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Reuters

Shell boosts dividend and launches buybacks as profit soars

LONDON (Reuters) -Royal Dutch Shell boosted its dividend and launched a $2 billion share buyback programme on Thursday after a sharp rise in oil and gas prices drove second quarter profits to their highest in more than two years. Shell’s London-traded shares rose by over 3.5% by 0850 GMT, outperforming peers BP and TotalEnergies. “We are stepping up our shareholder distributions today, increasing dividends and starting share buybacks, while we continue to invest for the future of energy,” Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said in a statement.