Politics

  Berlin / AFP German Chancellor Angela Merkel said some political developments in Turkey were a source of “great concern” and pledged to address them during a visit to the country on Monday. Merkel said she was ready to discuss “all the important questions” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when they meet in Istanbul on the sidelines of a ...

  NAYPYIDAW /AP US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday urged Myanmar’s new civilian-led government to complete the Southeast Asian nation’s transition to democracy by implementing further reforms to enshrine free markets, development and human rights. Speaking with Myanmar’s foreign minister and de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, after talks in the capital of Naypyidaw, Kerry pledged continuing ...

  AKIU / AP The Group of Seven major economies showed a united front on fighting terrorist financing and tax evasion, but shied away from coordinated action on policies to revive stalling growth. An “action plan” issued after the talks by G7 finance ministers and central bank governors at a hot springs hotel in northern Japan called for increased exchanges ...

  SYDNEY / AP Britain’s possible exit from the European Union took centre stage at a G7 meeting in Japan on Saturday, as UK finance minister George Osborne warned a ‘Brexit’ could doom trade deals with EU countries. The comments came during two days of talks largely focused on how the club of rich nations can stoke the lumbering world ...

  Tokyo / AP Japan’s defence minister travelled to Okinawa to lodge a formal protest with the commander of the US military base there on Saturday after the arrest of a base employee linked to the suspicious death of a local woman. Gen Nakatani’s visit to the island comes just days before a high-profile trip to Japan by US President Barack ...

  New York / AFP Donald Trump’s inflammatory presidential campaign and the prospect of the brash-talking tycoon actually becoming commander-in-chief has left progressive Americans obsessing about one thing: moving to Canada. Stars from Cher to Lena Dunham have declared their intention to head north if the former reality star, famous for insulting Muslims and Mexicans, and under the microscope for ...

United Nations / AFP UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed former Irish President Mary Robinson and Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino and climate. The El Nino weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years, affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding. Its effects can be seen in places like Sudan, where the ...

  Istanbul / AFP Global leaders and key NGOs gather in Istanbul on Monday for an unprecedented UN-backed summit aimed at transforming the world’s response to humanitarian crises, despite scepticism the talks will have little impact. With an estimated 60 million people displaced around the world and conflict and climate change posing a growing risk, there is widespread agreement among ...

Bangladesh / AFP Cyclone Roanu struck the Bangladesh coast on Saturday killing six people and forcing hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes as the storm unleashed strong winds and heavy downpours. Authorities took more than 500,000 people into shelters as the cyclone made landfall just after noon local time (0600 GMT), packing winds as strong as 88 kilometres (54 ...

BEIJING / AP Chinese state media say a strong storm that hammered a southern city has left at least eight people dead and four missing. The official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that all deaths and the missing people were reported in the city of Xinyi, which was hit the hardest by Friday’s storm. The Xinyi government says it is the ...