CHASTENED by heavy criticism, a grim-faced BP chief executive Tony Hayward insisted yesterday he was “devastated with this accident” in the Gulf of Mexico and denied shunning tough questions from Congress on the nation’s worst oil spill.

OUR correspondent ALLAN PROSSER is again filling in for the absent Liam Mackey who is away on international duty this week.

Speaker Dennis Hastert told fellow Republicans today he does not intend to run for minority leader when Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in January, officials said.

BP said it will keep the western half of its Prudhoe Bay oil field online, enabling the company to get the field up to half its prior output despite pipeline corrosion.