ITK Daily | May 15

Global Street Smarts.

Happy Monday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

To be ITK, know this:?

G7 leaders expected to take aim at Chinese ‘economic coercion’: WSJ reports the US and its allies are expected to issue a joint statement at the Group of Seven summit rejecting the use of economic retaliation against nations over policy disputes and other disagreements.

G7 and EU to ban restart of Russian gas pipelines: FT reports the curbs would be the first to target Moscow’s pipeline exports since the invasion of Ukraine.

Friday: Group of Seven Hiroshima Summit: G7 leaders will gather in Hiroshima for a three-day summit.

+ The G7 comprises the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.?

+ Representatives from the European Union, the United Nations, the International Energy Agency(IEA), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) also attend.

+ Other invited countries and organizations: Australia, Brazil, Comoros (African Union Chair), Cook Islands (Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Chair), India?(G20 Presidency), Indonesia (ASEAN Chair), Republic of Korea, and, Vietnam.

Sudan talks to resume in Saudi Arabia as battles rage in Khartoum: Al Jazeera reports Khartoum residents describe fierce fighting with little sign warring sides are respecting a deal to protect civilians.

BBC: Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko misses event, fuelling health rumors

Greece’s ‘greatest turnround’: From junk to investment grade: After more than a decade of bailouts and painful austerity measures, the country has rebounded.?FT

Bloomberg: Macron asks business to ‘choose France’, seeks agenda reset

+ French leader to unveil more than €10 billion of investments.

+ About 200 top executives are expected to gather in Versailles.

In Dunkirk, Macron wants to show that France is doing well: The French president inaugurated the construction of two factories in northern France on Friday and took the opportunity to praise his reindustrialization policy.?Le Monde

A new weapon for Britain’s Conservative Party: Penny Mordaunt’s sword-carrying skills have dramatically increased her chances of becoming Tory leader.?Adrian Wooldridge

Why jaded rural Tories are voting Green: The Green Party is surging in the shires due to anger over new homes, solar farms, and the state of our rivers. Rural politics has never been so unpredictable.?The Times

Bologna, Italian life the anti-Meloni way: The Emilia-Romagna region's capital has always been at the forefront of political and social struggles. In an aging country ruled by a far-right government, this student city has become a model of resistance.?Le Monde

AP: Zelenskyy meets Pope Francis at Vatican and seeks backing for Ukraine’s peace plan

Zelenskyy praises Germany’s €2.7bn military aid pledge to Ukraine: FT reports Rheinmetall deal to repair western tanks in war-torn country also announced around president’s visit to Berlin.

Zelensky calls Germany 'true friend' as Berlin pledges unwavering support for Kyiv: Le Monde reports after Italy and Germany, the Ukrainian president will travel to Paris, where he is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.

AFP: Zelensky visits France after EU honors Ukraine fight 'for Europe'

Zelensky meets with Macron in Paris to discuss 'urgent military needs': Le Monde reports the Ukrainian head of state made a surprise visit to Paris for talks Sunday night with French President Emmanuel Macron, extending a multi-stop European tour that has elicited fresh pledges of military support.

Ukraine’s path to victory: The attritional conflict is shifting into a war of maneuver.?Edward Luttwak

Today: China's special envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui starts a trip to Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, and Russia.

China and Russia are increasing their military collaboration, Japan’s foreign minister warns: AP reports Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed concern Saturday about Russian and Chinese military cooperation in Asia and said the security situation in Europe could not be separated from that in the Indo-Pacific region since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Thursday: China-Central Asia summit: Chinese President Xi Jinping will host a summit with his counterparts from five Central Asian countries in China's ancient capital of Xi'an

From Rahmbo to Rahm-bassador: How an unlikely diplomat has wooed Japan?WP

Tuesday: Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau will visit South Korea and hold a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Tuesday: Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss embarks on a tour to Taiwan.

US eyes access to Papua New Guinea naval base and airport: Nikkei reports South Pacific competition intensifies following China’s deal with Solomon Islands.

Thai opposition leads vote count, spelling possible end to military rule?WP

Bloomberg: Baht firms after Thailand’s voters back pro-democracy parties

+ Currency quoted around 0.2% stronger in early Monday trading.

+ Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties are among the biggest winners.

Move Forward galvanizes Thai voters with vows of royal reforms: Youth-led progressive party is energizing voters with bold promises of monarchy and military reforms – subjects once considered taboo.?Al Jazeera?

Bloomberg: Argentina to hike rates in bid to stem inflation crisis

+ Key rate to reach 97%, policymakers to boost peso intervention.

+ Inflation sped up to 109% as the currency weakened before the election.

Argentina plans emergency economic measures to avoid big devaluation: FT reports economy minister Sergio Massa to raise interest rates to almost 100 percent and step up currency intervention.

In Iowa, DeSantis embraces campaign rituals — but keeps some distance: Donald Trump was expected to hold a dueling rally Saturday in Des Moines but canceled it, citing a tornado watch.?WP

Iowa looms large for DeSantis as he looks to slow Trump’s momentum: WSJ reports the Florida governor is hoping to make a stand in the first state on the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination calendar.

Trump’s lesson for the media and Ron DeSantis?Ross Douthat

Bloomberg: Trump changed GOP rules to make winning the nomination even easier — for Trump

+ Trump’s takeover of the GOP helped him to write the delegate rules.

+ The number of winner-take-all states has grown from seven to 17.

AP: AI presents political peril for 2024 with threat to mislead voters

Will Texas blow up its energy miracle to bolster fossil fuels??Michael E. Webber

Lithium, coined 'the new oil,' is shifting global markets. Here's what you need to know about it: While production in Canada has been limited, the tide may be turning.?CBC

Why Elon Musk picked Linda Yaccarino to lead Twitter as CEO: Twitter has struggled to generate revenue since Musk took over as CEO, as advertisers have fretted over his sweeping rollbacks of content moderation.?WP

Can Linda Yaccarino, the ‘velvet hammer’, save Twitter??With ad sales down 50 percent, dropping ￡2 billion in seven months, Elon Musk hopes a former TV executive will steady the ship.?The Times

End of a love affair: AM radio is being removed from many cars: Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla, and other automakers are eliminating AM radio from some new vehicles, stirring protests against the loss of a medium that has shaped American life for a century.?WP

BBC: Eurovision: Sweden's Loreen wins again, but UK's Mae Muller is second from last

+ Sweden's Loreen has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, with her soaring pop anthem Tattoo.

+ The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool has become the most-watched grand final in history, the BBC has said.

A fantastically fresh look at Georgia O’Keeffe: New exhibition of O’Keeffe’s works on paper, at the Museum of Modern Art, reveals much about her creative processes.?WP

L'Elixir d'Or, a treasure hunt for lovers of riddles and wine: Since April 11, the hunt is on. Whoever is able to solve the riddles will bag not a trophy, but 3,500 delicious vintages. To take part in this game promoting the French wine heritage, only two criteria are required: being of legal drinking age and perseverance.?Ophélie Neiman

The French coach preparing Victor Wembanyama for NBA stardom:?Ahead of Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, veteran coach Vincent Collet has spent the past season honing the most prized prospect since LeBron James.?WSJ

Sherpa climbs Everest 26th time, matching record set by fellow Nepalese guide: AP reports Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached the summit on Sunday morning along with a Hungarian climber, according to expedition organizer Imagine Nepal Treks.

From Hollywood to Scudetto — How an Italian movie producer revived Napoli’s fortunes: Club’s current crop of young football players is ‘a group, and not a single star”, owner Aurelio De Laurentiis says.?FT

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal

Caracal produces ITK Daily.

Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry.

Caracal is here to help.

Caracal is a geopolitical business communications firm specializing in global business issues at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.

Clients are Chief Communications Officers and executive communications professionals who rely on Caracal for help navigating today's interconnected business environment with geopolitical intelligence, strategic planning, economic diplomacy, and communications.

Caracal believes that to be a world-class geopolitical business communicator, you need global street smarts coupled with holistic, high-frequency, and high-low communications.?

More @ caracal.global