News Headlines - 30 October 2016

▽German EU commissioner accused of racism after remarks about Chinese | Reuters

In a speech to businessmen held in Hamburg last week, Guenther Oettinger, the senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party, used the derogatory term Schlitzaugen - slit eyes - to describe people from China and other Asian descent.

▽Iceland elections leave ruling centre-right party in driving seat | The Guardian

Iceland’s incumbent Independence party was in pole position to try to form a new government after voters chose continuity in Saturday’s elections and support for the anti-establishment Pirate party, while sharply up, fell below early expectations.

▽'Rasputin-like' friend of South Korean president returns amid protests | The Guardian

Uncertainty over the future of the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, is expected to intensify after a Rasputin-like figure at the centre of a mounting political crisis returned to Seoul, a day after thousands of protesters called for Park’s resignation.

▽I wouldn't hire James Bond, says real British spy chief | Reuters

Alex Younger said real spies had to cope with complex moral and physical challenges in the most forbidding environments on Earth, which would rule out the agent known as 007 because he lacked a strong ethical core.

▽Italy quake: Aerial footage of devastation - BBC News

Aerial footage shows the damage to villages in central Italy after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake.