GOP convention set for July in Cleveland
CORONADO, Calif. – The Republican National Committee finalized the dates for its next presidential nominating convention.
The GOP’s 2016 convention will take place July 18-21 in Cleveland, committee chairman Reince Priebus announced Wednesday.
The midsummer gathering is more than a month before the GOP traditionally hosts its national convention. Priebus said the shift will give the next Republican presidential nominee an advantage in the 2016 general election.
BP may face higher fines after ruling
NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge determined Thursday that more oil than BP estimated spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after a rig explosion in 2010, a decision that could potentially cost the London-based oil giant more than $13 billion.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled that 3.19 million barrels were discharged into the Gulf after a rig explosion at BP’s Macondo well. The number is more than the 2.4 million barrel figure BP had argued for and less than the government’s estimate of about 4.2 million, a figure that could have meant $18 billion in maximum penalties under the Clean Water Act.
The discharge figure Barbier settled on Thursday means maximum penalties could reach about $13.7 billion, but he has not yet decided how much per barrel BP must pay.
International force considered in Nigeria
JOHANNESBURG – As Islamic militants from Boko Haram step up attacks in Nigeria that have led to the slaughter of more civilians, there is increasing talk that international military action, possibly including a multinational force, may be needed to help crush the insurgency in Africa’s most populous country.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond discussed a special initiative to deal with Boko Haram, but he did not elaborate.
Associated Press
