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October, 2019:

REPORT OF THE TRIAL OF KEN SARO-WIWA AND OTHERS

REPORT OF THE TRIAL OF KEN SARO-WIWA AND OTHERS

By Michael Birnbaum QC

Published by ARTICLE 19 in association with the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and the Law Society of England and Wales

June 1995

This report about the trial of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other members of the Ogoni community in Nigeria was prepared by Michael Birnbaum QC, a senior English criminal lawyer, who attended part of the proceedings in March 1995. He did so as the accredited representative of the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, of which he is a member, and with the support of ARTICLE 19, the International Centre Against Censorship.

Michael Birnbaum was asked to attend the trial proceedings as an international observer in view of widely expressed concern in the UK and elsewhere that the trial might not conform to internationally-recognized standards of fair trial and could result in the imposition of the death penalty on some or all of the accused in circumstances where they will be denied any right of appeal to a higher court. This, in itself, would represent a gross breach of international standards. Mr Birnbaum’s specific order of mission is set out in the text of his report. read more

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

Ogoni Completely Reject Oil Resumption Under Any Guise – MOSOP

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has said the Ogoni people completely reject plans by Nigerian oil industry actors and personal interest-driven initiatives to force oil resumption in Ogoni under any guise against the wishes of the people. read more

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

FORECOURTtrader: Shell plans to replace forecourt with EV-only charging hub

Shell is planning to be the first fuel retailer in the UK to take out traditional fuels from an operating service station and replace them with an electric vehicle-only charging hub.

Application for planning permission for the development on the company’s site in Fulham, West London, will be put forward at the end of this month, with the hope and expectation that the hub will be operational by the middle of next year.

The announcement comes as Shell celebrates the installation of its 50th UK EV charging point, and the installation of the first 150kW post on a service station. read more

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

FT: Oil services providers eye low-carbon transformation

Shareholder initiatives, climate protests and government net zero targets are all piling pressure on Big Oil to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by shifting towards renewable energy. Critics have condemned the industry’s response as insufficient, with even the most progressive oil majors devoting only a fraction of their research and development expenditure to low carbon tech. Royal Dutch Shell, for example, has said it is investing about 10 per cent of its $1bn annual R&D budget on renewables and less than a quarter on what it defines as low-carbon initiatives such as hydrogen, and biofuels. read more

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

Shell’s Brent decom plans are ‘litmus test’ for Ospar – German government

Germany has said a special meeting on Shell’s Brent decommissioning plans will be the “litmus test” for a convention to protect Europe’s marine environment.

Ospar, an agreement of 15 European countries, made a ruling following Shell’s Brent Spar episode nearly 25 years ago requiring complete removal of oil and gas installations at the end of their production lives.

Shell was forced to abandon plans to sink the Brent Spar, an oil storage buoy, in the North Atlantic following sustained protests from Greenpeace in the 1990s.

Ospar meets in London later to discuss Shell’s plans to leave the concrete legs of the Brent Bravo, Charlie and Delta platforms in the North Sea, which contradicts Ospar rules. read more

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

Berlin to Shell: Remove old oil platforms in North Sea

Shell’s refusal to fully remove four old oil platforms has prompted a special North Sea treaty meeting called by Germany. Environmentalists suspect oil firms also intend to leave hundreds more behind.

Germany’s Environment Ministry said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that Shell intended to leave the “legs” of its platforms — after partial dismantlement — to decay at sea, still containing 12,125 tons (11,000 metric tons) of crude oil residues.

Ministry spokesman Stephan Gabriel Haufe told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that Germany wanted to avert a repeat of the “Brent Spar” drama of 1995 that saw Shell do a U-turn on disposal at sea — but only after a public outcry. read more

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

Shell’s Nigerian Bribe Scandal

Shell’s Bribe Scandal: Article published by TEMPO newspaper, 2 Jan 1996 (Page 13)

Shell’s Bribe Scandal

Although for the past two months, Shell has been denying its involvement in the politics of the NIger Delta, through numerous press releases and briefing notes, all these were shattered last week, with the stories published in the British press about Shell’s complicity with the Nigerian military authorities. This is the story of how Shell paid millions of dollars in bribes and kickback to tribal chiefs, community leaders and the military in the troubled Ogoni region. 

It made headline news in most of the British newspapers last week. “SHELL BRIBED NIGERIA’s MILITARY screamed the Independent of London newspaper.

SHELL AXES CORRUPT Nigerian staff read the Sunday Times of London report written by its INSIGHT team. At the centre of the story is how Shell, the exploiter of Nigeria’s crude oil paid handsome amounts of money running into several hundreds of millions of Naira to top military officers in Nigeria to wast vocal environmentalists like Ken Saro-Wiwa and to help establish stability in its oil business by employing ruthless military operations. read more

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

Ken Saro-Wiwa: A Playwright And Revolutionary, But A Man With Trading Instinct

Article from Tempo newspaper Nigeria above, published 2 Jan 1996, page 2, under the headline:

“Ken Saro-Wiwa: A Playwright And Revolutionary, But A Man With Trading Instinct “.

Originally published by The Daily Telegraph: 13 November 1995. A valuable first-hand account by a BBC producer and correspondent, Janet Anderson.

Ken Saro-Wiwa: A Playwright And Revolutionary, But A Man With Trading Instinct

I first met Ken Saro-Wiwa in London, when he was producing plays and arts programmes about Africa for BBC World Service. Ken was an occasional visitor to the office, a short man, often curled up-on a chair with a big smile, his ever-present pipe and his twinkling eyes. I got a good sense of the steel beneath the chat when I hired him to judge a short story competition. He was a tough bargainer, a seasoned negotiator, particularly when it came to money. The original Nigerian trader showed through.  read more

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

The Washington Post: Germany angered by Shell refusal to dismantle old oil rigs

By Frank Jordans | AP  Oct. 16, 2019 at 8:43 p.m. GMT+1

BERLIN — The German government said Wednesday it has called an international meeting over Shell’s refusal to dismantle old oil rigs containing thousands of tons of crude in the Northeast Atlantic.

A spokesman for Germany’s environment ministry told reporters in Berlin that the OSPAR Commission, which oversees a treaty on protecting the Northeast Atlantic, will hold an unprecedented special session in London to discuss the issue Friday.

Stephan Gabriel Haufe said the four Shell platforms in question — known as Brent Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta — contain about 11,000 metric tons (12,125 tons) of crude oil residue. read more

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

View From Abroad – Shell And Nigeria: 1996 Ogoni 9 Crisis

Article from Tempo newspaper Nigeria published 2 Jan 1996, page 16, under the headline: “View From Abroad -Shell And Nigeria”. Basically a reprint of an article published by The New York Times under the headline: Shell Game in Nigeria

View From Abroad

Shell And Nigeria

Royal Dutch/Shell, the world’s largest oil company, suggests that it is merely a benign bystander to the tyrannical rule of Nigeria. After the indefensible execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the minority Ogoni tribe, Shell’s position is untenable. If the company is determined to remain in Nigeria, it must use its considerable influence there to restrain the Government.

Since the hanging of Mr. Saro-Wiwa and the other Ogoni dissidents last month, Shell has proceeded with plans to build a $4 billion natural gas project in partnership with Nigeria’s ruling generals. As protests swelled, Shell, normally reticent, replied with a flurry of press releases and paid advertisements. Shell insists that it pleaded quietly for the dissidents’ lives and that pulling out of the gas project would punish all Nigerians. read more

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

Germany Calls Crisis Meet Over Shell North Sea PlatformsSFP News:

By : 10/16/19 AT 10:34 AM

Germany said Wednesday it had called a special meeting of international partners this week to pressure Royal Dutch Shell to remove old rigs containing crude oil in the North Sea.

An environment ministry spokesman said Berlin had convened signatory countries of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) on Friday in London.

“Germany finds it absolutely unacceptable that these crude oil quantities remain in these structures,” said the spokesman, Stephan Gabriel Haufe, citing a “danger for the environment”. read more

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

Newsweek: SHELL CEO SAYS IT’S ‘ENTIRELY LEGITIMATE’ TO INVEST IN OIL AND GAS AFTER BEING NAMED AMONG 20 FIRMS BEHIND THIRD OF ALL CARBON EMISSIONS

BY

The chief executive of Shell said the company will not bow down to pressure from environmental advocates by abandoning its investment in fossil fuels over climate change fears, as there is still an opportunity to make money in the forthcoming years.

Speaking to Reuters, Ben van Beurden said the company has “no choice” but to invest in long-term gas and oil projects, dismissing what he described as the “demonization” and “unjustified” concerns about the energy company’s future business model. read more

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

EnergyVoice.com: Shell handed safety notice over refuge area on North Sea platform

Shell has been dealt with a safety notice after failing to properly ensure workers would be protected during an emergency on a North Sea platform.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued the improvement notice following an inspection of the Gannet Alpha installation, around 112miles east of Aberdeen, in August.

The inspector said the operator “failed to, ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the Temporary Refuges on the Gannet Alpha Installation is capable of remaining effective in an emergency”.

Temporary Refuge areas are where workers can take cover during an emergency or evacuation procedures get underway, protecting them from flames and toxic gases. read more

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

The Guardian: Scottish ministers face criticism for £5m Shell tree-planting scheme

Scottish ministers have been criticised for accepting £5m from Shell to help fund a tree-planting programme as part of its climate strategy.

The oil company said it would give the government agency Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) the money to plant or regenerate 1m trees in Scotland to help offset about 20% of its petrol and diesel sales at UK service stations.

The Scottish Green party said Shell’s pledge raised challenging questions about the Scottish government’s commitments to tackling the climate emergency, after Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, promised the country would cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2045. read more

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

Reuters Exclusive: No choice but to invest in oil, Shell CEO says

Ron Bousso, Dmitry Zhdannikov: OCTOBER 15, 2019 LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) still sees abundant opportunity to make money from oil and gas in coming decades even as investors and governments increase pressure on energy companies over climate change, its chief executive said.

But in an interview with Reuters, Ben van Beurden expressed concern that some shareholders could abandon the world’s second-largest listed energy company due partly to what he called the “demonisation” of oil and gas and “unjustified” worries that its business model was unsustainable.

The 61-year-old Dutch executive in recent years became one of the sector’s most prominent voices advocating action over global warming in the wake of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Shell, which supplies around 3% of the world’s energy, set out in 2017 a plan to halve the intensity of its greenhouse emissions by the middle of the century, based in large part on building one of the world’s biggest power businesses. read more

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

Greenpeace in ‘peaceful protest’ on Shell’s Brent platforms

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Greenpeace in ‘peaceful protest’ on Shell’s Brent platforms

Greenpeace has announced it is carrying out “peaceful protests” at Shell’s Brent field in the UK North Sea.

:

Activists from the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark are protesting on two platforms in the field, around 115 miles north-east of Shetland – brandishing signs of “Shell, clean up your mess”.

It comes as a special meeting of Ospar, an agreement between 15 governments to protect Europe’s marine environment, takes place in London on Friday.

Some countries have lodged objections to Shell’s plans to leave the legs of three of the platforms – Bravo, Charlie and Delta – in the sea, with concerns around the contents of oil storage cells within them deteriorating. read more

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