GUERNSEY - HAVEN FOR MERCENARIES
The Guernsey Court of Appeal has recently (06/04/05) overturned the decision tallow access by the government of Equatorial Guinea access to the account records and safe deposit boxes of Simon Mann, jailed British mercenary leader. Read more...
 http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/guernseyhavenformercenaries.htm

COUNTER CONFERENCE TO WWF-HOSTED SOYA ROUND TABLE
Following on from the WWF-hosted 'sustainable soya' round table in Brazil, a counter conference of grassroots campaigns and peasants movements also convened at the same time, to declare its opposition to a world of agri-business and GM soya.
Read more....
 http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/roundtablereportwwfhostedsustainablesoya.htm


ICELAND KILLERS
a brief run down of the corporations involved in the hydro-electric dam covered in past issues.
Read more....
 http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/icelandkillers.htm


NEWS IN BRIEF

DEATH THREATS IN KENYA
Former Coca Cola employee faces death threat from gangsters after lodging complaint against former employers. Mr Patrick Thuo Gitangu also alledges that he was assaulted by Zahil Sheikh of KPMG Auditors. 'Assassins' Chilling Threat On Man's Life', East African Standard, 19 th March 2005  http://allafrica.com/stories/200503210514.html

DIRECTORS PAY-- Table of Top Tubby Tabbies
Company - highest directors ’ pay (year)

* Citigroup inc - £ 17,097,759 (2003)
* National Australia Bank Ltd - £ 3,100,000 (2004)
* Barclays plc - £ 3,088,000 (2003)
* HSBC Holdings plc - £ 2,182,000 (2004)
* Royal Bank of Scotland - £ 1,916,000 (2003)
* Abbey National plc - £ 1,688,000 (2003)
* Alliance & Leicester plc - £ 1,488,000 (2002)
* Nationwide Building Society - £ 1,435,000 (2003)
* Lloyds TSB Group plc - £ 1,140,000 (2003)
* Bank of Ireland - £ 1,100,000 (2004)
* HBOS plc - £ 1,072,000 (2003)
* Co-op Financial Services - £1,054,000 (2002)

This table was reproduced with permission from issue 94 of Ethical Consumer magazine. For more information visit www.ethicalconsumer.org or phone 0161 226 2929

NANOTECH – the great stuff kids go for!
The London Science Museum's exhibition 'Nanotechnology: small science, big deal' seems to be following in the museum's footsteps by making science accessible to a younger audience. Unfortunately, this has been done in a breathless 'wow gosh' way that in no way mentions nanotech as a very major shift in corporations' ability to manipulate the world. The small words of warning 'should we be concerned about the safety of nanoproducts? are basically answered as 'well, no actually'.by a constant rush of wonder products to stifle any objections. Much to the delight of companies such as Atomic, Nanotex and Wilson Sporting Goods, who make some of the exciting new goods showcased by the exhibition.

Science Museum website:  http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/nano/index.asp

REMEMBER SIMON JONES
Sunday 24 th April is the seventh anniversary of the death of Simon Jones, who was killed by a crane on his first day working at Shoreham docks in Sussex. Simon's death was caused by casualisation, by corporations seeking the cheapest possible labour – he was sent to Shoreham by an employment agency and given no training in safety procedures. The agency, Personnel Selection, and the docks company, Euromin (now Dudmans), have never owned up to their responsibility, the directors of Euromin being cleared of manslaughter charges and found guilty of breaches of 'health and safety'.

Simon’s mother, Anne, is currently campaigning for 'Simon’s Law': effective Parliamentary Acts to make corporate bodies properly liable for deaths and injuries at work. For more information see  http://www.simonjones.org.uk/

EXPOSING THE G8 GREENWASH AND SPIN
Corporate Watch's massive report 'Bringing the G8 Home: A guide to corporations in and around the G8 summit' will be available on our website in the next few weeks. It's packed with masses of information about how the policies pushed by the G8 help corporations, and also includes a detalied run-down of the effects of corporate globalisation on Scotland, issue by issue.

--
Corporate Watch
Oxford, UK
www.corporatewatch.org
01865 791 391

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