A round-up of today's world news stories in brief
North Sea rig evacuates 90 workers
LONDON – Ninety oil workers have been evacuated from a North Sea rig as engineers fight to control a huge build up of pressure in a well which critics say has the potential to blow up the platform and cause a major environmental problem.
The Norwegian company Statoil has been pumping cement into an offshore well on the Gullfaks field in an operation similar to the one attempted by BP in the Gulf of Mexico.
The equivalent of around 70,000 barrels of oil a day of production has been shut down and staff evacuated from the area, which lies in Norwegian waters. – (Guardian service)
Pakistani army attacks guerillas
KALAYA, Pakistan - Pakistani warplanes bombed militant hideouts in the Orakzai region yesterday, killing 15 fighters and bringing the insurgents death toll from attacks to 40 in the past 24 hours, officials said.
Government forces have stepped up attacks in the northwestern Orakzai and Khyber regions on the Afghan border in recent weeks after largely clearing Taliban strongholds in other areas. – (Reuters)