IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Russia

4 Chinese killed in factory fire

Four Chinese workers were killed and five others injured on Sunday in a fire that engulfed a wood factory in Russia's Far Eastern city of Zima, RIA Novosti news agency reported. The fire broke out in a makeshift wooden shelter which houses about 20 Chinese workers and spread to an area of 300 square meters.

Indonesia

Investigators probe jet crash

Indonesian investigators on Sunday began working to determine what caused a new Lion Air passenger jet to miss a runway while landing on the resort island of Bali, crashing into the sea without causing any fatalities among the 108 on board. The National Transportation Safety Committee is examining the wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 that snapped in half before coming to a stop in shallow water near Bali's airport on Saturday.

Somalia

Bombing claims at least 19

At least 19 people were killed in the Somali capital on Sunday in bomb attacks carried out by militants linked to al-Qaida and subsequent gunbattles with the al Shabaab fighters, breaking a fragile return to peace in Mogadishu.

A bomb exploded outside law courts in the city as gunmen stormed the compound.

Syria

Kidnapped Italian journalists freed

Four Italian journalists kidnapped and held in Syria since April 4 had been freed on Saturday, Italy's interim Foreign Minister Mario Monti said in a statement. Monti's statement gave no details about who had taken the reporters hostage nor any regarding their release, but state news agency ANSA said they were now in Turkey and would return to Italy on Saturday evening.

AFP-Reuters-Xinhua-AP

(China Daily 04/15/2013 page12)