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3rd March BBC THE ETHICS OF AIR
MILES
The speaker of the House of Commons has been accused
of using his air miles for his family, but this is a
dilemma many of us face daily: is it fair to use corporate
perks in our personal lives? The allegations against
the speaker Michael Martin are something different again,
but they have cast light on what is apparently a burning
issue in the world of business ethics. "It comes
up in business ethics quite a lot," says Simon
Webley, research director at the Institute of Business
Ethics. "A good many companies tell their staff
they may use air miles. But you don't assume you can."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7274603.stm
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3rd March
Guardian MINISTERS WANT POWER FIRMS TO HELP ELDERLY
Treasury and energy ministers are to hold urgent meetings
with three electricity and fuel supply companies today
to try to persuade them to hand over billions of pounds
of windfall profits to help Britain's pensioners. The
talks come as rising prices make it increasingly difficult
for pensioners on fixed incomes to pay utility bills,
or for ministers to get close to meeting their ambitious
fuel poverty targets. The chief secretary to the Treasury,
Yvette Cooper, and the energy minister, Malcolm Wicks,
are due to meet the chief executives of Centrica, EDF
and Eon today. Talks have been held with Scottish Power,
npower and Scottish and Southern. Ministers accept that
the increase in gas and electricity prices has been prompted
by the rise in wholesale prices. They are anxious not
to be seen as anti-business at a time when they want to
persuade firms to make multibillion-pound investments
in nuclear power and renewable energy, yet are convinced
that firms have a moral duty to act.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/mar/03/householdbills |
3rd March Guardian CHELSEA BARRACKS
BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH LARGEST ISLAMIC FINANCING SCHEME
The £1bn deal to redevelop Chelsea barracks will
be underwritten by a groundbreaking Islamic financing
arrangement. A consortium led by the oil-rich Qatari
investment fund and the property entrepreneur Christian
Candy, which purchased the 5.2 hectare (12.8 acre) site
at the end of January, said the deal would be the largest
Islamic financing on a property in the UK. Islamic law
prohibits charging or paying interest, so bankers and
lawyers have developed a rapidly growing financial market
by restructuring conventional products to make them
compliant with religious requirements. The syndicated
financing is fully underwritten by a mix of western
and Middle Eastern banks, according to a press release
issued by the developers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/03/mergersandacquisitions.property |
3rd March
Guardian MINISTER ADMITS NUCLEAR FUEL PLANT PRODUCES ALMOST
NOTHING
A nuclear plant built at a cost of £470m to provide
atomic fuel to be used in foreign power stations has produced
almost nothing since it was opened six years ago, the
government has admitted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/03/nuclear.energy?gusrc=rss&feed=politics
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3rd March
Independent WATER TO BE THE NEXT COMMODITISED RESOURCE
The right to use water will soon follow in the footsteps
of carbon emissions and become a commodity, like the right
to pollute, that industry will have to pay for, executives
have warned. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/water-to-be-the-next-commoditised-resource-790558.html
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3rd March
Guardian KING OF SOYA: ENVIRONMENTAL VANDAL OR SAVIOUR
OF THE WORLD'S POOR?
Erai Maggi does not look like a villain who is destroying
the planet but the 48-year-old Brazilian farmer is protagonist
in a drama about climate change, globalisation, poverty
and hunger. Maggi owns more than 200,000 hectares (494,000
acres) of soyabean plantations in Mato Grosso state. It
is reckoned to be the biggest such holding in the world
making him the king of soya. But, according to environmentalists
Maggi is accelerating deforestation of the Amazon, at
least indirectly. By buying up the savannah for soya cultivation,
he forces cattle ranchers north into the rainforest where
they slash and burn, releasing millions of tonnes of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere. Yet it was Maggi who helped
turn a sea of barren scrub fit only for some cattle into
highly productive farmland - and in the process turned
Brazil into an agricultural superpower which is expected
to overtake the US as the world's leading food exporter
while the global population surges towards 9 billion people.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/03/environment.brazil |
3rd March
Telegraph WINDFALL TAX WILL RAISE PRICES
Energy prices could soar and green investment may suffer
if the Government pushes ahead with a threat to impose
windfall tax on gas and electricity firms, according to
a senior industry representative. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/03/03/cnenergy103.xml
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3rd March
Guardian UNIVERSITY TAKING CASH FROM WHALING CRITICISED
St Andrews University was criticised last night for accepting
funds for whale research from the Japanese agency which
directs the country's annual whale hunt. The Japanese
Institute of Cetacean Research is regarded internationally
as a scientific fig leaf for the country's commercial
whaling ambitions. Conservationists say that by taking
money from ICR, scientists at St Andrews help to legitimise
its activities. The university argues that the research
was undertaken to improve scientific understanding of
Antarctic whale populations. The university's Research
Unit for Wildlife Population Assessment received £31,900
in 2002 and £5,000 in 2005 from the ICR. The work
did not involve data from animals killed by Japanese vessels,
the university has no current involvement with ICR and
the project was commissioned by the International Whaling
Commission, which regulates hunting. http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2261528,00.html |
4th March
Independent DEFIANT CONRAD BLACK STARTS LIFE AS A PRISONER
Defiant and bombastic to the last, Conrad Black hurled
Churchillian rhetoric at his accusers yesterday before
bidding farewell to his wife, Barbara Amiel, and surrendering
to authorities at the largest penitentiary in the United
States.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/defiant-conrad-black-starts-life-as-a-prisoner-790869.html
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4th March
BBC DRUG FIRM SETTLES NHS PRICE CLAIM
A drug company accused of fixing the price of medicines
supplied to the NHS has made an agreement with the Scottish
Government to pay out £750,000. In 2005, Scottish
ministers and health boards lodged claims against a number
of companies over the alleged formation of price-fixing
cartels. Goldshield Group Plc, Goldshield Pharmaceuticals
Ltd and Forley Generics Ltd also agreed to provide co-operation
in connection with the continuing civil claims against
a number of other companies connected with the price-fixing
of generic drugs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7276394.stm
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4th March
Financial Times TEAM PURSUITS THAT PLAY WELL IN THE WORK
PLACE
For many managers, "team building" means two
days spent doing role-playing exercises in a bleak conference
hotel far from head office. But perhaps a more effective
way to build teams is simply by playing real team sports,
such as soccer, cricket or softball.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e24c5a44-e947-11dc-8365-0000779fd2ac.html |
4th March
Independent GREEN INVESTOR GROUP TARGETS NICKEL FIRM
Norilsk Nickel, the Russian nickel producer at the centre
of a takeover battle, is the first target of a new activist
investor group which aims to put pressure on polluting
companies and industries. Environmental Investor Services,
which is funded by monthly fees from investors, said it
will work as a middleman for investors who are concerned
about green issues but "do not wish to put their
head above the parapet". The city of Norilsk, where
the company is based, was named as one of the world's
10 most polluted places last year by the Blacksmith Institute,
a New York-based anti-pollution group. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/green-investor-group-targets-nickel-firm-790936.html |
4th March
New York Times ERADICATE MALARIA? DOUBTERS FUEL DEBATE
Last year, challenging global health orthodoxy, Bill and
Melinda Gates called for the eradication of malaria. That
is, for exterminating the parasite everywhere and forever,
except perhaps in laboratory storage, as has thus far
happened to just one disease in history, smallpox. While
some, including the heads of the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the President's Malaria
Initiative, have lauded the Gates' call as inspirational,
others call it noble but quixotic, because the tools to
eradicate malaria do not yet exist. A few, including the
combative chief of malaria for the World Health Organization,
have even argued that it could do harm. The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation has spent $1.2 billion to fight
malaria, which is thought to cause as many as 500 million
infections a year in 107 countries, a million of them
fatal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/04mala.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin |
4th March
Guardian HSBC FEARS IT MAY HAVE TO PAY BACK £300M
IN OVERDRAFT FEES
HSBC yesterday said it may have to pay £300m to
customers reclaiming overdraft fees as it reported record
profits of £12.1bn despite the "exceptionally
weak performance" of its US business. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/04/hsbcholdingsbusiness.banking
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4th March
Financial Times WAL-MART OVERHAULS ITS CHARITY SPENDING
Wal-Mart, one of the biggest corporate charitable donors
in the US, is overhauling how it gives its money to ensure
philanthropic efforts are more closely linked to its brand
positioning.Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart
foundation, said it would be making bigger, more focused
grants in the US and looking at enhancing its international
giving, as part of efforts to achieve its corporate social
responsibility goals.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f9ac7ff4-e98b-11dc-8365-0000779fd2ac.html
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5th March
Financial Times THE PRICE IS NEVER RIGHT FOR BRITAIN'S
SUPERMARKETS
For the supermarkets, it's the public policy equivalent
of a two-for-one offer - but with none of the attractions.
While more than 500 pig farmers protested on Tuesday at
Westminster about the poor prices they receive for their
pork, the government was promising to act against retailers'
"irresponsible" alcohol price promotions. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/27ed8a5e-ea25-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.html
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5th March
Times EASYJET RAPPED OVER REFUND WITH TOO MANY STRINGS
ATTACHED
It is the latest proof to come courtesy of budget airline
advertising departments that when a deal seems too good
to be true, it usually is. The no-frills carrier easyJet
has been slapped on the wrist for a misleading promotion
last summer that promised to refund customers double the
difference if they could find a cheaper deal elsewhere.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3485343.ece
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5th March
Guardian TRANSPORT TICKETS SHOULD SHOW CARBON FOOTPRINT,
SAYS REPORT
Plane and train tickets should reveal the environmental
impact of individual journeys by stating the carbon emissions
released on each trip, the UK's main professional body
for engineers said yesterday. The Institute of Mechanical
Engineers said branding tickets according to their green
credentials should be one of a series of measures the
government should adopt, so that having a large carbon
footprint became "as socially unacceptable as drink-driving".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/05/travelandtransport.carbonemissions?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
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5th March
Guardian LUMP SUMS
Oil production may soon 'peak', but what about coal? David
Strahan reports on the recent figures that suggest global
reserves may not be nearly as plentiful as the industry
and governments have led us to believe http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/05/fossilfuels.energy
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5th March Guardian ENERGY FIRMS TELL TREASURY: DON'T
BRING IN WINDFALL TAX
Energy companies last night launched a pre-emptive strike
on the government ahead of next week's budget, warning
that any windfall tax on the industry would undermine
investment in green power projects and other measures
to combat climate change.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/05/oil.utilities?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
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5th March
Financial Times GENE MODIFIED CROP SPURS INVESTOR REVOLT
A group of socially concerned US investors has launched
a public campaign calling on food companies not to use
a controversial new genetically engineered sugar beet
crop that is to be planted for the first time this spring.
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)
is calling on consumers to write to 63 companies, including
Heinz, Campbell's Soup, General Mills and Kraft, asking
them to say they will not use a new sugar beet strain
developed by Monsanto. The ICCR is a coalition of more
than 300 faith-based institutional investors that has
been in the vanguard of successful efforts to make companies
more responsive to a range of social and environmental
concerns.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca1e5c14-ea3d-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.html |
5th March
Independent RADIATION LINKED TO HEART DISEASE
Workers in the nuclear industry are more likely to die
from heart disease if they are exposed to radiation, according
to the first study to establish a link between disorders
of the circulatory system and radiation in the workplace.
However, the scientists who conducted the study said they
have not yet proved that radiation causes heart disease
– only that there appears to be a statistically
significant association that may be the result of cause
and effect. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/radiation-linked-to-heart-disease-791328.html |
5th March
Financial Times EBAY TOUTS TO BOOST CHARITY
Ebay's UK business will on Wednesday seek to silence controversy
over the resale of benefit concert tickets on the online
auction site, by forcing touts to donate 20 per cent of
the sale price back to the charity. Sellers of charity
tickets must register with Missionfish, Ebay's charity
partner, to do this, or face having their auction terminated.
The company is developing software to monitor compliance.
There has been mounting criticism of the practice where
tickets to charity events can change hands for grossly
inflated prices.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85744b0e-ea3e-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.html |
5th March
Independent GREEN LOBBY TURNS ON GOVERNMENT OVER FAILURE
TO CURB AIR AND ROAD TRAVEL
With environmental issues becoming ever more critical,
the green policies of Gordon Brown's government are standing
still or even going backwards. On the day of a major warning
that time is running out to solve the problems caused
by climate change, it emerged that Britain's own green
policies are stalled or backsliding in three crucial areas.
First, environmental taxation, which could help curb greenhouse
gas emissions and much other pollution, is actually falling
substantially rather than rising. Second, the government
has no plans to intervene in the aviation sector to cut
rapidly growing emissions. And third, national road pricing
as a means of curbing traffic and cutting down emissions
from cars is similarly not on the agenda. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-green-betrayal-791323.html |
6th
March Mail MUM JAILED AFTER ABBEY'S £135K BLUNDER
Two sisters were jailed today for helping to spend nearly
£135,000 which was put into one of their bank accounts
by mistake. Sarah Jane Lee, 20, and Amanda Moorcroft,
25, both from Blackburn, Lancashire went on a shopping
spree after Abbey erroneously put the money in their account.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=431413&in_page_id=2&ito=1723
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6th March
Independent GOLDSHIELD SETTLES £1M 'PRICE-FIXING'
CLAIM
The drug company Goldshield, which is accused of fixing
the price of medicines supplied to the NHS, has agreed
to pay £1m to settle claims brought by the health
authorities of Northern Ireland and Scotland. Without
admission of liability and on a "full and final basis",
Goldshield yesterday agreed to pay £250,000 to the
Department of Health and Social Services of Northern Ireland,
a day after settling its claim with the Scottish authorities
for £750,000. The move comes eight months after
the company paid the NHS £4m to settle its claims
relating to the price-fixing of generic medicine bringing
the total paid out by the company to £5m.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/goldshield-settles-1631m-pricefixing-claim-792151.html
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6th March
Guardian DRINK MAKERS CALL FOR CUT IN 'ILLOGICAL' TAX
ON FRUIT JUICE
Healthy drinks such as fruit juices and smoothies should
get a tax break to end an "illogical" anomaly
which is undermining the government's wider drive to make
people eat well, ministers have been told. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/mar/06/consumeraffairs.retail
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6th March
Guardian CHANGE IN THE CLIMATE: CREDIT CRUNCH MAKES THE
BOTTOM LINE THE TOP ISSUE
Environmentalists and other campaigners fear that sustainability
and wider corporate social responsibility issues are falling
off the boardroom agenda as businesses tighten their belts
in the face of turbulent stock markets, the credit crunch
and a looming economic slowdown. And they worry that CSR
could be seen by business as a fad whose time has come
and gone. Measuring the value of CSR is hard, but Christopher
Satterthwaite, chief executive of the public relations
firm Chime Communications, is willing to make a stab at
it: "We reckon that 25%-30% of anyone's stock price
is related to their reputation - how admired or not admired
they are." http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/06/greenbusiness.creditcrunch |
6th March
Guardian DRUGS FIRMS FACE NEW LAWS ON TEST RESULTS
A major tightening of the law governing the oversight
of drugs companies will be announced today when the health
minister, Dawn Primarolo, tells MPs that new legislation
will be introduced by the end of the year to ensure drugs
companies pass on results of clinical trials as soon as
the alarm is raised about one of their medicines. The
government is to intervene after the four-year investigation
the way GSK withheld the full results of their trials
of the antidepressant Seroxat on children. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/mar/06/medicalresearch.drugspolicy |
6th March
Independent PUTIN STEPS IN WITH DEAL TO END UKRAINE GAS
SUPPLY CRISIS
Vladimir Putin, the outgoing president of Russia, stepped
in yesterday to defuse a crisis that threatened to slash
gas supplies to Europe after Gazprom, the state-owned
oil giant, cut the flow to the Ukraine. European politicians
were breathing a sigh of relief after the row, which erupted
after Gazprom cut supplies to Ukraine by 50 per cent this
week over the latter's non-payment of a $600m bill, was
resolved. Terms of the settlement were unclear, and the
companies said that other issues on the contentious gas
delivery regime between the two countries "will be
continued". http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/putin-steps-in-with-deal-to-end-ukraine-gas-supply-crisis-792148.html |
7th March
Independent DRUGS LAW TO BE TIGHTENED AS SEROXAT FIRM
IS REBUKED
Ministers promised to strengthen laws to protect patients
after a drugs company was criticised for withholding information
about clinical trials showing links between its anti-depressant
drug and possible suicides among teenagers. The Medicines
and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said it remained
concerned that GSK failed to raise the alarm earlier over
the side-effects of Seroxat. But no one from the company
will face criminal charges as government prosecutors have
advised there is little chance of a conviction.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/drugs-law-to-be-tightened-as-seroxat-firm-is-rebuked-792756.html
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7th March
Independent STAR US FUND MANAGER SETTLES SEC LAWSUIT OVER
FREEBIES
Peter Lynch an executive at the firm who used to run the
Fidelity Magellan fund, managed to blag tickets to the
Ryder Cup golf as well as U2 concerts from the company's
trading desk. He was handed "numerous" free
tickets to concerts, theatre and sporting events by Fidelity
traders, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
said. Without admitting or denying wrongdoing in the case,
he has admitted that he leaned on traders for "occasional
help locating tickets". Fidelity's former head trader
Scott DeSano, as well as 11 employees, accepted more than
$1.6m in gifts from brokers eager to get Fidelity business,
the SEC said. Fidelity now has to cough up $8m to SEC
to settle the case, involving the acceptance of inducements
which included a $160,000 junket to Miami, where prostitutes
and ecstasy were laid on for a bachelor party.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/star-us-fund-manager-settles-sec-lawsuit-over-freebies-792808.html
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7th March
Independent JAPAN'S CONCRETE CEILING
Japan is the only leading industrialised nation where
women are still struggling for equal rights in the workplace.
On the eve of International Women's Day 2008, only 0.8%
of Japanese chief executives are women, compared with
10% in Britain and 23% in Sweden. Only 10% of Japanese
MPs are women, one of the lowest rates of participation
in the developed world. In the professional classes, women
make up 9% of lawyers and 8% of the accountants. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japans-concrete-ceiling-792779.html
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7th March
Guardian FOOD CRISIS WILL TAKE HOLD BEFORE CLIMATE CHANGE,
WARNS CHIEF SCIENTIST
Food security and the rapid rise in food prices make up
the "elephant in the room" that politicians
must face up to quickly, according to the government's
new chief scientific adviser. In his first major speech
since taking over, Professor John Beddington said the
global rush to grow biofuels was compounding the problem,
and cutting down rainforest to produce biofuel crops was
"profoundly stupid". He told the Govnet Sustainable
Development UK Conference in Westminster: "There
is progress on climate change. But out there is another
major problem. It is very hard to imagine how we can see
a world growing enough crops to produce renewable energy
and at the same time meet the enormous increase in the
demand for food which is quite properly going to happen
as we alleviate poverty." The food crisis would bite
more quickly than climate change, he added. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/mar/07/scienceofclimatechange.food |
7th March
Guardian OFGEM TO INVESTIGATE NETWORKS' GREEN ENERGY PLANS
The embattled energy sector, already under threat of a
windfall tax after raking in ever-larger profits but failing
to reduce "fuel poverty", faces a second investigation
by the regulator Ofgem. The two-year inquiry will investigate
the operation of gas and electricity networks. It was
announced as the consumer group Energywatch launched another
attack against the industry, accusing companies of charging
pre-payment meter users – often poorer households
– an average of £255 a year more than
online customers. The latest investigation will look at
whether companies need a new framework to help the government
meet climate-change goals, after criticism about the difficulties
wind developers had faced getting connected to a network
run by National Grid and the big power firms. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/07/energy.greenbusiness |
7th March
Guardian AUDITS URGED TO CLOSE 16% GENDER PAY GAP
Women workers around the world are paid 16% less than
men, with more educated women facing an even bigger gap,
according to a new international study published yesterday.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which
conducted the research ahead of International Women's
Day on Saturday, said international competition due to
globalisation was helping to narrow the gap but only because
of downward pressure on men's wages. The difference in
pay for full-time women and men in the UK is more than
17%, prompting campaigners to call for compulsory wage
audits to ensure women were not being discriminated against.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/07/gender |
7th March
Guardian WATCHDOG VOICES DISMAY AT FAILURE TO POLICE INDUSTRY
The head of Britain's drug regulatory body appealed to
pharmaceutical companies yesterday to recognise they have
an ethical duty to alert consumers to the dangers of their
products. Speaking in the wake of a failed attempt to
prosecute the UK's biggest drug company, GlaxoSmithKline,
for allegedly hiding negative trial results, Kent Woods,
chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Authority, implicitly acknowledged the difficulties
of policing the multibillion-pound pharmaceutical industry.
"I think there is a tension between marketing considerations
and the ethical dimension of making health products,"
he said. GSK could not be prosecuted for concealing results
which proved the antidepressant Seroxat caused children
to become suicidal because the law only obliges companies
to hand over safety data from trials when drugs are being
licensed. That loophole will now be closed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/07/health.health |
7th March
Financial Times GAMES ENGENDER AN HONEST ENVIRONMENT
In an effort to ensure codes are followed, companies are
stepping up training programmes, according to a survey*
published on Thursday by the Institute of Business Ethics.
Seven out of 10 large companies in the UK now train employees
in how to apply their codes of conduct. Four years ago,
less than half had such training programmes. In the US,
the Ethics Resource Center reports a similar increase
in training. This is a positive trend as far as it goes,
says the institute, a charity which is supported by corporate
and individual membership. A rise in ethics training should
be good for the bottom line: companies with both policies
and training programmes perform better financially than
those with policies but no training, a research study
by the institute found last year. Yet big gaps in training
remain.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/861dc3dc-ebab-11dc-9493-0000779fd2ac.html |
7th March
Guardian DUPED GOLDMINE BUYERS GET PAID
153 British victims have enjoyed an unexpected refund
after regulators here and in Canada managed to claw back
more than £1m invested in two US gold mining companies.
The Financial Services Authority said the investors were
targeted by a number of unauthorised investment firms
and illegally sold shares in Rocky Mountain Gold Mining
Corporation and Rocky Mountain Gold Mining, investing
some £1.25m. The FSA worked with Canadian regulators
to freeze the funds and ensure that plans were put in
place to refund the money.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/07/mining.economics |
7th March
BBC PENTAGON BANS GOOGLE MAP-MAKERS
The US defence department has banned the internet search
engine Google from filming inside and making detailed
studies of US military bases. Close-up, ground-level imagery
of US military sites posed a "potential threat"
to security, it said. The move follows the discovery of
images of the Fort Sam Houston army base in Texas on Google
Maps. A Google spokesman said that where the US military
had expressed concerns, images had been removed. Google
has now been barred from filming and conducting detailed
studies of bases. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7282635.stm |
9th March
Observer FURY AT BANGLADESH MINE SCHEME
A huge open cast coal mining project by a quoted British
firm, that would displace up to 130,000 people in Bangladesh,
is at the centre of an international row. GCM, a fast
growing Aim-listed company, is behind plans to a dig up
to 572 million tonnes of coal in a project that will displace
people from Phulbari, in north-west Bangladesh, divert
a river from its course, and destroy a mangrove forest
that is a world heritage site.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/09/mining.bangladesh |
9th March
Observer TAX EVASION PROBE COULD BE LINKED TO UK
British banks face being drawn into the £3bn Liechtenstein
tax evasion scandal after UK Inland Revenue investigators
revealed that they have asked the British Bankers' Association
for information about institutions based in that country
and other global havens.
Senior City sources believe UK-connected financial institutions
could possibly now face prosecution if it is proved they
recommended tax evasion techniques to their clients. Up
to 1,400 of the world's richest individuals are being
probed by tax officials from Germany, the UK, the US and
other jurisdictions after a Liechtenstein bank archivist
sold secret client information to German authorities.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/09/banking
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9th March
Sunday Times FAT-CAT FAILURES BLAME THE PRESS
The media is being blamed for the outrage expressed by
some people for the massive pay checks failing chief executives
have been awarding themselves in recent years. Angelo
Mozilo, the Countrywide chief executive who raked in $120m
(€78m) in compensation while pushing his company
off a cliff, along with other business stars including
the former Citigroup chief Charles Prince and former Merrill
Lynch boss Stanley O'Neal, is now the target of an investigation
into outsized executive compensation led by Henry Waxman,
a Californian Democrat.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article3510688.ece
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9th March
Observer NPOWER ADMITS LAWS NEEDED ON FUEL POVERTY
RWE Npower has privately admitted that energy companies
will only tackle fuel poverty effectively if the government
forces them to do so. The energy industry has been trying
to resist moves to force companies to do more to help
the soaring numbers of 'fuel poor' in this week's Budget.
The government has set a legally binding target to end
fuel poverty in England by 2010, and across most of the
UK by 2016. But in a letter to energy regulator Ofgem
in September, Npower admitted that the government's approach
to date, to encourage companies to offer more subsidised
or 'social' tariffs to poorer households on a voluntary,
as opposed to compulsory, basis would not work.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/09/utilities |
10th
March Independent MUGABE SEEKS CONTROL OF FOREIGN FIRMS
Foreign firms operating in Zimbabwe will be required to
give majority control to black Zimbabweans under a nationalisation
law signed by President Robert Mugabe yesterday. More
than 70 British firms that have invested in Zimbabwe,
including Lever Brothers, Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered
Bank, BP, Rio Tinto, Merchant Bank of Central Africa and
several enterprises owned by Anglo American Corporation,
are among those likely to be hit by the new law unless
they can persuade the government to halt its implementation.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mugabe-seeks-control-of-foreign-firms-793688.html
|
10th March
Independent TOP EXECUTIVES UNPREPARED FOR THE COMING RECESSION
British business leaders expect that the UK will slide
into a recession and result in a massive cull of top executives
who are unprepared to deal with a major economic slowdown.
The gloomy outlook coincides with new figures showing
strong inflation, reducing the Bank of England's ability
to cut interest rates to stimulate growth. According to
a survey conducted by Pentacle, more than two thirds of
the business people asked think the UK economy will be
hit by a recession. It is a worrying prospect for today's
generation of business leaders, many of whom were not
in positions of authority the last time the economy hit
the rocks and are instead accustomed to a healthy environment
in which the rising economic tide lifted all boats. Nearly
two thirds, 62 per cent of the 200 executives contacted
for the survey, think that executives lack the experience
necessary to handle the more challenging conditions.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/top-executives-unprepared-for-the-coming-.htmlssion-793719.html
|
10th March
Ethical CORPORATION RECESSION ETHICS: CSR IN A DOWNTURN
- RECESSION-PROOF ETHICS CAN WEATHER THE STORM
Consumers who already pay a premium for ethical goods
such as Fairtrade and organic produce are unlikely to
be put off by an economic slowdown. http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=5751 |
10th March
Financial Times NIKE SEES GAP IN CHINA LABOUR LAWS
Workers at Nike's contract factories in China do not enjoy
the same protection as their peers elsewhere because of
"gaps" in the country's labour laws, the global
footwear giant has said in a report. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/14a33494-edf9-11dc-a5c1-0000779fd2ac.html
|
11th March
Independent MP CALLS FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO £1BN
COAL POWER PLANT
A Labour MP has demanded a public inquiry into the "very,
very close co-operation" between the Government and
the company planning to build Britain's first coal-fired
power station for more than 20 years. Environmental groups
reacted furiously when John Hutton, the Business Secretary,
signalled his likely support for a new generation of plants
burning fossil fuels, starting with a power station at
Kings-north, north Kent. The area's MP, Robert Marshall-Andrews,
denounced Mr Hutton's stance and claimed there had been
collusion between his department and E.ON UK, the energy
giant that wants to develop the Kingsnorth site.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mp-calls-for-public-inquiry-into-1631bn-coal-power-plant-793968.html
|
11th March
Financial Times INVESTOR FURY AT M&S ROLE FOR ROSE
Marks and Spencer was last night facing an investor backlash
after it announced plans to elevate Sir Stuart Rose to
executive chairman in clear defiance of the UK's corporate
governance code. Legal & General Investment Management,
M&S's second largest shareholder, said the announcement
was "unwelcome", as a broader base of leading
shareholders voiced their anger at the move, which reflects
the problem the retailer has in choosing Sir Stuart's
successor. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5fe56f18-ef0b-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.html |
11th March
Guardian TUC ATTACKS MOTHERHOOD PENALTY IN THE WORKPLACE
The difference between men's and women's pay more than
trebles when women reach their 30s, TUC research revealed
today. It found women leaving school at 16 and going into
a full-time job earn 9.7% more than their male contemporaries.
But from the age of 18 - and throughout the rest of their
working lives - they earn less than men. In their 20s,
the pay gap for full-timers is a modest 3.3%, but in their
30s women take home 11.2% less than the men. And in their
40s - the peak age for discrimination - the gap rises
to 22.8%. The TUC said the undervaluing of women in the
workplace was partly due to a "motherhood penalty".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/11/gender.equality |
11th March
Personnel Today ETHICS RISES UP THE AGENDA OF UK BUSINESSES
There has been a major increase in the number of British
companies training staff in business ethics, research
by the IBE has found.
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/03/10/44823/ethics-rises-up-the-agenda-of-uk-businesses.html
|
11th March
Guardian BROWNE FINDS GREEN PASTURES BEYOND BP
Former BP chief Lord Browne has underlined the growing
commercial value of tropical forests by joining a business
that claims to mix "ethical" conservation with
selling carbon credits. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/11/oil.carbonemissions |
11th March
Independent CLIMATE CHANGE 'HITS MINORITIES HARDEST'
Around the world, the reality of climate change is being
felt and its full force is striking the people least equipped
to cope, ethnic or religious minorities and indigenous
peoples. Minorities from Latin America to Europe and Asia
have been caught in man-made environmental disasters,
and in many cases relief is reaching them last, says a
report to be released today by the international non-government
organisation, Minority Rights Group.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-change-hits-minorities-hardest-793990.html |
11th March
Independent THE BRUTAL TRADE BEHIND THE ARMY'S HEADWEAR
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) released
a film of"bait and shoot" tactics used by Canadian
hunters at Westminster yesterday. The pelts are sold to
fur auctioneers, whose clients include companies hired
by the Ministry of Defence to supply Britain's illustrious
Guards regiments with bearskin hats for use in ceremonial
duties such as the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony
to mark the Queen's birthday. Peta, which is asking the
MoD to use synthetic materials when it needs replacements
for the hats, has figures showing £321,000 of taxpayers'
money has been spent since 2002 at Canadian fur auctions
to buy black bearskins to refurbish its stock of 2,500
hats at a cost of £650 per pelt.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-brutal-trade-behind-the-armys-headwear-793972.html |
11th March
Independent ECONOMIC WOES FORCE CHANCELLOR TO DELAY GREEN
TAXES
Alistair Darling will delay the introduction of the "green
taxes" on motorists that will be announced in tomorrow's
Budget to reduce the risk of Britain sliding towards recession.
The Chancellor may delay a scheduled 2p-a-litre rise in
fuel duty until the autumn, while his plans to impose
a "showroom tax" and higher vehicle excise duty
on gas-guzzling cars are not expected to take effect for
a year. There will also be incentives for people to buy
low-emission vehicles. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/economic-woes-force-chancellor-to-delay-green-taxes-793965.html |
11th March
Financial Times RISING PRODUCT RECALLS CATCH GROUPS BY
SURPRISE
Tougher regulation and heightened consumer awareness rather
than poorer products are responsible for the increasing
number of recalls in Europe but many big companies remain
unprepared to handle them, according to a new study by
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the law firm. The survey
of 100 multi-national companies operating in the European
Union comes after a record year of recalls from toys to
tyres, mostly made in China.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee32bd7a-ef0b-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.html |
11th March
Guardian AGENCY FACES ACTION FOR DELAY IN PROTECTING POLAR
BEARS
The US government agency responsible for including the
polar bear on its list of endangered species faced a new
legal challenge yesterday over its failure to protect
the supreme Arctic predator. Environmental groups were
ready to sue the Bush administration in federal court
in California, claiming the Fish and Wildlife Service
was in breach of its own mandate. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/11/conservation.wildlife |
11th March
BBC MAN SUES M&S FOR £300K OVER GRAPE
An accountant is suing Marks & Spencer for more than
£300,000 after claiming he injured himself during
a shopping trip by slipping on a grape. Alexander Martin-Sklan,
55, from Golders Green, north London, tore the tendon
in his right leg in the car park of his local branch in
June 2004.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7289051.stm |
12th March
Financial Times LAWYER SEEKS £13M SEX BIAS DAMAGES
A top City lawyer is seeking a record £13m ($26m)
after winning a sex discrimination and harassment lawsuit
against the fund manager F&C Management. Gill Switalski,
a 51-year-old mother of two disabled sons, says she was
subjected to an 18-month campaign of bullying and intimidation
over her working hours at the firm, which has nearly £104bn
of assets under management.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f2ede778-efbe-11dc-8a17-0000779fd2ac.html |
12th March
Independent MPS TO SHOW RECEIPTS ON EXPENSES OVER £25
The amount MPs can charge for expenses without receipts
is to be slashed to £25 after the revelations of
parliamentary abuse of taxpayers' money. MPs can currently
claim £250 for expenses without receipts to justify
the payments but, from1 April, the threshold will be cut
down to just £25. The sum MPs can draw for petty
cash from their office expenses is also being cut from
£250 to £50 per month.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-to-show-.htmlipts-on-expenses-over-16325-794459.html
|
12th March
Financial Times BA USES EU LAW TO PREVENT STRIKE BY PILOTS
British Airways is looking to use European competition
law and a threat to seek 'unlimited damages'against the
UK pilots' union in order to stop them going on strike.
An overwhelming majority of BA's 3,200 pilots voted last
month in favour of taking strike action over BA's plans
to set up OpenSkies, a new airline subsidiary, with a
pilot workforce separate to its mainline operations, which
fly to and from Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Talks aimed
at resolving the bitter dispute over future pilot staffing
at BA subsidiary airlines in Europe collapsed on Friday.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ed588ef8-efbe-11dc-8a17-0000779fd2ac.html |
12th March
Independent FSA WARNS BANKS TO CHANGE TRADING FLOOR 'CULTURE'
AFTER SOCGEN DEBACLE
The UK financial watchdog has warned banks to tighten
their controls and introduce a trading-floor culture that
protects against rogue traders in the wake of the €4.9bn
losses at Société Générale
sparked by Jérôme Kerviel. The Financial
Services Authority, the UK markets regulator, yesterday
cautioned the City to take heed of the lessons that emerging
from the SocGen scandal. It said: "Firms should consider
whether the front office culture is designed to prevent
'rogue trader' activities." This included encouraging,
or requiring, traders to take two week holidays. Mr Kerviel
is understood not to have taken a holiday for eight months
for fear of exposure.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/fsa-warns-banks-to-change-trading-floor-culture-after-socgen-debacle-794533.html
|
12th March
Guardian BULLYING AND RACISM CLAIMS AT NURSING COUNCIL
The government set up an independent inquiry yesterday
into allegations of bullying and racism at the regulatory
body that upholds professional standards among Britain's
700,000 nurses and midwives. Ben Bradshaw, the health
minister, said he took complaints about misbehaviour at
a senior level on the Nursing and Midwifery Council "extremely
seriously". Disputes had led to board members being
removed from office following disciplinary procedures
that lacked transparency. This led to "a breakdown
of functionality of the NMC", he added.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/12/nhs.health3 |
12th March
Guardian HAIR STYLING ADVERT DEEMED OFFENSIVE
The success of ghd, a brand of ceramic hair straighteners,
was dealt a blow yesterday after the Advertising Standards
Authority ruled its latest campaign was likely to cause
serious offence, especially to Christians, and banned
it from British screens. It upheld a total of
23 complaints, including one from the Archdeacon of Liverpool,
about three adverts for the ghd IV styler. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/12/advertising |
13th March
HR Review TRUST ISSUES 'CAUSING EMPLOYEES TO LEAVE JOBS'
More than half (53 per cent) of UK workers have left organisations
as a result of issues to do with trust, according to new
research by the Ken Blanchard Companies. http://hrreview.co.uk/articles/hr_strategy_and_practice/trust_issues_percentcausing_employees_to_leave_jobspercent_591.html
|
13th March
Guardian GAMBLER'S COURT CHALLENGE FAILS
A compulsive gambler who sued William Hill for allowing
him to continue betting until he was more than £2m
down lost his high court claim for compensation yesterday.
Mr Justice Briggs ruled that the bookmaker was not liable
to Graham Calvert, even though he asked it to stop taking
his money under William Hill's self-exclusion policy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/13/gambling |
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continued below ...
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13th March
Personnel Today WELL NOTES, NOT SICK NOTES: SOLUTION OR
MORE CHAOS?
The very mention of sick notes and GP's is the equivalent
of lighting the blue touch paper and preparing to stand
well back for most employers. Jonathan Whittaker, partner
at SAS Daniels, looks at whether the proposal of a 'well
note' will solve anything.
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/03/12/44865/well-notes-not-sick-notes-solution-or-more-chaos.html
|
14th March
Guardian EXECUTIVES PREDICT EXODUS FROM TRADITIONAL WORKPLACE
TO MORE HOME-WORKING
Within a decade millions of workers will be at home juggling
their careers with caring for children and older relatives,
Britain's leading management institute forecast yesterday.
Belief that technological advances would liberate us from
the daily drudge and allow more time for leisure appeared
to be fading, with futurologists predicting less talk
about "work-life balance" and more about "work-life
integration".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/mar/14/workandcareers.worklifebalance |
14th March
Independent STOP CARICATURING CHIMPS, ADVERTISERS TOLD
Primatologists have attacked the advertising industry
for exploiting chimpanzees for the sake of commercial
gain. Dressing up chimps in human clothes or making them
perform everyday activities gives people the impression
that they are not a species in danger of extinction, yet
they are just as threatened as the gorilla or the orang-utan,
the scientists said.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stop-caricaturing-chimps-advertisers-told-795719.html |
14th March
Independent E U PRESSES AHEAD WITH SUBSTANTIAL CUTS IN
EMISSIONS
EU leaders are likely to push ahead with plans for substantial
cuts in "greenhouse" emissions in Europe over
the next 12 years at the end of their summit in Brussels
today. Despite efforts by some governments to weaken the
targets, and complaints from green pressure groups that
the EU is aiming too low, leaders are expected to promise
legislation by next March to cut the 1990 level of carbon
dioxide emissions by one-fifth by 2020.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/eu-presses-ahead-with-substantial-cuts-in-emissions-795735.html |
14th March
Independent BRITISH FIRM UNDER ATTACK FOR MINING NEAR
GRAND CANYON
A British mining company is at the centre of a row over
uranium mining near the Grand Canyon, the great American
landmark which is one of the world's most celebrated preserved
areas. US environmentalists have launched a legal challenge
to permission given to the British firm Vane Minerals
to drill for uranium in the Kaibab National Forest in
Arizona, which borders the canyon on both north and south
sides.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/british-firm-under-attack-for-mining-near-grand-canyon-795731.html |
14th March
Further Education News GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO ATTRACT WOMEN
TO SECTORS WHERE THEY ARE UNDER REPRESENTED.
£5 million is to be invested in attracting women
into five career sectors where they are currently underrepresented.The
Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative is to receive
the funding over the next three years. The initiative
works with Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) to introduce
women into new career pathways. http://www.fenews.co.uk/newsview.asp?n=2889 |
16th March
Sunday Times ROLLS-ROYCE AND BAE IN SECRET PLEA TO DOWNING
STREET
BRITAIN's largest aerospace and defence groups, Rolls-Royce
and BAE Systems, have asked the government to break with
tradition and let them appoint a foreign chief executive.
Simon Robertson, chairman of Rolls-Royce, and Dick Olver,
chairman of BAE, are holding talks with Downing Street
and the Ministry of Defence. The government's golden share
in the companies means they need permission from ministers
to select a nonBritish leader. Selection of a foreigner
is expressly forbidden by both companies' articles of
association. BAE and Rolls-Royce have a close relationship
with the government, which relies on them for technology
critical to national defence.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article3558484.ece |
16th March
Sunday Times SAINSBURY'S IN £3M SCANDAL OVER POTATO
BUNGS
Sainsbury's, the supermarket group, was this weekend embroiled
in a £3m bribes investigation after one of its most
senior buyers was arrested on suspicion of accepting backhanders
from a potato supplier. John Maylam, who has worked for
the supermarket for more than a decade, was arrested last
week over receiving irregular payments from Greenvale,
which supplies nearly half of the chain's potatoes.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article3559475.ece |
16th March
Observer SHELL TO WRITE OFF HALF OF LAST YEAR'S RESERVES
Shell is to slash reserve figures from last year by more
than half, taking about 1.3 billion barrels of oil off
its books, equivalent to about a year's production. Chief
executive Jeroen van der Veer is also expected to say
that production growth will be zero or near zero until
2010 when he gives the oil giant's annual strategy presentation
tomorrow. The City has been particularly sensitive about
this issue ever since Shell mis-stated its reserve figures
in 2004. The company was forced to pay out more than £200m
in fines and compensation to settle the scandal. This
time Shell will have to write down its booked proven reserves
because of problems in Russia and Nigeria and changes
in the way its production contracts are structured. It
is also becoming more expensive to find new fields.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/16/royaldutchshell.oil
|
16th March
Observer DANES CLAIM ROCK OPERATES WITH AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
The Danish Bankers' Association has written to the European
Commission complaining that Northern Rock's government
guarantee gives it an unfair advantage over other banks.
Northern Rock has an internet savings business in Denmark
that is currently offering 5 per cent interest, when the
country's banks lend to each other at 4.63 per cent; and
the Rock reassures savers that deposits are 100 per cent
guaranteed by the British government. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/16/northernrock.banking
|
16th March
Observer TESCO SLAPS £16M WRIT ON THAI CRITIC
A former Thailand MP who is now the secretary general
of the Thai chamber of commerce is facing a £16m
legal claim from Tesco for speaking out against the retailer
in his home country. In a speech to 150 activists, Jit
Siratranont, 56, described the retailer's expansion into
Thailand under the name Tesco Lotus as aggressive, but
admitted that he made an error saying that the firm made
37 per cent of its income from the Far Eastern nation.
But his speech, he claims, urged conciliation between
Tesco and small retailers to head off the prospect of
riots over the store's rapid incursion into the country.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/16/tesco.retail
|
17th
March Guardian CARBON REDUCTION STARTS AT THE TOP
Many companies now espouse carbon reduction messages but
how many are driving their programmes from the very top?
Some high-profile chief executives and chairmen, such
as Sir Stuart Rose at Marks & Spencer and James Murdoch
at BSkyB, have become well known for embedding action
on climate change into their companies. However, the failure
of other organisations to respond fully can often be laid
at the door of a lack of top-level involvement. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/exclusions/supplements/carbonaction/nosplit/leadership.xml
|
17th March
Reuters U.S. QUIZZES SHELL IN FOREIGN CORRUPTION PROBE
Royal Dutch Shell said the U.S. Department of Justice
was investigating its use of Basel-based logistics firm
Panalpina which is suspected bribery in Nigeria, Kazakhstan
and Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. Panalpina has quit
its Nigeria operations following the probe and said last
week in a statement that it had "certain indications
that, in the past, violations of the FCPA may have occurred."
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSL1775263320080317
|
17TH March
New York Times SALE PRICE REFLECTS THE DEPTH OF BEAR'S
PROBLEMS
Stock price at investment firm Bear Stearns has plunged.
In a sale The New York Times reported "stunned"
Wall Street, J.P Morgan Chase purchased the firm at just
$2 a share, compared to the $170 price one year ago. One-third
of all Bear shareholders are company employees. In an
unusual case, The NY Times noted that former CEO James
Cayne, whose stock holdings in 2007 were worth around
$1.2 billion, now finds his stock valued at just $13.5
million, showing the risks involved in corporate compensation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/business/17cnd-bear.html?_r=3&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1206435822-Jfxk9h6jHTdthjOl7bWipw
|
17th March
Independent EU BOYCOTTS CHINA OIL FIRM OVER FUNDING OF
DARFUR REGIME
The European Parliament has disinvested in a firm accused
of being one of the chief bankrollers of the Sudanese
regime's military campaign in Darfur after pressure from
MEPs and human rights activists. The EU has sold its shares
in the Chinese oil giant PetroChina/ CNPC. The move follows
revelations that MEPs' pension funds continued to be invested
in the company, despite widespread criticism of Chinese
support for the regime in Khartoum. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/eu-boycotts-china-oil-firm-over-funding-of-darfur-regime-796794.html |
17th March
BBC ILL HEALTH 'COSTS ECONOMY £100BN'
Ill health costs the British economy over £100bn
a year - the same as the cost of running the NHS for a
year, a report is set to say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7297174.stm
|
17th March
Guardian CAMERON TALKS TOUGH ON BUSINESS
David Cameron will today urge retailers, broadcasters
and other companies to show more social responsibility
or face greater regulation under a Conservative government.
The Tory leader's renewed attack on corporate behaviour
is part of his attempt to rebrand his party as being on
the side of the consumer, but it could cause irritation
in some boardrooms. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8550e218-f3ad-11dc-b6bc-0000779fd2ac.html |
17th March
Guardian GOVERNMENT FIGURES HIDE SCALE OF CO2 EMISSIONS,
SAYS REPORT
Britain's climate change emissions may be 12% higher than
officially stated, according to a National Audit Office
investigation which has strongly criticised the government
for using two different carbon accounting systems. There
is "insufficient consistency and coordination"
in the government's approach, the NAO said. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/17/climatechange.carbonemissions
|
18th March
Guardian WIND POWER URGED FOR COMPUTERS
The world's computing power should be moved from desktop
computers and company servers to remote outposts where
renewable energy such as wind and solar power is abundant,
according to a Cambridge University computer expert. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/18/carbonemissions.news |
18th March
BBC MICROSOFT'S MOVES 'THREATEN NET'
Any deal between Yahoo and Microsoft could be "bad
for the internet", according to the head of Google.
Chief executive Eric Schmidt said that Google was "concerned"
about a deal and said it could have implications for the
"openness" of the internet.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7300337.stm |
18th March
Financial Times CAMERON'S BUSINESS PLANS UNDER FIRE
David Cameron came under fire from business yesterday,
as Tory proposals to encourage corporate social responsibility
were attacked by employers as "regulation-by-proxy".
The Conservative leader backed proposals for "responsibility
deals", in which companies in a given sector agree
to voluntary action to tackle problems such as obesity.
Speaking at the launch of a Tory policy paper on corporate
social responsibility, Mr Cameron said his party could
be "both pro-business . . . and also passionate about
responsible business".
www.ft.com/cms/s/add3bda2-f48c-11dc-aaad-0000779fd2ac.html
|
18th March
Independent OUTRAGE OVER AIRLINES' EMPTY 'GHOST FLIGHTS'
Airlines that run empty "ghost flights", pumping
hundreds of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,
should face heavy fines, environmentalists have demanded.
The Government was being urged to clamp down on the practice
after it emerged that British Airways had flown three
long-haul services between London, Hong Kong and Mumbai
last week, even though staff illness meant there were
no passengers on board. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/outrage-over-airlines-empty-ghost-flights-797125.html |
19th March
Wall Street Journal OCCIDENTAL CEO'S CORE PAY RISES 20%
ON SOARING OIL
Ray R. Irani, Los Angeles- based Occidental Petroleum
Corp.'s longtime chairman and chief executive, received
compensation last year valued at $63.5 million, a figure
some say was awarded not based on performance, but on
factors beyond his control, The Wall Street Journal reported.
More than 90% of Dr. Irani's compensation was tied to
performance, most of it in stock; only about $5.6 million
was in cash, said WSJ. However, Occidental's success has
been because of surging oil prices, which have been driven
by rising demand in Asia, security concerns in oil-producing
nations and a flood of money from investors seeking refuge
from the weak dollar - all beyond Mr. Irani's control.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120589627545347633.html?mod=googlenews_wsj |
19th March
Ethics World NIKE'S SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN CHINA
In the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, Nike has produced
a China supplement to its regular CSR report. Nike provides
a candid assessment of the challenges the company faces
in the country and how it plans to move forward.
http://www.ethicsworld.org/corporatesocialresponsibility/corporatecsrreports.php#NikeCSR |
19th March
Guardian SHATTERED ILLUSIONS
Recently, with hundreds of Indonesian troops just out
of sight in scenes of intense security, Prince Andrew,
the government's official business envoy, dropped in on
Bintuni Bay, one of Indonesia's most remote corners. The
plan was to inspect BP's new £3.5bn natural gas
plant. What the Duke of York probably did not know was
that he had walked straight into a row between the giant
oil company and local villagers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/19/fossilfuels.indonesia
|
19th March
Guardian JAPANESE FIRMS FACE PENALTIES FOR OVERWEIGHT
STAFF
Corporate Japan will join the country's battle against
bulging waistlines next month with the introduction of
compulsory "flab checks" for the over-40s and
penalties for firms that fail to bring their employees'
weight under control. Health authorities hope the measures
will stop the rise in obesity among middle-aged men and
slow soaring medical costs. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/japan |
19th March
Financial Times RIVALS SEE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE ON SAVINGS
Banks and building societies have complained that the
newly nationalised Northern Rock will be able to compete
for retail savings for the next three to four years backed
by a government guarantee. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5a27c584-f556-11dc-a21b-000077b07658.html
|
19th March
Independent UBS CHAIRMAN'S PAY CUT BY 90% AFTER ITS FIRST
FULL-YEAR LOSS
The chairman of the Swiss banking giant UBS had his pay
packet slashed by 90 per cent in 2007 after the bank slumped
to its first full-year loss following huge sub-prime writedowns.
Marcel Ospel's take-home pay fell sharply after he decided
to turn down a bonus in the wake of UBS's losses. His
base salary remained at Sfr2m, although he did receive
benefits in kind and contributions to his retirement benefit
plans, according to the company's annual report published
yesterday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ubs-chairmans-pay-cut-by-90-after-its-first-fullyear-loss-797868.html
|
19th March
Financial Times OFCOM TO STEP UP ACTION ON MOBILLES' MISSELLING
Mobile phone operators could face substantial fines after
regulators announced plans to stamp out misselling in
the industry.Ofcom, the media and telecoms regulator,
said a voluntary code of conduct to minimise misselling
had failed. It set out proposals for a legal regime allowing
it to fine the operators. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f039deba-f540-11dc-a21b-000077b07658.html
|
19th March
Telegraph GARDEN FURNITURE FOR UK MARKET 'FROM ILLEGALLY
LOGGED RAINFOREST', SAYS REPORT
Garden centres and online suppliers are helping fuel the
illicit trade in timber from threatened rainforests, an
undercover investigation claims. The Environmental Investigation
Agency, which is dedicated to exposing crimes against
wildlife and the environment, and its conservation partner
Telapak, claim Vietnam's wood processing industry is threatening
the last intact forests in the Mekong region, especially
those in neighbouring Laos. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/19/eaviet119.xml |
19th March
Telegraph OFFSETTING YOUR CARBON IS CONFUSING
Carbon-offsetting websites that ask people to give money
to environmental projects to cancel out their personal
carbon emissions are confusing and inconsistent, a consumer
watchdog says. Companies such as Carbon Clear, Pure and
the World Land Trust are misleading and charge people
different amounts for similar schemes, according to Which?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/19/eaeco219.xml
|
20th March
Guardian CHARITY PLANNING BANANA REPUBLIC PROTEST OVER
EMPLOYEES' PLIGHT
One of the biggest fashion retailers in the US last night
began an investigation into allegations that workers in
India who make its clothes are being forced to work more
than 70 hours a week for as little as 15p an hour. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/20/ethicalbusiness.retail |
20th March
Guardian SHUT THAT DOOR
Britain's shops waste hundreds of millions on fuel - and
emit vast quantities of CO2 - by leaving their doors open.
But shoppers are now demanding they change their ways.
Dominic Murphy reports. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/20/energyefficiency.carbonemissions |
20th March
Independent MINISTERS KEEP THEIR GAS-GUZZLING CARS DESPITE
C02 TARGETS
Two-thirds of cabinet ministers still travel in vehicles
occupying the top emissions bands, despite targets to
slash the carbon pumped |
