Saturday February 2, 2013

Granny beheaded by grandson after argument

A 75-year-old grandmother was strangled and her head chopped off by her grandson following a heated argument over his gambling addiction, China Press reported.

The body of Zhan Cuixia and her severed head were found in the bathroom of her son's house in Dongguan of China's Guangdong province, some 10 minutes' walk from her own home.

On Monday, Zhan went to take care of her grandson Li Yaojing, a 26-year-old factory worker who was sick, as his parents were busy with work.

Runhong, one of Zhan's daughters, saw her nephew attacking her mother when she went to the house.

“She was struggling on the ground and shouting for help, but I couldn't open the door to go in and save her,” she said, adding that she sought help from neighbours, who said they heard the grandmother and grandson arguing over his gambling habit earlier.

> The daily also reported that Hong Kong might list milk powder as a “reserved commodity” to ensure sufficient supply for local babies following a buying spree by Chinese tourists.

Food and Health Bureau chief Dr Ko Wing-man said the government was studying this option and the result would be announced within two days.

Once it is implemented, individuals would only be allowed to take two or three cans of milk powder out of Hong Kong.

Chinese parents have been rushing to Hong Kong and Macau to snap up baby formula since the milk scandal in 2008, when at least six babies died of consuming the melamine-tainted formula in China.

Some consumers even hired elderly people to line up all night outside the shops and paid them a reward of up to HK$50 (RM20) for every can purchased, depending on the brands.

Such buying spree has recently spread to New Zealand and Holland.

● Other News & Views is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.