G7 nations announce a unified stance on Israel-Hamas war after intensive meetings in Tokyo
Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial democracies have announced a unified stance on the Israel-Hamas war after intensive meetings in Tokyo, condemning Hamas, supporting Israelโs right to self-defense and calling for โhumanitarian pausesโ to get aid to desperate civilians in Gaza.
Japan, Australia, US to fund undersea cable connection in Micronesia to counter China's influence
Japan has joined the United States and Australia in signing an agreement on a $95 million undersea cable project that will connect East Micronesia island nations to improve networks in the Indo-Pacific region where China is increasingly expanding its influence.
US and UK reject reports of imminent prisoner deal with Iran
The U.S. and the U.K. are dimissing reports coming out of Iran that they are thrashing out a prisoner exchange deal with Tehran that could see the imminent release of a British-Iranian woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and four Americans, among others.
Niger government confirms military coup attempt thwarted
FILE- In this April 4, 2019 file photo, Niger's President Elect Mohamed Bazoum is photographed at a G7 meeting in Paris, France. Niger's government says Wednesday March 31, 2021 that an attempted military coup was thwarted overnight at the presidential palace by security forces. The coup attempt took place just two days before Bazoum's inauguration, raising fears of more violence in the coming days. The coup attempt raises fear of more violence coinciding with newly elected President Mohamed Bazoumโs inauguration on Friday. Several people have been arrested in connection with the coup attempt while โothers linked to the events are being actively sought,โ government spokesman Abdourahmane Zakaria said Wednesday afternoon.
Kremlin: Trump tells Putin about idea for summit with Russia
MOSCOW U.S. President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday to tell him about his proposal to convene an international summit that would involve Russia, the Kremlin said. Trump said Saturday he will postpone until the fall a meeting of the G7 leading industrialized nations that he had planned to hold next month, and plans to invite Russia, Australia, South Korea and India. The Kremlin said Monday that Trump told Putin about his idea, but it didn't offer any details of the discussion or say whether the Russian leader accepted the invitation. The Russian president also congratulated Trump on Saturday's launch of two U.S. astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft built by Elon Musks SpaceX company, the Kremlin readout said. The Kremlin said that Putin and Trump spoke of the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in space and also talked about the need to intensify a U.S.-Russian dialogue on strategic stability and steps to enhance mutual trust in the military sphere.
Brazil will reject $20 million of Amazon fire aid from G7
BRASILIA - Brazil will reject the offer of $20 million in aid for the Amazon fires pledged at the G7 summit in France, according to news site G1 Globo. The blazes in the Amazon have caused a spat between Bolsonaro and French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been vocal about the need for an international response to the fires. At the group's annual summit, in the French resort of Biarritz on Monday, Macron announced it was making $20 million in aid available to help combat the fires. Rebuffing the offer, Lorenzoni continued to criticize the French president. "Brazil is a democratic nation, free and never had colonial or imperialistic practices which might be (the) objective of Frenchman Macron," Lorenzoni added.
Trump has questioned why he must attend G7
Steffen Seibert/German Federal Press OfficeWASHINGTON (CNN) - President Donald Trump departs late Friday for a summit he's questioned is worth his time. But in conversations with aides over the past weeks, Trump has questioned why he must attend, according to people familiar with the conversations. After the past two G7 summits ended acrimoniously, Trump complained about attending a third, saying he didn't view the gathering as a particularly productive use of his time. The G7 represents the world's major economies, and has long been a regular stop on the US President's calendar. Inside the White House, it wasn't clear Trump would commit to attending the this year's G7 until late spring.
Macron: Amazon rainforest fires are 'international crisis'
(CNN) - French President Emmanuel Macron has angered his Brazilian counterpart by calling the wildfires blazing in the Amazon rainforest an "international crisis" that should be on the agenda at the G7 summit in Biarritz. The Amazon rain forest -- the lungs of our planet which produces 20% of our oxygen -- is on fire. Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro blasted Macron's offer as "sensationalist" and accused him of using the fires for "political gain." The Amazon forest also produces about 20% of the world's oxygen and is often called "the planet's lungs." When running for president, Bolsonaro made campaign promises to restore the economy by exploring the Amazon's economic potential.