BP continues to dominate the front pages: The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal report that President Obama plans on forcing the energy giant to establish an escrow account to pay for losses related to the spill – including costs to local businesses and individuals. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal also highlights an emerging divide among the energy industry, in which energy peer Chevron is trying to show its practices are far different and safer than those pursued by BP. The president is slated to speak about the spill Tuesday and BP’s CEO Tony Hayward is testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday.
For visual reference, the BBC has developed a tool called “Mapping the Slick.”
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Ethnic violence continues to wrack Kyrgyzstan, with hundreds dead and thousands fleeing. Numbers are elusive, with The New York Times’ morning edition reporting 100 dead, and The Associated Press estimating the tally, at over 200 dead.
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The New York Times gave Somalia’s ongoing tensions front-page coverage, focusing on the life of child soldiers. The report also mentions US taxes may be supporting the effort.
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Israel has announced an investigation into the Gaza flotilla raid that occurred in May. The clash, which has spurred protests, as well as a short-lived cinema boycott in France, will be investigated by a panel that includes a retired Israeli Supreme Court justice, two Israeli experts in international law and two foreign observers. Turkey’s foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Turkey cannot trust Israel’s investigation, according to the BBC report.
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Iraq’s Central Bank came under attack Sunday. The Los Angeles Times reports the raid was by armed men wearing police commando uniforms. At least 24 people were killed in the daylight attack and 46 injured.
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US research has highlights an alternative for Afghanistan’s opium economy: approximately $1 trillion of copper, cobalt and gold reserves that could turn the region into an invaluable industrial resource, potentially turning the country into the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” The New York Times reports.
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French-Dutch tensions reached a new pitch, as the latest election results gave Flemish separatists the largest number of Parliamentary seats. Separatist Party leader Bart De Wever said separation won’t be immediate, but will happen, according to The New York Times.
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The world continues to do battle in South Africa. Today’s match: the Dutch vs. the Danes, with the Netherlands taking the win at 2-0. Japan and Cameroon face off Monday as do Italy and Paraguay. Over the weekend, in what some considered a re-re-rehash of 1776, (see this quote in The New York Post and this opinion in The Wall Street Journal) closed out as a draw, with the US and Great Britain tying 1-1. For those still agonizing over why Americans insist on referring to the game as soccer, Slate offers this explanation.
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