Business & Financial News

The largest civil planes manufacturer in Europe Airbus has started procedure of re-structuring, having declared about dismissal of 10 thousand employees and having specified factories which will be closed or sold. In reply to Airbus factories in France and Germany, the not planned meetings are successively being held in these countries, and trade unions promise some national strikes.
Crisis in Airbus Company has begun because of failure of deliveries of plane A380. The company transferred the beginning of its manufacture three times that has displeased the air carriers which have in advance signed contracts with Airbus. The American operator of service express train-delivery FedEx has even been compelled to cancel the order for the European planes and to sign the contract on delivery of 15 cargos Boeing 777. The better situation for the American Airbus’ competitor couldn’t even be thought of.
As the result, Gustav Humbert and also executive director of the basic shareholder of the company of concern EADS Noel Forgeard had to leave Airbus. Humbert’ position then has been occupied by Christian Streiff, however has managed to work in Airbus only for three months. Streiff’s successor -Louis Gallois has introduced saving for the company and ruinous for many workers plan of re-structuring Airbus under the name “Power8″.
How much do 10 thousand workers cost?
Airbus managers explain Power8 occurrence by company’s necessity to lower costs. They say that it is impossible to compete with other world manufacturers in case of superfluous staff.
The plan of dismissals kept a secret up to the end of winter. The press knew, that by 2010 about 10 thousand employees, or nearly so the fifth part of all staff of the company will be fired.
According to the preliminary data, by 2010 Airbus will save up to 5 billion euro due to the reduction and re-structuring. But before the company should spend significant means for payment of indemnifications - only in first quarter of 2007 Airbus will spend almost 900 million dollars on dismissed workers.

The group of the Japanese trading and energy companies is to start negotiations on possible technical communication with Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom.
As it became known, next month the companies are to start negotiations in the certain areas of cooperation, including processing of natural gas. The agreement is expected to be reached within the year.
The Japanese Natural resources and Energy agency will serve as the intermediary for the Russian and Japanese governments. Now it looks like Japanese partners try to establish the system which would guarantee the steady delivery of energy and strengthening the cooperation between two countries.
In the beginning of next week, Akira Amari, Japanese Economy Trade and Industry Minister, plans to start the negotiations with Russian representative, Victor Khristenko. The Russian government wishes to establish the possible union between the Japanese companies and Gazprom. The Russian industry and power minister, accompanied by Russian Prime Minister Michail Fradkov are going to visit Japan in order to start negotiations.
After the official meeting at a level of ministers, the business representatives of 13 largest Japanese companies, such as Mitsui and Co., Corporation Mitsubishi, Tokyo Electric Power Co. And Oil Corporation Nippon etc., are going to meet with Russian officials and businessmen in order to start negotiations concerning the establishment of the Russian-Japanese joint structure.
Gazprom is for cooperation with the Japanese companies in the areas of extraction of helium from natural gas and transformation of natural gas to liquid fuels for diesel engines. In addition to technical cooperation is also expected. Japan, in its turn, is interested in steady supplies of Russian gas and oil from Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects.

Japanese Law enforcement bodies have arrested three employees of Yamaha Motor Company. They are suspected in contraband deliveries of pilotless helicopters to China.
According Japanese policemen, helicopters were intended for cartographical Chinese company Beijing BVE Technology Co. The Japanese authorities are inclined to suspect this company illegal communications with the Chinese army.
According to the Japanese current legislation, such transactions should be approved by the government. Nevertheless, any Yamaha has not received any sanctions for such activity. The police consider that Yamaha Motor’s employees managed to sell about 8 machines, which can be used in the military purposes.
For the first time Yamaha has been suspected in contraband in 2005 during the Trade Ministry’s inspection. After the information on possible deliveries had been forwarded to the law enforcement bodies, the police have carried out the total inspection of the company.
By the way, political and trading relations between two countries have been periodically marked with distrust and rivalry. Peking tries to challenge the fact of Japanese Senkaku islands possession. It is worth of mentioning that the wave of the anti-Japanese performances caused by occurrence in Japan of textbooks in which it was not spoken directly about the mass destruction of the Chinese arranged by imperial armies in Nanking in 1937, has rushed through China in 2005.

It is the first time that the idea of gas OPEC creation was supported by the western company. The Total chief has declared that the gas cartel led by Russia will help to constrain a rise in prices on raw material. Actually thus the Frenchmen try to gain confidence of “Gazprom” in order to take part in the Shtokman project.
Total chief Christophe de Margerie has supported the idea of creation of the organization, similar to gas OPEC. In his interview to Times, Christophe de Margerie said that the cartel of world gas manufacturers is capable to play a positive role in conditions of a prompt rise in prices on this fuel. The chief has also emphasized that gas ОPEC would help to avoid inefficient investments, that works in interests of the consumers. Christophe de Margerie it has resulted the work of the oil-extracting states cartel of as the successful example of business cooperation in this area.
The idea of creation of “new OPEC” in February was supported by president Putin who named it as “interesting” and prospective and has promised to think about it.
Actually, Russia was the first country that started talkings about “new OPEC”, however, then the country has diligently rejected from its initiative.
In the beginning of this year the idea has again become the top-point question: the Iran chief has called Russia for creation of gas cartel. Vladimir Putin has “restraint-positively” supported such idea.
However, “oil model” is hardly directly applicable to the gas market. The experts emphasize that pricing of gas essentially differs from the scheme of formation of the world prices for oil. Gas contracts are usually signed up for a long term with the price, adhered under the formula of the price for oil. If “Gazprom” sets real market prices, it will have to refuse from long-term contracts because the company does not have “free” stocks of gas.
The association of the countries gas-manufacturers could become really effective within the terms of realization of large infrastructural projects and the construction of the gas mains. Cooperation in deposits development without transfer of resources to the property of the partner also can be possible.

“LUKOIL” and Qatar Petroleum gas companies have signed the memorandum of mutual understanding concerning cooperation in the field of investigation, development and rehabilitation of oil-and-gas deposits. Such information has been represented by the “LUKOIL” mass-media service.
Today the document on oil-and-gas cooperation was signed by Vladimir Putin, Vagit Alekperov (”LUKOIL” head) and Abdallah Ben Hamad Al-Attiyah (Quatrain State Energy Minister) at one of the set-meetings in the context of Russian President’s visit to Qatar.
The document provides, that the parties will develop common frameworks for consideration the opportunities of joint realization of oil-and-gas projects in the territory of Qatar. It is obvious that, being one of world leaders of liquefied natural gas production, Qatar also possesses significant oil-and-gas potential recourses and a highly developed economic infrastructure.
Later, Vagit Alekperov has declared that their company “LUKOIL” Petroleum Company is interested in participation both in new, and in operating oil-and-gas projects in Qatar, considering strategic importance of region of Persian Gulf as to the largest oil-and-gas province of the world.
Abdallah Ben Hamad Al-Attiyah, supporting further collaboration between two countries, has added that Qatar Petroleum was glad to welcome the international oil companies into joint projects concerning the development of their country. And all their projects, including gas, oil-and-gas, petrochemical, are based on long-term and mutually advantageous attitudes with strong international partners, and Quatrain government is looking forward to new opportunities for partnership and further development cooperation with Russian “LUKOIL” company.

The vice-president of board of Russian Open Society “Gazprom” Alexander Medvedev has opposed developed by the European Union (EU) reforms focused on the interdiction of long-term contracts in power industry. He has also said that it was not necessary to limit the rights of the companies on gas and oil- pipelines networks possession.
The vice-president thinks that the long-term trading activity should not be replaced by the short-term trading activity and give” a green light for activity of such companies as gone bankrupt American corporation Enron Corp. “. Medvedev has noticed that everyone is aware of the unpleasant results of such changes.
At the same time Medvedev has emphasized, that Gazprom is ready to work according to the legislation, however, he has specified, that it «would be a mistake to ignore the opinion of the power resources manufacturers “.
Now, the EU is engaged in the development of the new power policy focused on the maintenance of reliability of deliveries and a healthy competition. In particular, the question on the restriction of the rights of large power resources suppliers on possession of networks gas- and oil pipelines is properly being considered.
The chapter of Eurocommission has noted that the present situation (the termination of oil deliveries from the Russian Federation) strengthens the necessity of the EU to develop the general external power policy and to act as a united front in relation to the third countries.

Apple has finally presented a bright novelty - the multifunctional pocket device -iPhone.
Generally, for the first time the name iPhone was mentioned in 2003 - then there were informal news about the universal device preparing by the Apple in the form of a bracelet - with hours, a player, phone, PC and something else.
The bracelet has not turned out, while, anyway. But it has turned out into the smart phone with an iPodplayer inside, color screen sensitive to any touch (management of all functions is through icons), high-speed Internet connection. This means the high-grade mail, rich navigating opportunities (and in sense of use of cards of district, and in sense of navigation in the Network), including “built in” search systems, various ways of synchronization of data and etc.
iPhone can easily work with computers PC, reproduction not only of the music, but also of the video. Especially the company is proud of the convenient and evident organization of search of the necessary records.
As GSM-phone iPhone also offers new convenience. In particular, a set of number one touch to the name of the subscriber highlighted on the screen.
You can easily use it as a camera!
The designers of the smart phone stress that it is capable of performance of some appendices simultaneously. So, having connected to network Wi-Fi, it is possible to travel on the Internet or to load a fresh portion of incoming letters of e-mail at the same time.
The writing of letters also should not bring any problems, owing to the virtual, but high-grade keyboard of QWERTY standard shown on the screen. After this we may say that iPhone is a revolutionary and magic creation of modern technology!