Italy

EU, U.S. end steel, aluminium clash, take aim at China's 'dirty' steel

ROME, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union on Sunday ended a dispute over steel and aluminium tariffs and said they would work on a global arrangement on steel and aluminium to combat "dirty" production and overcapacity in the industry.

"The United States and the European Union have reached a major breakthrough that will address the existential threat of climate change while also protecting American jobs and American industry," U.S. President Joe Biden said.

Blinken raised concerns about Taiwan with China

ROME (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Group of 20 summit on Sunday — an outreach designed to ensure that the intensely competitive relationship between the world’s two largest economies doesn’t veer into open conflicts.

Senior State Department officials described the conversations as candid, constructive and productive, saying that Blinken was clear about U.S. concerns during the roughly hourlong meeting. The officials insisted on anonymity to discuss the exchanges.

Biden tells Erdogan US and Turkey must avoid crises

ROME (AP) — President Joe Biden told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday that their countries must better manage disagreements after the partnership between NATO allies was tested by Turkey’s threat to no longer recognize the U.S. envoy and its purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

“We’re planning to have a good conversation,” Biden said as the leaders appeared in front of journalists before nearly an hour of closed-door talks. The president did not answer questions about whether Turkey had grown too close to Russia or human rights.

Italy: G20 make commitments on climate neutrality, coal financing

ROME (AP) — Leaders of the world’s biggest economies worked Sunday to finalize agreement on scaling up climate financing and a deadline for reaching carbon neutrality on the final day of a weekend summit that is setting the tone for the even bigger U.N. climate conference opening in Glasgow, Scotland.

Negotiators for the Group of 20 worked through the night and talks continued Sunday morning in hopes of reaching consensus for a final statement, said two European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

One-China principle allows no provocation: Chinese FM

ROME, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- There is only one China in the world, and that is a fact based on history and jurisprudence and allows no provocation, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit here.

Wang made the remarks on Friday in response to a query about individual countries, including the United States, recently declaring support for Taiwan's "robust, meaningful participation in the United Nations system and the international community."

Italy: G-20 opens with call for more vaccines for poor countries

ROME (AP) — Italy’s Premier Mario Draghi made a sharp call to pick up the pace in getting vaccines to poor countries as he opened a conference of the world’s powerhouse economies, calling the gaping global COVID-19 vaccine gap “morally unacceptable.”

Draghi, the host for the two-day Group of 20 summit in Rome, said Saturday that only 3% of people in the world’s poorest countries are vaccinated, while 70% in rich countries have had at least one shot.

UK’s Johnson says Queen Elizabeth ‘on very good form’

ROME (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that Queen Elizabeth II was “on very good form” during their weekly conversation earlier this week.

His comment comes a day after Buckingham Palace said the 95-year-old monarch has been told to rest by doctors for another two weeks.

“I spoke to Her Majesty as I do every week as part of my job and she was on very good form,” Johnson told ITV News on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rome.

Italy: Biden, Europeans take up Iran nuclear program in Rome talks

ROME (AP) — As Iran’s nuclear program makes troubling advances, President Joe Biden is set to huddle Saturday with European allies to talk through strategy as they press for a diplomatic resolution — and to plan for the possibility Iran declines to return to the negotiating table.

Biden tells Macron US ‘clumsy’ in Australia submarine deal

ROME (AP) — Working to patch things up with an old ally, President Joe Biden told French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday the U.S. had been “clumsy” in its handling of a secret U.S.-British submarine deal with Australia, an arrangement that left France in the lurch and rattled Europe’s faith in American loyalty.

Italy: UN's Guterres says G20 must do more on climate, address mistrust

ROME, Oct 29 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that the world was rushing headlong towards climate disaster, and said leaders of the Group of 20 wealthy nations must do more to help poorer countries.

Speaking on the eve of a summit of G20 leaders, Guterres told reporters there were "dangerous levels of mistrust" between nationsand said he hoped the forthcoming two-day meeting would help overcome that.

Subscribe to Italy