LAGOS - NIGERIA'S main militant group said its fighters had attacked an oil facility belonging to Royal Dutch Shell in the Niger Delta on Monday, in the face of an amnesty offer from President Umaru Yar'Adua.

Oil rose towards US$70 (S$102) a barrel on the attack.

LONDON - TEMPERATURES are set to soar across many parts of Britain this week with the mercury possibly hitting 33 degrees Centigrade in London on Thursday, prompting the Met Office to issue its first heatwave warning of the year.

TEHERAN - IRAN'S top election body on Monday began a partial recount of the fiercely-disputed presidential election but the move is unlikely to placate the opposition which is insisting on a new vote.

Teheran also announced it has freed five out of nine local British embassy staff arrested on accusations of stoking the unrest that engulfed the nation after the June 12 election.