G8 meeting: After Harper's comments, Putin cast as pariah at G8 summit - Steve Rennie

If this G8 meeting is any indication, the next gathering of world leaders in Russia is shaping up to be a strained affair.

A chasm has emerged between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the rest of the Group of Eight leaders over the deepening crisis in Syria.

That division was laid bare on Sunday night when Prime Minister Stephen Harper called Putin, who hosts the G20 summit in St. Petersburg in September, the outlier of the G8.

Read more: After Harper's comments, Putin cast as pariah at G8 summit | CTV News

France's unwed first lady makes Camp David summit debut

A demure and elegant Valerie Trierweiler took her first steps on the world stage as France's new -- unwed -- first lady Saturday, joining Michelle Obama and G8 summit wives on a White House tour.

Trierweiler, the partner of new French President Francois Hollande, wore a black, knee length wrap dress, with black heels and carried a handbag, as she and other leaders' wives viewed the East Room of the White House.

The first ladies then tucked into an intimate lunch of Maryland Rockfish with local asparagus, grapefruit, Virginia berries, and vegetables from the White House Garden, followed by tangerine sorbet with Virginia strawberries.

For more: France's unwed first lady makes summit debut - FRANCE 24

Nato strikes Gaddafi control centre in Tripoli

Nato today struck a command and control centre where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi sometimes lives. It is not know whether he was present at the time.
An alliance spokesman said the Bab al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli was hit in the early hours.

For more: Nato strikes Gaddafi control centre in Tripoli | Irish Examiner

The G8 : Uprisings, economy top issues as world leaders prepare for G8 meetings in France

More than 50 years after the beaches of Normandy were stormed in the name of global security, they're being invaded for a similar cause this week.

But this time, the actual fighting is taking place far away. The leaders of the G8 are just using the scenic French coast as a place to talk about it.

On Thursday and Friday the leaders of Britain, the United States, Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan, Canada and France are convening for their annual discussion of world affairs. As host of this year's G8 and G20 summits, France has branded the meetings with the theme of "new world, new ideas."

The former half is certainly true.


For more: The Canadian Press: Uprisings, economy top issues as world leaders prepare for G8 meetings in France

China Daily: G8 sees continued perils for world economy

China daily

G8 leaders believe the world economy still faces "significant risks" and may need further help, according to summit draft documents that also reflect failure to agree climate change goals for 2050." Although there have been signs of stability in the economy and the sentiment has improved, the real economy has not recovered yet with job and wage conditions still stagnant," said Takao Hattori, senior strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities. But few big initiatives are expected as the G20, a broader forum that also includes the main emerging economies, is tasked with formulating a regulatory response to the crisis and meets in September in Pittsburgh after an April summit in London. Not mentioning China's push for a sensitive debate about a long-term alternative to the dollar as global reserve currency, the draft talked only of global "imbalances". G8 diplomats had said this might be the only oblique reference to currency. "Stable and sustainable long-term growth will require a smooth unwinding of the existing imbalances in current accounts," read the draft prepared for the G8 talks.

NYT: Developing Nations Rebuff G-8 on Curbing Pollutants - by Peter Baker

For the complete report from the NYTimes.com click on this link

Developing Nations Rebuff G-8 on Curbing Pollutants - by Peter Baker

The discussion of climate change was among the top priorities of world leaders as they gathered here for the annual summit meeting of the Group of 8 powers. Mr. Obama invited counterparts from China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and others to join the G-8 here on Thursday for a parallel “Major Economies Forum” representing the producers of 80 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. But since President Hu Jintao of China abruptly left Italy to deal with unrest at home, the chances of making further progress seemed to evaporate. The G-8 leaders were also grappling with the sagging global economy, development in Africa, turmoil in Iran, nuclear nonproliferation and other challenging issues. On Friday, Mr. Obama planned to unveil a $15 billion food security initiative by the G-8 to provide emergency and development aid to poor nations.

The failure to establish specific targets on climate change underscored the difficulty in bridging longstanding divisions between the most developed countries like the United States and developing nations like China and India. In the end, people close to the talks said, the emerging powers refused to agree to the specific emissions limits because they wanted industrial countries to commit to midterm goals in 2020, and to follow through on promises of financial and technological help.

TimesOnline: Europe must lead climate talks- by Roland Rudd

For the complete report from the Times Online click on this link

Europe must lead climate talks- by Roland Rudd

Through the 20/20/20 targets, Europe has displayed its commitment and provided leadership to nations in the G20 and beyond. We view the transition to a low-carbon economy as a great opportunity for business and we call upon EU leaders to display robust leadership in the lead-up to December’s climate change talks in Copenhagen.

Allianz: The G8 Climate Scorecard

For the special report from Allianz, a global financial service provider click on this link

The G8 Climate Scorecard

The international climate change debate has gained momentum and the urgent need for action has become obvious. This action-oriented approach led WWF and Allianz SE, Dow Jones Sustainability Index leader in the insurance sector, to publish the G8 Climate Scorecards. They give a transparent account of the climate profile of the leading industrialized countries. They are intended to contribute to laying the groundwork for a productive international climate debate. The overall question is: How do the G8 Nations ensure the world’s long-term interest of keeping climate change under control and moving towards a low carbon economy? We also included scorecards for the five emerging countries, Brazil China, India, Mexico and South Africa to round out the picture. Ultimately, the G8 Climate Scorecards should help policy makers and a wider public to identify the path leading to a global low carbon economy.

Telegraph: G8 summit: Reasons not to be cheerful - by David Blair

For the complete report from the Telegraph click on this link

G8 summit: Reasons not to be cheerful - by David Blair

The presidents and prime ministers who will arrive at Lake Toya on the island of Hokkaido are, almost without exception, on the brink of leaving office or beset by domestic trouble. At a time when the global economy faces turmoil, the world has rarely witnessed such a bedraggled collection of crippled leaders. President George W Bush, the G8's foremost member, is only six months away from leaving office and might suffice as a textbook definition of a lame duck. Gordon Brown, facing terrible opinion polls two years before a general election, might not be lame but is certainly hobbled. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is as secure as any leader of a coalition can be. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is the only leader completely safe in office until 2012. Yet even his opinion poll ratings have fallen recently. Almost every leader in the democratic world is unpopular, largely because of Tuesday's top subject: the state of the global economy. Sharp price rises in food and commodities, turbulent financial markets and the onset of a credit crunch after years of plenty, are inflicting pain across the world. Only the largest oil producers – including Russia and Canada – have been shielded from harm.