G7 KICKS OFF WITH PLEDGE ON JABS, AID

CARBIS BAY: G7 leaders Friday began their first in-person talks in nearly two years, with a pledge to donate one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to poor countries on the agenda in a show of Western democratic cohesion. The group of leading economies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and United States — say a joint approach is the world’s best chance for recovering from the global health crisis, and tackling climate change.

Welcomed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the summit venue in Carbis Bay, southwest England, the leaders posed for a photo before opening the session of talks on “building back better” after the pandemic.

The meeting presents a “huge opportunity” for global pandemic recovery, Johnson told his fellow leaders in his opening remarks, as they sat socially distanced and without masks.

US President Joe Biden set the tone, ditching Donald Trump’s isolationist stance to ram home a message of resolve by the G7 and NATO against both Beijing and Moscow, as he heads into his first sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in Geneva. “I’m looking forward to reinforcing our commitment to multilateralism...,” Biden tweeted from the G7.