Fertilizer plant blast — A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety says an unknown number of people were killed in a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco. D.L. Wilson says it will be some time before authorities know the full extent of the loss of life and damage caused by Wednesday night’s blast at the plant in West, about 20 miles north of Waco. The explosion at West Fertilizer damaged buildings for blocks in every direction.

Texas slayings — The wife of a disgruntled former Texas justice of the peace confessed her role in a revenge plot to kill the Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and a top assistant and gave authorities intimate details of the case, including that her husband, Eric Williams, shot them to death. Williams, 46, was already in jail on a terroristic threat charge and was expected to be charged today with capital murder in the slayings of Mike McLelland, 63, and Cynthia McLelland, 65, over the Easter weekend and Mark Hasse, 57, in January.

Ricin letters — The FBI has identified a Mississippi man suspected of mailing letters containing poisonous ricin as 45-year-old Paul Kevin Curtis. FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen said Curtis was arrested Wednesday afternoon at his apartment in Corinth, near the Tennessee state line about 100 miles east of Memphis. Authorities still waited for definitive tests on the letters sent to President Barack Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

Thatcher funeral — Margaret Thatcher was laid to rest Wednesday with prayers and ceremony, plus cheers and occasional jeers, as Britain paused to remember a leader who transformed the country — for the better according to many, but in some eyes for the worse. Soaring hymns, Biblical verse and fond remembrances echoed under the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, as 2,300 relatives, friends, colleagues and dignitaries attended a ceremonial funeral for Britain’s only female prime minister.

Syria conflict — Syria’s president accused the West on Wednesday of backing al-Qaida in his country’s civil war, warning it will pay a price “in the heart” of Europe and the United States as the terror network becomes emboldened. Bashar Assad also lashed out at Jordan for allowing “thousands” of fighters to enter Syria through its borders and warned that the “fire will not stop at Syria’s border.”

Venezuela election — Venezuela’s Supreme Court president said Wednesday there is no legal basis for holding a vote-by-vote recount that opposition candidate Henrique Capriles is demanding for the disputed presidential election. It was the latest indication that the governing system left behind by Hugo Chavez when he died of cancer last month has no intention of agreeing to Capriles’ request.

Russia rumblings — A Kremlin-linked website leaked a video clip Wednesday of an angry President Vladimir Putin threatening to dismiss top officials, fueling speculation that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and members of his Cabinet are in danger of being fired. Many analysts concluded that the Kremlin had intentionally released the video as a warning shot to Medvedev.

Dutch crown prince — Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander set the tone Wednesday for what could be a relatively laid-back monarchy, saying in his last major interview before he becomes king that his subjects don’t have to address him as your majesty. The 45-year-old prince and his Argentine-born wife, Princess Maxima, will become king and queen when Queen Beatrix, abdicates April 30 after 33 years on the throne.

— From wire reports