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🇮🇹 G7 convenes in Puglia

🇮🇹 G7 convenes in Puglia

with a big agreement for Ukraine

Billy Robinson
June 14, 2024

Hello!

Today's headlines are dominated by stories of Russia-Ukraine tensions, alongside Armenia's potential withdrawal from the Moscow-led security bloc.

Meanwhile, the Israel-Hizbollah conflict witnesses the largest attack on Northern Israel since the war's onset, while Argentina grapples with violent protests. Additionally, a report highlights allegations that Ethiopia's 2020-2022 conflict in Tigray constituted genocide, potentially carrying profound geopolitical implications for Ethiopia.

More details below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇰🇼 🇸🇦 Kuwait names new Crown Prince, ties with Saudi Arabia strengthened: The appointment of Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as crown prince has been widely celebrated in Kuwait, seen as a historic shift poised to stabilise politics and drive economic reforms. His role includes boosting Kuwait’s regional influence, starting with a diplomatic visit to Jeddah soon after taking office. Analysts and media praise his competence and extensive experience, ushering in a new era amid a political crisis. The move also highlights Kuwait’s intent to strengthen ties with Gulf partners, especially Saudi Arabia, as Sheikh Sabah and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have already committed to enhancing bilateral cooperation.

2️⃣ 🇦🇴 🇧🇼 🇳🇦 🇿🇲 🇿🇼 Southern Africa’s new shared visa policy: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe agreed to a shared visa policy to simplify travel within the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), which spans their borders. This initiative aims to enhance regional economic integration, drawing comparisons to the European Schengen zone, though with notable differences. As China and the United States show increasing interest in Southern Africa, successful regional integration could boost the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states' leverage in the global economy. If history is any guide, this could lead to more favourable economic terms for the region.

3️⃣ 🇨🇳 🇮🇳 🇹🇼 Beijing perturbed by Modi’s Taiwan ties: Taiwan's newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, recently congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the "fast-growing" Taiwan-India partnership. Modi responded by advocating for "closer ties" and a "mutually beneficial economic and technological partnership." Unsurprisingly, this move agitated China, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterating opposition to official interactions between Taiwan and countries that maintain diplomatic relations with China. This exchange underscores the increasing cooperation between India and Taiwan, particularly in technology sectors such as semiconductor chips and mobile device manufacturing.

4️⃣ 🇸🇾 Captagon crisis causing carnage between Syria and its neighbours: Syria is at the heart of a severe and underreported drug crisis as the world's leading producer of captagon, an illegal narcotic. In the Gulf states, captagon is used recreationally by affluent youth, while in Iraq and Libya, it is consumed by those traumatised by war. Captagon production generates an estimated $5.7 billion annually, significantly benefiting Bashar al-Assad's regime and Lebanese group Hizbollah, and accounts for over a quarter of Syria's GDP. The industry thrived after the 2011 Syrian civil war, which led to state control collapse and economic desperation. Weak governance and powerful militant groups in Syria and Lebanon have turned these regions into hubs for drug production and trafficking, concurrently worsening drug crises in neighbouring countries.

5️⃣ 🇭🇺 🇪🇺 Hungary fined by European court for not following asylum laws: The European Union’s top court has fined Hungary 200 million euros ($216 million) and imposed a daily penalty of one million euros ($1.08 million) for not complying with the bloc’s asylum laws and for unlawfully deporting migrants. Hungary’s anti-immigrant government has maintained a strict stance on immigration since over a million refugees and asylum seekers, primarily fleeing the Syrian conflict, entered Europe in 2015. In response, Hungary erected border fences and aggressively sought to prevent entry.

Major Story

🇮🇹 G7 convenes in Puglia, Italy:

Overview

Leaders of advanced economies are preparing for the annual Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Italy amid ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East and increasing competition between the West and China.

The G7, often described as a "like-minded," exclusive, and Western-oriented group, includes the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Britain. The leaders of these countries, along with the chiefs of the European Council and the European Commission, will gather to address pressing global challenges.

Who is attending?

The host country, Italy, can invite additional countries for extended discussions. This year, Italy has invited leaders from Jordan, Ukraine, India, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania.

What is on the agenda?

The agenda includes discussions on Africa, climate change, development, the Middle East, Israel’s war on Gaza, migration, Asia-Pacific issues, and economic security. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to participate in two sessions focused on Ukraine. Other topics include artificial intelligence, energy, and the Mediterranean.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇮🇹 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 G7 Summit sees Ukraine and US sign 10 year security partnership: Joe Biden, speaking at the G7 summit in Puglia, Italy, announced a significant agreement: the G7 leaders will provide Ukraine with an additional $50 billion (£39 billion) from frozen Russian state assets. He praised the breakthrough alongside Ukraine’s president, Volodymr Zelenskiy, noting the conclusion of difficult negotiations with a new 10-year bilateral security pact. However, Biden clarified that US weapons would not be used for strikes deeper into Russia beyond defensive measures against attacks on Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv. “Our position on longer-range strikes into Russia remains unchanged,” he affirmed.

2️⃣ 🇵🇸 🇮🇱 Israel preventing aid from entering Gaza, says new UNRWA statement: The UN agency responsible for Palestinian relief, the primary aid provider in Gaza, has reported frequent obstacles imposed by Israeli authorities that hinder its humanitarian operations in the region. Tamara Alrifai, Unrwa’s director of external relations, highlighted challenges in obtaining permits for aid delivery and navigating Gaza. Despite ongoing communication with Cogat, the Israeli agency overseeing Palestinian territories and aid coordination, Alrifai noted persistent issues including delays in aid delivery and difficulties receiving trucks.