NPR 2010-05-16

Oil continues to gush 1 from a broken pipeline 3 on the floor of the Gulf 4 of Mexico. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says the weather isn't helping 5 efforts to contain the spill.

"Currently, unfortunately, the weather is not conducive 6 to skimming or burning operations, but we expect that to change over the next day or so. It will allow us to use all of our tools over the balance of next week."

Suttles says the oil on the surface has dispersed 7, and there's been little impact on shoreline so far.

Meanwhile, estimates of the amount of oil that's leaked have ranged from 5,000 to up to 70,000 barrels a day, but Interior Secretary Ken 2 Salazar is wary 8 of estimates.

"There are lots of guesses out there in terms of the amount of flow and the quantity of oil that has already gone out to sea, the amount of oil that has already been cleaned up."

Meanwhile, Salazar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are calling on BP to immediately clarify its commitment to pay for damages. They want BP to confirm it will not limit compensation for those harmed by the spill.

In a Pakistani courtroom today, the prosecution 9 rested its case against five Americans accused of planning terror attacks. Meanwhile, NPR's Tom Bullock reports from Islamabad the five are again insisting they are innocent.

They're known here as Sargodha five, and their case continues to make headlines throughout Pakistan. The Muslim American men in their late teens or early 20s were arrested last December after being reported missing by their families. Pakistani police say the five made contact with jihadi groups here including the Pakistani Taliban, and they say they were traveling to South Waziristan, a restive 10 province in Pakistan's tribal 11 belt known for housing militant 12 training camps. The five Americans say they are innocent of all charges. They also say they were trying to get to Afghanistan where, they say, they wanted to help their fellow Muslims by doing humanitarian 13 work. The accused were allowed to submit a written statement to the judge. One defendant 14 said he just wanted to return to his fiancee in America. Tom Bullock, NPR News, Islamabad.

In Bangkok, anti-government protesters and troops are clashing for a third straight day. The Red Shirt demonstrators are demanding the prime minister step down and new elections. The US Embassy is warning Americans to avoid traveling to the Thai capital. The clashes show no sign of abating 15. Thailand's prime minister says he'll not bow to the opposition 16, and troops are trying to cordon 17 off protesters from their main rally site. The protesters say they'll persist until the government leaves.

Forecasters are warning a volcanic 18 ash cloud from Iceland could disrupt air travel in Britain and Germany tomorrow. The volcano continues to erupt, and current wind and weather conditions are blowing it toward Europe. Germany says it'll conduct a test flight tomorrow before making a decision on whether flights will be affected 19.

This is NPR News.

A 16-year-old Australian girl has become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop around the world. As Stuart Cohen reports from Sydney, Jessica Watson has returned to a hero's welcome.

Jessica Watson sailed into Sydney's Harbor the way she left, escorted by dozens of boats filled with well-wishers while thousands more stood along the shore. Watson left Sydney in October on her 23,000 nautical 20 mile journey. She sailed her pink 34-foot sloop 21 west across the Pacific where she briefly 22 crossed north of the equator before sailing below the southern tips of South America and Africa, and then rounding the southern coast of Australia to return home on a sunny autumn day. Watson broke the previous record set by another Australian, Jesse Martin, who sailed non-stop around the world in 1999 at age 18. The trip wasn't without controversy 23. Critics said it was too dangerous for someone so young to sail around the world, and a prominent sailing organization won't recognize Watson's achievement, saying she's too young, according to their rules. For NPR News, I'm Stuart Cohen in Sydney.

The nine-year-old Dutch boy who was the only survivor 24 of the plane crash in Libya this week has arrived home in the Netherlands.

The running of the Preakness Stakes takes place at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore today. Racing 25 writer Jennie Rees at the Louisville Courier-Journal says two horses are favorite to win.

"The two picked favorites are Super Saver, the Kentucky Derby winner and Lookin at Lucky, the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby. Super Saver is the favorite because he did win the Kentucky Derby, and he was a second choice in betting there, and the choices have been very consistent."

So has Super Saver's jockey Calvin Borel who's won three Kentucky Derbys in the last four years.