China Daily
More bad weather tipped for next year
By Sun Xiaohua (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-29 07:00
China will witness more bad weather next year, the top meteorological official forecast in his annual report yesterday.
Qin Dahe, director of Climate Meteorological Administration (CMA), said that in 2007 the probability of drought in North China and floods in South China were high.
He urged all levels to strengthen the monitoring of rainstorms, droughts, typhoons, gales, hailstorms, variations in temperatures, and acid rain.
"Based on our observations of the global systems on air, oceans, glaciers and vegetation, we drew this conclusion," said Dong Wenjie, director of the National Climate Centre with CMA.
This year was the warmest in China's history since 1951. The annual average temperature was 1 degree Celsius higher than previous years, Qin said.
CMA statistics so far show that during the year disasters caused by the weather led to more than 2,704 deaths and economic loss of 212 billion yuan (US$26.5 billion).
A total of seven typhoons and severe tropical storms hit the country this year, resulting in more than 1,200 deaths, 300 missing and direct economic loss of about 70 billion yuan (US$8.8 billion).
In spring, North China was hit by 18 dust and sandstorms, the most on record since 2000, while Sichuan Province in Southwest China was plagued by a drought, the first since 1951.
Dong said acid rain in North China was a serious problem this year, requiring more attention.
"Before, the country's acid rain was concentrated in Southwest China, like Guizhou Province," Dong said. "But due to more emissions of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, North China has become the new target of acid rain."
Shanghai enterprises give wide berth to green power
The green electric power mechanism, a system that asked enterprises to voluntarily buy green electric power at a higher price based on governmental promotion, hasn't gotten the expected results after more than one year of operation.
The green electric power means power generated from wind energy, solar power, terrestrial heat and other recycled energies. Currently, most of Shanghai's green electric power is from wind energy.
Statistics from the Shanghai Economic Commission showed that by the end of May this year, only 21 enterprises in Shanghai (seven were Stated-owned enterprises, others were foreign enterprises) bought 8.45 million kilowatt-hours of green electric power. In addition, 1,749 households in the city bought 267,000 kilowatt-hours of green electric power.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-12/29/content_770648.htm
China Life IPO priced at high
By Bao Xian (China Daily)Updated: 2006-12-29 08:46
China Life Insurance Co, the country's largest life insurer, set the share price for its 28.2 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion) initial public offering (IPO) in the Shanghai bourse at the top of its indicative range, the insurer said in a statement yesterday. The IPO of 1.5 billion A shares, China's second-largest domestic IPO, was priced at 18.88 yuan (US$2.4), at the top of the 18.16-18.88 yuan range the insurer set earlier this week.
"The final price is not surprising," said Zhao Yujie, an analyst with Merchants Securities. "Our expectation for China Life's rational price in 2013 is 34.07 yuan (US$4.4) if its investment return is improved to 8 per cent."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-12/29/content_770655.htm
Service trade report published
By Jiang Wei (China Daily)Updated: 2006-12-29 09:05
The Ministry of Commerce published its first report on the country's service trade yesterday, analyzing the development and prospects of China's service trade sector.
The service exports stood at US$40.04 billion in the first half of this year, up 17 per cent year-on-year, while service imports hit US$45.73 billion, a year-on-year rise of 19 per cent, the report said.
Hong Kong, the United States and Japan are the Chinese mainland's top three service trade partners.
Despite the fast growth in China's service sector in recent years, service exports continue to account for less than 10 per cent of China's total exports, only half of the global average.
"Although China's surplus is huge in commodity trade, its deficit in the service sector has increased 44 per cent year-on-year to US$5.7 billion in the first six months of this year," said Hu Jingyan, director of the ministry's department for trade in services.
The report said that China's service trade is largely focused on a number of traditional sectors tourism accounted for 36 per cent of total service exports in the first six months of this year, while transportation took up 23 per cent.
China's service exports are still at an "early stage" in technology-intensive sectors, such as finance, insurance and consultation.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-12/29/content_770695.htm
Foreign banks hurry to set up local branches
(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-29 10:02
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp (HSBC) Thursday set up another local branch in northern China's Tianjin City, making it one of the foreign-funded banks with most local outlets in the country.
The Bank of East Asia, another overseas-funded lender with most local subsidiaries on the mainland, opened 13 branches in China this year, raising the total number to 31.
With ten newly founded branches this year, the HSBC also has more than 30 local branches in the mainland so far, followed by the Standard Chartered Bank that opened five local branches this year.
Other foreign-funded banks, including the Hang Seng Bank and Citibank, have also set up more branches in China this year.
The Bank of East Asia now spends the most investment among all foreign-funded banks on localization.
The Standard Chartered Bank will set up two more branches at the beginning of next month and double the number of its branches in the coming 18 months, according to source with the bank.
Li Guobao, chairman of the Bank of East Asia, predicted last month the number of its Chinese branches will reach 60 to 80 in three years, and most of them will be in big cities.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-12/29/content_770813.htm
China's shares hit new record high
(AP)Updated: 2006-12-29 21:27
SHANGHAI - China's shares soared to a new record high for a fifth straight day on Friday, lifted by sharp rises in bank and airline stocks in the last trading session of 2006.
The Shanghai Composite Index rose 4.2 percent to close at 2,675.47, more than double its level at the start of the year. The Shenzhen Composite Index for China's smaller second market rose 2.1 percent to 550.59.
Bank and airline stocks were buoyed by a rise in China's yuan currency against the US dollar, which makes bank assets more valuable and reduces dollar-denominated debt burdens for Chinese airlines.
Air China and China Southern Airlines rose by the daily limit of 10 percent, while Shanghai Airlines rose 8.5 percent.
Bank of China surged 9.9 percent and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China advanced 6 percent. BOC has risen 36 percent and ICBC 31 percent this week.
Analysts say the rise in bank stocks has been driven by expectations that the impending initial public offering by life insurer China Life will set a high share price, making other financial stocks look attractively priced.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/29/content_771202.htm
China's stock market value to grow 20% next year
(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-29 20:51
BEIJING -- China's stock market will continue its bullish performance next year to achieve a 20-percent growth in its total value, says a report published by the State Information Center Thursday.
The report draws the conclusion from the anticipation that China's listed companies will record a 20-percent growth in business.
Meanwhile, the stock market will see a fierce restructuring, with major blue chips to go on rising, but most seeing shares to tumble by a big margin, according to the report.
The total market value of China's stock market hit a record eight trillion yuan (one trillion U.S. dollars) on December 20, making it the largest emerging stock market in the world.
With a booming stock market and rising Renminbi value, more capital will pour in to drive up Chinese shares, says the report.
It says a stable, rapid national economic growth and the vigor of the world's leading stock markets will also contribute to domestic market boost.
China's gross domestic product (GDP) value will most probably record an increase of 9.5 percent next year, down from the estimated 10.5 percent rise for this year, provided that no major incidents upset the world economy and that state macro-control measures are effectively implemented.
There remains a 30-percent probability that the economy will maintain its 10.5-percent growth if the government fails to curb excessive currency liquidity, says the report.
Foreign journalists 'welcome in China'
The country's top information official yesterday said his office is a "constructive partner" to foreign journalists, whom he expects to report on China more objectively.
The State Council Information Office has not only been pushing publicity-shy officials to talk to the media, but also promised to help implement new regulations that give foreign journalists unprecedented freedom in reporting China.
"We cordially welcome international journalists to come and see China for themselves for interviews and exchanges," said Cai Wu. "Through your on-the-spot reporting and interviewing, I'm confident you will come to new conclusions on China."
Cai was speaking at the last press conference organized by the information office of the State Council China's cabinet this year, when it invited 59 ministers and vice-ministers to meet the media on 58 occasions.
Acknowledging "encouraging progress" made by the foreign media in covering China the volume of coverage rose by up to 40 per cent year-on-year Cai said the number of objective reports on the Chinese economy and society increased.
But, he said: "As for overseas reports on China's situation, I think the proportion of positive or totally objective stories is still quite small."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/29/content_770281.htm
White paper on defence out today
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-29
06:59
The government is expected today to issue a white paper reviewing China's national defence situation in 2006.
The document will provide a comprehensive picture of China's national defence and the military modernization drive over the last two years.
The fifth white paper on national defence since 1998 contains 10 chapters with three appendices, and focuses on the security situation, the national defence policy, development of the armed forces and industry and technology for national defence, the national defence budget and international security co-operation. The white paper is issued twice a year.
Netizens can today log on to the China Daily website, www.chinadaily.com.cn, to read the full text of the white paper.
Defense spending at US$35B for 2006
Both the total amount and per-serviceman share of China's defense expenditure is low compared with those of some other countries, particularly major powers, says the White Paper on China's National Defense in 2006 issued in Beijing Friday.
According to the White Paper, in 2005, China's defense expenditure equaled 6.19 percent of that of the United States, 52.95 percent of that of the United Kingdom, 71.45 percent of that of France and 67.52 percent of that of Japan. China's defense expenses per serviceman averaged 107,607 yuan (around US$13,450), amounting to 3.74 percent of that of the United States and 7.07 percent of that of Japan. "Pursuant to the National Defense Law and the Budget Law, and guided by the principle of coordinated development of national defense and the economy, the Chinese government decides on the size and use of defense expenditure in an appropriate way to meet the demands of national defense in keeping with China's economic development," the White Paper said. China's defense expenditure mainly comprises expenses for personnel, training and maintenance, and equipment, the White Paper adds.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/29/content_771021.htm
Top court reviews all death sentences
By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-29 07:00
The Supreme People's Court will now take a closer look at death sentences passed by the local courts.
From January 1, it will review all death sentences in the country.
Preparations have progressed smoothly, and the court is "basically ready" to exercise the right to review and make final decisions on all death sentence cases in the country, Supreme People's Court President Xiao Yang said yesterday.
Three criminal tribunals have been set up as a supplement to the existing two, and the review team has been expanded, according to the court.
New members have been selected from local courts, lawyers and law schools, and have finished a three-month training at the Supreme People's Court.
They are currently on probation for a year before officially assuming office.
The court also spelt out details of the review process.
Each case will be reviewed by a team of three judges. They
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/29/content_770292.htm
Poll: Bush, Britney get thumbs-down
(AP)Updated: 2006-12-29 10:10
Washington - Bad guy of 2006: President Bush. Good guy of 2006: President Bush. When people were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, Bush topped both lists, in a sign of these polarized times.
Among entertainment celebrities, Oprah Winfrey edged out Michael J. Fox as the best celebrity role model while Britney Spears outdistanced Paris Hilton as the worst.
Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.
The president was picked as hero of the year by a much smaller margin. In the poll, 13 percent named him as their favorite while 6 percent cited the troops in Iraq.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-12/29/content_770824.htm
Saddam lawyer seeks mercy
(AP)Updated: 2006-12-29 09:10
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's lawyer made a last-ditch effort to impede his execution Thursday, beseeching world leaders to prevent the United States from handing over the ousted leader to Iraqi authorities who plan to hang him.
The plea from Saddam's attorney came as the US military reported the deaths of five more troops and announced that Iraqi forces, backed by American forces, captured an al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader believed responsible for the June kidnapping of two soldiers who were found tortured and killed.
With at least 72 more Iraqis killed in sectarian violence, U.S. officials and Iraqis expressed concern about the potential for even worse bloodshed following Saddam's execution. The lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said transferring Saddam to Iraqi authorities could be the trigger.
"If the American administration insists in handing the president to the Iraqis, it would commit a great strategic mistake which would lead to the escalation of the violence in Iraq and the eruption of a destructive civil war," al-Dulaimi said in a telephone interview.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-12/29/content_770704.htm
Escalating Violence in Iraq
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/world_06iraq_page.html
US F-16 fighter down in Falluja
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-11/28/content_744585.htm
Saddam bids family farewell, hanging date unclear
(Reuters)Updated: 2006-12-29 09:46
Baghdad - Saddam Hussein bade two half brothers farewell on Thursday in a rare prison meeting as he awaits execution, a lawyer said, but US and Iraqi officials gave conflicting accounts of whether he would hang within days.
A senior Bush administration official said the ousted president could go to the gallows as soon as Saturday.
But Iraqi officials backed away from suggestions they would definitely hang him within a month and a cabinet minister told Reuters a week-long religious holiday would stall any execution.
"He was in very high spirits and clearly readying himself," Badie Aref, a defense lawyer, told Reuters after the 69-year-old former leader met half-brothers Watban and Sabawi, who are also both held at the US army's Camp Cropper near Baghdad airport.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-12/29/content_770789.htm
Saddam still in US custody
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's half brothers visited him in his jail cell and he gave them his will, Iraqi officials said Friday, indicating his execution may be approaching. But they said he had yet to be transferred to Iraqi custody.
The former president is being held at Camp Cropper, an American military prison where he is expected to remain until the day of his execution, at which point he is to be transferred to Iraqi authorities.
On Tuesday, an Iraqi appeals court upheld Saddam's death sentence for the killing of 148 people who were detained after an attempt to assassinate him in the northern Iraqi city of Dujail in 1982. The court said the former president should be hanged within 30 days.
"Nothing and nobody can abrogate the ruling," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said in comments released by his office Friday.
"Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him, and there will be no review or delay in carrying out the sentence," Al-Maliki said.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-12/29/content_771204.htm
The latest on North Korea
http://pub1.chinadaily.com.cn/slideshow/weekzine/Dec22/movie_1.htm
Japan visit date 'still to be fixed'
By Le Tian (China Daily)Updated: 2006-12-29 07:00
The Foreign Ministry said yesterday Chinese leaders would visit Japan at a convenient time next year, but stopped short of confirming a report which said Premier Wen Jiabao would visit Tokyo in April.
"China and Japan have agreed in principle Chinese leaders will visit Japan at a time convenient for both sides," the ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular news briefing yesterday. "But the specific date for the visit has yet to be set through diplomatic consultations."
A Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on Wednesday that Wen is set to visit Japan in April - the first such visit in more than six years.
The Asian neighbours hope the visit will improve bilateral ties, which deteriorated to their worst level in decades over former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a controversial Tokyo war shrine, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said in its evening edition.
"We have noticed the report," Qin said. "Related information will be released immediately we get it."
Referring to a question about whether Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is set to visit China, Qin said he does not have any information.
"China and Israel have exchanges and co-operation at various levels and in various fields," Qin said. "We have had no information about the Israeli leader's visit to China. If any, we will make it public at a proper time."
At the news briefing, Qin also spoke highly of the efforts made by the Secretary-General of Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) Zhang Deguang, who will conclude his three-year term at the end of this year. Bolat Nurgaliyev from Kazakhstan will succeed Zhang next year.
"During Zhang's three-year term, the SCO secretariat worked in an efficient, orderly and co-ordinated manner," Qin said.
Currently, political mutual trust has been intensified among the SCO members while pragmatic co-operation has been deepening, and the influence of the organization on the international community has been rising, he said.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2006-12/29/content_770499.htm
China’s migrant worker
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/2006-11/10/content_729687.htm
Iron ore import rules tightened
By Gong Zhengzheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-29 08:56
China, the world's biggest iron ore consumer and importer, yesterday raised the threshold for domestic steel makers and trading companies to qualify for imports of the main raw material used to make steel for a second time since 2005.
Now, iron ore importers will need registered capital of at least 20 million yuan (US$2.56 million), double what is currently needed, according to a joint statement from the China Iron & Steel Association and the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-12/29/content_770678.htm
Kennedy targeted on Ireland trip
(AP)Updated: 2006-12-29 10:39
DUBLIN, Ireland - Former US President John F. Kennedy was the subject of three separate death threats during his visit to Ireland in 1963, according to newly declassified police documents released Friday.
The documents released by the Irish Justice Department said police received two anonymous telephoned warnings in the weeks before the arrival of the United States' first Irish Catholic president. A third threat went to the newsroom of the Irish Independent newspaper.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-12/29/content_770905.htm
Police refuse to rescue cat in pit
(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-27 13:58
Lanzhou -- Policemen and firemen in northwest China's Gansu Province refused to provide assistance to an old man, who asked them to rescue two cats that had been trapped in a pit for nine days.
"My cat and another one have been trapped in a deep pit for nine days. I tried but couldn't get them out. Please help!" Deng Zixiu, the old man in the provincial capital of Lanzhou, said in his call to the police hotline 110 and the fire department.
But the replies were basically the same: We feel sorry for the cats, but we can't help. It's not within our scope of business.
Deng said his cat named "Coffee" had been with him for three years. It was missing for nine days until a neighbor found it trapped in a deep pit with another cat.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/27/content_768867.htm
Dog school opens in Wuxi
(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-28 10:34
NANJING -- A school to teach pet dogs how to behave properly has opened in Wuxi city, in east China's Jiangsu Province, but the high cost of tuition has sent many pet owners on average incomes scurrying for cover. According to Zhu Min, boss of the training school, dogs will be taught to sit, stand and lie down in a "civilized" way, and be trained not to bark at or spring on approaching strangers. "For example, we train dogs to sit and walk on the left side of their owners. It is easier for the owners to take care of the dogs and to avoid causing trouble to passers-by," Zhu said. The monthly tuition fee ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 yuan (US$385-641), and the duration of training depends on the pooch's age and temperament. So far the school has not been a barking success among pet owners because the tuition fees are considerably higher than the average citizen's monthly income. "It's too extravagant to send pets to such a school," said a local resident called Wu.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/28/content_769727.htm
Top 10 Olympic News Stories unveiled
(BOCOG/chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2006-12-28 18:58
The Top Ten News Stories on Beijing Olympic Games (2006) were unveiled on Thursday, with "Chinese government attaches great importance to Olympic preparation" and "Affordable ticket prices announced for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games" standing high on the list.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2008/2006-12/28/content_770203.htm
Inside Water Cube
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2008/2006-12/28/content_769613.htm
Are the rich challenging family planning policy?
By Guo Qiang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-12-28 16:16
A well-known Chinese singer is sparking mounting speculation over whether or not the country's privileged can challenge its family planning policy.
Mao Amin, a veteran singer in her 40s, gave birth to a boy on Sunday at a Shanghai hospital. But his birth has raised concern that fame has given his vocalist mother an advantage over the family planning policy. Mao had her first baby girl in 2004, reported the Xi'an Evening New on December 27.
The introduction of the family planning policy in the 1980s aimed to slow the robust growth of the country's vast population. According to official data, it helped Asia's biggest economy reduce its population by 300 million, a feat that has been called a marvel.
Mao's agent Chen Ke said his client abided by the policy.
The family planning policy stipulates that an urban couple, if both husband and wife are only children, can have a second child and farmers can have a second if their first child is a girl.
Mao was not an only child, according to Chen.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/28/content_770107.htm
Supersize price for Indonesia's 110-dollar burger
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2006-12/25/content_767263.htm
Restaurant fined for fake naked dining ads
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-29 09:47
A restaurant in northeast China was fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,394) yesterday for issuing a fake promotion about a controversial Japanese dining tradition known as Nyotaimori.The restaurant in Anshan in Liaoning Province was also ordered to suspend operations after a local public health administration found it had sanitation problems, Xinhua news agency reported today.
Waiters from the middle-scale restaurant in the city's Tiexi District sent flyers to local residents, saying they would launch the luxurious Japanese banquet, Nyotaimori, beginning next year, Xinhua said.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-12/29/content_770790.htm
Victoria's Secret says sexy is back
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/secret.html
You will be seeing a lot of me - Liu Xiang
(AFP)Updated: 2006-12-29 10:25
Chinese track star Liu Xiang, who at 23 already owns the 110m hurdles world record and Olympic title, intends to remain a force in his sport into his 30s, state media reported on Monday.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2006-12/29/content_770861.htm
Jolie & Pitt continue stay in Costa Rica
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2006-12/29/content_770643.htm
Spears to adopt a tsunami orphan
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2006-12/29/content_771106.htm
San Francisco Chronicle
BAY AREA Winds subside, but PG&E still trying to restore power
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. workers continued efforts to restore power Thursday to tens of thousands of Bay Area customers whose electricity was knocked out after a windstorm Wednesday.
The storm has passed out of the Bay Area, weather officials said Thursday. Sunny weather will likely continue through the weekend.
About 675,000 Northern California customers had lost power, said PG&E spokeswoman Matt Havlik. By Thursday evening, about 18,000 PG&E customers remained in the dark, including 2,100 in the Bay Area.
Havlik said PG&E hoped to have most of the outages resolved by late Thursday evening.
PG&E is also working to build a temporary transmission power line near Redwood City, where three transmission towers were knocked down Wednesday. The towers are located in an environmentally sensitive area on Bair Island, so the energy company must get special permits to rebuild them. The towers house a 115-volt transmission line that feeds into local distribution systems on the Peninsula.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/29/BAGDGN9QPH1.DTL
Experts Discover Men And Women Are Different!
When it was revealed that scientific studies published in the new book "The Female Brain" demonstrate that women talk more than men, many of us responded with a collective shrug. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex -- whether romantic, familial or friendly -- knows that women talk more than men. A lot more.
"The Female Brain" indicates that not only do women talk three times as much as men, but they also get a chemical rush in their brains from hearing their own voices. This may explain why women describe "feeling better" after talking about problems or issues in their lives, beyond the mere relief of getting it off their chest.
But what is most fascinating about the book is the background of its author. A neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, and the head of a female mood and hormone clinic in San Francisco, Dr. Louann Brizendine is also a self-described feminist. In putting forward the results of clinical work and scientific analysis, Brizendine was forced to concede that everything she had been taught about gender was wrong. That is, men and women really are different. As she put it, "I know it is not politically correct to say this but I've been torn for years between my politics and what science is telling us. I believe women actually perceive the world differently from men."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2006/12/29/cstillwell.DTL
Apple says options probe finds no misconduct by managers, has 'complete confidence' in Jobs
Apple Computer Inc. said its investigation of stock-option grants found no misconduct by current management, but it did find that Chief Executive Steve Jobs recommended or was aware of the selection of some favorable grant dates.
However, Apple said Jobs did not financially benefit from the grants and the special committee that investigated the company said it has "complete confidence" in the CEO.
Its options mishandling will result in an additional noncash charge of $84 million, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company said Friday. In its full-year financial report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was delayed due to the options probe, Apple said earnings for fiscal years 2006, 2005 and 2004 will be lowered by $4 million, $7 million, and $10 million respectively.
Apple shares rose more than 4 percent to $84.30 in pre-market trading after the news.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/12/29/financial/f050605S98.DTL
Vigil at St. Mary's for slain S.F. police officer No one knew 'Chuck' was escapee Marlon Ruff, who had returned to his childhood neighborhood, acted normally
Between his prison camp escape in February 2005 and his alleged killing of San Francisco police Officer Bryan Tuvera last Friday night, Marlon Ruff didn't go deep underground.
The 33-year-old fugitive returned to his onetime home, the massive Villas apartment complex in the city's Park Merced neighborhood. Residents there said Ruff, who was killed by Tuvera's partner in the Dec. 22 shootout, pedaled around the neighborhood on a bike, sold electronics and slept in storage rooms -- including one that he rigged with electricity for a television and DVD player.
Some nights he slept at the home of a friend, who along with his mother and sister didn't realize that the man they knew as "Chuck" was on the lam.
"He didn't seem like he was hiding," said Amara Telgemeier, 24, whose 21-year-old brother, Will, had known Ruff for years.
"He was a very nice young man, I thought," said elementary school teacher Susan Telgemeier. "He was a little odd, though, and you could tell you couldn't talk to him about certain things. He started to want to leave things in my son's room -- sound equipment, stuff like that -- and I told him, 'Absolutely no.' "
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/29/MNGUBN9SGB1.DTL
GERALD R. FORD: 1913-2006
How Ford stood by 'real friend' Nixon Unpublished tapes, documents shed light on the deep relationship between them
(12-29) 04:00 PST Washington -- Months before Richard Nixon set Michigan congressman Gerald Ford on the path to the White House, Nixon turned to Ford, who called himself the embattled president's "only real friend," to get him out of trouble.
During one of the darkest days of the Watergate scandal, Nixon secretly confided in Ford, at the time the House minority leader. He begged for help. He complained about fair-weather friends and swore at perceived rivals in his own party. "Tell the guys, goddamn it, to get off their ass and start fighting back," Nixon pleaded with Ford in one call recorded by the president's secret taping system.
And Ford did. "Anytime you want me to do anything, under any circumstances, you give me a call, Mr. President," he told Nixon during that May 1, 1973, conversation. "We'll stand by you morning, noon and night."
This and other previously unpublished transcripts of their calls, documents and personal letters provide a portrait of an intensely personal friendship dating to the late 1940s but so hidden that few others were even aware of it. Until now, the relationship between the two presidents has been portrayed largely as a matter of political necessity, with Nixon tapping Ford for the vice presidency in late 1973 because he was a confirmable choice on Capitol Hill.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/29/MNGU3N9JR91.DTL
New laws to change lives at basic level Many Californians will notice changes as legislators' efforts come to fruition on Monday
(12-29) 04:00 PST Sacramento -- While 2006 may be remembered as the year state lawmakers decided to fight global warming, a host of more down-to-earth laws set to take effect New Year's Day include changes to how Californians drive, care for their pets and pay their taxes.
That list of new laws includes stiffer penalties for pet owners who endanger their animals, additional stickers for hybrid cars to access carpool lanes without restriction, a trip to the dentist for youngsters entering school, discount prescription drugs for poorer Californians, and a raise for the state's roughly 1.4 million minimum-wage earners.
California's lowest wage earners will see their hourly pay go up by 75 cents to $7.50 starting Jan. 1. The minimum wage rate will get another 50-cent boost at the beginning of 2008.
Originally, Democratic lawmakers had pushed for a one-time $1 raise followed by automatic increases that are tied to the inflation rate, which is also called indexing.
Schwarzenegger, who vetoed minimum wage bills in two previous years, announced in May that he also would like to see a $1 increase, but would not support automatic incremental boosts. The two sides ultimately settled on a compromise of no indexing, but a higher total increase of $1.25 an hour.
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Permit hell is getting worse for San Francisco remodelers and dream house builders
As the New Year approaches and homeowners make resolutions to finally begin that dream home or remodel project, one woman's story of permit hell is a measure of the abyss that sometimes yawns between vision and reality. When Shannon Engelbrecht embarked on her dream home three years ago, she embodied the highest values of the boom time. A well-timed sale of stock options in 2001 allowed her to retire early and funnel her money into real estate projects that helped her friends, family and tenants buy their own homes through equity sharing. A previous column that portrayed her as a "fairy godmother of real estate" brought national attention, including interest in making a reality TV show based on her real estate social work.
The most ambitious project was to be her family's urban compound: two side-by-side homes on Bernal Hill designed by green architect Toby Long and eco-builder Clever Homes. As planned, the homes were meant to be models of utopian values, both environmentally and spiritually. Designed with solar power, recycled materials, eco-friendly factory-made insulated panels and the city's first gray-water system, one of the homes would become the place where Engelbrecht and her husband would raise their two young children. The second equally green home would go to two of their beloved tenants, a lesbian couple with a young boy whose jobs as massage therapists offered them scant chance of ever becoming Bay Area homeowners. Engelbrecht planned on using her equity-sharing formula and allow the couple to get into homeownership at a deep discount.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/12/29/carollloyd.DTL
HEALTH CARE: LOOKING FOR ANSWERS States lead latest charge in effort to solve crisis over medical coverage
The effort to fix the nation's broken health care system is receiving more attention than at any time since the Clinton administration in the early 1990s.
Since last spring, when Massachusetts' Republican governor signed a law to cover the state's uninsured population, state and local officials have introduced a wave of proposals to expand coverage to take in at least some of the 46 million Americans who lack health insurance.
In California, where an estimated 6.5 million people lack coverage, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared 2007 "the year of health care" and is poised to unveil a major health reform proposal in his State of the State address in January. Senate Democratic Leader Don Perata, D-Oakland, earlier this month proposed a plan designed to cover some 4.2 million working Californians and their families.
San Francisco plans to start phasing in a program in July to cover the city's 82,000 uninsured residents, making it the first city in the country to provide so-called universal coverage.
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Dad's domain is art, son's war -- yet respect bonds them
Here's the thing about fathers and sons: Fathers nudge, they suggest, and they push. It's an irresistible urge.
And sons, well, they listen but sometimes they go in other directions. It happens. And in the best of relationships, everyone is fine with that. Sometimes puzzled or concerned, but fine.
This is one of those stories.
Thirty-two year old Nick Johnson is an Airborne Ranger, a helicopter pilot in the middle of his second tour in Iraq. He is often one of the first responders to an IED (improvised explosive device) attack on American convoys. He is home in San Francisco for two weeks but then goes back to finish his seven-month tour.
Robert Johnson is Nick's father. He's the curator of the Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum. Nick likes to say his dad is the kind of guy who would "weigh whether to pay the electric bill or buy a new piece of art." Robert hates the war.
Not that there isn't a bond between Robert and Nick. You know how it is with fathers and sons.
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Office rents higher as vacancies tighten Asking prices in S.F. jumped 13.6 percent to $34.30 per square foot in 2006
Commercial landlords cashed in this year as vacancy rates dipped across the Bay Area and rents climbed.
That's a trend that those in the industry expect to continue into 2007.
Asking rents for office space in San Francisco jumped 13.6 percent year over year to $34.30 per square foot in 2006 while they climbed 10.8 percent in Silicon Valley to $28.20, according to a preliminary tally by NAI BT, a commercial real estate firm.
Asking rents reflect what landlords expect they can get in today's market. In reality, landlords sometimes wind up taking less.
Strong demand caused vacancy rates to fall to 10.6 percent in San Francisco and 11.2 percent in Silicon Valley, the lowest since the commercial real estate market crash after the dot-com meltdown. The Bay Area vacancy rate peaked in 2003 at 20.4 percent, rising from just 2.1 percent three years earlier at the height of the tech boom.
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Odd end to an irregular season
The final week of the 2006 regular season is chaotic, compelling and absurd, all at once. Teams that have no business contending for playoff berths are still alive and one division champ, Seattle, is so ashamed of its recent performances that players wouldn't wear the customary celebratory T-shirt and cap.
Naturally, a number of coaches and general managers are either set to be bounced or are contemplating moves, though none of the coaching moves is set in stone, unlike previous years. Could it get any crazier?
So much is happening, we should take a look at the NFL landscape and see what bears watching in Week 17:
-- Coaching rumors abound: Unlike last season when 10 teams -- including the Raiders -- sacked their head coach and most of the changes were anticipated, the coaching carrousel at the end of the 2006 season is all about rumor. And money.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/29/SPG94N9IHL1.DTL
They gave us art, soul and strength. A tribute to those who left us.
It's been inescapable this week, with television news pioneer Frank Stanton dying one day, "Godfather of Soul" James Brown dying the next and Gerald Ford, the oldest living president in U.S. history, the day after that.
Death during the end-of-the year holidays seems at once incongruous and strangely attuned to the season's darkness and yearning for renewal. It focuses, as annual lists such as this one do, our scattered reactions of the past 12 months. Right there with the shock, large or small, that someone from the world of arts and culture is gone is the vapor trail of what he or she meant, the brightness and joy or awesome terror of the work left behind.
The passing of those who mattered to us -- the ones instantly remembered and others who have drifted from our thoughts -- brings us up short. For a moment there's just the astonishment of the fact. Poet Stanley Kunitz reached 100. Mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson was 52. Chris Penn died at age 40.
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The Bondage File
http://sfgate.com/news/bondage/
Government vs. a free press
PERHAPS IT is fitting in the last week of 2006 that Americans would be reflecting on the "long national nightmare" created by an elected leader's abuse of power.
This week's death of former President Gerald R. Ford has produced myriad well-deserved tributes to his calm, humble leadership in succeeding a presidency poisoned by hubris and paranoia. "The system worked" is the refrain that often accompanies recollections of that transfer of power from Richard Nixon to Gerald R. Ford on Aug. 9, 1974.
It is imperative to remember: The system worked only because the criminal acts of the Nixon White House became known to the public. And the critical elements of that story of a government run amok were unearthed only because two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, were able to assure key sources (including "Deep Throat") that their identities would remain confidential.
In the past year, the notion that confidential sources are essential to allowing journalists to serve as watchdogs of government -- a strength of our democracy -- has been under open assault. The case involving Chronicle reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, who face the prospect of up to 18 months in jail for refusing to reveal how they obtained grand-jury testimony of a steroids investigation, is part of a much larger pattern of government overreach.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/12/29/EDGOULJ7131.DTL
The Moscow Times
6 Candidates Selected in Turkmenistan
The Associated Press
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- Official media Wednesday carried the biographies of six presidential candidates who will run in elections to succeed the Central Asian republic's late leader.
The People's Council, the country's highest legislative body, selected the candidates Tuesday, giving strong indications that its preferred choice for the Feb. 11 vote is acting President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov.
The move dimmed hopes among exiled opposition leaders and human rights groups for reforms following the death last week of Saparmurat Niyazov, after 21 years of unchallenged rule. Niyazov, who called himself Turkmenbashi, or Father of All Turkmen, tolerated no dissent.
As interim leader, Berdymukhamedov was ineligible to run for president, but the Council, a 2,500-strong assembly of hand-picked officials and elders, removed the obstacle by changing the constitution, and unanimously backed his candidacy.
Before rising to acting president, Berdymukhamedov, 49, served as deputy prime minister.
The other candidates are Ishanguly Nuryyev, 51, who from 2005 has served as deputy minister of oil and gas; Ashyrniyaz Pomanov, 44, mayor of the town of Turkmenbashi; Mukhammednazar Gurbanov, head of the Karabekaul district; Orazmyrad Garadzhayev, 46, mayor of the town of Abadan; and Amanyaz Atadzhikov, 59, deputy governor of the northern Dashoguz region.
Election chief Murad Kariyev promised Tuesday that he would "do everything" to make sure Berdymukhamedov wins "because he is a worthy candidate."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/013.html
Moscow Braces for New Year Revelry
By Carl Schreck Staff Writer
With Moscow already bursting at the seams, city authorities are bracing for the millions of anticipated New Year's Eve revelers and are stepping up measures to keep them safe during the holiday season.
Traffic and terrorism top authorities' list of concerns, with thousands of extra police being called in to maintain order amidst the fireworks and excess boozing.
More than 250 public events are scheduled for the holidays, and law enforcement and City Hall officials said Muscovites should leave their cars at home.
To make the metro a more attractive option, interim deputy city police chief Vyacheslav Kozlov said Wednesday that special police units would be assigned to the Park Kultury, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina, Okhotny Ryad and Lubyanka stations to limit passenger congestion and possible stampedes.
Kozlov was speaking at a news conference at RIA-Novosti offices.
Built to carry 5 million passengers per day, the Moscow metro, the busiest underground railway system in the world, now carries close to 9 million.
Kozlov said Moscow's already heavy road traffic would be exacerbated by a large number of people coming into the city to buy presents and attend celebrations.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/001.html
Travel, Parties and Gifts Fuel Holiday Spree
By Simon Shuster Staff Writer
In the shopping malls of Moscow, the only relic of Soviet times could be the lines that snake around the counters. The rest is glittering displays, unsteady men in Santa suits, and the bustle and noise of eager shoppers, which came to fever pitch this month.
The holidays are here.
"It is only the shortages that people cannot understand," said Galina Vishnyakova, 28, a shopper at the Ramstore mall on Sheremetyevskaya Ulitsa whose cart was loaded with champagne and expensive treats. "But they adapt very quickly to all these little luxuries."
During this holiday season, Russians will shell out 13 percent of their yearly income -- almost three times the European average -- on luxuries such as travel, parties and gifts, a study released last month by consultancy Deloitte & Touche said.
But fears that chaos could come tomorrow are as much the reason for this trend as the festive mood of today, said Alexander Dorofeyev, the Deloitte & Touche partner behind the study.
"The country is awash with money," Dorofeyev said. "But people in Russia still don't trust the official news that the economy is growing. They have experienced so much turbulence in their economic lives that they have not adjusted to stability. So their first instinct is to spend now. ... Enjoy now, because you don't know what's going to happen later."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/002.html
More Prison Time for Khodorkovsky?
By Nabi Abdullaev Staff Writer
Jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky is looking at a possible 15-year prison term in connection with a money-laundering inquiry. The prison term would come on top of the eight years he is already serving.
Prosecutors on Wednesday questioned Khodorkovsky as part of their inquiry.
"Khodorkovsky is suspected of stealing oil revenues from Yukos subsidiary firms and then laundering these funds by donating them to Open Russia," Khodorkovsky's lawyer, Yury Shmidt, said by telephone from the regional capital, Chita.
Open Russia is a philanthropic foundation established by Yukos in 2001.
No charges were brought Wednesday against Khodorkovsky, Shmidt said. But, he said, investigators from the General Prosecutor's Office did inform the former tycoon he was a suspect in the case.
Another suspect, Khodorkovsky's associate Platon Lebedev, who is also serving an eight-year prison term, refused to answer investigators' questions, citing the constitution, Shmidt said.
The penalty for money-laundering can be as much as 15 years behind bars.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/011.html
Belarus Warns It May Block Gas
Gas transit through Belarus to Europe will be illegal unless Gazprom relents on demands that Minsk pay steep price increases in 2007, a senior Belarussian official said Wednesday.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller responded by demanding still higher prices and insisting that the gas for Europe cross the Belarussian border. Gazprom also said the threat was tantamount to planning to siphon off gas.
If Gazprom and Belarus do not agree on a price for Belarus, that would mean no contract for gas transit, Belarussian First Deputy Energy Minister Eduard Tovpenets said. "How can it transit without a contract? It would be a direct breach of the law," he said, Interfax reported.
He reiterated the stance that Belarussian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko made at the Minsk airport late Tuesday after his return from failed talks in Moscow.
In response, Gazprom will ask the government on Wednesday to slap an export duty on the "market" price of $200 per 1,000 cubic meters of Belarus-bound gas, Miller told reporters. With the duty, the price would grow to $260, or an additional $1.3 billion per year, he told reporters late Wednesday.
Even if it cuts supplies to Belarus, which could happen at 10 a.m. on Jan. 1, Gazprom will continue pumping gas through Belarus to Europe, Miller said.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/041.html
Time for a New Foreign Policy Look
By Fyodor Lukyanov
It is difficult to recall a single year over the past decade-and-a-half in which Russian foreign policy has generated results as contradictory as in 2006. It's almost as if there were two different Russias acting on the international stage, the first as perceived from the Russian side and the second as seen by the West.
The first Russia debuted in its role as chairman of the Group of Eight, successfully conducting the July summit in St. Petersburg and a range of other related events. Things also went smoothly during Russia's chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers -- an organization in which Moscow has not traditionally felt very comfortable. After a long hiatus, Russia again turned its attention to the Middle East by asserting its interests and opportunities in the region. Given the difficulties of U.S. policy in the region, the Kremlin's independent line opens up some promising prospects. Moscow's position has also gained greater consideration in discussions of problems related to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Russian diplomatic activity has expanded to cover a greater range of issues and countries. Wherever there appeared to be a political or diplomatic opening, Russia moved to squeeze its way in to retain what it feels is its rightful place in international affairs.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/006.html
Protests Good, IPO Bad, Illarionov Says
This year's most remarkable event was the emergence of grassroots democracy, according to former Kremlin economic adviser Andrei Illarionov.
Citizens across the country defended their interests, rights and property by joint protests, such as the one against the eviction of residents from Moscow's southern Butovo area where authorities want to build new apartments, Illarionov said in a speech in Moscow, where he presented his personal awards for the year.
Illarionov quit as President Vladimir Putin's adviser last December saying Russia was no longer "politically free." He now works for Moscow's Institute of Economic Analysis and the Washington-based Cato Institute, two think tanks dealing with economic development.
Illarionov has made a tradition of his end-of-year list of 12 nominations, where he doles out symbolic honors and brickbats in equal measure.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/042.html
2007: The Year of the Inspector
Vedomosti
The Prosecutor General's Office has made it clear that it's not pleased with the work of Federal Subsoil Resource Use Agency head Anatoly Ledovskikh, saying that it is not preventing the infringement of environmental regulations. It says that the agency should use its powers more often to revoke the licenses of resource companies that have broken the conditions of their contracts.
The Natural Resource Ministry's environmental inspectorate got its warning at the beginning of December, when Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev criticized its boss, Sergei Sai, for the fact that the number of inspections carried out in 2006 was half that of 2005. The criticism led to a battle within the inspectorate between Sai and his deputy, Oleg Mitvol. It is clear that the main weapons in this battle in 2007 will be inspections, inspections and more inspections.
Russian bureaucrats are rarely fired for their mistakes, and certainly not for overdoing their jobs, so look out for much greater zeal ahead.
It won't be hard for them to find what they are looking for. Practically every oil and gas company is guilty of at least some violations. According to analysts, the environmental problems that Sakhalin Energy, the operator of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project, ran into could hit any company working in the oil and gas sector.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/007.html
Pigs and Pepper
By Michele A. Berdy Special to The Moscow Times
Over the centuries, Russians have inherited and claimed a hodge-podge of New Year's traditions and superstitions from pagan, Christian, Slavic, Western and Eastern cultures. Here's a short primer on holiday high jinks.
Holiday HistoryUntil 1700, Russians celebrated two new years: one on March 1 (originally a pagan celebration of new life) and one on Sept. 1 (the Biblical new year). Peter the Great decided to put an end to all this confusion and decreed that starting in 1700, Russians would celebrate the new year on Jan. 1.
At first, cherry and birch trees were decorated, but by the mid-19th century, fir trees were firmly a part of Russian tradition. During World War I, they came under attack as a "hostile German tradition" and were virtually banned from the 1920s until the mid-'30s, when they were rehabilitated as the state-approved New Year's Tree. Christmas and St. Nicholas were out; Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) and Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden) were in. Church bells and prayers were replaced by the Kremlin chimes and the Communist Party leader's address to the nation. Today, anything goes, from reindeers to red stars, but the president's televised address just before midnight remains essential viewing.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/28/023.html
Bigger, Better, More Expensive
It's not just high oil prices - in 2006, Russia tried to reassert its status as a cultural superpower with a cluster of high-profile events.
By Alexander OsipovichPublished: December 22, 2006
There was a lot of talk this year about Russia reasserting its presence on the world stage. Whether it was President Vladimir Putin swaggering in front of fellow world leaders at the G8 summit, Gazprom swallowing up new assets or the country's boxers and tennis players winning titles, the story was much the same: Russia was back.Much the same thing happened in the cultural sphere, too. Consider the first big arts story of the year: the release of the supernatural blockbuster "Day Watch." In the run-up to Jan. 1, 2006, Moscow was overrun with gigantic ads for Timur Bekmambetov's movie. The sequel to "Night Watch" went on to gross over $30 million, becoming Russia's all-time box-office champ and cementing a trend of homegrown blockbusters. Just a few years ago, there was still talk of imposing quotas to limit the number of Hollywood movies in Russian theaters -- but now that seems as long ago as the days of low oil prices.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/22/101.html
The Year in Film
Russian film continues to go from strength to strength, churning out boxoffice hits and quirky arthouse releases.
By Tom BirchenoughPublished: December 29, 2006
Few would dispute that it has been a good year for Russian movies, That's partly because the number of cinemas continues to grow at the fastest rate in the world, and audience results follow proportionately, and partly because the local industry is making better films.Except, in some cases, it isn't. There's a lot of money washing through the field, both from state and private sources, and the cinema business isn't highly regulated, making some announced blockbusters rather less spectacular than that term would normally suggest. And next year there could be another problem: Around 150 projects are now in production, so there should be an average of three Russian films hitting cinema screens every week of 2007, a pace that is hard to sustain in any country. Consequently, some of these films will struggle to get any release at all.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/103.html
Wanted
The stray dogs wander across the border into Abkhazia as if they had United Nations passports tucked in their collars.
By Kevin O'FlynnPublished: December 22, 2006
It is the mandarin season in Abkhazia, and the road to the border is lined with people offering up striped shuttle trading bags, each one spilling over with fruit. The price is 20 rubles per kilogram if you buy in bulk, but even the emaciated stray dogs don't look too keen anymore.There is just too much orange even when set against the black Caucasian clothes -- black is the new black yet again down south -- and the squalid market.The dogs don't have to stand in line to enter or leave Abkhazia. They wander back and forth across the border as if they had United Nations blue passports tucked in their collars whilst the Abkhaz wait with wooden trolleys packed high with fruit, if they are going out, or with packaged goods if they are going in. The dogs nip through the guard post and then nip back as if they can't make up their mind as to which place has fewer mandarins.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/22/108.html
Gas Deadline Looms for Lukashenko
By Anatoly Medetsky Staff Writer
With four days left before Russia is slated to cut off gas to Belarus, Minsk and Moscow remain locked in a price dispute that is hurting Russia's reputation as a reliable energy supplier.
Russia has said it will stop gas supplies at 10 a.m., Jan. 1. In retaliation, Minsk vows it will freeze gas flowing from Russia through Belarus to Europe the same day.
On Thursday, the European Union called on Russia and Belarus to settle the dispute, as concerns mushroomed that the current deadlock could be a replay of last January's showdown between Russia and Ukraine. That disagreement led to a brief shutoff of gas supplies to Ukraine and sharply cut gas to Europe.
EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in a statement posted on the EU's web site: "I call on the two sides to reach as soon as possible a satisfactory agreement that will not put into question gas transits to the EU."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/001.html
Elections and Oil Hold Key to 2007
By Simon Shuster Staff Writer
It has been a banner year for Russian stocks, but analysts expect to see that banner waver in 2007, when volatility picks up on local markets and the looming State Duma and presidential elections shake up the ties between business and power.
The giants of the local markets reigned this year as Russia became the 10th-largest economy in the world, reaching a gross domestic product of $960 billion this month.
Electricity utility Unified Energy Systems, pushing ahead with a breakneck program to spin off 73 subsidiaries and liberalize the energy market, saw its share price soar by 136 percent this year.
State-run monopoly Gazprom has added 56 percent to its stock since January, making it the highest-valued company outside of the United States, worth $274 billion.
"This was the year of the blue chips," said Kim Iskyan, head of research at MDM Bank, adding that next year, "the second tiers, assuming sufficient liquidity, are going to outperform."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/002.html
Divas, Tractors and a Giant Dinosaur
There are always those stories -- funny, poignant, touching, outrageous -- that never make it onto the front pages but stick with readers long after the big, blaring, five-column headlines have receded from memory.
As 2006 comes to a close, there are plenty of these buried gems worth recalling, if only briefly.
It was, perhaps above all, the year of singers paying homage to high-paying oligarchs, who doled out hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars for over-the-top birthday bashes.
Jennifer Lopez, Robbie Williams, Shakira and Christina Aguilera were among those who reportedly came to croon for the super rich. Whether any of them were made to sing in a dimly lit dining room with a screeching microphone and speakers turned up to 11 -- as has been reported -- remains unknown. No one we know was invited.
Not so strangely, no one's ever thought of sending a double to perform on their behalf for gun-toting capitalists. That was not the case earlier this year, when an imposter dared to provoke the wrath of fans of Maxim Galkin, Russia's most beloved impersonator.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/003.html
Deeper Into the Labyrinth
A major new exhibition probes the strange world of avant-garde painter Pavel Filonov.
By Alexander OsipovichPublished: December 29, 2006
It is impossible to know what would have happened with Soviet art had the Stalinist clampdown of the 1930s never taken place. But we have some tantalizing clues in the diverse styles, schools and movements that flourished after the Revolution. Budding artists at the time had plenty of role models to choose from: Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin or Marc Chagall, with their life-affirming humanism; Kasimir Malevich, with his cool, cerebral Suprematism; or Vladimir Tatlin and the Constructivists, with their utopian designs.And then there's the strange case of Pavel Filonov. An influential painter in the '20s, Filonov developed a unique style that makes his work instantly recognizable next to that of his contemporaries. His canvases, sometimes populated with grotesque human faces or menacing animals, are inevitably crisscrossed with a kaleidoscopic web of shapes, lines and colors. The amount of detail is often so staggering that it suggests dementia.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/101.html
Image
By Alexander OsipovichPublished: December 29, 2006
In the run-up to New Year's Day, with 2007 heralding the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese calendar, Moscow has been overrun by swine. The pig doll below is part of an exhibition titled "Greeting the Year of the Pig" at the Darwin Museum. It features porcine pictures, dolls, teapots and other items from the collections of Sergei Ilyin and Vera Korolyova, who have been indulging their pig-collecting hobby for more than 25 years. The exhibition runs to Feb. 11 at the Darwin Museum, located at 57 Ulitsa Vavilova. Metro Akademicheskaya. Photograph by Igor Tabakov.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/111.html
The Year in Theater
New playwrights presented their take on contemporary Russia, while established directors revived the classics.
By John FreedmanPublished: December 29, 2006
The year on stage brought us a balanced mix of the new and old. But it was the new that set the tone. Two directors -- Vladimir Pankov and Dmitry Krymov -- came into their own and left no doubt that Moscow theater continues to evolve at a rapid rate. They were joined by a new writer, Yury Klavdiyev, whose plays pushed the envelope in the field of new drama. Alongside them were several familiar names rounding out the list of top achievers for 2006.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/104.html
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