G7 Abandons Joint Ukraine Statement as Zelenskiy Says Diplomacy in Crisis 

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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G7 Abandons Joint Ukraine Statement as Zelenskiy Says Diplomacy in Crisis 

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy leaves the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday with new aid from host Canada for its war against Russia but without a joint statement of support from members or a chance to meet with US President Donald Trump.

The G7 wealthy nations struggled to find unity over the conflict in Ukraine after Trump expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and left a day early to address the Israel-Iran conflict from Washington.

Canada dropped plans for the G7 to issue a strong statement on the war in Ukraine after resistance from the United States, a Canadian official told reporters.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa would provide C$2 billion ($1.47 billion) in new military assistance for Kyiv as well as impose new financial sanctions.

Zelenskiy said he had told the G7 leaders that "diplomacy is now in a state of crisis" and said they need to continue calling on Trump "to use his real influence" to force an end to the war, in a post on his Telegram account.

Although Canada is one of Ukraine's most vocal defenders, its ability to help it is far outweighed by the United States, the largest arms supplier to Kyiv. Zelenskiy had said he hoped to talk to Trump about acquiring more weapons.

After the summit in the Rocky Mountain resort area of Kananaskis concluded, Carney issued a chair statement summarizing deliberations.

"G7 leaders expressed support for President Trump’s efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," the statement said.

"They recognized that Ukraine has committed to an unconditional ceasefire, and they agreed that Russia must do the same. G7 Leaders are resolute in exploring all options to maximize pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions."

Canada holds the rotating G7 presidency this year. Other leaders do not need to sign off on G7 chair statements. "There would be things that some of us, Canada, included, would say above and beyond what was said in the chair summary," Carney said at a closing news conference.

Trump did agree to a group statement published on Monday calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict.

"We had a declaration given the exceptional, fast moving situation in Iran," Carney said. "We concentrated on that as a specific one. I held this (Ukraine)for my chair summary."

A European official said leaders had stressed to Trump their plans to be hard on Russia and Trump seemed impressed, though he does not like sanctions in principle.

Three European diplomats said they had heard signals from Trump that he wanted to raise pressure on Putin and consider a US Senate bill drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham, but that he had not committed to anything.

"I am returning to Germany with cautious optimism that decisions will also be made in America in the coming days to impose further sanctions against Russia," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

G7 leaders agreed on six other statements, about migrant smuggling, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, wildfires, transnational repression and quantum computing.

KREMLIN SAYS G7 LOOKS 'RATHER USELESS'

Trump said on Monday he needed to be back in Washington as soon as possible due to the situation in the Middle East, where escalating attacks between Iran and Israel have raised risks of a broader regional conflict.

A White House official on Tuesday said Trump explained that he returned to the US because it is better to hold high-level National Security Council meetings in person, rather than over the phone.

Upon arriving at the summit, Trump said that the then-Group of Eight had been wrong to expel Russia after Putin ordered the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Trump was right and said the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked "rather useless."

Many leaders had hoped to negotiate trade deals with Trump, but the only deal signed was the finalization of the US-UK deal announced last month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained at the summit after Trump left.

Carney also invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as he tries to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canada's exports away from the United States.

Carney warmly welcomed Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, after two years of tense relations between Canada and India.



Netanyahu Says ‘Toppling’ Iran Government Only Way to End Threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz attend a graduation ceremony of new Israeli army officers at a base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz attend a graduation ceremony of new Israeli army officers at a base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
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Netanyahu Says ‘Toppling’ Iran Government Only Way to End Threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz attend a graduation ceremony of new Israeli army officers at a base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz attend a graduation ceremony of new Israeli army officers at a base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the only way to remove the threat posed by Iran was to topple its government.

"Iran wanted to destroy us; we stopped them. They wanted to produce nuclear bombs; we stopped them... Yet they persist," he said during an election rally in the southern town of Dimona. "Therefore, there is only one way to end this: by toppling this regime."

"This is the directive I have issued to the Israel Defense Forces, to the Mossad, and to all our security branches," he added, without specifying when or how that directive would be executed.

The saber-rattling came as the premier headed into the last week of a tight race for re-election.

Netanyahu had instructed the Israeli military to plan for resumed strikes against Iran earlier this month, according to sources cited by the Financial Times on Wednesday, but US President Donald Trump reportedly objected to the idea.

The US leader has publicly said that he does not intend to restart the war, which Washington started in February alongside Israel, before the US mid-term elections early next month.

This week, Netanyahu thanked Trump in a video for his endorsement in the Israeli election, and said that the two leaders have "a job to finish" in Iran.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned against a potential threat from Iran.

Speaking at an officers' graduation ceremony in southern Israel on Wednesday, he said that "the Iranian regime is at its weakest point ever, and we recognize that this weakness could lead it to take the most extreme steps".

"If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn!" he said.

Katz also warned against unspecified attempts by Israel's enemies to disrupt the upcoming vote.

"In recent days, we have identified attempts by our enemies -- led by Iran and its proxies -- to advance attacks that could affect the outcome of Israel's elections," he said.


US Democratic Congressional Candidate Lander Detained by Israeli Authorities in West Bank

 Members of Israeli forces block a road, preventing Palestinians from harvesting olives in their groves in the West Bank village of Deir Jarir, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP)
Members of Israeli forces block a road, preventing Palestinians from harvesting olives in their groves in the West Bank village of Deir Jarir, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP)
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US Democratic Congressional Candidate Lander Detained by Israeli Authorities in West Bank

 Members of Israeli forces block a road, preventing Palestinians from harvesting olives in their groves in the West Bank village of Deir Jarir, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP)
Members of Israeli forces block a road, preventing Palestinians from harvesting olives in their groves in the West Bank village of Deir Jarir, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP)

Brad Lander, a US Democratic Party candidate for Congress, was detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, along with other Americans, Israelis and Palestinians taking part in the annual olive harvest, rights groups said.

The incident took place in Nahalin, a village south of Bethlehem, as Palestinians were gathering olives accompanied by around 80 volunteers, according to Israeli organization Rabbis for Human Rights and Jewish North American organization T'ruah.

Lander, a Jewish American and former New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, wrote on X that he had been detained along with a group of rabbis and volunteers.

"We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nahalin in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn't a crime under any law I know."

Lander, who is an ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has been critical of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, was later released, according to Rabbis for ‌Human Rights and T'ruah.

Lander, ‌who is running for New York's 10th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives ‌in ⁠the November 3 midterm ⁠elections, was not immediately available for comment.

Israeli police said it had detained Palestinian olive harvesters and dozens of Israeli and foreign activists gathering olives near the fence of an Israeli settlement, saying it was prohibited. One of the foreign nationals was later released once it became known he was a congressional candidate, police said.

The military said harvesting in that area required prior coordination, which had not happened, and that those present had been detained. It did not say harvesting there was prohibited.

Lander is the only one released so far, while the others are expected to be interrogated, according to Rabbis for Human Rights Acting Director Anton Goodman.

"I would suggest to all activists go out there and get yourself elected," he said.

HARVEST ⁠AREA DECLARED A CLOSED MILITARY ZONE

The volunteers were accompanying local farmers gathering olives who often ‌are faced with the threat of violence from Israeli settlers, as an act of ‌solidarity in what is known as protective presence.

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians is surging, while the Israeli military continues to curb Palestinian freedoms, including access to ‌farmland.

Olives are the backbone of Palestinian agriculture, a sector that accounts for around 8% of GDP and more than 60,000 jobs, according ‌to the Palestinian Authority's agriculture ministry.

Rabbis for Human Rights and T'ruah said Israeli military and police forces arrived around two hours after the Palestinians and volunteers began gathering olives and informed them that they were in a closed military zone and would be detained.

Goodman said they were not aware the area had been declared a closed military zone since it had only been issued that morning, but they told the Israeli forces they would respect ‌the order and leave.

"However, we were told that we cannot leave because we have been disturbing the public order," he said by phone, speaking from a police station in the Israeli Betar Illit ⁠settlement.

"If you would have come ⁠to our harvest earlier today, you would have found a place that was quiet and peaceful and respectful and definitely not harming any of the public order."

Among those detained were over 30 US citizens, as well as UK and Canadian citizens, according to Rabbi Jill Jacobs, chief executive of T'ruah, who is among those who have been detained.

"We were obviously not doing anything violent but just the very act of picking olives together with Palestinian farmers was apparently disturbing for some," Jacobs, a 51-year-old rabbi from Manhattan, told Reuters by phone.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Jerusalem said it was aware of reports that US citizens had been detained and was monitoring the situation but declined further comment, citing privacy and other considerations.

"The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans," he said.

Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians and other civilians in the West Bank over the weekend prompted a call by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to crack down on the violence.

An American photojournalist for the Washington Post covering a Palestinian olive harvest on Friday was beaten by Israeli settlers, while European diplomats and a French mayor were attacked at another Palestinian olive harvest by settlers on Saturday.

Palestinians were attacked by settlers in both incidents.

Israeli police announced on Monday it had made 10 arrests in connection with the weekend violence.


Greek Students, Teachers, Civil Servants Plan Protests

Protesters take part in a rally organized by teachers and students demanding improvements to education and measures to address the rising cost of living in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Protesters take part in a rally organized by teachers and students demanding improvements to education and measures to address the rising cost of living in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Greek Students, Teachers, Civil Servants Plan Protests

Protesters take part in a rally organized by teachers and students demanding improvements to education and measures to address the rising cost of living in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Protesters take part in a rally organized by teachers and students demanding improvements to education and measures to address the rising cost of living in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Students, teachers and civil servants will rally in Greece on Wednesday to protest against the high cost of living, saying they face the same problems that sparked violent demonstrations in France at the weekend.

Gatherings are expected around midday (0900 GMT) in Athens and Thessaloniki, the country's second-largest city.

"In Greece like in France, we are demanding public, free education," Katia Koubousidou, head of a student union at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told AFP.

"This will not be a one-off protest. We have a plan to continue our demonstrations."

Dozens of students set up tents in Syntagma Square, facing Parliament, in Athens, and on a pedestrian street in Thessaloniki on Tuesday.

The civil servants' union has also called for a work stoppage and a gathering in Athens.

Secondary school pupils and teachers are protesting about a lack of infrastructure, a shortage of staff and increased public spending on education.

The conservative Greek government has sought in recent days to avoid any parallel with the protests and violence in France.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday that the country would "never return to the era of great social unrest" during the financial crisis over a decade ago, marked by unpopular austerity measures.

French cities were hit by some of the country's worst rioting in recent years on Saturday, with public buildings torched, hundreds of shops looted and more than 2,000 people arrested.