-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Spy vs. Spy Was the Author of The Sex Demon a Spy for MI6? His Russian lawyer says he's just crazy. A RUSSIAN diplomat and espionage thriller writer went on trial in Moscow yesterday accused of working for MI6. Platon Obukhov, a second secretary at the Russian Foreign Ministry, was arrested four years ago, triggering the worst spy row between Russian and Britain since the end of the Cold War. In the resulting row, Moscow and London each expelled four diplomats. The trial appeared designed to heap embarrassment on the Government and MI6. Obukhov's lawyers and family say that the charges against him are laughable because he is mentally unwell and probably suffering from schizophrenia. The former diplomat admits that he contacted British agents, but says he was seeking material for his books. Most of Obukhov's novels are packed with sadistic sex and violence. Titles include The Sex Demon, Dicing with Death and In the Embrace of the Spider. Galina Krylova, his lawyer, said: "He has always had problems with his mental health. He is obviously not well." As a child, Obukhov tried to burn down the family home and attempted suicide on several occasions. When he publicly "confessed" to his crimes on Russian television four years ago, he appeared wearing a dunce's cap, odd socks, laceless shoes and an inane grin. The Russians claim that he worked for MI6 for 20 years, but his mother, Olga, says he was set up by the British to embarrass his father, a former Soviet deputy foreign minister responsible for disarmament negotiations. At the time of the scandal, his father was the Russian ambassador to Denmark. He was recalled from Copenhagen after his son's arrest. His mother said: "Many thanks to British intelligence. They recruited him knowing perfectly well that he was ill and that our prisons are hell on earth. And if they didn't know that he was ill, what are the British taxpayers getting for their money?" When she last saw her son in a St Petersburg psychiatric hospital a year ago, he accused her of stealing his Nobel Prize for Literature. She said: "He was in a terrible state, mentally and physically." But a government-appointed psychiatrist concluded that Obukhov was feigning illness to avoid imprisonment. After his arrest, local television showed clips collected by Russian counter-intelligence of Obukhov sending messages to his British handlers from a Moscow trolleybus with a special transmitter. On television he admitted working for MI6 for �1,600 a month and could be jailed for up to 25 years if convicted. The London Telegraph, February 8, 2000 Gold Market Barrack Says It Will Stick to Hedging Forward sales along with call options. Gold prices took a dive in volatile trading on Monday after Barrick Gold, Canada's largest producer, said it would maintain its hedging strategy, refusing to follow the lead of rival Placer Dome. The decision disappointed investors, who had been hoping for a move away from hedging by the major gold companies. Spot gold prices, which had risen to as high as $322 an ounce in New York in the morning, up 3 per cent on the opening, dropped to $302 following the Barrick announcement. Barrick shares, which had risen by 7.5 per cent in morning trading, were also down 35 cents to C$25.95 in Toronto. "People were hopeful that Barrick would follow suit," said Todd Hinrichs, gold analyst with ABN Amro in Chicago. "I would call it somewhat disappointing." Placer Dome surprised the gold market on Friday by announcing it would end its long-held practice of selling gold forward, a decision that will remove about 2m ounces of gold from the market this year. The decision sent prices up about 8 per cent as investors anticipated similar moves by other companies. But Barrick said it would make only slight reductions in total forward sales, from 14m ounces at the end of the third quarter to 13.6m ounces. The company will realise a minimum average price of $360 per ounce on those sales. Barrick did unveil moves to profit if gold prices should begin to rise, however. The company said it had purchased 6.8m ounces of call options covering 100 per cent of its production from March 1 2000 to the end of 2001. Those options give Barrick the right, but do not oblige it, to purchase gold at $319 an ounce in 2000 and $335 an ounce in 2001. That means Barrick will realise at least $360 per ounce sold, based on its hedging programme, but will also gain if the price rises above those strike prices. The Financial Times, February 8, 2000 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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