NPR 2010-04-22

At least 11 people remain missing from an oil platform explosion off the coast of Louisiana. Seven workers are badly hurt from the blast and fire late last night on the offshore 1 drilling platform. There’s no word on what caused the blast. The Coast Guard is searching the water around the scene for lifeboats or people in the water. Authorities say the fire is still burning and now the platform is leaning and may tip over into the Gulf 2 of Mexico.

Planes are beginning to land in all of Europe’s major airports after volcanic 3 ash forced airlines to cancel more than 100,000 flights since last week. But with so much backlog 4, airlines say it will be days or even a week before they’ll be able to get people home. From Dulles Airport in Virginia, NPR’s Katia Riddle 5 reports.

Matthew Javier stands in front of a group of dozens of French tourists, shouting instructions. He’s a guide for a French agency and he’s been trying to get this group back home for three days. He explains that there are three British Airways 6 flights scheduled to leave Wednesday from Dulles to London. He’s hoping to put as many people as possible on the standby list, but it’s not looking good for this group. A British Airways official explained that they haven’t been able to add new flights they’ve just resumed to their regular schedule. Most people flying today have had tickets since long before the cloud of volcanic ash disrupted travel across Europe. Plus, the airline says on these first few flights their top priority is getting a group of stranded 7 teenagers home. Katia Riddle, NPR News, Dulles Airport.

A Senate panel has approved draft legislation regulating the complex financial market of derivatives 8. The Senate Agriculture Committee vote was 13 to 8. NPR’s Audie Cornish reports.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley was the only Republican to support the bill. The legislation proposes that nearly all derivatives dealers 9 and traders from financial institutions do business through an exchange and report their trades, prices and other information. Agriculture Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

“This bill will bring 100% transparency to a currently unregulated dark market.”

Republicans on the committee raised concerns that credit unions and financial institutions related to farms would be unfairly swept up in the regulations meant to curb 10 speculation 11 by big banks. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

The House Ethics 12 Committee’s launched an investigation 13 into the activities of former Congressman 14 Eric Massa who resigned last month after allegations surfaced he had sexually harassed 15 young staffers in his office.

The former head of the International Olympic Committee has died at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Juan Antonio Samaranch is 89. He’s known for transforming the organization into a powerful force that drew billions and sponsorships. He was also criticized for a scandal involving the games in Salt Lake City in which members of the IOC were forced out for taking improper 16 benefits.

On Wall Street just before the close, the Dow Jones industrials were up seven points at 11,124.

You’re listening to NPR.

Pope Benedict today declared the Catholic Church will take action in the clerical sex abuse scandal, but he did not say how or when. NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome.

During his weekly audience, Pope Benedict spoke 17 of his brief encounter Sunday in Malta with eight men who accuse priests of abusing them in a church-run orphanage 18. Benedict said: “I shared with them their suffering, and emotionally prayed with them, assuring them of church action.” The Vatican has not elaborated on what kind of action or measures are involved. Victims’ advocacy groups are demanding the Vatican take stronger action and remove bishops 20 who have shielded known abusers by transferring them to other parishes rather than reporting them to police. In addition, the Pope has reportedly accepted the resignations of three Irish bishops identified in an Irish government-ordered investigation of cover-ups of sex abuse of minors 21 in the Dublin archdiocese. The report found they had colluded to protect scores of predator 22 priests from criminal prosecution 23. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

Advocates for sexual abuse victims are calling on Pope Benedict to block a retired 24 cardinal 25 from celebrating a special Mass at the largest Roman Catholic church in the U.S. The advocates say retired Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos supported another bishop 19 who refused to let French police take a priest and for questioning accused of pedophilia. The priest was ultimately arrested. The advocates say inviting 26 the cardinal to the Basilica of the National Shrine 27 of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. honors wrongdoers.

The ousted 28 president of Kyrgyzstan says he’s still in charge. Kurmanbek Bakiyev has taken refuge in Belarus. He was forced out by opposition 29 politicians in a bloody 30 uprising.