Clashes and conflict at Gleneagles

THE G8 summit was rocked by violence and disagreement last night. Police and demonstrators clashed in running battles a few hundred yards from the Gleneagles luxury hotel where the leaders of the world’s eight richest countries are meeting.

Riot squad reinforcements were dropped by Chinook helicopter after 1,000 hard core protesters broke away from a peaceful anti-poverty march, smashed fences and threatened to storm the venue.

The demonstrators, many believed to be German anarchists, threw missiles at police who then used their shields and dogs to charge them back.

It was the climax of a day of trouble which saw the centre of Stirling, south of Gleneagles, shut down after vehicles, banks and a fast food chain were attacked by anti-capitalist activists wielding iron bars.

Roads across southern Scotland were closed as protesters set up impromptu blockades to try and disrupt the G8 meeting.

The mood inside Gleneagles was also tense after aid activists Bono and Bob Geldof met US President George W Bush. Sounding frustrated, the U2 frontman was downbeat over the president's views on debt relief and aid.

"There is no sense of a real deal, a €50 billion number not there on that. Trade not there on that. It's tricky," Bono said.

Mr Geldof was still optimistic following a meeting with British premier Tony Blair in which he told the G8 host: "This is the moment."

The two Irish campaigners urged the prime minister to press as hard as he could for a deal on lifting Africa out of poverty as 50,000 people are dying needlessly every day.

"It won't make poverty history overnight but it allows us to claim plausibly that we can do it in the coming years," Mr Blair said, referring to the substantial package of help for Africa he wants to push through at the summit which ends tomorrow.

Referring to protests outside the summit, Mr Blair said: "You will see a few people beating up cars and people behaving in a way that's nothing to do with the millions of people, decent people, who want to make their protests in a law-abiding way."

Tonight, French President Jacques Chirac was the last of the eight leaders to arrive joining colleagues from the US, Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Japan.

Leaders from five emerging economies China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa are also attending the summit.

On the thorny issue of climate change, Downing Street acknowledges the talks will "go down to the wire".

But Mr Blair is confident he can reach an agreement including Mr Bush, which will bypass any disagreement over the science of global warming, to set a clear goal of reducing greenhouse gases.

Meanwhile, Mr Bush suffered minor injuries yesterday after colliding with a police officer while out on his bike at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Tayside, police confirmed.

The president suffered very minor injuries, a spokeswoman confirmed, and was able to attend the G8 dinner at the hotel hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

The policeman involved, who had been on foot, suffered minor ankle injuries and was taken to a local hospital for checks.