Explosion kills 8 aboard bus

An explosion aboard a bus in southern China killed eight people on Sunday, a government news agency reported, just days after a similar explosion had killed 11.

The explosion occurred about 6 p.m. in Hunan province’s Guiyang county, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Nineteen people were taken to hospitals with injuries, Xinhua said.

The cause of the blast is under investigation.

Last Thursday, 11 people were killed when an explosion rocked a bus in southern China’s Guizhou province. That explosion also is under investigation.

China has suffered a string of fatal explosions aboard public buses in recent years, blamed on both bomb attacks and accidents with dangerous cargo.

CHARLESTON, S.C.

Citadel cracks down on sex harassment

Cadets at The Citadel will be required to take training aimed at preventing sexual harassment and sexual assault, officials have announced.

School president Lt. Gen. John Rosa presented the preliminary design of the Values and Respect Program to the school’s Board of Visitors on Saturday.

Rosa, who moved to change the culture of the Air Force Academy during his two years as superintendent there, said the lessons will teach cadets to respect themselves and one another.

During fall semester, freshmen will attend 14 hours of lessons and upperclassmen will attend seven hours of classes.

Rosa said preventing alcohol abuse is a key. “If we cut out alcohol, we’d cut out three-quarters of our problems,” he said.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Prudhoe oil spill leads to shutdown

BP Exploration Alaska Inc. began shutting down the Prudhoe Bay oil field Sunday after discovering unexpectedly severe corrosion and a small spill from a pipeline.

Prudhoe Bay represents about half of Alaska’s oil production and about 8 percent of U.S. production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Company officials said it will take days to shut down the oil field, which is expected to reduce oil production by 400,000 barrels a day.

Company officials said they do not know how long the field will remain closed.