Spilling Over

PARIS, March 17 (Xinhua) -- About 100 tons of heavy oil spilt into France's Loire River late Sunday when pipes of an oil tanker leaked during the loading process, local government of Loire-Atlantique Province said Monday.

According to a government statement, aside from the 100 tons of heavy oil spilt into the river, 300 more were poured onto the river bank near a refinery belonging to France's oil giant Total.

The provincial government warned that heavy oil is harmful to human health and has to be handled with caution.

Residents living in the area are not allowed to join in the government effort to clean up the spill, the statement said.

The China View.

Sau Paolo, Brazil: A Norwegian cargo ship crashed into a pier and cracked its hull, spilling 5,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of engine lubricant into a bay in the northeastern state of Bahia, officials said Monday.

The International Herald Tribune.

The city of Austin uncovered the mystery owner of the tank that caused January's 10,000-gallon oil spill downtown.

The Littlefield Building on Sixth Street is the proprietor of the tank. City of Austin spokesperson Lynne Lightsey said Austin Watershed Protection found documents at the Austin History Center and University libraries that said the building had requested the tank to be installed at a city council meeting in December of 1910.

The Daily Texan.