Wikinews:Briefs/June 8, 2006

The time is 17:00 (UTC) on June 8th, 2006, and this is Audio Wikinews News Briefs.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed in airstrike
Iraq

The head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been killed in an air strike north of Baqubah, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. Several aides also died with him in the Wednesday evening raid, including his key lieutenant and spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman.

Oil falls $1.19 on news of al-Zarqawi death
economy

A barrel of oil got cheaper after news broke that Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been killed in a US airstrike. The death of al-Zarqawi seems to have been interpreted by the market as good news for the future supply of oil from the region.

Five South Korean workers kidnapped from Nigerian natural gas facility
Nigeria

Five South Korean workers have been kidnapped from a natural gas facility in the Nigerian Delta. The company is operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company. A group called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta is claiming responsibility for the attack and kidnappings and says that one kidnapper and at least six Nigerian soldiers were killed on a Nigerian military boat, when gunmen entered the facility. The group's main demand is the release of a jailed militia leader, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari.

Auckland man convicted of sedition
New Zealand

Freelance journalist Tim Selwyn has been found guilty of sedition. This is the first conviction for sedition in New Zealand in over 75 years. Selwyn faced two charges of "making a seditious statement" relating to pamphlets he had left near the scene of an axe attack on the Prime Minister's electorate office in November, 2004, which had called upon like-minded New Zealanders to "engage in similar acts of civil disobediance" and to "take similar action of their own".

Closing statements
We invite you to visit wikinews.org for up-to-date news and information. This has been Audio Wikinews Newsbriefs. Thank you for listening, and enjoy the rest of your day. This recording has been released under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.