Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

With tighter grip, Beijing sends message to Hong Kong tycoons: fall in line

As Beijing seeks to tighten its grip over Hong Kong, it has a new mandate for the city’s powerful property tycoons: pour resources and influence into backing Beijing’s interests, and help solve a potentially destabilising housing shortage. Chinese officials delivered the message in closed meetings this year amid broader efforts to bring the city to heel under a sweeping national security law and make it more “patriotic,” according to three major developers and a Hong Kong government adviser familiar with the talks.

U.N. envoy of ousted Afghan government asks to keep New York seat

The U.N. ambassador representing Afghanistan’s ousted government has asked to remain in the country’s seat at the world body in New York, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday, setting up a showdown if the Taliban tries to appoint their own envoy. Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai signed a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with a list of Afghanistan’s delegation for the General Assembly, Guterres’ spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

After Merkel it’s about ‘lesser evil’ in German election

Call it the Angela Merkel effect. Less than two weeks before a national election many German voters still seem unable to get over the fact that the four-term chancellor is not running. A survey by Allensbach institute https://reut.rs/3z5nOHr for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper showed this week that a record 40% of those planning to vote on Sept. 26 have not yet decided how, with most saying they were just not drawn to any of the contenders.

Attacks on Myanmar telecom towers show evolving tactics in conflict

Around 700,000 people in Myanmar are estimated to have lost internet access after attacks on telecommunication equipment run by Mytel, the partly army-controlled company said amid reports that dozens of its towers were damaged. The explosions have occurred since the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration formed to resist the army’s Feb. 1 coup, declared last week a “people’s defensive war” against the junta.

Putin’s foes accuse Google and Apple of caving to Kremlin pressure

Russian opposition activists accused Alphabet’s Google and Apple of caving to Kremlin pressure on Friday after the U.S. tech giants removed an anti-government tactical voting app from their stores on the first day of a parliamentary election. The app, devised by allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, gives people detailed recommendations on who to vote for in an effort to thwart the ruling United Russia party which supports President Vladimir Putin.

All eyes on turnout as Canada’s tight election campaign enters final days

As Canada’s election race enters its final weekend, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is redoubling efforts to motivate supporters, knowing his bid for re-election on Monday could be doomed by low turnout. Recent opinion polls show Trudeau’s Liberals neck and neck with the opposition Conservatives led by Erin O’Toole, suggesting that getting out the vote will be crucial.

U.S. paves way for more sanctions over Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict

The United States on Friday paved the way for further sanctions to be imposed on parties to the conflict in northern Ethiopia, where thousands have been killed and millions are in need of humanitarian assistance. A new executive order allows Washington to take punitive action against those in the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Amhara regional government if they continue to pursue military conflict over negotiations, senior U.S. administration officials said.

World needs to spend another $100 trln on U.N. fight against global woes – report

Global goals tackling poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change face a $100 trillion funding shortfall and are likely to be missed unless 10% of global economic output is directed to the U.N. targets every year to 2030, a report on Friday said. The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals set targets on everything from the environment to health and equality and have the support of all member states, yet the supply of finance from governments, investors, banks and companies to help meet them has consistently fallen short.

N.Korea accuses U.S. of double standards on missiles, hampering talks

North Korea’s state media accused the United States on Friday of double standards over military activities and pursuing a hostile policy towards Pyongyang that was hampering the restart of talks on the country’s nuclear weapons and missile programmes. The commentary comes after North Korea and South Korea both test fired ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the latest move in an arms race in which both nations have been developing increasingly sophisticated weapons.

Income disparity, pandemic in focus as race for next Japan premier kicks off

Candidates vying to become Japan’s next prime minister promised to restore popular trust in the ruling party by tackling income disparity, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change as they launched campaigns on Friday. Vaccine minister Taro Kono, widely seen as the leading contender to the win the Sept. 29 race to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), picked up an endorsement from outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)