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November 4th, 2007:

Article by former Royal Dutch Shell Brand Executive Paddy Briggs: Shell in Pakistan

General Musharraf of Pakistan 

By Paddy Briggs

When multinational corporations embrace a commitment to Human Rights the test is not (only) the immediate check as to whether such a commitment gels with their history and their current behaviour but also how they respond when the circumstances change in one of their areas of operation. So as the eyes of the world are on Pakistan at the moment and we are all asking whether the livelihoods and security of the millions of innocent citizens in that benighted country have been better protected by General Musharraf’s “second coup” it is also reasonable to look at the response of the many multinationals operating there particularly those, like Shell, which have boasted a commitment to Human Rights. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Juneau Empire editorial (Alaska): Sorting through oil industry lies

4 November 2007

The oil industry has been as good at spinning falsehoods about Alaska as it is at making money here.

Industry officials have been claiming that Alaska is changing its tax rate right and left, and is as unstable as Nigeria. These claims are blatantly untrue and show how the industry is willing to say whatever it takes to prevent the state from raising taxes.

One false claim, by the CEO of the Exxon Mobil Corp. to Wall Street investors, is that the state has raised taxes at least 13 times in recent years. And an advertising campaign aimed at shooting down Gov. Sarah Palin’s tax proposal incorrectly claims that Alaska oil taxes have been changed three times in the last three years. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: What’s Hot – and Not

Wall Street Journal chart

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

The New York Times: The Perils of Petrocracy

New York Times photograph

Ambroise Tezenas for The New York Times
 
By TINA ROSENBERG
Published: November 4, 2007

I. 

Who holds the world’s oil? You might assume it’s in the hands of big private oil companies like ExxonMobil. But in fact, 77 percent of the world’s oil reserves are held by national oil companies with no private equity, and there are 13 state-owned oil companies with more reserves than ExxonMobil, the largest multinational oil company. The popular perception in the United States is that if leaders of oil countries nationalize their oil, they are bucking a global trend toward privatization. In reality, nationalized oil is the trend. And the percentage of oil controlled by state-owned companies is likely to continue rising, mainly because of the demographics of oil. Deposits are being exhausted in wealthy countries — the ones that exploited their oil first and generally have the most private oil — and are being found largely in developing countries, where oil tends to belong to the state. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Alaska Journal: Alaska oil tax debate reflects global changesback at home

STEVE QUINN
Associated Press Writer 

4 November 2007

JUNEAU, Alaska — If oil companies want to continue taking Alaska’s oil, state officials say they need to up the ante.

In fact, Gov. Sarah Palin wants 25 percent off the top of all profits the companies make in Alaska, up from 22.5 percent and the second hike in as many years. In a special legislative session, oil giants are warning lawmakers that another increase will make the business climate look unstable.

But after Western oil companies have been effectively kicked out of Venezuela and Russia, these could just be hollow arguments. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

The Sunday Times: Gazprom revealed as mystery Imperial Energy suitor

November 4, 2007
Louise Armitstead and Grant Ringshaw

THE financial arm of Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled oil giant, has emerged as the mystery bidder that is attempting to buy 25% of Imperial Energy, the embattled London-listed oil company.

Last week, Imperial, which has a market value of £640m, told the stock market it had received an unsolicited approach from an unnamed investor which wanted to take a stake via the issue of new shares at a discount to the current price.

The company, which had planned to raise £173m by placing new shares, amounting to about 25% of the enlarged company, said it was considering its response. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.