ABUJA, Nigeria
Militants causing more oil disruption
Disruptions in Nigeria’s oil production caused by militant separatists escalated Friday as Chevron announced it had shut down a second flow station and Royal Dutch Shell evacuated personnel from two others.
The developments came as the militant group, the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, threatened to destroy the nation’s oil industry – the fifth-largest oil exporter to the United States – unless Nigerian authorities freed the group’s leader, Moujahid Dokubo-Asari.
He was arrested Tuesday on allegations of treason for calling for the dissolution of Nigeria in a newspaper interview.
Violence and brinksmanship have long surrounded Nigeria’s oil industry, which produces billions of dollars for the national government and foreign investors each year while providing little for the community itself, say residents of the Niger Delta.
DUBLIN, Ireland
IRA may soon dump stockpiled weapons
The outlawed Irish Republican Army is ready to dispose of its stockpiled arms in a long- sought peace move, possibly within the next week, Sinn Fein and Irish government leaders said Friday.
On July 28, after years of diplomatic pressure from the British, Irish and U.S. governments, the IRA announced it had formally renounced violence for political purposes and would disarm fully in cooperation with John de Chastelain, a retired Canadian general.
Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, leaders of the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party, spent two hours discussing the still-secret IRA decisions and their consequences with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and senior Cabinet ministers.
MOGASDISHU, Somalia
Police raid houses
in breakaway capital
Police in the breakaway republic of Somaliland raided houses in the capital where al- Qaeda militants were believed to be holed up Friday and captured four suspects after a shootout, officials said.
A fifth suspect was arrested 20 miles away.
Three police officers and one suspect were wounded in the overnight clashes at the houses in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa.
ORANJESTAD, Aruba
Wages, immigrants on voters’ minds
Arubans frustrated by an increase in immigrant workers and wages lagging behind inflation voted Friday for all 21 seats in parliament and the post of prime minister.
Most of Aruba’s 60,500 registered voters were concerned with stagnant salaries lagging behind inflation and immigrant workers who compete for scarce jobs.
The ruling People’s Electoral Movement has a 12-6 majority over the main opposition, the Aruban People’s Party, in the single-house legislature.
The Aruban People’s Party accuses the government, which has held power since 2001, of being out of touch with ordinary people, arguing the monthly minimum wage of $685 hasn’t increased in five years.
BERLIN
Greens reject allying
with Merkel’s party
Germany’s Greens rejected coalition talks with opposition leader Angela Merkel on Friday, leaving conservatives with only Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s party as an awkward partner for a new government.
Merkel, head of the Christian Democratic Union, held talks Friday with leaders of the Greens to sound out whether they could ally with her and the pro-business Free Democrats.
But the Greens killed speculation they could lurch to the right, shunning Merkel’s invitation to in-depth talks because of wide disagreements on policy issues.
MANILA, Philippines
Opponents petition for impeachment
An opposition lawmaker and lawyers petitioned the Filipino Supreme Court on Friday to revive impeachment charges against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo dismissed by Congress.
Rep. Clavel Martinez and the lawyers said the House of Representatives committed “grave abuse of discretion” and exercised its power “in a despotic manner” on Sept. 6 when it dismissed charges against Arroyo of vote-rigging and corruption.
They urged the Supreme Court to nullify the decision and direct the house speaker to resend the justice committee an amended impeachment complaint filed by opposition lawmakers.
