Blair in Moscow for final round of G8 diplomacy

British Prime Minister Tony Blair hoped to secure the backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meeting today for Britain’s ambitious G8 goals of lifting Africa out of poverty and tackling climate change.

Blair’s agenda for his presidency of the Group of Eight industrialised nations was bolstered over the weekend with an historic agreement to wipe more than $40bn (€33.1bn) worth of debt owed by the world’s poorest nations.