April 25, 2007 : News in Brief
In a blow to the ‘Baghdad boom’ in private security contracts, Swedish security firms are to be barred from operating in war zones. One company, Dynsec, has already lost its license to train security guards after a Dynsec-trained Swede was killed on armed duty in Iraq. Dynsec’s local county adminstration withdrew their license after deciding that it was not acceptable for Swedish companies to be involved in ‘personal protection of a more offensive nature’.1
HALLIBURTON LEAVES THE US
Infamous US war profiteering company Halliburton is to move its HQ to Dubai, in a move that has been by many as biting the hand that feeds it. By moving to the Gulf state Halliburton will avoid many taxes payable to the US government – a government which has awarded Halliburton so many no-bids contracts in places such as Iraq. Halliburton’s CEO may also hope that a move away from the US will also take it out of the limelight and avoid any potential backlash when its former boss Dick Cheney loses office next year.2
EU BANK BREAKS EU’S OWN ECO-GUIDELINES
The EU’s in-house bank is fuelling climate change, with a bias towards lending to the air and road sectors. That’s according to a new report from CEE Bankwatch, which shows that the multi-million euro loans made by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in the transport sector are helping to fuel climate change and have made little or no contribution to the EU’s own goals on transport. Read the full report at http://bankwatch.org/documents/lost_in_transport.pdf
NEW SET OF RADICAL BLOGS
UKWatch, the daily review of radical comment and analysis, is now hosting a series of radical blogs . Bloggers include Milan Rai, peace activist and author; Hilary Wainwright, editor of Red Pepper; David Miller, author and co-editor of Spinwatch; journalist Mike Marqusee; and Stuart Hodkinson, research fellow at Leeds University, specialising in corporate power and popular struggles. Read them all at http://ukwatch.net/blog
References
1. www.thelocal.se/6920/20070405/
2. www.arabianbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10004&newsletter=1