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HM Treasury 'in dark' over 'excessive' PFI profits By Rob Cave, BBC News HM Treasury is failing to monitor "excessive" profits from the selling-on of PFI (private finance initiative) equity, the BBC has been told. One industry analyst says its "inadequate" records do not reflect the billions of pounds made in the so-called secondary PFI market. Critics, including some MPs, say the taxpayer should benefit from a share of these additional profits. In a statement the Treasury said it had some information on most sales. Criticism about the lack of information held by the government comes as two influential parliamentary committees prepare to take an in-depth look at PFI. Today the Treasury Committee will hear evidence in its ongoing inquiry into the future of PFI, asking whether it has been value for money for the taxpayer. The following day, the Public Accounts Committee will look at the lessons learned so far from the roll-out of PFI. More than 700 hos...

Call South Korean Embassy - No Navy Base on Jeju Island The latest word from Jeju Island is that Professor Yang has resumed his hunger strike and has left the hospital in Jeju City and has been taken to a Buddhist monastery. Sung-Hee Choi is still in jail (waiting for her trial to resume on June 22) and she is hunger striking again in solidarity with Professor Yang. We ask you now to please make another round of phone calls to South Korean embassies in your country. This time Mr. Ko (in the photo below) asks that you give feedback to the village on the response you get when you call. Even if they refuse to talk with you please pass that information to me at globalnet@mindspring.com and I will send it to MacGregor Eddy who is now in Gangjeong village and she will give it to Mr. Ko. We ask that you tell the South Korean embassy that you want them to stop building the Navy base because it is leading to the destruction of the soft coral reefs offshore and will destroy the farming and fish...

The use of Shannon Airport by US troops on their way to and from the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan has gained a good deal of coverage recently, primarily thanks to the wikileaks stories in the Irish Independent . In Ireland, the new programme for government says Shannon Airport should be used only in accordance with international law. As the Hague Convention of 1907, which has been a cornerstone of international law, says neutral states cannot allow their territory to be used in a war (no US army planes land in Zurich airport), PANA expects the new Fine Gael/Labour government to live up to its promises. In the meantime, please support the Shannonwatch demonstration at Shannon Airport on 12 June 2-3 pm. Also see www.globalintelligenceforum.com which promotes a conference on global intelligence on the 11-13 July in Dungarvan. The speakers include a former director of the CIA and many others. Since the decisive majority of the people of the US and GB want to see the end of these...