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Tag: G7

  • Opinion | The Truth About the War in Sudan

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    Khartoum, Sudan

    Sudan is a country with a long memory: Our history stretches back to the biblical Kingdom of Kush, one of Africa’s greatest civilizations. The war now waged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia is unlike anything we’ve ever faced. It is tearing the fabric of our society, uprooting millions, and placing the entire region at risk. Even so, Sudanese look to allies in the region and in Washington with hope. Sudan is fighting not only for its survival, but for a just peace that can only be achieved with the support of partners who recognize the truth of how the war began and what is required to end it.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Abdel Fattah al-Burhan

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  • Joe Biden, 81, appears to FREEZE again – before Barack Obama comes to his rescue

    Joe Biden, 81, appears to FREEZE again – before Barack Obama comes to his rescue

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    PRESIDENT Joe Biden appeared to freeze on stage again before Barack Obama rushed to his rescue and ushered him away.

    The 81-year-old US President was pulled off the stage by his former boss as questions continue to swirl over his health ahead of elections.

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    Joe Biden could be seen grinning motionlessly for a few secondsCredit: X
    Barack Obama then tugged the US president by his sleeve to snap him out of his state

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    Barack Obama then tugged the US president by his sleeve to snap him out of his stateCredit: X
    The two politicians walked off the stage together as Obama patted Joe's back

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    The two politicians walked off the stage together as Obama patted Joe’s backCredit: X
    Joe Biden appeared at Los Angeles theatre for the Democratic Party fundraiser

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    Joe Biden appeared at Los Angeles theatre for the Democratic Party fundraiserCredit: Reuters

    Biden, alongside Obama, appeared at a star-studded fundraiser for the Democratic party on Saturday as he gears up for his re-election campaign.

    As they received an ovation from the crowd at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Biden appeared to be motionless as he blankly stared into the distance.

    Meanwhile, Obama waved and smiled at the cheering audience before gently tugging the current president by his sleeve.

    As if woken up from sleep, Biden suddenly snapped out of his state and walked off the stage, accompanied by the former US leader.

    Obama could be seen patting Sleepy Joe on the back as he whispered something in his ear before both disappeared behind the curtains.

    This is just one of the latest bizarre incidents which sparked health rumours as Americans are preparing to head to the polls.

    It comes just days after elderly Biden wandered off from global powerhouse leaders as they set to get a group photo at the G7 summit.

    The worrying footage caught Biden turning his back on fellow world leaders as he appeared static while looking in the completely wrong direction.

    He was only shepherded back towards the group, which included the UK’s Rishi Sunak, by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.

    Earlier this week, Biden appeared to freeze again for a moment during a Juneteenth celebration at the White House.

    Doddery Biden is ‘the worst he’s ever been’ as video shows him shuffling away from leaders, say G7 insiders

    Footage shared by the RNC Research group showed Biden grinning while Vice President Kamala Harris and members of George Floyd’s family danced.

    He looked zoned out at the event – sparking further concern just months before the presidential election.

    Another viral clip showed a tired-looking Biden drinking what looked like Gatorade.

    The president then gave a rambling speech which wasn’t coherent at some points.

    Is US President in a fit state to lead world?

    By Harry Cole, political editor

    WE need to talk about Joe Biden.

    The White House has been trying to hide it for months, but here in Italy it was clear the elderly leader of the free world is not in a good way.

    The annual G7 gathering for once actually achieved more than warm words, but the unprecedented $50billion (£39billion) seizure of Russian assets to aid Ukraine will not be why Puglia ’24 will be remembered.

    “It’s the worst he’s ever been,” one seasoned diplomatic source whispered to me yesterday, and the whole world can see it now.

    Questions about the lucidity of the most powerful man in the world have been bubbling around for years, but on the eve of the US elections they have exploded.

    On the fringes of the summit, hushed discussions are taking place about Biden, 81, and his worrying lack of mental clarity.

    Another insider told me that while the President had at times shown sharpness during meetings, he also appeared to display a troubling loss of “focus” and concentration.

    But it was the moment that the Italian PM Giorgia Meloni put on a skydiving display for her fellow world leaders on the luxury Borgo Egnazia estate that the penny finally dropped . . . 

    Has the Commander in Chief gone gaga?

    This gem of olive groves on the Adriatic coast, nestled in Italy’s heel, used to be most famous for Justin Timberlake’s 2012 wedding.

    Now it could go down in history as the place where the West realised the game was up for Sleepy Joe.

    Meloni’s photo op show of unity and military prowess was quickly overshadowed when Biden decided to turn his back on the G7 group as they clapped for each parachute jumper displaying a national flag.

    He stood grinning for a few seconds before deciding to shuffle away from the powerful pack.

    After taking several small and limbering steps he began to talk to someone and offered them a thumbs-up.

    The other leaders stood watching the President with puzzled looks on their faces.

    Emmanuel MacronRishi Sunak and Giorgia Meloni stared in his direction before catching each other’s eye with a knowing glance.

    Quick-thinking Meloni then made a beeline for the President before tugging on Biden’s arm.

    By this point the President was facing in the total opposite direction, with his back to everyone else, clearly not sticking to the script.

    As if helping a confused elderly relative, Meloni gently shepherded Biden back towards the photographers, as the rest of the G7 leaders all made an obvious movement to surround the befuddled-looking Joe.

    As all fixed smiles and looked towards the cameras, Biden then decided to slowly put on his shades.

    The White House quickly went into full spin mode, attempting to say a viral video of the moment had been edited.

    But they know the truth, and have had to stop their boss walking alone, instead flanking him with aides to try to disguise his physical frailty.

    Biden’s stroppy press secretary, Andrew Bates, claimed his boss was simply congratulating a diver on the floor who was collecting his things.

    He went on to blame the “desperate” media for using “an artificially narrow frame” to make Biden look bad.

    When quizzed, Rishi Sunak tried to put on a brave face yesterday morning, repeating the line that the President was just “being very polite” in thanking the jumpers.

    The PM claimed his key ally “just went over to kind of talk to all of them individually”.

    He told me: “As far as I know, he went over to talk to some of the parachute jumpers and say thank you or hello to them.”

    But the video, from whatever angle you watch it, shows a different story.

    And people have eyes, and their own minds, to make up.

    “The day reminds us that we have a helluva lot more work to do. Let’s keep marching. Let’s keep the faith,” Biden told the crowds in one moment.

    The Democrat’s term has been plagued with gaffes and blunders.

    He has fallen up the stairs of Air Force One and has stumbled on countless occasions.

    Last year, Biden took a tumble at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony.

    In February, Biden confused the leaders of Mexico and Egypt while delivering a rambling address to the nation after it emerged he wouldn’t face criminal charges over storing secret docs.

    Last week, Biden seemed to fumble for his seat while on stage with the Macrons and his wife, Jill, at a D-Day event – but there was no chair behind him.

    Doubts are still lingering over Biden’s competency for the second term.

    And polling suggests Biden’s re-election bid could be tricky.

    ON A KNIFE-EDGE

    Real Clear Politics polling suggests Donald Trump would win the election if it were held tomorrow.

    Trump has leads over his rival in all seven battleground states that will decide who ends up in the White House.

    The brash tycoon leads by more than five points in North Carolina and Nevada.

    Trump’s lead is more slender in the likes of Wisconsin and Michigan – states which Biden won in 2020.

    Trump has had a polling lead for months – despite the four indictments leveled against him and being convicted of falsifying business documents.

    And, Biden’s job approval is lower than what Trump’s, Obama’s, and George W. Bush’s were at this stage of their respective presidencies.

    Biden’s approval ratings have not been above water since August 2021.

    The vast majority of Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.

    Sleepy Joe was saved by his former boss from the embarrassing blunder

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    Sleepy Joe was saved by his former boss from the embarrassing blunderCredit: Reuters
    The fundraiser was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and attended by Barack Obama

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    The fundraiser was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and attended by Barack ObamaCredit: Reuters

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    Aiya Zhussupova

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  • Biden says in Hiroshima press conference that Republicans must ‘move from their extreme positions’ on debt limit

    Biden says in Hiroshima press conference that Republicans must ‘move from their extreme positions’ on debt limit

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    President Joe Biden on Sunday called for Republicans to agree to compromises in debt-ceiling negotiations, as he wrapped up a visit to Japan for a G-7 summit and prepared to fly back to Washington, D.C.

    “Now it’s time for the other side to move from their extreme positions, because much of what they’ve already proposed is simply, quite frankly, unacceptable,” Biden said during a news conference in Japan.

    “It’s time for Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal to be made solely — solely — on their partisan terms. They have to move, as well,” he said.

    Biden’s comments on movement were similar to what House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said two days ago. The House Republican from south-central California told reporters on Friday that there needs to be “movement by the White House, and we don’t have any movement yet, so, yeah, we’ve got to pause.”

    Rep. Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican deputized by McCarthy to lead the talks, had earlier Friday characterized Republicans as pressing a pause button after prior reports that a deal framework was coming into view, 

    The president’s remarks in Hiroshima came as investors are watching for fresh signs of a bipartisan deal that would lift the federal government’s borrowing limit and prevent a market-shaking default.

    Biden accused some Republicans of risking the economic damage of a default because of the 2024 White House race.

    “I think there are some MAGA Republicans in the House who know the damage that it would do to the economy, and because I am president and presidents are responsible for everything, Biden would take the blame, and that’s the one way to make sure Biden is not re-elected,” he said.

    During Sunday’s news conference, Biden, who cut short his trip because of the looming debt-ceiling crisis (leading to the cancellation of a Quad summit in Australia), said he and McCarthy will be talking later Sunday while he is flying back to the U.S.

    “My guess is he’s going to want to deal directly with me,” the president said, adding that it had to do with “making sure we’re on the same page.”

    “Our teams are going to continue working,” Biden also said.

    When asked about McCarthy’s call for government spending to be less next year than this year, Biden said his side is “willing to cut spending, as well as raise revenue,” referring to tax increases. He also said his team is waiting for a GOP response to the White House’s latest counterproposal.

    Graves, the Louisiana Republican, had, with his Friday-morning characterization of debt-ceiling negotiations as at a “pause,” suggested the Biden White House’s representatives were being “unreasonable.” Talks resumed Friday evening, but negotiators quickly called it quits for the night, and there was little progress reported Saturday, with McCarthy telling reporters that he didn’t think there would be an ability to “move forward until the president can get back.”

    Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on May 1 and again last week that a U.S. default could happen as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling. The Bipartisan Policy Center and Congressional Budget Office have each offered similar projections.

    Biden had for months called for a so-called clean increase of the $31.4 trillion cap on federal debt issuance, arguing that the time to address the levels of future government spending is instead during the annual budget-writing process.

    In August 2011, lawmakers approved an increase to the debt limit just hours before a potential government default. Within days, the U.S. lost its triple-A credit rating from S&P for the first time in history, with the ratings agency saying the American political system had become less stable. U.S. stocks 
    SPX,
    -0.14%

    DJIA,
    -0.33%

    plunged in August 2011 following that debt downgrade by S&P.

    Now read:

    Debt-ceiling standoff: Here’s what could go into a bipartisan deal

    Biden expresses confidence on achieving debt-ceiling deal: ‘America will not default’

    ‘Doomsday machine’: Here’s what could happen if the debt ceiling is breached

    Ukraine’s Zelensky takes part in G-7 summit n Hiroshima as world leaders sanction Russia

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  • Biden says in Hiroshima press conference that Republicans must ‘move from their extreme positions’ on debt limit

    Biden says in Hiroshima press conference that Republicans must ‘move from their extreme positions’ on debt limit

    [ad_1]

    President Joe Biden on Sunday called for Republicans to agree to compromises in debt-ceiling negotiations, as he wrapped up a visit to Japan for a G-7 summit and prepared to fly back to Washington, D.C.

    “Now it’s time for the other side to move from their extreme positions, because much of what they’ve already proposed is simply, quite frankly, unacceptable,” Biden said during a news conference in Japan.

    “It’s time for Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal to be made solely — solely — on their partisan terms. They have to move, as well,” he said.

    Biden’s comments on movement were similar to what House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said two days ago. The House Republican from south-central California told reporters on Friday that there needs to be “movement by the White House, and we don’t have any movement yet, so, yeah, we’ve got to pause.”

    Rep. Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican deputized by McCarthy to lead the talks, had earlier Friday characterized Republicans as pressing a pause button after prior reports that a deal framework was coming into view, 

    The president’s remarks in Hiroshima came as investors are watching for fresh signs of a bipartisan deal that would lift the federal government’s borrowing limit and prevent a market-shaking default.

    Biden accused some Republicans of risking the economic damage of a default because of the 2024 White House race.

    “I think there are some MAGA Republicans in the House who know the damage that it would do to the economy, and because I am president and presidents are responsible for everything, Biden would take the blame, and that’s the one way to make sure Biden is not re-elected,” he said.

    During Sunday’s news conference, Biden, who cut short his trip because of the looming debt-ceiling crisis (leading to the cancellation of a Quad summit in Australia), said he and McCarthy will be talking later Sunday while he is flying back to the U.S.

    “My guess is he’s going to want to deal directly with me,” the president said, adding that it had to do with “making sure we’re on the same page.”

    “Our teams are going to continue working,” Biden also said.

    When asked about McCarthy’s call for government spending to be less next year than this year, Biden said his side is “willing to cut spending, as well as raise revenue,” referring to tax increases. He also said his team is waiting for a GOP response to the White House’s latest counterproposal.

    Graves, the Louisiana Republican, had, with his Friday-morning characterization of debt-ceiling negotiations as at a “pause,” suggested the Biden White House’s representatives were being “unreasonable.” Talks resumed Friday evening, but negotiators quickly called it quits for the night, and there was little progress reported Saturday, with McCarthy telling reporters that he didn’t think there would be an ability to “move forward until the president can get back.”

    Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on May 1 and again last week that a U.S. default could happen as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling. The Bipartisan Policy Center and Congressional Budget Office have each offered similar projections.

    Biden had for months called for a so-called clean increase of the $31.4 trillion cap on federal debt issuance, arguing that the time to address the levels of future government spending is instead during the annual budget-writing process.

    In August 2011, lawmakers approved an increase to the debt limit just hours before a potential government default. Within days, the U.S. lost its triple-A credit rating from S&P for the first time in history, with the ratings agency saying the American political system had become less stable. U.S. stocks 
    SPX,
    -0.14%

    DJIA,
    -0.33%

    plunged in August 2011 following that debt downgrade by S&P.

    Now read:

    Debt-ceiling standoff: Here’s what could go into a bipartisan deal

    Biden expresses confidence on achieving debt-ceiling deal: ‘America will not default’

    ‘Doomsday machine’: Here’s what could happen if the debt ceiling is breached

    Ukraine’s Zelensky takes part in G-7 summit n Hiroshima as world leaders sanction Russia

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  • EU and US to pledge joint action over China

    EU and US to pledge joint action over China

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    BRUSSELS, May 13 (Reuters) – Washington and the EU will pledge joint action to tackle concerns focused on China about non-market practices and coordinate their export controls on semiconductors and other goods at a meeting this month, a draft statement showed.

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and other senior officials are due to meet for the fourth edition of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Lulea, Sweden, on May 30-31.

    The draft statement seen by Reuters said the two sides would address non-market practices and economic coercion, and aim to hold regular talks on efforts to stop their companies’ knowledge linked to outbound investment supporting technologies of strategic rivals – an oblique reference to China.

    They will also coordinate on their export controls on “sensitive items” – including goods that have a military use – and semiconductors, said the statement, which only mentions China twice and could still be changed before the meeting.

    Brussels says it considers China a partner in some fields, an economic competitor and a strategic rival. The European Union plans to recalibrate its China policy, recognising coordination with a more hawkish United States is essential.

    Highlighting the medical devices sector in China, the document said the transatlantic partners are “exploring possible actions” over the threat posed by non-market policies and practices.

    They also aim to cooperate on efforts to counter foreign manipulation of information, including “China’s amplification of Russian disinformation narratives about the war” in Ukraine.

    The two sides also said they were committed to working with the G7 to coordinate action to counteract acts of economic coercion, such as the trade restrictions the EU says China has imposed on EU member Lithuania.

    Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop
    Editing by Helen Popper

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • EXCLUSIVE G7 coalition has agreed to set fixed price for Russian oil -sources

    EXCLUSIVE G7 coalition has agreed to set fixed price for Russian oil -sources

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    WASHINGTON/LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) – The Group of Seven rich nations and Australia have agreed to set a fixed price when they finalize a price cap on Russian oil later this month, rather than adopting a floating rate, sources said on Thursday.

    U.S. officials and G7 countries have been in intense negotiations in recent weeks over the unprecedented plan to put a price cap on sea-borne oil shipments, which is scheduled to take effect on Dec. 5 – to ensure EU and U.S. sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow’s ability to fund its invasion of Ukraine do not throttle the global oil market.

    “The Coalition has agreed the price cap will be a fixed price that will be reviewed regularly rather than a discount to an index,” said a coalition source, who was not authorized to speak publicly. “This will increase market stability and simplify compliance to minimize the burden on market participants.”

    The initial price itself has not been set, but should be in coming weeks, multiple sources said. Coalition partners agreed to regularly review the fixed price and revise it as needed, the source said, without disclosing further details.

    Pegging the price as a discount to some index would have resulted in too much volatility and potential price swings, the source added.

    The coalition worried that a floating price pegged below the Brent international benchmark might enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to game the mechanism by reducing supply, a second source with knowledge of the discussions said.

    Putin could benefit from a floating price system because the price for his country’s oil would also rise if Brent spiked due to a cut in oil from Russia, one of the world’s largest petroleum producers. The downside of the agreed fixed price system is that it will require more meetings of the coalition and bureaucracy to review it regularly, the source said.

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other G7 officials argue the price cap, set to begin Dec. 5 on crude and Feb. 5 on oil products, will squeeze funding to Russia without cutting supply to consumers. Russia has said it will refuse to ship oil to countries that set price caps.

    Shipping services are eager to see more details about the G7 plan which is due to take effect in a month.

    A steady price cap could enable insurers to more confidently roll over contracts and initiate new ones without fear that the price could be adjusted by the countries buying Russian oil, which could have potentially exposed insurers to sanctions.

    No immediate comment was available from Treasury or the embassies of coalition members, which include the G7 rich nations, the European Union and Australia.

    Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the United States and its allies had agreed on further details on which sales of Russian oil will face the price cap.

    Each load of seaborne Russian oil will only be subject to the price cap when first sold to a buyer on land, the countries determined. Reuters could not immediately verify the report which cited people familiar with the matter.

    Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Timothy Gardner in Washington and Noah Browning in London; editing by Heather Timmons and Matthew Lewis

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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