Reuters
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with U.S. President Barack Obama outside the Elmau castle in Kruen near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, June 8, 2015.
The world's most powerful woman, who oversees the richest EU economy, is hosting the Group of Seven (G7) in the remote Bavarian village of Krün at the Schloss Elmau this week.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will preside over discussions with the leaders of the US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and European Council president Donald Tusk, EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.
Primary topics will include enforced sanctions against Russia, terrorism, the global economy, and climate change, Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, Russian aggression in Ukraine continues to intensify with reports that pro-Russian rebels are 40,000-strong, enough to defend a "mid-sized European state," Agence France Presse reports.
Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin describes pro-Russian rebels fighting in Ukraine as patriotic volunteers and off-duty soldiers who are answering "a call of the heart," the Guardian reports.
Merkel, for her part, condemned Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and said Europe "could toughen the sanctions if the situation requires us to do so."
The G7 leaders also invited the leaders of Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Liberia, South Africa, Tunisia and Iraq as "outreach guests," to discuss terrorism Reuters reports.
The scenery has made for some great photos, especially including Merkel and Obama.
Reuters German Chancellor Angela Merkel sits with U.S. President Barack Obama on a bench outside the Elmau castle in Kruen near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, June 8, 2015. Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) industrial nations vowed at 