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A British Petroleum (BP) contract worker was killed today at a refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands. A construction pole likely struck the 22-year-old man as it was being put in the ground, according to a BNO news report.
Meanwhile, government scientists reported Tuesday that BP’s damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico could be spilling up to 2.5 million gallons of oil per day, according to a New York Times report. This estimate dwarfs earlier reports from BP and suggests that the amount of oil spilled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster is gushing from the well everyday.
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Gutsy squatters have occupied an 8,000 square foot mansion near Seattle, according to the Seattle Times. The neighbors were reportedly relieved when the for-sale sign came down and lights were turned on, and then they discovered the foreclosed home was still on sale for $3.3 million. A note on the door of the now squatted palace claims the rights to the property are in the hands of the newly incorporated Priority Rose Children’s Charity.
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A series of earthquakes hit Indonesia today, killing at least three people and damaging at least 500 homes, according to a report in The New York Times. The main, 7.0-magnitude earthquake was followed by violent aftershocks and a tsunami that sent residents fleeing to higher ground. Rescue workers continue to respond to the situation.
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Bosses at the Iraqi Harbour Corporation near Basra, Iraq, brought in military troops to surround and intimidate unionized dock workers protesting a company decision to move union leaders 1,000 kilometers from their current workplace, according to the International Transport Worker’s Federation. Federation secretary Frank Leys alerted the Iraqi prime minister about the heavy-handed treatment of union workers and stated that using military troops to control the protest constituted an attempt to break the union.
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