G7 Summit: Protesters clash with police as Angela Merkel gears up to welcome world leaders

Hundreds of people protesting against the G7 summit clashed with German police on Saturday, 6 June, a day ahead of the meeting of world leaders in the picturesque town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Police used pepper spray to disperse the demonstrators who tried to break a cordon as scuffles broke out. One of the protesters had to be taken away by medical personnel.

While police clearly outnumbered the protesters, Reuters reported that there were around 3,600 people playing drums and shouting slogans against the two-day summit.

One of the protesters was quoted as saying: "I'm protesting because the big financial corporations have too much influence over politics. Poverty isn't being tackled. It is unfair. We could organize our economies much better for the people."

German authorities have deployed around 17,000 police personnel to ensure that the summit is held peacefully. There are 2,000 Austrian police on standby as well, according to Reuters.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will welcome world leaders including Prime Minister David Cameron, Canadian PM Stephen Harper and the heads of France, Italy, Japan, the US and the European Union.

Cameron has said that fight against corruption will top his agenda at the two-day summit.

Russia, which was part of the G8, has been excluded from the body after its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last year.

The meeting will focus on issues such as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, climate change, the fight against pandemics, and the growing violence in Ukraine.

Talks will also be held on Greece's debt repayment to the IMF and the eurozone.

In a major development, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has been invited to the meeting this year to discuss the US-led campaign against Islamic State (Isis) militants in his country and Syria.