World News: New oil boss warns spill must be a 'wake-up call'

Published on Tuesday 27 July 2010 11:42

BP's incoming chief executive said the Gulf of Mexico spill had been a "wake-up call" for the entire oil and gas industry.

Bob Dudley, who will take the helm from Tony Hayward in October, pledged to put the oil giant on the "road to recovery" after investors were left reeling under a $32.2 billion (20.8bn) blow from the disaster.

The financial hit sent BP crashing $17bn dollars (11bn) into the red for the April-June period following the Deepwater Horizon tragedy - its first loss in 18 years.

US citizen Mr Dudley, who becomes BP's first overseas chief executive, insisted the company had learnt lessons from the disaster, which he said was a "wake-up call not only for BP, but the oil and gas industry overall".

Mr Hayward yesterday told reporters he had no major regrets about his leadership of the group since 2007 and that his decision to leave was a purely practical one but claimed he had been "demonised and vilified" over the spill.

He said: "This is a very sad day for me personally. Whether it is fair or unfair is not the point. I became the public face (of the disaster) and was demonised and vilified."

Rescuers in struggle after plane crash

Pakistan: A domestic passenger plane that crashed into the hills in the capital today was carrying 152 people.

Rescuers were trying to reach the scene of the Airblue plane crash, but the roads in the Margalla Hills area in Islamabad are difficult to navigate.

Japan: Two convicted killers, including a man who burned six women to death, were hanged today in the country's first executions in a year.

Rice and Franklin stage duet

Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin, left, took to the stage in a rare duet for Rice, the classically-trained pianist, and Franklin, the soulful voice of a generation. Their aim was to raise money for urban children and awareness for music and the arts.

Iran to pay baby bonus

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a new policy to encourage population growth.

The new government initiative will pay families for every new child and deposit money into the newborn's bank account until they reach 18 years old.

Red light for bullfighting

Politicians in the Spanish region of Catalonia might ban bullfighting in a razor-close vote, rejecting a pillar of traditional Spain in a region with its own language and culture and an acute sense of being a country within a country.

If a proposed ban is approved in today's local legislature vote, the wealthy north-east coastal region centred around Barcelona would become the first in mainland Spain to outlaw the deadly ballet of matador and beast.

City settles wedding shooting

The city of New York agreed to pay more than $7 million (4.5m) to settle a civil lawsuit stemming from the fatal 50-bullet police shooting of an unarmed man on his wedding day.

Three police officers were acquitted of manslaughter and other charges in 2008.