G7 Working on Package of Measures against Iran, Says British PM Sunak

 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak records a statement on the Iranian attacks on Israel overnight, inside 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain, April 14, 2024. (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak records a statement on the Iranian attacks on Israel overnight, inside 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain, April 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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G7 Working on Package of Measures against Iran, Says British PM Sunak

 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak records a statement on the Iranian attacks on Israel overnight, inside 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain, April 14, 2024. (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak records a statement on the Iranian attacks on Israel overnight, inside 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain, April 14, 2024. (Reuters)

The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations is working on a package of coordinated measures against Iran following Saturday's retaliatory missile and drone attack on Israel, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday.

"We are urgently working with our allies to see what steps we can take together in a coordinated fashion to deter and condemn what Iran is doing," Sunak said in parliament, citing discussions among G7 leaders over the weekend.

"I spoke to my fellow G7 leaders, we are united in our condemnation of this attack."

On Saturday, Iran launched drones and fired missiles at Israel as a retaliatory strike for an attack on its embassy compound in Damascus that raised the risk of further escalation and a wider regional conflict.

Earlier Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, said it was open to new sanctions against individuals engaged against Israel

Sunak said that coordinating any measures - which could include sanctions - among allies would ensure they had the maximum impact on Iran and those who may be sanctioned.

The G7 groups the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.