- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
'Small' oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanup
A "relatively small" oil leak has been registered at a refinery off the Peruvian coast just 10 days after a major crude spill that workers are still battling to clean up, authorities said Wednesday.
The oil escaped Tuesday during work on an underwater pipeline of the La Pampilla refinery owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol, the environment ministry said.
The Osinergmin supervisory agency said "an estimated volume of eight barrels of crude oil (almost 1,300 liters, 343 gallons) was recorded and brought under control."
The leak happened, it said, during an "operation to remove remnant crude" from the pipeline as part of an investigation into what happened during the first spill on January 15.
A naval official said the new leak was "relatively small."
"It has been brought under control," said Navy captain Jesus Menacho, head of coast guard operations.
Steps were being taken, he told the RPP broadcaster, "so that this new spill does not reach the coast."
Repsol, for its part, denied there had been a new spill, saying in a statement Wednesday there was "a controlled upwelling of remnants of the spill of January 15" during work on infrastructure 18 meters (60 feet) underwater.
It added: "this upwelling was contemplated, so the containment barriers, absorbent elements and skimmers were already in place in the area as a safety measure. In this way, the hydrocarbon was controlled."
- Environmental emergency -
A tanker was offloading crude at the same refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean on January 15.
Repsol said the tanker was hit by waves triggered by a tsunami after a massive volcanic eruption near Tonga.
The Peruvian government is demanding damages from Repsol, but the Spanish company denies responsibility, saying maritime authorities had issued no warning of freak waves after the Tonga eruption.
The new leak happened as hundreds of volunteers and hired hands raced against the clock to clean beaches after the initial spill from the Italian-flagged tanker "Mare Doricum".
Peru has declared an environmental emergency after almost 264,000 gallons (1.2 million liters) of crude oil spilled into the sea on that occasion.
The environment ministry said Sunday that more than 180 hectares -- equivalent to around 270 soccer fields -- of beach and 713 hectares of sea were affected, as sea currents spread the spilled oil along the coast.
Countless birds and marine creatures have been killed, the tourism and fishing industries hit, and the health ministry has warned would-be bathers to stay away from at least 21 affected beaches.
The environment ministry's prosecutor Julio Cesar Guzman said Wednesday that four Repsol employees, including the production and environment managers "responsible for risk assessment," will be called to give statements.
"The damage is undeniable, the company has to answer as far as it can, because this is irremediable," Guzman told RPP.
A charge of "pollution," which carries a sentence of between four and seven years in prison, was being investigated, said Guzman.
He cited as a potentially aggravating factor that Repsol had initially given "false information" about the magnitude of the spill.
Jose Llacuachaqui, leader of a group for artisanal fishermen, told AFP a complaint would be lodged with the public prosecutor's office.
"It is outrageous that they continue to pollute the sea and the environment every day," he said.
Almost daily, dozens of fishermen protest on the beaches affected by the spill, prevented from going out to sea to make ends meet.
"I'm afraid I might get sick, I'm afraid I might fall or absorb a little oil, you never know, no matter how much PPE (personal protective equipment) you have," fisherman Jonathan Envites told AFP while helping the cleanup operation at Cavero Beach.
Another cleaner, Hector Fernandez, said the situation was "frustrating."
Salons in the country have been offering free cuts to collect hair to help soak up the oil.
B.Finley--AMWN