Six In The Morning Sunday 26 September 2021

 

Germany votes: Projections suggest election is too close to call

The center-left Social Democrats lead the conservative CDU/CSU bloc by 0.2%, according to initial projected results. In such a tight race, the possibilities for a coalition are still unclear.

The first projected results are in for Germany's 2021 federal election, with the the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) on 24.9%, narrowly ahead of the center-right Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party (CDU/CSU) on 24.7%

The environmentalist Greens were in third position on 14.8%. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) were on 11.3%, just ahead of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) on 11.2%. The socialist Left party is on 5%.

Assad the outcast being sold to the west as key to peace in Middle East

After 10 years of bloodshed, foreign allies are seeking to rehabilitate the Syrian leader

Martin Chulov in Qamishli, Syria

Sun 26 Sep 2021 08.00 BST

For almost a decade he was a pariah who struggled to get a meeting abroad or even to assert himself on his visitors. Largely alone in his palace, save for trusted aides, Bashar al-Assad presided over a broken state whose few friends demanded a humiliating price for their protection, and weren’t afraid to show it.

During regular trips to Syria, Vladimir Putin arranged meetings at Russian bases, forcing Assad to trail behind him at functions. Iran too readily imposed its will, often dictating military terms, or sidelining the Syrian leader on decisions that shaped the course of his country.

In the eyes of Beijing, the Quad poses a more menacing threat than Aukus

China initially dismissed the Quad as being of no consequence, but it now appears to pose more of a problem for Beijing than Aukus

Kim Sengupta

The Quad is a “sinister gang” whose members are “four ward mates with four different diseases” who “will become cannon fodder” if they dare to take on China, warned Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party in Beijing.

The ire expressed in the editorial was focused on the first in-person summit between the leaders of the so-called “gang”: the US, Japan, India and Australia, at the White House. The US president, Joe Biden, continued the newspaper, is putting “America first” even more than the former president, Donald Trump.

The last meeting of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), held virtually in March, announced the delivery of a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to countries in Asia by the end of 2022. On this occasion, however, China and its aggressive policies is the main issue on the agenda. The group poses, strategically and militarily, more of a problem for Beijing than the much publicised Aukus agreement between Australia,

Erdogan: Turkey could buy more Russian S-400s despite US warnings

Turkish president says Ankara considering acquiring more of the Russian defence systems in defiance of US objections.

Turkey’s leader says his country is considering buying a second Russian missile system despite strong objections by NATO ally the United States.

In an interview with American broadcaster CBS News, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would make decisions on its defence systems independently.

Freed from Canada, Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou hailed as hero upon return to China

By Nectar Gan, CNN

Updated 0651 GMT (1451 HKT) September 26, 2021

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who spent nearly three years in house arrest in Canada, returned home late Saturday, ending a prolonged extradition fight with the United States and sparking an outburst of national pride in China, where her release has been portrayed as a diplomatic victory for Beijing.

Meng, who was wanted by US federal prosecutors for fraud charges related to alleged Iran sanction violations, was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018. Beijing has called it a political arrest by the former Trump administration, and repeatedly demanded she be released.

Her legal battle strained relations between China, the United States and Canada, especially after Beijing detained two Canadians following Meng's arrest -- a move widely interpreted as political retaliation.

Sudan: Ethiopian troops 'repelled' after al-Fashaga advance

Sudan says it has repelled an attempted "incursion" by Ethiopian troops into its territory.

The head of the Sudanese military, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said this showed how the army was protecting the country after last week's coup attempt.

In its statement, Sudan said the incident happened in the district of Umm Barakit.

Ethiopia's military has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.

But al-Jazeera quotes Ethiopian government sources as saying: "We deny the movement of our forces on the Sudanese border or their incursion into any area."