Two weeks ago, Mr. Trump announced the barring of transgender people from serving in the military, a move that took Defence Secretary James Mattis by surprise. Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin did not fare any better.

As the unavoidable impacts of climate change hit home – including more heatwaves, droughts, floods and cyclones – societies are looking at ways to build resilience.

"G7 countries have crucial roles and responsibilities to our own public opinion, to developing countries and to the planet," Italy's Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti said at the start of a two-day meeting of G7 environmental chiefs.

Solar Impulse, a zero-fuel aircraft powered entirely by the sun, has safely landed in Abu Dhabi, thereby completing a 40,000-kilometer trip around the world.