February 27, 2006

From Reuters:

A Nigerian court said on Friday Royal Dutch Shell should pay $1.5 billion (861 million pounds) in damages for pollution in oil-producing Bayelsa state, the latest instalment in a long-running case....

Communities often accuse Shell of allowing its oil to spill into the rivers and swamps of the Niger Delta, spoiling crops and driving fish away.

Shell says most spills are caused by saboteurs trying to steal the oil for sale by international criminal syndicates on the world market.