Dreaming of Simplicity

KBR, the former Haliburton subsidiary, is being sued for human trafficking of Nepali workers in Iraq. 13 Nepali men, between the ages of 18 and 27, were recruited in Nepal to work as kitchen staff in hotels and restaurants in Amman, Jordan. But once the men arrived in Jordan, their passports were seized and they were told they were being sent to a military facility in Iraq, said Agnieszka Fryszman of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, the law firm that has brought the action against KBR.

KBR split from Haliburton in 2006 with all ties between the two companies completely severed in 2007. Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney was the CEO and Chairman of Haliburton from 1995 to 2000, when he resigned to run as George W. Bush's VP nominee. He recieved a severence package worth some $34 million.

This is far from the first time that Haliburton or KBR have come under fire, KBR have been accused of inflating prices when importing oil into Iraq and installing faulty wiring that led to the death of a US soldier by electrucution in a shower. The video below is a Dispatches documentary which looks at all companies and individuals who have committed questionable operations in Iraq, it's 48 minutes long though.

Full Story Here.

A Spanair plane carrying 172 people has crashed soon after take off at the Madrid airport Barajas. Reports suggest that the plane's left engine caught fire during or immediately after take-off. Flight JK 5022, bound for the Canary Islands, was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 with 175 on board, including 6 crew and two children.

Spanair is a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). SAS attempted to sell its shares in Spanair in 2007 but cancelled the sale two months ago when bids failed to match expectations. McDonnell Douglas was the junior partner in the 1997 merger with Beoing to create the Boeing Company.

Currently, the death toll is believed to be over 140 with 26 survivors.

CORRECTION: Article incorrectly stated there were 175 passengers, there were actually 172 passengers on board the plane.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to nationalise the cement industry in a bid to speed up building in order to address a crippling housing shortage. The Venezuelan state has spent $819-million buying controlling stakes in two of the largest cement companies in the country.

Despite reaching a deal to buy the Venezuelan subsidiaries of Swiss company Lafarge and French company Holcim, the Vice-President said that the government was unable to reach an agreement with Mexian company Cemax to buy its local subsidiary and will instead seize its offices and assets.

The move is part of Chavez's nationalisation drive that is expected to extend to the banking and telecommunication industries.

Full story here.

It's been an impressive weekend for the UK, Team GB has leaped from 7th to 3rd in the medal rankings. Over the course of the weekend, Team GB has gained 8 Golds, 4 Silvers, and 6 Bronze. Well done Team GB!

Elsewhere, US Swimming prodigy Michael Phelps has finished the 2008 Olympics with a record 8 Gold medals. That puts him level with Australia, Korea and Japan in terms of number of Golds. Well done, Mr Phelps!