Six dead as Santa opens fire, kills self

US: At least six people were killed after a man dressed as Santa Claus burst into a Christmas Eve party and opened fire before later killing himself, police said Thursday.

The body of Bruce Pardo, 45, was found with self-inflicted gunshot wounds early Thursday, hours after he had launched an assault on a party hosted by the parents of his ex-wife in the Los Angeles suburb of Covina, police said.

Local media reported that Pardo's former spouse was among three people who remained missing Thursday as the number of dead rose to six after three more bodies were pulled from the charred wreckage of the crime scene.

Pardo had knocked on the door of the home in a quiet residential neighborhood in Covina, 23 miles (37 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, just before midnight on Christmas Eve, police lieutenant Pat Buchanan said.

Los Angeles, Friday, AFP

Libya demands punishment of Swiss

LIBYA: Libya is demanding not only an apology from Swiss authorities but also the punishment of those who arrested Moamer Kadhafi's son in Geneva last July, a senior Libyan official said on Thursday.

"The Swiss authorities in the first days following the arrest already said they are ready to apologise," said Libyan deputy foreign minister for European Affairs, Abdulati Ibrahim al-Obidi.

Tripoli, Rriday, AFP