Hello. Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan has lost her appeal against a death sentence for masterminding the world’s biggest bank fraud. Jonathan Head and Thu Bui have the details. We also bring you stories about Aleppo, Jaguar and Elon Musk, and we unveil the annual BBC 100 Women list, celebrating some of the most inspiring women around the world this year. And finally, a Michelin-starred chef laments the theft of 2,500 pies in the north of England.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Vietnamese tycoon in a race for her life

She can still petition the president for amnesty. Credit: Getty Images

A Vietnamese court has rejected an appeal to reduce Truong My Lan's death sentence to life imprisonment for masterminding the world’s biggest bank fraud. In April, the 68-year-old was found to have secretly controlled Saigon Commercial Bank and taken out loans and cash over more than 10 years through a web of shell companies, amounting to a total of $44bn (£34.5bn). It was a rare and shocking verdict, write South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head and BBC Vietnamese's Thu Bui, as she is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime. According to the law, if she can pay back $9bn her sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment. Her lawyers have argued the death sentence makes it difficult to raise the cash.

• Previous ruling: Eighty-five others were tried with Truong My Lan, including her husband and niece - all of the defendants were found guilty.

• Death penalty: Vietnam is one of 55 countries around the world that allow capital punishment.

• Country profile: What you need to know about Vietnam, a one-party Communist state and one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies.

WORLD HEADLINES

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

BBC 100 Women 2024 honours resilience

The list also highlights climate pioneers who work to help their communities tackle its impacts. Credit: BBC

From facing deadly conflicts and humanitarian crises, to witnessing increased polarisation in a year that saw a record number of elections around the world, women have had to dig deep and find new levels of resilience in 2024. BBC 100 Women celebrates those who are pushing for change, as the world changes around them. 

And finally...

Regular readers will remember a recent story about stolen cheese. Unfortunately, food-focused criminals are at it again. A Michelin-starred chef from northern England says he is "gutted" after sticky fingered thieves stole 2,500 savoury pies destined for a Christmas market. Tommy Banks said the pies, worth £25,000 ($31,650), were stolen with a van in North Yorkshire. "What are they going to do with them?" he asked.