Clinton ‘not inclined’ to run in 2016
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she is "not inclined" to run for president in 2016 but did not rule out the prospect entirely.
The comment came just days after a super PAC promoting a 2016 Clinton presidential run was registered with the Federal Election Commission.
During a question-and-answer session with an international group of students at the Newseum in Washington, Clinton said she is "not thinking about anything like that right now," but does plan to write a memoir and work on issues important to her, The Washington Post reported.
"I am looking forward to finishing up my tenure as secretary of state and then catching up on about 20 years of sleep deprivation," said Clinton, who will leave the State Department Friday.
Clinton — a former U.S. first lady and Democratic U.S. senator from New York — said her interest in seeing more women get involved in top leadership positions includes a desire "to see more women compete for the highest positions in their countries."
"I will do what I can, whether or not it is up to me to make a decision on my own future — I right now am not inclined to do that — but I will do everything I can to make sure that women compete at the highest levels not only in the United States, but around the world."
BP to pay $4B in Deepwater criminal plea
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 29 (UPI) — BP will pay $4 billion to settle criminal charges arising from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig disaster under a plea deal approved Tuesday by a U.S. judge.
The plea deal stems from the April 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers, injured dozens more and produced the worst offshore drilling oil spill in U.S. history — more than 200 million gallons of crude.
U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance agreed to accept the British oil producer’s offer to plead guilty to 11 counts of felony manslaughter, one count of felony obstruction of Congress and a variety of environmental crimes, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.
Her decision came after BP officials and U.S. Justice Department attorneys explained the agreement and some family members of those killed in the accident urged she reject it as inadequate, the newspaper said.
Albert Keller, vice president of BP America, apologized on behalf of the company to family members and Gulf Coast residents for his company’s role in the accident and spill.
"No one can bring those fathers, husbands and sons back, but I am here to express our apologies," Keller said.
Billy Anderson said his son, Jason, a Transocean worker, and the others who died on the rig, "suffered a horrendous death."
"They were basically cremated alive," Anderson said, adding paying a record fine was not enough. "We are here to punish people."
Chris Jones, whose brother, Gordon Jones, was killed in the oil rig blast, told the Houston Chronicle the plea deal made BP "the real winner" Tuesday.
"They got what they wanted — to resolve the criminal charges — and they get a nice five-year payment plan to pay it off," he said.
Policeman guarding health workers killed
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 29 (UPI) — Gunmen attacked a polio vaccination team Tuesday in Pakistan, killing a police officer assigned to guard the healthcare workers, officials said.
Two women in the team survived the attack, CNN reported. More than 500 teams were doing a door-to-door vaccination push in the Swabi district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan, Faazil Khan, a police official, said.
Last month, eight health workers were killed in a series of attacks on vaccination teams.
Dr. Mohammad Riaz, who is in charge of the campaign, said teams would continue their work Wednesday, the final day.
Pakistan is one of three countries where polio remains endemic, along with neighboring Afghanistan and Nigeria. The government has stepped up efforts to vaccinate the population with the number of reported cases dropping sharply last year to 58 from 173 in 2011.
But the Pakistani Taliban, who control much of the northwest, said in June that no children should be vaccinated until the United States halts drone strikes. Pakistanis have also become more suspicious of vaccination because the CIA faked a vaccination drive in 2011 to get DNA samples from residents of the Abbottabad compound where Osama bin Laden was believed to be living.
8 PSU students charged in cheerleader fall
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Jan. 29 (UPI) — Eight Penn State University students have been charged with giving alcohol to a cheerleader who fell out a fifth-story apartment window.
Paige Raque, 19, survived the 39-foot fall in October but suffered a brain injury and broken pelvis from the off-campus residence. The women are charged with providing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor. A school spokeswoman said the university is aware of the charges and is conducting its own review.
The school said several cheerleaders have been removed from the team but declined to specify why, citing the ongoing investigation, the Centre Daily Times of State College reported Tuesday.
Raque has left the school and is recovering at her family’s Kentucky home.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.