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• BP Works to Contain Oil Spill
• Obama Calls Testimony of Oil Execs "A Ridiculous Spectacle"
• Israel Blocks Noam Chomsky from Entering West Bank
• Euro Hits Four-Year Low
• Spanish Judge Garzón Suspended over Franco Probe
• Report Blames Sri Lankan Military on Mass Slaughter
• Episcopal Church Ordains Lesbian Bishop
• Massey Energy Facing Criminal Probe

BP Works to Contain Oil Spill

The oil giant BP says it has had some success at containing oil that is gushing unabated into the Gulf of Mexico. BP says it has succeeded in inserting a tube into the leaking well and siphoning some of the oil to a drilling rig at the surface. But a substantial amount of oil continues to leak at the bottom of the Gulf, and BP has been unable to close the well. Up to 70,000 barrels of oil have been leaking into the Gulf every day since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20.
BP executive Kent Wells talked to reporters in Houston.

Kent Wells, BP executive: "What we’ve done is the oil and gas have been leaking out through the end of the riser. And what we’ve done is submit a tool in the end of the riser to start to extract some of that flow and bring it directly to the drill ship so it never enters into the Gulf of Mexico."

Large Oil Plumes Found in Gulf of Mexico

More evidence has emerged indicating the size of the oil spill is far larger than BP and the government has publicly acknowledged. Marine scientists say they have found enormous plumes of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The New York Times reports one of the oil plumes is ten miles long, three miles wide, and 300 feet thick in spots. Scientists worry the plumes could cause oxygen levels in the Gulf to eventually fall so low as to kill off much of the sea life near the plumes.

Obama Calls Testimony of Oil Execs "A Ridiculous Spectacle"

On Friday, President Obama lashed out at executives from BP, Transocean and Halliburton for blaming each other for the oil rig disaster. Executives from the three companies testified before Congress last week.

President Obama: "I know BP has committed to pay for the response effort, and we will hold them to their obligation. I have to say, though, I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter. You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else. The American people could not have been impressed with that display, and I certainly wasn’t. I understand that there are legal and financial issues involved, and a full investigation will tell us exactly what happened. But it is pretty clear that the system failed, and it failed badly. And for that, there is enough responsibility to go around."

Israel Blocks Noam Chomsky from Entering West Bank

The Israeli government has blocked MIT professor Noam Chomsky from entering the West Bank. Chomsky, who is Jewish, was scheduled to speak in the West Bank at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah and meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Chomsky was denied entry after being questioned for three hours. Chomsky has been a longtime critic of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. On Sunday, Noam Chomsky spoke to Al Jazeera about why he had b
een refused entry.

Noam Chomsky: "There were two basic points. One was that the government of Israel does not like the kinds of things I say, which puts them into the category of, I suppose, every other government in the world. The second was that they seemed upset about the fact that I was just going to—I was taking an invitation from Bir Zeit, and I had no plans to go on to speak in Israeli universities, as I have done many times in the past."

Euro Hits Four-Year Low

In news from Europe, the euro has hit a four-year low on fears that Europe’s fiscal situation might worsen. Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has said he is considering taking legal action against US investment banks for their role in creating the spiraling Greek debt crisis.

Spanish Judge Garzón Suspended over Franco Probe

In Spain, a top judge has been suspended on allegations of overreaching his authority in a probe of human rights abuses during the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime. Baltasar Garzón has been accused of opening an investigation without proper jurisdiction. Garzón’s investigation was probing the disappearance of more than 100,000 civilians at the hands of supporters of Gen. Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Garzón is known worldwide for taking on international human rights cases. His actions include ordering the arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998, indicting Osama bin Laden for the 9/11 attacks, and probing the abuse of US prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. On Friday, supporters of Garzón rallied in Madrid.

Rosa, supporter of Judge Garzón: "You can say that today, it’s the 17th of July, 1936, and a group of fascists have taken control of the state through the Spanish judges’ governing body.”

Report Blames Sri Lankan Military on Mass Slaughter

The International Crisis Group is calling for an international probe of the Sri Lankan military’s mass slaughter of Tamil civilians last year. A new report by the organization concludes that tens of thousands of Tamil civilians died in the last months of Sri Lanka’s civil war, most as a result of shelling from the Sri Lankan military. The report found evidence that the Sri Lankan military repeatedly shelled civilians, hospitals and humanitarian operations. The International Crisis Group also accused the rebel Tamil Tigers of violating international humanitarian law, but on a smaller scale.

Episcopal Church Ordains Lesbian Bishop

The Episcopal Church has ordained its first lesbian bishop in a move expected to further divide the international Anglican church. The newly consecrated bishop, Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool, said she wanted to have a dialogue with those critical of her.

Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool: "I would invite them to meet with me, if they’re willing. I am a reconciling person, and I will seek to reach out and engage with people who believe or think differently than I do and try to build a relationship with them."

Massey Energy Facing Criminal Probe

Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation of Massey Energy, the owner of the West Virginia mine where twenty-nine workers died last month. The Upper Big Branch Mine was operated by Massey subsidiary Performance Coal.