00:00The United States, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Italy
00:04comprise seven of the most economically and militarily developed nations on the planet,
00:09their association simply known as the G7. Today they gather for this year's scheduled
00:14summit in Puglia, southern Italy, with the protection of Ukraine, artificial intelligence,
00:19climate change, China's economic expansion on the table. But Russia's frozen assets and
00:24the interest earnings derived to finance Ukraine's defense are tops on the agenda.
00:29Only the technicalities in withdrawing the proceeds from banks in Europe need to be hashed
00:33over. As such, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend and also sign
00:39a bilateral security deal with U.S. President Joe Biden. On Friday, the summit will have a special
00:44and surprise guest, Vatican head of state and leader of the Catholic faith, Pope Francis,
00:49whose presence adds celebrity and a smidgen of moral authority to the gathering.
00:54The pontiff will be speaking on the perils and false promises of artificial intelligence
00:58and to plead for an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
01:02and Israel's scorched earth against the hapless Palestinians in Gaza.
