SAN FRANCISCO -- The death toll from a chemical tank implosion at a paper mill in Longview in the U.S. state of Washington rose to two on Wednesday, and nine others remain missing and are presumed dead, local officials said.
The incident involved a tank containing "white liquor," a corrosive chemical solution used in pulp and paper processing, with a capacity of about 900,000 gallons, officials said.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board announced Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into the incident and that a team of its investigators would be arriving at the site. (US-Implosion-Death Toll)
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TEHRAN -- Iran has a draft of an initial, unofficial framework for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, which demands U.S. military withdrawal and naval blockade lift, several media outlets reported Wednesday, citing Iran's state-run IRIB TV.
In return, Iran has committed to restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within one month and managing ship traffic through the strait with Oman, the reports said, adding military vessels are not included in the agreement.
According to the reports, the United States has agreed to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, recognize Iran's management of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in cooperation with Oman, accept Tehran's designated transit routes for vessels, and withdraw U.S. forces from areas surrounding Iran. (Iran-US-MoU)
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GAZA -- At least seven Palestinians were killed and 18 others injured on Wednesday evening in an Israeli airstrike on a house in central Gaza City, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, while the Israeli military said it had targeted two senior Hamas figures in the enclave.
The Red Crescent Society said in a press statement that its crews transferred the bodies of at least seven victims and 18 injured people following an Israeli airstrike that hit a residential house in central Gaza City.
The injured were taken to the society's Al-Saraya Field Hospital, the statement said. (Gaza Strip-Hamas-Israel)
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KINSHASA -- The number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 1,000 as the latest outbreak continues to spread across eastern provinces, according to a situation report released Wednesday by the country's Ministry of Health.
The report, based on figures compiled as of Tuesday, put the cumulative number of suspected cases at 1,077. The country has recorded 121 confirmed Ebola cases and 238 suspected deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15.
The outbreak has affected 13 health zones across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, the report said, with Ituri remaining the epicenter. (DRC-Ebola) ■
