296 people were killed and 50,000 remain homeless in the region.
The summit was initially scheduled for a resort island off Italy's coast, however Silvio Berlusconi moved it to L'Aquila in an effort to draw attention to the disaster and (presumably) to encourage other nations to contribute aid. However, according to this morning's Post, many Italians are critical of the move because, they claim, the efforts to prepare for the summit have actually drawn focus away from recovery and rebuilding work.
Two of the major focuses of the summit this year will be (1) coordinating the global response to climate change and (2) continued economic recovery efforts. Regarding climate change, the conference to develop a successor to the Kyoto treaty will be held in Copenhagen towards the end of the year.246. How long will the Copenhagen conference last? Will it be similar to the "Doha Round" of trade talks, which if I understand correctly has lasted for a number of years?
247. In what year did the G-7 become the G-8? Russia was #8, right? Is Medvedev attending on Russia's behalf?
248. Will Obama or any of the other world leaders eat pizza while in Italy?
