WATCH: The 2025 G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Spelled Out
Article content
As world leaders gather in Alberta from June 15 to 17, this episode of Spelled Out breaks down what the G7 actually is, why it matters, and what to watch for this year. Reporter Bill Kaufmann sets the scene for the three days of meetings in Kananaskis, about one hour west of Calgary, looking at the impact of everything from the war in Ukraine to AI, climate change, and the return of Donald Trump.
Article content
Article content
Article content
What is the G7?
Article content
The G7 is a club of the world's richest democracies: the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada. The European Union also takes part.
Article content
It started in the 1970s, during a time of global economic chaos, as a way to figure out how to keep the global economy steady.
Article content
And for half a century, they've been meeting every year, discussing everything from trade to terrorism to tech.
Article content
The 2025 agenda is packed: economic recovery, climate change, AI, the digital transition, and of course, the war in Ukraine.
Article content
Article content
But what makes this summit especially unpredictable is the return of U.S. President Donald Trump. He's known for challenging traditional alliances and for bringing plenty of drama to global forums.
Article content
Zelenskyy is pushing for tougher sanctions on Russia and more weapons and aid for Ukraine but that could rub Trump the wrong way, given his reluctance to escalate pressure on Moscow.
Article content
Article content
While a lot of the action happens in front of the cameras, much of the work can take place on the sidelines.
Article content
At summits like this, leaders break off into smaller, private meetings — sometimes one-on-one. These quiet moments are often where real deals and negotiations happen.
Article content
Most of the area around the summit site in Kananaskis is closed to the public. Designated protest zones are set up in Calgary and Banff, where over 1,400 journalists will be reporting from an international media centre.
Article content
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Mark Carney's challenge will be finding shared goals for G7 leaders
OTTAWA — A rapidly escalating war in the Middle East and threats by Russia to exact revenge on Ukraine have thrust global security on the front burner of looming talks for the world's top leaders. A G7 summit turns not just on the star power of the leaders who show up — and this year all eyes are on U.S. President Donald Trump — but it especially turns on the geopolitical moment in which it is held.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Marines temporarily detain man while guarding LA federal building
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shortly after they began guarding a Los Angeles federal building Friday, U.S. Marines detained a man who had walked onto the property and did not immediately hear their commands to stop. The brief detention marked the first time federal troops have detained a civilian since they were deployed to the nation's second-largest city by President Donald Trump in response to protests over the administration's immigration arrests. The Marines were activated earlier this week but began their duties Friday. The man, Marcos Leao, was later released without charges and said the Marines were just doing their jobs. A U.S. Army North spokesperson said the troops have the authority to temporarily detain people under specific circumstances. He said those detentions end when the person can be transferred to 'appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel.' Leao's detention shows how the troops' deployment is putting them closer to carrying out law enforcement actions. Already, National Guard soldiers have been providing security on raids as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown. Leao, a former Army combat engineer, said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment when he stepped past a piece of caution tape outside the federal building. He looked up to find a Marine sprinting toward him. 'I had my headphones in, so I didn't hear them,' Leao said. 'They told me to get down on the ground. I basically complied with everything they were saying.' Leao was placed in zip ties and held for more than two hours by the Marines and members of the National Guard, he said. After Los Angeles police arrived, he was released without charges, he said. The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'I didn't know it was going to be this intense here,' he said later. A U.S. official told the AP that a civilian had stepped over the line. He was warned they would take him down and they did, according to the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. About 200 Marines out of the 700 deployed arrived in the city Friday, joining 2,000 members of the National Guard that have been stationed outside federal buildings this week in Los Angeles. Another 2,000 Guard members were notified of deployment earlier this week. Before the unusual deployment, the Pentagon scrambled to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil. The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, the military has said. But the use of the active-duty forces still raises difficult questions. 'I believe that this is an inevitable precursor of things yet to come when you put troops with guns right next to civilians who are doing whatever they do,' said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps. prosecutor and military judge. He said it's an example of Trump's attempt to unravel the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars active-duty forces from conducting law enforcement. ___ Watson reported from San Diego and Baldor from Washington.
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Israel gets help shooting down Iranian missiles from U.S. air defense systems, destroyer
WASHINGTON — American air defense systems and a Navy destroyer helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles Friday that Tehran launched in response to Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and top military leaders, U.S. officials said. The U.S. has both ground-based Patriot missile defense systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems in the Middle East capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, which Iran fired in multiple barrages in retaliation for Israel's initial attack. A Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea also shot down Iranian missiles heading toward Israel, one official said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to assault key facilities and kill top generals and scientists — a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon. Iran retaliated late Friday by unleashing scores of ballistic missiles on Israel, where explosions flared in the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below. In a second round of attacks, sirens and explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, could be heard booming in the sky over Jerusalem early Saturday. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by the earlier wave of missiles, to head to shelter. Israel's paramedic services said 34 people were wounded in the barrage on the Tel Aviv area, including a woman who was critically injured after being trapped under rubble. In Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, an Associated Press journalist saw burned out cars and at least three damaged houses, including one where the front was nearly entirely torn away. The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to the strikes. The Navy directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea toward the eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward so it can be available if requested by the White House, U.S. officials said. American fighter jets also are patrolling the sky in the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and air bases in the region are taking additional security precautions, the officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public or to discuss ongoing operations. President Donald Trump met with his National Security Council principals Friday to discuss options. The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily depart regional bases, in anticipation of the strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran. Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a U.S. official. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The Navy has additional assets that it could surge to the Middle East if needed, particularly its aircraft carriers and the warships that sail with them. The USS Carl Vinson is in the Arabian Sea — the only aircraft carrier in the region. The carrier USS Nimitz is in the Indo-Pacific and could be directed toward the Middle East if needed, and the USS George Washington just left its port in Japan and could also be directed to the region if so ordered, one of the officials said. Then-President Joe Biden initially surged ships to protect Israel, a close U.S. ally, following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that launched the war in Gaza. It was seen as a deterrent against Hezbollah and Iran at the time. On Oct. 1, 2024, U.S. Navy destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors in defense of Israel as the country came under attack by more than 200 missiles fired by Iran.
