World leaders are gathering in the French resort of Deauville for a summit of the G8 bloc of wealthy nations.
The leaders are expected to discuss how to end the seemingly deadlocked Libya conflict, and their response to the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.
Correspondents say recent events such as uprisings in the Arab world and Japan's nuclear crisis have given the G8 a new sense of purpose.
Also on the agenda is how little or how much the internet should be regulated.
Internet bosses - including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google boss Eric Schmidt - are attending the two-day summit in Normandy.
The global economy and climate change will be discussed, too, at the gathering for the leaders of the US, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.
Thousands of police have been deployed as part of a huge security operation and checkpoints have been erected on all roads leading to Deauville.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836
Note: 26 May 2011 Last updated at 10:24 GMT