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.
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.
In the wake of the slaughter at Charlie Hebdo in Paris the question of Muslim integration in the West has only become more vexed, but a report from the leftist think tank British Future (BF) is suggesting that it is “unlikely” to play a part in the general election in May.
A survey carried out by the group showed that 58 percent of Britons believed that most Muslims in the UK opposed the extremism and violence of IS, while 12 thought the opposite (the remainder were neutral or did not know).
Both Labour and the Tories would have more to gain than lose if they adopted more extreme policies on public spending, migration and American-led foreign wars, according to a poll by YouGov.
A fifth of voters said they were more likely to vote for Labour if they looked to grow the economy through a programme including public spending, while only 14 percent said the opposite.
The anti-austerity party Syriza has won the greatest number of seats in the Greek election, according to figures from the country’s home office.
The party is at present predicted to claim 150 out of 300 seats, almost double the incumbent New Democracy party, which is heading towards 76.