Europe's richest countries today faced pressure to step up cash support for developing nations after figures showed the first fall in global aid for 14 years.

The G8 leaders pledged today to lift Africa out of poverty and proposed a $60bn plan to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.

G8 leader Germany is pledging to make Africa a central point of next month’s summit and is calling for more aid, further debt relief and improved financial oversight.

A deal to erase billions of dollars of debt for poor countries cleared an important hurdle, winning the endorsement of the International Monetary Fund’s steering committee.