First day of G7 ends in smiles

STORY: Throughout the day leaders of the G7 nations emphasized their unity and the friendly, relaxed atmosphere at the alpine castle.

The group announced a mobilization of 600 billion dollars from the G7 by 2027 for an infrastructure and sustainable development initiative and stressed they wanted to show that democracies work.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz won public praise from U.S. President Joe Biden when he said it was "in no small part because of you" that the West had stuck together against Russia four months after the invasion of Ukraine.

France's Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Boris Johnson were all smiles at a G7 summit after clashing last year over sausages and submarines. Disputes over Brexit were absent this year with bilateral talks focusing on Ukraine, food shortages, climate and economic concerns.