For Xi Jinping, expected to become China’s president over the next year, the first major foreign policy decision will be whether to shed North Korea or effectively adopt it as a province. 来年国家主席になると予想される習近平にとって最初の外交的判断は北朝鮮を見放すのか、それとも自国の省のように (傀儡国家として)扱うのかを決めることだが
All indications are that Beijing will pursue the latter course, in no small part because of a bias among its leadership to support the status quo, rather than to confront dramatic change. And yet “adopting” North Korea could be dramatic in itself. China may go all in, doling out early invitations and new assistance packages to the young Mr. Kim, conditioning them on promises of economic reform. 全ての兆候から見て中国政府は後者(北朝鮮の属国化)を選ぶようだ。北朝鮮のドラマティックな変化ではなくて現状安定を 支持する。しかし北朝鮮の属国化というのもまた、ドラマティックな変化であり得る。中国は金正恩を早期に訪中させ全面的 に肩入れし、支援して経済改革を約束させるかも知れない。
While some observers hope that Kim Jong-il’s death will unleash democratic regime change, China will work strongly against that possibility, especially if such efforts receive support from South Korea or the United States. Given that Beijing has the only eyes inside the North, Washington and Seoul could do little in response. 金正日の死で政権の交代が起きることを期待するむきがあるが中国はそういう可能性を強く抑えつける。特にそうした動きが 韓国や米国の支持を得るなら尚更である。北朝鮮の内実を熟知するのは中国のみで韓国や米国には影響力を及ぼす手立てがない (略) None of this will be easy. For China, the uncertainty surrounding North Korea comes against the backdrop of Mr. Obama’s “pivot” to Asia and assertion that the region is America’s new strategic priority. This has already created insecurities in Beijing that will make genuine dialogue with the United States even more challenging ? and thus all the more necessary. 北朝鮮をめぐる米中韓の対話と協力が望ましいのだが、それは容易ではない。オバマ政権のアジア政策が中国との対決含みの ものとなりアメリカのアジアに於けるプレゼンスの強化が新たな戦略になっている折から、必要な米中の対話協力には問題が 多い状況である
(Reuters) - North Korea's new young leader will have to share power with an uncle and the military after the death of his father Kim Jong-il as the isolated country shifts to collective rule from strongman dictatorship, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said. 中国と北朝鮮に近しいソースに依れば金正恩は伯父と北朝鮮軍との権力の共有をせざるを得ない。北朝鮮は集団指導体制に 進む。
The source added that the military, which is trying to develop a nuclear arsenal, has pledged allegiance to the untested Kim Jong-un who takes over the family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since it was founded after world War Two. ソースに依れば北朝鮮軍は核開発を推進しており、金正恩への忠誠を誓っている。
The source also said Beijing was only notified of Kim's death earlier on Monday, the same day that North Korean state television broadcast the news. Kim died on Saturday. 更にソースに依れば、中国政府は金正日の死を月曜日に知ったという。金正日は土曜日に死去している。
The source declined to be identified but has correctly predicted events in the past, telling Reuters about the North's first nuclear test in 2006 before it took place. このソースは身元を明かせないが2006年の核実験を実施前にロイターに告げている
The situation in North Korea appeared stable after the military gave its backing to Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong-un, the source said. 北朝鮮軍の金正恩支持のあと状況は平穏であるという。
"It's very unlikely," the source said when asked about the possibility of a military coup. "The military has pledged allegiance to Kim Jong-un." 軍によるクーデターの可能性について、このソースは「大変考えにくい」という、。「軍は既に金正恩に忠誠を誓っている」
With no military strongman, North Korea will be ruled by collective leadership, including Kim Jong-un, his uncle and the military, the source said. 軍部の協力な指導者の不在のため北朝鮮は金正恩とその叔父、軍による集団指導体制に進むとソースは言っている
Jang Song-thaek, 65, brother-in-law of Kim Jong-il and the younger Kim's uncle, was named in 2009 to the National Defense Commission, the supreme leadership council Kim Jong-il led as head of the military state. The source also said the North Korea test-fired a missile on Monday to warn the United States not to make any moves against it. Pyongyang also had no immediate plans for further tests barring an escalation of tensions. 伯父の張成沢は金正日の義弟で2009年に国家防衛評議会任命されている。ソースに依れば月曜日のミサイル発射は米国に 対して介入不要との警告を発するものである。今後、緊張のエスカレーションがなければm更にミサイル試射を行う計画 は無いという。
"With the missile test, (North) Korea wanted to deliver the message that they have the ability to protect themselves," the source said. 「ミサイル試射は北朝鮮が自己の防衛能力のあることを告げるためのものだ」という。
"But (North) Korea is unlikely to conduct a nuclear test in the near future unless provoked" by the United States and South Korea, the source said. 「北朝鮮は挑発のない限り、近い将来に核実験の予定はない」
on Tuesday welcomed the new North Korean leader to visit after his father's death. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Vice-President Xi Jinping also visited the hermit state's embassy in Beijing to express their condolences on Tuesday. Roads leading to the embassy were blocked. 火曜日に胡錦濤主席と習近平副主席は北京の北朝鮮大使館を弔問に訪れ金正恩を支持している (後略)
チェコの前大統領、 Vaclav Havelが逝去して日本以外の国では多くの覆棺録が書かれ、彼の才能を惜しむ評論が書かれている。 国内で彼が殆ど知られていないのは国内マスゴミが無視(無知ゆえに)しているためであるけれど、世界はそうではない。 以下はFTに掲載されたもの ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/04d440d8-2a7e-11e1-8f04-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1h9sH6Xmd Spontaneity or slogans: the lessons of Vaclav Havel’s greengrocer By John Kay
Havel in the 1970s, like Orwell in the 1940s, denounced the debasement of political language. But the cancer spread. The private sector mastered the art of speech without thought through management jargon. These techniques were then reimported into politics. The interval in which Clement Attlee and Dwight Eisenhower made speeches in the conversational language of ordinary intelligent people proved brief. Political discourse has reverted to strings of sound bites, the process Orwell described as “gumming together long strips of words, which have already been set in order by someone else”. Vacuous slogans are today found as often on the walls of public sector offices as in the business sector.
Orwell insisted that the meaning should choose the word, and not the other way about. For Havel, in the more desperate environment of communist Czechoslovakia, the issue was “the rehabilitation of values like trust, openness, responsibility, solidarity, love”. We miss the unflinching intellectual integrity of these great writers.
【ワシントン=山口香子】米国務省のヌーランド報道官は20日の記者会見で、北朝鮮の金正日総書記の死去を受けてクリン トン国務長官が19日に発表した声明に哀悼の文言が含まれなかったことについて、「(哀悼は)適切ではないとの判断だっ た」と述べた。 米国としては、哀悼の意の表明は行わない方針を明確に示したものだ。 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 国務省記者会見記録、21日 ttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2011/12/179214.htm Q:・・・And secondly, why was there a decision ? or why is there no expression of condolence?
MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, let me just take issue with the way you characterized the statement of one line in the statement. For those of you who haven’t seen it is the following, “It is our hope that the new leadership of the DPRK will choose to guide their nation on to the path of peace by honoring North Korea’s commitments, improving relations with neighbors, and respecting the rights of its people.” So when you ask what do we want to see happen? We want to see the new leadership of the DPRK take their country in the direction of denuclearization, in the direction of compliance with their international obligations and commitments. We want to see them have better relations, particularly with South Korea, but obviously, with all of the neighbors, and then respecting the rights of their people.
She goes on at some length about what we hope to see for the North Korean people. So this was intended to be a signal of our expectations and hopes for the new regime along the lines that I just outlined here. With regard to the C-word, I think we didn’t considerate it appropriate in this case.
>>With regard to the C-word, I think we didn’t considerate it appropriate in this case.
LONDON (MarketWatch)-- The European Central Bank on Wednesday said that 523 banks requested a total of 489 billion euros ($641 billion) in funding from the central bank. The move is part of a drive to increase liquidity and curtail the threat of sovereign default by some euro-zone members. This was well above a Reuters consensus for 310 billion euros. The ECB's bank-funding operation, known as a longer-term refinancing operation, or LTRO, is open to euro-area banks. The loans run for three years. The funds are borrowed at the ECB's average benchmark interest rate, which stands at 1%. Italian and Spanish yields on government debt fell ahead of the auction. Markets across Europe accelerated gains on the news and U.S. stock futures also jumped.
多数派の見方かどうかはさておき、一部の欧米の論者に北朝鮮の体制崩壊の可能性が高いとするものもあって、代表例は Jack Pritchard; でもこの見方には強い反対意見もあるわけで・・いずれにせよ北朝鮮について情報は不確定な所が多 いのでビクトール・チャやフレッド・カプランも不確定要素については何も結論めいたことが言えないという・・
ttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g2PapwUZhTX9UIUA_GY__PZ3TtPw?docId=CNG.ea8fa14ec58d32430d4daba1f88f4a9e.1a1 Jack Pritchard, a former US negotiator with North Korea, said that the most urgent priority should be contingency planning as he believed there was a high chance that North Korea's system will collapse. Pritchard expected initial calm, but doubted that the North's all-powerful military would respect the young Kim, even if he is officially a four-star general. Pritchard said the late Kim was aware of the problem and hence tried to elevate the role of his Workers' Party, but with uncertain results. (For US and allies, a risky path on North Korea By Shaun Tandon (AFP) )
これはディプロマットに書いている中国専門家の Minxin Peiの北朝鮮論。ちょっと以外なのだけれど彼は中国が 北朝鮮をコントロールできる能力を、それ程大きいとは見ていないようで、北朝鮮の体制崩壊の可能性は低くない、 という。ただしその理由がちょっと変わっていて、独裁政権の王朝が三代続くと言うのは近代史では大変稀だから、 という。ううむ、何というか・・・いずれにせよ2011年というのは独裁者と独裁政権の厄年のようで、ムバラクか らカダフィまで次々に倒れてゆくのを見せられた後では、あまり楽観的になるのも考えもので(ry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ttp://the-diplomat.com/2011/12/21/how-kim-death-risks-china-crisis/ How Kim Death Risks China Crisis December 21, 2011 By Minxin Pei
The death of Kim Jong-il has heightened the chances of the North Korean regime collapsing. The U.S. and China must be careful not to get sucked into the chaos.
Of course, a clash between the United States and China over North Korea needs not happen under the best scenario, in which Kim Jong-il’s designated successor, Kim Jong-un, manages to establish his authority and gain the support of North Korea’s military and security forces quickly. If this is the case, Beijing, South Korea, and Washington will be only too happy to extend aid so that the status quo can be maintained.
Unfortunately, the chances for Kim Jong-un doing so aren’t good. No modern authoritarian dynastic regime has succeeded in passing power to the third generation (mostly because of the fall of the second-generation rulers). Unlike his father, who had at least two decades to be groomed into his role as the heir apparent, Kim Jong-un, still in his late twenties, has barely three years of political apprenticeship and, reports suggest, a weak character.(ry
声明によれば、ミサイルなどは首都ヘルシンキ東方約120キロにあるコトカ港で、英国船籍の船舶に対する税関検査を 実施した際に見つかった。この船舶には約30人の乗組員がいるという。 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *パトリオット・ミサイルの密輸とは・・・ロイターに依ればドイツから中国ゆきだという ttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/21/us-finland-missiles-idUSTRE7BK19I20111221 Finnish police probe ship with missile cargo Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:10am EST
(Reuters) - Finnish police are investigating a ship for carrying missiles and explosive materials without permission while stopping in Finland en route from Germany to China.
Authorities searched cargo ship Thor Liberty in Kotka, southern Finland, and found 69 Patriot missiles with explosives and 150 tonnes of explosive material called nitroguanidine, the National Bureau of Investigation said. The ship was sailing under an Isle of Man flag and had stopped to load cables on board. Finnish media earlier said the ship was also scheduled to stop in South Korea, but police did not confirm that. A Finnish safety official said the boat had initially been stopped because the nitroguanidine did not appear to be stowed properly. The ship's owner, Thorco Shipping, was not immediately available for comment.
Dock workers loading a shipment of anchor chains noticed the weapons and alerted authorities. Helsinki Times reports that the explosive had been loaded in Germany on the ship, known as the Thor Liberty, and the ship is reported to have Isle of Man flags. Officials told the AP that if the weapons are found to be illegal the cargo will be impounded. 港湾労働者は、この船にアンカーチェインを積み込む作業中に武器を発見して当局に通報した。ヘルシンキ・タイムズ に依れば爆薬はドイツで積み込まれている。貨物船はマン島(英国とアイルランドの中間で自治権を持つ)の旗を掲げ ている。当局は積荷が違法(密輸)とわかれば貨物船を拘置するという。
According to Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen, the cargo manifest of the M/S Thor Liberty on which 69 Patriot ground-to-air missiles were found, listed the weapons as "fireworks". She said that documents associated with the containers holding the missiles carried the name of a South Korean individual. フィンランド内務大臣のPaivi Rasanenに依れば、貨物船/S Thor Libertyで発見された69個のパトリオット・ミサイルは 書類上は花火と記載され、所有者の名前は韓国人の個人のものであるという。
【ニューヨーク共同】米インターネットサービス大手ヤフーが、保有する日本ヤフーの株式35%を全てソフトバンクに売却 することを検討している。複数の米メディアが21日報じた。中国のネット企業アリババグループの株式持ち分も減らす方向 という。米ヤフーは、グーグルや交流サイト大手フェイスブックとの競争激化で業績が伸び悩み、事業戦略の見直しを進めて いる。米紙ニューヨーク・タイムズ電子版によると、計画全体で170億ドル(約1兆3200億円)規模の取引となる見通し。 売却が実現すれば、日本ヤフーは1996年の設立以来の米ヤフーとの資本関係を解消する --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/yahoo-to-consider-sale-of-asian-assets/?scp=1&sq=yahoo%20japan&st=cse DECEMBER 21, 2011, 3:25 PM MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Yahoo to Consider Sale of Asian Assets BY EVELYN M. RUSLI AND MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED
The board of Yahoo is considering a sale of the bulk of the company’s valuable holdings in the Alibaba Group of China and Yahoo’s Japanese affiliate back to their majority owners in a complicated transaction that values the stakes at about $17 billion, according to people briefed on the matter. ・・・ The proposal values Yahoo’s 40 percent in Alibaba at about $12 billion and its 35 percent stake in Yahoo Japan at about $5 billion. It could be executed either as a stand-alone deal or alongside a minority investment in Yahoo by Silver Lake or TPG. ・・・ Both Alibaba and Softbank are keen to reclaim the stakes. Should the board reject the deal for the Asian holdings, the two companies are prepared to bid for all of Yahoo in conjunction with private equity partners, one of the people briefed on the matter said.
ロイターの、こういう↓記事もあるのでアイオワ州でのロン・ポール躍進を、あまり過大視しないほうが良いのでは? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/21/us-usa-campaign-paul-idUSTRE7BK0PE20111221 Ron Paul may struggle outside Iowa By Ros Krasny and Jason Lange Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:15am EST ロン・ポールは、アイオワ州の外では支持獲得に苦しむかもしれない
(Reuters) - Congressman Ron Paul is one of the favorites to win the Iowa caucuses vote on January 3 but his libertarian and isolationist message may be too much for Republican voters and party grandees as the nomination process moves to other states.
○CNNの調査でボルトに対する購入検討をする人は7月に1%であったがバッテリー火災の事故のあと0.6%に低下した。 ボルトの販売のネックは、なんといっても高価格で、税金控除があるとはいえ $39,995.の価格はキツイ。リーフは $36,050である(連邦政府の税金控除は$7,500) "The big obstacle is price," says Craig Giffi, vice chairman and automotive sector leader for consultants Deloitte. The difference between electric and conventional cars "is still not at the trigger point that gets consumers to run out and buy electric."
○オバマ政権の目標は2015年に100万台のEVを実現すること。
○2012年にはプリウスのプラグインはじめ、フォードのFocus Electric、三菱の a small, odd-looking, four-door called simply the iとかフォードの C-Max plug-in small vanが出てくる
The risk of a dangerous misunderstanding following the death of Kim Jong-il is real. The U.S. should propose secret talks with Beijing on how to move forward.
Domestic energy demand growth in Saudi Arabia is cause for international concern. If it continues at the current rate, it could jeopardize the country's ability to stabilize world oil markets. サウジアラビアは政策的に国内石油価格を極めて安価に保ってきたので、近年では国内石油消費が急増しており国際的に 関心の的になってきている。このままの低価格政策と消費増加が続けばサウジアラビアが国際石油市場での安定化装置と して機能できなくなる恐れがある。
Chatham House simulations reveal that, on the current trajectory, Saudi Arabia’s domestic energy consumption could limit its exports of oil within a decade. This would have a severe effect on government spending, over 80% of which is dependent on oil revenues.
Ultimately, it may reduce Saudi Arabia’s spare production capacity, causing greater volatility in the world oil markets. Next, the report considers the role of historically low energy prices in the kingdom in both driving these unsustainable consumption trends and inhibiting measures to correct them. Internationally, this issue is receiving increasing attention, with several multilateral bodies calling for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies
HELSINKI ? A shipment of 69 surface-to-air missiles impounded by Finnish authorities was a legitimate delivery from Germany to South Korea, a German official said Thursday. The announcement came after Finnish authorities seized the Patriot missiles and 160 tons of explosives on a British-registered cargo ship and detained two Ukrainian crew members on suspicion of violating weapons export laws.
Police said the missiles didn’t have the right transit documents and the explosive picric acid wasn’t properly stored on the M/S Thor Liberty, which docked in Kotka, southern Finland, on Dec. 15. フィンランドの警察はミサイル輸送は正規のトランジット文書を有せず爆薬の荷造りが充分安全にされていなかったという
A spokesman for Germany’s Defense Ministry said the missiles were an official shipment that was fully declared and had all necessary clearings from German authorities. ドイツ国防省広報官はミサイルは正規に出荷されたもので必要な書類や手続を済ませていると述べた。
“Those patriot guided missiles are from the Bundeswehr’s stocks and have been shipped to South Korea” according to an intergovernmental treaty, he said, declining to be named in line with government policy. 「このパトリオット・ミサイルは国家の貯蔵分から、二国間の協定に従い韓国に向けて出荷されたもの」と述べた
He said no explosives were part of the shipment and he didn’t have any information on that part of the impounded cargo. 広報官は出荷されたものは爆薬を含まず、それについては情報はないと述べた。(後略)
The Ron Paul Portfolio As reported by the Wall Street Journal:
Most members of Congress, like many Americans, hold some real estate, a few bonds or bond mutual funds, some individual stocks and a bundle of stock funds. Give or take a few percentage points, a typical Congressional portfolio might have 10% in cash, 10% in bonds or bond funds, 20% in real estate, and 60% in stocks or stock funds.
But Ron Paul’s portfolio isn’t merely different. It’s shockingly different.
Yes, about 21% of Rep. Paul’s holdings are in real estate and roughly 14% in cash. But he owns no bonds or bond funds and has only 0.1% in stock funds. Furthermore, the stock funds that Rep. Paul does own are all “short,” or make bets against, U.S. stocks. One is a “double inverse” fund that, on a daily basis, goes up twice as much as i ts stock benchmark goes down.
The remainder of Rep. Paul’s portfolio – fully 64% of his assets – is entirely in gold and silver mining stocks....
At our request, William Bernstein, an investment manager at Efficient Portfolio Advisors in Eastford, Conn., reviewed Rep. Paul’s portfolio as set out in the annual disclosure statement. Mr. Bernstein says he has never seen such an extreme bet on economic catastrophe. ”This portfolio is a half-step away from a cellar-full of canned goods and nine-millimeter rounds,” he says.
One should expect neither coup nor reform. Leaders in the outside world should prepare themselves for the high probability of a regime that will look?and, worse, act?very much like its predecessor.
ANDREI LANKOV の言っていることは、至極もっともなのですが、ただしパール先生の言うように、こういう体制というのは 何かの外的ショックなどで崩れる時は一気に崩れる傾向があるからコンテンジェンシー計画が必要というのも、もっともな事 に思えます。独裁政権の若く未経験な三代目への権力継承というのは、リスクの多い時期ではあるわけで・・
ECEMBER 22, 2011, 1:51 PM ET Goldman’s O’Neill: I Underestimated Euro-zone Ineptness MARKETBEAT By Min Zeng Jim O’Neill(ゴールドマンサックス・アセットマネジメント会長)の来年の相場予想 WSJマーケットビート
Jim O’Neill, chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, has two bold calls for currency markets in 2012: a 14% plunge in the Swiss franc versus the euro and a nearly 30% surge in the US dollar against the yen. Jim O’Neillは二つの大胆な2012予想を語った。スイスフランの対ユーロでの14%の下落、日本円の対ドルでの30%下落
In a phone interview Thursday, O’Neill placed these as his top favorite trades for next year. The first of those calls was driven by his prediction that Switzerland’s central bank will take even more aggressive actions to stifle the strength of the Swiss franc. The second hinges on the prospects for an upside surprise in the U.S. economy next year, which would potentially push the dollar to or even above Y100 versus the yen from it current level near Y78. スイスフランはスイス中央銀行の更なる攻撃的政策でスイスフラン安を実現するだろうとし、米国経済の改善によって円は 対ドルで100円を上回り得るとした。
O’Neill was less committed in his forecasts for the euro versus the dollar. He acknowledged that the euro could wilt as a function of the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis, the region’s weaker growth outlook than the U.S., and because of more easing from the European Central Bank, but he also noted that the bar for a recovery in the euro is low because of the overly bearish sentiment. “I think the euro is more likely to be at $1.10 than $1.50 but I am not sure whether we see either,” said Mr. O’Neill, picking a range that straddles the European currency’s current value versus the dollar near $1.30. ユーロについては$1.5に向かうよりは$1.1に向かいそうだとしたが、いずれにせよ不透明とした。(後略)
これはレバノンのインテリ御用達紙であるディリースターの社説で、エジプト経済の「ダウンワード・スパイラル」 を警告し、エジプトの先行きに警鐘を発する。エジプトのリベラルな民主化勢力の期待したムバラクの追放による 自由化は、結果としてイスラミストの台頭と経済混乱を招いていて、改善の見通しが立たない・・・ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Editorial/2011/Dec-22/157586-downward-spiral.ashx#axzz1hFyS5S00 Downward spiral December 22, 2011 01:39 AM The Daily Star エジプトのダウンワード・スパイラル ディリー・スター社説(レバノン)22日
The latest news coming out of Egypt reveals that the country is experiencing nothing short of a catastrophe. エジプトから来る最新のニュースというのはいずれも、彼の国がカタストロフの最中にあることを示すものばかりである
Egypt has long depended on tourism, investments and industry to keep afloat, and the ongoing volatile security situation is damaging all of these key sectors. エジプト経済は長きにわたって観光収入や投資に依存してきたが、現状の不安定な治安状況がそのセクターを害している
The immediate euphoria which followed the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February has proven short-lived. Violence, which has simmered since the first round of elections in late November, has flared up again, with 13 dead over the last few days alone. 2月のムバラク追放時のユーフォリア(お祭り気分の高揚)は長続きせず、11月の選挙をきっかけに、暴力が再度高まって いて、過去数日に13人が死亡している
Almost inevitably Moody’s ratings agency downgraded Egypt Wednesday, with the national credit risk second only to Greece. こうした状況であるのでムーディーズが水曜日にエジプトを格下げしたのは致し方ないことで、エジプトの格付けはギリシャ につぐ低いものとなった
Investors will continue to withdraw from the country, and potential tourists will continue to book their holidays elsewhere as long as such instability continues. 投資家はエジプトから資金を引き上げ観光客は政情不安定のエジプトを避けている
Recent protests, led by liberal and non-sectarian protesters, the same ones who spearheaded the original demonstrations against Mubarak, were harshly put down by army forces. The brutality witnessed shows that the army, regardless of its promises of reform, is no different from the security forces of Mubarak’s era. 最近のリベラル勢力の抗議行動はムバラク追放時と同じものだが禿しく武力鎮圧された。軍部の行動はムバラク時代と変わる 所がない
Further than this, however, the interim rulers seem to have made some tacit agreement with the country’s Islamists: a power-sharing alliance of potentially ominous nature. After years in the wilderness, the Muslim Brotherhood are leading the vote after the first round of elections, with the Salafi Islamists not far behind. 更に暫定(軍事)政権はイスラミストと戦術的合意を結んだように見えて、パワーシェアリングによる統治を目指しているよう だ。ムスリム同胞団は過去にワイルドな行動の歴史を持つのだがサラフィ・イスラミストと共に選挙で多数派を占めている
But these years spent underground have given the Islamist parties time to organize: to solidify agendas and build support bases. ムスリム同胞団が非合法であった時代にイスラミスト政党は組織化を達成する時間があってムスリムの基盤の上に強固なアジ ェンダを結集させるものであった
So while liberal protesters believed that the violence experienced earlier in the year would lead to regime change, to democracy and freedom, their aspirations appear already dead in the water. それ故、リベラル勢力の信じていた暴力的抗議行動による政権交代が民主化と自由化をもたらすという希望は、すでに暗礁に乗 り上げている
For so long religion has filled the gap left by the absence of political democracy in Egypt, as with many other countries in the region, and combined with this interim period of government, we see a fertile ground for those wishing to sow dissent. エジプトに於いては、かくも長きにわたって、政治的民主化の不在によるギャップを宗教が埋めてきた。中東地域の多くの国も そうなのだが、政府が移行期間にあることと関連して反政府行動を育てる肥沃な土地になる。
Certain people have taken advantage of this lacuna to push their own agendas ? agendas entirely at odds with the protesters’ original demands for liberalism, individuality and for equality. This open invitation paves the way for an Egypt marked by violence, disobedience and increasing poverty ? a country which looks set to regress, and where the ordinary Egyptian will pay for the mistakes of others. ある種の人々は、この欠陥を利用して彼らのアジェンダを実現しようとする。そのアジェンダというのはリベラリズムに基づく オリジナルの抗議行動のアジェンダとは異なるものである。このことが、普通のエジプト国民がそのつけを支払うであろう経済 の停滞や暴力の増加、秩序の喪失を招く。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *このスレでも、こうしたシナリオに陥ることは当初から懸念されていた。I told you so の典型的ケースであるけれど 一方、お馬鹿な国内メディアはお花畑満開でファンタジー満ちた「エジプト民主化」の大絶賛を続けていた
Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to approve the final rule for the Westinghouse AP1000
・・・One of NRCs longest-serving staff warned in NRC documents that the reactors containment could shatter like a glass cup due to flaws in the design of the shield building if impacted by an earthquake or commercial aircraft. In the publicly released votes on the matter, Chairman Greg Jaczko disapproved the proposal to allow the acceleration of reactor construction, Commissioner George Apostolakis voted to approve it, and Commissioner William Magwoods vote did not refer to it. In the final vote, Chairman Jaczko was overridden by his colleagues.(ry
ttp://energy.gov/articles/secretary-chu-statement-ap1000-reactor-design-certification “The Administration and the Energy Department are committed to restarting America’s nuclear industry ? creating thousands of jobs in the years ahead and powering our nation’s homes and businesses with domestic, low-carbon energy,” said Secretary Chu. “Today’s decision certifying the AP1000 reactor design marks an important milestone towards constructing the first U.S. nuclear reactors in three decades.”
北朝鮮の現状評論を幾つか、主に保守陣営のものを中心に紹介したので、リベラル系のものも1つだけ紹介。 これはNYTのニコラス・クリストフの書いているもの。このしとは、ほとんど共産党員並(少なくとも 一時期アメリカの共産主義運動に参加していた)の中国礼賛者、特亜礼賛者でアンチ日本の人。 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American officials blame China for coddling North Korea, but at least Beijing has a strategy. It is to encourage the Kim regime to replicate the opening and reform policies that transformed China itself. These days, Chinese traders, cellphones, DVDs and CDs are already common in border areas of North Korea, doing more to undermine Kim rule than any policy of the United States.
There are no good solutions. But let’s take advantage of the leadership transition to try a dose of outreach. If we can inch toward diplomatic relations, trade and people-to-people exchanges, we’re not rewarding a monstrous regime. We just might be digging its grave.American officials blame China for coddling North Korea, but at least Beijing has a strategy. It is to encourage the Kim regime to replicate the opening and reform policies that transformed China itself. These days, Chinese traders, cellphones, DVDs and CDs are already common in border areas of North Korea, doing more to undermine Kim rule than any policy of the United States.
There are no good solutions. But let’s take advantage of the leadership transition to try a dose of outreach. If we can inch toward diplomatic relations, trade and people-to-people exchanges, we’re not rewarding a monstrous regime. We just might be digging its grave. ttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/opinion/kristof-a-new-kim-a-new-chance.html?_r=1 OP-ED COLUMNIST A New Kim. A New Chance? By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: December 21, 2011
Among those attending were French President Nicolas Sarkozy, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, his wife Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was born in Prague. Also, British Prime Minister David Cameron and former British Prime Minister John Major came.
11.08am: Here is what Syria's official state news agency, Sana, is saying about the explosions: Two terrorist attacks on Friday targeted [the] state security directorate and another security branch in Damascus, causing many military and civilian deaths and the majority were civilians. Preliminary investigations indicated that that the criminal attack carries the blueprints of al-Qaida. The two attacks, according to the investigations, were carried out by two suicide bombers with two booby-trapped cars. シリアの公式発表ではアルカイダの攻撃が疑われるとしている。
*このニュースは依然として流動的な状況のもので、事実関係は明確ではない。ガーディアンに依れば自動車爆弾攻撃は アサド政権のヤラセではないかという説もあるという。 11.17am: The Arab Digest, a blog by a Middle East reporter, says the Damascus attack is reminiscent of the 2005 assassination of the Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which was also initially blamed on al-Qaida. It speculates that the Assad regime is behind today's attacks for the following reasons:
1. Friday is a day off which means more civilians will die than security services. 2. Arab League observers just arrived in town, and such operations serve the regime's reasoning of current events, and justifies to some extent its heavy handedness. 3. Precedence. The regime has allegedly used a suicide bomber in Lebanon's Hariri assassination. It adds: The fact that the regime quickly accused al-Qaida and had a team of media people quickly reporting and analysing this, will draw more suspicions regarding its possible involvement.
Japanese magician Mariko Itakura, whose stage name is Princess Tenko, said she has been asked by Kim’s family to attend the funeral. The late dictator was an avid fan of the 51-year-old performer and had collected videos of all her shows.
BEIJING?China is planning to reduce spending on railway construction next year following a deadly high-speed rail crash in July, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday, citing the country's railway minister. China will spend 400 billion yuan ($63.3 billion) in 2012 for the construction of railway infrastructure, down from 469 billion yuan this year and 700 billion yuan in 2010, Xinhua said. 中国の鉄道建設予算は、2010年に700B元、2011年に469B元、来年の2012年の計画は400B元。
Railway construction was scaled back earlier this year as the government decided to slow the development of high -speed rail lines after a deadly train crash in July, Xinhua also said. 中国政府は高速鉄道の衝突事故の後、高速鉄道建設のスピードを落とすべく決定していると新華社が伝えた
ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16292244 Dock workers became suspicious after finding explosives poorly stored on open pallets, and the missiles were then found in containers marked "fireworks".
これはストラテジー・ページの記事で内容を検証できないけれど、もしこのとおりならシリアの状況は通信社などの伝える 以上に酷いもので・・ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.strategypage.com/qnd/pothot/articles/20111223.aspx December 23, 2011: Desertion in the army has reached crises proportions, with several thousand fleeing each day. So far, about ten percent of the 300,000 army troops have deserted. New conscripts are not showing up, and defying the government to come get them. Most of the lower ranking troops are Sunni Arabs, who are over 75 percent of the population and generally hostile to the government. The minorities (Alawites, Druze, Christians) serve as NCOs and officers, but do not want to be on the wrong side of a civil war, and not every minority family prospered under the Assads. So not even the non-Sunnis are guaranteed to remain loyal, and one Syrian general is reported to have deserted and fled to Turkey.
Unlike 30 years ago, when the Assads faced a rebellion by Islamic radicals, and put it down with one savage assault on the city of Hama, this uprising is much larger. One big massacre won't do it, and would probably only enflame the rebels to kill all Alawites, especially the Assads. ・・・ While many of the deserters just disappear, others join the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA). Leaving the army is often very dangerous, as sentries and NCOs have orders to shoot suspected deserters on sight. In some cases, mass desertions have led to over a hundred casualties among the fleeing soldiers. The FSA claims to have organized at least two dozen battalions all over the country.
シリアの事件についてイスラエル系のDEBKAは、アルカイダではないにせよ、スンニ派のテロリストという ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.debka.com/article/21596/ Standing to one side are Iran, the Damascus and Baghdad rulers, Hizballah and the Palestinian extremist Hamas and Jihad Islami. Ranged against them are the Muslim Brotherhood and elements or associates of al Qaeda. They are backed with arms, funds, training and fighting strength by several Sunni Arab regimes, chiefly Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and Libya. Our counter-terror sources report an expanding flow of extremist Sunni infiltrators from Iraq into Syria and Lebanon. Not all are al Qaeda, as Assad claims. Some belong to the "Awakening Councils" which have evolved into the Iraqi Sunni tribal community's principal military arm. They were originally set up by Gen. David Petraeus, presently CIA Director, to fight al Qaeda. With US funding, training and commanders, these Sunni tribal fighters were successful from 2006 to 2008 in beating al Qaeda into the ground. But the final US military departure from Iraq this week left the Awakening Council fighters high and dry by. Prime Minister al-Maliki, who takes his orders from Tehran, refused to honor the contract to pay their wages and their families are destitute. As a result, many Iraqi Sunni fighting men decided to join up with al Qaeda. Their pursuit of a source of arms and a livelihood is taking them across borders into Syria and Lebanon where they join the ranks of anti-Assad Sunni militias, including the Free Syrian Army. Seasoned in the ways of violence, they were fully competent to carry out the deadly terrorist attacks in Baghdad and Damascus. More such outrages are certain to come, adding a whole new dimension to the popular campaign to unseat Bashar Assad as well as post-war Iraq.
ttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/23/state-department-condemns-bombings-in-syria-amid-questions-about-attackers/ Regardless of who was behind the attacks, the bombings mark a new stage in the level of violence in Syria. If the regime was willing to bomb its own people, as some suggested, it would show the lengths to which they are willing to go to stay in power. If the Syrian resistance is behind the attacks, it would show that Bashar Assad is more vulnerable than was previously thought and that Syria is at a point where it could split along religious lines into the type of war that broke out in Libya - only with more firepower. But the resistance denied responsibility for the attacks, calling them mysterious.
Summary: China's real estate market has overheated in the past. But Beijing has repeatedly said it would "cool" things down; it never did. Now, as the market corrects itself, a large part of the country's economy is convulsing, while sending shockwaves through the global economy.
The biggest unanswered question is whether existing investors -- the people holding all those sold but empty "ghost" condos and villas -- will join in the sell-off, which could turn the market's retreat into a rout.
Free Syrian Army Chief of Staff, Colonel Ahmad Hijazi told Al-Rai Kuwaiti newspaper on Saturday that the twin blasts that rocked Damascus on Friday were “the work of the Syrian regime [that were committed in order to blame] oppositionists [of involvement in] terrorism, score points in front of international public opinion and portray itself as the victim [before the eyes] of the Arab observers.” (シリアの反政府武装組織の)自由シリア軍(FSA)の参謀総長、 Ahmad Hijazi大佐はクエートのアラビア語新聞である Al-Raiのインタビューの中で、金曜日にダマスカスで起こった公安本部ビルの自動車爆弾テロをアサド政権の自演と非 難した。アラブ同盟の和平仲介オブザーバーの滞在する中、自己の主張に得点を求めて行ったものと述べた。 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Syrian+President+Assad+fall+matter+time+says+Baird/5904727/story.html Syrian President Assad's fall 'a matter of time,' says Baird By Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News December 24, 2011 カナダのBaird外相、ダマスカスのテロ事件はアルカイダの犯行との主張を否定し、アサド政権の崩壊は近いとコメント
OTTAWA ? Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and members of the Syrian opposition movement are dismissing as propaganda Syrian government claims that al-Qaida was behind two suicide attacks in the capital Damascus on Friday. "Canada will continue to put the squeeze on the Assad regime," Baird said. "Assad will fall, the government will fall, it's only a matter of time." 「カナダはアサド政権の退場を求め制裁の圧力継続する」「アサド大統領は失脚するだろう。政権の崩壊は単に時間の問題」
これ↓は、アサド政権の御用達メディアであるSANAの記事で、いわばアサド大統領の主張を伝えるもの -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2011/12/24/390395.htm The Visiting Chinese Delegation Condemn the Terrorist Acts in Damascus Dec 24, 2011 シリア訪問中の中国代表団はシリア政府を支持し、ダマスカスの事件をテロリストの犯行と非難した
SWEIDA, (SANA)-The Chinese delegation currently visiting Syria condemned the two terrorist acts which targeted security headquarters in Damascus on Friday, expressing solidarity with the Syrian people and confidence in their ability to overcome the crisis they are going through. During a visit to the southern province of Sweida on Saturday aimed at inspecting the reality of events in Syria, the delegation stressed that life is normal in the Syrian cities contrary to what is being promoted by the tendentious media that are falsifying facts and trying to mislead the local, Arab and international public opinion. Head of the delegation, an economic researcher at Xinhua University, said he visited the sites of the two terrorist attacks, stressing his support to Syria's right and duty in eliminating the armed terrorist groups. A member of the delegation, who works for a Chinese political magazine, described the two explosions as "terrorist acts par excellence". Other members of the delegation, that includes journalists and intellectual and academic figures, expressed their sorrow over the explosions which claimed the lives of 44 civilians and security personnel and injured 166 others, noting they will convey the real image of what is taking place in Syria to the Chinese people.
ttp://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151041#.TvY4QNRzrPY Hizbullah Calls US 'Mother of Terrorism' Hizbullah accused the United States of staging the deadly blasts in Damascus that killed 44 as its war of words with Washington escalates. By Gavriel Queenann First Publish: 12/24/2011, 10:25 PM ヒズボラはダマスカスのテロ事件について声明を発表し、米国を諸悪の根源と非難 イスラエル・ニュース
Hizbullah on Saturday blamed the United States for Friday's twin car bombings in Damascus that killed at least 44 and wounded at least 100, saying Washington was the "mother of terrorism." “These bombings which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of people, mostly women and children, are the specialty of the United States, the mother of terrorism,” Hizbullah said in a statement. ヒズボラは金曜日のダマスカスのテロ事件について声明を発表し、米国がテロを推進する諸悪の根源と述べた。「自動車爆弾 テロの犠牲者の多くは女性と子供であり、こうした仕業は諸悪の根源である米国(側勢力)のお得意である」とした
The terror group accused the U.S. of “specializing in targeting, killing and terrorizing the innocent in order to push them into bowing to the U.S. policy that is seeking to achieve the Zionist interest which the Americans put above any other consideration.” 声明は米国が「何よりも重要な目標としてシオニストの利益を守ることを掲げ、その為の政策は無垢な人々を殺戮する事を 専らにしている」としている。
Hizbullah, which is a major ally of Assad, said the timing of the bombings clearly signaled they were an act of revenge for the U.S. “defeat in Iraq" following the withdrawal of its troops from the warn-torn country. “This horrific terrorist crime committed by the enemies of humanity in the city of Damascus came one day after the coordinated bombings that targeted Baghdad and other Iraqi cities,” the statement said. ヒズボラはアサド政権の主要な同盟者であるが、自動車爆弾テロは、そのタイミングが示すように米国の為の復讐であるとした。 「ダマスカスの、人道上、言語道断なテロはバクダッド始めイラクの都市での同時爆破事件の後に起こっている」
It added, “This signals that the parties that stand to lose from the big defeat inflicted on the United States, which led to the humiliating withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, have begun a cowardly, bloody act of revenge by targeting all forces and states that helped the heroic Iraqi resistance in its Jihad [holy war] to evict the U.S. occupation.” 「この事件の示すものはイラクからの撤退で、中東での大きな敗退に苦しむ米国の側に立つ勢力が血なまぐさい復讐を始めた ということで、彼らはイラクの英雄的な対米抵抗勢力を敵としている」
ttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/kim-jong-il-north-korea-military.html Jang Song Taek, Kim Jong Un’s uncle and husband of the late dictator, Kim Kyong Hui, was shown wearing a military uniform with a general’s insignia, hinting at what many assume to be his emerging role as a go-between with the nation’s powerful military generals. 彼の役割について多くの推測がされていたが、軍服姿を示すことで、(金正恩と)軍の将軍たちとの橋渡しをする(go-between with)ことを暗示したと見られる
(CNN) -- Syrian troops shelled restive neighborhoods Saturday during a massive push in the city of Homs, activists said. An onslaught occurred in the flashpoint neighborhood of Bab Amr, said activists Abu Omar, based in the western city, and Alexander Page, speaking to CNN from Cairo, where he is in touch with people in Homs. Omar and Page said thousands of troops entered Homs. "They are surrounding the area from everywhere," Omar said. As CNN spoke to him by phone, heavy gunfire could be heard in the background. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ トルコのメディアに掲載されたシリア評論:イラクとシリアが急速に内戦に近づく ttp://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-266682-iraq-and-syria-are-unraveling.html It looks like the uprising in Syria is entering a new phase with two bombings in Damascus on Friday, killing 44 people. This was the most important attack on Syrian official installations since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011. Not surprisingly, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Jihadist militants for the attacks while his opponents blamed the government for staging the attack in order to convince the visiting Arab League delegation that there is nothing peaceful about the uprising against the regime.
In short, the situation in Syria is rapidly unraveling into a full-blown civil war. Instead of being absorbed by France and the Armenian issue, it is time for Turkey and the Turkish public to follow much more closely the situation on the ground in Syria. If things continue in the same direction, Ankara will have to consider much more seriously multilateral measures to stem the refugee flow from Syria. This may take the form of humanitarian corridors, a buffer zone near the Turkish border or safe havens within Syria. (Iraq and Syria are unraveling)
今日のベスト・ジョーク・ニュース(イランの通信社FARS、FNAのもの) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9007278788 Lebanese Analyst: US Using Al-Qaeda to Destabilize Syria News number: 9007278788 16:27 | 2011-12-25 レバノンのアナリスト「米国はシリアの不安定化のために、アルカイダを使っている」
TEHRAN (FNA)- A prominent Lebanese analyst said that the US is using the al-Qaeda elements to carry out terrorist attacks in Syria and destabilize the Arab state. Speaking to FNA, Director of the Arab and International Strategic Studies Center Qaleb Qandil said that Washington has freed hundreds of al-Qaeda prisoners in Iraq before withdrawing its forces from the war-torn country and infiltrated these terrorists into Syria to carry out attacks against the Syrian people. 著名なレバノンのアナリスト、アラブ国際戦略研究所所長のQaleb QandilはFNAに語って、米国政府はイラクからの撤退に 先立って数百人のアルカイダ囚人を開放し、彼らをシリアに潜入させ、シリア国民を攻撃させていると述べた(後略)
The trend is acute in states that are key to next year's presidential race. In the eight swing states that register voters by party, Democrats' registration is down by 800,000 and Republicans' by 350,000. Independents have gained 325,000. 有権者の政党離れは、選挙のキイとなるスウィング州で顕著であり、8つのスウィング州で登録民主党員は80万人減少し、 登録共和党員は35万人減少している。無党派層が32.5万人増えている。
Democratic registration has fared worse than Republicans in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina and Pennsylvania ? the eight swing states with party registration. Republican losses are biggest in Nevada, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. コロラド州、フロリダ州、アイオワ州、ネバダ州、ニューハンプシャー州、ニューメキシコ州、ノースカロライナ州、ペンシ ルバニア州の8つのスウィング州で、登録民主党員の減少は共和党よりも多い。
The decline is due to a variety of factors. People move, people die, people revolt in disgust. Many are stripped from registration rolls by states seeking to remove inactive voters. By contrast, the number of independents has grown for years and is up more than 400,000 since 2008, or 1.7%. States with big gains: Colorado, Florida, North Carolina ? and Arizona, a possible target for President Obama in 2012. 政党登録者の減少に対比して、無党派層が増えており、2008年に比べて40万人、1.7%の増加を見ている。特に無党派層の 増加の目立つ州は、コロラド州、フロリダ州、ノースカロライナ州、アリゾナ州である。(後略) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *民主党支持者が共和党支持者に比べて2008年比較でより多く減っているというのは、メディアスクラムで異常に盛り上がった 2008年のオバマブームが醒めた(バブルが消滅した)ということのように思える。国内においてもメディア謹製の「政権交代 バブル」というのが数年前に(ry
・ナイジェリアはクリスチャンとムスリムがほぼ半分ずつ住む国で、最近イスラム過激派のテロが増加。今回のテロ はBoko Haramという過激派グループが犯行声明を出している。このグループはアフガニスタンのタリバンのような 性格があり、Boko Haram というのは「西欧風の教育は罪である」という意味を持つ。 Boko Haram - which in the Hausa language spoken in northern Nigeria means "Western education is sinful" - is loosely modeled on the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.
・この過激派グループは異教徒であれムスリムであれ彼らの教義に反対するものを殺戮するという。彼らはイスラムの 厳格なシャリア法(慣習法)の全国への適用を主張している The group considers all who do not follow its strict ideology as infidels, whether they are Christian or Muslim. It demands the adoption of sharia, Islamic law, in all of Nigeria. Boko Haram followers have prayed in separate mosques in cities including Maiduguri, Kano and Sokoto.
・今回の攻撃は特に被害者を多く出すことを狙っており、国内の宗教戦争を煽る狙いがあると見られる Boko Haram - which claimed responsibility - is trying to ignite sectarian civil war.
The proposed European Union ban on oil imports from Iran aims at isolating the country and starving it of oil revenues. It could introduce another worrying dimension to India's energy security.
日中の金融協力強化による、国債購入やドル抜きの国際通商の動きについてWSJ記事 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203479104577119961336456568.html?mod=WSJAsia_hpp_LEFTTopStories But the agreements are unlikely to have any immediate significant effect, and, for now, may be mainly symbolic. The governments didn't announce any timetable for implementing the plans. And as long as China maintains strict controls on the convertibility of its currency, and investments in its economy, there are limits on how much further the yuan can expand internationally. しかしこの協定は、直ぐに大きな効果をもたらす事は無さそうであり、現在のところは象徴的な意味に留まる。協定は 計画実施のタイムテーブルに触れていない。中国が元通貨のコンバーチビリティの強い規制を行う限り、更に投資につ いての強い規制の存在する限り、元通貨が国際的に拡大する上での制約が大きい。
Still, the accords were striking, given recent tensions between China and Japan, including a prolonged diplomatic standoff just over a year ago in a territorial dispute, and hawkish comments by Mr. Noda and aides earlier this year about their concerns of a Chinese military threat. While China has reached agreements with other countries to encourage investment in its bond market and to encourage convertibility from the yuan into other currencies, this appears to be the most comprehensive such bilateral package. The moves suggest the two leaders may now see the need to downplay political differences and focus on reinforcing their economies, particularly at a time when Europe's debt turmoil and flagging global growth threaten Asian growth. しかしこの協定は、近年の日本と中国の(領海紛争の)緊張の高まりに鑑みて、意味が大きいといえる。中国が外国との 二国間協定で通貨の交換について取り決め、他国の国債購入やや投資を奨励するることは稀ではないが、今回の日中間の 合意はもっとも包括的な二国間協定である。この協定は両国指導者が政治的対立をトーンダウンして欧州危機によるアジ ア経済の成長鈍化の懸念される中で経済の連携にフォーカスする意志を示している。 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *翻訳:これは金融経済的に意味があると言うよりも、政治的、象徴的な意味のある協定である
BEIJING?China Mengniu Dairy Co. Ltd., China's largest dairy company by sales, said it destroyed milk products found to be contaminated with carcinogens, in the latest scare for the country's scandal-hit dairy industry. The Inner Mongolia-based dairy producer said in a statement on its website Sunday that it destroyed hazardous products at a plant in China's southwestern Sichuan province after government safety inspectors found a batch of its milk contained the chemical aflatoxin, a cancer-causing toxin. "Mengniu would like to express our sincere apologies to consumers," the statement said, adding that it destroyed all batches of the milk before it reached shop shelves. The company's spokeswoman couldn't be reached for comment. 政府の安全性検査で、四川省の工場のミルクに発がん性のアフラトキシンが発見され、製品を破棄すると発表した
Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. said tests it conducted on samples of its Enfamil baby formula tied to an U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation found no presence of bacteria. The company called the product safe. The samples matched those being tested by regulators and, using their methods, found no Cronobacter, a kind of environmental bacteria that can be fatal, Mead Johnson said in a statement yesterday.(ry
(1)中東や中央アジアのイスラム諸国の、ベストオプションは自由で民主主義的な政治体制の確立であるが、これは現実には かなわぬ夢である (2)これまで長い期間にわたって、セカンドベスト・オプションは西欧諸国に親和的な(軍事)独裁政権であったが、アラブ の春はこの時代を終わらせた(ので、このセカンドベストのオプションが存在しなった、残るのは) (3)今のエジプトについて見ると、ムスリム同胞団の支配による安定的体制か、さもなくば混乱(内戦)であろう (4)シリアのオプションも似たようなもので、イランの同盟国としての独裁体制か、スンニ派とアラウイ派の内線の混乱か しか選べそうにない (5)イラクについて見ると、イランに親和的なプロ・シーア派の独裁か、多党多宗派混在の議会のもとでの混乱、内戦かで あろう (6)中東や中央アジアのイスラム国に実現不可能な理想を実現しようとすること、つまり自由で民主主義的な政治体制の確立 を目指すことは、現実には多くの血と混乱を招く結果になる。それは当該国にとっても、アメリカ(軍)にとってもそう である (7)現実論で言えば、中東や中央アジアで避けるべきことは地域全体の不安定化である。もっともそれはアメリカや西欧諸国 が望むことではないが、我々が上手く避けるように務めるべきことである。(イランと反イラン勢力の全面戦争とか・・) その政策展開において、誰が正義であるかとかいうことは無くて、何が最大の悪夢を避けられるシナリオなのかが重要で ある。 It is dreary stuff; there is no-one to root for, no white hats or black hats, just a mass of misdeeds that killed off about two-fifths of the people of Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. The best book on the intelligence operations of the French state remains out of print.
(Reuters) - At least 20 people were killed as Syrian tank forces battled opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in Homs on Monday, residents said, ahead of a planned visit by Arab League monitors to verify whether he is ending a violent crackdown on unrest.
Amateur video posted to the internet by activists showed three tanks in the streets next to apartment blocks. One was firing its machinegun and another appeared to be firing mortar rounds. Gruesome video showed mangled bodies lying in pools of blood along a narrow street. Power lines had collapsed and cars were burnt and blasted, as if by mortar rounds. ネットにうpされたビデオでは、三台の戦車が市内のアパート群の街路に侵入し、1台はマシンガン発砲、別の一台は 迫撃砲を発砲、狭い街路に遺体が血の海に横たわっている。電力は停電し、自動車は砲撃で燃えている(後略)
A member of the Arab observer mission said on Monday that a “massive genocide” is taking place in Syria. “The regime is taking revenge against the people [of Syria],” Mustashar Mahjoub told Al-Arabiya television. アラブ同盟のシリア監視団のメンバーのMustashar Mahjoubは(サウジアラビア系の)アル・アラビアTVに語って、シリアで 「大量虐殺」が起こっていると述べた「政府は国民に向かって復讐している」
December 26, 2011: The commander of the Indian Air Force recently took an hour-long flight in one of Indias Russian made Su-30MKI jet fighters. This was to reassure Indian pilots that the Su-30MKI was safe. One had crashed recently, and there were widely publicized reliability problems with the engines used in the Su-30MKI, and many of the other Russian designed and built components of the aircraft. インド空軍の指揮官が最近、ロシア製のSu-30MKIに搭乗して、航空機が安全である事をアピールしたのだが、このSu-30MKI は1機が最近クラッシュしてエンジンに耐久性の問題があるのではと広く議論が起こっている
Indian pilots are understandably nervous about the safety of the many Russian warplanes they fly. The MiG fighters are the most dangerous, but the more recent Su-30 models were believed to be a lot safer. Recent problems indicate this may not be the case, thus the recent flight by the head of the air force. 無理からぬ事にインド空軍のパイロットはロシア製航空機の安全性に神経質になっている。インド空軍のもつMiG 戦闘機は 最も危険であるが最近のSu-30はより安全であるとされていた。しかし最近のトラブルによって、それがあやしげだという ことになってきている。そういうわけで、インド空軍のお偉方がSu-30MKIに搭乗してみせる、ということが起こった。
But the MiGs are still crashing. India recently lost another MiG-21 fighter, the fifth MiG to have crashed this year. That's over 71 percent of Indian warplanes lost this year. Over the last half century, India has bought 976 MiG-21s, and over half are gone, mostly because of accidents. While India was something of an extreme case in this area (other users don't fly their MiG-21s as much), it's been typical of MiG aircraft. All this is part of the decline of the once feared, and admired, MiG reputation. インド空軍のMiG戦闘機は相変わらずクラッシュしていて、最近また1機のMiG-21戦闘機がクラッシュし、今年の5機めのクラ ッシュ事故となった。これはインド空軍の今年に失われた航空機の71%を占める。過去50年にインド空軍は976機のMiG-21を 保有したが、その半分以上は失われている。殆どの原因は事故である。インド空軍の事例は極端なもの(他の国ではMiG-21 をそれほど飛行させない)MiG航空機としては、こうしたものは典型的である。