en-uk ?, 30 10 2007 15:37:29 GMT Copyright 2007 Times Newspapers Ltd. custserv@timesonline.co.uk http://www.timesonline.co.uk Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:23:36 GMT Newspapers 144 21 http://www.timesonline.co.uk http://images.thetimes.co.uk/TGD/picture/0,,116979,00.gif Bronwen Maddox Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:02 GMT 2009-07-09T08:33:15Z Development and aid — those are the only big subjects left to the G8 gathering. Not the world economic crisis&#59; that needs the G20, or more compactly, a direct discussion between the US and China about the former’s deficits and the latter’s savings. Not wars&#59; those belong to Nato, the United Nations Security Council and the White House. No — the last role for this gathering of rich countries (plus Russia) is to hand out wealth to poor countries. Only one problem: they’re no longer rich and they don’t have money to spare. Bronwen Maddox: Analysis Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-07-08T11:36:39Z It was clever of President Obama to tell Russia’s leaders that US missile defence in Europe was intended to counter a threat from Iran. That puts the burden on Dimitri Medvedev, the President, and Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, to pitch in and try to persuade Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions. Bronwen Maddox: World Briefing Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-07-07T11:34:51Z The most interesting and unexpected ingredient in the Russia-US summit is how well the Russian leaders have managed the financial turmoil. That changes in their favour, slightly, the dynamics of the meeting, which otherwise turn on that peculiar Russian mix of extremes of strength and weakness. Bronwen Maddox: analysis Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-07-03T12:38:29Z Is the threat of Iran getting a nuclear weapon so great that Israel should contemplate military action? And should the US encourage it in that? These aren’t questions that Binyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, appears to have answered for himself, for all his preoccupation with them. Nor does President Obama. Bronwen Maddox in Jerusalem Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-07-02T12:03:53Z If airline travel counted as progress then you could say that Israel and the Palestinians had a good chance of a deal. Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defence Minister, flies back from Washington; George Mitchell, President Obama’s special envoy, will pitch up in the region again in a fortnight. Obama suggests that the US will unveil its grand plan in the coming weeks, and his team is talking about a regional summit in September (possibly in London, a coup for Gordon Brown).