Page1 22/12/2014 4th MONDAY 4
Transcription
Page1 22/12/2014 4th MONDAY 4
OIL AND STRIFE CHINA INVESTS IN RISKY REGION ROGER COHEN WHAT WILL ISRAEL BECOME? MEDIEVAL ART YOUNG BUYERS BUOY MARKET PAGE 15 PAGE 8 PAGE 11 | BUSINESS | OPINION | CULTURE .... MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014 Russia seeks a revival for its last major Soviet brand Cuba looks for new role after losing an old villain TOGLIATTI, RUSSIA HAVANA Chief using experience in Detroit to turn around a much-maligned Lada Realignment of relations with U.S. comes at time of rising expectations BY NEIL MACFARQUHAR BY DAMIEN CAVE AND VICTORIA BURNETT Ladas are the family cars that Russians love to hate. Loathed as outmoded rattletraps, they have long inspired more punch lines than passion: How many people does it take to drive a Lada? Four; one to steer and three to push. Conversely, Russians cherish Ladas as the last major Soviet brand producing cars from scratch. Of the estimated 40 million cars in Russia, more than onethird are Ladas, and the Granta, a small sedan, outsells every other car. Yet they are endangered. The company’s market share diminished steadily after the Soviet Union collapsed, dropping to 17 percent from 70 percent. Long before the recent oil price collapse pummeled Russia’s economy, the Kremlin decided Lada needed rescuing. It recruited Bo Inge Andersson, a blunt Swedish-American executive with long experience in Detroit, to overhaul Avtovaz, Lada’s corporate parent and a signature Russian industrial company. ‘‘The biggest focus for us is to bring back the pride in Lada,’’ Mr. Andersson, 59, said during what seemed like a speed-walking race through one of the world’s largest auto plants. President Vladimir V. Putin has said repeatedly this month that Western sanctions meant Russia has to go it alone. So resurrecting Avtovaz is a parable for changes needed by all Russian manufacturing. It is not quite ‘‘As Avtovaz goes, so goes the nation,’’ but close. ‘‘It is a problem that the entire country faces,’’ said Aleksey Y. Buzinny, GORDON WELTERS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Goblins are making a comeback in Germany as younger Germans promote Christmas customs that defined their childhoods and those of their parents and grandparents. Naughty or nice? The Krampus knows MUNICH Bavarians bring back Santa’s evil counterpart, spreading Christmas fear RUSSIA, PAGE 17 BY MELISSA EDDY EUROPE FEELS EFFECT OF FALLING RUBLE Long before parents around the world relied on the powers of Santa Claus to monitor their children’s behavior, their counterparts in Alpine villages called on The currency’s dive has jangled nerves in Russia, but the reverberations are being felt far beyond its borders. PAGE 15 a shaggy-furred, horned creature with a fistful of bound twigs to send the message that they had better watch out. Tom Bierbaumer recalls the trepidation he felt every Dec. 6, when the clanging of oversized cowbells signaled the arrival of the Krampus, a devilish mountain goblin that serves as an evil counterpart to the good St. Nick. He would think back over his misdeeds of past months — the days he had refused to clear the supper table, left his homework unfinished or pulled a girl’s hair. ‘‘When you are a child, you know what you have done wrong the whole year,’’ said Mr. Bierbaumer, who grew up in the Bavarian Alps and now heads a Munich-based club, the Sparifankerl Pass — Bavarian dialect for ‘‘Devil’s Group’’ — devoted to keeping the Krampus tradition alive. ‘‘When the Krampus comes to your house, and you are a child, you are really worried about getting a hit from his switch.’’ Besides visiting homes with St. Nicholas, the Krampus has for centuries run through village and town centers spreading pre-Christmas fear and chas- ing away evil spirits. That tradition dwindled across much of Bavaria in the 1960s and 1970s, as postmodern society moved away from its rural past. But with cultural homogenization spreading across an increasingly unified Europe, and concerns festering about the dilution of local ways, a new generation is bringing back the customs that defined their childhoods, and those of their parents and grandparents. A decade ago, Mr. Bierbaumer, 46, persuaded the Munich authorities to KRAMPUS, PAGE 5 U.S. asks China to help block hackers WASHINGTON Response to Sony attack could include economic sanctions on Pyongyang BY DAVID E. SANGER, NICOLE PERLROTH AND ERIC SCHMITT ILYESS OSMANE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Tunisian runoff A voting station in Tunis for the presidential elections. A spokesman for Beji Caid Essebsi, a former cabinet minister, said late Sunday that Mr. Essebsi was leading against President Moncef Marzouki. nytimes.com/africa The Obama administration has sought China’s help in recent days in blocking North Korea’s ability to launch cyberattacks, the first steps toward the ‘‘proportional response’’ President Obama vowed against the North for the assault on Sony Pictures, according to senior administration officials. The move is also part of a campaign to issue a broad- INSIDE TO DAY ’S PA P E R er warning against future hacking, the officials said. ‘‘What we are looking for is a blocking action, something that would cripple their efforts to carry out attacks,’’ one official said. So far, the Chinese have not responded. Their cooperation would be critical, since virtually all of North Korea’s telecommunications run through Chineseoperated networks. It is unclear that China would choose to help, given tensions over computer security between Washington and Beijing since the Justice Department in May indicted five hackers working for the Chinese military on charges of stealing sensitive information from American companies. The secret approach to China comes as American officials, convening half a ONLINE AT INY T.COM Heroin addiction grows in Kabul Warren’s role: To push Clinton As opium cultivation has soared in Afghanistan, addiction levels have risen and residents of Kabul have watched the problems play out in public. WORLD NEWS, 7 Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has denied plans to run for president, may challenge Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her own way, to focus on income inequality in the campaign. nytimes.com/us Real-life Rambo brought to trial Putting electricity on ice A former U.S. Army sniper captured last year in Thailand is accused of managing a team of contract hit men overseas, in a case that could have been lifted from the latest action thriller. WORLD NEWS, 5 In an unusual competition in California, proposals for energy storage systems — including devices called Ice Bears — beat out hundreds of bids to construct new power plants. nytimes.com/business YouTube’s piece of the pie Reprisals for questioning care Viewers may be migrating from traditional television to YouTube and its rivals, but the advertising dollars have not yet followed. BUSINESS, 15 Doctors, nurses and medical workers at American military hospitals say they have been punished for pointing out problems with care. nytimes.com/us Brave new country of Turkey The government is going off the rails even though it has been popular and respected for doing the right things, Andrew Finkel writes. OPINION, 9 NEWSSTAND PRICESINFORMATION, CALL: FOR SUBSCRIPTION Cameroon CFA 2.500 Ecuador US$ 3.35 Hungary HUF 800 00800 Canada 44C$ 4.5048Egypt78 27 EGP 15.00 Israel NIS 13.00/Eilat NIS 11.00 Andorra ¤ 3.50 Antilles ¤ 3.50 Argentina US$ 5.00 Austria ¤ 3.00 Bahrain BD 1.20 Belgium ¤3.00 Bermuda US$ 3.50 Bolivia US$ 2.75 Bosnia & Herzegovina KM 5.00 Bulgaria ¤ 2.55 Lithuania LTL 15 Luxembourg ¤ 3.00 Macedonia Den 150.00 Malta ¤ 3.00 Montenegro ¤ 2.00 Morocco MAD 25 Mexico N$ 26.00 Moscow Roubles 110 Nigeria NGN 390 Northern Ireland £ 1.50 or e-mail us at [email protected] Cayman Is CI$ 2.00 Chile Ps$ 1,550 Colombia Cps 1,875 Costa Rica US$ 2.50 Croatia KN 20.00 Cyprus ¤ 2.90 Czech Rep CZK 110 Denmark DKr 26 Estonia ¤ 3.20 Finland ¤ 3.00 France ¤ 3.00 Gabon CFA 2.500 Great Britain £ 1.80 Greece ¤2.50 Germany ¤ 3.00 Gibraltar £ 1.35 Italy ¤ 2.80 Ivory Coast CFA 2.500 Jordan. JD 1.50 Kazakhstan USD 3.50 Kenya K. SH. 200 Kosovo ¤ 2.50 Latvia ¤ 3.25 Lebanon LP 4,000 ’:HIKKLD=WUXUU\:?b@c@m@m@a" Scourge of the New York subway ABD DOUMANY/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Children awaiting treatment Sunday at a clinic in Douma, Syria, a besieged rebel town. The U.S.-led coalition carried out strikes Sunday against militant-controlled towns. NEEDING HELP NEWSSTAND PRICES Norway NkrFrance 28 Senegal 2.500 ¤ CFA 3.00 Oman OMR 1.250 Serbia Din 250 Peru US$ 3.50 Slovakia ¤ 3.30 Andorra ¤ 3.50 Poland ZI 12.20 Slovenia ¤ 2.50 Antilles ¤ Spain 3.50 Portugal ¤ 3.00 ¤ 3.00 Qatar QR 10.00 Sweden Skr 28 CFA 2.500 Republic of Cameroon Ireland ¤3.00 Switzerland SFr 4.30 Reunion ¤ 3.50 Syria US$ 3.00 Gabon CFA 2.500 Romania Lei 11.50 The Netherlands ¤ 3.00 Saudi ArabiaIvory SR 13.00Coast Tunisia Din 4.300 CFA 2.500 Turkey TL 6 Ukraine US$ 5.00 United ArabMAD Emirates25 AED 12.00 Morocco Venezuela US$ 2.75 Senegal CFA 2.500 United States $ 3.00 Other US$ 2.00 Tunisia Din(Europe) 4.300 U.S. Military US$ 1.75 Reunion ¤ 3.50 IN THIS ISSUE No. 40,987 Books 11 Business 15 Crossword 14 Culture 11 Opinion 8 Sports 12 Keeping Santa on schedule Delivery companies have taken steps to prevent a recurrence of last holiday season, when a late surge in shipments and bad weather left many homes bereft of gifts to put under the tree. BUSINESS, 19 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is taking on manspreading, the lay-it-all-out sitting style that more than a few men see as their inalienable underground right. nytimes.com/nyregion At 107, still a Buffalo Bills fan A granddaughter wanted to better understand her grandmother, a Bills devotee. So they went to Ralph Wilson Stadium for the Bills’ final home game of the season. nytimes.com/sports dozen meetings in the White House Situation Room last week, including one of the top national security team on Thursday night, have been developing options to give to the president during his vacation in Hawaii. They include new economic sanctions, mirroring those recently placed on Russian oligarchs and officials close to President Vladimir V. Putin, which would cut off their access to cash — the one perk that allows the elite surrounding Kim Jongun, the North Korean leader, to enjoy lifestyles their starving countrymen can barely imagine. The sessions also included discussions of ‘‘information operations’’ directed at the North Korean people, officials said, but similar efforts by South Korea to sway opinion in the North have CYBERATTACKS, PAGE 7 John F. Kennedy, who strengthened economic sanctions against Cuba in the early 1960s, has a whole room devoted to his sins. But the final exhibit, at the Italianate palace that houses the Museum of the Revolution on the edge of Old Havana, is ‘‘a gallery of cretins’’ — cartoon-style wooden cutouts of recent American presidents who are thanked for ‘‘helping us strengthen the Revolution.’’ The line of rogues ends with George W. Bush, raising the question: What about President Obama? Will he eventually join the gallery, or has the parade of the hated finally ended? As Cubans absorb the news that the United States will begin normalizing relations with their government after more than five decades of hostility, they are contending with a rush of both excitement and uncertainty about what could be the end of a long global drama in which Cuba has played a prominent role. Mr. Obama, in an interview broadcast Sunday, said his diplomatic initiative was coming at a critical time for Cuba. ‘‘If we engage, we have the opportunity to influence the course of events at a time when there’s going to be some generational change in that country,’’ Mr. Obama said in a prerecorded interview on the CNN program ‘‘State of the Union.’’ The country’s leaders in particular, after decades of battling and blaming the United States and powerful Cuban exiles — calling them worms, ingrates and far worse — now find themselves without the usual excuse for Cuba’s economic failures and human rights restrictions, at a time when the population’s expectations are soaring. The challenge of managing the opening up of Cuba will be colossal, forcing the government to grapple with its own faults and the possibility of becoming just another sun-drenched Caribbean island rather than an often-admired CUBA, PAGE 4 ÁNGEL FRANCO/THE NEW YORK TIMES WAVES OF DIVERSITY FOR MIAMI’S CUBANS Elsa Riverón, who found her way to Miami in 2011 via Spain, is part of a newer generation of arrivals. PAGE 4