World Briefs

China executes 11 members of Myanmar-based syndicate

bangkok: China executed 11 members of a Myanmar-based family crime syndicate that killed 14 Chinese citizens and ran scam and gambling operations worth more than USD 1 billion, authorities said. The Wenzhou city Intermediate People’s Court announced the execution in a statement Thursday morning. It sentenced the 11 people to death in September. They included Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, who the court found led the scam and gambling operations, as well as key group members Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming and Luao Jianzhang. The group filed an appeal that was rejected by the court in November.

Explosions and heavy gunfire heard overnight near Niger’s main airport

niamey: There were loud explosions and heavy gunfire overnight into Thursday morning near the main airport in Niger’s capital of Niamey, residents said.Videos that appear to be from the scene captured loud blasts and the sky glowing following explosions that began around midnight and lasted about two hours in the area of Diori Hamani International Airport, a key military hub for the Nigerien army. The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos that also showed military trucks and fires. Niger has struggled to contain deadly jihadi violence that has battered parts of Africa’s Sahel region, where neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali also are run by military juntas.