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Columns of fire engulfed a crucial Australian oil refinery after a chain of explosions, authorities said Thursday, as they warned of disruptions to domestic fuel supply.Flames as high as 60m (200 feet) erupted late Wednesday after a gas leak ignited at the Viva fuel plant in Victoria state, firefighters said, one of only two working oil refineries in Australia.The refinery, about an hour's drive southwest of state capital Melbourne, pumps out about 10 percent of Australia's fuel, according to energy company Viva.Fire Rescue Victoria said Thursday the blaze had been contained, although it could smoulder throughout the day."The whole sky was lit up with the bright flame," Geelong resident Wayne Gardiner told AFP.The refinery is capable of processing up to 120,000 barrels of oil each day, company figures stated.Analysts said that, together with the Ampol refinery in Brisbane, it produces about 10-20 percent of Australia's total fuel supply."This is not a positive development," Energy Minister Chris Bowen said as the nation's fuel supplies are under pressure due to war in the Middle East.Bowen said he had spoken to Viva and the firm was "very confident they can replace the petrol with imports".Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, currently visiting Malaysia, said Australia had secured an additional supply of some 100 million litres of diesel from Brunei and South Korea."This is the first of many expected shipments secured, under the government's new strategic reserve powers," he told a news conference.The fire ripped through a section of the refinery responsible for the production of high-octane petrol, Bowen earlier said.By triggering isolation valves, other parts of the plant producing jet fuel and diesel had been spared the worst of the blaze.Geographically isolated and with only two oil refineries, Australia is heavily exposed to disruptions in global fuel supply and imports most of its petrol.Canberra urged Australians to ignore the impulse to rush out and panic buy more fuel."It's important that people buy as much fuel as they need. But no more, no less," Bowen said.Incident controller Mark McGuinness said a "significant leak" of highly flammable gases and liquid hydrocarbons had triggered the inferno."It was quite ferocious. It went from a small fire through several explosions to a large, intense fire," he told reporters.Images taken Thursday morning showed thick clouds of smoke billowing over the industrial complex.Viva Energy boss Scott Wyatt said it was a "very challenging incident"."Production is not our primary priority today," he told reporters. "Today it is getting the site safe."Australia holds roughly 38 days' worth of petrol in reserve, according to government figures, far below the 90-day minimum dictated by the International Energy Agency.While the government has so far resisted moves to ration fuel, it has urged drivers to conserve petrol where they can and to favour public transport if possible.Like most nations in Asia and the South Pacific, Australia is heavily reliant on oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, which at one point carried one-fifth of the world's oil and gas.Shipping traffic through the vital waterway has essentially ceased since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. 

Explosions that ripped through the city of Bujumbura after a fire in a military arsenal have killed several dozen people in the Burundian economic capital, security sources said Wednesday.The explosions erupted late on Tuesday at the main ammunition depot of the Burundi National Defence Force (FDNB) in Musaga, a southern suburb of Bujumbura.An army spokesman said the cause was an "electrical accident".In videos seen by AFP, clouds of smoke loomed over the neighbourhood during the blast, sending panic through the city of more than a mn people."It is impossible to establish a toll for the moment, but dozens and dozens of people have been killed, and there are hundreds or even thousands of injured," a high-ranking army officer told AFP Wednesday.A senior police officer present at the site said the detonation broke out "where heavy weapons and ammunitions are stored, which is why we immediately heard large explosions"."There are dozens of dead, but the toll may be higher," the senior police officer said.The arsenal in Musaga is located in a densely populated area and adjoins the Higher Institute for Military Cadres (ISCAM), where aspiring army officers are trained and housed.It also houses numerous army logistics depots and is next to another military base, Muha camp, and the central Mpimba prison.A source at Mpimba prison told AFP that eight inmates were killed and several others injured, who were taken to hospital by the Red Cross early Wednesday.Authorities have yet to provide casualty figures, and a Western diplomat speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity expressed doubt that "there will be transparent communication"."The regime here is very reluctant to communicate about deaths, especially military ones," he said.Burundi, ranked by the World Bank as the world's poorest country by GDP per capita in 2023, has faced years of deep economic crises. The most recent saw a severe fuel shortage that has paralysed the nation for the past three years.Spageon Ngabo, director of the online bloggers' platform Yaga Burundi, said around 10 deaths had been reported by citizens to his organisation."We haven't finished counting yet," Ngabo said.The senior police officer, who joined the firefighting team late Tuesday, said efforts were immediately slowed by a water shortage.He said property had been destroyed by the "massive inferno" and that the "base camp was reduced to ashes".On Wednesday afternoon, fire and smoke could still be seen, according to the police officer.Residents in surrounding neighbourhoods fled their homes at night, the officer said, as fire-triggered projectiles landed nearby.A witness speaking to AFP called the scenes "horrible", adding that a projectile tore through a neighbour's bedroom, killing him.President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in a message on X, expressed his "sympathy" to "all those who have been victims of the fire".Burundian authorities have urged citizens to report unexploded munitions by phone, warning: "Be careful and do not touch."On social media, dozens of posts showed children being searched for by parents who lost track of them while fleeing. 

A pair of explosions and a fire, apparently sparked by leaking ‌gas, ripped through a nursing home ‍near Philadelphia, killing a female employee and a resident, and injuring 20 people, officials said.All residents and ⁠staff of the Silver Lake Nursing ⁠Home in Bristol Township, about 33km northeast of Philadelphia, have now been accounted ‍for and the injured taken to local hospitals, police chief Charles Winik said.Winik said people had been feared missing for a number of hours as flames and blasts gutted the nursing home. Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said numerous patients and staff were initially trapped inside a demolished portion of the building.Dippolito said the first firefighters arriving on the scene, some from a fire-and-rescue station across the street, encountered "a major structural collapse," with part of the building's first floor crumbling into the basement below.He ‍said numerous victims were extricated ⁠from debris, blocked stairwells ‌and stuck elevators, while firefighters ventured into the collapsed basement zone and pulled at least two more people to safety before retreating amid lingering gas fumes."We got everyone out that we could, that we could find, that we could see, and we exited the building," Dippolito said. "Within approximately 15 to 30 seconds of us exiting the building, knowing there was a heavy odour of natural gas around us, there was another explosion and fire.”The front of the structure appeared to have been blasted away from the inside, but the majority of the facility remained standing, though most of its windows were shattered, according to a ​Reuters photographer on the scene.News footage ‌from WPVI-TV, an ABC News affiliate, showed roaring flames and smoke billowing from the crippled building shortly after the first ⁠explosion.The precise number of patients ‍and staff inside at the time was not immediately known. The nursing home is certified for up to 174 beds, according to an official Medicare provider site.More than 50 patients, ranging in age from 50 to 95, are typically in the building at any one time, WCAU-TV reported, citing a nurse employed by the facility who arrived on the ​scene after the blast. About five hours later, nursing home officials had informed authorities that all patients had been accounted for, Dippolito said. 

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said there are no plans to conduct nuclear explosions, despite a directive by President Donald Trump to resume nuclear testing. In an interview with Fox News, Wright clarified that tests under discussion involve tests on systems rather than nuclear explosions.He added that the goal was to develop alternative nuclear weapons, noting that President Trump was concerned about the US remaining the strongest militarily. The energy secretary, whose department is responsible for testing US nuclear weapons, said the tests include "all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry, and they set up the nuclear explosion."Wright's remarks come as the first clarification from the US administration since Trump announced last week via social media that he had instructed the Department of War to begin testing US nuclear weapons on par with other countries, after a 33-year hiatus.Trump's announcement came just before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, in a move that appeared to be a message to rival nuclear powers Russia and China.In response to the US president's remarks, Russia said that if any country abandons its commitment to halt nuclear testing, it will act accordingly, while China called on the US to abide by the global ban on nuclear testing.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, announced Sunday that it is now approximately 825 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. The flotilla, comprising over 50 boats carrying more than 500 activists from around 45 countries — including 54 French and 15 Belgian participants, along with prominent activists and medical personnel such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, has faced drone attacks believed to be carried out by Israel. The strikes caused explosions and communication disruptions but resulted in no casualties. A short video posted on the flotilla's account by an activist aboard the Alma boat showed two drones flying at low altitude over the vessels overnight without carrying out any attacks. Activists reaffirmed that they are continuing toward Gaza despite Israeli threats. The flotilla includes the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global Gaza Movement, the Sumud Convoy, and Malaysia's Sumud Nusantara. European governments have stepped in to provide protection: Italy and Spain announced the deployment of naval vessels to escort the flotilla. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto condemned the drone attacks and confirmed a second naval ship would assist the flotilla, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a naval vessel would accompany the ships to anticipate potential attacks. The convoy first departed from Barcelona in late August, carrying humanitarian aid including medical supplies, followed by additional boats from Genoa, Italy, in early September, and vessels from Morocco and Tunisia. This marks the first time that dozens of ships have sailed together in a collective effort to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, after previous flotillas were intercepted and their activists deported by Israeli forces.