Rebel News - Independent News and Analysis

Oil giant British Petroleum (BP) has removed the temporary cap that stemmed the flow of oil from its ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, reports say.

"Under the direction of the federal science team and US government engineers, BP has completed the capping stack removal procedure," retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said on Thursday, according to AFP.

The US Coast Guard says the fire on an oil and gas well in the Gulf of Mexico is out and there is no indication of oil being leaked.

Despite a concern over the possibility of fresh pollution in the region, there is no evidence of oil sheen. US Coast Guard Capt. Peter Troedsson said there were no visible leaks, adding, "We continue to investigate and to monitor that situation," quoted the CNN.

A new wave of forest and brush fires in Russia has claimed two lives and has burnt down nearly 500 houses and buildings, a ministry report says.

Strong winds with gusts of up to 90 km/h (56 mph) in temperatures that approached 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), have put fuel on fires in about 20 villages in Volgograd and Saratov, southeast of Moscow.

Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar arrives in Islamabad to discuss ways to send relief aid to flood-hit Pakistani people.

Upon his arrival at Islamabad Chaklala Airport on Thursday, the Iranian minister was welcomed by his Pakistani counterpart Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi and Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Masha'allah Shakeri, IRNA reported.

An offshore oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, forcing 13 people into the water, one of whom was injured, the US Coast Guard said.

"All 13 are accounted for and they are all wearing some sort of an immersion suit that protects them from the water," Coast Guard chief petty officer John Edwards told MSNBC, adding that the extent of any injuries suffered by the workers was not immediately clear.

Landslides in southwestern China have left at least three people dead and about 57 others missing, local officials say.

The natural incident took place in the village of Wama in Yunnan Province late Wednesday, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed concerns over food security due to the long lasting damage to the nation's agriculture.

He said floods have ravaged Pakistan's economy, and called the social impact of the disaster "serious."

Officials in Pakistan have ordered thousands of residents in a number of towns in southern parts of the country to evacuate as floodwaters submerge new areas.

Floodwaters are currently threatening the Pakistani towns of Jati and Choohar Jamali, forcing more than 100,000 people to flee their homes.

The Chilean mine engineers have started the lengthy process of digging a rescue route to pull out the 33 miners trapped underground for more than three weeks.

On Monday, the engineers used a huge drilling machine to bore a pilot hole that will be served as a guide in drilling the shaft.

Floodwaters have submerged a town in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh while a nearby city is spared from flooding, officials say.

Some 250,000 people have left the town of Sujawal.