News Briefs
March 10, 1996
Web posted at: 9:05 p.m. EST (0205 GMT)
Chinese airline hijacked, situation 'resolved'
HONG KONG (CNN) -- An apparent hijacking of a Chinese passenger airline has ended almost as quickly as it began, Macau Radio reported Sunday.
There were no immediate details as to who was involved or if anyone was injured. Several men, however, were reportedly arrested in connection with the hijacking, government radio in Hong Kong reported.
About 140 people were aboard the plane, headed for Haikou, the provincial capital of Hainan Island. The flight typically takes 50 minutes, but it was forced to land in Zhuhai, a southern city adjoining the Portuguese colony of Macau.
The airport at Zhuhai was cordoned off during the crisis, and by late Sunday, an airport worker told The Associated Press without elaboration, "Everything's been resolved."
The plane, a Boeing 737, belonged to China's Hanan Airlines, a small airline with a handful of planes, Macau Radio said. At least a dozen Chinese commercial flights have been hijacked to Taiwan since mid-1993.
Prisoners run loose on Greek resort island
ATHENS, Greece (CNN)-- About 40 prisoners escaped from a maximum-security prison on the Greek resort island of Corfu Sunday.
Police have arrested eight of the escapees after capturing them near the prison. Police set up roadblocks and a checkpoint at the island's airport; they also were searching nearby ports.
The convicts escaped through an old tunnel that runs beneath the prison. Police described the fugitives as mostly Albanians, and police advised residents living near the prison to stay indoors.
The escape follows a 12-day uprising in Corfu and four other Greek prisons by inmates who were pushing for better living conditions.
IRA planned attack on House of Commons
LONDON (CNN) -- The Irish Republican Army had planned the bloodiest act of terrorism in its history on Britain's lower house of Parliament, a London newspaper reported Sunday, citing documents found by London police.
According to the plot, a barge carrying two tons of explosives was to explode on the Thames River across from the Palace of Westminster, where the House of Commons is located. The explosives were to detonate at a time when the Palace was packed with people.
Police uncovered the plot while searching the home of Ed O'Brien, the IRA member killed when the bomb he was transporting blew up prematurely on a London bus last month.
Cambodian king says health may force him from throne
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk said his health has worsened to the point that one day he "will inevitably" have to step down as king, according to documents released by the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh Sunday.
In a March 8 message to his son, the 73-year-old king said medical checkups in Beijing revealed lesions on his brain, severe hardening of the arteries and an increased level of fat in his liver.
The king asked for the "indulgence" and "compassion" of the Cambodian people, and he hinted that Chea Sim, the acting head of state and National Assembly Chairman, would replace him.
After his death, a new king should be elected by the Council of the Crown, according to the national constitution, the king said.
Iranian president's daughter poses threat to conservatives
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- In a potential blow to conservatives, the daughter of Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has taken the lead in Iran's parliamentary elections, based on initial returns.
According to the IRNA news agency, with 250,000 ballots counted in Tehran districts, Faezeh Hashemi was beating parliament speaker Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri.
The Iranian Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the election process, did not confirm IRNA's report.
The daughter of the pro-Western president is challenging ruling conservatives of the Majlis, or parliament, as a centrist technocrat. Iranian technocrats support the president's centrist political and economic reforms.
Nationwide, 20 million votes have been counted from Friday's parliamentary election, said Deputy Interior Minister Reza Tabesh. He said races in 190 of the total 196 constituencies had been finalized.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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