BRAZIL: MURDER IN THE GREEN DESERT

Aracruz is both a massive paper and cellulose company, which plants mono-culture eucalyptus plantations, all in the name of a sustainable environment, and also the name of the capital city in Espirito Santo, Brazil, an area where many indigenous communities live, who suffer from this agri-business' domination of their political and legal system. Read more...  http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/brazilmurder.htm


BOB GELDOF: COURT JESTER OF THE G8
Self-appointed saviour of Africa, 'Saint' Bob Geldof recently hit out at world leaders, appearing to blame them for slow progress on meeting the Development Goals set for Africa. Within the G8 charade Geldof plays a very important role. Read more...  http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/bobgeldof.htm

IRAQ: UNION CALLS ANTI-PRIVATISATION CONFERENCE
May 25-26 will see Iraqi trade unionists and civil society activists gather at the Oil Institute of Basra for a two-day conference aimed at fighting the privatisation of Iraqi oil.The organisers of the conference, the General Union of Oil Employees, is a union resolutely opposed to the Occupation, to the former regime and to current plans to privatise Iraq’s oil industry. Read more...  http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/iraqunioncalls.htm

LONDON OLYMPICS: EVICTIONS BEGIN
Students are being evicted from the site of the proposed Olympic Village at Clays Lane, Stratford, East London, even before London knows if it will get the Olympics, and local traveller sites and a housing co-op are also under pressure. Read more...  http://www.corporatewatch.org/news/londonolympics.htm


CORPORATE WATCH LAUNCHES G8 SPECIAL REPORT
In 2005, the annual G8 summit - the meeting of the leaders of world's most powerful countries - is coming to the beautiful glens of Perthshire. In some respects, the G8 leaders are coming home to their roots: Scotland was home to 18th century philosophical movement, 'the Scottish Enlightenment' that gave us 'free market ideology' in the first place. Scotland gained huge financial wealth from colonial rule, and today it is the regional centre for the oil industry, making it an appropriate place for the G8 leaders, the new colonial masters, to be discussing pressing issues such as climate change and poverty in Africa.

The Scottish Executive has made clear that it wants to take the opportunity of the G8 to promote Scotland i.e. Scotland PLC. In response, Corporate Watch aims to highlight the darker side of some of the corporations with bases in Scotland that stand to gain profile and wealth from the G8 summit. Besides the direct financial benefit of the Gleneagles summit, Scotland is a very good example of corporate globalisation in microcosm.
Go to the G8 Report...  http://www.corporatewatch.org/g8/executivesummary.htm