The leaders of the world's richest nations on Friday agreed a $60 billion pledge to fight diseases such as AIDS in Africa and restated promises to double development spending on the continent.The leaders held their joint session on the last day of the G8 summit in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, Germany, without U.S. President George W. Bush, who was ill and stayed in his room after meeting privately with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. (Full story)
The others, chaired by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, met the presidents of Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria. Earlier, Germany's development minister said G8 leaders had approved earmarking an additional $60 billion to fight the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Anti-poverty activists complain that the rich countries have failed to keep promises the G8 made to increase annual aid to poor countries at the Gleneagles summit in Scotland in 2005.
Read More
