G-8

·         On July 9, 2008 a three-day Group of Eight (G8) summit in Japan came to a close with its leaders passing on tough decisions on climate change, Africa and Zimbabwe to the UN.

·         Host Japan called the summit a success, highlighting the G8's commitment to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

·         But the size of the cuts was not quantified, since leaders did not agree on a base year with which to compare emission levels. Nor did leaders agree on any medium-term cuts, as many had hoped.

·         "On climate change, this summit will be seen as a setback, particularly since there is no baseline for the emission cuts and no medium-term objectives," James Meers, an analyst at the Munk Centre, a Canadian think-tank that assesses the results of G8s, told DPA.

·         On July 9, 2008  at Sapporo, PM Dr Singh at the Major Economies Meeting said that sustained and accelerated economic growth is critical for all developing countries and quantitative restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions cannot be considered.

·         Dr Singh pointed out that developed countries had failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and asked the G-8 to take the lead on the issue.

·         The summit in Toyako, in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, was the largest ever, with a total of 22 countries represented.

·         For the first time, at the request of US President George W. Bush, G8 leaders also held an enlarged Meeting of Major Economies (MEM) with Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.

·         Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said that resolving the differences between the European Union, which had pushed for heavy cuts, and the US, which resisted them, the G8 had "contributed to building momentum for the UN negotiations".

·         G8 leaders also urged Iran to stop its nuclear programme and issued a statement declaring the Zimbabwean government of Robert Mugabe illegitimate.

·         The discussion on global warming now moves on to Poznam, Poland, where world leaders will take part in December in a conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change ahead of a decisive summit in Copenhagen next year.

On July 7, 2008 at the G8 summit in Japan, World Bank President Robert Zoellick called for reform of biofuel policies in rich countries, urging them to grow more food to feed the hungry.

·         The three-day summit is being held at the resort town of Toyako.

Mission IAS’2009

·         Soaring food and fuel prices are top of the agenda for G8 leaders holding talks

·         Leaders from the G8 nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - are being joined by counterparts from some 15 other countries, including seven African states.

·         UN chief Ban Ki-moon - also at the summit - urged the group to tackle the "interconnected" challenges of climate change, food prices and development.

·         Issue was raised about fuels made from corn and rapeseed produced in the United States and the EU.

·         Zoellick also urged the G8 to increase food aid and reduce trade barriers on farming products.

·         The impact on the global economy of price rises and other shocks such as the credit crunch have eclipsed other concerns, correspondents say.

·         The EU has already been spelling out plans to alleviate the food crisis.

·         European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told that the proposed 1bn euro ($1.6bn; £800m) fund to help poor farmers in developing countries would come from unused EU subsidies.

·         The G8 leaders are also faced tough questions on aid commitments to Africa.

·         Campaigners say they are falling short of pledges made at a G8 meeting three years ago to double aid to the continent by 2010.