ttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/11/ukraine-crisis-russia-preparing-counter-offer-to-us-demands Russia has said it is drafting counterproposals to a US plan for a negotiated solution to the Ukraine crisis. The Kremlin denounced the new western-backed government as an unacceptable “fait accompli” and claimed Russian-leaning parts of the country had been plunged into lawlessness. The Kremlin moves came as Russian forces strengthened their control over Crimea, less than a week before the strategic region is to hold a contentious referendum on whether to split off and become part of Russia. In a televised briefing with President Vladimir Putin, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said proposals made by John Kerry, the US secretary of state, were “not suitable” because they took the situation created by the coup as a starting point, referring to the ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Kremlin president, Viktor Yanukovych.
But in Washington state department officials said it was Russia’s refusal to discuss the American proposals that was hurting prospects for a negotiated solution, in particular the idea of direct talks between Russian officials and those of the new Ukrainian government. アメリカ国務省高官は、このロシアのアメリカ側提案拒否を交渉による問題解決 を妨げるとし、特にウクライナ新政権とロシアの直接対話について、それを強調 した。
The US outline also called on Russia to pull back from Crimea, both in military force and in influence, to halt the local government there from holding a 16 March vote on whether it should separate from Ukraine, the officials said. It further sought to gain Russian support for placing international monitors in Crimea, allowing the International Monetary Fund to work with Ukraine and backing a 25 May national election called by Kiev. さらにアメリカ側はクリミアからのロシア兵の撤退や3月16日の併合の賛否を問う 住民投票の停止を求めた
元記事のタイトルは、"Drug targets slip-sliding away"です(記事をみる)。また、 バイエル・ヘルスケア社の研究者の報告のタイトルは、"Believe it or not: how much can we rely on published data on potential drug targets?"です(記事をみる)。
ttp://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Malaysian-military-says-missing-jet-changed-course-5305648.php?cmpid=hpbn KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) ? The Malaysian military says it has radar evidence showing the missing Boeing 777 jetliner changed course and made it to the Malacca Strait, hundreds of kilometers (miles) away from the last location reported by civilian authorities. マレーシア軍部は失踪したマレーシア航空のB777について、軍のレーダー記録から 同機が飛行コースを変更しマラッカ海峡に向かった証拠があると述べた。マラッカ 海峡は飛行航路の最後の失踪地点から数百キロの地にある。
The development injects new mystery into the investigation of the flight's disappearance. この情報は新たなミステリーの材料とも言える
Local newspaper Berita Harian quoted Malaysian air force chief Gen. Rodzali Daud as saying radar at a military base had detected the airliner near Pulau Perak, at the northern approach to the strait. A high-ranking military official involved in the investigation confirmed the report on Tuesday and also said the aircraft was believed to be flying low. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. 国内紙のBerita Harianはマレーシア空軍のRodzali Daudの証言として軍基地のレーダー が同機をマラッカ海峡北のPulau Perak付近で検知したと述べた。捜査チームに参加して いる軍高官もこの件について言及し、同機が低い高度で飛行していたと述べた(A通信)
Malaysian military says missing jet changed course By EILEEN NG, Associated Press | March 11, 2014 | Updated: March 11, 2014 10:53am
A high-ranking military official involved in the investigation confirmed the report to The Associated Press on Tuesday and also said the aircraft was believed to be flying low. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
A Malaysian military official who has been briefed on the investigations, who spoke to Reuters Tuesday, also said the country’s military believes the plane was last tracked by radar over the Malacca Strait. "It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait," said the official, who was not named. Kota Bharu is a city on Malaysia’s east coast.
Authorities had earlier said the plane, which took off at 12:20 a.m. and was headed to Beijing, may have attempted to turn back to Kuala Lumpur, but they expressed surprise that it would do so without informing ground control.
*Pulau Perak はマラッカ海峡北の小島、Kota Bharuは半島の東側の都市。調査チーム はB777がコースを変えたにせよ一切の連絡なしにそうすることは説明できないと・・
The nations of the EU must stop their collective decline as a military power. For years, this plea has been sounded by Nato chiefs and senior US officials who complain that European governments are slashing defence budgets far too fast in response to the economic crisis. 欧州諸国は経済危機で、あまりにも縮小しすぎた軍事費の見直しを行い、軍事力の 低下を食い止めるべきである
The recent intervention in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, has now given those fears even greater resonance. Russia’s effective annexation of Crimea has all the makings of a grand strategic moment for the EU, whose governments need to reflect on whether they can continue cutting military capabilities without fearing the consequences. 欧州諸国は、その結果の及ぼす影響を恐れること無く軍事費を縮小してきたが ロシアの実質上のクリミアの併合に際して示した戦略的な拡大主義はEU諸国に 再考を迫るものである
Russia’s intervention in Crimea should bring an end to the drift in European security policy. Clearly, neither the US nor the Europeans are going to respond militarily to Russian action in Ukraine. But one of the big risks of this crisis is that it will end up deepening perceptions in the Kremlin that EU members remain ambivalent towards Russian aggression on their eastern border. 米国も欧州もロシアのクリミア併合に対して軍事的対応をする考えは無いが、そ れでもこの危機にあたって、ロシアが欧州は東欧の国境に向かう野心に対してな すすべがないとみなすなら、欧州にとって大きなリスクになる。 Governments also need to think harder about their military doctrine. This especially applies to Germany, which remains a very reluctant security player, as it showed over the Libya conflict. In a recent speech, President Joachim Gauck, Germany’s head of state, said that his country “should make a more substantial contribution” on international security issues. Those words must now trigger a deeper debate, moving Germany to a more assertive and responsible foreign policy, one that better matches its economic weight. 欧州諸国はまた軍事政策(ドクトリン)の見直しが必要で、これは特にドイツについ て言える。ドイツは従来、軍事的貢献について消極的であったがドイツ大統領の 言うように国際的な安全保障とより積極的な責任ある外交政策を、経済力に見合う 規模に強化すべきである Nato members are treaty-bound to respond should Russian aggression extend beyond Ukraine towards, say, the three Baltic states. If that were to happen, the US would come to the rescue of its Nato allies under the alliance’s Article 5. But European leaders should make clear their total commitment to the solidity of the alliance. This means demonstrating to America that the US contribution to Nato is not taken for granted. ロシアがウクライナの後に、例えばバルト三国への侵略を行うならアメリカはNATO の条約第五項に従って欧州への軍事支援を行う。しかし欧州の指導者らはNATO護持 への完全なコミットメントが必要である。つまりアメリカの第五項による参戦は 保証されたものではないと示す必要がある(後略)
Gary Samore, formerly the White House coordinator for arms control, fears that the Ukraine crisis will turn into a complicating factor for the Iran talks. Speaking in London on Monday, he predicted that if America and its allies line up to impose sanctions of whatever kind on Russia, that would “lead to at least the appearance, if not the reality, of disarray within the P5 plus 1”. Consequently, Iran may feel “more able to walk away from the nuclear negotiations”.
Russia’s real vulnerability lies in the price of oil, not in the realm of gas. Revenue from gas sales abroad make up 8 percent to 9 percent of the Russian budget, while oil revenue accounts for a much heftier 37 percent to 38 percent. It was not that long ago that a prolonged collapse in the price of oil undermined the foundations of the Soviet Union, according to former Deputy Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar. The U.S., by adding 2.5 million barrels of oil to global markets in the last three years, has prevented the price of oil from
edging higher in the face of disruptions in Libya, Iran and elsewhere. Should the U.S. continue to increase its oil production, as is widely assumed, it could create pressure to further lower the price.
It would not take a huge price collapse to harm Putin’s regime; already, the Russian economy is struggling, and the government has made across-the-board cuts. Plus, Putin's power comes in large measure from extensive patronage networks made possible by high oil prices. To balance its budget, Russia needs oil prices of about $110 (the current price is about $108). A further dip in oil prices is the largest challenge on the horizon to Putin.
Republicans scored a significant victory in a special congressional election Tuesday, holding onto a seat in a swing district in Florida that Democrats had high hopes of capturing after a campaign that focused heavily on President Obama’s healthcare law. With all precincts reporting, Republican David Jolly held a 3,400-vote margin over Democrat Alex Sink in the district, which stretches along the Gulf Coast north of St. Petersburg. The returns remain unofficial until final mail-in and provisional ballots can be counted.(ry
"His victory shows that voters are looking for representatives who will fight to end the disaster of Obamacare, to get Washington to spend our money responsibly, and to put power in the hands of families and individuals," Priebus said. "In November, voters all across the country will have the chance to send the same message that Pinellas County voters have sent: Democrats' policies are not working for America." Don't be surprised to see vulnerable Democrats across the country start distancing themselves from health care reform in a way that Sink did not.
ttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/11/republican-david-jolly-beats-alex-sink-in-florida-special-election/ The perception of what the race means had inspired both parties to call in star advocates like President Bill Clinton and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, in addition to blanketing the district with ads, calls and mailings. More than $11 million was been spent on the race, according to the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit group that tracks government information. More than one in four registered voters in the district is older than 65, a population that could account for more than half of those casting ballots.
Malaysia's air force chief denies earlier reports that military last tracked a missing Malaysia Airlines jet over the Strait of Malacca, far from where it last made contact with civilian air traffic control
各国、資産レンジあたりの成人人口 (%) Table 6-6: Distribution of wealth for regions and selected countries, 2013, continued III Percentage of adults by wealth range (in %)
wealth range (USD)
Under 10,000 10,000 100,000 Over 1 million -100,000 -1 million
Australia 6.9 23.7 62.6 6.8 Canada 30.0 21.5 44.9 3.7 China 58.4 39.1 2.4 0.1 China, Taiwan 22.5 45.1 30.8 1.7 Denmark 39.5 17.0 37.8 5.7 Finland 29.0 22.3 47.2 1.6 France 21.7 22.9 50.8 4.6 Germany 29.0 33.3 35.1 2.6 India 94.4 5.2 0.3 0.0 Italy 20.0 20.5 56.5 3.0 Japan 9.2 37.7 50.6 2.5 Norway 19.4 32.5 40.6 7.5 Singapore 20.0 34.2 41.4 4.4 Spain 17.4 52.4 29.0 1.1 Sweden 15.6 48.3 29.2 6.9 Switzerland 5.2 46.0 38.8 10.0 Thailand 90.5 8.8 0.6 0.0 United Kingdom 18.0 28.8 50.0 3.2 United States 30.7 33.0 30.7 5.5
ttp://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/republican-wave-in-2014-looking-more-likely-20140311 POLITICS Republican Wave in 2014 Looking More Likely David Jolly wasn't expected to win Tuesday's special election. But he capitalized on an increasingly favorable political environment for the GOP. By Josh Kraushaar March 11, 2014 フロリダ州補選勝利で、秋の中間選挙での共和党勝利が更に有りそうに見える 共和党のDavid Jollyの勝利は予想外だが、加速的に共和党優位の状況が幸いした By Josh Kraushaar ナショナル・ジャーナル
The results from Tuesday night's Florida special election are serving as a wake-up call to nervous Democrats concerned that the president's health care law is shaping up to be a major burden for their party in 2014. Despite recruiting favored candidate Alex Sink, outspending Republicans, and utilizing turnout tools to help motivate reliable voters, Democrats still lost to Republican lobbyist David Jolly?and it wasn't particularly close. 民主党のAlex Sinkは優位な立場とみなされ共和党を超える選挙資金を使い選挙応援 の多数の人材も投入されたのだが共和党の候補に及ばなかった
The Republican tool: lots of advertisements hitting Sink over Obamacare, even though she wasn't even in Congress to vote for it. Sink's response was from the Democratic playbook: Call for fixes, but hit her opponent for supporting repeal. Sink won 46 percent of the vote, 2 points behind Jolly and 4 points below President Obama's 2012 total in the district. 共和党はオバマケア批判のTV広告を多量に流して選挙を制した。民主党の得票率は46% で共和党より2%低く、2012年大統領選挙のオバマ得票率より4%低い
The results are a clear warning sign to Senate Democrats, whose majority is threatened thanks to a Republican-friendly map and a national environment that's tilted in the GOP's favor. At least seven Democratic-held Senate seats are being contested in states more conservative than the Florida House battleground. Conservative groups, led by Americans for Prosperity, are already airing ads blasting Democratic senators for their support of Obamacare, and their attacks have negatively impacted the incumbents' poll numbers. この選挙結果は民主党への明確な警鐘で、上院の過半数支配は危うい。彼らの選挙区の 状況は共和党有利に傾いている。共和党の主要な武器はオバマケア批判である。 ・・・・ Jolly's surprising victory is merely the latest indicator of 2014 shaping up to be a favorable Republican year. Senate Democrats were already facing a difficult map, but Tuesday's results suggest it's also going to be a difficult environment, too.
Asked about reports that flight MH370 could have veered well off course, as far as the Malacca Strait, Qin Gang told reporters: “We noticed that the Malaysian side later denied this piece of information. “So right now there is a lot of information, and it’s pretty chaotic, so up to this point we too have had difficulty confirming whether it is accurate or not.”
1. Alien abduction 異星人による誘拐説 2. A life insurance scam 保険金狙いの事件である説 3. Electronic Warfare experiment 電子的新兵器の実験説 4. A military take out or secret weapon at work 軍の秘密兵器が活躍説 5. Pilot suicide パイロットの自殺説 6. Secretly landed and turned off communications 通信装置の遮断の後でどこかに密かに着陸説 7. It's in an Asian Bermuda triangle 此れはアジアのバーミューダ・トライアングルだ説
We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation’s clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in contravention of Russia’s obligations under the UN Charter and its 1997 basing agreement with Ukraine. We call on Russia to address any ongoing security or human rights concerns that it has with Ukraine through direct negotiations, and/or via international observation or mediation under the auspices of the UN or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We stand ready to assist with these efforts.
We also call on all parties concerned to behave with the greatest extent of self-restraint and responsibility, and to decrease the tensions.
We note that Russia’s actions in Ukraine also contravene the principles and values on which the G-7 and the G-8 operate. As such, we have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June, until the environment comes back where the G-8 is able to have meaningful discussion.
We are united in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its right to choose its own future. We commit ourselves to support Ukraine in its efforts to restore unity, stability, and political and economic health to the country. To that end, we will support Ukraine’s work with the International Monetary Fund to negotiate a new program and to implement needed reforms. IMF support will be critical in unlocking additional assistance from the World Bank, other international financial institutions, the EU, and bilateral sources.
*この写真が配布されて、ネットでは非難轟々だとか One user of Weibo (the Chinese social media service) wrote: "I feel so ashamed as a Malaysian for the first time, not because of any wrongdoing on Malaysia's part but for having a brainless prime minister. "Instead of hiring a witch doctor holding two coconuts to be ridiculed, would be better off to do something down-to-earth. "Stop losing Malaysia's face!" Another message reposted more than 10,000 times in less than 24 hours read: "In the past few days, Vietnam has cleaned up all the trash on the sea. Whatever Vietnam found, Malaysia shook its head and just said 'NO NO NO'. Out of distrust of Vietnam, it kindly invited a witch doctor to determine the location."
Here we go again. The Obama administration, confronted with a foreign-policy crisis, is flailing. This time it isn’t Syria, but Ukraine.
After Russian forces established control in Crimea, Obama returned to a policy process that has already failed repeatedly elsewhere: 1) make bold and moralistic pronouncements, 2) put America’s prestige and credibility on the line, and 3) produce no real policy. U.S. policy toward Syria has been the most visible and damaging application of this approach so far, but it is far from the only one. T his is how an administration that entered office determined to rebuild America’s image has instead further marred it, discouraged allies, and emboldened foes?grand talk and no action. The administration’s peculiar combination of Bush-era self-righteousness with Obamian instinctive caution, whether through analysis- paralysis or simple timidity, offers the worst of both worlds.(ry
In Cold War 2.0, Russia would exploit asymmetries?making mischief, after all, is far easier than managing it. Russia might reorient its policy toward Iran, Syria and Venezuela, where Moscow could create far more problems than it has so far. Supplying S-300 or newer S-400 missiles to Tehran?which Iranian president Hassan Rouhani could hardly refuse, since his government is suing Russia over a contract to deliver S-300s that Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev blocked at Washington’s request?would be only the beginning. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad doubtless has a long and thus far unfulfilled shopping list too. Post-NATO Afghanistan, where Russia and Iran have both supported the Northern Alliance, offers different opportunities for troublemaking.
In this world, U.S. officials and diplomats would face simultaneous simmering crises. The effect would be nothing less than vertiginous as they pivoted from Asia to Europe to the Middle East and back again. For an Obama administration that often can’t handle individual challenges in isolation, it would almost certainly amount to a massive system overload. Meanwhile, during this global meltdown, leaders in Beijing could relax?waiting and watching for the right moments to act on their own ambitions.
ttp://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/12/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/ Satellite looking into missing Malaysia flight detects 'suspected crash area' By Jethro Mullen and Michael Pearson, CNN March 12, 2014 -- Updated 2115 GMT (0515 HKT) 中国政府は失踪したマレーシア航空のB777の疑われる衛星写真を公表 CNN(ビデオ有り)
China's State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense announced the discovery, including images of what it said were "three suspected floating objects and their sizes." The objects aren't small at 13 by 18 meters (43 by 59 feet), 14 by 19 meters and 24 by 22 meters. 中国は衛星写真から海上に浮遊する3つの物体を公表、13*18メートル、14*19メートル、 24*22メートルという
The images were captured on March 9 -- which was the day after the plane went missing -- but weren't released until Wednesday. The Chinese agency gave coordinates of 105.63 east longitude, 6.7 north latitude, which would put it in waters northeast of where it took off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and south of Vietnam. 写真は航空機の失踪の翌日のもので、場所は東経 105.63、北緯6.7、ベトナム南部の海 (後略)
Republicans will argue that the win in a district carried by President Obama against a well-known and well-funded Democratic candidate -- Alex Sink was the party's 2010 gubernatorial nominee -- in which Jolly's messaging revolved around attacking Obamacare is a signal of things to come at the ballot box in November. 共和党の評価:フロリダ州知事候補であり、資金豊富で地名度の高い民主党候補に対して 無名に近い共和党候補がオバマケアの賛否を問うキャンペーンで勝利したことは画期的で 中間選挙への見通しを示すもの
Democrats will insist the district is less Democratic than Obama's numbers suggest and that all Republicans did was hold a seat that Republican Rep. Bill Young had represented for decades before his death last year. "In a special election with an electorate tilted heavily for Republicans, Democrat Alex Sink came closer to victory than any Democrat in decades ? especially with 10 Republican outside groups spending $5 million in the race," read a memo put out by House Democrats after the loss. 民主党の評価:もともと共和党の議員の地盤であった選挙区の議員死亡による補選で、地 元は共和党の色彩。こうした補選で民主党候補が接戦に持ち込んだことは善戦であり、特 に共和党側が多額の選挙資金を投じた中では民主党候補はよくやったといえる。
Spin is spin. Here's the reality. 民主党、共和党ともに、いつもの政治的スピン合戦というしかない
This was a race that most political observers expected Sink to win. Jolly was a lobbyist -- not exactly the best profession in this political environment -- who was decidedly unproven as a candidate. He had to beat back a sitting state representative in a primary that drained his resources to the point where Sink was able to drastically outspend him. And, he did spend the entirety of the race bashing Obamacare, the issue that Republicans insist will be their silver bullet issue in the fall. この補選は、殆どの政治アナリストが民主党勝利を予想していた。共和党候補はロビースト で、選挙を戦う上での最良の人材ではなかった。民主党候補は共和党を上回る資金を投じ、 高い知名度を使った選挙戦を行った。共和党候補の唯一の武器はオバマケア批判で、これが 大いに効果を発揮した。共和党は此れを中間選挙に向けての「魔法の弾丸」という ・・・・ Elections have consequences. Whether or not what happened Tuesday in Florida is a bellwether of anything, it will unnerve Democrats and energize Republicans. And, that matters. 選挙というのは影響が尾を引くものであって、フロリダ州というのは政治的な先導者(首鈴 付き羊=先導の雄羊)であるから、今回の選挙が共和党を活気づかせ、民主党を落胆させる ものであることは変わりなく、それが問題であるわけだ
1 India 11 US 2 Mexico 12 Korea 3 Chile 13 Switzerland 4 China 14 Germany 5 Russia 15 UK 6 Poland 16 Italy 7 Australia 17 France 8 Japan 18 Brazil 9 Canada 19 Netherlands 10 Sweden 20 Spain
GAP = Global Aging Preparedness
The GAP Index also suggests that demography need not be destiny. Japan, which must cope with a massive age wave, nonetheless scores in the middle of both the fiscal sustainability and income adequacy indices.
ttp://www.cnbc.com/id/101489535 Marc Faber: China is growing at 4% and that's OK 著名投資アナリスト・アドバイザーのマーク・ファーバーは「中国の経済成長は4%が 適切」と語る CNBC (ビデオ有り) 12 Mar 2014 | 10:29 PM ET
China's economy is only growing at just over half the rate that authorities are reporting, perennial contrarian commentator Marc Faber, editor and publisher of The Gloom, Boom and Doom Report, told CNBC, but he said this was not something for investors to fret over. "I think we are already at a 4 percent growth rate anyway. The figures that China publishes are figures they just take out of a drawer to make it look good," Faber ? also known as Dr. Doom ? told CNBC Asia's Squawk Box on Thursday. マーク・ファーバーはCNBCに「中国は既に4%成長に入っていて、中国政府の公式発表の 数字というのは彼らにとって都合の良いものであるだけ」とした
Although Faber said China's growth is much lower than reported he noted that a 4 percent growth rate was not to be sniffed at. "I think 4 percent growth in a world that is has no growth is actually very good," he said. 彼は中国経済の実際の成長が公的数字より低いとしているが4%成長できれば充分である として「ゼロ成長の世界の中で4%成長はとても良いといえる」
"I'm not saying that 4 percent is as good as 8 percent, but it would be better to grown at 4 percent without a credit bubble than at 8 percent with a colossal credit bubble that will lead down the road to even larger problems," he said. 「私の言うのは4%成長が8%成長と同じくらい良いということではなくて、クレディット・ バブルなしの4%成長は、並外れたクレディット・バブルのある8%成長より良いという意味 である。後者は、さらに大きな問題につながる」
"And I think we have to realize excessive credit growth eventually leads to a crisis; this always happens. And in the case of China we do not have a credit bubble, we have a gigantic credit bubble," he added. 「過剰なクレディット成長はいずれ危機をもたらす。此れは常に起こることで中国において はクレディット・バブルではなく、巨大クレディット・バブルがある」
ttp://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Malaysia-No-engine-data-after-plane-went-missing-5309121.php Malaysian Defense Minister and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the government had contacted Boeing and Rolls Royce, the engine manufacturer, and both said the last engine data was received at 1:07 a.m., several minutes before the plane lost contact over the South China Sea on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
When a Republican wave is building, Beltway pundits are the last to admit it. After Tuesday's GOP win in a Florida special House election, even the press corps now agrees that Republicans are poised for major gains in November, assuming the GOP has the wit to exploit it.
Democrats are spinning the defeat as no big deal, but no one outside the MSNBC mind-meld believes that. Democrats got their preferred candidate in Alex Sink, who had barely lost the governor's race in 2010, and she outspent Republican David Jolly, a former Congressional aide and lobbyist who endured a rough January primary. Political seers Sean Trende and Larry Sabato had predicted a Democratic victory. ・・・・ ・・・・ Like Mr. Jolly in Florida, Republicans also need to talk about more than ObamaCare. Pushing more U.S. energy production and exports is a political winner that creates more jobs and helps America's security. Exposing the costs of President Obama's regulatory assault on business also addresses economic anxiety. And don't forget the IRS.
Current GOP leaders in Congress haven't been very good at strategy, to say the least, but Tuesday's victory underscores the political opportunity that is building this year. An election wave would be a terrible thing to waste.
1 Japan Japan 2 Singapore South Korea 3 Switzerland Spain 4 Spain Singapore 5 Italy Taiwan 6 Australia Switzerland 7 Canada Andorra 8 Andorra Italy 9 Israel Australia 10 South Korea France
ABC News@ABC USS Kidd being moved to Indian Ocean after "indication" Flight MH370 may have gone down there: http://abcn.ws/1iEYWh0 - @MarthaRaddatz 12:25 AM - 14 Mar 2014
US Officials Believe Malaysia Airline Crashed into Indian Ocean By Martha Raddatz @MarthaRaddatz
Thursday 18:00 GMT. Global equities came under pressure as further signs of a slowdown in China and renewed weakness for commodity prices offset some encouraging signals on the US economy.
DONETSK, Ukraine, March 13 (Reuters) - A young man was stabbed to death and more than a dozen people were in hospital on Thursday after rival Ukrainian demonstrators clashed in the mainly Russian-speaking eastern city of Donetsk, medical officials said.
In the worst violence since last month's overthrow of Ukraine's Moscow-backed president, hundreds of people waving Russian flags and chanting for Russian President Vladimir Putin scuffled on the central Lenin Square with demonstrators flying Ukrainian flags and condemning Russia's takeover of Crimea. By late evening, the streets were quiet again.
在特会がナチ旗を持ってデモを始めた・・(初耳だなぁ)・・時期と、 アンネがらみの本が傷つけられ始めた時期は一致しているだと。↓ In late February, officials from city libraries contacted the police after discovering that hundreds of copies of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” had been defaced. Media reports included an awful picture: a torn photograph of the girl smiling in a mutilated book. No culprit has been identified, but the rash of vandalism seemed to begin around the time, in January, that a member of the ultranationalist group Zaitokukai marched in a rally with a Nazi flag over his shoulders.
日本の右旋回とアンネ事件の感情的背景は同じだろうだと。↓ The invocation of Nazi symbols by Japanese right-wingers is a new phenomenon. During the Cold War they focused their hatred on the U.S.S.R. and communism; now, they have shifted their attention to China, South Korea and, increasingly, the United States. Brandishing the flag of Japan’s wartime ally is a roundabout way for right-wingers to laud Japan’s imperialist past. Presumably, the defacement of those copies of Anne Frank’s diary was an expression of the same sentiment.
日本人が、先の大戦中の日本軍の加害行為から目を逸らしていることを象徴しているのがカワイイ文化だと。 アンネもカワイイ化され、先の大戦の犠牲者たる自分達日本人と重ね合わされているんだと。↓ In my view, it was also a symptom of something broader. Over the past few decades, Japan has developed a mechanism to avoid facing up to its wartime history: It has neutralized issues that are too painful to deal with by rendering them purely aesthetic, and harmless ? by making them “cute.” But that strategy no longer seems to be working.・・・ Anne Frank’s reception in Japan is another instance of the cuteification of unresolved issues from the war.・・・ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/opinion/kato-from-anne-frank-to-hello-kitty.html?ref=opinion
In the days of George W. Bush, it was easy for many governments to describe what they did not want in terms of international behavior. ブッシュ大統領の時代には、諸政府は国際的にお行儀良くして・・・ ・・・・ Today, the Security Council seems utterly incapable of agreeing to such a resolution when it comes to Syria. 今では国連安保理もシリアに見られるように、まともに合意、決議も出来ない ・・・・ This reality takes us back to the Hobbesian notion of “all against all.” But if so, if power and force alone are what shape foreign policy, then so be it, in Syria as in Crimea. Let’s stop wasting our time by evoking international law and principles in a world that seems so little disposed to ensuring they prevail or, worse, that cites international law as an excuse to avoid taking any humanitarian action whatsoever. 現状世界のリアリティはホッブスの世界であるが、武力が外交を形作るのであれば それは致し方ない。国際法や国際秩序原則を論じても、それを実現させる事に努力 しないなら、それはいいわけにすぎない事になる
・・・ after the 1999 Kosovo war had taken U.S.-Russian relations to a breaking point. Moscow said Washington was ignoring Russian interests and trying to ruin its relationship with a traditional ally (in that case, Serbia). The rhetoric was eerily similar to what we hear today. The Clinton administration’s attempts to reset relations with Russia were over.
・・・ The Kremlin had assumed that, in return for supporting the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Washington would recognize what Moscow claimed as its “sphere of privileged interests” in the post-Soviet space. Then, as today, the Kremlin felt betrayed when the United States supported groups in Ukraine that wanted closer ties with the West. The complexities of the post-Soviet region, as made clear by the 2004 and 2014 Ukrainian crises, are vast, but the ranks of people working on Russia, in government and academia, have thinned.
・・・Even though the Cold War is long gone, the new Russia can at times look a bit like the old Russia; we still need the Kremlinology skills that we gained decades ago to figure out Putin’s endgame in Ukraine, for instance. Sustained expertise is essential if we are not to be whipsawed by one crisis after another.
・・・Indeed, the Crimea crisis is rooted in the Soviet breakup, when the Soviet republics became independent states, based on borders drawn by Stalin. It has proved very difficult for a good part of the Russian population to accept that Ukraine is an independent country and that Crimea ? a part of Russia since 1783 ? was “given” to Ukraine by Khrushchev on a whim. Indeed, Putin went so far as to tell Bush in 2008 that Ukraine was not really a country.
So for the moment, let’s forget about resets. Unless we effectively manage the current crisis and prevent it from becoming even more dangerous, it will become more difficult to concentrate on the concrete areas where Russia and the United States have overlapping interests: Iran, Syria, transit to and from Afghanistan, and the Arctic. For after the Ukraine crisis is over and all the Russia experts like me have faded from the TV screens and airwaves, there may still be room for a working relationship with Russia, based not on resets but rather on realism.
Sberbank and VTB, Russia’s giant partly state-owned banks, as well as industrial companies, such as energy group Lukoil, are among those repatriating cash from western lenders with operations in the US. VTB has also cancelled a planned US investor summit next month, according to bankers. ロシアの銀行SberbankやVTB、またLukoilなどの企業が、アメリカから資金を母国に回帰 させている
Russia held $138.6bn in US government debt at the end of December, according to the US Treasury. One senior Moscow banker said 90 per cent of investors were already behaving as if sanctions were in place, adding that this was “prudent exposure management”. ロシアは米国国債を$138.6bn有する。ロシアの銀行幹部はロシアの海外資産の九割は 既に制裁回避に動いているという。
西欧とロシアのジョイントベンチャー計画なども、急停止を余儀なくされるケースが 出ている。制裁によるロシアからの資金流失は四半期あたり$50bnという試算もある Bankers said Barclays of the UK had withdrawn from a plan with Russia’s VTB jointly to fund an Essar Energy deal. Barclays declined to comment. Alexei Kudrin, a former Russian finance minister and a member of Vladimir Putin’s economic council, warned on Thursday that sanctions could drive an extra $50bn of capital outflows from the Russian economy per quarter.
日本の女の子達のストリートファッションがそうだという。↓ Tokyo’s Incredible Street Fashion・・・Japan’s street fashion scene has long inspired and fascinated adventurous style-watchers across the world.・・・ In the early part of our production process, we were thinking of this as different tribes and groups that were very close and defined. I was thrilled when I got there to find that nearly all the girls really view this as an expression of themselves.・・・ http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/03/10/thomas_card_photographs_tokyo_street_fashion_in_his_book_tokyo_adorned.html
その心は、アメリカは中共等に対抗する上でロシアの助けを必要としており、 アメリカにとって唯一本物のライバルに成る可能性があるのは中共だけだからとさ。↓ Furthermore, good relations with Russia are essential, because the United States needs Moscow’s help to deal with Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, and eventually to help counter China, the only genuine potential rival to the United States. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/opinion/getting-ukraine-wrong.html
ダノンの幹部とミシェル夫人の事務局によると、ダノンの新たな取り組みは、 ミシェル夫人率いるレッツ・ムーブと、米NPO団体「より健康なアメリカのためのパートナーシップ (Partnership for a Healthy America=PHA)」との連携によるもので、脂肪分と糖分の 具体的な削減目標を設定するほか、カルシウムやビタミンDなどの栄養素を増やすよう求めている。
【3月15日 AFP】今年1月に嗜好用マリフアナを合法化した米コロラド州はこのほど、 酒や薬物の影響下での運転(Driving Under the Influence、DUI)をすれば罰則の対象になる ことを周知するため、「Drive High, Get a DUI(ハイで運転、DUIで処罰)」という キャッチコピーの広報キャンペーンを開始した。
1本のCMでは若い男性が壁に薄型テレビを取り付け、設置完了と一息ついたところ テレビが床に落ちて全壊。ここで「ハイになった状態でテレビを設置するのは今や合法。 しかし(事故で車を台無しにして)新しいのを買おうと車に乗れば違法」という字幕が出る。 テレビCMは3本とも「Drive High, Get a DUI」というロゴで締めくくられる。
・・・ Strong dissatisfaction exists within the Abe administration over South Korea’s demands for compensation for the former comfort women. The Japanese officials feel that Tokyo has already apologized sufficiently in the past. Suga’s stance toward reviewing the compilation of the Kono statement is apparently intended to address such dissatisfaction.
If an investigation shows the Kono statement was the result of a political decision that took into consideration the views of the South Korean government, it could lead to restraining future criticism from Seoul. Such a conclusion could also placate the conservatives who serve as the backbone of support for Abe, and those disgruntled that Japan has not spoken up about the issue. But the Abe administration must tread carefully because any examination of even the process by which the Kono statement was written could be seen as a precursor to rewriting the statement itself. Such a move would hurt Japan’s relations with South Korea and the United States.
Russians take gas plant just over Crimea border No shots fired. ロシア兵がクリミア境界を超えてガスプラントを制圧、発砲などはなし
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong and categorical protest against the landing on March 15, 2014 near the village Strilkove, Kherson region of troops of the Russian Federation Armed Forces in a number of 80 military personnel, and seizure of the village Strilkove with the support of 4 helicopter gunships and 3 armored combat machines. ウクライナ外交部は15日に、ロシア軍がStrilkove近郊に侵入した80人の兵士、4機 のヘリコプター3台の装甲車などによりガスプラントを制圧したことに対して強い 抗議を行った
(Reuters) - Ukraine's military scrambled aircraft and paratroops to confront Russian troops landing on a remote spit of land between Crimea and the mainland, defence officials said and the foreign ministry demanded their immediate withdrawal. ウクライナ軍はクリミアと本土の境界地区でロシア兵の侵入に対抗して航空機や兵士を 動員、ウクライナ外交部はロシア軍の撤退を要求
The border guard service said Ukrainian forces had taken up defensive positions on Arbatskaya Strelka, running parallel to the east of Crimea, now controlled by Russian forces. It said about 60 Russian troops had landed on the strip and begun digging in, assisted by three armoured personnel carriers. Six Russian helicopters arrived with 60 more servicemen about two hours later outside the village of Strelkovoye. The border guard service said talks between the two sides established that the Russian servicemen were "guarding against possible terrorist acts" against a gas pumping station. Strelkovoye郊外にロシア軍の六機のヘリコプター、六十人以上の武装兵士が3台の装甲車で ガスポンプ施設に現れ地域を制圧し、境界警備隊に対峙した。警備隊との対話でロシア側は 「施設をテロの脅威から守るため」と言っている
"At this time, there is no threat of confrontation," the Ukrainian border guard service said. 境界警備隊は今の時点で衝突の危険はないという
この機が、管制下から消えてから何時間も飛行を続けたことはほぼ確実に。↓ ・・・ The strongest indication that the plane had flown on for hours came from Inmarsat, a British-based provider of satellite equipment, which said it had continued to receive "pings" from the aircraft well after its last contact with air traffic control.・・・
しかも、その間、誰かが自動追尾させる2種類の機器を、時間を置いて、切っている。↓ ・・・the Boeing 777's data reporting system was shut down at 1.07am, while the transponder -- which sends back information to civilian radar regarding performance, location and altitude -- was turned off at 1.21am. That led investigators to believe the systems had been switched off on purpose.・・・
そして、アンダマン諸島に向けて飛行した。↓ Friday's revelations that the plane may have flown towards the Andaman Islands・・・
この間、まず、急上昇、次いで、西向きへの進路変更を行っている。↓ ・・・Radar signals recorded by the Malaysian military appear to show the missing airliner climbing to 45,000 feet, above the approved altitude limit for a Boeing 777-200, soon after it disappeared from civilian radar and made a sharp turn to the west, ・・・
それから今度は急降下、次いで南西向きへの進路変更、次いでまた上昇している。↓ The radar track・・・then shows the plane descending unevenly to an altitude of 23,000 feet, below normal cruising levels, as it approached the densely populated island of Penang, one of the country’s largest. There, the plane turned from a southwest-bound course, climbed to a higher altitude and flew northwest over the Strait of Malacca toward the Indian Ocean. ・・・
可能性としては、ベンガル湾に墜落、インド洋(北部)に墜落、島に着陸、の3つがある。↓ One flight path suggests the plane crashed into the Bay of Bengal off the coast of India, and the other has it traveling southeast and crashing in the Indian Ocean, according to the analysis. Yet another theory is taking shape about what might have happened to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Maybe it landed in a remote Indian Ocean island chain.・・・ http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/03/14/mh370_altitude_reports_suggest_the_plan_made_several_sharp_changes_of_altitude.html
ジグザグ飛行は、民航機がよく飛んでいるルートをなぞって行われたが、これは軍のレーダーを 見ている者に不審機だと思わせないためだとも思われる。↓ ・・・ this latter portion of the flight followed an unusual zigzag trajectory as it worked its way toward the north and west. This is a very inefficient way to get from one place to another, but it had some consequences that may have been useful for whoever was in control of the airplane. For one thing, by navigating between well-traveled waypoints, the plane would have seemed to military radar operators to look just like all the other well-behaved commercial traffic traveling over that stretch of ocean. “That’s going to seem like unsuspicious traffic,”・・・
ジグザグ飛行は、目的地がどこかを隠蔽することにも資している。↓ Another consequence of the zigzagging trajectory is that, like a fox crossing back and forth over a stream to eluding a pack of hounds, it obscured where exactly it might be heading.・・・
全般的に西に向かって飛行したことは、ずっと暗闇での飛行を続けられたということであり、 これも発見を困難にしている。↓ Aiding his elusiveness would be the fact that, since he was heading west, he would be able to complete more of the journey in complete darkness.・・・