World
G7 Foreign Ministers Agree on Ukraine Policy Amid Tensions Over Trump Tariffs
Despite high tensions between the Trump administration and some of America’s closest allies over tariffs and Ukraine, foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies who were meeting this week in Canada forged common ground in a communiqué that glossed over many of their sharp differences.
Top diplomats from Canada, the host of the gathering, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union meeting at the idyllic resort town of La Malbaie in Charlevoix, Quebec, presented a cautiously united front, notably on Ukraine, a key point of divergence since President Trump took office.
In a statement released on Friday, the group affirmed its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and committed to supporting the “political aspirations” of Israelis and Palestinians, although it did not mention support for a two-state solution.
Reaching some consensus on Ukraine and Russia was considered a feat given Mr. Trump’s public criticism of Kyiv, although the group’s language on the subject was less vehement than in past years.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio found himself among allies in difficult circumstances, especially with his Canadian hosts, who resent Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing their country and turning it into “the 51st state.”
That rhetoric, which loomed over the 48 hours that ministers spent together in Quebec, drew a sharp rebuke from Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, who told reporters on Friday that she had told Mr. Rubio that “Canada’s sovereignty is not up to debate, period.”
“There’s no argument, there’s no conversation about it, there’s no need to talk about it,” she added. “You’re here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you’re in our country, you respect our people. Period.”
Canada has also been more assertive in demanding that allies stand up for its sovereignty, but ministers in Quebec walked a fine line between supporting Canada and avoiding getting on the wrong side of Mr. Trump.
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, and Kaja Kallas, the top European Union diplomat, posted photos of themselves dressed in red and white, Canada’s national colors. “We’ve got your back,” their post, addressed to Ms. Joly, said.
Mr. Trump on Thursday threatened to slap 200 percent tariffs on European Union exports of alcohol, a message that went down badly with France and Italy, the bloc’s major alcohol-exporting nations among the Group of 7.
And more tariffs are looming on April 2, as Mr. Trump has promised a comprehensive reboot in the United States’ trade relationship with the world, applying what he calls “reciprocal” tariffs on trading partners globally.
At the center of the storm was Mr. Rubio, making his first appearance at an international summit since he became Mr. Trump’s top diplomat.
It was an awkward assignment for Mr. Rubio, given the anger and confusion over Mr. Trump’s policies among the officials at the meeting, and there were signs that he was not eager to spend more time with them than necessary. Mr. Rubio was notably absent from a Wednesday social event at which other ministers nibbled on s’mores and from another event on Thursday that featured Canadian maple taffy.
Complicating the situation for Mr. Rubio was the shadow of Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing the gathering’s host nation.
When asked by reporters on Monday about the president’s recent talk that a 1908 treaty delineating the U.S.-Canada border could be torn up, Mr. Rubio briefly seemed at a loss for words. He then dismissed the topic by saying that it was “not on the agenda” for the Group of 7 gathering.
Asked again on Wednesday about Mr. Trump’s threats, Mr. Rubio emphasized points of unity between the United States and Canada, adding: “It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada.”
Mr. Trump returned to the subject on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “Canada only works” as an American state. The border treaty, he added, had created “an artificial line” that “makes no sense.”
On Friday, Ms. Joly and Mr. Rubio each made comments characterizing the relationship between their two countries in nearly identical ways: “We won’t let things that we don’t agree on stop us from agreeing on other things,” Ms. Joly said.
The group’s final statement affirmed Ukraine’s “territorial integrity and right to exist,” and referred to Russian “acts of aggression.” But it was milder than the G7’s previous leaders’ statement, in November 2024, which proclaimed “unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes” and called Russia “the sole obstacle” to peace.
As he flew back from Canada, Mr. Rubio announced he was expelling the ambassador to the United States from South Africa, Ebrahim Rasool. Mr. Rubio wrote on social media that the ambassador was a “race-baiting politician who hates America” and Mr. Trump. He added that “we have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”
Mr. Rubio made his comments above a re-post of an article from Breitbart, a conservative news site, on remarks Mr. Rasool made on Friday at an institute in Johannesburg. The article highlighted Mr. Rasool saying Mr. Trump was leading a “supremacist” movement against “the incumbency.”
Mr. Rubio said on social media last month that he would not attend the meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in South Africa, criticizing the South African hosts for having a focus of the meeting be on “solidarity, equality and sustainability.”
Mr. Trump has signed an executive order to help the resettlement in the United States of white South African Afrikaners farmers who have had their land taken by the government, even though that is not a widespread practice in South Africa. He also ordered the federal government to cut off all aid to South Africa.
Edward Wong contributed reporting from Washington
World
Mother, boyfriend allegedly abandoned blindfolded young sons in remote forest as part of ‘game’: reports
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A French mother who allegedly abandoned her two young children in a forest in Portugal while blindfolded was arrested with her former law enforcement boyfriend while eating at a café near Libson.
Marine Rousseau, 41, was taken into custody Thursday with Marc Ballabriga, 55, two days after the couple allegedly dumped her helpless 3- and 5-year-old children in a remote forest and left, according to Portuguese and French media.
“They stayed sitting and didn’t seem nervous,” café owner Jorge Lopes told the news outlet. “They were searched and handcuffed without any stress at all. When I saw them so at ease in front of the authorities, I was astonished. It was as if they didn’t have blood running through their veins.”
The boys were found crying and alone 125 miles away, MetroUK reported.
FLORIDA MOM ACCUSED OF ABANDONING DAUGHTER AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TO GO DRINKING AT BAR
Marine-Rousseau and her boyfriend, Marc Ballabriga, were arrested after allegedly leaving her two young sons blindfolded in the woods alone in Portugal. (Getty Images)
“Given the situation of evident vulnerability, the children were taken to the home of a local resident, where they remained and received initial care in the presence of the officers until they were transferred to a hospital unit,” Portuguese authorities said in a statement.
The two boys were in good health and were discharged from hospital on Thursday,” Portugal’s Public Ministry said.
The couple face child endangerment and abandonment charges. Ballabriga — a former French policeman who quit the force in 2010 — faces an additional aggravated assault charge.
UTAH DOOMSDAY MOM ARRESTED ABROAD AFTER ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTING FOUR KIDS, DUMPING THEM IN EUROPEAN ORPHANAGE
Marine-Rousseau allegedly left her two young sons alone in a Portuguese forest while blindfolded in Portugal, authorities said. (Getty Images)
They were ordered held pending trial.
Rousseau’s sons were rescued by Artur Quintas, a local baker who spotted them “screaming and crying” while frantically stumbling along a main road on May 19, the New York Post reported.
They were carrying backpacks stuffed only with clothes, water and snacks.
Quintas recalled the older brother telling him that their mother and her boyfriend allegedly took them into the forest and covered their eyes as part of a “game.” When they removed their blindfolds, both adults had vanished.
Marine Rousseau is charged with child endangerment. (Getty Images)
The pair have since been placed in temporary foster care.
Their biological father — who reported them missing on May 11 — is working to bring them back to France.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It’s only a matter of days before I get my children back,” he told French broadcaster Ici Alsace TV on Monday. “I think about them every second since the Colmar police station contacted me to tell me they were missing. My children will have to rebuild their lives, just as I rebuilt mine.
“And they don’t need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy.”
Updated:
Heatwaves have become “much more common” and are affecting all Europe, not just the south, Carlo Buontempo, from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, says. He warns that climate change is making these events “last longer” and increasing their “intensity”.
The Enhanced Games left Wall Street largely disappointed after its inaugural event over Memorial Day weekend. Shares of its parent company, Enhanced Group Inc., fell nearly 45% to close at $2.96 on Tuesday.
Enhanced Group began trading on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this month under the ticker ENHA after merging with a special purpose acquisition company. The transaction valued the business at $1.2 billion, and in the immediate aftermath, shares saw a 21% spike. Now, its market cap is less than $400 million.
A spokesperson for Enhanced Group declined to comment on the company’s share price.
The Olympics-style competition—which allows the use of FDA-approved, performance-enhancing drugs—debuted on Sunday at Resorts World Las Vegas. Both enhanced and clean athletes competed in swimming, weightlifting and track and field for prizes ranging from $20,000 for coming in seventh to $250,000 for topping a podium. A $1 million bonus was dangled to those who broke world records.
When Australian businessman Aron D’Souza unveiled his plans for the Enhanced Games in 2023, he said athletes would “obliterate all the world records” by “unlocking human potential.”
But contrary to the company’s bold claims, numerous world records didn’t fall on Sunday. In fact, only one did after Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev completed the 50-meter freestyle in 20.81 seconds, besting the 20.88-second mark Cameron McEvoy set in March. And that was even subject to dispute after viewers called into question the veracity of the time. The Enhanced Games dismissed the claim, calling it “completely unfounded internet drivel,” according to The Guardian. Either way, the record doesn’t actually count because of Gkolomeev’s PED use and his high-tech suit that is outlawed in the sport.
U.S. Olympic bronze medalist sprinter Fred Kerley, who said he was competing without PEDs, crowed that Usain Bolt’s record time of 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash would get “destroyed,” while predicting he would match the 9.81 seconds he ran to land on the podium in Paris two years ago. Kerley did win the sprint, albeit with a time of 9.97 seconds; the race had to be restarted four times because of false starts and untied shoes.
A spokesperson for Enhanced Group said the company was “delighted with the performance of the inaugural Games” and called it “a first step toward success.” They pointed to the 22 personal bests set by 14 athletes, including Megan Romano beating her 50-meter freestyle time from 13 years ago. In total, athletes earned $6.6 million at the competition.
Official viewership data has not yet been released for the Enhanced Games, though the spokesperson said that could come this week. The broadcast, which featured former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho and Braintree founder and controversial anti-aging evangelist Bryan Johnson, was available on the Roku sports channel in North America, and it was streamed across YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Rumble, Twitch and Kick. As of Tuesday, it had picked up slightly more than 900,000 views on YouTube.
The Enhanced Games plans to stage competitions annually, and it’s eyeing a similar time in 2027 to hold its next event; the company has a three-year deal with Resorts World.
Declining share price or not, a person familiar with the matter said the company continues to be optimistic about its future and ability to fundraise.
Enhanced Group isn’t solely in the business of staging athletic competitions. It also sells a collection of longevity and wellness products through its website and telehealth platform, including testosterone injections and peptides. The company’s largest shareholder is German biotech billionaire Christian Angermayer, who founded psychedelic drug startup Atai Life Sciences.
In the aftermath of its debut event, the Enhanced Group did boast about its success in sponsorships. On Tuesday, the company released a statement saying that it secured more than $32 million in “aggregate sponsorship deal value” ahead of the first meet, citing deals with Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU), Betr and Rumble (NASDAQ: RUM). It also noted that with seven months left in the year, it already had exceeded its sports revenue guidance of $31 million.
“We reset what this category is capable of,” Maximilian Martin, CEO of Enhanced Group, said in the release. “The $32 million we secured with our first event is not a ceiling. It is a starting point.”
-
Lifestyle4 minutes agoTravel to Italy and Algeria in these two brilliant, translated mysteries
-
Education10 minutes agoVideo: Four Killed in Belgium After Train Collides With School Van
-
Technology16 minutes agoDid the Pope use AI to write about the dangers of AI?
-
World22 minutes agoMother, boyfriend allegedly abandoned blindfolded young sons in remote forest as part of ‘game’: reports
-
Politics28 minutes agoTexas MAGA battle ends with Middleton victory as Chip Roy falls short in AG Race
-
Health34 minutes agoOzempic-style drugs linked to major slowdown in cancer spread, new study finds
-
Sports40 minutes agoThunder push Spurs to brink with dominant Game 5 win as Wembanyama posts series-low 20 points
-
Technology46 minutes agoFTC reveals where spam calls hit hardest
