World powers discussed the Syria crisis over dinner at the G20 summit but failed to bridge deeply entrenched divisions over a US push for military action against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
EU foreign ministers gather Friday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius seeking a joint position on Syria as France stands alone in the 28-nation bloc in favour of military intervention.
The International Monetary Fund warned the Group of 20 Wednesday that emerging economies were slowing more than expected and under pressure from US plans to slow its stimulus.
World leaders meet Thursday at a G20 summit in Russia where US President Barack Obama will strive to bridge deep divisions over his push for military action against the Syrian regime's alleged use of chemical weapons.
Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called to step up the economic cooperation and increase the commodities turnover of the Turkic speaking countries.
North Korea Monday slammed South Korean President Park Geun-Hye for "hurting its dignity" with her call for denuclearisation and said its atomic weapons could never be a bargaining chip.
The OECD provided ammunition Tuesday for an expected G8 offensive against tax evasion in a report outlining how to bring about automatic sharing of financial information that would shoot a hole through banking secrecy.
Vladimir Putin's participation in the first G8 summit of his new term was supposed to seal his comeback to the global stage as Russia's paramount leader after winning a third presidential term last year.
World leaders head to the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on Monday looking to put pressure on Russia to back away from its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid growing Western efforts to arm the rebels.
Thousands of protesters are expected on the streets of Belfast to urge G8 leaders to act on global poverty, although the issue looks likely to be overshadowed by concerns over the Syria conflict.
Leaders of the G8 nations meet in Northern Ireland next week determined to crack down on tax evasion and boost global trade, while seeking to push Russia to help find a political solution to the Syria conflict.