Leaders of the G7 countries and their invited guests, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia, are meeting in Hiroshima over the next few days. The likely topics for discussion include the Ukraine conflict, growing Chinese dominance and the threat to Taiwan as well as issues surrounding supply chains and economic and energy security. The prominent attendance of India, a country that chairs the G20 this year, is highlighted as likely to shine a spotlight on the developing world. However, many have asked why the focus of the summit is background noise, rather than on the nuclear threat signaled by North Korea's recent nuclear tests and missile launches.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy's far-right Prime Minister, has dismissed criticism from Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over her stance on LGBTQ+ rights. At a G7 Summit press conference, Meloni claimed that Trudeau had fallen "victim" to "fake news" and propaganda, with the accusations not "correspond[ing] to reality". Last month, Meloni's government told Italian city halls to stop automatically registering both parents in same-sex couples as parents, limiting recognition to only the biological parent. LGBTQ+ rights activists held rallies in opposition to the move, calling it homophobic.
The G7 summit in Hiroshima has ended with discussions focusing on the Ukrainian war and the dominance of China. They also focused on challenges facing developing economies, including Brazil, Vietnam, Comoros and India. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy made headlines during his time the summit. He was present in the session on Ukraine where it was revealed he had spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. His itinerary for the rest of the day included visiting the Peace Memorial Park and the museum in Hiroshima to remember the atomic bombing of the city. Zelenskyy continues to make the rounds of G-7 leaders. Earlier on the second day of the summit, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the president on the margins of the summit for the first time since Russia's invasion of the Ukraine and shared images of their encounter to his Twitter page.
The final day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit has passed in Hiroshima, with delegates including Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelenskyy discussing the war, China’s dominance and the issues faced by the Global South. Joining the leaders were a number of key Asia-Pacific figures such as the Indian, South Korean, Indonesian and Australian prime ministers. The triennial met throughout the summit, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took some time off to visit Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and Museum. President Joe Biden met with Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister for talks. The G7 laid out a common de-risking path on China, while India's Narendra Modi commented that he would “amplify concerns of the Global South” at the summit.
Italian PM Meloni rejects criticism from Trudeau over LGBTQ rights
CBC
23-05-21 02:20
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has dismissed criticism about her government's stance on LGBTQ rights from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit. Trudeau had expressed concern on Canadian television before private talks that he hoped to have with Meloni, but she rejected his remark as inaccurate and the result of "fake news". Meloni's government came under fire earlier this year for urging city halls to stop recognising both parents in same-sex relationships, which activists criticised as homophobic.
The Ukraine conflict was at the forefront of G7 meetings in Hiroshima, Japan, over the weekend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the invitees to the meetings, which discussed China's growing dominance and issues affecting the so-called "Global South." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed the need for a "resilient and diversified" approach to supply chains, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak commented on the summit's significance for consolidating peace. Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for the issue of nuclear weapons to be discussed openly, and said it was "historically significant" for the G7 leaders visiting the Peace Memorial Museum to publish a focus on nuclear disarmament – known as the Hiroshima Vision. The G7 summit heralded a number of warm bilateral meetings, concluding with talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the conflict on Sunday afternoon.
The Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan has ended, with discussions centring around the Ukraine war, China’s growing dominance and support for the “Global South”. According to a communique, the G7 nations have agreed to support public-private initiatives to swerve China's “belt and road” initiative, to implement measures to counter state-backed “malicious cyber activities”, and to decarbonise energy systems by the end of the century. The G7 also signed a declaration committing to the protection of international maritime regulations, including the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes, navigation rights, and safety along sea lanes. G7 leaders expressed concern over the situation in the East and South China seas. The summit also saw the invitees from Indonesia, South Korea, India and Australia discuss issues such as Ebola, the impact of Brexit, terrorism and trade. President Zelenskyy of Ukraine was in the spotlight throughout the summit.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to back the recovery of areas in northern Italy damaged by recent floods which are estimated to have cause damage costing billions of euros and left 14 people dead. Speaking after touring areas around the city of Ravenna, Meloni, who left the G7 summit early to visit affected areas, stated that she would find the resources needed to aid recovery efforts and may call upon the European Union's Solidarity Fund. Agricultural regions, including fruit producers, have also been badly affected.
The differential between Greek and Italian government bond yields has widened to its highest level since 1999 after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis secured an election victory. Investors believe Athens is now less risky than Rome. Interest payments for 10-year benchmark Greek debt fell by more than 0.15 percentage points to 3.85% on Monday, reflecting the positive response to Mitsotakis just missing out on securing a parliamentary majority. The move means the spread on Italian bond yields above Greek bond yields is at its widest level since at least 1999.
Freezers at Italian frozen food firm Orogel are being used to store ancient books and documents damaged in the flooding of northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. Volunteers have transported the centuries-old manuscripts and other precious papers, some of which date back to the 16th century, to an industrial-size freezers provided by Orogel. Ripe fruit and vegetables are quickly frozen to preserve their quality and this method may also be effective for the preservation of the literary heritage, according to Orogel's president, Bruno Piraccini.
Top Manta, a Barcelona-based cooperative that represents mostly migrant and undocumented vendors selling trinkets and toys on the streets of the city, has been chosen as the theme for Catalonia and the Balearic Islands’ entry to the Venice Biennale on architecture. Run by the Ramon Llull Institute, the theme of this year’s biennale is The Laboratory of the Future, and is focused on Africa. The stand is in two parts: the first, a marketplace, depicts the journey of the African diaspora and the hardships of the migration process and the second is a workshop based on reusing empty shops and buildings for new housing models.
Leve’s Eva Serrats says that the project aims to bring African values of sustainability and communality into the conversation about how we live. “The proposal, from an architectural point of view, is knowing how to live. For example, they have a lot more experience of cooperative living than we do, of communal spaces and communal eating – which doesn’t have to imply poverty – and of using one space to do many things, which also brings life to the street.”
However, some may question the ethics of giving illegal manteros such a recognised place at the Venice Biennale, noting that prior to forming the Top Manta cooperative, street vendors sold low-cost copies of branded shoes and bags, infringing copyright laws. Daniel Cid, of Leve Productora, said that the ethical debate is immaterial. "The question isn’t what they have to do to survive, but why we allow such conditions to exist.”
Private equity group EQT has hired Francesco Starace, the ex-chief of Italian utility Enel, to lead its renewable energy investments globally from June. Starace said climate change denial would not prevent politicians "converging" on decarbonisation. International investors had seen Starace's removal as a setback for Enel's transition plans. Starace grew the utility, which had debts of €60bn ($72bn) in 2019, into one of the world's largest renewable energy producers in his nine years at the helm. EQT's core infrastructure fund, seeking to tap businesses in energy transition and digitalisation, is raising funds for a €21bn investment programme.
German charity Mare\*Go has disobeyed Italy's new right-wing government's rules on migrant disembarkation, by taking 36 migrants it picked up on Thursday to the island of Lampedusa instead of the Sicilian port of Trapani, as required by regulation. The charity said the Trapani port was 32 hours away and that the ship was not equipped to give the rescued people adequate care during the time needed to traverse that distance. The Italian Parliament passed a law earlier this year under which charity-run ships carrying out rescues of migrants in the Mediterranean must head to port without delay following a rescue.
Despite warnings that deglobalisation would make it harder to move goods and people around the world, liberalisation has proved to be more steadfast than many predicted, according to writer Janan Ganesh. Writing in the Financial Times, he argues that despite labour shortages and price hikes, the freedom to travel and buy imported goods has not ended. Ganesh claims democracy has a vital role, adding “while the rich can always buy their way out of life’s little frictions, I am a your upper-middle-income globalist. I am more exposed to events. Yet the worst I have endured is that a beloved chaise longue took some time to arrive from the port of LA. As hardship goes, this isn’t the Spartan agōge [lifestyle]."
The governor of Italy's Lazio region has received criticism for withdrawing administration support for Rome's pride parade, saying that it could not be associated with events "aimed at promoting illegal conduct". The region had planned to sponsor the event after organisers argued that government action to criminalise surrogacy sought overseas by Italian citizens was in violation of civil rights. Mario Colamarino, a spokesperson for Pride, claimed Lazio's president had withdrawn support following pressure from the Catholic anti-abortion group ProVita. Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League and a junior member of Italy's government, also welcomed the move on his Instagram.
The leaders of Italy and the Netherlands, along with the EU Commission president, are visiting Tunisia to discuss initiatives to help create security and stability in the North African country. The talks will centre on making progress on an EU-Tunisia agreement focused on the economy, energy and migration. Tunisia has appealed for economic help, and the country has been negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $1.9bn loan agreement. The country is currently experiencing its worst crisis in a generation, with inflation hovering around 11% and food scarce.
The leader of Italy's Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, is proving popular in western Europe, thanks to her perceived success in her tough handling of uncontrolled immigration, among other issues. Her energy and determination, combined with a refreshing new approach that some consider "egalitarian," has endeared her to politicians and voters alike, including those in Tunisia and Libya. Meloni is known for her traditional mainstream conservative views, and her willingness to tackle difficult issues like migration with diplomacy, and could provide a blueprint for other western leaders to follow.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been admitted to a Milan hospital for an unconfirmed reason. Berlusconi was previously treated at the San Raffaele Hospital for a lung infection and chronic leukemia. The 86 year old holds a seat in the Italian Senate and is part of Premier Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition but does not have any Cabinet posts.
Tunisia's president, Kais Saied, has said that his country will not be Europe’s border guard and will not deal with the EU's migration crisis. This comes ahead of a meeting with Italian and Dutch prime ministers, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who are offering financial assistance to Tunisia, including pledging to attempt to unblock an IMF rescue package. Italy hopes to persuade Tunisia to agree to a Turkey-style partnership, allowing Rome to deport migrants who do not qualify for asylum to the country, which has taken over from Libya as a primary source of people smuggling.
The EU has proposed a deal with Tunisia, reportedly worth €1bn, to help resolve the influx of migrants attempting to travel towards Europe, either through crossing the Mediterranean or via Libya. The potential deal aims to tackle people smuggling and boost the nation's economy, with the EU offering €900m in assistance and another €150m in budgetary support. Additionally, the EU will provide Tunisia with €100m specifically to mitigate illegal immigration and control its borders, as well as carrying out search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. The deal could be signed in a few weeks if agreed upon by both parties.
