June 27, 2022

*) Ukraine urges G7 to provide more weapons The Ukrainian government has urged G7 leaders to provide more weapons to Kiev and impose further sanctions against Moscow. "G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia's sick imperialism must be defeated," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. The call comes as Russia steps up its offensive in Ukraine and the world's seven leading economies gather in Germany to discuss the conflict-related food and energy crises. *) Russia ‘defaults’ on foreign debt Russia looks set for its first sovereign default in a century as a grace period of 30 days expired on payments of 100 million dollars in interest on two bonds. Some bondholders say they have not received overdue interest, while the Kremlin has repeatedly said there are no grounds for Russia to default. Moscow says it is unable to pay bondholders because of sanctions, accusing the West of trying to drive it into an "artificial default". *) G7 launches $600B project to counter China The United States has announced a G7 project to rival China's Belt and Road Initiative. "Together with G7 partners, we aim to mobilise $600 billion by 2027 in global infrastructure investments in poor countries,” said the White House. The plan will target countries desperately needing everything, from roads to harbours, and that have until now often relied on the Chinese. *) African Union calls for probe after migrants die The African Union has called for an immediate investigation into the deaths of dozens of migrants trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The AU commission chairperson reminded “all countries of their obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritise their safety". Around 2,000 migrants, many from Sudan, tried to cross the militarised border between Morocco and Spain on Friday and were met with force. Moroccan authorities said at least 23 people died in the violence. And finally… *) Lockdown for