Five people linked to a collapsed Chinese peer-to-peer lender have gone on trial for gold smuggling, state media said today, the first court case in a scandal that allegedly bilked investors of USD 7.6 billion.
	The five smuggled a total of 1,239 gold bars weighing 125 kilograms from China's southwestern province of Yunnan to neighbouring Myanmar, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
	The five acted at the behest of the chairman of Yucheng Group, the parent firm of P2P lender Ezubao, it said, and organised Yucheng employees to cross the border illegally many times last year.
	At current world market prices the gold is worth around USD 4.8 million, a tiny fraction of the USD 7.6 billion Ezubao is said to have defrauded from 900,000 investors.
	Police previously told state media that Ezubao concocted fake projects to attract investment and pocketed funds instead of passing them to borrowers to generate returns.
	As part of Yucheng's overseas expansion, the firm set up a bank in Myanmar's Wa 

5 on trial linked to USD 7.6 bn China 'Ponzi scheme'

PTI Automatic

A former head of Colombia's intelligence services has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for involvement in the 1989 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan by drug-gang hitmen.
	Retired general Miguel Maza Marquez was convicted of conspiracy and "homicide with terrorist ends" over Galan's killing, the Supreme Court of Justice said in a statement yesterday.
	The assassination occurred when Maza Marquez was director of the now-defunct Administrative Security Department (DAS), charged with providing Galan's security.
	Galan was the leading candidate for Colombia's 1990 presidential vote when he was gunned down in front of thousands of people at a campaign rally on August 18, 1989.
	The charismatic Liberal party senator had vowed to extradite drug kingpins to the United States, including Pablo Escobar, the powerful head of the Medellin cartel.
	Escobar's top hitman, John Jairo "Popeye" Velazquez, was arrested in 1992 and convicted of the killing.
	Liberal politician ..

Colombia's ex-spy chief jailed over 1989 assassination

At least eight people were killed in Iran early today when an intercity city express was hit by another train while stopped at a station, state television reported.
	The collision in Semnan province on the main line between second city Mashhad and the capital Tehran also injured 11 people, the television said.
	The province's Red Crescent director, Hassan Shokrollahi, said the death toll could rise.
	"We do not have the exact number of those killed as the train is on fire," he said.
	He said the remote location of the station between the cities of Damghan and Semnan had also complicated rescue efforts.
	"Due to the difficulty of access, only our helicopter has managed to reach the scene," he said.

At least eight dead in Iran rail crash: state TV

The president of Thailand's rubber-stamp parliament today said the body will hold "an extraordinary meeting" on November 29, heightening speculation that it is poised to proclaim Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn king.
	Vajiralongkorn is the named successor to King Bhumibol Adulyadej who died on October 13 aged 88, ending a seven-decade reign.
	His father's death plunged the kingdom into intense mourning.
	It also prompted the Crown Prince to delay his proclamation as king in order to grieve with the nation, according to the junta that currently runs the country.
	The timeline of his ascension to the throne is murky, with officials as well as the general public unwilling to take a punt on matters involving the monarchy - an institution protected by a tough lese majeste law.
	But according to convention, the cabinet must put forward the new king's name for parliamentary approval.
	Then the assembly speaker has to formally invite the Crown Prince to become the monarch before proclaiming .

Thai parliament meeting stirs succession date rumours

Germany's flagship airline Lufthansa said 830 domestic and European flights were being scrapped on Friday, affecting more than than 100,000 passengers, on the third day of a strike by pilots demanding higher pay.
	More than 2,600 flights have been cancelled since the start of the walkout, which the pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) yesterday announced would be extended into Saturday.
	The strike is Lufthansa's 14th since April 2014.
	VC are demanding a pay rise of an average of 3.66 per cent per year, retroactive for the past five years. The management are offering 2.5 per cent.
	Austrian Airlines and Swiss -- part of the Lufthansa group -- have tried to pick up some of the slack by expanding their service to Germany.
	The group's other airlines -- Germanwings, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines -- have not been affected by the strike.
	The top-selling daily Bild says the strike is costing Lufthansa some 10 million euros ($10.5 million) a day.

100,000 passengers hit on third day of Lufthansa strike

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of Europe's biggest supporters of Donald Trump, says the US president-elect has told him of his "high regard" for Hungary and invited him to Washington.
	"I spoke with the new US president by telephone, and can say that our position has improved a lot. Donald Trump made clear that he holds Hungary in high regard," Orban told Vilaggazdasag news site in an interview published late Thursday.
	"He invited me to Washington, I told him that I hadn't been there for a long time as I had been treated as a 'black sheep', to which he replied, laughing: 'Me too'."
	In July, Orban, 53, was the first EU leader to come out in favour of the US billionaire, praising his policy proposals on immigration and security.
	Orban was also one of the first world leaders to congratulate him after his shock victory.
	The tone signals a marked shift in relations between the US and EU and NATO member Hungary.
	After coming to power in 2010 the maverick Hungarian was often 

Hungary PM Orban flags Washington invite by Trump

Myanmar is carrying out "ethnic cleansing" of Rohingya Muslims, a UN official has reportedly said, as horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder emerge from among the thousands who have fled to Bangladesh.
	Up to 30,000 of the impoverished ethnic group have abandoned their homes in Myanmar to escape the unfolding violence, the UN says, after troops poured into the narrow strip where they live earlier this month.
	John McKissick, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in the Bangladeshi border town of Cox's Bazar, told the BBC that troops were "killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses, forcing these people to cross the river" into Bangladesh.
	Dhaka has resisted urgent international appeals to open its border to avert a humanitarian crisis, instead telling Myanmar it must do more to prevent the stateless Rohingya minority from entering.
	"It's very difficult for the Bangladeshi government to say the border is open ..

Myanmar pursuing 'ethnic cleansing' of Rohingya: UN official

Otto was downgraded to a tropical storm but not before striking Central America at hurricane force, as an offshore earthquake also shook the region.
	The storm, packing sustained winds of up to 170 kilometers per hour at the time, triggered alarm in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica but there were no immediate reports of any casualties.
	Nicaragua was caught in the middle of both events, as the hurricane plowed into its Caribbean coast while the 7.0 quake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, off its other coast.
	Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega declared a national emergency to handle both potential disasters.
	But hours later, there were no reports of any widespread destruction, only of fallen trees and electrical cables, and a few collapsed roofs from the storm.
	El Salvador ordered residents along its Pacific shore to move inland. But it and Nicaragua soon lifted tsunami alerts they had issued as a precaution.
	By nightfall, Otto had weakened to a tropical storm over northwest ...

Otto weakens to tropical storm after striking Central America

New Zealand reached 77-2 against Pakistan before rain forced day one of the second and final Test to be abandoned after just 21 overs here.
     The players took lunch 15 minutes early as the skies opened, with Jeet Raval on 35 and Ross Taylor on 29 after the early loss of Tom Latham and Kane Williamson.
	Three hours later, the umpires tired of waiting for the rain to clear and scratched the final session. Play will resume half-an-hour early at 10:30 am tomorrow.
     Pakistan won the toss in bowler-friendly conditions with a green wicket and heavy cloud cover, but apart from Mohammad Amir, their seamers were unable to pin New Zealand down.
	Veteran batsman Ross Taylor, who is to undergo surgery at the end of the Test to remove a growth in his left eye, hit six boundaries in his unbeaten 29 off 20 deliveries.
	Raval was dropped on his third delivery but otherwise looked composed as he continued the good form from his maiden Test last week when he compiled innings of 55 and 36 not ...

Pakistan strike twice before rain halts Test

A hooded man wielding a knife murdered a woman at a retirement home for missionaries in southern France triggering a manhunt, with the country still on edge following a string of jihadist attacks.
	The man, brandishing a sawn-off shotgun and a knife, tied up and killed the woman who worked at the home in the village of Montferrier-sur-Lez near the city of Montpellier, a prosecutor said.
	More than 70 men and women, most of whom served as missionaries in Africa, live at the home.
	Armed police searched the building but believe the man fled, sources close to the police operation said, and a large-scale police operation was under way to find the unidentified attacker.
	A helicopter was seen flying over the area, scanning the ground with a giant spotlight.
	Investigators so far had no evidence to suggest the attack was terror-related at a time when France remains under a state of emergency after a number of Islamist atrocities, including the murder of an elderly Catholic priest in ...

Hooded attacker kills woman in French missionaries' home

Authorities have exhumed 32 bodies and nine heads from several clandestine graves this week in a southern Mexican state plagued by kidnappings and murders, officials said.
	The remains were unearthed between Tuesday and Thursday in 17 pits on a hill in the village of Pochahuixco, part of the municipality of Zitlala, a region beset by turf wars between drug cartels.
	"The discoveries are terrible," Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said, adding that the victims include 31 men and one woman.
	The remains were taken to the state capital, Chilpancingo, to be identified, Alvarez said in a statement yesterday. No arrests have been made in the case.
	The bodies were found in 17 of 20 pits that were dug up by investigators. Seven were found on Tuesday, five on Wednesday and the rest on Thursday in various states of decomposition.
	No other remains were found but soldiers are scouring the region for any other hidden graves. No arrests were made.
	Drug cartels have been burying .

32 bodies, 9 human heads found in Mexico mass graves

Wayne Rooney claimed a piece of club history as he set Manchester United on the way to a 4-0 Europa League win over Feyenoord that saw them close on the last 32.
     Rooney got the opening goal against the Dutch side at Old Trafford yesterday to score for the 39th time in Europe, matching Ruud van Nistelrooy's club record.
     He is now only one goal away from equalling Bobby Charlton's all-time club scoring record of 249 goals after setting United on the way to a welcome victory.
	Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard also netted either side of an own goal by Brad Jones and United now need only draw away to Zorya Luhansk in their final Group A match to qualify.
	"It was a good win. We are pleased to get four goals," Rooney said.
	"The second goal killed the game. At 1-0 you never know what can happen. It's a great feeling to score goals for this club. I am pleased and there is plenty more to come."
	Fenerbahce are top of the section after beating the Ukrainian side 2-0 in Istanbul with ...

Man Utd big winners, Southampton left sweating

Colombia's government and FARC rebels signed a controversial revised peace accord to end their half-century conflict, set to be ratified in Congress despite bitter opposition.
	President Juan Manuel Santos and guerrilla leader Rodrigo "Timochenko" Londono signed the new deal with a pen made from a spent bullet, in a low-key ceremony in the capital Bogota.
	The original deal -- signed with great fanfare in September -- was rejected by voters in a referendum last month, a shock upset that sent negotiators back to the drawing board.
	The new plan bypasses a vote by the Colombian people, against bitter opposition from critics.
	They say the revisions are only cosmetic and will still grant impunity for war crimes committed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
	Santos, who won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the conflict, said the new deal was better than the original.
	"It includes the hopes and observations of the vast majority of Colombians," he said 

Colombia signs contested new peace deal

US President-elect Donald Trump has offered his support to Los Angeles's bid to host the 2024 Olympics, the mayor's office has said.
	The Republican billionaire spoke by phone with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the two men had a "productive conversation," Garcetti's spokeswoman Connie Llanos said.
	During the conversation Trump, who will succeed Democratic President Barack Obama on January 20, indicated his support for LA's bid, she said.
	Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984, and is competing with Paris and Budapest to do the same for the 2024 games.
	The name of the 2024 host city is set to be announced in September 2017 in the Peruvian capital of Lima.
	Many Olympics-watchers had seen Trump's election on November 8 as bad news for Los Angeles's bid because of his controversial remarks on the campaign trail deemed racist, sexist and anti-Muslim.
	In last August, when Trump's chances of winning the White House looked slim, Garcetti warned that a victory by ...

Trump backs LA bid for 2024 Olympics: mayor's office

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and China have agreed to jointly combat transpacific trafficking of fentanyl into Canada, they said following a wave of overdoses with the powerful synthetic opioid.
	RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Vice Minister Chen Zhimin agreed at a meeting in Ottawa "to strengthen coordinated law enforcement actions to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and synthetic opioids," according to their joint statement.
	The drug's use in Canada has turned into a public health crisis that Paulson described as "a grave threat."
	Highly potent and addictive, the analgesic is estimated to be up to 100 times stronger than morphine. The related drug carfentanil is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl.
	Two milligrammes of pure fentanyl (the size of about four grains of salt) is enough to kill the average adult.
	Coroners have said the drugs were responsible for 2,000 deaths in Canada in 2015 and an even higher number is expected this ...

Canada, China agree to jointly combat fentanyl smuggling

An armed man stabbed a woman employee to death after bursting into a retirement home for missionaries in southern France, a prosecutor said.
	The man, wearing a mask and carrying a sawn-off shotgun and a knife, tied up and killed the woman yesterday who worked at the home in the village of Montferrier-sur-Lez near Montpellier.
	More than 70 men and women who have served as missionaries in Africa live at the home.
	Armed police searched the building but believe the man fled, sources close to the police operation said.
	Investigators have no evidence at this stage to suggest the attack was terror-related at a time when France remains under a state of emergency following a string of jihadist atrocities, including the murder of an elderly Catholic priest in July.
	"For the time being, there is only one victim," Montpellier prosecutor Christophe Barret told AFP. "For the moment there is no particular evidence about the motive for this crime."
	The man was not known to ...

Armed man kills woman in French missionaries' home

An armed man who stabbed a women to death after bursting into a retirement home for missionaries in southern France was on the run, a source close to the probe said.
	Armed police completed a search of the home yesterday in the village of Montferrier-sur-Lez near Montpellier and believe the man has fled, the source said.

Suspect flees French missionaries' rest home after killing

A member of the US military died from his wounds after a blast caused by an improvised explosive device in northern Syria, the US military's central command said.
	The man was wounded by the explosion in the vicinity of Ayn Issa, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, was quoted as saying in a CENTCOM statement yesterday.
	"The entire counter-ISIL Coalition sends our condolences to this hero's family, friends and teammates," Townsend, using another acronym for the Islamic State.
	The victim's identity was not immediately released. The coalition's policy is to defer to the relevant national authorities, the statement said.
	The death came as Americans celebrate their national holiday of Thanksgiving.
	"On this Thanksgiving, please be thankful that there are service members willing to take up the fight to protect our homeland from ISIL's hateful and brutal ideology," Townsend said.

US service member killed in blast in Syria: official

An armed man killed a woman with a knife after bursting into a home for retired missionaries in southern France, sources close to the investigation have said.
	Armed police were hunting the man inside the home in Montferrier-sur-Lez near the city of Montpellier which is home to around 70 men and women who have served as missionaries in Africa. Authorities said it was a "criminal act".

1 killed as armed man bursts into French missionaries' home

An 11-year-old Mexican boy who lives in a northern city plagued by drug violence and shootouts has designed a bullet-proof backpack with a GPS tracker and an alarm system.
	Juan David Hernandez, who lives in Matamoros on the border with the United States, presented his special school gear at a science fair in the state of Tamaulipas, according to local media.
	The bag, which has the words "security backpack" inscribed on the back, weighs five kilogrammes.
	It includes a steel plate to stop projectiles, an emergency alarm, a GPS locator, reflecting lights and a cellphone charger.
	"You never know when a stray bullet can hit you or when you can be in the middle of crossfire, which is why I focused on designing something that could protect me and other students from so many shootings," Hernandez told El Universal newspaper.
	He said students in his class have had to drop on the floor as shootouts broke out outside his school.
	Hernandez estimates the bag could cost between USD 48-USD 72.

Mexican boy designs bullet-proof backpack

Canada's Liberal government introduced a bill to increase voter eligibility, including rolling back a measure that excluded more than one million expatriates from voting in 2015.
	Maryam Monsef, the minister for democratic institutions, told a news conference yesterday that the reforms will "break down unnecessary barriers to voting, while enhancing the efficiency and integrity of our elections."
	The measures do not, however, go as far as the Liberals pledged during the last campaign to revamp the way Canadians vote, by dropping the current first-past-the-post system in favor of a more representational model.
	Those efforts have been met with significant pushback from the opposition which has called for a referendum on proposals, while in polls Canadians showed little appetite for such a drastic change.
	Monsef said she hopes to introduce that legislation in the first half of 2017, while renewing her opposition to holding a referendum.
	"I don't believe that a referendum is the best .

AFP

AFP

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