Vox Sentences: G7 crashers

Vox Sentences: G7 crashers

Michael Kappeler/Picture Alliance/dpa/Getty Images

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The G7 summit comes to an end with more resolutions than divides for the US; Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests turn violent.


G7 summit, featuring surprise guest Iran

 Michael Kappeler/Picture Alliance/dpa/Getty Images
  • The last day of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, concluded — for the most part — with mended ties and expensive promises, even as tensions escalated between the US and other world leaders in the days prior, as well as in the presence of a surprise visitor. [NYT / Peter Baker]
  • French President Emmanuel Macron and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera jointly announced a $20 million rescue package for the Amazon rainforest, which is at risk of “collapsing” following some 41,000 wildfires this year alone. Though President Trump skipped the environment working session in Biarritz, Macron said the US supports the initiative for a long-term solution for the Amazon. [Guardian / Julian Borger and Jonathan Watts]
  • Just three days after referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a US “enemy,” Trump commended him as a “great leader,” asserting his confidence that the two countries will soon restart trade talks. The escalating war on tariffs has already shaken the global financial markets, with some experts fearing it will tip the global economy into a recession. [Reuters / Jeff Mason and Richard Lough]
  • Macron further shook things up this weekend by inviting Iran’s foreign minister to the summit in an effort to reconcile Tehran and Washington. Trump, however, refused to meet with the representative, and strongly criticized the 2015 nuclear deal, which he abandoned last year. [NYT / Peter Baker and Aurelien Breeden]
  • Trump also received further pushback from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Monday rebuffed the US leader’s offer to mediate the Kashmir conflict, saying this is an issue that must be resolved with Pakistan, without third-party involvement. [Malaysia Sun]
  • And while the meeting in Biarritz has just wrapped up, Trump is already hinting at the location of the 2020 summit, which the US is expected to host. Miami, anyone? [CNN / Allie Malloy]

Water cannons and tear gas in Hong Kong

  • Sunday night marked one of the most brutal ones in Hong Kong during the past three months, as police deployed water cannons and tear gas against pro-democracy protesters and fired a live shot for the first time since the protests began in June. [BBC]
  • Of the 36 people arrested on Sunday night, the youngest was just 12 years old. Fifty more people were arrested this weekend. [BBC]
  • China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency published an editorial openly criticizing the administration and saying that Beijing has the authority to ease the agitation, and needs to employ it soon. “If riots happen, the central government has to intervene,” Xinhua said. [Time / Amy Gunia]
  • The Basic Law, Hong Kong’s de facto constitution, which separates it from other Chinese territories, states that its residents have freedoms unavailable to other Chinese citizens, like the right to protest and the right to develop its own democracy. In recent years, though, China has imposed itself over the Basic Law, saying it has “complete jurisdiction” over Hong Kong. [CNN / Tara John]
  • More demonstrations are planned for the near future, including one at the Cathay Pacific Airways headquarters. According to Reuters, Cathay has been the “biggest corporate casualty of the protests” since they emerged. [Reuters / Twinnie Siu]

Miscellaneous

  • To combat the hurricanes that cause major devastation in the American coasts every year, President Trump suggested the US starts nuking them to stop the storms from reaching land. [Axios / Jonathan Swan and Margaret Talev]
  • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flagged the death of a patient in Illinois as a result of vaping. The agency is further investigating some 200 cases of severe lung illnesses that may be linked to long-term effects of vaping. [Engadget / Mariella Moon]
  • Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday announced a $33 billion plan to relocate the nation’s capital from Jakarta, a sinking city with terrible air quality and living conditions, to the island of Borneo, whose rich rainforests are steadily cleared to make way for oil palms. [NYT / Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono]
  • You know it’s back-to-school season when Starbucks unrolls its autumn menu. On Tuesday, the coffee chain will introduce the pumpkin cream cold brew, the first new pumpkin-based drink since the pumpkin spice latte first hit stores in 2003. [CNBC / Amelia Lucas]

Verbatim

“I’m so happy to be with you, so thank you for having me. Sorry, I’m so nervous. I had so much more to say but I’m really very overwhelmed.” [Ariana Grande before her set at Manchester Pride, the first time she visited the city following the 2017 terror attack and the benefit concert she held for the victims / BBC]


Watch this: Why losing a dog is like losing a family member

Their life arc is our life arc — from city to suburb, from tragedy to bliss. [YouTube / Dion Lee and Alvin Chang]


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