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A game as old as empire
Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and other foreign “aid” organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the…
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Iraq oil law in the balance
This article is from the Carbon Web Newsletter Issue 7, 30 May 2007 As Carbon Web goes to press, the Iraqi government’s end-of-May deadline for parliament to pass the controversial oil law is just days away. Like the US government’s 2006 deadline, this one looks set to be missed – again due to arguments over…
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A change of culture at BP
As Tony Hayward stepped up to become Chief Executive of BP, media attention focused on Browne’s dramatic departure. But what does the Hayward era promise? – This article was first published in platform’s Carbon Web Newsletter, Issue 7. Hayward, like Browne, is a driller. With a PhD in geology, he spent 22 years in BP…
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The oil and gas bank
A recent report from PLATFORM uncovers the climate impacts of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s identity as “The Oil & Gas Bank” – This feature article was first published in Platform’s Carbon Web Newsletter, Issue 7. The report ‘The Oil & Gas Bank – RBS & the Financing of Climate Change’ investigates RBS-NatWest’s role in fuelling climate change,…
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Iraq oil law in the balance
As Carbon Web goes to press, the Iraqi government’s end-of-May deadline for parliament to pass the controversial oil law is just days away. Like the US government’s 2006 deadline, this one looks set to be missed – again due to arguments over Kurdish insistence that regions play the primary role in signing contracts with foreign…
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Sakhalin II Impacts
Shell’s Sakhalin II gas & oil project in far eastern Russia has disrupted the social and economic fabric of local communities, including indigenous communities and local fishermen. Rare and endangered species are being threatened with extinction, including the Western Pacific Gray Whale and Stellar’s Sea Eagle. Shell’s pipeline stretches from the northern tip of Sakhalin…
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Shell’s greed punished in Sakhalin
This analysis report was first published in Platform’s Carbon Web Newsletter, Issue 6. After months of haggling over the Sakhalin II gas project, differences between Shell and the Russian government have been resolved through a change in project ownership. The Russian state gas company Gazprom will become the majority shareholder, while Shell, Mitsubishi and Mitsui…
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US Iraq strategy – oil objectives unchanged
As Carbon Web goes to press, an announcement is expected of President Bush’s “new strategy” for Iraq. But one thing unlikely to change is his approach to Iraqi oil – This analysis article was first published in Platform’s Carbon Web Newsletter, Issue 6. In December, the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group urged the US government to provide…
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Western banks threaten Kazakh communities
A recent fact-finding mission by Crude Accountability and CRBM (Campaign for reform of the World Bank) found expansion of Kazakhstan’s Kashagan field by an international consortium promises environmental degradation and economic uncertainty for residents of western Kazakhstan. Elena Gerebizza and Kate Watters investigate – This article was first published in Platform’s Carbon Web Newsletter Issue 6.…
