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EU announces Arctic policy, but what does it mean?
Yesterday (3rd July) the European Commission published a document outlining its policy position on the Arctic region. Alarmingly, one of the action priorities listed in the press release is "Promotion and development of environmentally friendly technologies that could be used by extractive industries in the Arctic". In the Communication full text (p9) they add: In…
4 Jul 2012 anna -
Tullow Oil’s foul play in Ghana
Sunderland FC’s controversial sponsorship deal with a Tullow Oil front group was featured in today’s Independent: There are growing concerns surrounding the suitability of Sunderland's new sponsor, Invest in Africa, amid claims from the oil watchdog Platform that the initiative's founding partner, Tullow Oil, is responsible for damaging business practices on the continent. Tullow…
28 Jun 2012 admin -
Blowing the whistle on Sunderland AFC’s oil sponsorship deal
At Platform we’ve been very focused on looking at how oil companies use cultural institutions to plaster over their controversial operations, but just yesterday a UK-based oil company moved into the sports sector. The Guardian reported that Premier League Sunderland AFC had secured “pioneering African sponsorship” with Invest in Africa. The article makes Invest In…
26 Jun 2012 admin -
Breaking: Oil giant Shell may face fresh wave of oil spill claims
In this summary of the historic first hearing in Bodo v Shell, Platform reveals that a growing wave of oil spill claims could be on the horizon, exposing the oil giant to major financial liabilities. Shell showed little sign of remorse at its first appearance before a UK court after causing “devastating” oil spills in…
18 Jun 2012 admin -
Shell in the dock over major oil spills in Nigeria
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Shell will appear in the High Court in London today to be held accountable for its oil spills in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Over 11,000 Nigerians from Bodo town in the Ogoni region of the Delta are suing Shell over the environmental damage caused by two devastating oil spills in…
18 Jun 2012 admin -
Bodo v Shell court documents
Here are the documents filed for the claimants in the landmark lawsuit Bodo v Shell. The case has its first hearing at the High Court in London today. Shell has admitted liability for two major oil spills in Bodo town, Rivers State, Nigeria in 2008 and 2009. Over three years on, Shell has failed to clean…
18 Jun 2012 admin -
Nazim Hikmet: “The Oil Road” meets “The Ballad of those who drink the Sun”
To mark Sunday’s performance of “The Ballad of Those tho Drink the Sun” celebrating the life and work of Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, Platform is publishing a book excerpt on Nazim Hikmet, poetry & technology, the Euphrates versus BP’s Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. This is an edited excerpt from our upcoming book “The Oil Road: A Journey…
16 Jun 2012 admin -
New timeline launched on oil and conflict in Nigeria
Oil watchdog Platform has launched an online timeline which maps out the leaked US embassy cables on oil conflict in the Niger Delta. You can view the timeline here. Some 4,521 leaked US cables came from Nigeria between 2001 to 2010. The idea behind the timeline is to provide easy access to the wealth of information contained in these…
14 Jun 2012 admin -
BP sponsors lobby group that welcomed executions in Egypt “to restore order” in post-election crackdown
BP is sponsoring a business lobby organisation that enthusiastically welcomed election promises to crack down on dissent in Egypt with executions and brutal force, aiming to crush the revolution after the imminent Presidential elections AmCham – the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt – hosted Mubarak-era Prime Minister and current Presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq for…
6 Jun 2012 admin
