(Japan Ex-Premier Blames Biased Advisers for Disaster Mistakes - WSJ.comから)
Japan’s former leader blamed missteps in handling last year’s nuclear crisis on advice from experts with a vested interest in preserving nuclear power, as the country continues to grapple with the question of what caused the accident and who was responsible.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose administration came under harsh criticism last year for mishandling the nuclear disaster, told a Parliamentary panel on Monday that the government—and he as its head—was ultimately responsible for a policy environment that allowed the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi to spin out of control in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. But he also pointed a finger at experts from government nuclear regulators and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., saying they gave him inadequate advice.
Mr. Kan is one of the most high-profile figures yet to testify before the parliamentary panel, which was set up in December to investigate the causes of the nuclear accident, when last year’s earthquake and tsunami knocked out power at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and sparked meltdowns at three reactors. His appearance followed testimonies during the past few weeks by industry minister Yukio Edano, who was chief government spokesman during the crisis, and Banri Kaieda, who had been industry minister at the time.
The panel, which is expected to publish a final report on the accident next month, has said its goal is to identify the causes of the accident and draw lessons from them, rather than assign blame to particular individuals or organizations. Its conclusions, along with those of a separate government-commissioned panel looking into the accident, could influence public debate over whether to allow a restart of idled nuclear plants and how much nuclear power Japan should have in the future.
(World News - UN Security Council condemns Syria massacre that left more than 100 deadから)
The U.N. Security Council on Sunday unanimously condemned the Syrian government for heavy-weapons attacks on the town of Houla, the site of a massacre of at least 108 people, including many children, the council president said.
“The Security Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the killings, confirmed by United Nations observers, of dozens of men, women and children and the wounding of hundreds more in the village of (Houla), near Homs, in attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighborhood,” the non-binding statement said.
“The Security Council also condemned the killing of civilians by shooting at close range and by severe physical abuse,” said the statement, which was read out after the council’s three-hour emergency meeting by Azerbaijan’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Tofig Musayev.
(中日新聞:光市事件、元少年が再審請求へ :社会(CHUNICHI Web)から)
少年時の山口県光市母子殺害事件で殺人や強姦致死罪などに問われ、３月に死刑が確定した元少年（３１）の弁護団は２６日、確定した広島高裁の差し戻し審判決に重大な誤りがあるとして秋にも同高裁に再審請求することを明らかにした。
主任弁護人の安田好弘弁護士は「１０月ごろには再審請求する方向だ」と述べた。
犯行当時１８歳１カ月だった元少年は、一審山口地裁、二審広島高裁で無期懲役とされたが、最高裁は「年齢は死刑回避の決定的事情とまではいえない」と破棄した。差し戻し審判決で高裁は死刑を言い渡し、最高裁も上告を棄却した。
![(3rd UPDATE: Greek Euro Exit By Numbers: What Economists Expect - WSJ.comから)
The prospect of Greece leaving the euro is the only thing anyone is talking about in the markets at the moment. It even has its own nickname: Grexit.
While the world holds its breath for the next Greek elections or major policy announcement, speculation of an exit runs rife.
It is important to emphasize that nothing is certain here; Greece may or may not leave, and there’s a huge range of potential policy responses. So, making allowances for some guesswork, from U.S. political upheaval to a knock-on effect for Mexican bonds, here’s a rundown of the latest on some economists’ and analysts’ views on what could happen next.
MORGAN STANLEY: The bank echoes calls for a sufficient firewall to prevent a spillover into other peripheral markets in the event of a Greek exit, also saying the structure of this firewall will determine the medium-term direction of the euro. “The firewall is unlikely to receive much in the way of additional fiscal support, as local budgets of most European Monetary Union members are stretched, suggesting the European Central Bank will play a vital role in strengthening the firewall. However, the more the ECB gets involved in helping to create a sufficient firewall, the weaker the euro. A Greek exit will also create bearish economic second-round effects, which will be felt by core countries via weakening export dynamics too,” Morgan Stanley analysts say.
CREDIT SUISSE: The bank believes the Grexit probability for the next year to be lower than the broad 50:50 market consensus, and that political drivers will decide.
“We would expect the contagion from implied FX risk to be considerable. In the absence of bold policy moves…it’s likely that financial turbulence would lead to a further, or complete, breakdown of the euro.”
The bank believes the most promising response is economic, fiscal and political union. “At its most extreme, it could mean a rapid (and effective) move towards the issuance of Eurobond…[and] a shift towards a pan-euro bank regulation and resolution regime, where the costs of future bank rescues are potentially borne by the euro area as a whole. A softer version of this would be to give the European Stability Mechanism powers to recapitalize banks directly…[but] it’s not clear that the political will is there,” it says.
Other potential policy responses—but less promising in Credit Suisse’s view—would be ECB tools, involving renewed, and possibly aggressive Securities Markets Program buying of Spanish and Italian government debt.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4l6exY7G31qiypiuo1_500.jpg)
(3rd UPDATE: Greek Euro Exit By Numbers: What Economists Expect - WSJ.comから)
The prospect of Greece leaving the euro is the only thing anyone is talking about in the markets at the moment. It even has its own nickname: Grexit.
While the world holds its breath for the next Greek elections or major policy announcement, speculation of an exit runs rife.
It is important to emphasize that nothing is certain here; Greece may or may not leave, and there’s a huge range of potential policy responses. So, making allowances for some guesswork, from U.S. political upheaval to a knock-on effect for Mexican bonds, here’s a rundown of the latest on some economists’ and analysts’ views on what could happen next.
MORGAN STANLEY: The bank echoes calls for a sufficient firewall to prevent a spillover into other peripheral markets in the event of a Greek exit, also saying the structure of this firewall will determine the medium-term direction of the euro. “The firewall is unlikely to receive much in the way of additional fiscal support, as local budgets of most European Monetary Union members are stretched, suggesting the European Central Bank will play a vital role in strengthening the firewall. However, the more the ECB gets involved in helping to create a sufficient firewall, the weaker the euro. A Greek exit will also create bearish economic second-round effects, which will be felt by core countries via weakening export dynamics too,” Morgan Stanley analysts say.
CREDIT SUISSE: The bank believes the Grexit probability for the next year to be lower than the broad 50:50 market consensus, and that political drivers will decide.
“We would expect the contagion from implied FX risk to be considerable. In the absence of bold policy moves…it’s likely that financial turbulence would lead to a further, or complete, breakdown of the euro.”
The bank believes the most promising response is economic, fiscal and political union. “At its most extreme, it could mean a rapid (and effective) move towards the issuance of Eurobond…[and] a shift towards a pan-euro bank regulation and resolution regime, where the costs of future bank rescues are potentially borne by the euro area as a whole. A softer version of this would be to give the European Stability Mechanism powers to recapitalize banks directly…[but] it’s not clear that the political will is there,” it says.
Other potential policy responses—but less promising in Credit Suisse’s view—would be ECB tools, involving renewed, and possibly aggressive Securities Markets Program buying of Spanish and Italian government debt.
(CREDIT MARKETS: Possible Greece Euro Zone Exit Captivates Markets - WSJ.comから)
Fresh worries about the fiscal stability of the euro zone dominated market action Wednesday, as market participants fretted about the possibility of Greece’s exit.
The fears sent investors into safe-haven assets, like U.S. Treasurys. Meanwhile, the euro was under pressure, hitting its lowest level against the dollar since July 2010.
The concerns hit after former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said the risk of Greece leaving the euro is real, and that an exit would have “catastrophic” economic consequences.
While investors were generally risk-averse Wednesday and corporate bonds weakened, McDonald’s had no trouble selling $900 million in debt.
Municipal bond deals generally fared well, too, even though the market is digesting an above-average amount of new debt sales this week.
(Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Sued Over Facebook IPO - Bloombergから)
Morgan Stanley (MS), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. were sued along with other underwriters and Facebook Inc. (FB) by investors who claimed they were misled in the purchase of the social network firm’s stock.
The investors said the members of a proposed class action, or group lawsuit have lost more than $2.5 billion since the initial public offering last week, according to a complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court.
Also sued were units of Bank of America Corp. and Barclays Plc (BARC), and members of Facebook’s board, according to the filing. Facebook went public at $38 a share. While the stock rose 1.5 percent and raised $16 billion in the IPO, it plunged 19 percent over two days. Today, Facebook rose 3.5 percent, or $1.10, to $32.10 at 9:41 a.m. New York time in Nasdaq trading.
“The true facts at the time of the IPO were that Facebook was then experiencing a severe and pronounced reduction in revenue growth,” the plaintiffs said in the complaint.
A Facebook investor sued Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. yesterday in the same court, saying the exchange “badly mishandled” trades in Facebook stock.
(朝日新聞デジタル：フジ元プロデューサー逮捕 酒気帯び運転容疑で追突事故 - 社会から)
酒を飲んで自動車事故を起こしたとして、警視庁が、フジテレビ人事局付社員保原賢一郎容疑者（４２）を道路交通法違反（酒気帯び運転）と自動車運転過失傷害の疑いで現行犯逮捕していたことが２３日、同庁への取材でわかった。
原宿署によると、逮捕容疑は、２２日午後９時４５分ごろ、東京都渋谷区千駄ケ谷４丁目の路上で酒気を帯びた状態で車を運転し、駐車中のタクシーに追突して男性運転手の首にけがをさせたというもの。運転手は首に１週間の軽傷。
事故後、署員が駆けつけたところ、保原容疑者から酒のにおいがしたという。フジテレビ広報部によると、保原容疑者はプロデューサーとして連続ドラマなどの制作に携わり、昨年６月から別会社に出向していた。
(Facebook I.P.O. Raises Regulatory Concerns - NYTimes.comから)
Just days before Facebook went public, some big investors got nervous about the social network.
After publicly warning about challenges in mobile advertising, Facebook executives held conference calls to update their banks’ analysts on the business. Armed with the new information, analysts at Morgan Stanley and other firms started reaching out to their clients to dial back expectations for the Internet company.
One prospective investor was told that second-quarter revenue could be 5 percent lower than the bank’s earlier estimates. Another analyst warned that revenue could be light for the next two years.
As investors tried to digest the developments, Morgan Stanley was busy setting the price and the size of the I.P.O.
While some big institutions chose not to buy the stock, others placed large orders. And retail investors, who weren’t necessarily privy to the same information, continued to clamor for shares.
(フジテレビ社員を逮捕、運転手に暴行容疑 : 社会 : YOMIURI ONLINE（読売新聞）から)
タクシー運転手に暴行したとして、警視庁三田署が今月２０日、フジテレビ営業局社員・吉田高次容疑者（３１）（東京都港区）を暴行と器物損壊容疑で現行犯逮捕していたことがわかった。
同署幹部によると、吉田容疑者は２０日午後６時頃、港区三田の路上でタクシーを降りる際、クレジットカードが使えない ことに腹を立て、５０歳代の男性運転手の腕を引っ張るなどした上で、タクシーを蹴飛ばし、傷を付けた疑い。酒に酔っており、「覚えていない」と供述してい るという。
Torch bearers, many of whom have not even completed their leg of the relay yet, appear keen to cash in on their roles, seeking to sell their keepsakes to the highest bidder.
Dozens of the distinctive gold torches have already been posted online, with bids currently reaching more than £100,000.
One is reported to have been sold by Sarah Milner Simonds, from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, to raise £153,300 for a community allotment.
Her success appears to have inspired others to place their torches online.
Some have been advertised along with the runner’s uniform, while many are accompanied by details of the charities part of the winnings will go to.
(時事ドットコム：旭天鵬が平幕優勝＝最年長３７歳で初賜杯－大相撲夏場所から)
大相撲夏場所千秋楽は２０日、東京・両国国技館で行われ、西前頭７枚目の旭天鵬＝本名太田勝、モンゴル出身、友綱部屋＝が１２勝３敗で並んだ栃煌山との決定戦を制し、史上最年長の３７歳８カ月で初優勝を果たした。
旭天鵬は１９９２年春場所初土俵。ここから１２１場所目で初賜杯を抱いた。２００５年に日本国籍を取得している。
平幕優勝は０１年秋場所の琴光喜以来。モンゴル出身としては朝青龍、白鵬、日馬富士に続き４人目、外国出身では１０人目の優勝力士となった。
(5.9-magnitude earthquake strikes near Bologna in Italy - World News - IBNLiveから)
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Bologna, Italy, on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey.
The quake, which initially registered at magnitude 6.3, was centered 22 miles (35 km) north-northwest of Bologna in northern Italy at a relatively shallow depth of 6.3 miles (10 km), the USGS said.
The last major earthquake to hit Italy was a 6.3 magnitude quake in the central Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009, killing nearly 300 people.
(Facebook’s Debut Marred by Trading Glitches - NYTimes.comから)
Friday should have been Facebook’s day to shine — and Nasdaq’s as well.
Investors and the media from around the world were waiting for 11 a.m., when shares in Facebook would finally begin trading on the Nasdaq stock market. At $16 billion, it was one of the biggest initial public offerings ever held in the United States, and the largest by far handled by the exchange.
But at 11 a.m., Facebook’s lead underwriter, Morgan Stanley, requested a 20-minute delay. That in and of itself was not unusual — but what happened next was. Traders were first informed that the company’s opening price was indicated to be $42 a share. But orders failed to be executed, or in trader parlance, “print.”
The quiet confused many. Some underwriters wondered whether Morgan Stanley had asked for another delay, and traders called Nasdaq, only to be told to stand by.
Beginning around 11:13:50 a.m., Nasdaq issued a system status update noting “a delay in delivering the opening print.”
When Facebook finally opened up at $42.05, some traders’ monitors, which should have reflected a steady stream of orders for company shares, were “frozen.” Worse, some reflected a mess of conflicting information. In one instance, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, one listed trade was a bid for $200 shares — at $20.
Shares in Facebook initially appeared to climb, but by 11:30 began the first of several plunges. With Nasdaq still unable to deliver trade execution messages until mid-afternoon, traders were unable to know whether their orders had gone through or where the stock price currently stood. Some traders did not get confirmation of their bids until after 2:30 p.m., according to market participants.
As lead underwriter and stabilization agent, Morgan Stanley was responsible for supporting Facebook’s stock price. The supreme imperative was to maintain the offer price of $38 a share, an important psychological barrier. Should the stock fall below that level, big institutions that had bought into Facebook before the I.P.O. would have been saddled with a loss, potentially prompting them to cut their holdings.
Morgan Stanley appeared to hold the line: Despite testing the offer price limit, Facebook shares never broke below that level, sparing the social network from a dreaded “busted I.P.O.” on its first day as a public company. The stock closed barely up, at $38.23.
The day was disappointing for Facebook’s underwriters, many of whom argued that if trading had operated normally from the start, the company’s shares could have risen significantly higher.
Many involved in the initial offering blamed Nasdaq, which fought hard for Facebook’s listing. Nasdaq, one person said, should have run countless tests on its system to ensure it could handle Facebook’s volume.
The offering was the biggest that Nasdaq had ever listed. Of the top 25 initial offerings by amount of proceeds raised, the market had handled only three, according to data from Thomson Reuters.
(SEC Opens Review of J.P. Morgan - WSJ.comから)
The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun reviewing J.P. Morgan Chase JPM -9.28% & Co.’s disclosures related to the $2 billion trading loss announced by the company Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The review is at an early stage and hasn’t progressed to the status of a formal investigation, this person said. Such reviews are routine after public companies report unexpected losses that send their stock prices sharply lower.
As a regulator, the SEC oversees J.P. Morgan’s disclosures to investors and the New York company’s broker-dealer operations. The Federal Reserve regulates the bank holding company of J.P. Morgan, while the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency oversees its main banking unit.
SEC officials are looking at accounting and disclosure issues related to the trading loss, according to a person familiar with the matter. SEC officials will have to decide if they believe the loss was disclosed to investors soon enough, the person said.
There are no firm guidelines on when projected trading losses become “material” to investors and thus must be disclosed. That could make it much harder for the SEC to file civil enforcement charges against J.P. Morgan.
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro told reporters Friday that is “safe to say that all the regulators are focused on this,” Fox Business Network reported.
A spokesman for the SEC declined comment.
Still, news of the bank’s trading loss reverberated through Washington, and the fallout is likely to spread as policy makers and pundits claim it is evidence that U.S. megabanks are too big to manage.
(Twitterのパスワード大量流出か -INTERNET Watchから)
Twitterのアカウントとパスワードが大量に流出したと一部で報道されている件について同社は9日、調査を進めていると発表した。一部報道によ れば、アカウント情報はテキスト共有サイト「Pastebin.com」で公開されており、その数は約5万5000件に上るとされている。 この問題についてTwitter日本語版公式アカウントでは9日、一部のアカウントにパスワードリセットを実施したと説明。「スパムアカウントだ けで、一般のユーザーさんには影響がないと思われます」としているが、心配なユーザーはパスワードを変更してほしいと呼びかけている。
編集部では「Pastebin.com」に公開されているアカウント情報の真偽や件数について、Twitter Japan広報担当者に問い合わせているが、まだ回答を得られていない。 しかし、同じIDやパスワードを複数サイトで使い回しているユーザーの場合は、Twitter以外のサービスに不正アクセスされることで大きな被 害を受ける可能性があるため、万一自分のアカウントが掲載されていた場合は、早急にパスワードを変更するようお勧めする。また、前述の通りTwitter と共通のアカウントを他のサービスで使っている場合には、これらのサービスのパスワードも変更する必要があるので注意してほしい。
