[00:03.35]Unit 11 The Media Lesson 1 World News

[00:09.78]Africa on G8 Agenda

[00:12.42]July 5, 2005 Scotland

[00:15.89]The Group of Eight, or G8,

[00:17.50]as formed by eight of the world's wealthiest

[00:19.60]nations in 1998.

[00:22.09]The G8 IS MADE UP OF POLITICAL LEADERS FROM

[00:24.49]France, the United States, Britain,

[00:26.71]Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and Russia.

[00:30.17]They meet every summer

[00:31.21]to discuss major problems

[00:32.76]that concern the whole world.

[00:34.94]It is going to be remembered

[00:36.28]as a historical meeting this year,

[00:38.34]as the topic of Africa will be discussed

[00:40.21]in detail.

[00:41.95]Widespread poverty in Africa means

[00:43.48]that many people there cannot get the water,

[00:45.91]clothing, housing,

[00:47.56]electricity or education they need.

[00:50.68]AIDS is another problem of great concern

[00:53.04]so sex education and health care administration

[00:56.11]are extremely important.

[00:58.17]Reforms have been demanded by people

[01:00.35]from all over the world.

[01:02.11]They want the leaders to cancel the debt

[01:03.91]of Africa's poorest countries

[01:05.93]so that the problems there can be prevented

[01:07.94]from getting any worse.

[01:09.60]Their belief is that this is the only way

[01:11.73]for many of these nations

[01:13.15]to escape their painful pasts.

[01:14.89]