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Fresh violence hits Genoa summit

Protesters again started fires in the streets

As the march moved along the Italian port city's seafront, black-hooded protesters tried to breach the "red zone" - an exclusion area surrounding the summit venue.

They pulled up paving stones and threw them at police, as well as setting fire to several cars and a bank in scenes similar to those on Friday that saw one protester shot dead by police and about 60 people injured.

Police armed with shields and backed by armoured vans responded by firing teargas and forcing the demonstrators back.

Click here to see map of Saturday's clashes

A BBC correspondent in Genoa says several people were injured in this operation, and a large number of ambulances have descended on the area.

An official investigation has been opened into the fatal shooting of the 23-year-old Italian protester by a policeman, who could face criminal charges.

The umbrella group that organised the massive street protests, the Genoa Social Forum, had called on world leaders to suspend the summit following the man's death.

But the G8 presidents and prime ministers expressed their determination to press ahead with their talks.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday morning, they condemned "violence overflowing into anarchy" by a small minority of the demonstrators.

They said they respected people's right to protest peacefully, but added: "It is vitally important that democratically elected leaders legitimately representing millions of people can meet to discuss areas of common concern.

"For our part, we will continue to focus on the issues that matter most to our people and to the wider world, such as the economy, jobs, trade and help for the poorest parts of the world, devoting special attention to Africa.

Some campaign groups have already pulled out of the protest amid fears that it was being hijacked by anarchist groups.

Organisations such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and the Catholic Development Agency were among those that decided to hold alternative protests

At the summit itself, a discussion on the global environment highlighted the sharp divide between US President George W Bush and the other leaders.

Washington's rejection of the Kyoto treaty on global warming earlier this year has caused anger in many European capitals, but Mr Bush has refused to back down.

Mr Bush's plans for a missile defence system are another area of discussion. These proposals have also come in for criticism, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that it could trigger a new arms race.

Conflicts

The G8 leaders are also discussing the situation in the Middle East. Their foreign ministers have already backed the idea of international monitors to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The precarious state of political talks in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia is another topic for discussion.

On Friday, the G8 leaders called for a new round of free trade talks, to ensure sustained global economic growth.

The G8 also pledged an initial $1.2bn to a United Nations-sponsored plan to combat Aids and other diseases in developing countries.

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Map shows "red zone", the exclusion area surrounding the Palazzo Ducale summit venue, and the outer "yellow zone", which was meant to free of protesters but was quickly breached.