Group of Seven leaders on Tuesday vowed greater support for Ukraine but stopped short of joint condemnation of Russia for its growing attacks, at a summit missing Donald Trump.The US president had been due to speak at the G7 summit with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he has had a volatile relationship, but flew back Monday over the Israel-Iran conflict.Zelensky met the remaining leaders at a remote lodge in the Canadian Rockies hours after Russia hit Kyiv with one of the worst bombardments since it invaded in February 2022, killing at least 10 people in the capital.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Zelensky and announced Can$2 billion ($1.47bn) of military support, including drones and helicopters, for Ukraine.But the G7 summit stopped short of issuing a joint statement, unlike in past years under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden when the club of major industrial democracies denounced Russian “aggression.”A Canadian official, backtracking on an earlier account of the United States trying to water down a proposed statement, said there was never an attempt to issue one due to Trump’s continued hopes of mediating with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”It was clear that it would not have been feasible to find detailed language that all G7 partners could agree to in that context,” the official said on condition of anonymity.Carney dismissed suggestions of friction, saying that all G7 leaders agreed to be “resolute in exploring all options to maximize pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions.”But he admitted that some G7 leaders “would say above and beyond” what was in the chair’s summary he issued instead of a formal statement signed by all leaders.G7 leaders, however, managed unity Monday on a joint statement on the Iran conflict that backed Israel but also called broadly for de-escalation, despite Trump contemplating greater US military involvement.- US waits on pressure -Carney earlier joined Britain in tightening sanctions on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of ships used to circumvent international sanctions on its oil sales.”These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin’s war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.US lawmakers have drafted a package of new sanctions on Russia but Trump has been hesitant to give his support and isolate Putin, to whom he spoke by telephone on the eve of the G7 summit.Trump infamously berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, saying he was ungrateful for US aid, but has since voiced disappointment that Putin has rebuffed a US proposal for at least a temporary ceasefire.Zelensky told Carney the latest Russian attack showed the need for allies’ support and pressure on Moscow — while making clear that he still backed Trump-led calls for negotiations.”It’s important for our soldiers to be strong in the battlefield, to stay strong until Russia will be ready for the peace negotiations,” said Zelensky, who cut short meetings in Canada scheduled after the summit.French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Russian counterpart of exploiting global focus on the Middle East to carry out the deadly attack.”It shows the complete cynicism of President Putin,” Macron told reporters at the summit.In Washington, the State Department also condemned the Russian strikes and offered condolences to the victims’ families.- Tough trade talks -The G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — was holding its first summit since the re-election of Trump, who openly questions longstanding US alliances.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained to represent the United States at the summit, where discussions have also concentrated on Trump’s attempts to radically overhaul the world’s trading system.Trump has vowed to slap sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike on July 9, although he has postponed them once.The US president, speaking to reporters on his way back from the summit, complained that the European Union was not yet offering a “fair deal” on trade.”We’re either going to make a good deal or they’ll just pay whatever we say they will pay,” he said.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she still hoped for a negotiated solution and talks were “intense and demanding.”Trump’s negotiators have already sealed a deal with Britain and, outside of the G7, reached an agreement to lower tariffs with rival China.

Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia’s resort island of Bali were cancelled on Wednesday, according to authorities and the island’s airport, after a volcano in the archipelago’s east erupted, shooting an ash tower 10 kilometres into the sky.Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584-metre (5,197-foot) volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted on Tuesday, with authorities raising its alert status to the highest level of a four-tiered system.”Due to volcano activity of Lewatobi Laki-Laki in East Nusa Tenggara, several flights at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport are cancelled,” airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia told AFP in a statement.The flights cancelled included Jetstar and Virgin Australia flights to cities across Australia, with Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore’s Tigerair and China’s Juneyao Airlines also cancelling flights “due to volcano”, Bali’s international airport website said.Jetstar confirmed cancellations to and from Bali in a statement on its website Wednesday, adding that some afternoon flights would be delayed until ash cleared.”Forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight. As a result, this afternoon’s flights will be delayed to operate later this evening,” it said.Several domestic AirAsia flights leaving for popular tourist hotspot Labuan Bajo on Flores were also cancelled.A Bali airport customer service agent told AFP the aviation hub was still operating normally despite the cancelled flights.”It depends on the route and also the airline,” the agent, who declined to give her name, said.- Ongoing tremors -Volcanic ash rained down on several villages around Lewotobi Laki-Laki and forced the evacuation of at least one village late Tuesday, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said.It added tremors were still being detected, which indicated ongoing volcanic activity.The geology agency said residents and tourists should avoid carrying out any activities within at least seven kilometres of the volcano’s crater.It warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods –- a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials –- if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near rivers. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.In November, the volcano erupted multiple times, killing nine people, cancelling scores of international flights to the tourist island of Bali, and forcing thousands to evacuate.Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano peak named after the Indonesian word for “woman”.Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Since the United States accused Vietnam of being a hub for counterfeit goods, Tran Le Chi has found it increasingly hard to track down her favourite fake Chanel T-shirts, Gucci sunglasses and Louis Vuitton handbags.As Vietnam’s government tries to head off President Donald Trump’s threatened 46 percent tariff, it has launched a crackdown on fake products — in part to show responsiveness to US concerns.Now there are streets filled with shuttered shops in Hanoi and rows of closed stalls at Saigon Square shopping mall, a major clothing market in Ho Chi Minh City — the kind of places Chi used to go to buy her latest gear.”The clothes help me look trendy,” Chi told AFP. “Why would I care if they are fake or not?”Chi — a betting agent for an illegal game known as lo-de, where punters predict the last two lotto numbers of the standard daily draw — said she had never paid more than $40 per “designer” item.”Only the super-rich people can afford the real ones,” she added. “They’re not for people like us.”Communist-run Vietnam is a manufacturing powerhouse that produces clothing and footwear for international brands, with the United States its number-one export market in the first five months of 2025.But it also has a thriving market for counterfeit goods.In a report published by the US Trade Representative in January, Saigon Square shopping mall was flagged as a major market for the sale of fake luxury items including handbags, wallets, jewellery and watches.The report noted government efforts to stamp out the trade, but said “low penalties have had little deterrent effect” and “counterfeit products remain rampant”.Shop owner Hoa, a pseudonym to protect her identity, said almost all of the fake Nike, Lacoste and North Face products she sells in her shop in Hanoi’s old quarter are from China — but tagged with a “Made in Vietnam” label to make them seem authentic.She insists that all her customers know what they’re getting.”My clients are those who cannot afford authentic products,” Hoa said. “I’ve never cheated anyone.” – Rolex watches, Marshall speakers -Hanoi and Washington are in the thick of trade talks, with Vietnam doing everything it can to avoid the crushing 46 percent tariff that could come into force in early July.Vietnam’s trade ministry ordered authorities in April to tighten control over the origin of goods after the Trump administration accused the country of facilitating Chinese exports to the United States and allowing Beijing to get around tariffs.The public security ministry also said there would be a three-month-long crackdown — until mid-August — on counterfeit goods.Nguyen Thanh Nam, deputy head of the agency for domestic market surveillance and development, said last week that in the first five months of the year, more than 7,000 cases of counterfeit products worth more than $8 million had been discovered. He added that 1,000 fake Rolex watches had been seized from Saigon Square shopping mall.Mounds of vitamins, cosmetics and sweets — seemingly also counterfeits — have appeared at waste grounds outside cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, while fake electronics including Marshall speakers and smartwatches have been confiscated. Police have not specified the origin of the goods, but Vietnam was Southeast Asia’s biggest buyer of Chinese products in 2024, with a bill of $161.9 billion.Nguyen Khac Giang, visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said that although there were other aims of the drive, including improving Vietnam’s business environment and formalising the retail sector, “the campaign plays a role in Vietnam’s strategy to appease the US”.”The effort partly reflects Vietnam’s intent to show responsiveness to US concerns,” he said.But for Hoa, her livelihood is on the line. Her shop has been closed for almost two weeks and she has no idea how to restart the business.”I have sold these sorts of clothes for a decade and experienced no problem at all. Now they crack down on us, it’s hard to figure out how I continue,” she said.