The high court has ruled that tens of thousands of Nigerians affected by oil pollution cannot proceed with a legal challenge in the UK against Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary.  The ruling is a blow for campaigners who had hoped the case would set an important precedent on jurisdiction, paving the way for other cases to be brought against UK-based corporations for their actions abroad.  The lawyers who brought the action on behalf of two communities hit by oil spills said they would appeal the ruling...Leigh Day, the law firm acting on behalf of the claimants, said it was surprised at the dismissal in such an early stage of their case...Shell has denied liability and argued last November that the challenge involves “fundamentally Nigerian issues” that should be heard in a Nigerian court...Shell welcomed the dismissal of the claims.  Igo Weli, general manager for external relations at Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), said: “The court rightly decided these claims should be dealt with by the Nigerian courts and confirmed longstanding principles of corporate law, which are critically important for multinational companies headquartered in the UK.”...