Arab uprising, Libya crisis set to dominate G8 summit

A shift in global influence to emerging powers such as India and China who are not in the G8 has led to the group's relevance being questioned.

But analysts say recent events such as uprisings in the Arab world and Japan's nuclear crisis have given the group a new sense of purpose.

Also on the agenda is how little or how much the internet should be regulated.

The global economy and climate change are also set to be discussed.

US President Barack Obama is travelling to the meeting after completing a state visit to the UK. He will later continue to Poland.

Leaders from Tunisia and Egypt and the head of the Arab League will be at Deauville, on the Normandy coast, for talks on a massive aid plan to help their transition to democracy.

The long-standing presidents of Tunisia and Egypt were overthrown earlier this year in popular uprisings.

The current stalemate in Libya is also expected to be one of the main talking points of the two-day summit.

The crisis there may throw up divisions within the G8, with Russia openly critical of the Nato operation against the forces of Col Muammar Gaddafi, according to BBC.

A Nato-led coalition is operating under a UN mandate to protect civilians as government forces battle rebels.

Speaking in London before heading to France, US President Barack Obama rejected arguments that the rise of superpowers like China and India meant the end for American and European influence in the world.

"Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future, and the time for our leadership has passed. That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now," he said.

"It was the United States, the United Kingdom, and our democratic allies that shaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive."

The G8 is composed of the US, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.