OBAMA AGENDA: GOING GREEN -- OR NOT?

"President Obama and leaders of the world's biggest industrialized nations agreed Wednesday to turn down the heat on the planet by going green," The New York Daily News writes. "The G-8 nations, whose leaders are meeting in Italy, will seek to cut half of all emissions linked to climate change by 2050."

Video: President Obama is in Italy, where key meetings on the global economy and other international issues are under way. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports.

But according to the New York Times, “The world’s biggest developing nations, led by China and India, refused Wednesday to commit to specific goals for slashing heat-trapping gases by 2050, undercutting the drive to build a global consensus by the end of this year to reverse the threat of climate change.” 

Brazil's "Silva gave Obama, a big sports fan, an autographed yellow Brazilian soccer jersey at the start of their morning meeting at the G-8 summit in Italy," the AP reports. "In their banter, which reporters partly heard through a translator, Silva spoke animatedly of the June 28 soccer match between the U.S. and Brazilian national teams in the Confederations Cup series. The game was a crushing loss for the underdog Americans, who led at the midway point, 2-0, only to lose 3-2. Silva repeatedly said, 'Yes we can.'"

"Scandalo! President Obama touched off a controversy in Italy yesterday just by praising the integrity of one of his hosts," the New York Post writes. "Arriving at the G8 summit, Obama heaped unusually lavish praise on President Giorgio Napolitano, who holds a figurehead post -- rather than compliment scandal-plagued Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's real leader."

But that's not what's making headlines in Italy's leading newspapers. Corriere della Sera leads with the G8 and the economy, Obama's praise for Italy's "strong leadership" and the group's condemnation of violence in Iran (as well as a cartoon of a giant Obama holding a miniature Berlusconi with little Berlusconi saying "In palma di mano," or "In the palm of hand"). La Repubblica leads with the G8's decision to cap warming by 2 degrees Celsius.

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