Group of Eight + Five Gruppe der Acht + Fünf Groupe de Huit + Cinq Gruppo di Otto + Cinque 主要国＋5新興国 Группа Восьми + Пять Grupo de los Ocho + Cinco Grupo dos Oito + Cinco Groep van Agt + Vyf आठ का समूह + पाँच 八国集团同发展中国家

G8 + 5 Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper France President François Hollande Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel Italy Prime Minister Mario Monti Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Russia President Vladimir Putin United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron United States of America President Barack Obama President of the G8+5 for 2012 Brazil President Dilma Rousseff China President Hu Jintao India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Mexico President Felipe Calderón South Africa President Jacob Zuma

The G8+5 group of leaders consists of the heads of government from the G8 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), plus the heads of government of the five leading emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa).

February 2007 Declaration[link]

On February 16, 2007, The Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE International) held a meeting of the G8+5 Climate Change Dialogue at the GLOBE Washington Legislators Forum in Washington, D.C., where a non-binding agreement was reached to cooperate on tackling global warming. The group accepted that the existence of man-made climate change was beyond doubt, and that there should be a global system of emission caps and carbon emissions trading applying to both industrialized nations and developing countries. The group hoped this policy to be in place by 2009, to supersede the Kyoto Protocol, the first phase of which expires in 2012.^[1][2]

Foundation[link]

The G8+5 group was formed in 2005 when Tony Blair, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in his role as host of the 31st G8 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland, invited the leading emerging countries to join the talks. The hope was that this would form a stronger and more representative group that would inject fresh impetus into the trade talks at Doha, and the need to achieve a deeper cooperation on climate change.

Following the meeting, the countries issued a joint statement looking to build a "new paradigm for international cooperation" in the future.

The G8+5 Climate Change Dialogue was launched on February 24, 2006, by the (GLOBE)^[3] in partnership with the Com+ alliance of communicators for sustainable development.^[4]

Institutionalization[link]

Following the 33rd G8 summit Heiligendamm 2007, German chancellor Angela Merkel announced the establishment of the "Heiligendamm Process" through which the full institutionalization of the permanent dialogue between the G8 countries and the five greatest emerging economies will be implemented. This will include the establishment of a common G8 and G5 platform at the OECD. (see: "Die G8 – Akteure in einer globalen Entwicklungspartnerschaft; http://www.bmz.de/de/service/infothek/fach/spezial/index.html)

Most recently on August 28, 2007, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a foreign policy statement proposed that Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa should become members of G8: "The G8 can't meet for two days and the G13 for just two hours.... That doesn't seem fitting, given the power of these five emerging countries." Nevertheless, as of 2008, a formal enlargement of the G8 is not a realistic political option, since the G8 member states have diverging positions on this issue. The US and Japan have been against enlargement, the United Kingdom and France actively in favour, and Italy, Germany, Russia and Canada are reserved on the issue.^{[citation needed]}.

See also[link]

Energy portal

• Avoiding dangerous climate change
• G20 Climate Change Dialogue
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Policy Issues: G8"
• Feb 16, 2007, CNS News: Lawmakers prod G8 leaders on climate change

Manu Chao
Manu Chao performing at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Background information
Birth name	José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao Ortega
Also known as	Oscar Tramor
Born	(1961-06-21) June 21, 1961 (age 51) Paris, France
Genres	Alternative rock, ska, punk, reggae, Latin Alternative, salsa
Occupations	Musician, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Nacional Records (U.S.) Because Music (France) Virgin Records
Associated acts	Mano Negra Radio Bemba Sound System
Website	www.manuchao.net

Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961), is a French singer of Spanish roots (Basque and Galician). He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his musical career in Paris, busking and playing with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos, which combined a variety of languages and musical styles. With friends and his brother Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in 1987, achieving considerable success, particularly in Europe. He became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995, and since then tours regularly with his live band, Radio Bemba.

Early life[link]

Chao was born to Spanish parents. His mother, Felisa Ortega, is from Bilbao, Basque country and his father, writer and journalist Ramón Chao, is from Vilalba, Galicia. They emigrated to Paris to avoid Francisco Franco's dictatorship—Manu's grandfather had been sentenced to death.^[1] Shortly after Manu's birth, the Chao family moved to the outskirts of Paris, and Manu spent most of his childhood in Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres. As he grew up he was surrounded by many artists and intellectuals, most of whom were acquaintances of his father.^[2] Chao cites much of his childhood experience as inspiration for some songs.^[3]

Career[link]

Manu Chao performs live

Early years and Mano Negra[link]

Heavily influenced by the UK rock scene, particularly The Clash, The Jam and Dr. Feelgood,^[4] Chao and other musicians formed the Spanish/English rockabilly group Hot Pants in the mid-1980s. The group released a demo entitled "Mala Vida" in 1984, which received plenty of local critical praise but otherwise gained them little attention. By the time the group released their first album in 1986 the Parisian alternative music scene had taken flight, and Manu, his brother Antoine Chao, and friends such as Alain from Les Wampas formed Los Carayos to incorporate this sound with the rockabilly and punk styles of Hot Pants. Los Carayos remained a side project of the artists for eight years, releasing three albums in the first two years followed by a final album in 1994.

In 1987, the Chao brothers and their cousin Santiago Casariego founded the multiracial band Mano Negra. Starting on a smaller label, the group released a reworked version of the Hot Pants single "Mala Vida", which quickly became a hit in France. The group soon moved to Virgin Records, and their first album Patchanka was released the following year. Though the group never gained much fame in the English-speaking market, popularity throughout the rest of the world soon followed, reaching the Top #5 in the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. The band achieved some fame in South America with 1992's Cargo Tour, where it played a series of shows in port cities, performing from a stage built into their tour ship's hold.^[5] Mano Negra also performed a tour through much of Colombia in a retired train, the "Ice Express".^[1] Still, rifts began to grow among band members during the port tour and the following year's train tour; many band members, including Manu's brother Antoine, had left the group by the end of 1994. Following that year's release of their final album, Casa Babylon, Manu Chao moved the band to Madrid, but legal problems with former band mates led Chao to disband the group in 1995.^[2]

Mano Negra's sound is mostly characterized by energetic, lively rhythms, symbolized by the title of their first album, Patchanka, derived from the word pachanga (which is a colloquial term for "party"), and a distinct informality which allows the audience to get involved and feel close to their sound. Mixed music genres are present throughout their albums. Manu Chao is friends with Gogol Bordello and that group has covered Mano Negra's song "Mala Vida" on their own and with Chao beginning in 2006.

Solo years with Radio Bemba[link]

Manu Chao in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, June 2007

After arriving in Madrid, Chao and other band mates from Mano Negra formed a new group, Radio Bemba Sound System (named for the communication system used in the Sierra Maestra by the Castro-and-Guevara-led rebels in the Cuban Revolution), featuring groups from diverse backgrounds, such as Mexican Tijuana No!, Brazilian Skank, and Argentinian Todos Tus Muertos.^[2] The goal was to replicate the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures; to that end, Chao and the group spent several years travelling throughout South and Central America, recording new music as they went.^[6] The resulting music differed drastically from Mano Negra; the songs were primarily sung in Spanish with far fewer French tracks and the musical style had shifted from punk and alternative styles to the street vibe Chao was aiming for. The songs were collectively released as Clandestino in 1998, under Manu Chao's own name. Though not an instant success, the album gained a steady following in France with hits such as "Bongo Bong" and "Clandestino", and the album eventually earned the Best World Music Album award in 1999's Victoires de la Musique awards. It sold in excess of 5 million copies.^[1]

Chao's second album with Radio Bemba Sound System, Próxima Estación: Esperanza, was released in 2001. This album, named after one of the Madrid metro station stops (the title translates to "next station: Hope"), features similar sounds to Clandestino but with heavier Caribbean influences than the previous album. The album was an instant hit, leading to a successful tour that resulted in the 2002 live album Radio Bemba Sound System. Two years later, Chao returned to his French roots with the French-only album Sibérie m'était contée, which included a large book featuring lyrics to the album and illustrations by Jacek Woźniak.^[1][2]

Manu Chao's next album La Radiolina (literally "little radio" in Italian, but also "pocket radio") was released on September 17, 2007. This was the first international release since 2001's Próxima Estación: Esperanza. "Rainin in Paradize" was the first single from the album, available for download on his website before the release of the album.^[7] Concert reviews indicate that music from La Radiolina was already being performed live as early as April 2007's Coachella show.^[8]

Other works[link]

In 2003 he approached Amadou & Mariam and later produced their 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako ("Sunday in Bamako"). His song "Me llaman Calle", written for the 2005 Spanish film Princesas, earned that film a Goya nomination for Best Original Song. It has been released in 2007's La Radiolina. Vocals from the song are included in the Go Lem System song "Calle Go Lem". Time magazine named "Me Llaman Calle" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at #8. Writer Josh Tyrangiel observed,

Chao's warm singing over José Manuel Gamboa and Carlos Herrero's leaping Flamenco counter melody creates a direct emotional line to the core of this mid-tempo ballad. With its easy melody and universal rhythm Me Llaman Calle walks proudly in the shadow of Bob Marley, the last guy who made world music this disarmingly simple.^[9]

His song "La Vida Tómbola" was featured in the documentary film Maradona by Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica.^[4] Manu Chao and Tonino Carotone performed the theme song "La Trampa" for the short-lived improvisational comedy Drew Carey's Green Screen Show.

The songs "Bongo Bong" and "Je ne t'aime plus", which appear back-to-back on Clandestino, were covered by British singers Robbie Williams and Lily Allen, who recorded them as a single track, "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus" and released it as a single from the album Rudebox.^[10][11]

Style and influences[link]

Manu Chao sings in Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Galician, Arabic and Wolof,^[12] often mixing several languages in the same song. His music has many influences, as punk, rock, French chanson, Iberoamerican salsa, reggae, ska, and Algerian raï. These influences were obtained from immigrants in France, his Iberian connections, and foremost his travels in Mesoamerica as a nomad following the disbanding of Mano Negra.

Many of Chao's lyrics talk about immigration, love, living in ghettos and drugs and often carry a left-wing message. This reflects Chao's own political leanings—he is very close to the Zapatistas and their public spokesman, Subcomandante Marcos.^[1] His band Mano Negra is possibly a reference to an anarchist group. He has many followers among the European left, the Latin American left and the anti-globalisation and anti-free trade movements.^[13] He is also a founding member of ATTAC.^[14] Punk and reggae historian Vivien Goldman commented of his work, "I was writing about Good Charlotte and The Police. They adopted the trappings of punk. They aren’t bad groups, but the punk aspect is more manifested by somebody like Manu Chao. He's one of the punkiest artists out there I can think of. It's an inclusionary spirit that is punk."^[15]

Manu Chao performs in Paris, France

Chao also has a tendency to reuse music or lyrics from previous songs to form new songs. The contemporary hit single in France "Bongo Bong", takes its lyrics from the earlier Mano Negra hit "King of the Bongo", which bears a similar style to that of The Clash. The musical backdrop for "Bongo Bong", in turn, was used in several other Chao songs, including "Je Ne T'Aime Plus" from the same album and "Mr. Bobby" and "Homens" from Próxima Estación: Esperanza. Also, the tune of "La Primavera", a track from that same album, is used in several other songs featured on the LP, while lyrics for a few songs on Sibérie m'était contée are repeated several times with different music, leading the lyrics to be interpreted in various ways depending on the mood of the track. Several musical themes and clips from that album also appear on Amadou & Mariam's Chao-produced Dimanche à Bamako, which were being produced at approximately the same time.

Though Chao is quite well known in Europe and Latin America, he has not had the same success in the English-speaking world. Tours in the United States with Mano Negra were not as successful as elsewhere and Chao seems inclined to focus his efforts in the places where his musical style finds its roots. Though his live performances in the U.S. are infrequent, Chao played a handful of dates there in 2006, including a headlining show at Lollapalooza 2006 in Chicago, IL.^[16] His final appearance on his 2006 U.S. tour was a benefit concert in the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York on August 7. He returned to that venue in the summer of 2007 for two concerts, part of the multicultural "Celebrate Brooklyn" concert series. The crowd was treated to a nearly two-hour performance, including two encores. Manu Chao also appeared at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland to a sellout crowd on June 23, 2007. This was a semi-spontaneous endeavour between Thievery Corporation and Manu Chao facilitated by a new-found friendship developed during Lollapalooza 2006.^[16] He was one of the headlining acts at the 2008 Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park. In January 2012 he was the headline act at the opening night of Sydney Festival, marking his first concert in Australia.

Discography[link]

	"Mr. Bobby" noicon A 23 second sample of "Mr. Bobby", the last single from Próxima Estación: Esperanza. The song uses samples from diverse sources and several instruments layered on top of each other.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

With Mano Negra[link]

• Patchanka (Virgin France, 1988)
• Puta's Fever (Virgin France, 1989)
• King of Bongo (Virgin France, 1991)
• In the Hell of Patchinko (Live in Japan, Virgin France, 1992)
• Casa Babylon (Virgin France, 1994)

Solo[link]

• Clandestino (Virgin, 1998)
• Próxima Estación: Esperanza (Virgin, 2001)
• Radio Bemba Sound System (live, Virgin, 2002)
• Sibérie m'était contée (Virgin, 2004)
• La Radiolina (Because/Nacional, 2007)
• Estación México (Live in Mexico, 2008, limited release)
• Baionarena (Double live CD + DVD), 2009

DVD[link]

• Babylonia en Guagua (2002)
• Mano Negra: Out of time (2005)
• Manu Chao & radiobemba:baionarena" (2009)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Chao, Ramón. Mano Negra en Colombia. Un tren de hielo y fuego (originally Un train de glace et de feu), 1994. A chronicle of Mano Negra's 1993 tour on Colombia's decrepit railway through small, rural villages, written by Manu's father, Ramón Chao. The name of the train, Expresso de Hielo, was inspired by the opening line of Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude.
• Chao, Ramón. The Train of Ice and Fire - Mano Negra in Colombia - (ISBN 9781901927375) Translated by Ann Wright, published in English by Route Route's Website

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Manu Chao

• Official Site
• Manu Chao: I’d Like to Come Back Soon by the Cuban News Agency

Fermin Muguruza
Background information
Born	(1963-04-20)20 April 1963 Irun, País Vasco, Spain
Genres	Punk rock, ska, rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1983–present
Associated acts	Kortatu, Negu Gorriak, Dut
Website	muguruzafm.com

Fermin Muguruza (born 20 April 1963 in Irun, Basque Country) is a Basque rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer, record label manager, and co-founder for the ska punk band Kortatu, active from 1983 to 1988, and for the crossover group Negu Gorriak, active from 1990 to 1996.

He is the brother of musicians Iñigo Muguruza and Jabier Muguruza and is one of the personalities interviewed for the documentary film The Basque Ball, released in 2003.

Music career and socio-political views[link]

Muguruza has taken part in more than twenty albums, and is one of the most important artists from the Basque Country.

In 1983 he founded a fusion ska punk band called Kortatu with his brother Iñigo and drummer Treku Armendariz, among the first to popularise ska in Spain. They were clearly influenced by The Clash, in fact, Muguruza decided to create the band after seeing Strummer's band in a 1980 gig in Donostia. In 1988 the group disbanded, but Fermin and Iñigo would come together again in 1990 to create the crossover group Negu Gorriak, along with Kaki Arkarazo, who had produced Kortatu's last records.

In 1997 he collaborated with Dut. More recently he has developed a solo career, always defending the use of the Basque language and the need for social justice.

His socio-political views have created problems, especially in Spain outside the Basque Country, where he is often accused^[who?] of being an apologist for ETA, a Basque paramilitary organisation banned as a terrorist organisation.^[1] He denies such accusations, expressing a desire for a peaceful process of independence, which he considers in abeyance until both parts leave behind their prejudices. This position, which Muguruza frequently argues for during interviews, contrasts with his lyrics, which don't express criticism of ETA's violence — some of them, especially from his early career in the band Kortatu, show respect for ETA members: For instance, the song "Sarri, Sarri" (a Basque cover of Toots & the Maytals' "Chatty Chatty") applauds the escape of two ETA members from prison. In interviews he has persistently denounced the actions of the Basque, Spanish and French governments and police corps as well as of Spanish nationalist groups. At an international level, Fermin Muguruza holds acute left-wing views that lead him to criticize the U.S. government, corporations and the globalization process, all of which he denounces as imperialistic and homogenizing.

In an interview with Freemuse, Muguruza speaks about his experience as a musician under the democracy of today. He has performed in concerts where fascists would come to his concerts with bombs, threatening him and his Basque hip-hop music. However, Muguruza experiences censorship within Spain for his political and social messages, but Muguruza still performs and makes music, saying “authorities are afraid of my music because it is a tool against the ignorance. And these authorities want the ignorance so that they can do what they want”.^[2]

Musically, he has been influenced by the oppression that, in his opinion, Spain has over Basque Country and, although most of his lyrics are in Basque, his compositions are a melting pot of different cultures, with a big influence of Jamaican and electronic music (especially drum and bass), which he commonly mixes over Basque instruments. In his track "Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash!, Fermin Muguruza mixes Jamaican rhythms with sounds from Basque traditional musical instruments to produce unique musical hybrids that feature Basque heritage and culture.^[3]

Discography[link]

Kortatu[link]

• Kortatu/Cicatriz/Jotakie/Kontuz Hi! (1985)
• Kortatu (1985)
• El estado de las cosas (1986)
• Kolpez kolpe (1988)
• Azken guda dantza (1988)

Negu Gorriak[link]

• Negu Gorriak (1990)
• Gure Jarrera (1991)
• Gora Herria (1991)
• Borreroak Baditu Milaka Aurpegi (1993)
• Hipokrisiari Stop! Bilbo 93-X-30 (1994)
• Ideia Zabaldu (1995)
• Ustelkeria (1996)
• Salam, agur (1996)
• 1990-2001 (DVD + Live CD) (2005)

Fermin Muguruza eta Dut[link]

• Ireki ateak (1997)

Fermin Muguruza[link]

• Amodio eta gorrotozko kantak (1984-1998) (1998)
• Brigadistak Sound System (1999)
• erREMIXak (1999)
• FM 99.00 Dub Manifest (2000)
• Korrika. mundu bat euskarara bildu (2001)
• In-komunikazioa (2002)
• Irun Meets Bristol. Komunikazioa (2003)
• Sala Apolo, Barcelona 21/01/04 (2004)
• 99-04 DVD + CD (2005)
• Xomorroak (Bizitza lorontzian) (2005)
• Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash (2006)
• BASS-que Culture DVD + Remix CD (2006)
• Asthmatic Lion Sound Systema (2008)
• Asthmatic Lion REMIX + beste harribitxi batzuk (2009)

References[link]