A Nigerian court has ordered oil multinational Shell to pay $1.5bn to the Ijaw people of the Delta region. The Ijaw have been fighting since 2000 for compensation for environmental degradation in the oil-rich region. They took the case to court after Shell refused to make the payment ordered by Nigeria’s parliament. Ijaw militants have staged a spate of attacks against Shell facilities recently and are holding seven foreign oil workers hostage. Following the violence, Shell – the biggest oil producer in Nigeria – has halved its output from the country. Shell says it believes there is no evidence to support the claim, and will appeal against the ruling. Full Story