On Monday night a suicide bomber attacked Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert, resulting in numerous casualties. Details are still coming in, but here is what we know so far:
• British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. raised the terrorism threat level to critical—meaning another attack may be imminent. The level had stood at the second-highest level of “severe” for several years. As a result of the higher threat level, May said armed soldiers may be deployed instead of police at public events.
• Manchester police confirm that the man suspected of being the suicide bomber is 22-year-old Salman Abedi. Prime Minister May said Abedi was born and raised in Britain and may be part of a larger network.
• Manchester Police have confirmed there are 22 dead so far from the attack, with 59 injured.
• Confirmed among those deceased are an 18 year-old college student and an 8 year-old girl. The Manchester Evening News is also reporting that 28 year-old John Atkinson was also killed in the bombing.
• Earlier, police said they had been treating the bombing as an incident carried out by one person, and said they are still figuring out whether they was “part of a network.”
• Police also say they have arrested a 23 year-old man in connection with the incident.
• Earlier Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement online. However, the Associated Press reports that, according to U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coates, that country’s officials have not verified that ISIS is indeed responsible. “I might mention that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in Manchester,” Coats said during testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington. D.C. Tuesday. “Although they claim responsibility for virtually every attack. We have not verified yet the connection.”
• Police also reportedly have obtained CCTV footage of the bomber. According to the Guardian, the footage “shows the explosion was deliberate and caused by a suicide device, believed to be contained in a bag, a source said. The device is described as homemade and crude.”
• The Guardian reports that families of the injured have told news outlets that some of those caught in the blast are undergoing surgery to have metal bolts removed from their bodies.

Relatives of a woman missing in the attack told South West News that victims were left with metal bolts embedded in their bodies. Paul Dryhurst’s niece Kelly Brewster, 32, is feared to have been killed when she visited the Arena with her sister Claire Booth, and Claire’s daughter Hollie, 11. All three were caught in the blast and Claire, 34 and Hollie were today being treated in hospital for horrific shrapnel wounds. Speaking from his home in Sheffield, Dryhurst Claire and Hollie were having bolts surgically removed from their bodies.
• Ariana Grande tweeted that she is “broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have any words.”
• Here is how a witness described what she saw to Sky News.
• On Monday morning Prime Minister May gave a statement outside 10 Downing Street in London, saying: “All acts of terrorism are cowardly attacks on innocent people, but this attack stands out for its appalling sickening cowardice.”
• The explosion occurred in the midst of a national election. U.K. Election campaigns were halted on Tuesday.
• Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement as well. “I know I speak for everyone in expressing my deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event and especially to the families and friends of those who have died or were injured,” the Queen said, via the statement.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences last night: “Canadians are shocked by the news of the horrific attack in Manchester tonight. Please keep the victims & their families in your thoughts,” he tweeted.
• U.S. President Donald Trump also issued a statement regarding the explosion. “So many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives, murdered by evil losers in life. I won’t call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that’s a great name. I will call them, from now on, losers, because that’s what they are; they’re losers.”
• Of course, many of the concert attendees were young—some children. One man told Sky News that he and his wife and daughter began to leave the concert slightly early to beat traffic, and walked through the venue’s main entrance on their way out. As they left, they “heard a massive bang” behind them. In the aftermath, he said, “there were young children terrified, crying their eyes out.”
• More eyewitness accounts detail the chaos that erupted as those in the arena tried to evacuate the building.
• A homeless man who helped victims following the explosion described to ITV News what he saw.
• A vigil will be held this evening between 6pm and 7pm local time at Albert Square in Manchester.

-With files from Associated Press

This article has been updated as new information has arrived.</s>G7 leaders held annual summit talks on Friday with divisions on trade and climate change, and fresh friction surrounding Donald Trump, threatening to undermine a show of unity against jihadist terrorism.

“There is no doubt that this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years,” European Union president Donald Tusk predicted, setting the tone for the two-day meet in Sicily’s ancient hilltop resort of Taormina.

The meeting comes days after several children were among 22 people killed in a concert bomb attack in Manchester, northwest England.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was to lead a discussion on terrorism and issue a call for G7 countries to put more pressure on internet companies to ensure extremist content is quickly taken offline and notified to authorities.

With the Islamic State group on the retreat in Iraq and Syria, “the fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet”, May would tell her colleagues, aides said, before flying home early to oversee the ongoing “critical” security situation in Britain.

US officials acknowledged they were expecting a difficult discussion on trade after reports that Trump had described the Germans as “bad, very bad” and vowed to stop them selling millions of cars in the United States, during a meeting with senior EU officials in Brussels yesterday.

Both US and EU officials confirmed the outspoken president had raised the auto trade issue but sought to play down the language used, as Trump shared friendly words with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders heading into the G7 gathering.

White House economic advisor Gary Cohn said that trade would be a “big topic” overall after Trump rode to power on an “America First” platform of protectionism.

“We are going to continue to fight for what we believe is right, which is free, open and fair trade, which the president has been very clear on what that means,” Cohn said. “We will have a very robust discussion on trade.”

With May and Trump among four new faces in the club of the world’s major democracies, the gathering in Italy was billed as a key test of how serious the new US administration is about implementing its radical policy agenda, particularly on climate change.

Senior officials are preparing to work overtime in a bid to bridge what appear to be irreconcilable differences over Trump’s declared intention of ditching the US commitment to the landmark Paris accord on curbing carbon emissions.

Officials acknowledge the summit is effectively about damage limitation against a backdrop of fears among US partners that the Trump presidency could undermine the international order in place since World War II.

For Trump, the talks will be the final leg of his first presidential foray overseas.

The gruelling week-long trip briefly diverted attention from domestic concerns focused on alleged campaign collusion with Russia.

But that issue reared up again overnight as it emerged the FBI is examining his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s contacts with the Russian ambassador in connection with the probe of alleged interference in the election campaign by Moscow.

US officials had hoped the globe-trotting trip would enable Trump to position himself as a more statesmanlike figure and he enjoyed largely positive coverage on his stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and at the Vatican.

But some of that has been undone by now-viral images of the billionaire tycoon shoving his way past other leaders at a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday, and by his reported comments on Germany.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday that “deeply troubling” leaks to U.S. media about the Manchester suicide bombing would be investigated, after irate British police briefly stopped sharing information with U.S. agencies.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May react during a ceremony at the new NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Prime Minister Theresa May raised British concerns with Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels, telling him intelligence shared between their two countries had to remain secure, in a rare public show of dissatisfaction with Britain’s closest security ally.

After a suspension that lasted about a day, Britain’s most senior counter terrorism officer said late on Thursday that the police had resumed sharing information with the United States after receiving “fresh assurances”.

Trump had called the leaks “deeply troubling”.

“I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in a statement released after his arrival in Brussels.

The row comes as British police stepped up their investigation into a suspected network behind Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born man with Libyan parents who blew himself up on Monday night at the Manchester Arena indoor venue after a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande

The singer’s fans are mostly children and teenagers and the explosion killed 22 people, ranging from an eight-year-old schoolgirl to parents who had come to pick up their children.

Police are holding eight people in custody in connection with the attack and bomb disposal units were used in searches as officers raided properties across the city.

In the nearby town of Wigan, where a man was arrested on Wednesday, police said they had discovered potentially suspicious items, prompting them to bring in the bomb squad and evacuate properties in the area. The security alert was later lifted.

Police said they were making good progress.

“I want to reassure people that the arrests that we have made are significant, and initial searches of premises have revealed items that we believe are very important to the investigation,” Manchester’s police chief Ian Hopkins said.

With the official threat level raised to “critical”, meaning a further attack could be imminent, troops have been deployed to free up police, and armed officers patrolled trains for the first time in Britain.

The state-run National Health Service said all 27 major trauma units in England had told staff to be prepared for a possible attack, ahead of the weekend and a public holiday on Monday.

BOMB-MAKER?

Abedi had recently returned from Libya, where his father and younger brother were arrested by a militia on Wednesday.

Abedi passed through Istanbul on his way to Europe, Turkish security officials told Reuters, but said there were no records of him entering Syria during his travels as had been suggested on Wednesday by the French interior minister. [L8N1IR4RV]

A source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters Abedi might have made the bomb himself or with some assistance from an accomplice. That was a change from previous thinking that a bomb-maker might be at large.

“The focus is still the search for accomplices and the network but he could have made this bomb himself,” the source said.

Over the past three days, several key details of the investigation, including the name of the bomber, first came out in U.S. media, angering British police who feared such leaks risked compromising their investigation.

May raised the matter with Trump as they gathered for a group photograph at the NATO summit.

“She expressed the view that the intelligence sharing relationship we have with the U.S. is hugely important and valuable, but that the information that we share should be kept secure,” a British government source said.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also spoke to Britain’s interior minister Amber Rudd about the issue. The U.S. Justice Department said it had initiated steps to address the “rampant leaks”, which it said could not be tolerated.

The decision to stop sharing police information with U.S. agencies was an extraordinary step for Britain, which is usually at pains to emphasize its “special relationship” with the United States.

“While we do not usually comment on information sharing arrangements ... having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world,” said Mark Rowley, Britain’s lead officer for counter-terrorism policing.

British authorities did not say the investigation had in fact been compromised by the leaks.

The attack injured 116 people, of whom 75 were admitted to hospital and 23 remain in a very serious condition, health authorities said.

Queen Elizabeth visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where some of the casualties have been treated, and was filmed chatting with a girl lying injured on a ward. She described the attack as “very wicked”.

“A CITY UNITED”

A minute’s silence was observed in honor of the victims at a square in central Manchester, after which crowds broke into an emotional chorus of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, an old hit song by the band Oasis who are from the city.

The city’s two giant soccer clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City, laid aside their rivalry to jointly donate 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) to an emergency fund set up to support families affected by the attack. They labeled their initiative “A City United”.

The bombing has caused revulsion across the world for targeting children and teenagers. Former U.S. President Barack Obama, meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at an event in Berlin, said the pair were “heartbroken”, while Trump told fellow NATO leaders the attack was “savage” and “barbaric”.

Many European cities, including Paris, Berlin and Brussels, have suffered attacks in the past two years, underlining the importance of confidential intelligence cooperation.

Britain routinely shares intelligence with the United States bilaterally, and as part of the “Five Eyes” network which also includes Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Trump was widely criticized this month after it emerged he had discussed sensitive Syria-related intelligence, originating from an ally, with Russian officials at a White House meeting. May said at the time Britain would continue to share information with Washington.

Pictures published by the New York Times included remains of the bomb and of the rucksack carried by the suicide bomber, and showed blood stains amid the wreckage.

“I think it’s pretty disgusting,” said Scott Lightfoot, a Manchester resident, speaking outside a train station in the city. He criticized media for publishing such material.

Slideshow (8 Images)

“Who’s leaking it? Where’s it coming from? This is British intelligence at the end of the day, people shouldn’t be finding out about this.”

In a statement, the New York Times defended its decision to publish the images, saying they were “neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims”.

“Our coverage of Monday’s horrific attack has been both comprehensive and responsible,” the newspaper said.</s>The National Police Chiefs’ Council in Britain called the leaks a breach of trust, adding, “This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorized disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counterterrorism investigation.” The disclosure of potential evidence “undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families,” it added.

On Thursday, Manchester’s top police official, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, joined the chorus of criticism, saying that the disclosure “has caused much distress for families that are already suffering terribly with their loss.”

Earlier in the day, the BBC reported that the Manchester police would no longer share details of the investigation with American counterparts. But on Thursday evening, after Mrs. May had new assurances from Mr. Trump, the police announced that intelligence sharing had resumed — if it had ever stopped in the first place.

Mark Rowley, an assistant commissioner in charge of counterterrorism at Scotland Yard and an officer on the Police Chiefs’ Council, said in a statement issued later on Thursday that “while we do not usually comment on information-sharing arrangements with international law enforcement organizations, we want to emphasize that, having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world including all those in the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance.” (Along with the United States and Britain, the other countries in the alliance are New Zealand, Australia and Canada.)

The Times said in a statement:

The images and information presented were neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims, and consistent with the common line of reporting on weapons used in horrific crimes, as The Times and other media outlets have done following terrorist acts around the world, from Boston to Paris to Baghdad, and many places in between. Our mission is to cover news and inform our readers. We have strict guidelines on how and in what ways we cover sensitive stories. Our coverage of Monday’s horrific attack has been both comprehensive and responsible. We cover stories about terrorism from all angles. Not only stories about victims but also how terrorist groups work, their sources of funding, how they recruit. Acts of terrorism have tremendous impact on how we live, on how we are governed and how we interact as people, communities and nations. At times the process of reporting this coverage comes at personal risk to our reporters. We do it because it is core to our mission.

Mr. Trump has viewed leaks differently at different times depending on whether they helped or hurt him. During last year’s presidential campaign, he not only capitalized on the disclosure of emails from the Democratic National Committee and from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, he publicly called on Russian hackers to unearth and publicize even more of them. “I love WikiLeaks,” he said at one point, praising the group that made public many of the emails.

But since taking office, Mr. Trump has been increasingly frustrated by information coming out of his own White House. Details of his conversation with Russian officials and of his telephone calls with the leaders of Mexico, Australia and, just this week, the Philippines have spilled into public view. Leaked information about a telephone call between Michael T. Flynn, his first national security adviser, and Russia’s ambassador forced the president to fire Mr. Flynn.

Mr. Trump’s own aides also routinely leak about one another in the latest palace intrigue.

In recent days, anonymously sourced articles about Mr. Trump’s private conversations with and about James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired, have fueled investigations into his associates’ ties with Russia. After The Times reported that Mr. Trump had asked Mr. Comey to shut down an investigation into Mr. Flynn, the Justice Department felt compelled to appoint a special counsel to take over the Russia investigation.</s>Manchester, England (CNN) Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi likely received some ISIS training in Syria in the months before the attack, according to information gathered in the preliminary investigation, a US official told CNN on Thursday.

The US believes ISIS, through that training, set the stage for the 22-year old to carry out the deadly attack at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, which killed 22 people as they left a pop concert.

Other members of Abedi's family are believed to have been radicalized as well, the official said.

More details are emerging about the British-born killer, who spent time in Libya before the attack and transited through Istanbul and Dusseldorf airports, as police focus on tracking down his associates.

Authorities have made multiple arrests including the bomber's brother, who was detained in Libya.

JUST WATCHED UK angry over Manchester attack leaks Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH UK angry over Manchester attack leaks 02:38

The latest revelations come as intelligence sharing between the US and the UK resumed after a temporary halt following a series of high-profile leaks to US media of details surrounding the Manchester bombing investigation, which were blamed on US government officials.

US-UK tensions

Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of Britain National Police Chiefs Council, said after receiving "fresh assurances," the UK was now "working closely" its key partners, "including all those in the ' Five Eyes' intelligence alliance."

Under 'Five Eyes,' the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand share intelligence in one of the world's tightest multilateral arrangements.

US sources were the first to reveal the identity of the bomber, leading to concern that police efforts to hunt down his associates could be impacted.

British Prime Minister Theresa May confronted President Donald Trump about the leaks during their meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

In a written statement, President Trump described the leaks as "deeply troubling" and ordered an investigation. He added that,"There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom."

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press the point during his first official visit to the UK on Friday.

Tillerson will meet with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson "in an expression of UK-US solidarity following the terrorist attack in Manchester earlier this week," a Foreign Office statement said. The two men will write condolence messages for the victims.

JUST WATCHED Queen Elizabeth II visits attack victims Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Queen Elizabeth II visits attack victims 00:52

'Significant' arrests

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins told reporters Thursday eight men had been arrested at addresses in Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton. These arrests are "significant," he said, with searches having "revealed items that we believe are very important to the investigation."

On Thursday, a large cordon was set up for a time around a location in Wigan, where an arrest was made a day earlier, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

A raid and search have been ongoing due to the discovery of "potentially suspicious items" and evacuations took place as a "matter of precaution."

Investigators are tracking down associates of Abedi, a British-born national of Libyan descent who was known to intelligence services, saying it is clear they are investigating a network.

A Turkish official said Abedi had transited through Istanbul's Ataturk airport "recently" and did not enter Turkey. The official, who did not want to be named due to government protocol, said he could not confirm where Abedi arrived from or was traveling to. He did say, however, that it could not have been Syria because there are no flights to or from Syria from Istanbul.

The official said Turkey had not received any information from foreign intelligence services about Abedi, so he did not raise any red flags.

Police in Dusseldorf confirmed that Abedi traveled through Dusseldorf Airport in Germany on his way to Manchester a few days before the attack. The suspect was in transit only in the security area.

Abedi 'behaved like a child'

According to a family friend who asked not to be identified, the boys' father had taken his sons to Libya in mid-April and confiscated their passports so they couldn't return to the UK where they'd been in trouble with gangs.

Abedi got his passport back after telling his father he was going on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, but returned to England instead. Abedi was in Libya for three weeks and returned days before his attack, US military officials told CNN.

Hashim Ramadan Abu Qassem al-Abedi, a brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was arrested in Tripoli, Libya, May 23.

In Libya, Abedi's brother -- identified as 20-year-old Hashim Ramadan Abu Qassem al-Abedi -- was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of links to ISIS, according to a statement from a Tripoli militia known as the Special Deterrence Force.

Abdullah Muhsin Norris, chairman of Salaam Community Masjid, a community center in Manchester, told CNN he got into an argument with Abedi in January. Apprently, Abedi wanted to stay after prayers and was wearing his shoes. "Anyway I quarrelled with him and the way he behaved he said I shouldn't shout at him I said, 'I shout at you because you behaved like a child," Norris said.

Armed officers patrol trains

British Transport Police announced Thursday that "specially trained firearms officers will be patrolling on board train services for the first time." It comes after Britain raised the threat level to critical -- the highest in a decade -- and deployed armed soldiers to support police.

"It is important to note that we do not have any specific intelligence in relation to train services but are taking this action to ensure we can protect and reassure the public," BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the Manchester Royal Infirmary and Children's Hospital, where some of the wounded are being treated. Speaking to the father of an injured girl by her hospital bed, the Queen said the attack was "a very wicked thing."

Among the 22 victims were parents, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, friends, colleagues and classmates. Some were waiting to collect their children, others were enjoying what should have been a fun night of pop music.

A moment of silence was held Thursday morning as the United Kingdom continued to come to terms with its worst terror attack since the 2005 London bombings.

Manchester hospitals are still treating 75 people in the aftermath of Monday's bombing attack, including 23 in critical care, according to a statement from NHS England.</s>Here's what happened on Wednesday night in the aftermath of the horrific suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on Tuesday morning NZT. The world is on high alert after Britain raised its terror threat level to the highest setting, critical, following the attack which left at least 22 people dead and more than 59 injured. This means another attack is imminent in the UK and military personnel will be deployed in key locations to help armed police protect the public.

Meanwhile Israel's defense minister says he doubts the devastating bombing in Manchester will have any impact on European counter-terrorism tactics because of the continent's "politically correct" character. Avigdor Lieberman says every bombing in Europe results in much talk, but little action. He told Israel's Army Radio tonight the problem is extremism among Muslim youths who are not integrated into society.

9.34pm: British Prime Minister Theresa May is chairing a meeting of her emergency security cabinet, known as Cobra. The Downing Street meeting is dealing with intelligence reports about the investigation into suicide bomber Salman Abedi. Police and intelligence agencies are trying to determine if he was part of a network that may be planning further attacks in the coming days.

9.11: The identity of the two Polish citizens killed in the Manchester attack has been confirmed as Angelika and Marcin Klis, the Guardian reports. Yesterday, the couple's daughter had shared an appeal to find her parents, who had not been seen since the bombing. The Guardian says the identities of nine of the 22 people killed in the attack are now known. They are:

9.00pm: Reuters reports a Manchester health official says around 20 people remain in a critical condition after the suicide bombing, with those wounded battling "highly traumatic injuries" such as damage to major organs and limbs. A total of 64 people are now being treated, he said.

8.32: France's interior minister says the suicide bomber Salman Abedi is believed to have travelled to Syria and had "proven" links with ISIS. Speaking on BFM television tonight, Gerard Collomb did not provide details and said it is unclear whether Abedi was part of a larger network of attackers.

7.38pm: British Home Secretary Amber Rudd has been asked on BBC Radio does she know another attack is imminent. Ms Rudd said if the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre says an attack may be imminent, the government will support that assessment.

6.20pm: At Yankee Stadium, God Save the Queen was played along with The Star-Spangled Banner before New York hosted the Kansas City Royals. "OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO THE VICTIMS IN MANCHESTER" the video board read.

6.06pm: The focus for police now is was the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, a lone wolf or part of a terror network planning other attacks? He was on a government watchlist at one point and there are unconfirmed reports that he had recently travelled to Libya and possibly Syria.

5.55pm: A homeless man who was begging in the foyer of Manchester Arena when the suicide bomber attacked has been hailed a hero for rushing to help injured children. A GoFundMe page was set up early this morning to support Chris Parker, 33. He said he also helped tend to a woman in her 60s who had serious injuries but "she passed away in my arms".

5.33pm: Officials are still hunting for accomplices of the suicide bombing suspect, 22-year-old Manchester-born Salman Abedi. British Prime Minister Theresa May said: "We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage."

5.20pm: There have been heartbreaking updates to appeals for information about those missing following the attack. Those include confirmation that 15-year-old Olivia Campbell had died, following an emotional appeal from her family. The youngest victim was Saffie Roussos, 8.</s>TAORMINA, Italy (Reuters) - Leaders from the world's major industrialised nations began talks on Friday at a G7 summit in Sicily which is expected to expose deep divisions with U.S. President Donald Trump over trade and climate change.

The two-day summit, at a cliff-top hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, began a day after Trump blasted NATO allies for spending too little on defence and described Germany's trade surplus as "very bad" in a meeting with EU officials in Brussels.

After receiving warm receptions in Saudia Arabia and Israel, Trump's confrontational stance with long-standing partners in Europe cast a cloud over the meeting in Taormina, where leaders are due to discuss terrorism, Syria, North Korea and the global economy.

"No doubt, this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years," Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of European Union leaders, said before the meeting.

Trump was elected in November after a campaign in which he rejected many of the tenets that the Group of Seven has stood for, including free trade, multilateralism and the liberal democratic values.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron, had hoped to use the summit to convince Trump to soften some of his stances.

But diplomats conceded as the talks began that the United States was unlikely to budge, meaning the final communique could be watered down significantly compared to the one the G7 unveiled at its last summit in Japan.

The summit kicked off with a ceremony at an ancient Greek theatre overlooking the sea, where war ships patrolled the sparkling blue waters. Nine fighter jets soared into the sky above Taormina, leaving a trail of smoke in the red-white-green colours of the Italian flag.

The leaders then adjourned to the San Domenico Palace, a one-time Dominican monastery that is now a luxury 5-star hotel. During World War Two, it housed Nazi air force chiefs.

Italy chose to stage the summit in Sicily to draw attention to Africa, which is 140 miles (225 km) from the island at its closest point across the Mediterranean.

More than half a million migrants, most from sub-Saharan Africa, have reached Italy by boat since 2014, taking advantage of the chaos in Libya to launch their perilous crossings.

But trade and climate, to be discussed on Friday afternoon, are the most contentious issues.

Trump, who dismissed human-made global warming as a "hoax" during his election campaign, is threatening to pull the United States out of a 2015 climate deal clinched in Paris in 2015.

Fellow G7 leaders are trying to convince him to stay in. Cohn and other administration officials have said Trump will wait until after the summit to decide.

"This is the first real opportunity that the international community has to force the American administration to begin to show its hand, particularly on environment policy," said Tristen Naylor, a lecturer on development at the University of Oxford and deputy director of the G20 Research Group.

On Thursday in Brussels, with NATO leaders standing alongside him, Trump accused members of the military alliance of owing "massive amounts of money" to the United States and NATO - even though allied contributions are voluntary.

The remarks went down badly with European leaders, who had hoped Trump would use the opportunity to confirm his commitment to Article 5, the core NATO principle that an attack on one member is viewed as an attack on all.

"When an American president cannot commit clearly to Article 5 at a time when everyone is expecting him to do this then there is the risk that Moscow interprets this as meaning it is no longer valid," said Jan Techau of the American Academy in Berlin.

In a private meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Trump also denounced the German trade surplus as "very bad" and complained about the large number of German cars being sold in the United States, officials said.

Juncker tried to play down the comments ahead of the summit. But they underscored ongoing policy divisions between Trump and his partners four months after he took office.

Trump is attending his first major international summit but is not the only G7 newcomer. Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and British Prime Minister Theresa May will also be attending the elite club for the first time.

May is expected to leave a day early, following Monday's suicide bombing at a concert in northern England that killed 22 people carried out by a suspected Islamist militant of Libyan descent who grew up in Britain.

G7 leaders were expected to issue a separate statement on terrorism on Friday, before issuing their formal communique on Saturday. Italian officials have suggested the final communique will be shorter than 10 pages. At the last G7 summit in Japan it totalled 32 pages.

One country that will not be present is Russia. It was expelled from the group in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Trump called for improved ties with Moscow during his election campaign.

But accusations from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia intervened in the U.S. election to help Trump, and investigations into his campaign's contacts with Russian officials, have hung over his four-month-old presidency and prevented him from getting too close to Moscow.

On Thursday, the Washington Post and NBC News reported that Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner was under scrutiny by the FBI because of his meetings with Russian officials before Trump took office. One of Kushner's attorneys said her client would cooperate with the investigation.

Kushner and his wife, Trump's daughter Ivanka, have returned to Washington after accompanying the president for the first part of his first foreign tour.</s>Video: US President, Donald Trump Shoves NATO Leader Aside, Disgraces Another

The United States President, Donald J. Trump has been the focus of the media especially following his win in the November polls. Donald Trump who has been accused of leaking sensitive information to other world leaders, Russia in particular has also been accused by the United Kingdom of leaking confidential information regarding the recent terror…

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>Manchester: British police on Tuesday identified the suicide bomber who killed 22 people, including children, in an attack on a crowded concert hall in Manchester, and said they were trying to establish whether he had acted alone or with help from others.

The man suspected of carrying out Britain`s deadliest bombing in nearly 12 years was named as Salman Abedi, aged 22, but police declined to give further details about him.

U.S. security sources, citing British intelligence officials, said he was born in Manchester in 1994 to parents of Libyan origin. He is believed to have travelled by train from London before the attack, they said.

"Our priority, along with the police counter-terrorism network and our security partners, is to continue to establish whether he was acting alone or working as part of a wider network," Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said.

The attacker set off his improvised bomb as crowds streamed out of the Manchester Arena after a pop concert by Ariana Grande, a U.S. singer especially popular with teenage girls.

"All acts of terrorism are cowardly," Prime Minister Theresa May said outside her Downing Street office after a meeting with security and intelligence chiefs.

"But this attack stands out for its appalling sickening cowardice, deliberately targeting innocent, defenceless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives."

Britain has increased its security threat level to "critical" from "severe" following the attack, May said in a later televised statement, adding that members of the armed forces would boost security at key sites and military personnel might be deployed at public events such as concerts and sports events.

Islamic State, now being driven from territories in Syria and Iraq by Western-backed armed forces, claimed responsibility for what it called a revenge attack against "Crusaders", but there appeared to be contradictions in its account of the operation.

Witnesses related the horror of the blast, which unleashed a stampede just as the concert ended at Europe`s largest indoor arena, full to its capacity of 21,000.

"We ran and people were screaming at us and pushing on the stairs to go outside and people were falling down, girls were crying, and we saw these women being treated by paramedics having open wounds on their legs ... it was just chaos," said Sebastian Diaz, 19. "It was literally just a minute after it ended, the lights came on and the bomb went off."

A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, screaming and running from the venue. Dozens of parents frantically searched for their children, posting photos and pleading for information on social media.

Singer Grande, 23, said on Twitter she was devastated: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don`t have words."

The attack was the deadliest in the UK since four British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London`s transport system in 2005. But it will have reverberations far beyond British shores.

Attacks in cities including Paris, Nice, Brussels, St Petersburg, Berlin and London have shocked Europeans already anxious over security challenges from mass immigration and pockets of domestic Islamist radicalism. Islamic State has repeatedly called for attacks as retaliation for Western involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

While claiming responsibility on its Telegram account, the group appeared to contradict the police description of a suicide bomber. It suggested explosive devices were placed "in the midst of the gatherings of the Crusaders".

"What comes next will be more severe on the worshippers of the cross," the Telegram posting said.

It did not name the bomber, as it usually does in attacks it has ordered and appeared also to contradict a posting on another Islamic State account, Amaq, which spoke of "a group of attackers". That reference, however, was later removed.

May said security services were working to see if a wider group was involved in the attack, which fell less than three weeks before a national election. Campaigning was suspended as a mark of respect.

May spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and several other foreign leaders on Tuesday about the attack, her spokesman said. She also visited the police headquarters and a children`s hospital in Manchester.

The White House said Trump had agreed with May during their telephone conversation that the attack was "particularly wanton and depraved".

Macron and senior French ministers walked to the British embassy in Paris to sign the condolence book.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it "will only strengthen our resolve to...work with our British friends against those who plan and carry out such inhumane deeds".

The U.N. Security Council condemned "the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" and expressed solidarity with Britain in the fight against terrorism.

Queen Elizabeth held a minute`s silence at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London.

Manchester remained on high alert, with additional armed police drafted in. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said more police had been ordered onto the streets of the British capital.

Police raided a property in the Manchester district of Fallowfield where they carried out a controlled explosion.

On Tuesday evening thousands of people attended a vigil in central Manchester in sombre but defiant mood.

"There`s hard times again in these streets of our city, but we won`t take defeat and we don`t want your pity, because this is the place where we stand strong together with a smile on our face, Mancunians forever," local poet Tony Walsh said in a poem he read to the crowd that drew loud cheers and applause.

British police do not routinely carry firearms, but London police said extra armed officers would be deployed at this weekend`s soccer cup final at Wembley and rugby at Twickenham. Security would be reviewed also for smaller events.

In March, a British-born convert to Islam ploughed a car into pedestrians on London`s Westminster Bridge, killing four people before stabbing to death a police officer who was on the grounds of parliament. The man was shot dead at the scene.

In 2015, Pakistani student Abid Naseer was convicted in a U.S. court of conspiring with al Qaeda to blow up the Arndale shopping centre in the centre of Manchester in April 2009.</s>British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will insist that intelligence shared with the United States must remain secure when she meets with President Donald Trump.

In Brussels on Thursday for a NATO summit at which Trump will also be present, May said she would “make clear” to the U.S. president that leaking of sensitive information to the media must cease, the Press Association reported.

The British government has repeatedly condemned leaks to the U.S. media of information relating to the ongoing investigation into the Manchester suspected suicide bombing on Monday that left 22 dead.

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Among other information, American media were the first to report the name of the suspected bomber, Salman Abedi, and The New York Times ran a story including detailed images of forensics work at the scene of the attack.

It is not known who has been leaking the information or where they work. But the steady stream of information appearing in U.S. press has persuaded Greater Manchester Police to take the extraordinary step of no longer sharing information on the investigation with the Americans, the BBC reported.

Normally, Britain and America sustain a two-way flow of information on terror investigations.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd was the first government minister to condemn the leaks publicly, saying Wednesday, before The New York Times story was published, that the disclosures were “irritating” because they made it hard to keep up the “element of surprise.”

Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told a London radio station the same day that the leaks were “disappointing.”

A former British intelligence official told Newsweek that the Americans were “blabbermouths.”

The row comes as Israel said on Thursday it had reviewed its intelligence-sharing relationship with Washington. Trump reportedly disclosed sensitive intelligence in a meeting with Russian diplomats earlier this month, which was allegedly obtained via an information-sharing deal with Israel.
British police suspend sharing intelligence with the United States in connection with Monday's Manchester bombing attack for most of the day, after U.S. officials allegedly leak "sensitive information" to The New York Times. British Prime Minister Theresa May emphasized the sensitive nature of said information when she met with U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels. Trump calls for an investigation into the leaks.