World Leaders Land in Hiroshima for G7 Meeting, With Ukraine War High on Agenda
Diplomat
23-05-18 16:50
Leaders from the G7 countries have arrived in Hiroshima for a meeting where Russia's war in Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda. Ahead of talks with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Thursday, US President Joe Biden remarked: "When our countries stand together, we stand stronger, and I believe the whole world is safer when we do.” Discussions regarding the battlefield in Ukraine and the state of play on sanctions are expected. Meanwhile, G7 leaders and guests from countries are also expected to discuss how to deal with the military buildup and growing assertiveness of China.
Brazilian digital lender Nubank has said it considers artificial intelligence (AI) to be a high-priority investment, with the aim of demonstrating the value AI can bring to customers as the firm expands in Latin America. CEO David Velez said the bank's technology focus extends beyond its app, and said he expected customers to communicate with the bank via self-driving cars in the near future. Furthermore, Nubank's co-founder Christina Junqueira said the bank expected to launch digital checking accounts in Colombia by the end of 2023. It also thinks Mexico is a bigger growth opportunity than Brazil right now.
The Ecuadorian President, Guillermo Lasso, has said he has no intention of running in the forthcoming election, and does not care who replaces him. Lasso dissolved the National Assembly, allowing him to govern by decree until August, ahead of elections. The move came just days before the opposition-run Assembly was to vote on impeaching Lasso on charges of embezzlement; on Thursday, the constitutional court upheld the move and the election committee said elections would be held on or near 20 August. Lasso's government had been marked by opposition from the Assembly, largely composed of leftist supporters of the former president Rafael Correa. Lasso has steered Ecuador towards stronger measures on security and infrastructure, and rejects allegations of corruption against him. Critics accuse him of using his executive powers to avert impeachment; however, Lasso said he had made the decision days beforehand and had support from the military.
The world is seeing a rise in "parametric" insurance as developing countries are hit by worsening drought, storms and heatwaves due to climate change. In these schemes, if conditions reach a predetermined threshold beyond which they are considered extreme, there is no need to prove losses as payments to policyholders can be made within a few days. Paramount insurance payouts are on the rise, with Swiss RE reporting a jump of 40% between 2021 and August 2022. Insurance analysts predict the market, currently worth about $11.7bn, could reach $29.3bn by 2031. However, some industry experts question whether such products will be financially viable in the long term, predicting too-frequent payouts would increase premiums. While these type of insurer-backed schemes in developing regions are often still reliant on charities, NGOs, national governments or wealthier nations, there is an aspiration that policyholders one day cover more if not all of the premium. However, the urgency of the situation and frequency of extreme weather events could make that difficult.
The G7 summit, held in Hiroshima, Japan, is focusing on both heightened global economic uncertainty and a new common approach to China. Alongside climate change and artificial intelligence, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has labelled the G7 as the “steering committee of the free world”, underlining the meeting's potential for a generational struggle in a new era of superpower rivalry. The seven countries involved in the summit include the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Italy. During the meeting, members have announced sanctions, including proposals to hit Russia’s diamond business, which has not yet been affected by western restrictions. They confirmed they will provide continued support for Ukraine for “as long as it takes”. Meanwhile, Russia has admitted to “problems” with oil and gas revenues, which have fallen to their lowest level in years, undermining the country’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine.
ExxonMobil has filed an appeal against a ruling made by a Guyanese court which said the company must set aside hundreds of millions of dollars in the event of an oil spill off the country’s coast. It was ordered to obtain independent liability insurance from its subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production, and seek an unlimited guarantee from parent company Exxon Mobil Corporation. The oil giant claimed the court “failed to consider” Exxon’s ability to fulfil its obligations alongside consortium partners Hess Corporation and China National Overseas Offshore Corporation. In December, the consortium began production on its Stabroek Block venture, with daily output expected to soar to 1.2 million barrels by 2027.
Leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) nations have warned China and North Korea about their nuclear arsenals as they focus on the major northeast Asian crises ahead of the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit later on Saturday. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that President Joe Biden and Zelensky would have face-to-face talks at the summit, a day after Biden supported training Ukrainian pilots on US F-16 fighter jets. The move follows earlier decisions by the US to send rocket launcher systems and Abrams tanks to Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression but discouraged attacks by Ukraine into Russian territory. The focus on Asia comes as Japanese military officials confirmed Zelensky’s decision to attend the G7 in person to participate in talks to influence Ukraine’s defence against Russia. Zelensky called for the supply of Western fighter jets to bolster his country’s defences against Russia’s invasion; the jets could become useful in the long-term security of the country.
The search continues for four Indigenous children who were on a small plane that crashed in the Amazon jungle in Colombia on May 1. The three adults on board died, but the children – members of the Uitoto Indigenous community – have not been found, despite local reports contradicting government statements that the children were safe. Concerns have been heightened by reports of mystery finds in the search area, including a baby bottle one day and a pair of scissors the next day, as well as local reports that the children were heading to a village on a riverboat.
Leaders at the G7 summit have warned against North Korea and China’s continued building of their nuclear arsenals. Tensions have risen as China focuses on Taiwan. World leaders warned that China should not "accelerate the build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency…(which) poses a concern to global and regional stability". The summit comes as leaders look to address climate change, poverty, economic instability, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on the sidelines of the event. The US has agreed to train Ukrainian pilots to operate US-made F-16 fighter jets. Previously the US had agreed to supply the Ukrainian military with rocket launcher systems and Abram tanks.
The G7 summit in Hiroshima has seen world leaders focus on NATO's relationship with Russia, increasingly anxious over China's nuclear programme and discuss the future of Ukraine's air force. Leaders gathered at the peace park in Hiroshima, before more serious discussions took place between Western leaders and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The recent clampdown on Russia has seen it become the most sanctioned nation globally, with tightening restrictions; while the latest G7 summit has focused on reducing China's nuclear arsenal and warning North Korea against ballistic missile tests. The G7 also issued joint communiques on climate change, the global economy, AI, poverty and economic instability.
Despite the national ban against abortions under all circumstances and suffocating social and religious opposition, women in remote mountain villages, urban neighborhoods and along the Caribbean coast are terminating pregnancies across Honduras with the help of clandestine networks seeking to make the procedure as safe as possible. Honduras has one of the world’s strictest abortion bans with a constitutional prohibition on terminating pregnancy in all cases, even rape and neighbouting El Salvador and Nicaragua have similar total bans. Activists in the networks use code words, aliases, encrypted messages, burner phones.
Ukraine's President Zelensky headed to Japan to speak with leaders representing the world's most powerful democracies, hoping to bolster international support as they prepare for what is a crucial moment in the war with Russia. Zelensky is attending two sessions in which one will be with the G7 members only to address the war in Ukraine, while the other will include, among other nations, G7 members and will discuss "peace and stability". US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Biden and Zelensky would have direct engagement at the summit. Furthermore, leaders from G7 have rolled out a new wave of global sanctions on Moscow as well as plans to enhance the effectiveness of existing financial penalties meant to constrain President Vladimir Putin.
China has been strengthening its economic relations with Latin America as it seeks to build up a foreign trading network while ties with the US flounder. China is Latin America's second-largest trade partner after the US, with two-way commerce at a record high last year. Here are five ways China has recently made inroads in Latin America: a free-trade agreement with Ecuador; the cancellation of a Taiwanese free-trade agreement with El Salvador; 15 agreements made with Brazil, including the use of yuan to settle exchanges; Argentina's decision to pay for imports in yuan; and initial tariff cuts courted by Nicaragua.
Canadian women are campaigning for gender balance in politics, aiming for more women to stand as party leaders. Canada ranks just 61st globally for women in its national parliament, fewer than European countries, Australia, Britain, and New Zealand. The authors suggest campaigning for gender parity in the style of Canadian suffragettes, using letter-writing, demonstrations, and petitions to highlight the obscurity and lack of diversity in Canadian politics. More women in government means policies better suited to women's needs and improved spending on issues that most affect women. Having constitutional guarantees on equality does not necessarily lead to recognition or change.
The G7 leaders accused China of economic coercion, military expansion, breaches of the Vienna Convention, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. The G7 devoted an entire section about China and mentioned it 20 times. In contrast, the Quad did not mention China at least once in its 3,000-word statement. However, the G7's focus on China demonstrates the Quad's success in achieving its objectives. The Quad countries have diverse interests, but they agree on managing the rise of China. The Quad's campaign has driven awareness of Beijing's ambitions since 2018.
Leaders from the Quad - the US, Japan, India, and Australia - caused the flagship dinner at the G7 summit to be delayed due to an important meeting among the leaders in Hiroshima. The Quad aims to contain China's ambitions, however, the strongest lines on Beijing of this year’s tandem summits did not come from the group, but from the G7. The Quad did not mention China once in its 3000-word statement, while the G7 devoted an entire section to Beijing and mentioned China 20 times, accusing China of distorting the global economy, human rights abuses, and enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine by not condemning it.
Ukraine has denied claims by Russia that it has captured Bakhmut, a key battle city in Ukraine’s east, despite Russian president Vladimir Putin congratulating his troops on the alleged capture. Kyiv has denied the city had been captured, and it was suggested that there was confusion on 22 May amid reports that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to have confirmed the city had been captured by Russia while speaking at the G7 summit, but his spokesman later clarified that he had not said so. Speaking alongside US President Joe Biden in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelensky said the Russians had destroyed "everything" in Bakhmut. "You have to understand that there is nothing," he added. "For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing in this place."
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had posed with fighters on Saturday after claiming to have captured the city. Ukraine denied the city had been taken but said the situation was “critical”. but warned that the situation was "critical". However, it has emerged that Ukrainian troops are partly encircling Bakhmut in the form of a semi-circle and still hold a part of the city, with its deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar saying that Ukrainian troops are continuing their advances along Bakhmut’s outskirts and are still defending industrial and infrastructure facilities in Bakhmut as well as a private sector of the city.
Russia and Ukraine have been in conflict since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, with fighting breaking out in the east of Ukraine between Ukrainian troops and separatists backed by Moscow. Russian troops have been regularly accused of supporting the rebels in the conflict and tensions have remained high since a ceasefire was agreed in July 2020, with several border skirmishes taking place, a build-up of Russian forces near the Ukraine border and Russia's annexation of Crimea.
The G7 summit in Japan's Hiroshima was dismissed as an "anti-Russian" and "anti-Chinese" event that undermines global stability by Russia's Foreign Ministry. Moscow accused the G7 of increasing "hysteria", rather than contributing to the resolution of conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present at the Hiroshima summit as a guest, speaking to attendees about what members could do to support Kyiv as it continues its war with Russia.
At least 12 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a stampede at a soccer match in El Salvador. The incident happened after fans were prevented from entering a quarterfinal between Alianza and Fas, and then broke down a stadium gate. A crush developed in the ensuing chaos, with reports of some fans being smothered, and others getting trapped under the metal gate.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will call for South American countries to have a larger say at multilateral organisations like the UN during a visit to the region. Delivering a keynote speech in Santiago celebrating 200 years of UK-South American relations, Cleverly will tell audiences that the “tectonic plates of world politics are shifting once again” and argue that South America should have a permanent seat on the UN’s Security Council. Cleverly will visit Chile, Colombia and Brazil as part of his diplomatic mission.
