Exxon, Shell cannot restore $1.8 bln Nigerian arbitration award -U.S. judge

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected Exxon Mobil Corp's and Royal Dutch Shell Plc's effort to revive a $1.8 billion arbitration award against Nigeria's state-run oil company, which stemmed from a dispute over a 1993 contract to extract oil near the African country's coastline.