Review of the book The corporation that changed the world

The corporation that changed the world How the East India company shaped the modern multinational Nick Robbins

Cola controversy lesson for media management

the day after Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss told Parliament that the Centre for Science and Environment's (cse's) exhaustive study on carbonated beverages was "inconclusive", the Delhi edition of the Hindustan Times carried the story as its lead story on page one. As part of the lead package, the newspaper juxtaposed Ramadoss's mugshot with that of cse director Sunita Narain.

Divert, deny, dismiss and damn

What a line of attack! PepsiCo, in its advertisements to deny that it had pesticides in its drinks, said that there were more pesticides in tea, eggs, rice and apples. Coca-Cola, in its defence, has similarly argued that as everything in India is contaminated, its drinks are safe. They say this is being done to target them, because they are big brands and us multinationals. On the other hand, the pesticide industry, in its public response, wants the focus not to be on pesticides but on heavy metals and other contaminants.

Biotechnology for poor farmers

five million farmers in China accepted Bt cotton since 1994. We have heard no end of how biotechnology can help small and marginal farmers earn better. International development agencies, such as the un Development Program, have put their multilateral weight behid biotechnologies. Agrobusiness giants and thier public relations agencies have lost no opportunity to dismiss protests against biotechnology in developing countries.

Traditional Indian medicinal practices now safe

the Indian origin of medical knowledge, used to develop modern treatments, will be given due recognition in Britain from now on. Presently, there is rampant misrepresentation of traditional treatment methods such as ayurveda and unani. Multinationals falsely market them as their innovations.

Gold mine spills cyanide in Ghana

Following two cyanide spills at the Bogoso-Prestea mines in western Ghana in less than two years, residents of the area and several organisations are now calling for a total audit of all operations of the multinational gold miner, Golden Star Resources.

In Court

blind eye: An environment court of New Zealand has rejected the first part of the Greenpeace appeal, which opposed re-firing of the Marsden B coal power station, near Whangarei district, due to its impact on global warming. The court said that effects on climate change is a national issue and not one to be considered by regional councils when considering resource consents.

No grey

Corporate directed by Madhur Bandharkar produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures 150 minutes

Ecocall

The Nigerian government has directed oil multinationals operating in the country to submit reports on the state of their pipelines and the plans to combat oil pollution. "The move is aimed at ensuring that oil industry operators adopt good practices and comply with the environmental standards," says Atiku Abubakar, the country's vice president.

Cipla's bitter pill for MNCs