At least 64 have been killed in two bombings in Kampala, Uganda. At least one American citizen was among the victims. The twin bombings targeted groups watching Sunday’s World Cup Match. No organization has claimed responsibility, but The New York Times and BBC report the Somalia-based Al-Shabab, a group with al-Qaeda connections, is suspected.
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Following the weekend killing of 11 Afghan police and a district chief, The Washington Post reports that Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai wants the UN to remove 50 ex-Taliban officials from the UN’s terrorism blacklist. According to the Post, this is not a recent effort by Karzai, but one he’s been lobbying for over the past several years as part of his government-building program. However, the Post says the UN has resisted changing the status of the former officials without more proof that they have cut their Taliban connections.
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The number of Gulf Spill days may be nearing their end, if BP’s latest effort to contain the gushing is a success. If the new cap works, when combined with other tactics, it could mean the company would be able to capture 60,000 or 80,0000 barrels of oil a day by the end of July, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Although focused on closing off the gusher, The Daily News reports that BP is also keeping an eye on the smaller details. According to The Daily News and the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services incomplete paperwork will keep almost 60 percent of claimants from being paid this month.
In her letter to the BP claims administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Kristy Nichols notes BP’s decision to cut payouts, as well as recounts how difficult it has been to get the energy giant to pay any claims. In her letter, Nichols says BP has been stingy when it comes to staffing up on claims adjusters and has paid only when under extreme pressure.
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Governors are sweating out more than the summer temperatures – the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Arizona and State Gov. Jan Brewer has them worried about the November elections. The New York Times reported on a weekend meeting of the National Governor’s Association in Boston. “We’ve got to talk about jobs, and all of a sudden we have immigration going on,” the Times quotes Tennessee’s Gov. Phil Bredesen saying. Colorado’s Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. took issue with the timing, saying he was worried the divisive issue could make “it more difficult for candidates to get elected, particularly in the West.”
The Department of Justice is suing Arizona on the grounds that only the federal government can regulate immigration. Attorney General Eric H. Holder has said the Justice Department may also pursue an additional tack – if it finds Arizona’s law amounts to racial profiling, it may sue on those grounds as well. Arizona’s law, which goes into effect July 29, requires police, if they have reasonable cause, to verify the immigration status of people they detain. According to USAToday 50 percent of Americans polled oppose the lawsuit.
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Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) assured Politico that energy climate legislation is on track, The Wall Street Journal reports that the energy industry – which had rallied around the cap-and-trade market – has soured on efforts to rein in emissions. The problem, the Journal reports, is that after embracing the market to buy and sell emission rights, the EPA was forced to draw up new regulations, and the new regulations kill off the trade part of the bargain. At the same time, the new rules place higher restrictions on overall plant emissions and make the “trades” companies bought and sold worthless.
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Side notes: Roman Polanski will not stand trial in the US. Switzerland says it won’t extradite the ex-pat, who is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old in 1977.
Spain beat Holland 1-0 in the final match of the 2010 World Cup. It was Spain’s first World Cup win, and for some, a deserved loss for Holland.
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