emical Explosion in St. Petersburg
http://baynews9.com/content/36/2005/7/2/105625.html
Loud warning
Saturday, July 2, 2005
The chemicals exploded on the back of this truck.
Residents in one St. Petersburg neighborhood received a rude
awakening Saturday morning.
St. Petersburg fire investigators said a truckload of chemicals that
could be used to make fireworks exploded, causing a fire and forcing
residents to evacuate.
The incident happened in the 900 block of 35th Street North.
"It went for several miles," Rick Feinberg of the St. Petersburg
Fire Department said. "We've had several people that said pictures
were off the wall in their home. Houses shook, so yeah, it was a
pretty significant explosion."
When firefighters arrived on the scene, they discovered a pick-up
truck loaded with flammable materials.
"As the crew was making their way up to the truck to try to put some
water on it, they had a reaction to the water, so they pulled back
to re-evaluate and the owner admitted to having chemicals in the
truck for fireworks," Feinberg said.
Firefighters aren't sure what ignited it, but debris was everywhere
and gun powder was found across the street.
Some neighbors who evacuated went to hotels.
"The police knocked on the door and told us to get out so we did,"
resident Chrissy Schott said. "They just told us it was some sort of
explosion."
Residents were allowed to return after about an hour, but the
Department of Environmental Protection and ATF were called in to
evaluate the situation.
The fire department called explosion a loud warning.
"You can't just fill up the back of a truck with chemicals and then
have an explosion like this," Feinberg said.
They're asking people not to mess with potentially dangerous
compounds this Fourth of July.
The homeowner told investigators he was in the process of getting
rid of the chemicals and was not planning to use them to make
fireworks.
Right now, he's not being charged with anything although officials
said their investigation continues.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1435876/posts
Zarqawi organization senior member arrested in
Tikrit
Kuwait News Agency ^ | 2005 Jul 3
Posted on 07/03/2005 1:07:46 PM PDT by Wiz
BAGHDAD, July 3 (KUNA) -- A senior member of Zarqawi organization
was arrested Sunday in north Iraq.
An Iraqi police source told newsmen that the Iraqi security forces
arrested a prominent commander of the so called "Jihad organization
in Al-Rafidain" led by the Jordanian citizen Abu-Musaab Al-Zarqawi
while storming the northern part of Tikrit orth of here.
The source that denied identification said, the arrested member was
implicated in many suicide attacks that targetted the Iraqi security
members and civilians in Tikrit.
(Excerpt) Read more at kuna.net.kw ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1435874/posts
Chirac, Putin, Schroeder meet on Iran nuclear issue,
security
AFP via Iran Focus ^ | 2005 Jul 3 | Delphine Thouvenot
Posted on 07/03/2005 1:04:08 PM PDT by Wiz
SVETLOGORSK, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin was
meeting Sunday with French President Jacques Chirac and German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Russia's Baltic Sea resort of
Svetlogorsk, with Iran's nuclear programme and international security
on the agenda.
"A discussion on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
particularly as far as the Iranian nuclear programme is concerned, is
expected in Kaliningrad," the region where the summit is being held, a
Kremlin official said on condition of anonymity.
Despite US objections, Russia is building a nuclear reactor in Iran for
800 million dollars (615 million euros), which is expected to be
operational by 2006, but has agreed to take back spent nuclear fuel
rods from Iran to prevent their use in a potential weapons
programme.
The situation in Iraq and other global "hotspots," as well as reform of
the United Nations was also on the agenda for Putin, Chirac and
Schroeder, the Kremlin official said. France and Russia are permanent
members of the UN Security Council, while Germany is campaigning
for a seat.
The three leaders will meet again at the G8 summit in Scotland on July
6-8 and Chirac said last week he would take the opportunity in
Svetlogorsk to remind Putin to be more active in combatting global
warming and providing aid to the third world -- two key G8 goals.
(Excerpt) Read more at iranfocus.com ...