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Piracy – Don’t believe the Hype
An article published on Maritime Executive's website last week claimed that “pirate attacks against commercial ships, especially by Somalia and Africa's east coast, are becoming increasingly violent and frequent”. Quoting the International Maritime Organisation, the article stated that global piracy reached its peak in 2011. But NATO figures, published in January, paint a rather different picture.…
14 Jun 2012 admin -
Take the money and run? New piece by Platform on arts and corporate sponsorship in Arts Professional.
Read the piece here. We welcome any comments. Arts Professional is a leading national bi-weekly news and analysis magazine for arts managers, fundraisers, and policy-makers. AP invited Platform to write this after reading the Study Room Guide of the same name which Live Art Development Agency commissioned from Platform earlier this year.
11 Jun 2012 jane -
Is BP trying to pull a “climategate” with Gulf research emails?
Two oceanographers are accusing BP of attacking academic freedom after a subpoena from the company forced them to hand over more than 3,000 confidential emails relating to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. After BP and the Coast Guards asked Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for help in order to assess the magnitude of the damage caused by…
6 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 -
Planes, claims and Arctic extraction
In April the Canadian House of Commons passed an 'austerity' budget that included the loss of 19,200 public sector jobs, cutting federal programs by $5.2 billion per year and raising the retirement age from 65 to 67. Yet Canada is significantly less austere when it comes to their military spending. This week it was announced…
1 Jun 2012 admin -
RBS finance for tar sands revealed on eve of AGM – students protest
Platform [1], UK Tar Sands Network [2] and the Indigenous Environmental Network [3] have revealed that in the past year the Royal Bank of Scotland underwrote bonds worth $131.25 million [4] for controversial Canadian tar sands pipeline company Enbridge Energy Partners [5]. At the RBS AGM tomorrow in Edinburgh student groups are planning to protest…
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A New Frontier: the rush for oil and gas in East Africa
This article was written by Taimour Lay who investigated the activities of oil companies in East Africa for Platform. It first appeared on the African Arguments website. When you stand on the island of Rukwanzi at the heart of Lake Albert, your first thought, echoing perhaps the casual rhetoric of the region’s oil men, is…
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Pressure on Hague over Shell human rights case
Pressure is mounting on William Hague after the UK government attempted to block a US lawsuit against Shell for its human rights violations in Nigeria. Kiobel v Shell alleges that Shell aided and abetted human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by the Nigerian military against the minority Ogoni people of the Niger Delta from…
28 May 2012 admin -
Party for Everybody? Eurovision and The Oil Road on Resonance FM Thursday 8pm
Q: What do the Eurovision Song Contest, the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have in common? A: Blurred ‘continental’ boundaries The Eurovision Song Contest takes place this Saturday night in host country Azerbaijan, which is also home to the subject of Platform’s upcoming book release The Oil Road – the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan…
23 May 2012 admin
