Politics

  Schwerin / AFP Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party braced for a backlash at state polls on Sunday, while anti-migrant populists are poised for major gains a year after the German leader opened the borders to refugees. Around 1.33 million voters are electing a new regional parliament for the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is also home to Merkel’s constituency Stralsund. ...

  Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping urged world leaders to avoid “empty talk” and confront sluggish economic growth and rising protectionism as their summit opened on Sunday in the scenic city of Hangzhou. Xi welcomed Group of 20 presidents and prime ministers with a handshake, and an extended clasp with Barack Obama, as both men smiled despite protocol stumbles around ...

  Hangzhou / AFP Despite warm relations between Moscow and Beijing, Vladimir Putin brought a chilly gift for his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Sunday: a tub of ice cream. Putin did not divulge the flavour of the frozen gift as he was welcomed by Xi at an official government ...

  Hangzhou / AFP A tarmac tiff between US and Chinese officials over media access highlighted the gap between views on human rights and press freedom, US President Barack Obama said on Sunday after the incident soured the start of a global summit. China’s government minders gave American National Security Advisor Susan Rice and other US officials trouble over press ...

  Hong Kong / AFP Young Hong Kong independence activists calling for a complete break from China stood in major elections for the first time on Sunday, the biggest vote since 2014 pro-democracy rallies. They are fighting for seats in the Legislative Council, or LegCo—Hong Kong’s lawmaking body —as concerns grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous ...

  Manila / AFP The Philippines has asked China to explain the increased presence of Chinese vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the defence secretary said on Sunday, expressing “grave concern”. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a Philippine air force plane saw four Chinese coast guard ships, two barge-like vessels and two suspected troop ...

  Ankara / AFP Turkey on Saturday sent more tanks into the northern Syrian village of al-Rai to fight IS extremists, opening a new front after its intervention last month against the group, state media reported. The tanks crossed into the village from Elbeyli in the Turkish province of Kilis to provide military support to Syrian opposition fighters after ridding northern ...

  London / AFP A reporter for Britain’s Times newspaper who hit the headlines after being kidnapped and shot in Syria said on Saturday that a recent Facebook video appeared to show the gunman was now a US-backed rebel. Anthony Loyd was seized along with photographer Jack Hill in 2014 as they were returning to Turkey after several days working in ...

  Naypyidaw/ AFP Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi concluded a landmark peace summit with ethnic rebels on Saturday, calling it the first step on what promises to be a tough road to peace. The conference in the capital Naypyidaw was Suu Kyi’s first big drive to end ethnic minority insurgencies that have rumbled across Myanmar’s frontier states for nearly seven decades. ...

  Davao / AFP Philippine authorities on Saturday blamed a notorious group of militants for the bombing of a night market in President Rodrigo Duterte’s home town that killed at least 14 people. An improvised explosive device tore through the bustling market in the heart of Davao city and close to one of its top hotels just before 11:00pm (1500 GMT) ...