Firefighters fought for three hours to put out a blaze today at a major petrochemical refinery in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dalian, the second fire in two months at the facility, police and the company said.

A TANKER carrying 20,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas caught fire in Chinese waters east of Hong Kong yesterday, risking a huge explosion, authorities said, though the wind drove flames away from the ship's cargo area.