France today called for an "immediate" UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo to tackle the "humanitarian disaster" in the besieged Syrian city.
	"More than ever, there is an urgent need for a cessation of hostilities and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance", Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement on Aleppo, where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the fighting between government troops and rebels.

France calls for UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo

PTI Automatic

A top advisor to Burundi's president and the most public face of the government, Willy Nyamitwe, has escaped an assassination attempt in the capital Bujumbura which left one of his bodyguards dead, officials said today.
	"Thank God, Willy Nyamitwe narrowly escaped an attack..." tweeted Burundi's UN ambassador Albert Shingiro.
	A presidential official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Nyamitwe was slightly wounded on his arm and that another bodyguard was injured in the attack Monday night.
	The online news website Ikiriho, which is close to government, said Nyamitwe was attacked while returning to his home in the western suburb of Kajaga.
	"I thank those who wish me a speedy recovery. I am doing well but (am) saddened by the death of a best friend, the policeman Gasongo," Nyamitwe tweeted.
	His brother Alain Aime Nyamitwe, Burundi's foreign minister, slammed the attempt as "a new, pointless effort to disturb republican institutions.

Burundi president's spokesman escapes assassination bid

At least six people are believed to have survived after a plane carrying 81 passengers, including members of a top flight Brazilian football team, crashed in Colombia, officials said.
	The Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said in a statement that "all possible aid was being mobilised because six survivors are being reported.

'6 survivors in Brazilian football plane crash in Colombia'

Six survivors in Brazilian football plane crash in

Samsung Electronics said today it was considering splitting the company into two as it faces growing pressure to overhaul its governance during a crucial power transfer in top management.
	The announcement came as the South Korean electronics giant is seeking to ensure a smooth succession to Lee Jae- Yong, the firm's vice chairman and scion of the parent Samsung group's founding Lee family.
	It is also struggling to contain the fallout from a global recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone caused by exploding batteries as well as a snowballing political scandal in South Korea.
	The firm said in a statement it would consider breaking into a holding firm and a producing and operating unit, and would take at least six months to study the option.
	It also said it would increase its dividend payout to shareholders to more than 4 trillion won (USD 3.4 billion) this year, up more than 30 per cent from a year ago.
	Other options on the table include plans to nominate at least one new ...

Samsung Electronics eyes separation in reform plan

New Zealand took nine wickets in a dramatic final session of the second cricket Test against Pakistan to win by 130 runs in Hamilton today and clean sweep their series 2-0.
     It was New Zealand's first series win over Pakistan since 1985.
     Pakistan were faced with an imposing 369-run target in their second innings but set themselves up for a run-a-ball slog when they reached tea on the final day at 158-1.
	The match edged towards a cliff-hanger finish before Tim Southee removed Pakistan's leading run scorer Sami Aslam for 91.
     That started a rapid collapse which saw their last eight wickets fall for 49 in 20 overs with Neil Wagner taking the last three for no runs in just six deliveries.
	The series win to New Zealand, after a first Test triumph in Christchurch, means Pakistan fall from second to fourth in the world rankings while New Zealand remain seventh.
	After reaching tea on the final day needing 211 off 204 deliveries, Pakistan could only ponder whether they left ...

Pakistan collapse to first series defeat to NZ in 30 years

Completed scoreboard in the second
and final cricket Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Seddon Park here today:
     New Zealand first innings: 271
	Pakistan first innings: 216
	New Zealand second innings: 313-5 dec
	Pakistan second innings (overnight 1-0):
	Sami Aslam c Williamson b Southee               91
	Azhar Ali b Santner                             58
	Babar Azam b Santner                            16
	Sarfraz Ahmed run out (de Grandhomme/Watling)   19
	Younis Khan lbw Southee                         11
	Asad Shafiq c Nicholls b Henry                   0
	Mohammad Rizwan not out                         13
	Sohail c Nicholls b de Grandhomme                8
	Mohammad Amir c Watling b Wagner                 0
	Wahab Riaz c Watling b Wagner                    0
	Imran Khan c Latham b Wagner                     0
	Extras: (B-4, LB-3, W-6, NB-1)                  14
	Total: (all out in 92.1 overs)                 230
	Fall of wickets: 1-131, 2-159, 3-181, 4-199, 5-204, 6-218, 

Hamilton, Nov 29 (AFP) Completed scoreboard in the second

A plane carrying members of Brazil's Chapecoense Real football team has crashed near the Colombian city of Medellin, officials said.
	"Confirmed, the aircraft license number CP2933 was carrying the team @ChapecoenseReal. Apparently there are survivors," the Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said on its Twitter account.

Plane carrying Brazil football players crashes in Colombia

Thailand's cabinet today submitted the name of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to the nation's rubber-stamp parliament, paving the way for his endorsement as king several weeks after his father's death.
	The country has been plunged into mourning since widely revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on 13 October, ending a remarkable seven-decade long reign and removing a key pillar of unity in a bitterly divided nation.
	Today's cabinet announcement puts to bed anxiety over succession that was sparked when the junta made a surprise announcement after Bhumibol's death that the prince had asked to delay his official proclamation so he could mourn.
	Prawit Wongsuwan, deputy prime minister and the junta's number two, said his ascension was "proceeding step-by-step", according to the country's arcane succession rules.
	"The prime minister's secretary will notify the National Legislative Assembly," he told reporters after a special cabinet meeting.
	According to procedure, the assembly ...

Thai cabinet paves way for prince's endorsement as king

Plane carrying football players from Brazil crashes in

Haitian businessman Jovenel Moise, the candidate backed by former president Michel Martelly, won the presidential vote in the first round, official early results have showed.
	Provisional Electoral Council chief Uder Antoine said Moise came ahead of Jude Celestin, candidate of the opposition LAPEH, scoring 55.67 per cent against 19.52 per cent.
	Moise Jean Charles got 11.04 per cent and Maryse Narcisse 8.99 per cent.
	Any candidate who wins more than half of the votes cast is considered the victor.
	Haitian law offers candidates the opportunity to challenge the results from the presidential and legislative election in electoral courts, before final results are due to be published on December 29.
	The country was on edge as the results were announced, after past episodes of sometimes bloody violence in a desperately poor country marred by repeated episodes of political upheaval.
	Interim leader Jocelerme Privert called for calm ahead of the vote result announcement.
	"Resorting to acts 

'Moise wins Haiti presidential vote in first round'

A university student whose family immigrated from Somalia rammed his car into a crowd at Ohio State University and attacked them with a butcher knife, injuring 11 before police fatally shot him.
	Identifying the assailant as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, officials in the northern US state said he appeared to have acted alone yesterday in what was being investigated as a possible terror attack.
	He also appears to have made an anti-US posting on Facebook minutes before the attack, on a page that was quickly disabled or taken down by authorities, US media said.
	"I can't take it any more. America! Stop interfering with other countries, especially the Muslim Ummah. We are not weak. We are not weak, remember that," the post quoted by ABC television said, using a term referring to the global community of Muslims.
	"If you want us Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks, then make peace," the post reads. "We will not let you sleep unless you give peace to the Muslims."
	Artan also referred to ..

Ohio attacker identified as student angry at US interference

Texas has announced its first case of local Zika virus, making it the second US state after Florida to say it likely has mosquitoes spreading the disease that can cause birth defects.
	The case involves a woman who is not pregnant and has not recently travelled anywhere that Zika is spreading, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
	The case is considered "likely" a result of local transmission, until officials find evidence of mosquitoes carrying the disease.
	The woman was "was confirmed last week by lab test to have been infected," said the statement.
	"She reported no recent travel to Mexico or anywhere else with ongoing Zika virus transmission and no other risk factors."
	Texas health officials said there are no other cases of suspected local transmission at this time, but vowed to continue surveillance.
	"We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," said John Hellerstedt, Department of State Health Services ..

Texas announces first local Zika case

A Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighter jet has crashed near Cold Lake Alberta, killing the pilot in what was described as a training accident.
	A rescue helicopter was dispatched to the scene at an air weapons range yesterday.
	Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who was in the House of Commons when the news broke and appeared shaken, told reporters: "Regrettably the pilot has been lost and a next of kin has been notified."
	"I just got off the phone with (the chief of the defence staff) General Jonathan Vance and our prayers go out to the families," he added.
	Cold Lake is home to a tactical fighter squadron and training units.
	The accident comes less than a week after Canada announced plans to order 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets while seeking offers to update the rest of its ageing combat fleet.
	Canada's current fleet of fighter jets is more than three decades old and was scheduled to be retired in 2020, but could now see a decade more of service.
	The 18 new Super Hornets will help ...

Pilot dies in Canada fighter jet crash

The latest clashes between rival armed groups in the Central African Republic have left 85 dead, a government official has said, in what the UN warns is a worsening situation.
	"This figure is confirmed," said presidential spokesman Albert Mopkem yesterday, referring to a toll provided by Adama Dieng, a UN special envoy for the prevention of genocide.
	Nearly half the population needs humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations which has appealed for USD 399 million from donors to cover the country's aid needs next year.
	The latest deaths in the town of Bria, 400 kilometres northeast of Bangui, were amplified by 76 wounded and nearly 11,000 people being displaced in battles between factions of the former "Seleka" Muslim rebel group last week, Dieng said.
	The Central African Republic is struggling to emerge from a civil war which erupted in 2013 following the overthrow of former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by a Seleka coalition.
	The government is trying to ..

C Africa clashes leave 85 dead, say officials

Scoreboard at tea on the final day of the second cricket Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Seddon Park here today:
	New Zealand first innings: 271
	Pakistan first innings: 216
	New Zealand second innings: 313-5 dec
	Pakistan second innings (overnight 1-0):
	Sami Aslam not out           75
	Azhar Ali b Santner          58
	Babar Azam not out           16
	Extras; (lb2, w6, nb1)        9
	Total: (for 1 wkt, 67 overs)158
	Fall of wickets: 1-131
	Bowling: Southee 16-6-21-0, Henry 13-2-33-0, Wagner 18-3-56-0, Santner 9-1-28-1, de Grandhomme 10-4-16-0, Williamson 1-0-2-0.

Hamilton, Nov 29 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the final day of the second cricket Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Seddon Park here today:

A local by-election for parliament in the posh London suburb of Richmond on Thursday is threatening to turn into a mini-referendum on Brexit, with the defending MP a Brexiteer in a pro-EU heartland.
	Liberal Democrat challenger Sarah Olney, whose party wants a second referendum on Brexit, is hoping the result will shock Downing Street, as the government ploughs on towards the EU exit door.
	Olney is running against Zac Goldsmith, who held the seat for Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party but quit in protest after the government backed expanding the nearby Heathrow Airport.
	He is now standing as an independent candidate.
	"Speaking to voters, what was becoming increasingly clear was that while some people feel very strongly about Heathrow expansion, lots more people feel much more strongly about Brexit," Olney told AFP.
	"That's really alarmed and upset people and they want to use this opportunity to send a message."
	In the June referendum on Britain's membership in the ...

Local vote in London becomes Brexit battleground

Sami Aslam was unbeaten on 75 as Pakistan went to tea at 158-1 needing a run a ball in a climactic final session of the second cricket Test against New Zealand here today.
	Aslam and Azhar Ali (58) produced a 131-run stand for the first wicket, and with Babar Azam not out on 16 the tourists were set for a final showdown at Hamilton's Seddon Park.
	It is not a foreign situation for them.
	When they required 292 in 62 overs at lunch it evoked memories of an epic run chase in Sharjah two years ago when they smacked 302 in the fourth innings in 57.3 overs to beat Sri Lanka.
	Despite the Seddon Park wicket still offering some support to the bowlers on a flattening pitch, Azhar and Aslam were able to set the stage for another grandstand finish.
	Pakistan require 211 runs off 204 balls if they are to snatch victory and level the series.
	After losing the first Test in Christchurch, only a win in Hamilton can keep Pakistan second to India in the world rankings.
	A draw or a loss will consign .

Pakistan, New Zealand head for run-a-ball finale

Scoreboard at lunch on the final day of the second cricket Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Seddon Park here today:
	New Zealand first innings: 271
	Pakistan first innings: 216
	New Zealand second innings: 313-5 dec
	Pakistan second innings (overnight 1-0):
	Sami Aslam not out        32
	Azhar Ali not out         36
	Extras: (LB-1, W-6, NB-1)  8
	Total: (for no loss in 39 overs) 76
	Bowling: Southee 11-5-11-0, Henry 8-2-17-0, Wagner 10-3-25-0, Santner 5-1-19-0, de Grandhomme 4-3-1-0, Williamson 1-0-2-0.

Hamilton, Nov 29 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the final day of the second cricket Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Seddon Park here today:

Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam set Pakistan up for an afternoon onslaught as they negotiated their way to 76-0 at lunch, chasing 369 on the final day of the second cricket Test here today.
	Captain Azhar on 36 and Aslam on 32 have seen off the new ball but their caution has lifted the required run rate from 3.65 to 4.73 and the Test appeared destined for a limited-overs-style finish.
	Pakistan need victory to retain their number two Test team ranking as either a draw or a defeat could push them down to fourth behind India, England and Australia.
	New Zealand, needing a win to take the series 2-0 and boost their ranking to six, turned to spin for the last half-hour of the morning session after their seamers could not find a way through despite heavy cloud cover.
	Mitchell Santner found some turn and bounce but not enough menace to unnerve Pakistan's opening pair whose confidence was growing in their best start of the series.
	After 20 overs, Pakistan were on 21 with Azhar 11 and Aslam 8. By .

Azhar, Aslam lay groundwork for tense finish

A Brazilian opposition party has filed a petition for the impeachment of President Michel Temer, underlining the growing difficulties facing the center-right leader as he tries to introduce austerity reforms.
	The impeachment demand filed yesterday by the PSOL, a small leftist party, was unlikely to be accepted, so had mostly symbolic significance. The PSOL argues that Temer committed crimes by allegedly interfering in a business dispute to aid a friend in his cabinet.
	Temer denies any wrongdoing in the affair.
	Another impeachment request is expected from the leftist Workers' Party soon.
	Temer's allies control both the lower house and Senate in Congress, meaning that even if an impeachment petition were ever put to the vote it would not pass.
	However, the development is an embarrassment to Temer who came to power this year after the bitterly fought impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff, from the Workers' Party, for breaking government accounting rules.
	The spat also comes as ...

AFP

AFP

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