The Latest: EU, African leaders to meet on sidelines of G20

The Latest connected the radical of 20 acme taking spot successful Rome:

ROME — The French presidency says European Union leaders volition conscionable with African leaders successful efforts to further enactment the continent’s poorest economies successful the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The informal gathering aboriginal Saturday volition beryllium hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron astatine France’s embassy successful Rome connected the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

Macron told reporters connected Friday helium expects the G-20 to corroborate an further $100 cardinal to enactment Africa’s economies.

The wealth would beryllium provided via the reallocation to African nations of immoderate peculiar drafting rights, a overseas speech instrumentality utilized to assistance concern imports issued by the International Monetary Fund and initially meant to spell to precocious economies.

Participants astatine the gathering volition see German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel, arsenic good arsenic African Union President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Heads of authorities of South Africa and Senegal, Cyril Ramaphosa and Macky Sall, volition instrumentality portion via videoconference, the Elysee said.

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ROME — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied that his government’s policies connected ember and aerial question undermine his connection that the satellite needs to wean itself disconnected of fossil fuels.

Johnson volition invited satellite leaders to Glasgow, Scotland, for a United Nations clime acme connected Sunday and wants them to amended connected their commitments to cutting greenhouse state emissions.

But astatine home, his authorities this week slashed taxation connected home aerial fares, and it is considering whether to o.k. the U.K.’s archetypal heavy ember excavation for decades.

Johnson said Saturday that Britain’s pledge connected cutting c dioxide emissions was 1 of the “punchiest” of immoderate country.

“People tin spot what Britain has done,” Johnson said successful Rome, wherever helium is attending a G-20 summit. “When I was a child, 80% of our powerfulness came from hydrocarbons,” but by 2035 “we volition not person immoderate hydrocarbons successful our powerfulness procreation astatine all. We’re the astir ambitious state successful Europe.

“By 2030, we’re saying that we won’t person hydrocarbon interior combustion engines for caller cars. That’s a very, precise ambitious timetable.”

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ROME — U.S. President Joe Biden was greeted by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi aft arriving astatine the Group of 20 acme tract successful Rome, earlier joining different satellite leaders for a “family photo.”

Biden shook hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom helium is expected to person a bilateral gathering astatine the upcoming U.N. clime acme successful Scotland, arsenic good arsenic French President Emmanuel Macron, whom helium met connected Friday.

Biden was placed by organizers to the acold near of the signifier successful the archetypal row, wherever helium spoke warmly with African Union Chair Félix Tshisekedi. The U.S. precocious brokered a woody for the African Union to acquisition doses of the Moderna COVID-19 for the archetypal time.

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ROME — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was a precocious accomplishment for the leaders’ “family photo” astatine the Group of 20 acme successful Rome.

Other leaders had already gathered connected a raised level successful beforehand of a enactment of flags erstwhile Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walked implicit from a bilateral meeting. Some of the waiting leaders made humorous chiding sounds astatine the latecomers.

Johnson greeted U.S. President Joe Biden with a telephone of “Hey, Joe” arsenic helium took his place.

Johnson stood down French President Emmanuel Macron, amid a U.K.-France spat implicit sportfishing licences. The 2 men exchanged a mock-combative fist bump but did not look to talk to 1 another.

Other leaders variously bumped fists, shook hands oregon performed the “namaste” greeting. Macron gave Biden a two-handed clasp accompanied by a forearm pat.

The leaders were joined for photos by a radical of medics, firefighters and different front-line workers, who were applauded by the assembled politicians.

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VATICAN CITY — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Pope Francis to sojourn the country, aft plans for a sojourn successful 2017 fell apart.

Modi made the invitation Saturday during a lengthy gathering astatine the Vatican earlier helium headed to articulation the Group of 20 acme successful Rome.

In a tweet, Modi wrote: “Had a precise lukewarm gathering with Pope Francis. I had the accidental to sermon a wide scope of issues with him and besides invited him to sojourn India.”

The Vatican’s authoritative communique said lone that Modi’s sojourn with the Vatican’s caput of authorities was little and that “the cordial relations betwixt the Holy See and India were discussed.”

Francis had hoped to sojourn India and Bangladesh successful 2017. After negotiations with the Indian authorities dragged on, Francis went alternatively to Bangladesh and Myanmar.

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ROME — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the U.K. volition donate 20 cardinal doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to processing countries arsenic portion of efforts to stock vaccines with countries that sorely deficiency them.

Johnson made the announcement arsenic helium arrived successful Rome for a acme of Group of 20 leaders, which starts Saturday.

The U.K. says 10 cardinal doses person been sent to the United Nations-backed COVAX vaccine-sharing program, and 10 cardinal much volition travel successful the coming weeks.

They articulation 10 cardinal doses that person already been delivered, and signifier portion of Britain’s committedness to stock 100 cardinal doses with needier nations by mid-2022.

Johnson urged the nine of economical powers to propulsion to vaccinate the satellite by the extremity of 2022, saying that “our archetypal precedence arsenic the G-20 indispensable beryllium to property up with the rapid, equitable and planetary organisation of vaccines.”

Britain and different affluent nations person been accused of hoarding much vaccines than they need, portion immoderate countries, particularly successful Africa, person fewer oregon none. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a World Health Organization wellness envoy, has urged G-20 nations to velocity things up and airlift unused doses to the processing world.

The British person besides is hoping to absorption the G-20’s minds connected clime commitments arsenic helium prepares to big a U.N. clime acme successful Glasgow, Scotland, starting Sunday.