Explosion devastates refinery in California
Explosion devastates refinery in California
TORRANCE, Calif.
An explosion devastated a section of a major refinery Wednesday morning, shaking nearby homes, raining down ash and injuring four people. Experts said the disruption to production would likely drive up gas prices in California.
The blast at the Exxon Mobil Corp. facility occurred in a recently installed processing facility, Fire Department spokesman Steve Deuel said. The four-story structure was shattered, and four contractors suffered minor injuries.
Kate Brown sworn in as Ore. governor
SALEM, Ore.
Kate Brown was sworn in Wednesday as Oregon’s governor after an influence-peddling scandal that prompted the resignation of fellow Democrat John Kitzhaber, who had been the state’s longest-serving chief executive before his swift fall from grace.
Brown assumed Oregon’s highest office during a ceremony at the state Capitol. Brown, formerly the secretary of state, becomes the first openly bisexual governor in the nation.
Israel unveils find: medieval gold coins
CAESAREA, Israel
Israel on Wednesday unveiled the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, accidentally discovered by amateur divers and dating back about a thousand years.
The find was made two weeks ago near the Israeli port city of Caesarea and consists of some 2,000 coins, weighing about 13 pounds, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
The coins were likely swept up in recent storms, said Kobi Sharvit, director of the authority’s marine archaeology unit.
Troops retreat after rebels take rail hub
ARTEMIVSK, Ukraine
Government soldiers pulled out of a ferociously contested railway hub in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, ending a siege so intense the retreating troops said they couldn’t get water or food amid relentless shelling by Russian-backed separatists. At least six soldiers were killed in the withdrawal and more than 100 wounded.
President Petro Poroshenko sought to portray the fall of Debaltseve in a positive light, saying the pullback was carried out “in a planned and organized manner,” despite assertions by exhausted and dirt-caked soldiers, some of whom made their way out on foot, that their forces suffered heavy losses.
‘Superbug’ at UCLA
LOS ANGELES
A potentially deadly “superbug” resistant to antibiotics infected seven patients, including two who died, and more than 100 others were exposed at a Southern California hospital through contaminated medical instruments, UCLA reported Wednesday.
Patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center were exposed to CRE during endoscopic procedures between October and January, the University of California, Los Angeles said.
The bacteria can cause infections of the bladder or lungs, leading to coughing, fever or chills. CRE infections have been reported in every state except Idaho, Alaska and Maine, the CDC said.
Envoy pushes truce
BEIRUT
Syrian rebels fought deadly battles with government forces north of the divided city of Aleppo on Wednesday as both sides sought to expand their ground amid a push by the U.N. envoy to the country to broker a cease-fire in the war-ravaged city.
The clashes began with a government offensive launched a few hours before the envoy, Staffan de Mistura, said that President Bashar Assad has shown willingness to suspend bombing of Aleppo for six weeks.
Associated Press