Holland: Park blaze casts toxic cloud over Rotterdam

Dutch chemical plant ablaze
MOERDIJK, Netherlands, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A huge fire erupted at a Chemical Plant in the Netherlands Wednesday, officials said. The blaze at the Chemie-Pack plant near Rotterdam prompted authorities to put the southern part of South Holland province on alert because of a large cloud of toxic black smoke that had reached the town of Dordrecht, Radio Netherlands reported. People in the area were being told to stay indoors and to keep their doors and windows shut. There were no reports of serious inj...

1 killed in explosion at French chemical plant
Authorities say an Explosion at a chlorine plant in southern France has killed one person and injured another. The regional administration for the Bouches-du-Rhone region says a leak of water containing sodium prompted the explosion. The blast occurred Thursday at a plant run by Gazechim in the Mediterranean port of Lavera. The administration says in a statement that no gases have leaked outside the site. Traffic around the site has been restricted, and specialists in chemical accidents are ther...

Dutch firefighters tackle blaze at chemical plant
A plume of smoke billows from a burning Chemical Plant as Firefighters are seen outside the plant in the southern Dutch town of Moerdijk, Netherlands, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. Local authorities warned residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut Wednesday as a major blaze and Explosions ripped through a chemical storage and packing company. Local authorities warned residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut Wednesday as a major blaze and Explosions ripped through a c...

Chemical plant fire in Holland
Officials in the Netherlands have been put on high alert after a fire at Chemical Plant sent out a thick plume of smoke. People in the southern city of Dordrecht have been warned to keep their windows and doors shut amid fears of toxic fumes. Antony Weller reports....

Chemical blaze sparks Dutch alert
The southern Netherlands is on its highest state of alert after a major blaze at a Chemical Plant in Moerdijk sent out a thick cloud of smoke. The cloud was floating towards the north and had reached the city of Dordrecht, Dutch media said. Some 400,000 litres of carcinogenic material are stored at the Chemie-Pack plant, De Telegraaf says. There were no reports of casualties and local officials said it was unclear if toxic fumes had been released. Troops were helping to tackle the flames, said t...

Dutch firefighters tackle blaze at chemical plant
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Local authorities warned residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut Wednesday as a major blaze and Explosions ripped through a chemical storage and packing company. Television images show a towering plume of thick smoke churning out of the fire and several powerful blasts, apparently as storage tanks exploded. The fire started in the early afternoon at Chemie-Pack Nederland BV in an industrial estate in the southern town of Moerdijk. Moerdijk mayor W...

Dutch firefighters tackle blaze at chemical plant
The Hague,Netherlands - Local authorities are warning residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut as dozens of Dutch Firefighters tackle a major blaze at a chemical storage and packing company. Television images show a towering plume of thick smoke churning out of the fire at Chemie-Pack Nederland BV in an industrial estate in the southern town of Moerdijk. Moerdijk municipality said in a statement Wednesday it is not clear if the fire is releasing toxic fumes. Police say none ...

San Bruno blast: Feds urge PG&E; to verify records
(01-03) 16:26 PST WASHINGTON -- Federal investigators probing the deadly San Bruno Explosion issued an urgent call Monday for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to dig through its records to make sure it knows the condition of its gas Pipelines, and for California Regulators to ensure the utility is following safety rules. The National Transportation Safety Board cited the California utility's "record-keeping problems" in issuing the extraordinary recommendation, which it made before determining the...

San Bruno blast: Feds urge PG&E; to verify records
(01-03) 16:26 PST WASHINGTON -- Federal investigators probing the deadly San Bruno Explosion issued an urgent call Monday for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to dig through its records to make sure it knows the condition of its gas Pipelines, and for California Regulators to ensure the utility is following safety rules. The National Transportation Safety Board cited the California utility's "record-keeping problems" in issuing the extraordinary recommendation, which it made before determining the...

Crews tackling retail park blaze
Firefighters are tackling a blaze at three stores on a retail park in Newport. Eight fire engines were called to the shops on Maesglas Retail Park after fire broke out at around 0544 GMT on Tuesday. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said that three stores were alight - Comfort Zone, Leather Leaders and Floors-2-Go. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. ...

Dutch firefighters tackle blaze at chemical plant
Local authorities told residents to stay indoors last night as some 150 Firefighters attempted to smother a huge blaze that had been raging for hours at a chemical storage and packing company. The fire started in the early afternoon at Chemie-Pack Nederland BV in an industrial estate in the southern town of Moerdijk, sending a towering plume of thick smoke into the air and causing several powerful blasts, apparently as storage tanks exploded. Police spokesman Willem van Hooijdonk told national...

The Daily News will save your job -- as long as you make a sugary, tasty, high-calorie middle-class consumer treat
I've been flipping through this morning's Daily News -- looking for my paper's crusade to save the jobs of dozens of salt-of-the-earth Philadelphians about to lose their jobs in this era of 10 percent Unemployment, when people without a highly specialized high-tech or knowledge-based skill, or of a certain age (i.e., over 50) may never be able to work ever again. I know some of these folks who work at my nearby Acme -- one of five Acme Supermarkets about to shut down. So it's a minor inconveni...

"Explosive" Debates Expected on House Homeland Security Committee
     Terrorist Threats targeting chemical facilities in densely populated urban areas remain a serious threat to U.S. security.      If newly appointed Chair to the House Committee on Homeland Security, Representative Peter King, (R-N.Y.), has his way, Legislation regarding this grave threat will move in the opposite direction from the last congressional session.      The last session of Congress saw the House Democratic majority advoca...

Shell to face hearings on Nigeria work
Royal Dutch Shell is under fire for its operations in Nigeria as oil rebels ramp up activity following the collapse of a November cease-fire. The summons follows a brief fact-finding mission to Nigeria by several members of the Dutch Parliament, London's Telegraph newspaper reports. Shell is blamed for chronic Oil Spills in Nigeria, which some environmental groups estimate could have spilled as much as 9 million barrels of Crude Oil since the 1950s. The company blames rebels for the spills, thou...

Obama Allows Offshore Drilling To Resume For 13 Companies Without Additional Environmental Review
WASHINGTON — The Obama Administration said Monday it will allow 13 companies to resume Deepwater Drilling without any additional environmental scrutiny, just months after saying it would require strict reviews for new drilling in the wake of the BP Oil Spill. The government said it was not breaking its promise to require environmental reviews because the 13 companies – which include Chevron USA Inc. and Shell Offshore Inc. – had already started drilling the wells without deta...

BP shares jump on report of Shell interest
LONDON (AP) - Shares in BP PLC have jumped after a report published Tuesday saying Royal Dutch Shell PLC is interested in a tie-up with the London-based company. The Daily Mail, citing unidentified people close to the company, reports that Shell considered a takeover bid when shares in BP reached a nadir after the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. It adds that Netherlands-based Shell is still interested in a Merger. BP stock is up 4.8 percent at 4.88 pence ($7.63) in midmorning trade on the London Sto...

U.S. to ease requirements on some deepwater projects
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama Administration on Monday eased new environmental barriers to some Oil and gas deepwater projects, but companies will still have to meet stringent regulations before drilling resumes. Oil companies and Republican lawmakers have complained that regulations imposed after the BP Oil Spill have brought Gulf of Mexico drilling to a standstill. The department's decision to waive some environmental requirements comes as Noble Corp announced that Marathon Oil Co canceled...

U.S. to ease requirements on some deepwater projects
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama Administration on Monday eased new environmental barriers to some Oil and gas deepwater projects, but companies will still have to meet stringent regulations before drilling resumes. Oil companies and Republican lawmakers have complained that regulations imposed after the BP Oil Spill have brought Gulf of Mexico drilling to a standstill. The department's decision to waive some environmental requirements comes as Noble Corp announced that Marathon Oil Co canceled ...

Stocks push higher
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks pushed higher at the open, building on the previous session's optimism, as investors await key reports on factory orders and auto sales. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 27 points, or 0.2%; the S&P 500 (SPX) inched up 1 point, or 0.1%; and the NASDAQ (COMP) added 9 points, or 0.3% at the get-go Tuesday morning. Email Print Comment Stocks are coming off a rally on Monday, when the Dow closed at a fresh two-year high after Manufacturing and const...

BP shares jump after Shell bid report
LONDON | Tue Jan 4, 2011 3:19am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Shares in Oil major BP (BP.L) opened over 4 percent higher on Tuesday after a newspaper reported rival Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) had considered a takeover bid in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. The Daily Mail, citing sources close to the Anglo-Dutch group, reported Shell weighed an opportunistic bid for BP as crude gushed into the Gulf, but was discouraged by the potentially uncapped legal liabilities. BP shares traded up 4...

US lets some halted deep-water drilling resume
WASHINGTON — The Obama Administration said yesterday that it will allow 13 companies to resume deep-water drilling without any additional environmental scrutiny, just months after saying it would require strict reviews for new drilling in the aftermath of the BP Oil Spill. The government said it was not breaking its promise to require environmental reviews because the 13 companies, which include Chevron USA Inc. and Sh...

BP shares hit 6-month high after Shell bid report
By Tom Bergin LONDON | Tue Jan 4, 2011 5:17am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Shares in Oil major BP hit a six-month high on Tuesday after The Daily Mail newspaper reported rival Royal Dutch Shell had considered a takeover bid during the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. BP shares were up 5.0 percent to 488.85 pence at 1000 GMT (5 a.m. ET). The paper, citing sources close to the Anglo-Dutch group, reported Shell weighed an opportunistic bid for BP as crude gushed into the Gulf, but was discouraged by the pote...

BP Gains on Report Shell Considered Bid; Spill Costs Played Down
Source: Bloomberg News BP Plc jumped the most in six months after a report that Royal Dutch Shell Plc considered a takeover bid during the Oil Spill and the lawyer in charge of the $20 billion compensation fund said only half the cash may be needed. Shell is still interested in a Merger, the Daily Mail newspaper reported today, citing unidentified people close to the company. Kenneth Feinberg, who is administering the fund, said in a Dec. 31 Bloomberg Television interview that $10 billion may be...

BP shares jump on takeover report
Biggest ever, but how bad? BP shares have surged more than 6% after reports that rival Royal Dutch Shell considered a takeover bid following the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. Speculation that BP may not need to tap all of its $20bn (£13bn) compensation fund also helped to push the company's shares up by 28 pence to 493.9p. The Daily Mail newspaper reported that Shell mulled a bid for BP when its shares slumped because of the spill. The Share Price rise comes despite a fall in the price of...

Latest Daily Mail BS Rumor: Shell For BP
: Shares in oil major BP hit a six-month high on Tuesday after The Daily Mail newspaper reported rival Royal Dutch Shell had considered a takeover bid during the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. BP shares were up 5.0 percent to 488.85 pence at 1000 GMT (5 a.m. ET). The paper, citing sources close to the Anglo-Dutch group, reported Shell weighed an opportunistic bid for BP as crude gushed into the Gulf, but was discouraged by the potentially uncapped legal liabilities. The newspaper said Shell could yet...