Trump to skip G7 climate sessions following spat with Macron, Trudeau
Washington, June 8 : US President Donald Trump will skip scheduled sessions on climate change, clean energy and oceans during the two-day G7 Summit which is slated to begin on Friday in Quebec, Canada, the White House announced.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced on Thursday that Trump will leave the resort in Charlevoix (where all the events are taking place) at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, well before the Summit officially concludes later that day, reports The New York Times.
He will attend an early-morning session on "women's empowerment", but he will be gone before any joint statement is issued by the other leaders, Sanders added.
Earlier Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lashed out at Trump for imposing tariffs on their steel and aluminium industries.
"The American President may not mind being isolated, but neither do we mind signing a six country agreement if need be," Macron tweeted.
"Because these six countries represent values, they represent an economic market which has the weight of history behind it and which is now a true international force."
Also on Thursday, Trudeau said at a news conference that with Macron, "we are going to defend our industries and our workers" and "show the US President that his unacceptable actions are hurting his own citizens".
Trump responded with his trademark Twitter bluntness a few hours later, The New York Times reported.
"Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the US massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers," he tweeted.
"The EU trade surplus with the US is $151 Billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out... Look forward to seeing them tomorrow."
Trump is scheduled to arrive Friday morning for the Summit. He will then attend a gathering that traditionally includes a moment of global camaraderie -- the "family photo" that captures Presidents and Prime Ministers smiling for the camera.
The tariffs he imposed last week on Canada, Mexico and the European Union have drawn sharp backlash from allies, whose leaders have described feelings of anger, regret and confusion, reports CNN.
"Patently absurd" is what Liam Fox, the British trade minister, called them. German Chancellor Angela Merkel Said they were "illegal", while Trudeau said they were "insulting and totally unacceptable".
But Trump's aides have signaled that he was unwilling to rethink the decision.
"There are disagreements. He's sticking to his guns, and he's going to talk to them," said Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic adviser, at a briefing on Wednesday.
He described the disputes as a "family quarrel".
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Congress victory in bypolls not a clean chit to CM in MUDA case: R Ashoka
Srirangapatna (Karnataka), Nov 24: The Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Sunday said the Congress party’s victory in the bypolls held for three assembly constituencies is not a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA scam.
He said the case is still going on in the court of law.
“MUDA case against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is still in court but he is calling the bye-election result itself as a clean chit. Only courts can give clean chit and not the elections,” Ashoka said while addressing a gathering in Taggalli in Srirangapatna.
Later, speaking to reporters, Ashoka said results of the bypoll held for three assembly constituencies of Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur is a victory of money and not a victory of Congress. The BJP leader said his party’s fight will continue against the corruption of the Congress government.
ALSO READ; Have won in people’s court, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on by-poll results
Separately, in a post on social media ‘X’, Ashoka said the ruling Congress is under the illusion that they have won three worlds just by winning the by-election by diverting money and winning the votes of one community through appeasement politics.
He took a dig at Siddaramaiah for his statement that the opposition had spread lies with regard to the allegation of "Rs 89 crore embezzlement" in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.
“Didn't you yourself admit in the Karnataka assembly that crores of money were misappropriated in the Valmiki Corporation, is that a lie?” Ashoka questioned.
He has also asked the CM whether returning of 14 sites by his wife Parvathi B M in the MUDA scam was an indirect confession of his crime. “Is it a lie when the Karnataka High Court loudly said that an investigation is needed against you in the MUDA scam?” the BJP leader asked.
