G7

Britain is urgently looking to reset its trading relationship with the European Union, and sees international commerce as key to reviving U.K. growth, Trade Minister Douglas Alexander has told AFP.

Alexander said Britain's 2016 vote to leave the EU caused "significant disruption" to its trade policy and the country needed to recalibrate its global trade outlook.

Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto (L) welcomes US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin prior to the Group of Seven (G7) Defence Ministers Summit at the Palazzo Reale in Naples, Italy, on Oct. 19, 2024.

G7 defense ministers started talks on Saturday against a backdrop of escalation in the Middle East and mounting pressure on Ukraine as it faces another winter of fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday, part of a whirlwind tour of European capitals aimed at drumming up support from allies ahead of a tough winter.

The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) believe that “it is still possible” to find a diplomatic solution to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, the Italian government said in a press release.

At a summit via teleconference convened by Italy, leaders expressed deep concern over the escalating crisis and condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

The European Union and 12 partner countries have met in Brussels to discuss the effectiveness of Western sanctions on Russia and ways to strengthen the G7 price cap on Russian oil, the EU Commission said on Tuesday.

The EU plans to lend Ukraine 35 billion euros ($39 billion), backed by the revenues of Russian assets frozen in the bloc, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Friday.

At a special ceremony held at our embassy in Rome, the grandson of former Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi presented the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, with an ancient vase donated to his grandfather by the Greek government in 1953.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Italy for the G7 summit, it was not diplomatic meetings that dominated headlines back in India, but the relationship with his Italian counterpart.

"Hello from the 'Melodi' team," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video posted to social media on June 15, waving next to her fellow right-wing leader Modi, beaming a wide grin.

Switzerland is hosting a two-day peace conference focusing on Ukraine at the luxurious alpine resort of Bürgenstock near Lucerne. The conference, titled the "Ukraine Peace Summit," is the first of its kind and will take place today and tomorrow.

World leaders headed to Switzerland on Saturday for a first summit on peace in Ukraine, after Vladimir Putin demanded Kiev effectively surrender if it ultimately wants negotiations with Moscow.