US President Donald Trump  personally asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to intervene in the  case of three US college basketball players arrested in China  for alleged shoplifting, a report said today.
Trump brought up the case in talks with Xi during his  two-day state visit to Beijing last week, the Washington Post  reported, citing unnamed sources.
The story said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee  Sanders also confirmed via email that Trump had raised the  matter.
UCLA players LiAngelo Ball -- the younger brother of Los  Angeles Lakers rookie star Lonzo Ball -- and teammates Cody  Riley and Jalen Hill were arrested last Tuesday in Hangzhou,  near Shanghai.
The UCLA and Georgia Tech squads had taken a side trip to  the Hangzhou headquarters of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba  a few days ahead of their weekend regular-season-opening game  in Shanghai.
The players were arrested on suspicion of stealing from a  Louis Vuitton store and later freed on bail, ESPN reported,  adding 

Trump sought Xi's help on UCLA players arrested in China

PTI Automatic

Air strikes that ripped through a  market in a rebel-held Syrian town have killed 61 people,  mostly civilians, an updated toll from a monitor said today.
Three strikes hit the northern town of Atareb on Monday,  the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, despite a "de-  escalation zone" in place there.
"A number of people died of their wounds, bringing the  toll to 61 people, including five children and three  policemen."
The Britain-based monitor said it was not clear whether  the bombing raids had been carried out by Syrian government  warplanes, or those of its ally Russia.
A photographer contributing to AFP saw massive  destruction at the scene on Monday, with rubble from damaged  buildings covering the street and panicked civilians carrying  away the wounded.
Atareb is in the west of Aleppo province, in an area that  is part of a "de-escalation zone" agreed under a deal reached  earlier this year between Syria's allies Russia and Iran, and  rebel backer Turkey.
The zone ...

Toll in Syria market strikes rises to 61: monitor

Dozens of Afghan police and soldiers  have been killed in a wave of Taliban attacks on checkpoints  in Afghanistan, officials said today, as insurgents step up  assaults on the beleaguered security forces.
The raids in the southern province of Kandahar and the  western province of Farah last night came hours after a  suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a US  military convoy, wounding four soldiers.
The Taliban issued statements on their social media  accounts claiming the attacks.
"I can confirm that last night the Taliban launched a  wave of attacks on police checkpoints in Maiwand and Zhari  districts and we lost 22 brave policemen," Kandahar governor  spokesman Qudrat Khushbakht told AFP.
He added that 45 militants were killed during the  fighting that lasted around six hours.
In one of the attacks militants used an explosives-packed  police pickup to ambush a checkpoint, Kandahar police  spokesman Matiullah Helal told AFP.
At least 15 policemen were wounded in 

Dozens of Afghan security forces killed in Taliban raids

Venezuela faced the first of what  could be a cascade of defaults on its USD 150 billion foreign  debt today as Standard and Poor's became the first credit  agency to declare the crisis-torn South American country in  "selective default".
The US agency's action came after Vice President Tareck  El Aissami met with creditors in Caracas Monday but offered no  way out of the impasse.
S&P said it had declared Venezuela in "selective default"  because it failed to make $200 million in payments on two  global bond issues by the end of a 30-day grace period, which  fell on November 12.
"We have lowered two issue ratings to 'D' (default), and  we lowered the long-term foreign currency sovereign credit  rating to 'SD' (selective default)," the agency said in a  statement late Monday.
It said payments on four other bonds also were overdue  but still within the grace period. The overdue bond  obligations total USD 420 million, it said.
The debt crunch comes as no surprise in a once ...

Venezuela in 'selective default': ratings agency

A North Korean soldier involved in an  extremely rare and dramatic defection to the South was shot  six times by his own side as he drove to the heavily guarded  border and ran across under a hail of bullets.
The US-led United Nations Command (UNC), which monitors  the Panmunjom border truce village where the defection  occurred Monday, said the soldier had driven close to the  heavily-guarded, military demarcation line separating the two  Koreas.
"He then exited the vehicle and continued fleeing south  across the line as he was fired upon by other soldiers from  North Korea," the UNC said in a statement.
An official with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff  said the North's border guards fired at least 40 rounds.
A doctor treating the soldier -- who was airlifted to a  hospital for emergency surgery -- said he had been shot half-  a-dozen times and sustained a serious stomach injury.
"He has at least six gunshot wounds on his body and the  penetrating wound in the abdomen is the ..

N Korea soldier shot six times as he defected to South

Donald Trump Jr. (Photo: Reuters)

Trump Jr's release, also done on Twitter, shows about a dozen messages from WikiLeaks to him, and what he called "my whopping 3 responses."

How Wikileaks joined hands with Trump: Donald Trump Jr reveals messages

Press Trust of India

China's industrial output slowed in  October, official data showed today, as authorities fight smog  by clamping down on pollution produced by heavy industries.
Output at factories and workshops expanded 6.2 per cent  on-year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, slowing  from 6.6 per cent in September and below a forecast of 6.3 per  cent in a Bloomberg News survey.
The government has moved to wind down production at some  steel factories and smelters in a drive to clean up the  country's smog-ridden cities.
Factories also closed during last month's Communist Party  congress, during which President Xi Jinping called for more  efforts to protect the environment.
The government is also pushing to make domestic demand a  growth driver of the world's second largest economy and make  China less reliant on manufacturing and exports.
"Generally speaking, the national economy maintained  stable performance with improved quality and sound momentum,"  NBS spokeswoman Liu Aihua told ...

China factory output slows as govt cracks down on pollution

Angela Merkel has been dubbed the  "climate chancellor" but she now faces the real risk of  Germany, a green energy pioneer, missing its emissions  reduction target on her watch.
Battles over dirty coal plants and the combustion engine  have dogged her efforts to forge an unlikely three-way  governing alliance with the Greens and pro-business Free  Democrats (FDP).
They are also flashpoint issues as Germany and Fiji co-  host UN climate talks in Bonn, which Merkel will address  during a visit tomorrow with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Critics charge that Merkel, a trained physicist who has  often championed climate action on the world stage, tends to  cave in to business and political interests when it matters.
Merkel has opposed stricter EU emissions limits for cars,  fought planned diesel bans in cities suffering toxic air  pollution and shelved a plan to get one million electric  vehicles onto German roads by 2020.
Weekly newspaper Die Zeit harshly compared Merkel's  policies .

Heat on 'climate chancellor' Merkel over coal and cars

A North Korean soldier involved in an  extremely rare and dramatic defection to the South was shot  six times by North Korean border troops as he dashed over the  border, military officials and doctors said today.
The US-led United Nations Command (UNC), which monitors  the Panmunjom border truce village where the defection  occurred Monday, said the soldier had driven close to the  heavily-guarded, military demarcation line separating the two  Koreas in a vehicle.
"He then exited the vehicle and continued fleeing south  across the line as he was fired upon by other soldiers from  North Korea," the UNC said in a statement.
An official with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff  said the North's border guards fired at least 40 rounds.
A doctor treating the injured soldier -- who was  helicoptered to a hospital for emergency surgery -- said he  had been shot half-a-dozen times, including a serious stomach  wound.
"He has at least six gunshot wounds on his body and the  penetrating ...

NKorea soldier shot six times as he defected to South

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon  confirmed he was ending his international career after the  four-time champions failed to reach the World Cup for the  first time in 60 years.
Buffon, 39, played his 175th and final game for Italy as  they were beaten 1-0 on aggregate in a play-off by Sweden  after a 0-0 second-leg draw at the San Siro, bringing an end  to a 20-year international career that included winning the  2006 World Cup.
"I'm not sorry for myself but all of Italian football,"  Buffon told Italian broadcaster Rai.
"We failed at something which also means something on a  social level. There's regret at finishing like that, not  because time passes."
Andrea Barzagli and 34-year-old midfielder Daniele de  Rossi, the other two members of Italy's squad on Monday who  lifted the 2006 World Cup, also retired from internationals in  the aftermath of the shock defeat.
"It's the biggest disappointment of my life from a  sporting point of view... I can't find my words," said 36-  ...

Italy keeper Buffon ends international career

Italy failed to reach the World Cup  for the first time since 1958 as they were held to a 0-0 draw  in the second leg of their play-off at the San Siro by Sweden,  who qualified with a 1-0 aggregate victory.
The four-time champions dominated possession but  struggled to create enough clear-cut chances, as Sweden  secured a first appearance at the finals since 2006 courtesy  of Jakob Johansson's first-leg strike in Stockholm.
Despite the support of 74,000 fans in a white-hot  atmosphere at the San Siro the 2006 World Cup winners could  not find a way through.
It is the third time that the Italians will not compete  at the World Cup, after not going to the first edition in 1930  and not qualifying for the 1958 finals in Sweden.
It marks the end of an era for iconic goalkeeper  Gianluigi Buffon who will not be able to compete in a record  sixth World Cup.
At 39, the 175-times capped Buffon had announced that the  finals in Russia would be his last as a player for the  national side.
"I'm 

Italy miss out on World Cup as Sweden qualify

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the ATP  Finals, admitting he had lost his fitness battle after  crashing to defeat in three sets to David Goffin in a  thrilling encounter.
The world number one dug deep but was stunned 7-6 (7/5),  6-7 (4/7), 6-4 by Goffin in his opening match of the end-of-  season finale, which he has never won in his illustrious  career.
The Spaniard came into the tournament with doubts  swirling over his fitness after pulling out of the Paris  Masters with a knee injury.
Initially he showed no obvious ill-effects during a  rollercoaster round-robin encounter in front of a supportive  crowd but eventually his injury caught up with him and forced  him to admit his season is over.
"No, I am off," said Nadal. "My season is finished. Yeah,  I had the commitment with the event, with the city, with  myself. I tried hard. I did the thing that I had to do to try  to be ready to play. But I am really not ready to play."
"Is about the pain," he added. "I cannot hold with enough  ..

Nadal pulls out of ATP Finals after Goffin defeat

Millennial fans strongly back the  pro-gay marriage stance taken by major Australian sporting  bodies, saying it will help keep sports relevant for younger  people, according to a survey released today.
The poll was published a day before the results of a  national vote in Australia on legalising same-sex marriage are  due to be announced, and found that rugby and football fans  were most supportive of the governing bodies speaking out on  the issue.
Australia has lagged behind its international peers in  legalising same-sex marriage, amid political divisions over  how to legislate the changes.
The conservative government opted for a voluntary  national survey and said it would move a bill in parliament if  there is, as expected, a majority "yes" vote in support of gay  marriage when the results are announced on Wednesday.
Sport plays in a central role in Australian culture, and  major governing bodies -- including for rugby union, soccer,  cricket and Australian Rules football -- ...

Aussie millennial fans back sports' pro-gay marriage stance:

A US-led coalition will forge  ahead in its fight against the Islamic State group in Syria  and Iraq until a UN peace process makes further headway,  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said.
"We're not just going to walk away right now until the  Geneva Process has traction," he told reporters.
"You need to do something about this mess now, not just  fight the military part of it and then say good luck on the  rest."
The former marine general added that the coalition's goal  had always been to fight IS while finding a diplomatic  solution to end the Syrian civil war.
"We are going to make sure we set the conditions for a  diplomatic solution," he said.
His comments come after the US and Russia issued a joint  statement Saturday saying there was "no military solution" to  the Syrian conflict.
"The presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria's  sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity and  non-sectarian character," it said, while calling on all  parties to participate in .

US won't walk away from Syria war until talks progress: Mattis

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged  Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow Rohingya refugees in  Bangladesh to return, when they met today at a summit in the  Philippines, his office said.
The meeting added to global pressure on Suu Kyi to take  action to end the crisis for the Muslim minority, with US  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson due Tuesday also to hold  talks with her in Manila then travel to Myanmar.
"The Secretary-General highlighted that strengthened  efforts to ensure humanitarian access, safe, dignified,  voluntary and sustained returns, as well as true  reconciliation between communities, would be essential," a UN  statement said, summarising comments to Suu Kyi.
More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring  Bangladesh in two and a half months.
The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked police  posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state, triggering a military  crackdown that saw hundreds of villages reduced to ashes and  sparked a massive exodus.
Authorities have ...

UN chief meets Myanmar's Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis

Greece will plough 1.4 billion euros  of its fiscal surplus into welfare handouts, Prime Minister  Alexis Tsipras has said, as the country emerges from an  austerity programme imposed by creditors.
The Greek economy is expected to grow 2.4 per cent in  2018, after a series of multi-billion-euro bailouts since  2010. The surplus not counting debt payments is expected to  reach 3.57 per cent, higher than that mandated by the  country's creditors.
Tsipras said on television that 720 million euros (USD  840 million) would be used as a one-off financial handout for  households earning less than 18,000 euros annually, covering  some 3.4 million people.
A total of 315 million euros would go for compensating  health insurance costs incurred by pensioners, while the  debt-laden electricity provider DEI would get 360 million  euros to offer cheaper tariffs to poor consumers.
These measures attest to "the political and social  priorities" of the left-wing government, Tsipras said.
Tsipras had ...

Greek PM announces welfare handouts of 1.4bn euros

US Ambassador Nikki Haley  has slammed Venezuela as an "increasingly violent narco-state"  that poses a threat to world security at a UN meeting  boycotted by Russia and China.
Haley said the informal Security Council meeting was to  draw international attention to the political and economic  crisis in Venezuela, which is teetering on the brink of  default.
But key Security Council members Russia and China refused  to attend as did Bolivia, a non-permanent council member close  to President Nicolas Maduro's government, and Egypt.
Addressing the meeting, Haley said "the situation in  Venezuela is more than a human tragedy," adding that the  crisis "poses a direct threat to international peace and  security."
"Venezuela is an increasingly violent narco-state that  threatens the region, the hemisphere and the world," she said.
Addressing reporters outside of the meeting hall, the  ambassadors of Russia, China and Bolivia joined Venezuela's UN  envoy, who declared the meeting "illegal" ...

US slams Venezuela at UN meeting boycotted by Russia, China

The United Nations has  opened an independent investigation to determine whether UN  peacekeepers responded appropriately to an outbreak of recent  violence in the Central African Republic.
A team led by retired Brigadier-General Fernand Marcel  Amoussou of Benin will arrive in the country on Tuesday and  carry out the investigation until November 28.
"The investigation will look into attacks against  civilians by armed groups that occurred in close proximity to  a presence of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic  (MINUSCA) in Haute-Kotto, Basse-Kotto, Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou  prefectures, as well as the mission's response to these  incidents," said a UN statement.
It will focus on violence that occurred between May and  August of this year.
In July, three Moroccan peacekeepers were killed in two  separate attacks by suspected anti-Balaka fighters in  Bangassou, a predominantly Christian town that has been among  the worst hit by violence.
Six UN troops and 66 civilians were .

UN opens probe of peacekeepers' response in C. Africa

Air strikes on a market killed at  least 53 people, including children, in a town in northern  Syria despite a "de-escalation zone" in place there, a monitor  said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights  said it was not immediately clear whether the strikes on  rebel-held Atareb yesterday had been carried out by Syrian  warplanes, or those of Damascus's ally Russia.
The monitor said three strikes hit the town's market,  adding that five children were among the dead, as well as  three policemen.
A photographer contributing to AFP saw massive  destruction at the scene, with rubble from damaged buildings  covering the street and panicked civilians carrying away the  injured.
Three men helped one of those hit in the attack, his face  drenched in blood and his features almost completely obscured.
Nearby, the body of a man in a blue shirt and dark  trousers lay where he had died.
Civil defence workers rushed alongside civilians to  evacuate the injured, with one man in a ...

Air raids on market kill 53 in north Syria town: monitor

Officials began counting votes in  the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland after residents today  took part in its third presidential poll, hoping to bolster  its democratic credentials and strengthen the case for  independence from troubled Somalia.
The northern territory, which is more tribally homogenous  and stable than the rest of Somalia, broke away in 1991 and  has been striving to attain international recognition ever  since, without success.
As vote tallying began shortly after 6:00 pm (1500 GMT),  a social media blackout was imposed. The national electoral  commission said the move was necessary to prevent interference  from outside the borders of the semi-autonomous state and  speculation over the outcome.
"Most polling stations are closed now and the internet  connection is interrupted as per the instruction of the  electoral commission. You cannot use social media platforms  like Facebook and Twitter in all the regions of Somaliland,"  said security official Mohamed ...

Vote counting begins after breakaway Somaliland's presidential

The EU today removed Colombia's  FARC from its list of terrorist organisations, an official  told AFP, after the former guerilla movement disarmed as part  of a peace deal and relaunched itself as a political party.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which  battled the government for half a century in a conflict that  left some 260,000 people dead, reached a historic peace deal  last year and its former leader now plans to run for  president.
The decision to remove FARC from the list permanently  comes after the EU suspended its terror listing in September  2016 in a bid to help the peace process in Colombia.
"The Council adopted the legal acts providing for the  de-listing of the FARC from the EU list of individuals and  entities subject to restrictive measures to combat terrorism,"  an EU official told AFP, adding that the decision would be  announced officially tomorrow.
After agreeing to the peace deal and disarming, the  rebels transformed their movement into a ...

AFP

AFP

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