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Will Hague prioritize “gas grabbing” over human rights in Azerbaijan visit?
Today Foreign Secretary William Hague will be one of the first European politicians to visit Azerbaijan after Ilham Aliyev’s internationally condemned re-election as President. Hague will be there to attend the ceremony for the signing of a pipeline agreement that will see two trillion cubic meters of gas pumped from Azerbaijan to Europe. Hague will…
17 Dec 2013 admin -
Protest in London today in solidarity with Kazakhstan oil workers
Oil industry trade unionists and other campaigners in London today demanded that UK foreign secretary William Hague put pressure on Kazakhstan to release workers jailed for their part in a seven-month strike in 2011. Campaigners handed in a letter at the Foreign Office, and then demonstrated at the Kazakh embassy. The protest marked the second…
16 Dec 2013 admin -
Statoil ends music sponsorship after growing controversy in Norway
Ragnhild Freng Dale reports on an important development in anti-oil sponsorship campaigning in Norway. October 2013 marked an important milestone for the Norwegian artists fighting the oil sponsorship of the arts in their country: Statoil ended their longstanding Bylarm-sponsorship for pop and rock music. Stretching six years back in time, Statoil and ByLarm have collaborated…
16 Dec 2013 admin -
Statoil sponsoring tennis? You can NOT be serious!!
Sunniva Taylor and Christopher Garrard report back from the Statoil-sponsored Tennis Masters that took place in London recently. Statoil, the 66% Norwegian government owned oil and gas company, were the big name corporate sponsors of this year’s Tennis Masters at the Royal Albert Hall, for the second year running. The event lasted five days…
16 Dec 2013 admin -
The EBRD should not finance oil drilling in Egypt
Today the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is voting on a $50 million loan for oil drilling in Egypt. This is the first major loan by the bank in Egypt since the military takeover in July 2013. The EBRD seems eager to ignore the principles in its founding agreement promoting “initiatives in countries committed…
16 Dec 2013 admin -
Platform Round Up – 2013
Platform round up – 2013 11 December 2013 Dear All, As we hurtle towards the end of 2013, we wanted both to wish you season’s greetings and also to give you a little round up of what we’ve been up to this year. If you’ll pardon a little plug, the paperback edition of The Oil Road –…
11 Dec 2013 admin -
Ogoni protests escalate in Nigeria as Shell fails to implement UNEP report
A few weeks ago we were crammed into a small radio station studio in Port Harcourt. We listened with bated breath to our friend Celestine AkpoBari from the Ogoni Solidarity Forum being interviewed. “There is no going back on the 90 day deadline ultimatum delivered to the Nigerian Government and oil companies to implement the…
11 Dec 2013 admin -
Tate members AGM dominated again by BP sponsorship controversy
Sunniva Taylor and Louisa Wright report back from another fiesty session at the Tate Members AGM. This year’s Tate Members AGM on Friday 6th December was once again dominated by controversy about BP sponsorship. Three members announced their resignation and difficult questions were asked about the morality and necessity of ongoing BP sponsorship. Outside…
10 Dec 2013 admin -
BP sponsorship provokes Tate Member resignations at AGM
As Christmas approaches, there’s a lot of Tate social media suggesting that you give the gift of Tate membership to your loved ones this year. But there are a number of Tate members who feel that membership means “just pay your fees and don’t ask questions.” The annual Tate Members AGM looks set to be…
6 Dec 2013 admin
