11 kids killed in bus crash

    Eleven kindergarten children were killed when their packed bus crashed into a truck in Shandong Province, Xinhua reported on November 19.

    The collision* took place around 8 a.m. when the truck collided with* the minibus carrying 14 children in Chaoshui Township in Penglai City. The bus driver was also killed.

    Three other children suffered minor injuries. Local police said the bus was overloaded at the time.

    China joins international anti-corruption institute

    China has joined the International Anti-Corruption Academy, an Austria-based global institute that provides education and training to members on how to effectively combat* bribery.

    The move came just days after APEC leaders agreed to a proposal by the Chinese Government to set up a network to share information on corruption and deny safe haven to officials implicated in graft cases.

    Hospital knife attack kills 7

    A kitchen hand* suspected of knifing to death six nurses and a guard in a hospital dormitory in Hebei Province has a history of mental illness.

    Li Xiaolong, 27, a worker in the hospital’s canteen, was arrested after the attack, which took place at about 3:30 a.m. on November 20 in the staff quarters* of the People’s Liberation Army 281 Hospital in Beidaihe District, QinhuangdaoCity.

    A seventh nurse being treated for wounds is in stable condition.

    Philippines fines 9 fishermen

    A Philippines court convicted nine Chinese fishermen on Monday of poaching* and taking hundreds of endangered giant sea turtles from a disputed shoal* in the South China Sea, fining each of them nearly US$103,000.

    The fishermen were arrested in May at Banyue Reef and their boat and catch of 555 endangered sea turtles were seized.

    The arrests sparked another spat between the Asian neighbors in the increasingly volatile South China Sea.

    (SD-Agencies)