Australian dad accused of killing 3 kids in home fire
SYDNEY—An Australian father faced triple murder charges Thursday, accused of setting his home ablaze and locking the door with his seven children and their mother inside.
Three of the children—two boys aged 2 and 6 and a 5-month-old baby girl—died in the weekend blaze in western Sydney’s Lalor Park, police said.
The four other young children are in a stable condition in hospital and their 29-year-old mother has been released after treatment, police added.
The 28-year-old father, who is in hospital under police guard after emerging from an induced coma, was refused bail in a Sydney court on three counts of murder and five of attempted murder, court documents showed.
A domestic dispute may have led to the “horrendous murderous act,” police said. —AFP
Japan navy destroyer enters Chinese waters by mistake
TOKYO—A Japanese navy destroyer made a rare entry into China’s territorial waters near Taiwan earlier this month without notifying China, prompting Beijing to lodge an official complaint.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s destroyer Suzutsuki sailed into China’s waters off Zhejiang province on July 4, where China had said it would conduct naval drills, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.
Suzutsuki, tasked with monitoring Chinese missile exercises in the East China Sea north of Taiwan, entered the waters without notifying China, broadcaster NTV reported.
The destroyer sailed within 22 kilometers of the Zhejiang coast for about 20 minutes despite warnings from Chinese vessels, and Beijing expressed “serious concerns” to Tokyo, Kyodo said.
The Japanese side explained that it was a technical error, Jian said. China’s coast guard and naval vessels have entered Japan’s territorial waters. —Reuters
