The Royal Dutch Shell will not abandon the Niger Delta, even though the company lost 17 workers in Nigeria in 2006, and Shell, the largest oil producer in Nigeria with a daily output of over 2.6 million barrels, is losing almost 477,000 barrels per day due to the current violent conflicts in the Niger Delta.

About one in four women older than 65 has been the victim of physical, sexual or psychological violence at the hands of a spouse or other intimate partner, according to a study done in two northwestern states.

Israeli forces have killed two senior members of Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group responsible for recent suicide bombings in Israel. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem, Israeli forces also moved large numbers of troops back into the West Bank city of Nablus, after a partial withdrawal on Tuesday.

New research published in the March issue of Psychological Science may help elucidate the relationship between religious indoctrination and violence, a topic that has gained renewed notoriety in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. In the article, University of Michigan psychologist Brad Bushman and his colleagues suggest that scriptural violence sanctioned by God can increase aggression, especially in believers.

Violence and refugees strung along the border of Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan continue to worry international leaders. The U.N. special representative for West Africa is hopeful about a renewed peace agreement among the three countries' leaders.

Two Russian soldiers were killed and six wounded in a bombing in the troubled southern Russian republic of Daghestan.

Clashes between the Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah escalated Friday. Two senior Fatah officials were gunned down early in the day, bringing to ten - the number of people killed since a ceasefire collapsed on Thursday. VOA's Jim Teeple reports there was also violence in the West Bank where Israeli forces killed two armed Palestinians.

At least 35 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters protesting against the results of governorship polls in Congo's western-most province. The violence appeared to be the worst since President Joseph Kabila won last year's presidential election.

International donors to Sri Lanka are pressuring the government to resume talks with Tamil Tiger rebels to end two decades of violence and open the way for economic development. VOA's Suzanne Presto reports from New Delhi, one analyst says the government may not be ready to pursue peace.

Police and gunmen in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia exchanged gunfire today in the border village of Ergneti.