US survey ships regularly move around in international waters close to the Chinese coast in what military experts say are basically missions to gain intelligence about China’s increasing naval clout, including its growing submarine fleet.

The spot where, according to the US, the incident occurred, is close to a major Chinese submarine base on Hainan.

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Special drawing rights are the wrong form of IMF support

Published: March 10 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 10 2009 02:00

From Mr Onno de Beaufort Wijnholds.

Sir, The International Monetary Fund has a crucial role to play in the present global crisis, but not in the way Ted Truman advocates (“How the Fund can save the world economy”, March 6). A mammoth allocation of special drawing rights, which he favours, would be a poorly targeted way of helping emerging markets overcome the drying-up of cross-border capital flows. Since SDRs are allocated on the basis of countries' quotas in the Fund, those most in need of external funds will receive only a modest share of the pie.

Mr Truman argues that countries who do not need more SDRs can lend their bonanza to others. No doubt they will be reluctant to pass on unconditional money to countries that have not been pursuing sound policies. Providing liquidity without any conditions to countries such as Ukraine, Hungary and some in Latin America, will allow them to continue pursuing unsound policies. Private foreign investors, chastised by earlier mistakes, are unlikely to return to such countries unless they demonstrate a sound track record. And it is the return of private capital that should be the aim of IMF support to emerging markets.

It is therefore much better to build up the IMF’s resources at short notice through bilateral loans provided by surplus countries, while setting in motion a new round of general and selective quota increases (a doubling is often suggested). Japan has led the way by lending $100bn to the Fund. China should follow with at least that amount, while oil exporters from the Middle East could also provide substantial sums.

This money is not just going to be used to extend credits with strong conditionality. Countries following sound policies will need little or no policy conditions and can conclude precautionary arrangements with the Fund when they do not need the money immediately.

Moreover, the IMF recently established a short-term lending facility (SLF) aimed at providing emerging markets that have strong policies with credits of up to 500 per cent of their quotas for three times three months per 12-month period. This is unconditional money that can be mobilised immediately in a capital account crisis. Given the severity of the present situation, raising access to the SLF to 1,000 per cent of quota should be considered, for instance allowing Brazil to draw around $50bn from the Fund at very short notice.

Finally, the IMF is considering other ways to gear its lending toolkit to the needs of emerging market countries.

Onno de Beaufort Wijnholds,
Former IMF executive director and
former European Central Bank representative in the US,
Washington DC, US

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Seven charged over alleged $501m Dubai fraud

By Simeon Kerr in Dubai

Published: March 9 2009 18:11 | Last updated: March 9 2009 18:11

Dubai’s public prosecution has charged seven businessmen with crimes related to an alleged scheme to defraud Dubai Islamic Bank of $501m, official records show.

The bill of indictment, seen by the Financial Times, alleges the crimes were committed between 2004 and 2007 by two former employees of the bank and five businessmen linked to trade finance company CCH and a real estate project in Dubai, the Plantation.

The case, expected to go to court soon, is likely to become a high-profile test for the emirate’s judicial system as questions swirl about the rule of law in the Gulf’s commercial centre, hit hard by the global financial crisis.

The move, after an investigation of more than a year, lays the ground for the long-awaited conclusion of the DIB fraud case, central to a broader clean-up at state-linked companies, including DIB’s real estate arm Deyaar.

International censure has mounted against the government’s decision to hold without charge some executives for almost a year. Zack Shahin, former chief executive of Deyaar, has via US lawyers complained about his extended detention, claiming he had been tortured and was being victimised to protect senior locals.

The Dubai authorities countered saying the investigations have been carried out according to United Arab Emirates law.

The public prosecution document accuses Charles Ridley and Ryan Cornelius, both Britons, and Erin Nil, a Turk, of forging documents to defraud the bank of $501m via CCH, a trade finance company owned by Mr Nil and linked to Messrs Ridley and Cornelius.

The document alleges that the two former DIB executives, Rafatul Islam Usmani and Omair Mooraj, both Pakistanis, solicited and received bribes of $950,000 and $750,000, respectively, to facilitate the alleged embezzlement. The public prosecution document also claims that Zia Usmani, a US citizen, defrauded DIB of $2m.

Arthur Fitzwilliam, the British developer behind the polo-themed Plantation, is accused by the prosecution of aiding Messrs Nil, Ridley and Cornelius to carry out their alleged fraud.

Mr Mooraj, who was working for JPMorgan when he was detained last year, is represented by Habib al-Mulla, who said: “We deny the accusations as matter of fact and law. We are going to defend him vigorously with all legal means.”

Rafatul Islam Usmani’s lawyer declined to comment. None of the other defence lawyers could be reached for comment.

Mr Mulla expects the cases to be heard at a Dubai court soon, but no date has been set. Two of the suspects, Mr Nil and Zia Usmani, have left the country, the document says.

DIB yesterday said it had made impairment provisions of Dh496m ($135m, €106m, £97.8m) related to its exposure to “CCH and related individuals”. The bank said it had foreclosed on the Plantation and was pursuing other securities related to this transaction.

Other cases are moving to trial, lawyers say, including alleged financial irregularities at Sama Dubai and Mizin, property developers owned by Dubai Holding.

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Carlyle raises $500m for MidEast fund

By Martin Arnold in London

Published: March 10 2009 08:31 | Last updated: March 10 2009 08:31

The Carlyle Group on Monday became the first global private equity group to raise a fund specifically for the Middle East and North Africa, after it collected $500m for energy, infrastructure and financial services investments in the region.

Two years after Carlyle launched its Middle East and North Africa team, with 12 people operating from offices in Cairo, Dubai and Istanbul, it has raised only half the $1bn it initially targeted for its debut fund in the region.

But Walid Musallam, hired by Carlyle from the Abu Dhabi Investment Company to run its new team, said conditions were improving for private equity investments in the Middle East and North Africa.

“We have been quite disciplined and cautious about investing in the run-up to the current financial crisis,” said Mr Musallam. “In the current market environment we see opportunity to deploy capital at much better valuations than existed last year.”

The fund also has access to outside help, if needed. In addition to possible coinvestments alongside global Carlyle funds, the firm has a deal to present investment opportunities to Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi sovereign investment fund that owns 7.5 per cent of Carlyle.

Several large global private equity groups have set up offices in the Middle East recently, including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Colony Capital, but it has proved a more fertile hunting ground for fundraising than for dealmaking.

The only deal by Carlyle in the region has been last year’s acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Turkey’s TVK Shipyard for an undisclosed sum.

Last year, total fundraising for private equity investments in the Middle East grew 17 per cent to $5.9bn. UBS Global Asset Management last year announced plans to raise a $500m Middle East private equity fund in partnership with MerchantBridge, a group with offices in London, Dubai and Baghdad.

However, one rival Middle East private equity executive said the volume of deals in the region were expected to be much lower last year, as the sharp fall in local stock markets would dissuade families and governments from selling out.

“85 per cent of the businesses are family companies, who don’t need to raise money, so they are not ready to sell at current prices,” said the rival executive. “Private equity announced deals will be much lower this year.”

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Istithmar set to launch fresh asset sales

By Simeon Kerr in Dubai

Published: March 8 2009 20:49 | Last updated: March 8 2009 20:49

Istithmar World Capital is looking to sell more assets after offloading some stakes in recent months as the Dubai investment company returns cash to its parent, one of the more indebted wings of the government.

The five-year-old company will seek to harvest profits on long-held companies in spite of the depressed global market for assets, but it will not resort to fire sales, said David Jackson, chief executive.

“The timing’s lousy, but people are saying, okay, you told us that in 2009 we’ll start to see money coming back from you, so where is it?” he told the Financial Times.

The sales come as rising concerns about Dubai’s debt repayments and cash flow issues sparked a $10bn soft loan from the federal government of the United Arab Emirates last month.

Istithmar, part of the Dubai World conglomerate that includes offshore developer Nakheel, says the financial crisis has affected the group’s assets under management, which were down 10 per cent, or $800m to $9bn during 2008. Overall, the fund has delivered returns of about 10 per cent since its formation in 2003, in spite of tough market conditions, he said.

Istithmar has sold its stake in Singaporean waste utility Hyflux at a 20 per cent return; Time Warner in the second half of last year for a return in the “mid-teens” and Intercontinental, which it only bought last September, for no profit.

Mr Jackson, 42, insisted that Barneys, the New York retailer, is not for sale for less than the $825m Istithmar paid in June 2007.

“We’re going to continue to own it, unless somebody wants to come in and take us out at that price,” he said.

Dubai World, of which Mr Jackson is a director, is one of the more indebted wings of Dubai Inc, the government-linked commercial enterprises that helped turn the city from a regional commercial hub into a global metropolis.

The government has received $10bn in loans, half of a broader $20bn lifeline extended by the United Arab Emirates, as state companies struggle to refinance debts of $75bn and pay invoices.

Mr Jackson refused to reveal the size of Istithmar’s debt obligations, but he said he can source fresh capital, either from Dubai World, banks or other third parties.

Istithmar’s investments in Standard Chartered and hedge fund GLG Partners at the top of the bull market have collapsed, but Mr Jackson is sanguine about these stakes, which he sees outperforming their peers.

The fund, he said, is in better health than many suspect, having avoided some of the moves that left private equity competitors in trouble, such as the automotive sector and large bank recapitalisations.

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Troika to deploy Standard funds in Russia

By Catherine Belton in Moscow and Tom Burgis in Johannesburg

Published: March 9 2009 18:49 | Last updated: March 9 2009 18:49

Troika Dialog, the Russian investment bank, hopes to deploy a $200m cash injection from South Africa’s Standard Bank to bolster its position in the Russian market, Ruben Vardanyan, Troika’s main owner, said.

“There is great potential for further development and big opportunities in the consolidation of the [Russian] banking industry,” he said. “When your competitors have become weaker and there are less of them, you need additional resources to fund aggressive development.”

The deal announced last week, which sees the sale of a 33 per cent stake in Troika in exchange for a $200m convertible loan and Standard Bank’s existing banking business in Russia, is the first big foreign investment into Russia since the financial crisis hit the country.

The tie-up creates a strategic entry for Standard Bank on to the Russian market just as asset values are cheaper, advancing its strategy to become a leading emerging markets bank.

For Troika, the takeover of Standard Bank’s existing Russian banking unit gives it a banking license that will help it access central bank financing.

Coming just over a year after Standard Bank sold a 20 per cent stake in itself to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the latest move also gives China’s biggest bank an indirect foothold in Russia.

Mr Vardanyan insisted that Troika had not been seeking financing in order to pay off debts or stave off a liquidity squeeze like the one that forced Renaissance Capital, Troika’s main rival, to sell 50 per cent of itself to Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian tycoon, for $500m at the height of the crisis in September.

Instead, he said, the funds would be used to fund an expansion into retail in Russia together with Standard Bank.

Mr Vardanyan said Troika’s only debt was a $120m syndicated loan maturing in June, $25m of which is owed to Standard.

“We did not have an urgent need to sell these shares,” he said. “But we considered that, during a crisis, we should put ourselves in a position to come out of it stronger.”

“It was very important to have [Standard Bank’s] commitment to Russia,” he said. “They are unique in the sense that they got through the crisis with good financial results.”

Analysts said the deal gave Standard access to Troika’s strong Russian brand, which has built close relationships with state-controlled companies.

“It is a good deal strategically for both,” said Chris Weafer, chief strategist at Uralsib investment bank.

Standard’s other acquisitions mean its network now stretches from Buenos Aires to Beijing, with a presence in 17 African countries and in 21 in the rest of the world.

Since 2007, Jacko Maree, chief executive, has bought a bank in Argentina and another in Nigeria, a populous, oil-flush country that is among the most difficult to operate in on the continent but potentially lucrative.

While the ICBC partnership is proving more difficult than executives had originally envisioned, the cash allowed it to strengthen its balance sheet and weather the financial crisis that has felled many a western bank.

That left India, Brazil and Russia as the big emerging markets without a significant Standard presence.

Mr Maree has focused his energies on the latter, where asset prices have tumbled.

Announcing annual results that showed a 7 per cent increase in profit after tax last week, Mr Maree said: “We have our head above the parapet … We have to try to capitalise on this [banking crisis].”

There could be a hitch, however. Bankers and analysts said Errol Kruger, the South African banking regulator who will have to approve the deal, would prefer lenders to be taking cover from the crossfire of global turmoil than eyeing up targets abroad.

He may be placated by Standard’s plan to make the $200m convertible loan to Troika from its overseas operations.

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German banks take key role in UK commercial property

By Daniel Thomas in London

Published: March 10 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 10 2009 02:00

German banks have emerged as virtually the only lenders willing to regularly spend significant amounts of money on large new deals in UK commercial property.

Savills, the UK property consultancy, will say today that eight of the 12 lenders willing to consistently back deals of more than £25m ($34m) to new borrowers in the UK market this year are German.

Only two are UK lenders and one of those, Abbey, is backed by Spain's Santander. This is a marked change from this time last year, when lending was dominated by HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland, as well as Irish banks such as Anglo Irish.

Since then, their past enthusiasm to lend on commercial property has proved one of the main reasons for recent difficulties, given the amount of loans in default of covenants because of the real estate crash. Savills says the large US investment banks, which had been another major source of money, have also left the market.

Savills interviewed more than 100 global lenders, of which more than 40 claimed to have an appetite to lend to UK property. However, Savills says many are lending to existing customers only, will only lend on deals below £25m and are offering punitive terms that could deter many borrowers.

German banks are clearly the most willing to lend consistently for sizeable deals, it says. They include Deka Bank, Deutsche Postbank, Landesbank Berlin, DG Hyp, Helaba, LBBW (Stuttgart), Munich Hyp and West Immo.

German banks were less caught up in the property boom - and subsequent crash - while funding from covered bonds also gives an advantage. They have also been able to take advantage of the devalued sterling.

Savills said that other lenders, including those in the UK, would lend on large deals, but that the level of actual loans committed was too variable to count on its list. William Newsom, head of Savills UK valuation, said the situation was similar to the 1990s crash.

"Secondary investment properties and development projects are, in general, unfinanceable," he added.

Mr Newsom believes that other UK banks are happier to lend at lower levels, while life companies such as Norwich Union are becoming more important.

Nationwide was the only UK lender willing to say it would consistently back deals of more than £25m, however, and Santander-backed Abbey was also in the market.

For the first time, an Islamic bank, the Bank of London and the Middle East, features on the list of top UK lenders.

Banks are taking longer on approval processes, and are lending at margins of more than 200 basis points and at higher fees.

The average loan-to-value terms was 60 per cent, much lower than typical terms during the boom, when deals were almost entirely financed by debt.

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Seducer of BMW heiress jailed for blackmail attempt

By Chris Bryant in Berlin and Gerrit Wiesmann in,Frankfurt

Published: March 10 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 10 2009 02:00

Germany's richest woman and heir to the BMW car empire has been spared an embarrassing court visit after her playboy lover confessed to a multi-million euro fraud and to having attempted to blackmail her with footage of an intimate encounter.

Susanne Klatten, a member of the reclusive Quandt dynasty, and three other wealthy women were tricked into parting with more than €9m by Helg Sgarbi, a Swiss former investment banker, who was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison.

The case has dominated the headlines in Germany ever since Mrs Klatten went to police to expose Mr Sgarbi, 44, who was arrested in a sting operation last year.

He had demanded €49m - later revised to €14m - and had threatened to leak a secretly recorded video of their tryst to the press, colleagues and her husband.

In her only interview to date, she told Financial Times Deutschland in November that she had decided to call in police "in a moment of clarity".

"You are now a victim and you have to defend yourself," she said.

Mrs Klatten, 46, is the world's 55th richest person, with a fortune of $13.2bn (€10.4bn, £9.5bn), according to Forbes magazine.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Sgarbi, who worked for Credit Suisse in the 1990s and speaks six languages, seduced a string of married women by claiming to be a kind of secret agent during visits to luxury spa hotels.

By the time police were called Mrs Klatten had already met Mr Sgarbi in an underground car park and handed him a cardboard box containing €7m in bundled €500 notes.

Mr Sgarbi claimed he needed the money because he had caused a car accident in which a child had suffered serious injuries.

He did not reveal the whereabouts of the missing funds or the videotape but told the court he "deeply regretted" the events and wished to apologise to the women involved.

Mrs Klatten, who has three children, has always tried to avoid the public gaze but her expertise as an investor has seen her draw more attention than any of her siblings.

Alongside a 12.6 per cent BMW stake, she for years held 50.1 per cent of Altana, a German chemicals and drugs company.

In 2006 Mrs Klatten seized the opportunity offered by buoyant stock markets to push Altana into selling its underweight pharmaceutical unit for €4.5bn.

Mrs Klatten received €2.3bn as a special dividend in spring 2007, a cash pile that she decided not to reinvest immediately given the first signs of an economic downturn.

She waited almost a year to put €300m into Nordex, a German wind-turbine manufacturer, and launched a €910m offer for the 49.9 per cent of Altana she did not own, in late 2008, the company's share price having halved in the previous year of economic woes.

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Rothschild and Slater farm firm scraps hedge fund-style fees

By James Mackintosh

Published: March 10 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 10 2009 02:00

Agrifirma Brazil, a farm fund backed by Lord Rothschild and Jim Slater, the former corporate raider, is scrapping its hedge fund-style fees to make it easier to attract investors.

Agrifirma, which owns more than 100,000 acres of Brazilian farmland, plans to restructure itself as a Jersey company, paying salaries and bonuses to managers rather than an annual 2 per cent fee plus 20 per cent of profits.

The move may mark the beginning of the end of a widespread shift over recent years towards hedge fund-style fees, which saw businesses ranging from specialist lenders to stud farms put into fund structures charging "two and 20".

"It's not an effective way to raise money right now", said Ian Watson, chairman of Agrifirma. "When we go back [to investors] we would rather not have the burden of a two and 20 structure."

The change will mean payments to Agrifirma's managers are approximately halved, assuming targets are met.

Hedge funds themselves have started to cut fees in reaction to heavy investor withdrawals and increased demands from those clients willing to remain.

Romek Pawlowicz, co-founder of Orthogonal Partners, a £100m specialist investor in alternative funds, said it was becoming easier to negotiate over terms.

"Managers are more accommodating because money is so hard to come by nowadays," he said.

Agrifirma raised $154m (£111m) last year from Lord Rothschild, his listed family investment vehicle, RIT Capital, Mr Slater and other investors. It is not currently planning a large round of capital raising, but hopes to list eventually on London's Aim.

The company is one of dozens set up to exploit a predicted rise in food demand as emerging market consumers get wealthier.

Agrifirma was created after Mr Slater - whose bank, Slater Walker, collapsed in 1975 - and Mr Watson voluntarily liquidated Galahad Gold, a venture they began in 2002 to invest in precious metals via early-stage miners. Galahad began winding down in late 2007 after a stellar five-year run, with the pair concluding metals prices were too high.

"When people in developing countries get more money, the first thing they buy isn't a widescreen TV, the first thing is more meat," said Mr Watson. He said the investment strategy remained solid as China, which needed to import food, was still growing in spite of the global financial crisis.

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Chávez targets Coca-Cola in crackdown

By Benedict Mander in Caracas

Published: March 9 2009 23:44 | Last updated: March 9 2009 23:44

President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela has made Coca-Cola the target of his latest salvo against the private sector, ordering the company to vacate a plot of land in western Caracas and signalling that his crackdown on businesses will continue.

“We have to accelerate the transition to socialism,” Mr Chávez said on his Sunday television show, Hello, ­President.

During the programme, Mr Chávez announced that Coca-Cola, run here by Mexico’s Grupo Femsa, had two weeks to vacate a plot of land it uses as a parking lot for delivery trucks, to make way for housing for the poor.

Mr Chávez said the government was also studying intervention in the cases of several farms underused in the states of Carabobo, Aragua, Yaracuy and Miranda. Last Friday Mr Chávez expropriated a 1,500-hectare eucalyptus plantation owned by Smurfit Kappa, the Irish paper packaging giant, arguing that the trees were causing ecological damage by drying up the soil and the area’s rivers.

The food industry has become Mr Chávez’s primary target, with farms and processing plants in the spotlight this week as Venezuela’s president attempts to confront intensifying economic problems, which include runaway inflation, slumping private production and food shortages.

Restaurants across the nation are also due to be inspected after they were accused of overcharging for arepas, a popular local variant on a sandwich using cornflour patties.

The populist leader has become more radical since he won a referendum last month to allow him to run again in the next presidential elections in 2012.

Mr Chávez’s latest assault on the private sector began a week ago when he ordered troops to occupy all Venezuela’s rice mills, after producers were accused of not selling enough basic white rice at regulated prices.

One of the plants, owned by Cargill, the US food giant, was expropriated.

The president threatened to seize all property belonging to Venezuela’s largest company, Polar, which produces food and drinks and is run by Lorenzo Mendoza, the country’s second richest man.

A sugar mill run by Grupo Cisneros, itself owned by Gustavo Cisneros, Venezuela’s richest man, was also taken over last week.

Although the government says it is protecting the interests of poor consumers, analysts warned that to increase state oversight and control of the private sector would further deter investment and undermine production. Such measures would also aggravate shortages and inflation. Inflation last year reached 31 per cent.

As well as making a target of local businesses, Mr Chávez also launched a broadside against Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia’s defence minister, who had said the army might pursue guerrillas beyond the country’s borders.

Mr Chávez said if Colombia were to violate Venezuela’s sovereignty he would respond with tanks and Sukhoi jet fighters.

Officials have also shut down an exhibition visiting Caracas, Bodies Revealed, which features dissected cadavers preserved with chemicals.

“This is a really clear sign of the huge moral decomposition that is hitting our planet,” said Mr Chávez on his Sunday programme, emphasising that his revolution must be ethical.

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Kiev spy welcomes Nato’s Moscow overture

By Roman Olearchyk in Kiev

Published: March 10 2009 14:43 | Last updated: March 10 2009 14:43

Ukraine’s top spy has welcomed Nato’s decision last week to resume high-level ties with Russia, suspended after Moscow’s military standoff with Georgia last year.

In a Financial Times interview, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, head of Ukraine’s SBU state security service, said Kiev also sought better relations with Russia, but would continue to crack down on “Russian politicians” who interfered in the country’s domestic politics.

“Good relations are when a neighbour does not stretch across the fence into your yard,” he said, referring to Russian support for pro-Russia political groups in Ukraine, including separatists on the Crimean peninsula, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

Mr Nalyvaichenko insisted his own service was apolitical as he defended its recent raid on a state-owned energy company involved in the power struggle between President Viktor Yushchenko and the prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.

The former diplomat, who was put in charge of the SBU three years ago by Mr Yushchenko, also argued that Ukraine had made big gains in democracy since the 2004 Orange Revolution, despite its continuing economic and political upheavals. “The risks are now more economic in nature,” he said referring to the financial crisis, which has driven Kiev to take an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Kiev, an aspiring Nato member and rare Western ally on post-Soviet turf, strongly backed Georgia in the war, sparking fears of potential conflict between Moscow and Kiev in Crimea. Some nationalist Russian politicians openly want Moscow to annex the peninsula but late last year Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, said publicly it was Ukrainian territory.

Moscow is also much involved in Ukraine’s politicised and lucrative energy sector. Fears resurfaced last week that Russian natural gas supplies via Ukraine to Europe could be cut off again after SBU guards raided state gas company Naftogaz, controlled by Ms Tymoshenko. The raid marked an escalation of tensions between the two leaders after they buried their differences to secure financial support from the IMF.

Mr Nalyvaichenko claimed that Naftogaz, on the orders of the government, had illegally stripped away ownership of more than $2bn worth of gas from Rosukrenergo, a gas trading intermediary, owned jointly by Russia’s Gazprom and Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash.

Deputy SBU chief and billionaire Valery Khoroshkovsky headed the investigation despite admitting to joint interests in television channels with Mr Firtash, Gazprom’s partner in Rosukrenergo. Mr Nalyvaichenko ruled out a conflict of interest, but said another official would take charge of the investigation.

Mr Nalyvaichenko disputed allegations by Ms Tymoshenko that Ukraine’s president had lobbied on behalf of Rosukrenergo for it to regain the disputed gas supplies at the centre of last week’s raids.

He said he had offered to provide proof of Mr Yushchenko’s innocence to Russia’s Accounting Chamber, a public audit office, which was investigating Rosukrenergo’s Ukrainian shareholders.

Since then, Mr Khoroshkovsky appeared on his own TV channel to warn that the security services could next target government offices in a continued quest for documents to prove that gas was illegally transferred from Rosukrenergo to Naftogaz.

The west has repeatedly raised concerns about Rosukrenergo’s lack of transparency, not least because the intermediary has featured in the disputes between Kiev and Moscow that have periodically cut off energy supplies to the rest of Europe.

Mr Nalyvaichenko stressed however that the body was established by leaders in Ukraine and Russia before Mr Yushchenko became president. Gazprom has not publicly backed Rosukrenergo and Mr Putin described last week’s gas dispute as a “domestic” Ukrainian affair.

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Russia cancels sale of Su-33 fighters to China to prevent their pirate copies
10.03.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/107208-russia_china-0

A large arms deal between Russia and China has not taken place over a possible violation of intellectual property rights. Russia has refused to sell Su-33 deck-based fighter jets to China, The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper wrote.

The talks about the deal began quite a while ago. China intended to buy up to 50 jets for its aircraft carriers, although the country originally wanted to buy only two Su-33 jets on a trial basis. This intention became the bone of contention in the talks between the two countries: Russia believed that the Chinese customers could copy the Russian technology for the production of their own clones of the Russian fighters.

Russia had a motive to think so, the newspaper wrote. In 1995, China received a license for the production of 200 Su-27 fighters of specific modification, complete with Russian avionics, radars and engines. However, Russia terminated the agreement for the purchase of 95 planes in 2006, because Chinese aircraft-makers began to produce a similar fighter, although it was equipped with Chinese avionics and systems.

To put it in a nutshell, China has an experience of cloning the fighters of Russia’s renowned Sukhoi jets. The problem was discussed at the 13th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Military Cooperation in December. It is obviously highly unprofitable for Russia to let cheaper Chinese analogues of its reputable jets appear in the region.

Russia declined China’s offer to increase the purchase to 14 jets: at least 24 aircraft must be shipped to overbalance the production of planes.

It is too early to say that the problem has been entirely solved. China is extremely interested in the deck-based aircraft for its aviation. The nation plans to complete its conventional destroyer in 2010 and pass into service a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in 2020. It is worthy of note that China used to purchase a number of incomplete Soviet vessels of a similar class, which were also reportedly used to copy Russian defense technologies.

China purchased a fair amount of used and incomplete aircraft carriers of the Soviet production within 25 years, BFM business portal said. China could reportedly use the vessels to borrow Russian defense production technologies.

Russia officially notified China at the end of April 2008 that the production of J11 fighter jets, the copies of Russia’s Su-27SK fighters, was a violation of international agreements. Moscow promised to launch legal proceedings to defend its intellectual property. If China learns to build its own version of Russia’s Su-27, the country will easily oust Russia from the arms markets of third world countries. Russian experts believed that it would take the Chinese about ten years to develop their own aircraft engine, but China made it a lot faster.

Russia has delivered 76 Su-27SK to China since 1992, and sold the license for the production of 200 more jets in 1995. China started building its own J11 planes in 1996 with the use of Russian spare parts, The Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote.

The modernized J11 fighter of the Chinese production, presumably made of Chinese spare parts, was outfitted with the enhanced Chinese radar and could carry made-in-China missiles to strike ground targets in the beginning of the 2000s. In 2007, China demonstrated the first prototypes of J11B model, which was almost a complete copy of the Su-27SMK jet.

The Russian economy loses up to $2 billion ever year on the pirate production of various modifications of the renowned Kalashnikov assault rifle, Russia’s major defense export enterprise, Rosoboronexport said. The USSR used to hand over a number of licenses for the production of Kalashnikov rifles and its modifications to 18 countries. All of them expired at the end of the 1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s.

The Sukhoi Su-33 (NATO reporting name ‘Flanker-D’) is a carrier-based multi-role fighter aircraft produced by Russian firm Sukhoi beginning in 1982. It is a derivative of the Su-27 ‘Flanker’ and was initially known as the Su-27K. The main differences from the Su-27 are that the Su-33 can operate from aircraft carriers and is capable of aerial refueling.

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South Stream gas pipeline to be launched in 2015 - Putin
17:55 | 10/ 03/ 2009

Print version

MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's prime minister said on Tuesday that the South Stream gas pipeline would be commissioned in 2015, and that construction costs were estimated at 10 billion euros ($12.7 billion).

"Construction will cost around 10 billion euros. And there will be no problems with funding," Vladimir Putin told a news conference in Moscow following intergovernmental talks with Hungary.

The Russian premier said that Russia had sufficient natural gas reserves to meet Europe's demand "for practically a century."

The South Stream pipeline is designed to pump 31 billion cubic meters per year of Central Asian and Russian gas to the Balkans and on to other European countries, but its capacity could be increased by a further 16 billion cu m. The project involves Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Italy and Greece.

During the consultations, Putin said: "Today an important step will be made towards implementing our accords. A basic agreement on cooperation between Gazprom and the Hungarian Development Bank will be ready for signing."

Plans have also been finalized for a gas storage facility.

"A separate document on building a large underground gas storage facility on the territory of Hungary has been drafted. Hungarian company MOL is Gazprom's partner in this project," Putin said.

"The gas storage facility will have a capacity of over 1 billion cubic meters. This is a large volume, which will enable us to ensure energy security, and the stability of the Hungarian energy sector."

The facility will be put into service in 2012-2013.

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Russia, Libya sign warship contract worth up to $200 mln
15:07 | 10/ 03/ 2009

Print version

MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti) - Libya has signed with Russia a contract worth up to an estimated $200 million to buy three missile boats, a Russian military journal reported on Tuesday.

A contract with Vietnam for the Project 12418 Molniya missile attack boats valued the vessels at $45 million apiece without weapons, so the Libyan contract could be worth a minimum $150 million, and as much as $200 million with arms and spare parts, said Mikhail Barabanov, science editor of the Eksport Vooruzheny (Arms Export) journal.

Russian-Libyan military cooperation was unfrozen when then-President Vladimir Putin visited Tripoli last April, with relations further strengthened by Muammar Gaddafi's subsequent visit to Moscow.

During Putin's visit, the two countries signed a deal to write off $4.6 billion of Libya's debt in exchange for a host of new deals, including $2 billion in arms agreements.

The Molniya contract was awarded to the Rybinsk-based Vympel shipyard.

No further details are currently available on the deal.

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Bolivia's Morales to lobby UN panel in support of coca farming
16:00 | 10/ 03/ 2009

Print version

MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti) - Bolivian President Evo Morales is poised to promote the growing of coca in his country during a UN drugs meeting in Vienna this week, according to South American media reports on Tuesday.

Bolivia signed an agreement with the United Nations in 1961 that gave the country 25 years to eradicate the growing of coca. More than 20 years since the deadline passed, however, the country is the third largest grower of coca in the world after Colombia and Peru.

Morales will attempt to convince the UN Narcotics Substances Committee to reexamine the legal aspects in regard to punishment for growing coca. The body opened a three-day meeting in Vienna on Tuesday.

Bolivia's first indigenous president came to power in 2006 as a leader of the country's coca farmers and has said that it is his "responsibility as the president and leader of the country" to promote the growing of coca as an essential part of Bolivian culture and traditions.

"We are defending our traditions and rituals, not cocaine," Morales said on the eve of his trip. "No one should ignore the history and culture of a people." He has said that coca leaves have been used in traditional medicine and religious ceremonies for thousands of years.

Morales is a strong supporter of the coca farmers and plantations, and has even included "coca's traditional culture" into the country's new constitution, which was passed in February.

The president has said that the strict punishment for growing coca, which has been in effect for decades, is a "provocation in regard to identity and culture" of the Bolivian people and that there are "strong arguments" that can be shown to the UN in regard to the "scientific, cultural, economic, and political" positive aspects of growing coca.

Though Morales supports the growing of coca in his country, he actively opposes drug trafficking. In the last two years alone, some 18,000 hectares (44,500 acres) of illegal coca plantations have been destroyed. According to Bolivian law, no more than 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) are allowed to be sown for the country's internal consumption, although the total area under coca cultivation is estimated at more than five times that amount.

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ネット株取引で１１億円所得隠し容疑　７１歳電器店主

2009年3月10日13時16分

写真：任意同行を求められて自宅を出る安田年男容疑者（手前）＝１０日午前９時５分、兵庫県豊岡市中央町、大島良太撮影任意同行を求められて自宅を出る安田年男容疑者（手前）＝１０日午前９時５分、兵庫県豊岡市中央町、大島良太撮影

　インターネットの株取引で得た約１１億５千万円の所得を隠し、所得税約８千万円を脱税したとして、神戸地検特別刑事部は１０日、兵庫県豊岡市中央町の電器店経営、安田年男容疑者（７１）を所得税法違反（脱税）容疑で逮捕した。地検は同日、大阪国税局と合同で安田容疑者宅を家宅捜索した。

　捜査関係者によると、安田容疑者は０４～０６年、インターネットの株取引で１１億５６００万円の売却益を得たのに、本業の電器店の赤字分だけを申告してこの売却益を隠していた疑いがある。売却益は次の取引の原資に充てていたという。

　安田容疑者は約３０年前から株取引を本格的に始め、０１年以降は証券４社にそれぞれネット口座を開設。この際、売却益について源泉徴収を受けない「一般口座」を選択したため、本来であれば自分で税務申告する必要があったが、それを怠っていたとされる。

　安田容疑者は国内企業の株式約４８０銘柄を保有していた時期もあり、日中は主にパソコンに向かい、株の売買だけで生計を立てていたという。売却益のほかに、株式を所有している企業からも年計数千万円の配当を受け取っていたとみられている。

　株取引による所得をめぐっては、大阪国税局が管内の６府県で昨年６月までの１年間に計５３６５件の税務調査を実施。うち約８割にあたる４１０６件、総額１７７億６８００万円の申告漏れを確認している。

　　　　　◇

　安田容疑者の電器店はＪＲ豊岡駅近くの商店街にあり、１階が店舗、２、３階が住居となっている。安田容疑者は午前９時すぎ、神戸地検の係官に任意同行を求められて自宅を出た。近所の男性によると、安田容疑者は電器店を３０年以上経営しているが、派手な暮らしぶりをしているようには見えなかったという。男性は「（安田容疑者が）株取引をしていることは有名だった。かなり大きな額を扱っているとは聞いていたが、まさか脱税の容疑をかけられるなんて」と驚いていた。

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ヨルダン川西岸での採石は国際法違反　イスラエル人権団体
2009.3.10 11:34

　イスラエルの人権団体イェシュディンは９日、イスラエルが自国企業に占領地ヨルダン川西岸での採石を許可し、大半がイスラエル国内で販売されているのは経済的搾取で国際法に違反するとして、最高裁に採石中止を命じるよう求める訴えを起こした。

　西岸では１１のイスラエル企業が政府から採掘権を与えられるなどして採石を行い、産出される砂利の７４％は西岸でなくイスラエルで販売されている。人権団体は「占領地における野蛮な経済的搾取。略奪と定義されるような事例もある」としている。（共同）

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物価連動国債に元本保証　財務省検討、09年度にも

　財務省は需要が低迷する物価連動国債の商品性を見直す検討に入った。年金など長期資金を取り込むため、物価が下落しても元本を保証する制度を2009年度にも導入する方針だ。景気低迷が長引けば、追加経済対策のために国債の増発をさらに迫られる可能性もある。財務省は商品性の見直しを通じ、市場で安定的に国債を消化したい考えだ。

　物価連動国債は世界的な金融危機のあおりで、主な買い手だった海外投資家の換金売りが相次ぎ、市場価格が急落。景気減速による将来の物価上昇リスクが大きく後退していることもあり、需要が低迷している。(07:00)

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独ドレスナー銀傘下の証券、東京支店を閉鎖　年末メド

　ドイツの銀行大手ドレスナー銀行傘下のドレスナー・クラインオート証券は2009年末をめどに東京支店での業務を終了する方針を決めた。ドレスナー銀行は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）問題の影響で損失が拡大。昨年8月に独大手銀コメルツ銀行との合併を発表し、今年1月にコメルツ銀との合併が完了した。統合計画の一環としてアジア市場での業務を見直す。

　ドレスナー銀行の東京支店はコメルツ銀行の東京支店と統合する。ドレスナー・クラインオート証券東京支店の大半の業務は終了し、一部の業務をコメルツ銀行に引き継ぐ予定。従業員約200人の雇用については交渉中という。(07:00)

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無花粉のスギ、効率増殖に成功　日本製紙が花粉症対策で

　日本製紙は10日、花粉を出さないスギを挿し木によって効率よく増殖することに成功したと発表した。従来の方法と比べて1本の親木から作ることのできる苗木の量が計算上は100倍近くまで増えるという。苗木の生産機関に技術供与を進めるといい、花粉症の原因となるスギの植え替えに弾みをつける考えだ。

　炭酸ガスの濃度を通常の3倍程度まで高めた室内で、蛍光管の一種である冷陰極管の光を使って苗木を育てる。光合成に必要な波長の光を集中的にあてるため、2センチ程度の小さな枝でも十分に根が出て苗木に育てられるとしている。屋外や温室で育てる従来方法では、親木から20センチ程度の枝を取らないと満足な苗木を作ることが出来なかった。(19:38)

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普通鋼鋼材受注、1月は４割減　40年ぶり400万トン割れ

　日本鉄鋼連盟は10日、1月の普通鋼鋼材受注量が386万9000トンと前年同月比42.8％減少したと発表した。前年を下回るのは６カ月連続で、減少率は2008年12月の36.6％を上回り過去最大を更新した。単月の受注量が400万トンを割ったのは1969年3月以来、約40年ぶりとなる。自動車向けが同64.4％減と大きく落ち込んだのが響いた。

　国内向けは40.3％減の277万4000トン、海外向けは48.2％減の109万5000トンだった。国内向けを用途別にみると建設用が26.0％減、製造業向けが45.9％減、販売業者向けが41.5％減だった。製造業向けのうち船舶用は8.3％増の49万1000トンだったのに対して自動車用は 39万2000トンで、船舶用を下回るのは1975年12月以来という。(20:27)

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工作機械受注、2月は83.9％減　極端な落ち込み続く

　日本工作機械工業会（中村健一会長）が10日発表した2月の工作機械受注額（速報値）は210億900万円と前年同月比83.9％減少した。前年を下回るのは9カ月連続。減少率は1月の84.1％（確定値）に比べわずかに縮小したものの、対前年の減少率が60％を超える極端な落ち込みが4カ月続いた。

　国内向けは同85.6％減の86億8000万円、海外向けは82.5％減の123億2900万円だった。同工業会は「底をはう状況が続いているが、回復方向にあるのではないか。景気対策など今後良くなる材料もある」としている。(16:13)

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住商、サウジで炭素材合弁　中国依存を転換

　住友商事はサウジアラビアで炭素材の合弁事業に乗り出す。6月に米炭素材大手とサウジ企業の3社で新会社を設立、2011年1月から炭化ケイ素の生産を始め大半を日本に輸出する。同素材は硬度が高く高温に耐えられるため、シリコンウエハー切断材などの生産財に欠かせない。日本は生産コストが安い中国からほぼ全量を輸入していた。新会社は中国よりも安価な製品を供給し、脱中国依存を狙う日本企業の需要を取り込む。

　住商は炭化ケイ素世界2位の米ワシントンミルズ（ニューヨーク）とサウジアラビアの総合企業サウジアラビア・アルゴサイビ社と合弁会社を設立することで合意した。新会社「シリコンカーバイドサウジアラビア」の資本金は20億円で、ワシントンミルズとアルゴサイビが各40％、住商が20％を出資する。 (08:09)

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ガソリンスタンド「10年間で36％が閉店」　全石連調べ

　10年間で全国のガソリンスタンドの36％が閉店――。全国石油商業組合連合会（全石連、東京・千代田）がスタンド経営者向けに昨年12月―今年1月に実施した調査で、こうした見通しが明らかになった。ガソリン需要が減るなかで価格競争は続くとみられ、経営環境の厳しさが浮き彫りになった。

　486社から回答を得た。各社が予想するスタンド数の平均は5年後の2012年度末に約3万2100店、17年度末で約2万5700店。07年度末の約4万300店に比べそれぞれ20％、36％減る。(11:01)

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違法取水で水利権取り消し命令　ＪＲ東の信濃川発電所

　ＪＲ東日本が、自営の信濃川発電所（水力、新潟県小千谷市、十日町市）で許可量よりも多く違法に水を取っていた問題で、国土交通省北陸地方整備局は10日、清野智社長を呼び、河川法違反に当たるとして、同発電所の水利権を取り消す命令書を手渡した。

　ＪＲが再び許可を得るまで操業はできない。

　ＪＲ東日本によると、信濃川発電所は同社の使用電力量の約23％を占め、主に首都圏の電車で使用。不足分は、ほかの自営発電所からの供給や電力会社からの購入で補うという。

　国交省によると、ＪＲは2002年から7年間、取水量を測るプログラムを改ざんして延べ約3億1000万立方メートルを違法に取水した。〔共同〕(14:44)

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両陛下ご結婚50年で記帳　宮内庁

　宮内庁は10日付で、天皇、皇后両陛下が結婚されて満50年を祝う記帳を4月10日に皇居で受け付けると発表した。希望者は午前9時半から午後3時半までに坂下門から入場し、同庁庁舎前の特設記帳所で居住する都道府県名と氏名を記入。桔梗門、大手門、平川門、北桔橋門のいずれかから退出する。要領は同庁ホームページにも掲載する。(07:00)

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佐賀牛：検疫受けずドバイ持ち込み　県、売り込み目指し

　ブランド牛肉「佐賀牛」の中東への売り込みを目指す佐賀県が、０８年９月と１１月の２回、アラブ首長国連邦（ＵＡＥ）のドバイに日本の検疫を受けていない肉計２０キロを持ち込み、政府関係者らを招いた会合などで提供していた。１０日、県が会見して明らかにした。

　県によると、０８年１１月にドバイで開かれた日本の食材をＰＲする催しに１５キロ、０８年９月には調理師の試食用で５キロを持ち込んだ。日本から牛肉を海外に持ち出す際は動物検疫所で輸出検疫証明書が必要だが、いずれも証明書を得ず肉を手荷物で運んだ。

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新生銀行：預保機構が１１０億円支払い　訴訟和解

　新生銀行（旧日本長期信用銀行）が預金保険機構を相手取り、長銀時代の取引で生じた負担を補償するよう求めていた訴訟は１０日、預保機構が１１０億円を支払うことで和解が成立した。

　新生銀が補償を求めていたのは、旧長銀の大口融資先で破産したリゾート開発会社「イ・アイ・イ－インターナショナル」の資産売却訴訟を巡り、新生銀がイ社の破産管財人に支払った和解金など約１５０億円。

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東京中央郵便局：日本郵政、早期解決へ一転妥協　　
解体工事が中止された東京中央郵便局＝東京都千代田区で２００９年３月６日午前１０時２９分、武市公孝撮影
解体工事が中止された東京中央郵便局＝東京都千代田区で２００９年３月６日午前１０時２９分、武市公孝撮影

　東京中央郵便局（東京都千代田区）の再開発は、日本郵政が登録有形文化財を目指して局舎の保存部分を拡大する方針を示し、鳩山邦夫総務相が容認の考えを示したことで、再開発をめぐる対立は収束に向かう見通しだ。日本郵政は「できるだけ保存できるよう設計を見直したい」としている。ただ、登録有形文化財には明確な基準がなく、今後は文化庁との調整が焦点となる。

　東京中央郵便局をめぐり、日本郵政の西川善文社長は「登録有形文化財の指定を望んでいるわけではない」と明言していた。日本郵政が一転、見直しを決めたのは、鳩山総務相と対立したまま再開発が進まなくなった場合、テナント料として見込んでいる年間１００億円の利益が入ってこなくなるためだ。鳩山総務相が保存部分を拡大すれば高層ビル化してもよいと容認する考えを示したこともあり、対決より妥協を選んだようだ。

　今後は、保存のあり方について文化庁と日本郵政の調整が注目される。有形文化財には、全体の７割を保存した旧文部省庁舎（東京都千代田区）が登録された例があるものの、「何％残せば登録という基準はない」（文化庁幹部）。日本郵政の現行計画では局舎の約２割が保存されるだけだが、文化庁は現状に近い形での保存を主張している。

　日本郵政は「１１年度の完成を遅らせないように早期解決を図りたい」としており、今後、具体的な妥協案を模索する考えだ。また、大阪中央郵便局（大阪市北区）の再開発についても計画を凍結し、保存を再検討する。文化庁との協議は、大阪の再開発にも影響を与えそうだ。

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厚労省調査：正社員５年半ぶり過剰　臨時雇用も７年ぶり

　厚生労働省が１０日公表した２月の労働経済動向調査によると、従業員の過不足を表す指数（ＤＩ）が、正社員は５年半ぶりに、期間従業員ら臨時雇用は７年ぶりにプラス（不足）からマイナス（過剰）に転じた。パートも９年９カ月ぶりに過剰となった。昨年１１月の前回調査からの下落幅は８４年の調査開始以降最大となり、雇用情勢の悪化が急速に進んだことが裏付けられた。

　ＤＩは従業員が「不足」と答えた企業の割合から「過剰」と答えた割合を差し引いて算出する。調査は従業員３０人以上の企業を対象に年４回実施、３００１社が回答した。

　調査結果によると、正社員のＤＩはマイナス１１（前回はプラス１３）、臨時雇用はマイナス１３（同プラス１３）、パートはマイナス１（同プラス２２）。中途解除が問題になった期間従業員や正社員の急激な変化が目立った。

　また、昨年１０～１２月に雇用調整を実施したのは３５％（前回比１１ポイント増）で、残業規制（２１％）や派遣労働者の削減（１２％）、配置転換（１１％）が多かった。１～３月に雇用調整を実施予定の企業は４１％で、雇用調整がさらに広がる実態が示された。

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国際収支：１３年ぶり経常赤字　投資収益も陰り　円高、金利低下が影響

　日本の１月の経常収支が１３年ぶりの赤字に転落し、赤字額は１７２８億円と過去最大となった。世界不況で自動車・家電などの輸出が激減していることに加え、所得収支が急激に落ち込んでいるためだ。海外に依存した日本経済の脆弱（ぜいじゃく）さを示した形で、市場では「世界不況で輸出と投資が減り続ければ、低迷が今後も続く可能性がある」（アナリスト）との見方も出ている。

　日本の経常収支は９０年代後半以降、毎月１兆～３兆円ペースで黒字を積み上げてきた。対米輸出を中心に貿易黒字が拡大。これに加え、日本企業の海外進出の加速により現地企業からの配当収益が増加、米国など高金利国での債券運用も好調で、所得収支も大幅な黒字となった。０８年通期では貿易黒字４兆円に対し、所得収支の黒字は約１６兆円となるなど、投資収益が輸出をしのぐ日本経済の「もうけの源泉」となった。

　しかし、年明け以降、海外現地法人の業績不振などで日本企業が受け取る配当金が急減。相次ぐ利下げで欧米の長期金利が低下したことや、円高により海外債券の運用益も落ち込み、１月の所得収支の黒字は前年同月比３割以上も減った。

　米欧の景気悪化による輸出減で、貿易収支は昨年１１月から３カ月連続で赤字に転落。運輸などのサービス収支も急速に落ち込み、１月の貿易・サービス収支の赤字は１兆１００２億円に膨らんだ。

　経常収支は現行の統計方式になった８５年以降、９０年１月（６８億円）、９１年１月（１４３億円）、９６年１月（２５６億円）と過去３回赤字を記録したが、いずれも正月休みによる輸出減が主因。しかし、今回はこれに加え「世界的な不況で輸出で外貨を稼ぎ、海外投資でもうけを拡大する構造が変調した」（外資系証券）。経常赤字が続けば、海外からの資金流入に経済活動を依存する傾向が強まる。日本にとって、長期金利急上昇などの弊害が懸念される。【赤間清広】

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　■ことば
　◇経常収支

　外国との間のモノやサービス、投資取引の収支を表す統計。自動車や電化製品などのモノや、旅行や運送などのサービスの輸出額から輸入額を差し引いた「貿易・サービス収支」▽対外直接投資や証券投資に伴う海外からの配当・利子など投資収益の結果を示す「所得収支」▽政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）のうち、医薬品など対価を伴わない現物援助を表す「経常移転収支」の三つで構成される。

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大豆製品：女性は食べ過ぎにご用心

　大豆製品をたくさん食べる女性は、あまり食べない女性に比べて肝臓がんになる危険性が３～４倍に高まることが、厚生労働省の研究班（主任研究者、津金昌一郎・国立がんセンター予防研究部長）の大規模調査で分かった。大豆に含まれるイソフラボンは、乳がんのリスクを減らすことが知られており、研究班は「食事を通して適度に取るのがいい」としている。

　研究班は９３年から０５年まで、６府県の男女約２万人（開始時４０～６９歳）の健康状態を追跡した。うち１０１人（男性６９人、女性３２人）が肝臓がんになった。アンケートで大豆食品をどれぐらい食べるかを尋ね、イソフラボンの２成分の摂取量と発症との関連を調べた。

　その結果、摂取量とリスクの関連が明らかになったのは女性だけで、摂取量が最も多い群（１日あたり豆腐８０グラム以上、納豆３分の２パック以上）が肝臓がんになるリスクは、最も少ない群（同豆腐４０グラム未満、納豆３分の１パック未満）のリスクの約３．２～３．９倍だった。

　研究班の倉橋典絵・国立がんセンター予防研究部研究員によると、イソフラボンの分子構造は、女性ホルモンのエストロゲンに似ている。エストロゲンは乳がんのリスクを高める半面、肝臓がんには予防作用があり、イソフラボンの過剰摂取がこうした作用を妨げると考えられる。

　倉橋研究員は「肝臓がんの最大のリスク要因はＢ型、Ｃ型肝炎ウイルス。女性の場合、まず感染の有無を調べ、感染が分かれば大豆製品の取りすぎに注意してほしい。感染していなくても過度の取りすぎには注意が必要」と指摘する。