The World

10 ESSENTIAL STORIES

By Harriet Barovick, Laura Fitzpatrick, Alexandra Silver, Claire Suddath, Alyssa Fetini, Frances Romero, Kristi Oloffson and Kayla Webley Monday, May 24, 2010

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    5 | Philippines

    Aquino Dynasty Extended

    Benigno Aquino III never planned to run for President. But when his mother--beloved by Filipinos for leading the country's pro-democracy movement following her husband's assassination--died last August, Aquino was thrust into the spotlight as a potential national leader. On May 10, voters extended the family's legacy by electing the 50-year-old to the presidency in a landslide. The vote was not without mishap. At least 12 people were killed in separate election-related incidents.

    The Aquinos: A Family of Notables

    Mother: Corazon Aquino, President from 1986 to '92

    Father: Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., assassinated in 1983

    Sister: Kris Aquino III, "the Filipina Oprah"

    Benigno Aquino III, elected President May 10

    6 | Louisiana

    STILL GUSHING

    One day after execs from oil giant BP and its partners testified before Congress, investigators revealed that a hydraulic leak in a blowout-preventer mechanism may have caused the April 20 oil-rig explosion. Meanwhile, experts continued to try to halt the 5,000-bbl.-a-day Gulf of Mexico spill by covering the leak site with a small container that would siphon oil into a tanker. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a plan to split the Minerals Management Service in two, eliminating conflicts of interest; one part would collect oil royalties, and the other would police energy companies.

    7 | Libya

    A Lone Survivor

    On May 12, 103 people died when an Afriqiyah Airways plane crashed near the runway on its approach to the airport in Tripoli. A 10-year-old boy, one of more than 60 Dutch nationals on board, was the only known survivor of the crash, which was deemed the result of pilot error. The accident quickly drew attention to what some aviation experts consider to be subpar airport and airline safety standards across most of Africa.

    8 | Utah

    The Incumbent Blues

    How much influence does the Tea Party movement have? Enough to unseat a three-term Senator, apparently. A rising anti-incumbent tide proved strong enough to prevent Utah Senator Robert Bennett from winning the nomination at his state's GOP convention. The blow was regarded as a warning to other incumbents nationwide not to underestimate voters' anger over issues such as the bank bailout and health care reform. The two Tea Party--backed candidates who bested Bennett--lawyer Mike Lee and businessman Tim Bridgewater--will square off for the Republican nomination in a June 22 primary.

    9 | China

    Kindergarten Killings

    In the country's fifth major attack on children in less than two months, seven kindergartners were stabbed to death at a school in northwest China by a meat-cleaver-wielding man who then took his own life. Eleven other students were injured. Possibly fearing more of the copycat attacks that have left at least 65 children dead and 15 injured since March, Chinese censors scrubbed the news from the Internet.

    10 | Iraq

    A Most Deadly Day

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