Group of Eight

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Trump on G7: 'Russia Should Be in This Meeting'

President made remarks as he left White House for summit in Canada

(Newser) - President Trump is calling for Russia to be reinstated to the leading group of industrialized nations, now known as the Group of Seven, the AP reports. "Now, I love our country. I have been Russia's worst nightmare," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White...

G8 Summit Yanked From Russia
 G8 Summit Yanked 
 From Russia 

G8 Summit Yanked From Russia

West ratcheting up pressure on Putin

(Newser) - The other seven members of the G8 are calling off the meeting Russia was supposed to host in Sochi in June, David Cameron revealed today. Cameron, President Obama, and the other leaders of the G7 nations—which is to say the G8 minus Russia—are holding an emergency meeting at...

US, EU Ready to Step Up Aid to Syrian Rebels

But President Obama insists on keeping aid 'non-lethal' for now

(Newser) - The United States and several leading EU states appear poised to increase non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition groups, adding equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles, reports the Wall Street Journal . Arms, however, remain off the table, as President Obama fears they could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda-affiliated...

Ahead of G20, Obama, Sarkozy Seek United Economic Front

French, American presidents meet at White House

(Newser) - President Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy discussed ways to stabilize the world economy and prevent another global financial crisis today at the White House ahead of the G8 and G20 meetings, Bloomberg reports. While the two countries would seem to be at odds on world finance—many French officials believe that...

Group of 8 Cedes Role in Economy to Group of 20

Move to broaden council adds input from likes of China, India

(Newser) - An administration official says the Group of 20 nations will become a permanent council on global economic cooperation—broadening the number of countries involved in the role currently filled by the Group of Eight major industrial nations. The G-8 would continue to meet on matters of common importance such as...

Berlusconi's Skeevy Love Life Vs. the G8

Italians worry sex scandals will tarnish country's image

(Newser) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is playing host to world leaders at the G8 meeting but many Italians fear his penchant for hosting teenage girls and escorts at his villa will overshadow and hurt the summit, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sex scandals have dogged the PM for months, trying...

Aftershocks Rattle G8 Organizers

(Newser) - Italy's decision to shift the G8 summit to the quake-damaged city of L'Aquila has raised major safety fears as aftershocks continue to rattle the region, reports the Washington Post. A 4.1 magnitude temblor hit the area Friday, with the epicenter just half a mile from where world leaders will...

Quake-Ravaged G8 Setting Still Tent City

(Newser) - World leaders have begun arriving in Italy for the G8 summit, which at the last minute Silvio Berlusconi relocated to L'Aquila—the devastated town where 300 died in a massive earthquake. While many praised the Italians for quickly rehousing the victims, rebuilding has been stalled and 15,000 people are...

Emerging Economies Gain Clout in G-20

(Newser) - The plans outlined by global leaders at the meeting to deal with the financial crisis reflect a shifting balance of power, with emerging economies such as Brazil, India, and China gaining influence, the Washington Post reports. And the Europeans largely got what they wanted from the summit, French President Nicolas...

War Highlights McCain's Stance on Russia

Candidate has taken a hard line, calling for increased isolation

(Newser) - The past several days of intense combat in Georgia have underscored John McCain’s longrunning hardline stance against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the New York Times reports. In an aspect of the candidate's track record that has received relatively little attention, McCain has called for Russia’s expulsion from the...

Vague G8 Goals Deflate Green Hopes
 Vague G8 Goals
 Deflate Green Hopes 
ANALYSIS

Vague G8 Goals Deflate Green Hopes

'Fuzzy-minded' declaration on climate change sinks hopes for immediate action

(Newser) - G8 leaders are hailing an agreement to cut carbon emissions in half by 2050 as "major progress" in combating climate change—but their failure to come up with concrete shorter-term goals is a major letdown, Bryan Walsh writes in Time. The agreement, so vague it doesn't even say which...

G8 Agrees to Cut Emissions 50%
 G8 Agrees to Cut Emissions 50% 

G8 Agrees to Cut Emissions 50%

But doesn't settle on any interim goals

(Newser) - The G8 leaders have resolved to cut greenhouse gases in half by 2050, something they’d only agreed to “seriously consider” before. But the US has resisted setting any interim goals, the BBC reports, leading environmentalists to deride the pact. The group will also try to convince some 200...

G8 Leaders Chew on Global Food Crisis Over Caviar

Luxe meals by 60 chefs follow starvation talks

(Newser) - The global food crisis tops the agenda at this year's G8 summit—and the talks seem to be hungry work, reports the Independent. The 18 dishes at the eight-course luxury dinner served to the leaders last night included caviar, sea urchin, and Kyoto beef—followed by a "G8 fantasy...

Oh Napoleon: Tiny Leaders Rule G8

Five don't pass the 5'6'' mark

(Newser) - The leaders at this week's G8 summit are all political big shots, but they're pretty diminutive face-to-face—five don't even make it past 5'6''. Russia's Dmitry Medvedev brings up the short end of the stick at 5'2'', and Canada's Stephen Harper is the only one to pass the 6' mark....

Bush: Olympic Boycott Would Be 'Affront' to Chinese People

Prez says he'll tackle human rights in Beijing

(Newser) - President Bush today defended his decision not to boycott the Beijing Olympics next month, saying skipping “would be an affront to the Chinese people" that would make it difficult "to speak more frankly with the Chinese leadership.” Speaking ahead of tomorrow's G8 meeting in Japan, Bush said...

Energy-Efficient Japan to Host G8 Summit

Tokyo will showcase conservation ethic, technology

(Newser) - Next week the leaders of the developed world will meet at a resort in northern Japan for this year's G8 summit. With oil prices topping the agenda, Japan—by most measures, the most energy-frugal developed nation on earth—is hoping to use the international platform to promote its energy conservation...

Russian Prez: Stuff Your Advice, America

Medvedev complains 'depression-hit' US has no right to lecture

(Newser) - Russia's new president isn't any keener on foreign criticism than his predecessor, the New York Times reports. Dmitry Medvedev told reporters this week that the US, which needs to overcome an economic "depression," should not be criticizing his country's record on democracy and human rights. Medvedev said it...

World Price Tag to Fix Energy Mess: $45T

IAE advises G-8 to invest big in emissions 'revolution'

(Newser) - The world needs to pump $45 trillion into developing green technologies if it hopes to reach its goal of cutting emissions in half by 2050, the International Energy Agency said today. Otherwise, emissions will rise 130% over that period, and oil demand will climb 70%. The $45 trillion represents 1....

McCain Takes Hard Line on Putin's Russia

Unlike opponents, candidate wants to boot Moscow from G8

(Newser) - John McCain says he favors expelling Russia from the G8 and forming a "league of democracies" to confront Moscow about rights abuses. The Republican candidate has fallen in with hard-line advisers, spurning pragmatists who favor dialogue and taking a tougher approach than his Democratic rivals. As Dmitry Medvedev prepares...

G8 Concludes with AIDS Pledge
G8 Concludes with AIDS Pledge

G8 Concludes with AIDS Pledge

World leaders renew $60B pledge to fight disease in Africa

(Newser) - Global leaders renewed their vow to spend $60 billion to help fight AIDS, TB, and malaria in Africa today as the G8 summit wrapped up. But they set no deadlines for delivering the relief, leading critics to question the pledge. "I think it is deliberately the language of obfuscation,...

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