Senators open oil rig hearing
WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., gaveled in a hearing into what caused a deadly explosion, collapse and subsequent massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
"We're here today because of a disaster that never should have happened," Bingaman said to open the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "The sobering reality is that, despite the losses and damage that have already been suffered, we do not yet know what the full impact of this disaster will be."
Eleven Deepwater Horizon oil rig workers died.
The goal of the hearing is to create "a thorough factual record and informed discussion" of questions the disaster raised, Bingaman said.
He said three interrelated systems are at the heart of the disaster -- a technological system of materials and equipment; a human system of people operating the technological system and a regulatory system.
"And those interrelated systems failed in a way that many have said was virtually impossible," Bingaman said. "If this is like other catastrophic failures of technological systems in modern history -- whether it was the sinking of the Titanic, Three Mile Island, or the loss of the Challenger -- we will likely discover that there was a cascade of failures and technical and human and regulatory errors."
He said the goal of the hearings is to put in place improved systems to ensure a similar catastrophe doesn't happen again.
Witnesses on the two panels scheduled for Tuesday include F.E. Beck, an associate professor in petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University, and Elmer Danenberger, a former chief of the Offshore Regulatory Program in the Minerals Management Service, and the leaders of the three companies involved in the oil spill -- Lamar McKay, president and chairman of BP America Inc.; Steven Newman, president and chief executive officer of Transocean Limited; and Tim Probert, president of Global Business Lines and chief health, safety and environmental officer at Halliburton.
Red Cross confirms secret U.S. prison
KABUL, Afghanistan, May 11 (UPI) -- The Red Cross says a U.S. air base in Afghanistan has established a separate facility from its main prison that is being used for detainees.
The International Committee for the Red Cross says since August 2009 U.S. authorities have been providing the names of prisoners in a separate facility at Bagram Air Base, the BBC reports.
Nine former prisoners have told the BBC they were held in a separate building and subjected to abuse.
They told of being held in isolation in cold cells where lights are on day and night and U.S. military personnel prevented them from sleeping.
Vice Adm. Robert Harward, head of U.S. detention in Afghanistan, denies the existence of a separate facility at Bagram.
The U.S. military has agreed to investigate allegations of abuse that were made to the BBC.
4 presidential candidates yield to Aquino
MANILA, Philippines, May 11 (UPI) -- Four candidates have conceded to Philippine Sen. Benigno Aquino III, the front-runner in the country's presidential elections, officials said Tuesday.
Sens. Manuel Villar and Richard Gordon, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and J.C. de los Reyes of the Ang Kapatiran Party issued separate statements that they were dropping out of the race and expressed their support for Aquino, expected to be proclaimed the next president, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
"The Filipino people have decided. It is clear that despite our efforts, we were not blessed to win in Monday's elections," Villar said in a statement Tuesday. Villar was considered Aquino's closest rival in the race.
Gordon asked his volunteers to "support the new government," the Daily Inquirer said.
Even though he conceded the race, De los Reyes said he not give up "the platform I was tasked to push, which is to finally enact the anti-dynasty law and abolish pork barrel" spending.
He also expressed support for Aquino in "efforts we have in common," the newspaper said.
Teodoro said he might seek another position "if there would be a new system of government."
Rains inundate southern China, kill 70
BEIJING, May 11 (UPI) -- Meteorologists warned heavy rains could cause landslides in southern China where storms killed at least 70 people and forced thousands of others to evacuate.
The China Meteorological Administration said Monday rain -- forecast to last three days -- already had triggered flash flooding, mud and rock slides, swollen rivers and burst dikes, Xinhua reported Tuesday.
About 145,000 residents have been evacuated since Wednesday, when rains began flooding southern China, the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a statement. Officials said most of the deaths were attributable to mud and landslides and collapsed housing.
The affected area includes the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing municipality, some of which experienced severe drought conditions earlier this year, Xinhua said.
Officials said Guangdong province was one of the hardest-hit areas, with at least 19 residents reported killed and six missing. More than 80,000 residents were evacuated and 10,174 homes collapsed.
Pope calls sex abuse scandal 'terrifying'
LISBON, Portugal, May 11 (UPI) -- The Roman Catholic Church is more persecuted by "sin in the church," Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday, discussing the sexual abuse scandals.
The pope talked to reporters during a flight from Rome to Lisbon, The New York Times reported. He plans to spend four days in Portugal, including a visit to the shrine at Fatima to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the beatification of two shepherd children who had a vision there of the Virgin Mary.
"This we have always known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way, that the greatest persecution of the church does not come from the enemies outside but is born from the sin in the church," he added. "The church has a profound need to relearn penance, to accept purification, to learn on the one hand forgiveness but also the necessity of justice. And forgiveness does not substitute justice."
Benedict's statements contrasted with those made recently by some Vatican officials accusing the news media of exaggerating the problem of clerical abuse by children.
The pope also discussed economic justice, an important issue in Portugal, which has been hit hard by the financial crisis.
