A SUCCESSFUL G20 SUMMIT COMES TO A CLOSE, MODI CALLS FOR UNSC REFORM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a renewed push for expansion of the United Nations Security Council and reforms in all global institutions to reflect world's 'new realities', as the G20 summit drew to a close with the United States, Russia and France praising the meeting outcomes under Indian presidency.

Marking the ceremonial transfer of the rotational G20 presidency, Prime Minister Modi handed over the gavel to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who hailed India for giving voice to topics of interests of emerging economies.

"In his concluding remarks at the final session of the two-day G20 summit, the prime minister also proposed a virtual session of the G20 around the end of November to take stock of the suggestions and decisions made by the leaders of the major developed and developing countries in New Delhi.

"With this(proposal), I declare the G20 summit as closed," Modi said.

Official sources, meanwhile, said the text relating to Russia-Ukraine conflict in the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration is a 'convergent consensus' rather than a 'divisive consensus' and it could show a path to resolution of the crisis, a day after a breakthrough on the contentious issue was achieved to help the G20 leaders come out with a 37-page Declaration marking a huge diplomatic win for India.

US President Joe Biden said the New Delhi summit has proven that the grouping can still drive solutions to its most pressing issues. He made the remarks in a post on X as he left for Vietnam after he and several other G20 leaders paid homage at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat in the morning. "At a moment when the global economy is suffering from the overlapping shocks of the climate crisis, fragility, and conflict, this year's Summit proved that the G20 can still drive solutions to our most pressing issues," Biden said.

INDIA CHECKED THE WEST, SAYS RUSSIA, ON G20 DECLARATION

A day after Moscow signed on the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration which did not mention Russia while calling for peace in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday that the Summit was a “definite success” and a “breakthrough”, paving the way for the world to move forward on challenges.

Addressing the press, Lavrov praised the Global South and said it “doesn’t want to be lectured”. He called the Summit a “turning point” and a “milestone” since the Global South led the conversation.

“It is a breakthrough Summit in many ways. It provides us a way forward to move ahead on many issues,” he said.

Lavrov said India played an important role in “preventing the West” from taking forward their approach on many issues, including Ukraine. He said the New Delhi Summit provided a direction towards fairness in global governance and finance.

“I want to express my gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicise the G20,” he said, adding that the West will not be able to remain a “hegemony” as “we see new centres of power coming up” in the world.

FOR FRANCE, G20 ‘CONFIRMS ISOLATION OF RUSSIA, CONDEMNS WAR’

Calling India’s G20 Presidency in this “fragmented world” a “very important positive momentum” on critical issues, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that “this G20 confirms once again the isolation of Russia”.

Speaking at a press conference a day later when he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron said, “I think we do have the same views that we must preserve balances in this current environment. We must resist the fragmentation of this world and we must work together to provide solutions to the rest of the world on what makes sense.”

The G20, he said, was not the place to expect diplomatic progress on the war in Ukraine. “This G20 confirms once again the isolation of Russia. Today, an overwhelming majority of G20 members condemn the war in Ukraine and its impact,” he said.

After the bilateral meeting between Macron and Modi, an India-France joint statement said the two leaders called for early finalisation of the Defence Industrial Roadmap.

They reiterated “their commitment to strengthen the defence cooperation through partnership in design, development, testing and manufacture of advanced defence technologies and platforms, and expand production in India, including for third countries in the Indo-Pacific and beyond”.

France, the joint statement said, reiterated its steadfast and unwavering support for India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

France has emerged as a key defence partner for India in the last few years. In July, the two countries announced supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine and an engine for the Indian Multi Role Helicopter, which is being designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

STRONG CONCERNS OVER ANTI-INDIA ACTS OF SEPARATISTS IN CANADA: MODI TO TRUDEAU

In a sharply-worded statement at a time when all bilateral meetings with visiting leaders of G20 countries have been positive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday conveyed to his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, New Delhi’s “strong concerns” about “continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements” in Canada.

In a readout of the meeting between Modi and Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said: “He (Modi) conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship.”

“The nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats,” the MEA said.

“The Prime Minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties,” it said.

Asked about India’s concerns, Trudeau said at a press conference on Sunday: “Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest, and it is extremely important to us… At the same time, we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred. I think, on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of a few do not represent the entire community or Canada”.

"India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner to Canada on everything from fighting climate change to creating growth and prosperity for the citizens," he said.

TURKEY "WILL BE PROUD": ERDOGAN ON PERMANENT UNSC MEMBERSHIP FOR INDIA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Turkey would be "proud" if a country like India becomes a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

At the same time, Erdogan said all non-P5 members should have an opportunity to become members of the Security Council by rotation.  He was responding to question at a media briefing In a reference to the P5 or five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, Erdogan said the "world is bigger and larger than five". 

"We would be proud if a country like India became a permanent member of the UN Security Council. As you know, the world is bigger and larger than five," he said.

"What we mean is that it's not only about the US, the UK, France, China and Russia. We don't want to have just these five countries in the Security Council," he said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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ITALY IN A RETHINK ON CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE

For China, the G20 Summit has been about setbacks and missed opportunities. After Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the conclave a miss, in a blow to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang that Rome was planning to exit from the infrastructure initiative.

This means that the only G7 member that had enrolled for the BRI is now wary of associating with China’s plans. A different government in Italy had signed up for the BRI in 2019. Seeking to minimise any backlash from the decision from Beijing, Italy would as a replacement aim to revitalise a strategic partnership agreement with China, aimed at fostering economic cooperation, it first signed in 2004.

“The PM (Meloni) communicated the intention to quit the project to her counterpart,” said a report, adding that Premier Li had made a last attempt to persuade the Italians to rethink.

Italy has the G7 presidency next year and recasting its relationship with Beijing would placate its Western allies. Meloni and Li held talks here on Saturday.

BIDEN SAYS CHINA ATTACK ON TAIWAN UNLIKELY DUE TO ECO CRISIS

US President Biden said on Sunday he held his highest-level talks with Chinese leadership in months, adding that Beijing’s economic wobbles would not lead it to invade Taiwan.

Biden said he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s No.2, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, at the G20 summit in New Delhi. The talks were the highest level meeting between the two powers in nearly 10 months since Biden and Xi spoke at last year’s G20 in Indonesia. “My team, my staff still meets with President Xi’s people and his cabinet,” Biden told reporters. “I met with his No.2 person in India today.” He added: “We talked about stability,” and the Southern Hemisphere. “It wasn’t confrontational at all.”

Speaking at a press conference in Vietnam, \Biden called China’s economic situation a “crisis”, citing issues in the real estate sector and high youth unemployment. “One of the major economic tenets of his plan isn’t working at all right now,” Biden said of Xi, without elaborating.

“I don’t think this is going to cause China to invade Taiwan,” Biden said of China’s economic troubles. “As a matter of fact, the opposite, probably doesn’t have the same capacity that it had before.” He described the US as a Pacific power with no intention of withdrawing from the region.

THE REST

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G20: IN ERA OF CONFLICT, PEACE PRAYER AT RAJ GHAT

Leaders of G20 nations on Sunday offered a prayer for peace in these conflict-ridden times as they gathered at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat here on the concluding day of the summit.

US President Joe Biden, British PM Rishi Sunak and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, among others, were received by PM Modi at the memorial, against the backdrop of a replica of Bapu Kuti, which Mahatma Gandhi made home from 1936 until his death in 1948. Bapu Kuti, in Wardha’s Sevagram, mirrors Mahatma Gandhi’s frugal lifestyle and his philosophy of oneness with nature, a message G20 also gave by way of the Delhi Declaration with special focus on climate action.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and World Bank president Ajay Banga joined the prayers.

After being received by the PM, most leaders were seen walking barefoot to place a wreath at the memorial site of Mahatma Gandhi. Favourite devotional songs of the apostle of non-violence played in the backdrop as leaders took a solemn break from hectic negotiations.

NOTHING HINDU ABOUT WHAT BJP DOES: RAHUL GANDHI

Amid the political debate over the names India and Bharat, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that those who wish to change the country’s name are trying to deny the history of India’s struggle against the British and seeking to ensure that the history of colonial rule is not known to future generations.

During an interaction Saturday at the Sciences Po university in Paris, Gandhi also hit out at the BJP arguing that the ruling party has nothing to do with Hinduism. “They are out to get power at any cost, and they will do anything to get power… They want dominance of a few people and that is what they are about. There is nothing Hindu about them,” he said.

“The Constitution actually uses both the names… So I don’t really see a problem there, both words are perfectly acceptable, but I think maybe we irritated the government a little bit because we named our coalition INDIA so that got them all heated up and now they have decided to change the name of the country. You know how these things are. We could always give our coalition a second name as well… so I don’t think it will solve the purpose but people act in strange ways.”

ANDHRA EX-CM CHANDRABABU NAIDU SENT TO 14-DAY JUDICIAL CUSTODY

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody by the court of the third additional sessions judge-cum-special judge at Vijayawada on Sunday evening.

The court delivered the order nearly six hours after arguments by lawyers on behalf of the AP CID and Naidu ended. CID lawyers sought 15 days’ remand, while Naidu’s lawyers submitted an application to reject the remand application.

Naidu will appeal against the Anti-Corruption Bureau court’s order in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday, TDP senior spokesperson K Pattabhiram said.

The scam allegedly took place during the TDP rule from 2014 to 2019. The CID says that Naidu is the primary accused in the case involving Rs 371 crore of government funds allegedly transferred to shell companies.

UDDHAV WARNS OF GODHRA-LIKE INCIDENT AFTER RAM TEMPLE OPENING

Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday claimed a "Godhra-like" incident may take place during the "return journey" of the large number of people expected to converge at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh from across the nation for the inauguration of the Ram temple.

"It is a possibility that the government could invite a large number of people for the Ram Temple inauguration in buses and trucks, and on their return journey, an incident similar to that in Godhra may occur," Thackeray said.

ONLINE GAMES OF CHANCE VS GAMES OF SKILL: SC STAYS KARNATAKA HC ORDER

The Supreme Court last week ordered an interim stay on the Karnataka High Court ruling that online games like rummy are not taxable as ‘betting’ and ‘gambling’ under the Central Goods and Services (GST) Act, 2017.

Essentially, the stay indicates that online skill games played for stakes are at par with online gambling when it comes to matters of taxation, as of now. It also undoes the Karnataka High Court’s order differentiating games of chance from games of skill and reasoning that the two should be taxed differently.

The CJI DY Chandrachud-led Bench was acting on the GST department’s plea against the Karnataka HC order, which had quashed the department’s show-cause notice to the online gaming company GamesKraft Technologies for dues worth Rs 21,000 crore.

FAKE LIVER, CANCER DRUGS IN MARKET, REGULATOR WARNS DOCTORS, PATIENTS

The country’s apex drug regulator, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), has asked state regulators, doctors and patients to remain vigilant about two medicines — liver drug Defitalio and cancer drug Adcetris — after the WHO raised alert against falsified versions of them circulating in four countries, including India.

“Instruct your officers to keep strict vigil on the movement, sale and distribution of said products in the market,” the two alerts sent by CDSCO read, adding that samples of the medicines should be tested. The alerts urge healthcare professionals to prescribe the two medicines with caution and educate the patients about reporting any adverse events. It also asks people to purchase these medicines only from authorised stores.

NEXT-GEN PAYMNETS TECH ON SHOW AT G20 SUMMIT

A wrist watch or a small ring on one’s finger which does the work of a pre-paid wallet of your smart phone? The wrist watch and the ring are among other devices like key chains and friendship bands that can be embedded with a chip to work like a pre-paid wallet. The RBI displayed these devices among the next-generation contactless payment options at the G20 Summit. The device can just be tapped at the scanner, provided by the merchant, to make a payment.

Wearable devices are being allowed to be mated with pre-paid wallets and banks authorised by the RBI, an official said..

RBI officials explained another new technology called the "UPI tag". This allows the users to receive a digital payment without having a smart phone. This is for the vast market where people need not get a smart phone to use the UPI which is downloaded on smart phones. The one-time cost of the UPI tag is just Rs 25.

RAIN PUSHES IND VS PAK MATCH TO RESERVE DAY

Intermittent rain forced the marquee Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan to a reserve day in Colombo on Sunday.

Put in to bat, India were 147 for two in 24.1 overs when it started to rain. Play will resume today, and the teams will carry on from they left it yesterday.

The Indian openers, Rohit Sharma (56 off 49) and Shubhman Gill (58 off 52), played with a positive intent.

Prior to Sunday, no batsman had hit Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six in his first over. Rohit Sharma changed that story. In the 42 ODIs he has played, never has the left-arm pacer conceded more than five boundaries in a match. Shubman Gill alone walloped six boundaries off him, all of it inside Afridi’s first three overs. When the openers departed, India were 123/2 in 17.5 overs, the sort of start none expected them to get.

US OPEN: DJOKOVIC BEATS MEDVEDEV IN STRAIGHT SETS

Novak Djokovic battled past Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 and into the tennis record books on Sunday, winning the US Open to equal Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams.

The last time the two clashed at the US Open was in the 2021 final, when the Russian captured his only major and denied the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.

The victory, his fourth in 10 Flushing Meadows finals, capped another remarkable Grand Slam campaign for Djokovic with wins at the Australian, French and US Opens and a return to the top of the world rankings when they are updated on Monday.

The 36-year-old Serb becomes the oldest US Open men’s winner in the Open Era and the first to win three Grand Slam events in a season for the fourth time.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Ideas cannot be fought except by means of better ideas. The battle consists not of opposing, but of exposing; not of denouncing, but of disproving; not of evading, but of boldly proclaiming a full, consistent and radical alternative. – Ayn Rand

OFF TRACK

A lonely frog telephoned the Psychic Hotline and asked what his future holds. His Personal Psychic Advisor tells him: "You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everything about you."

The frog is thrilled, "This is great!

"Will I meet her at a party?" he croaks.

"No," says the psychic, "in a biology class."