G7

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew called Wednesday for Greece's debt crisis to be resolved quickly to avoid the risk of "accidents", as G7 finance ministers gathered.

"Brinkmanship is a dangerous thing when it only takes one accident," he said in a talk at the London School of Economics university.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned that Greece still needs to make a great deal of effort and should not expect any more concessions from Germany in an interview with Deutschlandfunk on Sunday.

Athens’ optimism on negotiations is not justified, according to German FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble.

As he stated, he does not exclude the possibility of bankruptcy (insolvency) for Greece, while information from the Institutions do not go hand in hand with the optimism expressed by the Greek government.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said May 21 a return of Russia to the Group of Seven major industrialised democracies was "unimaginable" as long as it flouts international law in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on April 15 welcomed a compromise with Congress on giving lawmakers a say on any final deal on Iran's nuclear programme.

Kerry said the measure approved April 14 by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which raises the threshold for critics in Congress to block any accord with Tehran, made him "confident" ahead of a June 30 deadline.    

Russia's return to the group of leading industrialised nations hinges on its assistance to efforts to put an an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier dismissed on April 12 calls from the radical Left party to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to this year's summit of the Group of Seven industrial powers.
   

Since the end of the Cold War, the international system has been fluctuating. While the bipolar system has ended, no equivalent is in place yet. In the early days of the post-Cold War era, some talked about the unipolar moment as the United States dominated the world with its unrivalled economic and military power.

?The rise and demise of the Turkish trading state; is there a way out?? was the title of the speech Professor Kemal Kiri?ci delivered recently to mark the fifth year of the Foreign Policy Forum of Bo?aziçi University and TÜS?AD, Turkey?s top business body.

Beyonce Knowles and Lady Gaga are among 36 prominent women who have signed a petition calling March 8 on the G7 and the African Union to tackle female poverty.
      
The US singers were joined by actresses Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron, Rosamund Pike and Rita Wilson in signing the letter, issued on International Women's Day.