World leaders at Angela Merkel’s summit in Schloss Elmau will discuss an eyewatering array of subjects, not least of them the food and entertainment 
 
 When Angela Merkel gathers six other world leaders in a Bavarian castle for G7 talks, they will face a heavy agenda, with 26 hours to cover everything from climate change and foreign trade to plastic waste and female empowerment. 
 
 
 
 During the weekend there will be some opera to lighten the load, performed by a star singer flown in for the occasion, as well as spectacular Alpine scenery to help inspire Merkel and her guests as they try to come up with solutions for some of the world’s most pressing problems in their 1,000-metre-high mountain retreat. 
 
 More than 17,000 police dotted throughout the surrounding thick forests and below in the valley have the job of protecting the leaders of Germany, France, Britain, Japan, Canada, Italy and the United States from terrorists – and from the tens of thousands of protesters who are expected to descend on the nearby town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 
 
 The German chancellor has staunchly rejected claims that, at an estimated €200m (£150m) mostly of taxpayers’ money, Sunday’s summit is too expensive as well as lacking in rationale – since countries such as China and India are not involved – and too elitist, the latter view only enhanced by the choice of the heavily guarded Schloss Elmau castle, 60 miles south of Munich, as the venue. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Demonstrators wearing masks representing world leaders protest against the G7 summit in Munich on Thursday. Photograph: Matthias Schrader/AP 
 
 The costs do not include those that the individual leaders will clock up themselves, which in the case of Barack Obama, who is bringing an entourage of 2,000, will be considerable. 
 
 The protesters in the valley complain that it is an exclusive political club of leading industrial countries, taking place at the expense of those countries who are not invited as well as ordinary citizens. 
 
 But Merkel defended the encounter. “For us what’s important are the consequences of globalisation both at home and in foreign lands, because it’s a process we’d like to happen in a just fashion,” she said. “The G7 seizes on central challenges that have a global relevance and are important for many people.” 
 
 The seriousness with which she is taking the meeting is reflected in the visits she has made before the event, to Ottawa, Washington, London, Paris, Rome and Tokyo, to make clear to her counterparts early on what her expectations are. 
 
 Responsible for preparing the meeting are high-level diplomats known as sherpas (so-called because they guide the leaders to their destinations), scurrying around in last-minute talks trying to hammer out deals on every item, in agreements that will then form communiques. Merkel is only too aware that the results of the gathering have the potential to considerably enhance or sully her legacy. 
 
 The items on the agenda have been thrashed out behind the scenes over the past 18 months or more in intensive discussions, many of which Merkel attended. Certain topics like climate change, energy and the global economy are considered obvious ones for the G7 to tackle. Others, like the crises in Ukraine, Greece, Syria, sanctions against Russia and even the dramatic events unfolding at Fifa, are so pressing they are unavoidable. 
 
 A third category consists of topics that work their way on to the agenda because they are considered particularly important to the current holder of the G7 presidency, in this case Germany and Merkel. In 2015 these include the empowerment of women, health issues such as Ebola, marine pollution, energy efficiency and retail and supply chain standards. 
 
 “We all recall with horror the events in Bangladesh,” Merkel said this week, in reference to the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory near Dhaka in what was the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry, claiming more than 1,000 lives. 
 
 Another item on the agenda that Merkel has indicated is close to her heart – not just as a politician but also as a former research scientist – is the growth of antimicrobial resistance and how it is hampering the efficacy of antibiotics. Merkel has said in off-the-record briefings with journalists that the issue is crying out for a political solution on a global level, and is therefore perfect for the G7. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest More than 17,000 police are charged with protecting the world leaders. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images 
 
 Closely linked to that is the issue of how to tackle the next health epidemic, drawing on the lessons learned from Ebola and Sars and focusing on the growing threat of Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers). The world’s leading experts on these topics, handpicked by Bill Gates at the request of Merkel, were invited for talks with her in Berlin in the weeks leading up to the summit. 
 
 Based on their recommendations, Germany will propose that other G7 leaders sign up to plans to radically reform the World Health Organisationto make it better able to respond to health crises, including the establishment of an emergency medical reserve corps that could rapidly respond to future epidemics. 
 
 “This is a crucial conference for the future of global health,” said Jeremy Farrar, professor of tropical medicine at Oxford University and the director of the Wellcome Trust, who was involved in the pre-summit talks with Merkel. “This is the first time this issue has been at this level of prominence, and it’s largely thanks to Angela Merkel who has really pushed for it and has put her reputation on the line by doing so.” 
 
 But where Merkel’s reputation will arguably be most at stake and where the summit’s biggest sticking point is likely to lie is on climate change and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, an area where, despite past pledges, very little progress has been made since 2008. Ideally this G7 will pave the way for a global climate agreement to be reached at the UN climate conference scheduled for December in Paris. 
 
 But with the US unclear on its stance and Canada and Japan blocking the long-term goal to decarbonise global energy systems, probably no issue is as controversial as this one. 
 
 Germany, with its a reputation as a worldwide pioneer in tackling the energiewende, or switch to renewables, and having in Merkel a leader who has not only served as environment minister but, due to her background as a physicist, is known to thoroughly understand the issues, could give new dynamism to the debate. 
 
 However, Greenpeace said Germany could find itself in the embarrassing position of not fulfilling its own target of reducing greenhouse gas by 40% by 2020. Its huge dependence on coal, and the strong opposition to change from both the coal industry and trade unions, makes the prospect of a phase-out difficult, though environmentalists are holding out hope that Merkel might yet intervene before the summit. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Angela Merkel’s reputation will arguably be most at stake over the topic of climate change and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Photograph: Gero Breloer/AP 
 
 “Merkel has chosen to put this topic high on the agenda of an international meeting, but without making a clear commitment to this domestically she risks losing her reputation as a climate chancellor,” Martin Kaiser, head of international climate politics at Greenpeace, told the Guardian. 
 
 Meanwhile, as the tough negotiating proceeds within the castle walls, the spouses will be provided with their own programme of entertainment. As is traditional, Merkel’s chemistry professor husband, Joachim Sauer, will take on the role of host to the wives of Shinzō Abe of Japan, Stephen Harper of Canada and the European Council president Donald Tusk. He is to lead a sightseeing tour of the region, including the nearby Linderhof palace of the 18th-century “Mad King” Ludwig II of Bavaria, and to a lecture on nanotechnology by the Munich professor Wolfgang Heckl. 
 
 The spouses will also be invited to a musical evening in Schloss Elmau on Sunday when, at the request of Merkel and Sauer, both opera fanatics, the star soprano Waltraud Meier will perform lieder by Richards Strauss and Wagner. 
 
 Overshadowing the event is the absence of Russia. Putin was refused an invitation over the annexation of the Crimea, prompting the meeting’s name change from G8 to G7. 
 
 The scandal surrounding Germany’s intelligence service, the BND, amid claims it spied on EU officials and companies on behalf of the US National Security Agency, has also threatened to sour relations between Merkel and Obama. 
 
 Possibly to ease the tension, both leaders are due to meet for bilateral talks over beer and pretzels on Sunday morning, before the summit. Merkel has said the NSA row will not be on the agenda. 
 
 The nearby village of Krün will host the leaders, prefacing their discussions with a performance by a brass oompah band and dancers in lederhosen and dirndls, in what the mayor has promised will be a “beer garden atmosphere”. 
 
 After that it will be off up to Elmau, where a landing pad for six helicopters has been built at the back of the hotel, which has variously served as a spa resort for Wehrmacht soldiers and a post-war recuperation site for Holocaust survivors. There, among the 300 staff on duty, will be Michelin-starred chefs on alert round the clock to feed leaders as they negotiate well into the night. 
 
 “Considering we only have 24 hours and also need to sleep a little bit in between, it is, I believe, an ambitious agenda,” Merkel told a gathering of foreign journalists this week. “I’m looking forward to some intensive and very friendly discussions.” 
 
 Dear G7, it’s time to put girls and women at the top of your agenda Read more 
 
 Up for discussion: topics at the G7 
 
 The G7 club grew out of a meeting between French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who first met for a quiet fireside chat outside Paris. Now in its 41st year, the event has evolved beyond recognition. Topics for discussion at this year’s summit, which will cost an estimated €150m to €200m, include the global economy – and such matters as TTIP, the free trade agreement between the United States and Europe, the CETA agreement with Canada, and agreements between the United States and Pacific partners, including Japan) – development issues; climate change (with particular focus on the UN climate conference in Paris in December that aims to see an agreement on ensuring global warming does not exceed two degrees); global health, including the fight against antibiotic resistance, neglected tropical diseases in the light of the recent Ebola epidemic and reform of the WHO; female empowerment in the developing world, particularly professional training; and retail and supply chain standards. 
 
 Part of the 26-hour-long gathering will include time spent in “outreach meetings” with guests mainly from Africa, including the presidents of Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Iraq. The main topics of conversation will be the fight against terrorism and, thereafter, health and development goals beyond 2015. Also invited to these discussions are the UN secretary general, the chief of the World Bank, and representatives from the World Trade Organisation, WorldWork, the IMF and the OECD. ||||| TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that Russia should never be allowed back in the Group of 7 as long as Vladimir Putin is president. 
 
 FILE - In this May 2, 2011 file photo Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces a federal election at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Canada. Harper said Thursday, June 4, 2015, Russia should never be allowed... (Associated Press) 
 
 Harper said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that he expects the group won't ever let Putin back in. He made the remarks ahead of his trip to Ukraine and the Group of 7 meeting in Germany this week. 
 
 Harper said even long before the Ukraine crisis, Russia has eroded any basis for belonging to the group of wealthy nations. He also noted that Russia has ramped up long range bomber patrols near North American airspace. The G-7 suspended Russia last year but hasn't ruled out welcoming him back. 
 
 "I don't think Russia under Vladimir Putin belongs in the G7. Period," Harper said. "Canada would very, very strongly oppose Putin ever sitting around that table again. It would require consensus to bring Russia back and that consensus will just not happen." 
 
 The prime minister said Russia is far from like-minded. 
 
 "Russia is more often than not trying deliberately to be a strategic rival, to deliberately counter the good things we're trying to achieve in the world than for no other reason than to just counter them," Harper said. 
 
 Harper said the "mindset of the guy we are dealing with is that the Cold War has never ended and 'I've got to fight to change the ending somehow.'" 
 
 "I don't think there is any way under this leader Russia will ever change," Harper said. 
 
 Putin received a less-than-warm welcome from Harper last November when he approached Harper for a handshake at the G-20 summit in Australia. Harper told Putin: "I guess I'll shake your hand, but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine." 
 
 Asked what Putin's response was, Harper said Putin denied that he was in Ukraine. 
 
 "This is kind of typical Russian foreign policy to just say black is white even though everyone knows the contrary. I think as long as that's the view that they are going to take, that they're just going to treat us like we are all stupid, there really is no point in having a dialogue with them," Harper said. 
 
 The conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated last year when the Kremlin-backed president in Kiev fled amid protests. Pro-Russian separatists moved to take over the strategically important Crimean Peninsula, which Russia later annexed. The West doesn't recognize that move 
 
 Harper noted Russia has ramped up its long-range bomber patrols near North American airspace since the Ukraine conflict started. 
 
 "This is a country that has shown a willingness to invade its neighbors, to actually seize territory that does not belong to it, and so I don't think we should take this escalation of a hostile military posture lightly. It needs to be treated seriously," Harper said. 
 
 A senior Canadian official said Russia has more than doubled its use of long range bomber patrols, including near North American airspace and other Western nations. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said there were 52 Russian patrols last year compared to 23 in each of the previous two years. 
 
 Two Canadian CF-18 fighters intercepted two Russian Tu-95 "Bear" long-range bombers flying off the Canadian coast last December, a day after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko delivered a speech in Parliament in Ottawa thanking Canada for its ongoing support as his country's forces battle pro-Russian separatist rebels. Canada is home to more than 1 million people of Ukrainian descent. 
 
 Harper faces re-election in October. 
 
 Harper also addressed his relations with U.S. President Barack Obama, who has angered Canada for delaying a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline is critical to Canada, which needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil sands production. Harper's adopted home province of Alberta has the world's third largest oil reserves, with 170 billion barrels of proven reserves. 
 
 Allan Gotlieb, Canada's former ambassador in Washington, said earlier this year that he'd never seen the relationship between the two countries so cool. 
 
 "That's ridiculous," said Harper, who noted Canada's former Liberal government had poor relations with President George W. Bush after refusing to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. "That was a period of time where the two leaders weren't even dialoging so no. This is a very close and intimate relationship across a number of files, but this is a significant irritant. 
 
 "I'm convinced the American people will work that out over time." 
 
 Harper said he believes the pipeline will proceed under a different administration if rejected by Obama. ||||| U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting with Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Fellows (YSEALI) at the White House in Washington June 1, 2015. 
 
 WASHINGTON U.S. President Barack Obama will urge European Union leaders to maintain sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine at the upcoming G7 meeting, where he will also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, U.S. officials said. 
 
 Obama arrives in Germany on Sunday for the summit of leaders from the world's top industrial nations. 
 
 He will also hold bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, the officials told reporters in a conference call. 
 
 (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Julia Edwards) ||||| Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share More than 30,000 people on Thursday kicked off protests against a G7 summit starting at the weekend in the southern German state of Bavaria, police said. Video provided by AFP AFP 
 
 Pedestrians walk by a sign advertising a special G-7 welcome discount on June 3, 2015, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in southern Germany. Germany will host the G-7 summit at Elmau Castle on June 7 and June 8. (Photo: AFP) 
 
 WASHINGTON — For a second year in a row, the annual summit of major world economies will exclude Russia when the group's leaders convene Sunday in a German castle. 
 
 The Kremlin's absence from the two-day meeting of the Group of Seven or G-7 underscores a widening East-West split prompted by the conflict in Ukraine. 
 
 A year ago, Russia was to host what was then the G-8. But the other seven members — Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and the USA — bailed to protest Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and its alleged involvement in a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies providing troops, arms or funds to support the separatists, who have been fighting Ukrainian troops. 
 
 This year's host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, told her parliament recently that Moscow's return to the summit is "unimaginable" unless Russia were to "recognize the basic values of international law and act accordingly." 
 
 The German government reiterated that view this week. It said at a briefing in Washington that until Russia takes meaningful steps to implement a cease-fire and peace plan, suspension from the annual summit will almost certainly remain. 
 
 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday that his government's military is preparing for more attacks by Russian-backed separatists. Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in clashes Wednesday. Moscow blamed Kiev for the spike in tensions. 
 
 Separately, the European Union indicated Wednesday that it will extend its broad set of Ukraine-related economic sanctions against Russia in the next few weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported. 
 
 The EU's potential move suggests the United States also would keep its sanctions in place, said Lawrence Ward, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney, a law firm that specializes in U.S. national security law and cross-border trade compliance. 
 
 Caroline Atkinson, the White House's deputy national security adviser for international economics, said Thursday that the sanctions were working and had put Russia's "economy on a completely different (downward) trajectory." 
 
 Russia has largely kept quiet about efforts by world powers to sideline its public diplomacy on the world stage. 
 
 "Russia has come to terms with its exclusion from this elite club," said James Nixey, an expert on Russia at Chatham House, the London-based think tank. "It was a slap in the face at the time, but when you get slapped it stings and then fades." 
 
 That has not stopped Russia from attempting to strike back at the West in other ways. 
 
 In late May, the Kremlin banned 89 European Union officials from entering the country, giving little apparent justification. Around the same time, Russia's parliament passed legislation to crack down on the presence of foreign organizations. 
 
 Nixey questioned whether including Russia as part of the larger G-8 group would necessarily be a constructive one. 
 
 "Russia's voice is often not helpful," he said. "It acts as a spoiler, and it's not acting positively in international affairs wherever you look right now — not just in Ukraine, but in Syria and the Middle East more broadly." 
 
 The meeting — the group's 41st — is a get-together for key international players to discuss economic, security and foreign policy issues. Topping this years agenda beyond the Ukraine conflict: the Islamic State's advances in Iraq and Syria, Greece's debt crisis and the nearly concluded talks with Iran on a nuclear deal. 
 
 There will also be discussions about how to protect the world's marine life, trade, growing public health fears over antibiotic resistance, climate change and development in Africa. 
 
 Putin's office did not return a request for comment on whether Russia is suffering from being excluded from the meeting. 
 
 Ekaterina Zabrovskaya, editor of Russia Direct, a Moscow-based website for opinion and analysis of Russian policy, said it's not a good sign for Ukraine that Russia was expelled from the G-8 because it means there are fewer opportunities for both sides to explain their positions and find some common ground. But it is not as problematic as it sounds. 
 
 "Russia has always considered the G-8 to be about prestige and more of a club," she said. "Being invited back would definitely be a victory for the Kremlin, but I don't think they are worried about rejoining ASAP." 
 
 Zabrovskaya added that the sanctions were counter-productive, not substantially harming Russia's economic elite but rather its ordinary citizens, and they fostered anti-Western, particularly anti-American, sentiment. 
 
 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Obama: G-7 ready to impose more sanctions on Russia | 2:33 In a speech following the G-7 summit, President Obama said if Russia does not end its involvement in Ukraine, the Group of Seven is ready to impose more sanctions. He also addressed threats from the Islamic State and Boko Haram. VPC 1 of 7 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Obama outlines challenges for G7 | 1:49 President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron discuss shared goals for summit in Germany. Meanwhile, G-7 leaders signal united front on upholding Russia sanctions as they open annual summit. (June 7) AP 2 of 7 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Obama, Merkel push G-7 to keep sanctions on Russia | 1:25 In addition to maintaining sanctions against Russia, the White House is urging G-7 allies to support Ukraine's efforts for economic reform. VPC 3 of 7 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Why is Russia The focus of G7 Summit Sans Russia? | 1:14 At a summit in Germany, the G7, formerly the G8, is focusing on its suspended member, Russia, and the country's alleged actions in Ukraine. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 4 of 7 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Obama, Merkel meet ahead of G-7 summit in Germany | 1:22 President Obama received a warm welcome from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and local Bavarians when he arrived in Germany for the G-7 meetings. Protesters filled streets elsewhere in the region through the weekend. VPC 5 of 7 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Obama highlights alliances ahead of G-7 meetings | 0:48 President Obama is calling the current partnership between the U.S. and Germany "one of the strongest alliances the world has ever known." (June 7) AP 6 of 7 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share 2015 G7 SUMMIT IN GERMANY Raw: Activists, police clash ahead of G7 meeting | 1:30 Thousands of demonstrators packed the German Alpine resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Saturday, protesting over a wide range of causes before the arrival of G7 for a two-day summit. (June 6) AP 7 of 7 Last VideoNext Video Obama: G-7 ready to impose more sanctions on Russia 
 
 Obama outlines challenges for G7 
 
 Obama, Merkel push G-7 to keep sanctions on Russia 
 
 Why is Russia The focus of G7 Summit Sans Russia? 
 
 Obama, Merkel meet ahead of G-7 summit in Germany 
 
 Obama highlights alliances ahead of G-7 meetings 
 
 Raw: Activists, police clash ahead of G7 meeting 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1IoolrN ||||| BERLIN (AP) — When Germany last hosted a summit of the world's leading industrialized democracies, Chancellor Angela Merkel was a relative newcomer on the world stage. With less than two years in office she focused on one major theme: the fight against climate change. 
 
 Activists of the international campaigning and advocacy organization ONE installed balloons with portraits of the G-7 heads of state in Munich, Germany, Friday, June 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (Associated Press) 
 
 Activists of the international campaigning and advocacy organization ONE prepare a balloon with a portrait of U.S. President Barack Obama during a protest against the upcoming G-7 summit in Munich, Germany,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Activists of the international campaigning and advocacy organization ONE installed balloons with portraits of the G-7 heads of state in Munich, Germany, Friday, June 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (Associated Press) 
 
 Masks with the faces of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Activists of the international campaigning and advocacy organization ONE installed balloons with portraits of the G-7 heads of state in Munich, Germany, Friday, June 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (Associated Press) 
 
 Heading into this weekend's meeting of what is now the G-7 — after Russia's removal from the club over its actions in Ukraine — Merkel is pursuing a much broader agenda, bolstered by Germany's growing clout and her own increased political prominence. 
 
 "In 2007 Merkel was a world leader, no doubt, but now she's consistently been rated one of the most powerful leaders in the world," said Sudha David-Wilp, Senior Trans-Atlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund think tank. 
 
 "The United States and many other countries recognize Germany to be a leader," she said. "So I think the tone will be different." 
 
 Since the 2007 summit, Germany has successfully weathered the global financial crisis and come out stronger than ever. It has been getting increasingly involved internationally, as one of the key countries involved in trying to resolve the Ukraine crisis, helping to arm Kurdish militias fighting the Islamic State group and serving as a key broker in the negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. 
 
 Climate change is still at the top of Merkel's agenda, but for this year's talks the chancellor says she will pursue an "ambitious agenda" to address a wide range of other issues. These include terrorism, Ukraine, health emergencies like the Ebola outbreak and global economic growth and trade deals. 
 
 "We are going to use the 24 hours that we're together for some very intensive talks over a lot of questions that are affecting the world," Merkel told foreign reporters in Berlin this week. 
 
 The Sunday-Monday summit whose motto is "think ahead, act together," assembles the leaders of Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States in the Schloss Elmau hotel at the base of the Alps, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Munich. 
 
 Bavarian police say they're braced for protests, and have mobilized 17,000 police officers from around the country in the biggest operation in their history. Thirty helicopters will patrol the skies and temporary cells have been built out of shipping containers and installed on a nearby former U.S. military base. Austrian police plan to have 2,000 officers on hand across the nearby border. 
 
 On the climate front, expectations are high. Merkel has indicated that she supports "de-carbonization" — a pledge of zero carbon emissions — and said in an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that Germany and France would make a joint push at the G-7, but at the moment "there is not yet agreement" among the nations. 
 
 Canada and Japan are the biggest holdouts, with the U.S. somewhere in between them and the summit's four European powers. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are the only other two leaders who were also at the 2007 summit in Germany. Going in, Merkel has already weakened her own position by dragging her feet on implementing national measures meant to reduce Germany's reliance on coal. 
 
 A senior German official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief the press ahead of the summit, said Merkel wants to move the discussion of de-carbonization ahead as a long-term goal, and also to provide momentum for climate talks in Paris later this year. 
 
 But Tobias Muenchmeyer, of Greenpeace in Germany, worried that Merkel may be more likely to accept something weaker on climate change if she can find successes elsewhere. 
 
 "I'm realistic enough to see that if she sees that she can't deliver anything meaningful or significant, I could imagine that she would try to hide this by highlighting other issues more," he said. 
 
 Merkel will hold a one-on-one meeting with President Barack Obama on Sunday morning. The two are expected to talk about the negotiations on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States. 
 
 Obama is also pushing to advance the long-negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership, which involves Canada and Japan, and the issue seemed likely to come up at the summit. 
 
 Germany has said that the refinancing of Greece's debt — a major issue facing the European Union — is certain to be discussed but is not on the official agenda. 
 
 In terrorism, Germany has invited the leaders of Iraq, Nigeria and Tunisia to tell the G-7 countries about their own first-hand experiences, and also specify their needs. 
 
 Other security matters include the nuclear negotiations with Iran, the fight against the Islamic State group and maritime security in the South China Sea amid increasingly assertive actions by China. 
 
 Rounding out the agenda will be discussions on what can be done to end hunger and malnourishment, with the focus on concrete goals and programs. 
 
 Even though Merkel is now armed with more experience than in 2007 — and is taking on much more — don't expect a noticeable difference to how she approaches the talks, said David-Wilp. 
 
 "I don't think she takes her power for granted, and is still the very pragmatic person who came to power in 2005," she said. "She's seen as a steady hand in times of crisis and, let's face it, Western powers are seeing a lot of crisis right now." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Frank Jordans in Berlin and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo contributed to this report.
– For the second year in a row, Russia has been left out of the G8, er, G7 summit, which will see President Obama meet with the leaders of Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, and Japan at the Sunday-Monday summit, held at the Schloss Elmau castle, south of Munich. The participating countries called off what was to be last year's G8 summit in Russia in protest of the country's annexation of Crimea. This year's host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, previously said Russia's return is "unimaginable" unless a ceasefire and peace plan can be solidified, USA Today reports. As Canada's Stephen Harper put it to the AP, "I don't think Russia under Vladimir Putin belongs in the G7. Period." A guide to what's planned for this 41st summit and what the Guardian describes as its 26 hours: Merkel plans to pursue an "ambitious agenda" that the Guardian reports was hashed out over 18 months; topics include trade deals, health emergencies like Ebola, Ukraine, female empowerment, marine pollution, and world hunger, report the AP and Guardian. Leaders from Iraq, Nigeria, and Tunisia will serve as guest speakers, describing their domestic experiences with terrorism. But Merkel's main focus is climate change. Germany and France are expected to push for a commitment to zero carbon emissions as a long-term goal, but "there is not yet agreement," Merkel says; Canada and Japan will likely be the toughest to convince, with the US somewhere in the middle of the spectrum on the issue. Reuters reports Obama has an agenda item of his own: pushing EU leaders to keep up sanctions against Russia. In what the AP calls the "biggest operation in their history," Bavarian police say 17,000 officers and 30 helicopters are at the ready in case of protests. The Guardian reports many Germans are displeased at the summit's price tag—roughly $220 million—which is largely covered by taxpayers, as well as its "elitist" nature (the paper points to the absence of China and India). Barack Obama won't be arriving alone: His entourage will be 2,000-strong.