Briefly World

An attacker with a cleaver hacked to death seven children and two adults at a kindergarten in northwest China on Wednesday....

Man hacks nine with cleaver at China school

BEIJING: An attacker with a cleaver hacked to death seven children and two adults at a kindergarten in northwest China on Wednesday,the latest in a string of savage assaults on the countrys schools. Eleven children were wounded. The killer,48-year-old Wu Huanming,returned home after the attack on the outskirts of the city of Hanzhong and committed suicide,the local government reported. A motive wasnt known,although reports indicated he and the school administrator may have known each other. It was the fifth such major assault on young students in China since late March and occurred despite increased security at schools countrywide. The attack began at 8.20 am,as children were arriving at the Shengshui Temple Kindergarten in Hanzhongs Nanzheng county,a government statement said.

Austrian bishop questions celibacy

VIENNA: An Austrian bishop who has disagreed with the Vatican in the past about needed reforms said in an interview published on Wednesday that the Catholic Church should drop its celibacy requirement for priests. Eisenstadt Bishop Paul Iby told the Die Presse newspaper: It should be at the discretion of every priest whether to live in voluntary celibacy or in a family8230; The ordination of women is not an issue in our church.

NY passenger held with guns in luggage

Cairo: Airport officials in Cairo say police have detained an American-Egyptian man who arrived on a flight from New York with several weapons in his luggage. The officials say the man was taken into custody as he tried to pass through customs with a metal box containing two 9 mm handguns,250 bullets,several swords,daggers and knives. Customs officials were alerted when the box was examined upon arrival on an Egypt Air flight from JFK International Airport in Cairo.

Thai Army to limit water supply to protesters

BANGKOK: The Thai government announced that the Army would limit supplies of water,food and electricity to the protest zone in central Bangkok. Although Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said security forces would not use force at this stage, sealing the area risks confrontation with the thousands of Red Shirt protesters who have camped there for two months and could spark violence if they refuse to disperse.

Dutch boy only survivor

A Libyan plane carrying 104 people crashed on Wednesday on approach to Tripolis airport,leaving a field scattered with debris that included a large chunk of the tail painted with the airlines bright logo. A 10-year-old Dutch boy was the only known survivor.

The Dutch Prime Minister said everyone on the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200 arriving from Johannesburg,South Africa,was killed except the child,whose survival was hailed as a miracle.

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The boy was taken to a hospital in Tripoli and was undergoing surgery for injuries including broken bones. Libyan TV showed video of the child lying in a hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask.

Terror angle ruled out

Libyas Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ozlem Canel said officials were still trying to verify the childs identity. A doctor,speaking in Arabic in the Libya TV video,said the child has several breaks in both legs and is under intensive care but is stable.

The Royal Dutch Tourism Board said 61 of the dead came from the Netherlands. The plane was carrying 93 passengers and 11 crew,Afriqiyah Airways said in a statement.

The plane was approaching the airport in the Libyan capital Tripoli from Johannesburg when it crashed at 6 am. There was no immediate word on the cause,but terrorism was ruled out.