Rodrygo scored a sensational hat-trick and the fastest two goals in Champions League history on Wednesday as Real Madrid humiliated Galatasaray 6-0.
The 18-year-old had his double after just six minutes and 14 seconds at the Santiago Bernabeu before teeing up Karim Benzema to make it four, after Sergio Ramos had chipped in a penalty.
Benzema then added a fifth late in the second half, leaving Rodrygo to complete his incredible treble in injury-time.
"He doesn't surprise me," said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
"He has a bit of everything. He is intelligent, he learns very fast and wants to learn and improve.
"Physically he has to get better but technically, he knows how to do everything with the ball."
Madrid's emphatic victory means they are virtually qualified from Group A, sitting five points ahead of Club Brugge, even if Paris Saint-Germain who are top look certain to claim first place.
It means Zidane's side will likely be at the mercy of the draw when it comes to the last 16 but .

Rodrygo makes history as Madrid put six past Galatasaray

PTI Automatic

Tens of thousands of Lufthansa passengers faced disruptions Thursday as cabin crew in Germany kicked off a "massive" 48-hour walkout in the biggest escalation yet of a bitter row over pay and conditions.
The strike called by Germany's UFO flight attendants' union was scheduled to start at 2300 GMT on Wednesday and last until 2300 GMT on Friday.
Lufthansa said it was forced to scrap 700 flights on Thursday and some 600 the following day, warning that "around 180,000 passengers will be affected".
The UFO union said the stoppage would impact all Lufthansa departures from German airports.
Last-minute efforts by Germany's largest airline to halt the strike failed after a court in Frankfurt on Wednesday confirmed that the walkout was legal.
Lufthansa said it regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers and stressed that the group's other airlines were not affected.
"We will do everything we can to minimise the impact of this massive strike on our customers," a spokesman told AFP.
The ...

German cabin crew kick off 'massive' Lufthansa strike

Google's parent company Alphabet has confirmed that its board is investigating how executives handled accusations of misconduct including sexual harassment.
"In early 2019, Alphabet's board of directors formed a special litigation committee to consider claims made by shareholders in various lawsuits relating to past workplace conduct," an Alphabet spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday.
The board hired a law firm to help the committee, which was to contact those who filed complaints and scrutinize cases, including one involving the Alphabet chief legal officer, according to a CNBC report citing unspecified material it had seen.
Google in November outlined changes to its handling of sexual misconduct complaints, hoping to calm outrage that triggered a worldwide walkout of workers.
"We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry for that," chief executive Sundar Pichai said at the time in a message to employees, a copy of which was shared 

Alphabet scrutinizing handling of misconduct claims

An undersea volcanic eruption in the Tongan archipelago has sunk one island and created another three times larger, according to a report by geologists released Thursday.
Taaniela Kula, of the Tonga Geological Service, said the new Lateiki island is estimated to be about 100 metres (110 yards) wide and 400 metres long, and is situated about 120 metres west of its submerged predecessor.
It lies between Kao and Late in the Pacific kingdom's northern Ha'apai group of islands.
The upheaval followed an 18-day undersea eruption last month in an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Tonga sits on the notorious Ring of Fire, an area of frequent seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean and which is responsible for about 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes.
In late 2014 the eruption of an undersea volcano created another Tongan island that is now home to plants and birdlife.

Volanic eruption creates new island in Tongan archipelago

An ambush on a convoy transporting employees of a Canadian mining company in Burkina Faso has killed 37 people in the deadliest attack in nearly five years of jihadist violence in the West African country.
The impoverished and politically fragile Sahel country has been struggling to quell a rising jihadist revolt that has claimed hundreds of lives since early 2015.
On Wednesday morning "unidentified armed individuals" ambushed five buses carrying local employees, contractors and suppliers of the Samafo mining company, said Saidou Sanou, the governor of the country's Est Region.
As well as the 37 civilians killed, 60 were wounded, he said.
Mine owner Semafo Inc. said the five buses escorted by the military were approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Boungou gold mine in the Tapoa province when they were ambushed.
A security source said "a military vehicle that was escorting the convoy hit an explosive device".
"Two buses carrying workers were then fired upon," the source told .

37 killed in Burkina Faso's deadliest attack in five years

Two former Twitter employees and a third man have been charged in San Francisco Federal Court with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced.
The two Saudi citizens and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said on Wednesday.

3 charged in US with spying on Twitter users for Saudi Arabia

An attack on a convoy transporting local employees of Canadian mining company Semafo in Burkina Faso left 37 people dead and 60 wounded on Wednesday, a regional governor said.
Saidou Sanou, the governor of Est Region, said in a statement that the ambush by "unidentified armed individuals" took place on Wednesday morning. Mine owner Semafo Inc. had earlier reported that several people had been killed.

37 dead in attack on mine convoy in Burkina Faso: regional governor

A pilot accidentally set off a hijack alarm on a plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday, triggering a huge security operation by Dutch police.
Spanish airline Air Europa "deeply" apologised for the incident on board its flight from the Dutch capital to Madrid, which saw emergency vehicles swarm around the plane.
"False alarm. In the flight Amsterdam-Madrid this afternoon was activated, by mistake, a warning that triggers protocols on hijackings at the airport," the airline tweeted.
"Nothing has happened, all passengers are safe and sound waiting to fly soon. We deeply apologise." The Dutch Royal Military Police had earlier said they were investigating a "suspect situation", but announced an hour later that the passengers and crew were "safely off the plane."
The plane was carrying 27 passengers, Dutch media said.
Pictures from the scene showed police vehicles and ambulances clustered around the plane while parts of the airport were cordoned off by the false alarm.
Schiphol 

Accidental hijack alarm triggers Amsterdam airport chaos

The United Arab Emirates' top legislative body has approved a fourth term in office for reclusive President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, state media reported.
"The Supreme Federal Council of the United Arab Emirates renewed its confidence in His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan... for a fourth mandate of five years, in accordance with the constitution," official news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.
Sheikh Khalifa took over as the UAE's second president in November 2004, succeeding his father as the 16th ruler of  Abu Dhabi, the federation's richest emirate.
The 71-year-old has rarely been seen in public since 2014, when he had surgery following a stroke, although he has continued to issue rulings.
His brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, has been seen as the de facto ruler of the UAE in recent years.
But Sheikh Khalifa was at the helm of the UAE as it began its global rise, with services-oriented Dubai emerging as a global tourism and trade hub and ..

UAE approves fourth mandate for President Sheikh Khalifa

Dutch police said on Wednesday they are investigating a "suspicious incident" on a plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport but that the passengers and crew had disembarked safely.
"Passengers and crew are safely off the plane," the Royal Military Police, which deals with ports and airports, said on Twitter without giving further details.
"Investigation on site continues." The police service had earlier said it was "investigating a suspect situation on board a plane at Schiphol."
Dutch television station NOS said that it had involved a possible hijacking, without giving its sources, adding that the captain of the plane had pressed a hijacking alarm.  The plane was carrying 27 passengers, it said.
The airport had declared a "serious situation that can have a major impact on the population", the Dutch news agency ANP reported.

Dutch police say passengers 'safe' after Amsterdam plane incident

US President Donald Trump has said he had hosted successful talks in the White House with representatives of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on a controversial dam being built on the Nile.
Trump was mediating in a dispute over Ethiopia's construction of the huge dam which Egypt says could drastically disrupt the Nile, the river providing 90 per cent of the country's drinking water.
Ethiopia says the USD 4 billion hydro-electric barrage is necessary to provide much-needed electricity.
"Just had a meeting with top representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to help solve their long running dispute on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, one of the largest in the world," Trump tweeted on Wednesday.
"The meeting went well and discussions will continue during the day!" he added.
A US official said in October that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had asked Trump to get involved in the dispute when they met in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The Nile is a lifeline ...

Trump says talks on controversial Nile dam 'went well'

An attack on a Canadian mining convoy busing local employees and others to the Boungou gold mine in Burkina Faso has left several people dead, mine owner SEMAFO Inc. said Wednesday.
The military-escorted buses were approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the mine when they were ambushed, resulting in "several fatalities and injuries," the company said in a statement.

'Fatalities' in Burkina Faso attack on Canadian mine convoy: company

Is Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn worse than Brexit? That is the belief of many British-based billionaires who are reportedly thinking of packing their bags should the veteran socialist win power next month.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose right-wing Conservative government is seeking re-election on December 12, has this week slammed left-winger Corbyn's "visceral" hatred of capitalism and compared him to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
The leader of Britain's main opposition party has vowed to redistribute wealth to address inequality and renationalise assets, but his policies are widely regarded as unfriendly towards business and the rich.
"Clients, on the whole, appear more concerned about Jeremy Corbyn than about Brexit," said John Hill, a chartered financial planner at London-based asset management firm Saunderson House.
The Guardian newspaper, citing lawyers and accountants working for some of Britain's richest families, reported meanwhile that many people were plotting to 

Ultra-rich threaten to bail on Britain if Corbyn wins

Eight people, including four tourists, were wounded in a knife attack on Wednesday at the famed archeological site of Jerash in northern Jordan, a security spokesman told AFP.
Four tourists -- three Mexicans and a Swiss woman -- were wounded, along with a Jordanian tour guide and a security officer who tried to stop the assailant, public security directorate spokesman Amer Sartawi said.
"The assailant was immediately arrested," the security directorate said in a statement.
The motive for the attack, which took place around noon (1000 GMT) at the Roman ruins of Jerash, a popular attraction 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital Amman, remains unknown, Sartawi added.
A source in the security services, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the attacker was identified as 22-year-old Moustafa Abourouis and that he "came from the Palestinian refugee camp of Souf".
The Souf camp, located not far from Jerash, was established in 1967 to shelter Palestinians fleeing the West Bank and the Gaza .

Four tourists among 8 wounded in Jordan stabbing

The leader of Greece's notorious neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn on Wednesday denied any responsibility for the murder of an anti-fascist rapper, in the politician's first appearance at a long-running trial involving dozens of defendants.
Nikos Michaloliakos is one of nearly 70 defendants, who each face between five to 20 years in prison over the 2013 killing of rapper Pavlos Fyssas and other alleged crimes by Golden Dawn members.
"I wish to declare my innocence of the charges, which are a result of a political plot," Michaloliakos told the trial, which has already been going on for four years.
The main charge against them is participation in a criminal organisation, in addition to a host of other indictments related to murder and assault.
"There is no criminal organisation... I gave no order to murder. It's all a pack of lies," said the 61-year-old mathematician.
Michaloliakos is accused of instigating a wave of violence that culminated in the fatal stabbing of 34-year-old Fyssas, a ...

Greek neo-Nazi chief pleads innocence in murder trial

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has resigned amid an internal probe into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday.
"A short while ago, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, informed the secretary-general that he was resigning, effective immediately," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing.
The UN earlier announced Krahenbuhl had been placed on administrative leave, to be replaced on an interim basis by the agency's acting deputy chief Christian Saunders.
An internal ethics report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the UN agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after the United States suspended and later cut all its funding for it in 2018.
UN investigators have been probing the allegations in the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
The report describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, ...

Head of UN Palestinian agency resigns amid ethics probe

Pangolins are under threat from illegal trafficking networks, conservationists said Wednesday, as they urged southern African countries to step up protection of one of the world's most smuggled mammals.
Around 100,000 pangolins are plucked from the wild each year in Africa and Asia, according to conservation group WildAid.
The flesh of these endangered scaled mammals is considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam, where their bones and blood are also used for traditional medicine.
Demand for pangolin scales has exploded over the past decade, with seizures rising from 21 kilogrammes in 2011 (56 pounds) to 68,000 kilogrammes this year, says WildAid.
That trade became illegal when pangolins were placed under full protection from international trade by the wild fauna and flora CITES convention in 2016.  But an EU-funded research project has found that criminal gangs have since tapped into the industry.
"It is vital that we understand and prevent the illicit trade in pangolins before it is .

Pangolins threatened by criminal networks in southern Africa

The EU's incoming president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday chose Romanian MEP Adina Valean to serve on the European Commission, her office said, helping end a long-running saga which has held up formation of the bloc's executive arm.
Valean was chosen after three nominees from Romania's previous Social Democrat-led government had been rejected.
Von der Leyen, who wants her new team to be up and running by December 1, had urged Romania to propose a new EU commissioner "without delay".
Romania's pro-European liberals, after months of uncertainty, won parliamentary approval to form the next government on Monday.
New conservative Prime Minister Ludovic Orban put forward two fresh candidates to break the impasse with the EU;  Valean, 51, and  Siegfried Muresan, both members of the European parliament and of Romania's governing National Liberal Party (PNL).
The PNL is, at the European level, part of the European People's Party (EPP) to which von der Leyen also belongs.
Von der Leyen made 

EU chief chooses Romanian MEP to serve on commission

Cyprus began moves on Wednesday to revoke 26 "golden passports", a minister said, after an investigation into possible violations of the EU member's citizenship-for-investment scheme.
The measures follow an outcry over media reports that family members and allies of Cambodia's strongman premier Hun Sen had used the programme to obtain Cypriot citizenship.
Interior Minister Constantinos Petrides said the cabinet would launch a "process of withdrawal of citizenship" from 26 people, without mentioning their names.
The Mediterranean island's government faced intense pressure after news agency Reuters reported that top Cambodian officials had obtained passports in 2016 and 2017.
Those named include police chief Neth Savoeun, whose force Reuters accused of "arresting Hun Sen's political opponents and violently suppressing anti-government protests".
It also reported that the top cop, his wife Hun Kimleng -- the prime minister's niece -- and their three children were on a US "visa blacklist" .

Cyprus begins moves to revoke 'golden passports'

Iran announced Wednesday another step towards reducing its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, sparking concern by some of the remaining parties to the troubled agreement.
Iran's atomic energy agency said its Fordow plant would begin enriching uranium from midnight (2030 GMT).
"In the coming hours, the process of injecting (uranium hexafluoride) gas into the centrifuges at the Fordow site will be finalised," said agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, quoted in the semi-official news agency ISNA.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency would be present, he added.
The move was Iran's fourth step in a phased suspension of its own commitments in response to US President Donald Trump's abandonment last year of the deal.
Iran had announced Tuesday that it would resume uranium enrichment at the underground plant south of Tehran.
The suspension of enrichment at the Fordow plant was one of the main curbs on its nuclear activities that Iran accepted four years ago in return ..

AFP

AFP

Page 320 - Afp/pti