G20: Trump and Putin meet face to face for first time

US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin have met for the first time, shaking hands at the start of a G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
They will hold a longer meeting later, and say they want to repair ties damaged by a crises including Russia's alleged meddling in the US election.
Climate change and trade are set to dominate as the two-day summit opens, with mass protests in the streets.
Clashes at a "Welcome to Hell" rally left 76 police officers injured.
By choosing to hold the summit in Hamburg, Germany's northern hi-tech powerhouse, Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to show mass protests can be tolerated in an open democracy, correspondents say.
The G20, or Group of Twenty, is a summit for 19 countries, both developed and developing, plus the EU.
The individual countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.

What can we expect from the Trump-Putin talks?

The two leaders are due to meet in the afternoon for an hour, Russian media say, though other reports suggest it could be about 30 minutes.
It is unclear if they will speak to reporters afterwards or to what extent media will be admitted to the meeting. After phone calls between the leaders in January and May, the White House and Kremlin released summaries of the conversations.
  • Trump-Putin meeting imagined
  • Donald and Vladimir: How do they compare?
  • What we do know is that the two men have staked out opposing views on major international issues in the run-up to the summit:
    • Setting out his own G20 agenda in German financial newspaper Handelsblatt, Mr Putin called for US-led sanctions, imposed in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, to be lifted on his country
    • Mr Putin also argued strongly in favour of the Paris climate agreement, saying it was a "secure basis for long-term climate regulation" and Russia wanted to make a "comprehensive contribution to its implementation". President Trump, of course, has taken America out of the agreement.
    While there was less mention of Syria, Washington supports some armed opposition groups, while Moscow is the main ally of President Bashar al-Assad, so the potential for a difference of opinion there too is high.
  • Mr Trump's choice of words aimed at Russia in his Warsaw speech suggests he recognises the political danger of being seen as too close to Mr Putin, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says.
    Russian media have low expectations of the meeting with one observer, Fyodor Lukyanov, writing in Rossiyskaya Gazeta: "The main thing is that nothing gets worse".

    Will climate change overshadow the summit?

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged G20 leaders to impress upon Mr Trump that he should act as a role model in addressing climate change.
    "We'll tell him it's important to take a lead role in tackling climate change and creating good jobs," he told German tabloid Bild, according to Reuters news agency.
    Mrs Merkel has said the G20 will focus on the Paris climate deal but, as the G20 host, she will work to find compromises.
    UK Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to challenge President Trump over climate change by saying that the Paris Agreement should not be renegotiated.

    What else is being discussed?

    Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the European Commission, said the EU would respond "immediately and adequately" if the US tried to impose punitive tariffs on European steel imports.
    In a dig at Mr Trump, he said a new EU-Japan trade deal signed on Thursday showed Europeans were not putting up "protectionist walls".
    Mrs Merkel and other EU leaders have expressed their commitment to an open international trading system, while the Trump administration pursues protectionism under the "America First" motto.

    Why are protesters so angry?

    Demonstrators could be seen gathering again in Hamburg on Friday morning, to the beating of drums, as businesses surveyed damage to shop fronts and firefighters hosed down freshly burnt cars.
  • Brick by brick, wall by wall, make the fortress Europe fall," protesters chanted as they marched again.
    The city's squats have long been a base for leftist militants but up to 100,000 people from Hamburg and beyond were expected to gather during the summit to protest against capitalism, war and climate change.
    One protester, Dirk Mirkow, was asked by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle why he was demonstrating.
    "For example because Donald Trump denies climate change," he replied. "And because the richest eight men own as much as a large percentage of the world's population."
    In Thursday's clashes, which continued into the night, police charged at masked protesters at the "Welcome to hell" march, which was attended by 12,000 people.
  • Police fired water cannon and pepper spray at masked protesters, who hurled bottles, stones and flares.
    Medics were seen treating several people. At least one person appeared to have been seriously hurt and was carried away covered by a foil blanket.
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Ashutosh Maharaj: Followers win fight to keep guru in freezer

An Indian court has granted permission for the followers of a long-dead spiritual guru to preserve his body in a freezer.
Ashutosh Maharaj, founder of the sect Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission), died of a suspected heart attack in January 2014.
But his followers insist he is only meditating deeply, and will one day return to life.
They have kept his body in a commercial freezer at his vast ashram in Punjab.
The judgement by Punjab and Haryana High Court ends a three-year-old dispute between the guru's disciples and Dalip Kumar Jha, who claims to be his son.
Mr Jha had sought permission to cremate the guru's body, in line with Hindu rituals.
In rejecting his plea, the court set aside a 2014 judgement that had ordered the guru's cremation after doctors confirmed him clinically dead.
Mr Jha's lawyer told AFP it was unclear whether the court had agreed with the sect's argument that its founder was alive.
Mr Maharaj first established his sect in Jalandhar, Punjab, in 1983, to promote "self-awakening and global peace".
Over years, it attracted millions of followers across the world and amassed properties worth an estimated $120m (£92m) in India, the US, South America, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.
The heavily-guarded 100-acre ashram in Punjab where the guru has been kept is just one sign of his vast financial assets.
Mr Jha has accused the guru's disciples of retaining his body as a ploy to keep control of his wealth.
Shortly after his death in 2014, the guru's spokesman Swami Vishalanand told the BBC: "He is not dead. Medical science does not understand things like yogic science. We will wait and watch. We are confident that he will come back."
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Venezuela National Assembly stormed by Maduro supporters

About 100 government supporters have burst into Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, where they beat up several lawmakers.
Witnesses said the confrontation came after an assembly session to mark the country's Independence Day.
Military police guarding the site stood by as intruders brandishing sticks and pipes broke through the gate, AFP said. The government vowed to investigate.
About 350 people were besieged for hours, the assembly's speaker said.
Julio Borges said on Twitter that 108 journalists, as well as students and visitors, were among those stuck inside.
Mr Borges also named five of the lawmakers injured. Some were taken away for medical treatment.
Venezuela has been shaken by often violent protests in recent months and is in economic crisis.
"This does not hurt as much as seeing every day how we are losing our country," deputy Armando Armas told reporters as he got into an ambulance, his head swathed in bloody bandages.
The US state department condemned the violence, calling it "an assault on the democratic principles cherished by the men and women who struggled for Venezuela's independence 206 years ago today".
Witnesses said several journalists and two assembly staff were also hurt.
Venezuelan newspaper Tal Cual blamed the attack on militias known as "colectivos", and said the group had fired rockets and bangers as they forced their way in.
Its report said some of the deputies attacked "fell to the ground and were kicked".
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed victims of the assault with bleeding head wounds. At least one, believed to be deputy Americo De Grazia, was carried out on a stretcher.
AFP, whose journalists were at the scene, said reporters were ordered to leave by the attackers, one of whom had a gun.
The violence unfolded while President Nicolás Maduro was giving a speech at a government-planned Independence Day military parade elsewhere in the capital.
Before the intruders rushed the building, Vice-President Tareck El Aissami made an impromptu appearance in the congress with the head of the armed forces, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, and ministers.
Mr El Aissami gave a speech urging the president's supporters to come to the legislature to show support for him.
A crowd had been rallying outside the building for several hours before breaking into the grounds.
In a statement via the ministry of communication, the government said it "condemns the alleged acts of violence in the gardens of the Federal Legislative Palace".
"The national government has ordered the investigation of the aforementioned acts of violence to establish the whole truth, and on that basis, to apply sanctions to those responsible," it said.
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What's happening in Venezuela?

  • The country is in a deep economic crisis, made worse by the falling price of oil, which accounts for about 95% of its export revenues and was used to finance some of the government's generous social programmes. Forced to make cuts, Mr Maduro has seen his support fall among core backers
  • Also, as a result of the crisis, parts of Venezuela face severe shortages of basic supplies such as medicine and food
  • The opposition accuses Mr Maduro of not only mismanaging the economy but also eroding the country's democratic institutions
  • In March, the Supreme Court decided it would take over the National Assembly. The decision was reversed, but Mr Maduro was accused by opponents of trying to stage a coup. That sparked almost daily protests calling for his resignation
  • Meanwhile, Mr Maduro says the opposition is trying to overthrow his government illegally, and blames the country's problems on an "economic war" being waged against him
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Venezuela's National Assembly has been led by the opposition since elections in December 2015, and has become a focal point for critics of the president.
Anti-Maduro protesters have staged nationwide street protests against the government over the past three months which have seen violent clashes between demonstrators and the security forces.
At least 90 people have died in the bloodshed, with both political factions blaming each other.

Just hours before the scenes at the National Assembly, Venezuela's attorney general was facing suspension for refusing to appear in court.
The charges filed against Luisa Ortega Díaz came after she challenged President Maduro's reform plans.
She says she is being legally pursued for defying the president, but the Supreme Court, which is dominated by government loyalists, says Ms Ortega has committed serious errors.
Last week, Ms Ortega strongly criticised President Maduro after an incident in which a stolen police helicopter flew over Caracas, dropping grenades and firing shots.
Just hours before the scenes at the National Assembly, Venezuela's attorney general was facing suspension for refusing to appear in court.
The charges filed against Luisa Ortega Díaz came after she challenged President Maduro's reform plans.
She says she is being legally pursued for defying the president, but the Supreme Court, which is dominated by government loyalists, says Ms Ortega has committed serious errors.
Last week, Ms Ortega strongly criticised President Maduro after an incident in which a stolen police helicopter flew over Caracas, dropping grenades and firing shots.
The president called it a "terrorist attack" but Ms Ortega said the country was suffering from "state terrorism".
While Venezuelan security forces later found the abandoned helicopter near the coast, opposition politician and parliamentary speaker Julio Borges said there was a possibility that the incident was a hoax.
On Tuesday, the fugitive policeman who piloted the helicopter, Oscar Pérez, posted a video online saying he was still in Caracas.
He urged Venezuelans to stand firm in the streets in protests against President Maduro.
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North Korea missile: US says it will use military force 'if we must'


The US has said it will use its "considerable military forces" on North Korea "if we must", following Tuesday's long-range missile test.
US ambassador Nikki Haley said a new resolution will also be tabled against Pyongyang at the United Nations.
She described the test as a sharp military escalation and also threatened to use trade restrictions.
The missile launch, the latest in a series of tests, was in defiance of a ban by the UN Security Council.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada said the test was an "unacceptable provocation".
A statement released by the US defence department said the two spoke on the phone, where Gen Mattis said the US was committed to defend Japan and provide deterrence.
Ms Haley said on Wednesday that North Korea's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was "quickly closing off the possibility of a diplomatic solution".
"The United States is prepared to use the full range of our capabilities to defend ourselves, and our allies," she told the UN Security Council, which met for an emergency session to discuss the test.
"One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military forces. We will use them, if we must, but we prefer not to have to go in that direction," she said.
Ms Haley, who said she discussed the issue with the president, said the US could cut off trade with countries which continued to trade with North Korea in violation of UN resolutions.
"We will look at any country that chooses to do business with this outlaw regime," she says.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump criticised China for its trade with North Korea.
Mr Trump has arrived in Warsaw where he is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the second time. He will later travel to Hamburg for the G20 summit, where world leaders are expected to discuss the missile test.

What have other countries said?

The French ambassador told the UN Security Council that France also favours a new resolution on North Korea, which would tighten sanctions.
Russia, which condemned the test, said the possibility of using military measures "should be excluded".
China's representative said North Korea's actions were unacceptable, but also repeated China and Russia's call for all involved to stand down.
They have proposed that while North Korea halts its missile and nuclear programmes, the US and South Korea freezes their joint military exercises and also reverse plans to deploy a controversial anti-missile system in the South.
Both Russia and China are permanent members of the UN Security Council and could veto any new resolution.

What has North Korea said?

Tuesday's launch was North Korea's first-ever test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
State news agency KCNA quoted leader Kim Jong-un as saying the test was a "gift" to the Americans on their independence day.
The report warned of the possibility of more tests, saying he had ordered officials to "frequently send big and small 'gift packages' to the Yankees".
Pyongyang said earlier the Hwasong-14 ICBM had reached an altitude of 2,802km (1,731 miles) and flew 933km for 39 minutes before hitting a target in the sea.
North Korea, it said, was now "a full-fledged nuclear power that has been possessed of the most powerful inter-continental ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world".
But while experts agree that the test shows Pyongyang has a long-range projectile, many are sceptical that its missiles can successfully deliver warheads.
  • A long-range missile usually designed to carry a nuclear warhead
  • The minimum range is 5,500km (3,400 miles), although most fly about 10,000km or more
  • Pyongyang has previously displayed two types of ICBMs: the KN-08, with a range of 11,500km, and the KN-14, with a range of 10,000km, but before 4 July had not claimed to have flight tested an ICBM. It is not clear what differentiates the Hwasong-14
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Europe migrant crisis: EU blamed for 'soaring' death toll


Amnesty International has blamed "failing EU policies" for the soaring death toll among refugees and migrants in the central Mediterranean.
In a report, it said "cynical deals" with Libya consigned thousands to the risk of drowning, rape and torture.
It said the EU was turning a blind eye to abuses in Libyan detention centres, and was mostly leaving it up to sea rescue charities to save migrants.
More than 2,000 people have died in 2017 trying to get to Europe, it said.
The EU has so far made no public comments on Amnesty's report.
It comes as interior ministers from the 28-member bloc are meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, to discuss the migrant crisis.
They will review a $92m (£71m) action plan unveiled by the European Commission to deal with the issue.
The commission proposes to use more than 50% of the funds to boost the Libyan coastguard's capacity to stop traffickers launching boatloads of migrants out to sea to be rescued.
The rest is to help Italy feed, house and process the migrants who get there.
"Rather than acting to save lives and offer protection, European ministers... are shamelessly prioritising reckless deals with Libya in a desperate bid to prevent refugees and migrants from reaching Italy," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty's Europe director.
"European states have progressively turned their backs on a search and rescue strategy that was reducing mortality at sea in favour of one that has seen thousands drown and left desperate men, women and children trapped in Libya, exposed to horrific abuses," he said.
Amnesty's report said measures implemented by the EU to strengthen search and rescue in the central Mediterranean in 2015 had dramatically decreased deaths at sea.
But this priority was short-lived, the document said, adding that the EU later shifted its focus to disrupting smugglers and preventing departures from Libya.
Such practices and an increasing use of unseaworthy boats had made the sea even more unsafe, Amnesty said.
Interceptions by the Libyan coastguard often put refugees and migrants at risk, the rights group warned.
It said that there were serious allegations that coastguard members were colluding with smugglers and abusing migrants.
"If the second half of this year continues as the first and urgent action is not taken, 2017 looks set to become the deadliest year for the deadliest migration route in the world," Mr Dalhuisen said.
"The EU must rethink its co-operation with Libya's woefully dysfunctional coastguard and deploy more vessels where they are desperately needed."
Mr Dalhuisen stressed that "ultimately the only sustainable and humane way to reduce the numbers risking such horrific journeys is to open more safe and legal routes for migrants and refugees to reach Europe".
 note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.
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Apple to scan iPhones for child sex abuse images

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