IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Germany

Trier to accept Marx statue from China

The German city of Trier has decided to accept a towering statue of Karl Marx from China marking next year's 200th birthday of the founding father of communism. Chinese artist Wu Weishan has suggested the statue should be 4.9 meters tall atop a 1.4 meter high pedestal at the Porta Nigra, the city's most famous landmark and one of the biggest and best-preserved Roman gates north of the Alps.

Syria

Suicide bombing in Damascus kills 30

At least 30 people were killed and 45 others wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his bomb vest inside the Justice Palace, or the Courthouse, in Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday. The bomber was among the people who were waiting for checking to enter the building at noontime. He was in camouflaged uniform,holding a rifle and a hand grenade.

Malaysia

Govt confirms Kim Jong-nam's identity

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Wednesday that the man murdered in Malaysia last month had been confirmed as Kim Jong-nam, elder half brother of Democratic People's Republic of Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, based on the DNA sample obtained from his child. It was the first time for the Malaysian government to hint at having contacted the next-of-kin of the deceased.

Australia

Headphone batteries explode on flight

A woman whose headphones caught fire on a plane suffered burns to her face and hands, officials said on Wednesday as they warned about the dangers of battery-operated devices in-flight. The passenger was listening to music on her own headphones as she dozed about two hours into the trip from Beijing to Melbourne on Feb 19 when there was a loud explosion. The transport safety bureau did not identify the airline or brand of headphones involved in the incident.

Thailand

21 rhino horns worth $5m seized

Thai authorities say they have seized 21 rhinoceros horns smuggled from Ethiopia worth almost $5 million. The bags carrying the horns were discovered on Friday in a random customs search at Bangkok's main airport. The bags' owners fled as officers searched their bags and have not been apprehended. Customs officials said on Tuesday the horns are unusually large and pristine.

(China Daily 03/16/2017 page12)