The fires are now burning for a fifth straight day on Sunday (Apr 26), threatening a town that has already lost nearly a tenth of its population in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

“We need voices that reflect where our community is going, not just where it has been”, a first-time voter told AFP.

Beijing supports Myanmar “in forging a successful development path that aligns with its national conditions and enjoys the support of its people”, Wang said, according to a Chinese ministry readout on Apr 25.

Police in the southern state of Telangana said that 47 Maoist members “chose to join the mainstream”, adding that “almost all remaining underground key leaders... have now been neutralised”.

Taiwan's government has accused China of pressuring three African states to ‌block overflight permission for President Lai Ching-te.