Unite slams cuts in oil that risk ‘another Piper Alpha’

Oil rigs, North Sea oil, Scotland, UK

 ABERDEEN – The trade union Unite has warned that spending cuts and job losses in oil could prompt another disaster on the scale of Piper Alpha’s, which led to the death of 167 people in 1988.

Tumbling oil prices in the last few weeks have led to a series of cuts in the sector, with energy consultant Wood Mackenzie estimating $170bn (£113bn) worth of cuts will be needed to maintain debt levels.

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Reporting IS beheadings only spurs on the jihadists. We should stop it

News broke today that Islamic State (IS) terrorists have apparently beheaded the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.

Should the video be verified, which seems likely at this point, it will be only the latest in a series of such killings committed to video tape. Around August last year the American journalist James Foley was murdered in the same manner, prompting the US to start a military campaign against IS.

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