TOYAKO, Japan, July 7 - G8 leaders lunched and talked with African heads of state at a luxury hotel on Monday as activists accused the rich nations’ club of backpedalling on pledges to double aid to the world’s poorest continent.

The issue of African poverty that tops the agenda at the start of a three-day summit in Japan is closely linked with rising food and fuel prices and the contentious topic of how to fight global warming, which the G8 will tackle later in the week.