9th May Guardian & FT UK CONFIRMS SCRAPPING OF OFR IN FAVOUR OF BUSINESS REVIEW
The UK government on Wednesday confirmed it would scrap the legal statutory requirement for companies to produce comprehensive annual narrative reports detailing social and economic issues, according to news reports. The government also detailed measures on directors' duties, requirements for companies to produce business reviews and new rules that would allow "non-meritorious" legal actions against directors, the Guardian reported. The FT said business applauded the package of amendments to the bill. The CBI, the employers' body, praised the government for "moving in the right direction". The Guardian quoted Craig Bennett, Friend of the Earth's accountability campaigner as saying: " There is nothing here which will provide justice for the victims of corporate irresponsibility or guarantee high environmental standards for UK companies". http://news.ft.com/cms/s/0d1af954-db0a-11da-aa09-0000779e2340.html http://politics.guardian.co.uk/green/story/0,,1766942,00.html

10th May New York Times EXECUTIVES TAKE COMPANY PLANES AS IF THEIR OWN
Chief executives' salaries have risen sharply. On top of that, new government data show, shareholders are paying more for executives' personal travel on corporate jets, long criticized as a symbol of excess. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/10/business/10jets.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

23rd May Times CUSTOMERS DEMAND FAIR TRADE FROM BIG BUSINESS
Ethical business is becoming big business. Access to the internet means that shareholders and customers can tap into information about the companies they invest in or buy from to check that they are acting ethically. As a result, most listed companies have ethical codes of practice and run environmental and social programmes, says Simon Webley, research director of the Institute of Business Ethics. "Nine out of ten of the FTSE 100 companies have programmes to promote ethical practices, up from seven out of ten in 2001," he says.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,28729-2192003.html

30th May Guardian NESTLE TO ACQUIRE STAKE IN FAIR TRADE CHOCOLATE FIRM
Nestle will this week acquire a stake in a leading independent British supplier of fair-trade chocolate as part of L'Oreal's purchase of Body Shop. This means the world's biggest food and drinks group will become an investor in the Day Chocolate Company, which makes Divine and Dubble bars as well as all the Fairtrade own-brand chocolate for the Co-operative Group. Nestle; owns more than a quarter of the French cosmetics multinational L'Oreal, which is about to purchase Body Shop International for £652m. The Body Shop, in turn, owns 14% of Day. http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1784966,00.html

31st May Guardian GORE BRINGS PASSIONATE CLIMATE CHANGE CAMPAIGN TO UK
In an interview with the Guardian today, Al Gore sharply attacks the Bush administration for what he terms its 'extremist' views and lack of action on climate change. The former vice-president also talks about his dedication to living a green life, his political future, and the steps both politicians and consumers can take to reduce the threat posed by climate change. Mr Gore, who appeared at the Guardian Hay literary festival over the bank holiday weekend, is promoting his new documentary and book, An Inconvenient Truth, about the climate change crisis. http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1786442,00.html
The interview with Jonathan Freedland is available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1786437,00.html