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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thailand to introduce facial and fingerprint scans for SIM cards nationwide In a bid to combat electronic fraud, Thailand is making biometric checks mandatory for all those obtaining new SIM cards. Authorities say the data will be kept "private and safe." People in Thailand who want to obtain a new SIM card will be required to undergo facial or fingerprint scans as of December 15, the countryʼs telecoms regulator said on Monday. The nationwide rollout of the system follows a successful trial run since June in the capital, Bangkok, and Thailandʼs restive south, where separatist insurgents have carried out many bomb attacks using mobile phones to trigger the explosive devices, the regulator said. However, regulatory official Takorn Tantasith said biometric registration was being introduced nationwide mainly to enhance mobile banking security. "This is not aimed at tracking users, but enhancing security, especially in the case of mobile payments, " Takorn said.

Sicily elects governor in bellwether vote ahead of Italyʼs national election Sicilyʼs regional vote is showing a tight race between the center-right backed by Silvio Berlusconi and the populist Five Star Movement. The election is seen as a rehearsal ahead of Italyʼs national election in 2018. Italyʼs center-right looked set to narrowly win over the countryʼs populist party in Sicilyʼs regional election on Sunday, in a vote viewed as a barometer ahead of a general election next May. Centerright candidate Nello Musumeci looked to have taken around 38 percent of the vote, while Giancarlo Cancelleri of the antiestablishment 5-Star Movement looked to have garnered 36 percent, midday projections showed on Monday. Voter turnout was low at just under 47 percent. Ex-premier Matteo Renziʼs center-left Democratic Party (PD) looks set to garner around 20 percent.

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US, Japan agree that ʼall optionsʼ are on the table North Korea:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed US President Donald Trumpʼs North Korea policy. The two leaders agreed the "era of strategic patience" with North Korea was over and that "all options" were on the table.

Lufthansa reaches for global skies Germanyʼs Lufthansa Group looks set to expand, even as some rival airlines cut back or fall into bankruptcy. It has set its sights on becoming a leading global player. But air travel markets remain fiercely competitive. The end of Air Berlin will continue to change the air transport marketin Germany and Europe. There have already been three failures this year on the Continent. In addition to Air Berlin, which not long ago was the No. 2 airline in Germany, Alitalia filed for insolvency in May, and is currently being kept afloat by means of cash infusions from the Italian state. And in early October, the British holiday airline Monarch Airlines went under. "There will be further consolidation in the coming years," Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr

has said. Thatʼs been his view for a long time. For Lufthansa, Spohr believes, this trend presents an opportunity. What the various insolvencies will mean for the German air travel market wonʼt be known in detail until next summer. Several milestones must be passed before the mists clear. First, the EU competition authorities must approveLufthansaʼs takeover of many of Air Berlinʼs routes. This involves the allocation of starting and landing rights at various airports. Further slots will be allocated at the regular conference of IATA, the International Air Travel Association; these will only enter into force with the upcoming summer schedule, after the end of March. Thereʼs always scope for additional changes before then, Spohr explained on Wednesday.

Self-driving bus starts first route in Germany German railway company Deutsche Bahn has introduced an autonomous bus to drive passengers along a pre-programmed route in Bavaria. In case of an emergency, a human driver can take control with a joystick. The electric vehicle delivered its first passengers on Wednesday in Bad Birnach, Bavaria, starting on its eightminute route from the townʼs hot springs to the central area and the railway station. The EZ10 bus has six places to sit and can take in a further six standing passengers, and the ride is free of charge. Itʼs the first time a self-driving bus has been incorporated in Germanyʼs public trans-

port system. Among the first group to ride the self-driving bus was Richard Lutz, the head of the German railway giant Deutsche Bahn (DB), the company behind the pilot project. "Weʼve just driven, completely autonomously, into a new era of transport," he said in a statement after the first trip. The bus was developed by the French start-up EasyMile. It is equipped with sensors which can detect obstacles and activate brakes.The vehicle moves along a pre-programmed route with its speed initially limited to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) per hour on a road with a 30 kph speed limit. Also, the bus is not yet capable of avoiding obstacles on its own.

Saudi-led coalition blames Iran for Houthi missile attack Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran for committing a possible "act of war" after a missile fired by Yemenʼs Houthi rebels targeted Riyadh. The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is heating up across the Middle East. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen accused Iran on Monday of supplying the ballistic missile that targeted Riyadh, saying it could be considered an act of war. Saturdayʼs missile launchis considered "a blatant act of military aggression by the Iranian regime, and could rise to be considered as an act of war against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the coalition said in a statementon the official Saudi Press Agency. The statement said the kingdom "reserves its right to respond to Iran in the appropriate time and manner." On Saturday evening, Saudi Arabiaʼs air defense forces intercepted a variant of the Volcano-1 ballistic missile fired from Yemen toward the King Khalid International Airport near the capital. No casualties or damage was reported.

Venezuelan opposition leader takes refuge in Chilean embassy Leading opposition figure Freddy Guevara has sought refuge in the Chilean embassy after being blamed by Venezuelaʼs government of fomenting violence. A UN report blames the government for the scores of protester deaths. A leading member of Venezuelaʼs opposition has sought refuge in the Chilean embassy after being threatened with arrest by the countryʼs high court.

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