As it happened: G8 summit

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland where world leaders have been discussing the conflict in Syria and measures to address tax avoidance.

We'll be providing minute-by-minute updates as leaders give press conferences at the close of the summit. We'll also be posting a selection of your comments.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is due to speak shortly. He has already made an announcement today, revealing via Downing Street's Twitter account, that the G8 leaders have agreed not to pay any ransom money when their countries' citizens are taken hostage in future.

David Cameron is at the podium.

The UK prime minister says the agenda of "tax, trade and transparency" has been followed at the summit.

Mr Cameron says countries will work to ensure companies pay "proper" levels of taxes.

G8 countries have agreed more help for Libya, Mr Cameron says. There is also almost $1.5bn available in humanitarian support for Syria, he adds.

Mr Cameron says collecting taxes is "fundamental" for economic growth. There should be "nowhere to hide" for those who avoid paying, he adds.

The OECD is being instructed to look at "discrepancies" between companies' profits and the amount of tax they pay, the UK prime minister says.

The G8's approach to terrorism must be tough and intelligent, Mr Cameron says.

The British leader says a number of unspecified countries have offered to supply 7,000 troops to help train Libyan forces.

The G8 will maximise pressure to bring combatants in Syria into negotiations, Mr Cameron says.

Questions now. Mr Cameron is asked whether the UK and France want to arm the rebels in Syria. He replies that agreements reached at the summit make a transition away from the Assad government easier to achieve.

The prime minister says the statement on Syria is strong and purposeful, including that there should be a UN investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons. He adds that he doesn't want chaos to follow the change of regime, so a functioning government must remain in place after President Assad has gone.

On Assad, he adds: "You can't imagine a Syria where this man continues to rule."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has now started speaking, as David Cameron continues to take questions.

Mr Cameron says journalists can be "cynical" and "hard-bitten" about claims regarding ending tax-avoidance. But all G8 members are united on the measures outlined, he adds.

Mr Putin says that the bloodshed in Syria can be halted "only by political and diplomatic means". Any weapons supplied to rebels will only exacerbate the situation.

The G8 is "turning up the pace" of political change in Syria, Mr Cameron says. People who expected a "war of G7 v G1" - that is, all other members against Russia - on the issue will be disappointed, he adds.

It is unthinkable that Assad can run a unified and stable Syria, Mr Cameron says, adding that extremists among the rebels have to be cleared out.

Mr Putin says Syria was discussed a lot among all G8 members, which was "very useful".

The Russian president says not all G8 nations agree that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian army - some agree with Russia that there is no proof.

Mr Cameron says a proposed EU trade deal with Canada will not be "side-swiped" by talks with the US.

Mr Putin rejects the idea put to him by a reporter that he felt "lonely" - or isolated - during the summit.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron is asked whether Russia belongs as a member of the G8. He replies that the organisation is the right size to make some real progress on big issues.

The British prime minister reveals that, in accordance with reports, he did take a swim in the rather chilly-looking water behind him. He says he has photographic evidence but declines to share it with the world's media.

If the UK leaves the European Union it will not directly benefit from the proposed trade deal with the US, Mr Cameron says.

On Afghanistan, and reports the US will hold talks with the Taliban, Mr Cameron says it is important to start a political dialogue. Here's the Taliban talks story, for those who haven't seen it.

"We fulfil legal contracts" delivering weapons to Bashar al-Assad, Mr Putin says, adding that the UN states that non-government groups should not be supplied with arms.

The people of Northern Ireland have been "incredibly welcoming" during the G8 summit, Mr Cameron says. It's probably been the most peaceful of any he can remember, he adds. That ends the prime minister's press conference.

Mr Putin has also wrapped up. Answering one of his final questions, the Russian leader says Western states should think "very carefully" before arming the Syrian opposition. He mentions the recent fatal stabbing of British soldier Lee Rigby on the streets of London, comparing "many" of the Syrian rebels to the perpetrators.

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper has also been holding a press conference. He calls the agreement on Syria "very positive".

Douglas Alexander, shadow foreign secretary for the UK's Labour Party, says there are questions to answer over what has been achieved by David Cameron at the G8. He says the prime minister was wrong to "condemn" the Russians in the lead-up and should have engaged in more diplomacy with Vladimir Putin's government.

Here is a link to the final communique for the G8 summit, for those who want the detail.

Murray Worthy of the UK anti-poverty charity War on Want says the G8 tax plan is merely a "general statement of principles, with no detail and no deadlines". He adds: "Talk of stopping companies shifting profits to avoid taxes is a huge step forwards, but... it is what they do that counts."

French President Francois Hollande is now briefing journalists, saying the Geneva conference "could happen within a short period of time" and that it represents a chance for a political transition.

Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, says the extra humanitarian aid for Syria is "welcome" but "does not go far enough in securing the access so badly needed to deliver this aid".

Mr Hollande says its in Mr Putin's interests to make the Geneva peace conference on Syria happen.

The French president says Mr Putin accepted participating in discussions about Syria in order to try to find joint positions, including the need for an enquiry into the use of chemical weapons.

Francois Hollande says it's necessary to give the Syrian opposition all the support it needs - humanitarian, material, and political - whilst weeding out "terrorist" elements.

Here's a full quote from Canada's Stephen Harper, claiming significant progress over Syria: "What the Russians have moved towards, what all of us have said, is that we now want to see a transition in Syria. And I think it's spelled out very clearly, a transition to a government that is broadly representative. I don't think that can be interpreted in any way shape or form as support for the current regime as it is. So I think this was a very significant move on the part of Mr Putin and the Russians."

Also worth quoting in full this line on Syria from the communique on non-state actors: "We call on the Syrian authorities and opposition at the Geneva conference jointly to commit to destroying and expelling from Syria all organisations and individuals affiliated to al-Qaeda, and any other non-state actors linked to terrorism."

BBC Diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the communique on Syria at least had some common language. The price was that tough call on the need to destroy and expel al-Qaeda-linked groups, and the lack of any explicit reference to alleged government war crimes. Read more here.

With the end-of-summit press conferences over, we're stopping our live updates, but you can always check the news website for our full stories on the G8 and the rest of the day's news.