Business & human rights: Weekly Update - October 17, 2007

From the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre:
Weekly Update: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre - 17 Oct 2007

CLICK THIS LINK FOR ALL TOP STORIES added past 7 days /
Principales noticias / Articles de premier plan:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Topstories?date=2007/10/17

The top stories include / Las noticias incluyen / Les articles
 incluent:

* Joint open letter to UN Special Representative on business & human
 rights, John Ruggie - 151 NGO & individual signatories
- John Ruggie's response
- Open letter from Sir Geoffrey Chandler to the signatories
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/831413

* Lawsuit filed against Blackwater in USA for killings of Iraqi
 civilians
- Blackwater CEO says "politically motivated lawsuit for media
 attention"
- Iraq's Minister for Human Rights calls for Blackwater security guards
 to stand trial in Iraq
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/680656

* India: Over 400,000 children working in cottonseed fields, often
 bonded labour
- Bayer CropScience response
- Monsanto has said it will provide a response for a future Update
- We also invited Nuziveedu, Rasi, Ankur to respond but they have not
 done so
- Dutch Parliament submits questions to Dutch trade & foreign ministers
 on child labour in India
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/812295

* US court allows lawsuit by apartheid victims against 23 companies to
 proceed
- Companies include Barclays, BP, Citigroup, Commerzbank, Deutsche
 Bank, ExxonMobil, Ford, Fujitsu, General Motors, IBM, Total, UBS
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/479437

* Russia & Kazakhstan: Uzbek migrant workers in slave-like conditions
 in construction, agriculture, textiles
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/671253

* Merowe Dam, Sudan: Lahmeyer photographs of resettlement programme
 (further to previous Updates)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/359985

* IBM partners with Grameen Foundation to expand microfinance software
 platform
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/116265

* Thailand: "Systematic exploitation" of Burmese migrant workers -
 though some companies providing better conditions than others
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/364266

* USA: Congressional panel summons Yahoo! officials for 6 Nov hearing,
 saying Yahoo! provided false information regarding case of imprisoned
 Chinese journalist Shi Tao
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/357822

* DHL extends UNICEF partnership globally, following successful Kenya
 pilot to fight malaria
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/311803

* US "boot camp"-style private treatment centres for teenagers: Govt.
 Accountability Office reports on thousands of cases of abuse, some
 leading to deaths
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/665951

* Aspen Institute ranks business schools on teaching of social,
 environmental issues - Stanford tops list
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/472131

* Closing statements in US lawsuit against Dole & Dow - lawyer says
 companies' use of pesticides in Nicaragua "left workers sterile"
- Dole lawyer says some workers didn't care about having children
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/103743

* Final reminder: Internships at Business & Human Rights Resource
 Centre - deadline for applications end of 18 Oct
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Aboutus/Internrecruitment

* Español: Carta abierta conjunta a John Ruggie, representante especial
 de la ONU sobre empresas y derechos humanos
- Respuesta de John Ruggie (solamente en inglés)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/831413

* Español: Nicaragua: En argumentos finales en corte de EE.UU.
 campesinos dicen haber quedado estériles tras exposición a insecticida tóxico
 usado por Dole Foods y Dow Chemical
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/533513

* Español: Argentina: Evento evaluará el rol de las instituciones
 financieras internacionales sobre los derechos humanos (18 octubre)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/682897

* Español: Trabajadores del Grupo Telefónica en Latinoamérica y España
 realizan día contra el trabajo infantil
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/966308

* Español: México: Agencias ambientales culpan a minera Continuum
 Resources de secar manantiales de poblaciones en Oaxaca
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/944357

* Español: Colombia: A juicio 11 ejecutivos de Nestlé por despido
 irregular de 180 trabajadores
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/272013

* Français : Lettre ouverte à John Ruggie, Représentant spécial de
 l'ONU sur les entreprises & les droits de l'homme, signée par 151
 organismes & individus
- Réponse de John Ruggie (seulement en anglais)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/831413

* Français : États-Unis : Commission du Congrès convoque Yahoo! dans le
 cas du journaliste chinois emprisonné, Shi Tao
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/949880