To coincide with this World AIDS day (Saturday 1st December), chief executives from some of the world’s largest companies are calling for an end to travel restrictions for people living with HIV. More than 40 CEOs have signed an unprecedented pledge urging the repeal of laws and policies in 45 countries that still deport, detain or deny entry to people solely because they have the virus. The CEOs represent nearly two million employees in industries from banking to mining, travel to technology. They include companies like Johnson & Johnson, The Coca-Cola Company, Pfizer, Heineken, Merck, and Thomson Reuters. “HIV travel restrictions are discriminatory and bad for business,” said Chip Bergh, president & CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. “Global business leaders are coming together to make sure we end these unreasonable restrictions.” The CEO pledge is an initiative of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Levi Strauss & Co. and GBCHealth, a coalition of companies that address global health challenges. (CSR Wire)
Finance & Banking
Payday loan rates 'to be limited'
The UK Government is to change the law to allow restrictions to be imposed on the interest rates charged for so-called "payday loans". Ministers are to amend the Financial Services Bill to give the planned Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the power to limit charges. The news follows concerns over annual interest rates of up to 4,000 percent. It was suggested that there should not be a blanket cap on interest rates but the FCA would be able to investigate different loan schemes and then set a limit on the amount of APR charged. Labour peer Lord Mitchell put down the amendment to the bill, which was also signed by Justin Welby, the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop Welby called the most costly loans "usury", saying that curbing them was a "moral" issue. Lord Mitchell told peers: "This is an industry run by cowboys on the fringes of legality." (BBC, Telegraph)
Consumers
Supermarkets pledge fairer pricing, Asda holds back
Eight supermarkets have agreed to a fair pricing policy drawn up by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The OFT has been investigating the way prices are displayed, advertised and promoted in stores. It raised concerns about prices being artificially inflated to make later discounts look more attractive. Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, Aldi, the Co-op and Lidl all agreed to adopt the set of principles however; Asda has not yet signed up, and said it was considering the revised code. In a statement Asda argued that a code covering special offer price promotions was not relevant. Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: "When household budgets are squeezed and food prices are one of people's top financial worries, it's unacceptable that shoppers are confused into thinking that they're getting a good deal when that might not be the case.” He added that "regulators should be prepared to take enforcement action against traders found breaking the rules." (Times*, BBC)
Environment
European Parliament agrees €6bn for clean energy research
Following a vote by the European Parliament’s Energy and Research Committee (ITRE), €6bn (£4.86bn) will be allocated to renewables, energy efficiency, smart grids and storage. This amounts to three-quarters of the next energy research budget including the ‘Intelligent Energy Europe’ programme, an EU programme designed to help organisations improve energy sustainability. European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) regulatory affairs advisor Vilma Radvilaite said: "MEPs have understood how crucial wind energy and other renewables are to the EU's economic growth, technology leadership [and] fighting climate change”. The ITRE Committee also boosted transparency and clarity for wind energy research by agreeing on dedicated and separate budget lines for wind energy and other technologies. (Edie)
International Development
Burmese police break up copper mine protest
Police in Burma have used water cannon and tear gas to break up a protest against a vast Chinese-backed copper mine in the north-west of the country. Local farmers, monks and activists have been protesting against what they say are forced evictions employed to facilitate the expansion of the mine, Burma's largest. The farmers started their protest in June, saying they were forced to accept a deal two years ago under which they gave up their land in return for new housing and financial compensation. The mine is owned by the military and Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco. The company has said that the deal was voluntary, and that only a small minority of farmers rejected it. The mine's billion-dollar expansion project covers several thousand hectares of land in Burma's northern, Sagaing region. (Guardian, BBC, Telegraph)
COMMENTS