NO, IT’S NOT AN APRIL FOOLS DAY PRANK
1 April 2011:
LONDON (AFP) Ratings agency Fitch on Friday downgraded Royal Dutch Shell’s long-term credit-worthiness to AA from AA+ due to concerns over the Anglo-Dutch energy giant’s rising debt levels.
“The downgrade reflects the fact that management fundamentally departed from its conservative financial profile with the increase in net debt of around $17 billion in 2009 and $5.6 billion in 2010,” Jeffrey Woodruff, senior director in Fitch’s Energy team, said in a statement.
Downgrades by credit ratings agencies can make it harder for companies to secure competitive rates of interest on their borrowing requirements.
Shell’s share price was flat at 2,264 pence in afternoon trade on London’s FTSE 100 index, which showed a gain of nearly one percent to 5,964.22 points.
Fitch added that its downgrade comes as Shell faces key issues, including its ability to increase oil production and fund its North American energy strategy.
It also occurs as Shell on Friday announced the sale of its refining and distribution activities in Chile to local oil company Quinenco for $614 million (433 million euros).
The move was part of its strategy to consolidate downstream operations into fewer and larger markets. Earlier this week, Shell agreed to sell Britain’s second biggest oil refinery to Indian group Essar for $1.3 billion.
Despite concerns over Shell’s high debt levels, the group managed to double its net profit in 2010, easily outperforming crisis-hit rival BP thanks to cost-cutting, higher oil prices and rising output.
Net profits, adjusted for the value of inventories of oil and gas, rocketed 90 percent to $18.6 billion last year.
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.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
