Italy is hosting the 35th G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, the city devastated by an earthquake in April. The global economic crisis, climate change, Iran and Africa will top the agenda. Click here for DW-WORLD's comprehensive coverage of events.
Italian summit host under fresh pressure to help world's poorest nationsAid groups and other world leaders joined forces yesterday to put Silvio Berlusconi under pressure as he prepared to chair a summit of the world's richest nations in Italy.The Italian Prime Minister was accused of planning a further cut in his country's overseas aid budget, just as Gordon Brown and other G8 leaders called on the group to honour their headline-grabbing promises to help the world's poorest nations at their landmark summit at Gleneagles four years ago.At their three-day meeting, the G8 leaders are expected to approve a "name and shame" system so its members' progress on meeting their commitments on aid can be tracked. Although the G8 has no official figures, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the rich nations' club will fall $23bn short of its pledge at Gleneagles to raise annual aid by $50bn by next year.
Aid groups and other world leaders joined forces yesterday to put Silvio Berlusconi under pressure as he prepared to chair a summit of the world's richest nations in Italy.
The Italian Prime Minister was accused of planning a further cut in his country's overseas aid budget, just as Gordon Brown and other G8 leaders called on the group to honour their headline-grabbing promises to help the world's poorest nations at their landmark summit at Gleneagles four years ago.
At their three-day meeting, the G8 leaders are expected to approve a "name and shame" system so its members' progress on meeting their commitments on aid can be tracked. Although the G8 has no official figures, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the rich nations' club will fall $23bn short of its pledge at Gleneagles to raise annual aid by $50bn by next year.
Leaders of the G8 leading industrial countries have agreed to try to limit global warming to just 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels by 2050.The summit, in the earthquake-hit Italian city of L'Aquila, also agreed tough new carbon emissions cuts. It says developed nations should cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, with the rest of the world making a 50% reduction by the same date. Analysts say there is no indication of how the targets, or costs, will be met. The summit agenda is also expected to include food security, North Korea and Iran.
Leaders of the G8 leading industrial countries have agreed to try to limit global warming to just 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels by 2050.
The summit, in the earthquake-hit Italian city of L'Aquila, also agreed tough new carbon emissions cuts.
It says developed nations should cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, with the rest of the world making a 50% reduction by the same date.
Analysts say there is no indication of how the targets, or costs, will be met.
The summit agenda is also expected to include food security, North Korea and Iran.
Hopes of a deal on climate change at the Group of Eight industrialised nations summit in Italy were today hanging by a thread. As world leaders sat down for a working lunch at the start of a three day meeting of the G8, it emerged that negotiations had failed to reach agreement on halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Summit negotiators, who do the hard bargaining before the heads of state arrive to complete the agreements, failed to make progress on the issue in talks that continued late last night. China and India are understood to have blocked any mention of the target in the draft communiqué, insisting that the developed economies should promise to cut their own emissions sharply by 2020 before asking developing nations to commit to a long term target. The breakdown in negotiations has undermined President Obama's chances of producing a diplomatic coup when he chairs talks on climate change at a meeting of the 17-nation Major Economies Forum tomorrow.
Hopes of a deal on climate change at the Group of Eight industrialised nations summit in Italy were today hanging by a thread.
As world leaders sat down for a working lunch at the start of a three day meeting of the G8, it emerged that negotiations had failed to reach agreement on halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Summit negotiators, who do the hard bargaining before the heads of state arrive to complete the agreements, failed to make progress on the issue in talks that continued late last night. China and India are understood to have blocked any mention of the target in the draft communiqué, insisting that the developed economies should promise to cut their own emissions sharply by 2020 before asking developing nations to commit to a long term target.
The breakdown in negotiations has undermined President Obama's chances of producing a diplomatic coup when he chairs talks on climate change at a meeting of the 17-nation Major Economies Forum tomorrow.
The Italian premier said he hoped the summit would see the launch of an initiative to raise between 10 and 15 billion dollars to boost food security in poor countries and said a thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow following a trip by US President Barack Obama to Moscow augured well. Britain and France want the summit to focus on bringing greater stability to the oil market, which has fluctuated wildly over the last 12 monts, with highs of 147 dollars and lows of just 32. Around 15,000 police have been deployed to prevent a repeat of the violence which marred the last time Italy hosted a G8 summit in 2001, when a protester was shot dead in Genoa. Evacuation plans are also in place in the event of any major aftershock, which would bring about an immediate cancellation of the gathering.
