Leaders of eight of the most developed countries, collectively called as G8, met in Tokyo, but failed to arrive at any decision to arrest the rising prices of essential commodities and on reducing carbon footprints. In Colombia, Ingrid Betancourt was freed from captivity after more than six years. The other news that made headlines were the bomb blasts at India's embassy in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. These events were contemplated, analysed and commented on. We present here excerpts of editorials from the regional and the international press.
G8 summit
The Group of Eight (G8) - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - wrapped up their three-day summit in Tokyo with a warning about global food crisis, but without any decision on how to tackle it. Although, it called for a boost to production, refining capacities and investment to increase oil supplies, the summit was just talks and more talks, and no action.
Commenting on the summit, The Telegraph said: "These summits have become largely decorative affairs, opportunities for world leaders to cant about poverty or Aids while elf-locked anti-globalisation protesters burn them in effigy outside."
It blamed the lack of authority and unpopularity of the leaders who attended the meeting for not making much of an impact. "The robots are an apt, gnomic symbol of the G8's irrelevance. This is a pity, for the rest of the world needs leadership ... The trouble is that - partly because of the surging commodity prices that have made all incumbent regimes unpopular - G8 is led by politicians who lack authority," it added.
Betancourt release
Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate of Colombia, was freed from more than six years in captivity, along with 14 other hostages. She was held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). The leftist group still holds around 700 people as hostages.
The New York Times said that there is every reason to celebrate the daring rescue from Farc guerrillas of the Colombian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt, three American military contractors and 11 members of the Colombian security forces. "The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia still holds many more hostages. But the operation by undercover Colombian commandos - who tricked the rebels into handing over the captives without a shot - offered further evidence that the guerrilla group is in disarray."
It stated that President �lvaro Uribe should now capitalise on that disarray and offer the rebels, who long ago traded the business of political liberation for drug trafficking, a political settlement.
Terrorists strike
Suicide bombers targeted India's embassy in Kabul in which two Indian diplomats were killed, along with scores of others. In a separate incident, more than 20 policemen were killed in Pakistan's capital Islamabad when a suicide bomber blew himself during a rally organised to mark the anniversary of the demolition of Lal Masjid.
Commenting on the bombing of India's embassy, The Times of India said: "That the Indian embassy was the target is not surprising considering that New Delhi has close ties with Kabul and is actively involved in aid and reconstruction work in Afghanistan ... But New Delhi needs to stay the course. It has a strong interest in building a stable Afghanistan that is freed of the scourge of Islamist terror, and won't benefit by abandoning Kabul. The Taliban's resort to terror to disrupt reconstruction work in Afghanistan is creating its own backlash."
Arab News stated: "It is a macabre irony that Indians and Pakistanis should be the joint targets of these fanatics.
Commenting on the blast in Pakistan, it said: "Sunday's killings will not deter the Pakistani police from doing their job any more than terrorist bombs deter the police in Spain or elsewhere. That is the one constant about terrorism. It never wins against a well-organised army or state. It is a thorn in the side of the state, painful and bloody, but not terminal."
