World / Nation Briefs July 12, 2010
BP happy with new oil-leak effort, but no promises
NEW ORLEANS - Underpromising with hopes of overdelivering, BP said Sunday that it is making progress on what could prove its most effective effort yet to contain the Gulf oil leak, but cautioned that the verdict could be several days away.A new cap being placed atop the gusher is intended to provide a tight seal and might eventually allow the oil giant to capture all the crude leaking from the well for the first time since an April 20 oil rig explosion set off the environmental crisis. But several prior failed attempts to stop the leak have made BP PLC careful to keep expectations grounded.
'Barefoot Bandit' nabbed in BahamasNASSAU, Bahamas - For two years he stayed a step ahead of the law - stealing cars, powerboats and even airplanes, police say, while building a reputation as a 21st-century folk hero. On Sunday, Colton Harris-Moore's celebrity became his downfall.
Witnesses on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera recognized the 19-year-old dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" and called police, who captured him after a high-speed boat chase, Bahamas Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said at a celebratory news conference in Nassau, the capital.Greenslade said shots were fired during the water chase but he did not say who fired them. He also said Harris-Moore was carrying a handgun that he tried to throw away.
Japan ruling party handed big defeat over tax plan
TOKYO - Japanese voters handed a stinging electoral defeat to the ruling party Sunday, exit polls showed, rejecting a proposal to increase taxes and handicapping a fledgling government struggling to keep the world's second-largest economy from financial meltdown.
With public spending at more than double its GDP, Japan is trying to manage its ballooning debt while also addressing high unemployment and stagnant growth. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has warned the country could face a Greek-style meltdown if it does not get its finances in order - possibly by raising the sales tax.But projected losses in elections for the upper house of parliament indicate voters have rejected his solution, and will make it difficult for his government to effectively revive the economy.
The progressive Democratic Party of Japan was on it was to losing its slim majority - a stark contrast to the landslide victory it scored last August that ended a pro-Washington, conservative party's nearly 50-year grip on power.
- The Associated Press