1. Merkel wants to end membership talks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that she would ask the European Union to call off membership talks with Turkey, amid escalating tensions between Berlin and Ankara.

“I don’t see them ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen,” she said during a televised debate with Martin Schulz, her Social Democratic rival in elections later this month. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused German politicians on Monday of indulging in populism*, but added that he hoped strained relations would improve.

2. US astronaut, crew back on Earth

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and two crewmates made a parachute touchdown* in Kazakhstan on Saturday, capping a career-total 665 days in orbit, a U.S. record.

Whitson, 57, ended an extended stay of more than nine months aboard the International Space Station, a US$100 billion research laboratory that flies about 400 km above Earth.

“I feel great,” the biochemist said during an inflight interview on Monday. “I love working up here. It’s one of the most gratifying jobs I’ve ever had.”

3. Japanese princess to wed commoner

Japan’s Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Japanese Emperor Akihito, will wed a former classmate, the Imperial Household said on Sunday, confirming a marriage that will further deplete* the royal family since she must become a commoner.

The announcement was aired by public broadcaster NHK. Mako is one of only four royal grandchildren. The other three are her younger sister, Kako, her brother, Hisahito, and Crown Prince Naruhito’s daughter, Aiko.

The shrinking royal population, which mirrors the broader aging of Japanese society, has raised concerns that the prince may also be the last.

4. WWII bomb forces evacuation in Frankfurt

At least 60,000 people were forced to leave their homes in central Frankfurt on Sunday, as Germany began an operation to defuse* a huge unexploded World War II bomb dubbed “blockbuster.”

The operation was the biggest evacuation of its kind in post-war Germany, Frankfurt’s security chief Markus Frank said.

The 1.8-ton British bomb, which German media said was nicknamed “Wohnblockknacker” — or blockbuster — for its ability to wipe out whole streets and flatten buildings, was discovered on August 29 during building works.

5. Cambodian opposition leader arrested

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested in a police raid on his home on early Sunday and veteran Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of treason* with the backing of the United States.

The arrest marks an escalation in a campaign against critics, independent media and any potential threats to Hun Sen’s hold on power ahead of an election next year at which Kem Sokha has been expected to be his main challenger. “It’s an act of treason with conspiracy with a foreign country, betraying his own nation. This requires arrest,” Hun Sen said.

6. Body of missing Chinese teacher found

A DNA test of the skeletal remains of a young woman confirmed that they belonged to Wei Qiujie, a Chinese teacher missing in Japan’s northernmost region Hokkaido since July 23, according to the Chinese consulate-general in Sapporo on August 30.

A man who was fishing along the beach at Katsurakoi on August 27, discovered the body that had washed ashore and immediately notified the police, Fuji TV reported. The woman had long hair and was wearing a beige* skirt and white blouse, similar to the clothes Wei was wearing when she was last seen.(SD-Agencies)