G7 kicks off. Beyond the Israel-Iran conflict, the Canada summit is also due to consider the ongoing war in Ukraine and the global economy. Reaching consensus as a full group is expected to be difficult, and many leaders have set up bilateral meetings. Canada and the United Kingdom agreed yesterday to set up a working group to expand bilateral trade, while Trump is due to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today.
U.S. political unrest. Police have arrested a suspect after four people—two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses—were shot on Saturday in Minnesota. One lawmaker and her husband died. The suspect is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the killings appeared “to be a politically motivated assassination.” The shootings came the same day as a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and nationwide protests against the Trump administration.
Nippon Steel deal. Trump approved Nippon Steel’s long-debated acquisition of U.S. Steel on Friday, with a twist: the U.S. government will hold an unusually influential stake in the company, known as a “golden share.” The terms of the deal require the U.S. president’s approval for actions such as changing the company’s sourcing and moving jobs outside of the United States, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick posted on social media. Nippon and U.S. Steel did not comment.
Modi in Cyprus. India’s Narendra Modi held talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia today, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the island nation in more than twenty years. He discussed plans to create a trade corridor with Europe that would pass through Cyprus, which is due to hold the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union beginning in early 2026. It is Modi’s first international trip since India’s recent hostilities with Pakistan; Cyprus’s neighbor, Turkey, has deepened ties to Islamabad.
Potential expansion of travel ban. The Trump administration is considering expanding its travel ban to include thirty-six additional countries, according to a State Department memo seen by the Washington Post. Most of the additional countries are in Africa. The memo reportedly listed concerns including high rates of visa overstays in the United States and unreliable issuance of identity documents. An unnamed State Department official told Reuters the department was “constantly reevaluating policies.”
Japan-EU security cooperation. Officials and private sector representatives from Japan and the European Union (EU) are holding first-of-their kind talks in Banff, Canada today to increase defense cooperation. Both sides seek to diversify their relationships from a heavy dependence on the United States. They are considering joint defense production under a new framework and plan to host a summit in July.
Xi in Kazakhstan. Chinese President Xi Jinping is holding talks with Central Asian leaders in Astana, Kazakhstan today for the second China-Central Asia Summit, following the inaugural gathering in 2023. This year’s summit saw Kazakh and Chinese firms sign deals worth over $24 billion, Kazakh Invest, a state company, said. The meeting comes after Kazakhstan’s foreign minister visited Washington and held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio late last week.
Saudi Arabia executes journalist. Prominent Saudi journalist Turki Al-Jasser was executed Saturday after being convicted on terrorism and treason charges, the official Saudi Press Agency said. He had been arrested in 2018 and his trial was not made public. Activist groups say that he was unfairly sentenced for questioning the regime; Al-Jasser had written about the Arab Spring, women’s rights, and corruption.
