China
School blast kills 41
An explosion wrecked four classrooms at an elementary school in southeastern China on Tuesday, killing 41 people and injuring 27 others. The dead included children and their teachers.
Rescuers spent hours digging through the rubble of the two-story school in the village of Fang Lin in Jiangxi province, about 480 miles southwest of Shanghai. By 6 p.m. about seven hours after the blast 29 bodies had been found, some of them teachers, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said. It said 27 injured people were being treated in hospital. The cause of the explosion was not known.
MOSCOW
Mir crash insurance set
After months shrugging off foreigners' protests that the Mir space station could come crashing down on a populated area, Russian officials said Tuesday they are negotiating a $200 million insurance policy against any damage the orbiter could cause when it plunges to Earth in March.
Mir set several records during its 15 years in space, but it also had a history of accidents, including a near-fatal collision with a cargo ship, a fire, and computer failures. Mir will most likely be brought down between March 18 and March 20.
Belgium
Animal markets closed
European Union veterinary experts in Brussels on Tuesday ordered all livestock markets closed for two weeks in the 15-nation bloc in an effort to contain foot-and-mouth disease.
The EU panel said livestock transport would be allowed between farms and direct to slaughterhouses but all markets and assembly points for cattle, pigs and sheep would be banned.
Although no confirmed cases have been found outside Britain, the restrictions reflect widespread fears that the livestock virus could jump the English Channel and spread through herds in mainland Europe.
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