Free Republic

An explosion and fire were reported at the Zarand Iranian Steel Company in eastern Iran on Saturday night, in the latest in a series of similar incidents throughout Iran, according to Iranian media.Video reportedly from the scene showed a large blaze with what appeared to be an explosion launching debris into the air. The Iranian IRNA news reported that a large explosion occurred during the incident.The governor of Zarand told the Iranian Fars News Agency that no injuries were caused in the incident and that the incident was under control. The incident was reportedly caused by the sudden overflow of...

AFP - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was expected in Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian leaders on his first major foreign visit since the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will host Zardari for talks on Thursday at the Kremlin where officials from the two countries were also expected to sign agreements on cooperation in agriculture, aviation and energy, a spokesman for the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow told AFP. "Economics will be the focus of the visit," said the spokesman, Raja Abdul Qayyum. The three-day visit to Russia will be Zardari's first...

Workers recount tragedy at China steel factory by Robert J. Saiget Thu Apr 19, 3:18 AM ET Survivors of a horrific industrial accident in northeast China Thursday recounted the gruesome scene at their factory when 26 tonnes of molten steel poured into a meeting room, killing 32 workers. A steel ladle sheared off a blast furnace, sending liquid metal into the room and engulfing workers as they prepared for their shift Wednesday morning. "All those boys are gone, only the guys that were just about to get off work were lucky enough to escape," the Beijing News quoted survivor Jiao...

Molten steel shower kills 32 workers in China 52 minutes ago At least 32 workers were killed and two injured Wednesday when they were engulfed by molten steel at a metal factory in northeast China, the government said. The accident was triggered when a steel ladle, with a capacity of 30 tonnes of liquid steel, sheared off from the blast furnace, spilling molten metal onto the factory floor some three metres (three yards) below. The molten steel then engulfed an adjacent room where all the victims were gathered for a routine shift change, the State Work Safety Administration said in...