IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Australia

Shark bites hand of girl

A 10-year-old girl was attacked by a shark in waters along Australia's east coast, suffering a serious injury to her hand, officials said on Tuesday. Paramedics were called to a beach at Lennox Head, 200 km south of Brisbane, after receiving a report the girl had been bitten on the wrist. Paramedics treated the girl at the scene and took her to a local hospital. She was in stable condition on Tuesday evening.

Nigeria

Road crashes kill 65 in a day

At least 65 people died in three road accidents on Monday in Nigeria, the country's Federal Road Safety Commission announced. Fifty-five people were said to have died early on Monday in two separate car crashes in the Yobe state, while 10 others died in an incident in Oyo state. Road officials attributed the accidents to speeding and reckless driving.

Japan

Crewman dies in ship collision

One Chinese crew member was killed and eight others were missing after two cargo ships collided at the mouth of Tokyo Bay early on Tuesday, Japan's coast guard said. The Panamanian-flagged Beagle III, a 12,630-ton vessel carrying steel coils, sank after colliding with the South Korean-registered Pegasus Prime in the Uraga waterway. Twelve of the 20 Chinese crew aboard were rescued, but one of them was later confirmed dead, an official said.

Greece

7 bodies pulled from Aegean Sea

Authorities in Greece said on Tuesday that they have recovered the bodies of seven immigrants who drowned overnight when a boat sank in the eastern Aegean Sea en route illegally from Turkey. Authorities were still searching for two more migrants. Eight people were rescued near Lesvos, the Merchant Marine Ministry said.

Afghanistan

13 slain by suicide bomber

An Afghan official says a suicide bomber riding a rickshaw blew himself up at a market on Tuesday, killing at least 13 civilians in northern Afghanistan. The official says the attacker was approaching a checkpoint at the entry of the market in Maimana, the capital of Faryab province, when he detonated his explosives.

Venezuela

Death toll rises as soldier killed

A Venezuelan National Guard captain died on Monday after being shot in the head during a demonstration, the military said, the 29th fatality in six weeks of clashes between protesters and security forces. General Padrino Lopez, head of the armed forces' strategic operational command, said the captain was shot late on Sunday at a street barricade set up by demonstrators in the central city of Maracay, in Aragua state.

Reuters-AFP

(China Daily 03/19/2014 page11)