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AUSTRALIA

Charges in children's deaths

An woman was charged with murder Sunday in the deaths of seven of her children and her niece, whose bodies were found inside her home, police said.

Mersane Warria, 37, was charged with eight counts of murder in a bedside hearing at a hospital in Cairns where she is recovering from stab wounds, Queensland state police said.

Police were called to the home in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Friday after receiving a report of a woman with serious injuries. Police haven't said how the children died, but one inspector said stabbing and suffocation were possible causes of death, he said.

A church service was held on Sunday morning to honor the children, four boys and four girls 2 to 14, and a candlelight vigil was scheduled for the evening. - AP