President Obama has ordered a report into an explosion at a coal mine in West Virginia which killed at least 25 miners. Mr. Obama says he is praying for a miracle as rescuers continue to search for four miners still missing. Rising levels of methane gas have hindered rescue operation. Madeleine Morris reports.
Monday's accident has brought to light a history of safety violation at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia. Records show that in the last 18 months, it was evacuated 64 times because of safety violations. It also received more safety warnings from the national average, but it was allowed to continue to operate. Massey, the company which owns and operates the mine has defended its safety record.
The oldest and longest serving member of the United States Supreme Court has announced his retire. John Paul Stevens who is nearly 90 is considered the leader of the liberal judges on the court. President Obama is expected to nominate a liberal leading judge to replace him.
World News from the BBC.
Pope Benedict is facing new allegations about his handling of cases of child abuse by pedophile priests. The Associated Press News Agency says it obtains a letter signed by the future pope in 1985 when he was a senior Vatican official in which he resisted the dismissal of an American priest who'd sexually abused children. The letter speaks of concerns including what it calls the "good of the universal Church", that it says should be considered when deciding the matter. The Vatican hasn't commented on the contents of the letter, but the Vatican spokesman said it wasn't strange that there were documents with the future pope's signature on them.