WORLD BRIEFS

CHINA/Google's license at risk

China is threatening to revoke Google's business license over the company's decision to redirect Chinese traffic to computers in Hong Kong that are not governed by the communist government's censorship practices. The latest skirmish between Beijing and the Internet search leader threatens to cripple the company in one of the Web's biggest markets. Google agreed Tuesday to dismantle the virtual bridge to its Hong site that was created in March, but it was unclear whether that will be enough to stay in business in China. The license is required for the company to continue providing its mapping and music services in China.

GREECE/Protesters, police clash

Dozens of masked youths clashed with police at a union protest Tuesday in Athens during the country's fifth general strike this year against the cash-strapped government's planned pension and labor reforms. Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse troublemakers who threw marble smashed off metro station entrances and set rubbish bins on fire. Seven policemen were injured in the clashes, and 13 demonstrators were detained, six of whom were arrested, police said.

SOUTH KOREA/Castration bill passes

South Korea's parliament voted Tuesday to legalize chemical castration as punishment for convicted child sex offenders after a series of violent assaults sparked outrage nationwide. The bill was first introduced in 2008 in response to a high-profile case in which a 58-year-old man raped and assaulted an 8-year-old girl. Government policies, including the installation of more security personnel near school grounds as well as multiple surveillance cameras, have not prevented similar cases. Legislators at the National Assembly passed the bill 137-13. More than 140 lawmakers did not make a choice or did not vote. The bill, which requires the president's signature to become law, would allow judges to sentence adult sex offenders who victimize minors under 16 and have been diagnosed as sexual deviants to chemical castration.