Glasgow

G20 leaders gathering in Rome for their first meeting since the start of the pandemic face a global recovery hampered by a number of obstacles: an energy crisis driving higher fuel and utility prices, new outbreaks of Covid-19 and blocked supply chains.

President Joe Biden promised to show the world that democracies can work to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As he prepares to push that message at a pair of global summits, his case could hinge on what's happening in Washington, where he was struggling to finalize a major domestic legislative package.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will head to Italy and the U.K. to attend the G20 Leaders and COP26 climate summits, Turkey's Communications Directorate said ob Oct. 28.

Glasgow was flooded just days before the opening of the climate change summit. Serious floods were caused by torrential rains in south-west Scotland and north-west England.

In Scotland's largest city, some streets have become completely impassable after heavy rains. Public transport was seriously damaged, trains were canceled.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he would meet his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, on the margins of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

"The agenda for Rome and Glasgow appears to have changed. We are likely to meet in Glasgow instead of Rome," Erdoğan on Oct. 26 told journalists on board his return flight from a trip to Azerbaijan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 27 said he will meet his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in Glasgow, Scotland during the COP26 climate summit, which starts this Sunday.

During the meeting, the issue of F-35 fighter jets will top the agenda, Erdoğan told reporters.

Angela Merkel took another step towards resigning from politics today after receiving an official document for her dismissal from the post of chancellor, where she spent 16 years, the Associated Press reported.

Merkel attended today the first session of the new German parliament, but sat in the gallery for VIP guests. Merkel was elected to the Bundestag 31 years ago.

By George Gilson

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos had a one-hour meeting yesterday afternoon with US President Joe Biden during which the topics of discussion included the re-opening of the patriarchate's Halki Theological Theological Seminary, which was shut down by the Turkish state half a century ago, in 1971, and environmental issues.

Asia suffered its hottest year on record in 2020, the United Nations said on Oct. 26 ahead of the COP26 summit, with extreme weather taking a heavy toll on the continent's development.

In its annual "State of the Climate in Asia" report, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said every part of the region had been affected.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša will lead a sizeable Slovenian delegation to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, to be held between 31 October and 12 November. The roadmap posted on the government website estimates the cost at EUR 1.2 million, most of which is to be spent on an EU pavilion.