Advertisement

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Editors
·5 min read

COVID-19 probe in China, 15% tax: Takeaways from the G-7 summit

The Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, England, ended Sunday with world leaders calling for collective action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, reinvigorate global economies and take swift action to protect an imperiled planet from climate change. Here's what we learned:

  • The G-7's communiqué called for a "timely, transparent, expert-led and science-based WHO-convened" study into COVID-19's origins in China.

  • Leaders committed to the "Carbis Bay Declaration," a series of recommendations and steps their countries will take to prevent future pandemics.

  • Low coal is the goal: The countries will, by the end of this year, halt all government support for international thermal coal power generation.

  • And leaders endorsed a U.S. plan for a minimum global corporate tax rate of 15%

Up next on the agenda for Biden is a trip to Brussels for a NATO alliance summit on Monday, then separate talks with European Union leaders on Tuesday. But first, he stopped at Windsor Castle for tea with the queen.

June 12, 2021: President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron visit during a bilateral meeting at the G-7 summit, in Carbis Bay, England.
June 12, 2021: President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron visit during a bilateral meeting at the G-7 summit, in Carbis Bay, England.

Israeli lawmakers vote out Netanyahu; new prime minister named

Israel's parliament — the 120-member Knesset — voted to swear in a new government Sunday, ending the historic 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Far-right politician Naftali Bennett, who once worked for Netanyahu, becomes Israel's new prime minister for two years in a coalition agreement that includes eight separate parties and is led by Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid. Lapid will serve as foreign minister and become prime minister after Bennett's two-year stint. The move relegates Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving prime minister who is sometimes known as "King Bibi," to an opposition figure and increases his legal jeopardy as he battles corruption charges in an ongoing criminal trial. In his speech to parliament, Netanyahu made clear he has no plans on giving up leadership of the Likud Party, vowing to “continue the great mission of my life, ensuring the security of Israel.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Real quick

Judge sides with hospital in first federal ruling on vaccine mandates

In the first federal ruling on vaccine mandates, a Houston judge Saturday dismissed a lawsuit by hospital employees who declined the COVID-19 vaccine — a decision that could have a ripple effect across the nation. The case involved Houston Methodist, which was the first hospital system in the country to require that all its employees get vaccinated. U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes said federal law does not prevent employers from issuing that mandate. “We can now put this behind us and continue our focus on unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation," Houston Methodist's CEO Marc Boom said after the ruling. The lawsuit was filed by 117 workers and led by Jennifer Bridges, a nurse at Houston Methodist's Baytown hospital who declined the vaccine because she considers it experimental and dangerous. The judge disagreed, writing: "This claim is false, and it is also irrelevant."

Djokovic storms back to win French Open

Novak Djokovic dropped the first two sets of the French Open final to 22-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the top-seeded Serbian rallied off three consecutive set wins to capture his second Grand Slam of the year and the 19th of his storied career. He's now just one Grand Slam title behind the men's record shared by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic has now won seven of the last 11 Grand Slam events. Coupled with his 2016 French Open title, he's now won each of the four major tournaments at least twice. The 34-year-old can now set his sights on Wimbledon in his quest to become the first men's player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year.

Manhunts in Savannah, Chicago, Austin after weekend shooting rampages

A manhunt was underway Sunday for the gunman who opened fire outside a residence in Savannah, Georgia, killing one person and wounding seven in one of three mass shootings across the nation over the weekend. Chicago and Austin, Texas also saw shootings with multiple victims late Friday into early Saturday. Police in Chicago were searching for suspects after one woman was killed and nine others left injured by gunfire. In Austin, 14 people were injured when shots rang out in the city's Sixth Street entertainment district.

The U.S. saw a spike in shootings and homicides last year, and many experts cited pandemic-related stress amid a rise in gun ownership and debate over policing. The numbers appear to be remaining high. Nationwide, there have been 17 mass killings so far this year, defined as at least four people killed, not including the shooter, according to a USA TODAY/Associated Press/Northeastern University database. Sixteen of those were shootings.

P.S. Like this roundup of stories? Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: G-7 summit, Netanyahu out, Djokovic wins: Weekend's biggest news