LIVE updates: G20 leaders endorse global minimum corporate tax deal

PM Narendra Modi arrived in the Vatican City on Saturday to meet Pope Francis ahead of the highly anticipated G20 Summit

7:15 PM

Himachal bypoll: Over 66 pc voter turnout in Jubbal-Kotkhai till 5 pm, 49.83% in Mandi

The Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly segment registered the highest polling percentage of 66.1, while the lowest voter turnout of 49.83 per cent was recorded in the Mandi Lok Sabha segment till 5 pm on Saturday in the bypolls to three Assembly seats and one parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh, an election official said.

 

The voting for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and the Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly seats began at a slow pace at 8 am, he said, adding that it gained momentum gradually.

 

Mandi recorded a 49.83 per cent voter turnout, while the polling percentage in Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai was 62.4, 61.33 and 66.1 respectively till 5 pm, the official said.

 

According to officials, 2,484 polling stations and 312 auxiliary polling stations have been set up for the bypolls.

 

The bypolls were necessitated following the deaths of the elected representatives from these seats.

7:14 PM

Post HC order, Bengal pollution control board bans sale, use of all fireworks

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) on Saturday issued a notification banning sale and use of all kinds of fireworks during Kali Puja, Diwali and other festivals this year following an order of the Calcutta High Court.

 

Earlier, the WBPCB had allowed sale and bursting of green fireworks only.

 

The pollution watchdog is holding meetings with police and administration to fine-tune strategies to stop supply of fireworks into the market and ensure that there is no bursting of firecrackers during the festivals, WBPCB Chairman Kalyan Rudra said.

 

The Calcutta High Court on Friday banned the sale, purchase and use of all firecrackers during Kali Puja, Diwali, Chhath Puja, Jagadhatri Puja, Guru Nanak's birthday, Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations this year to check air pollution amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

7:03 PM

Climate protesters block road near Rome summit

A few dozen protesters demanding that government leaders take incisive action on climate change have been carried away by police from the main boulevard near the G-20 summit site in Rome.

 

Hours before the leaders of the United States, Britain, France and other economic powerhouse nations arrived on Saturday for the start of the two-day gathering, the activists blocked the road, holding banners, including one that read, From Rome to Glasgow, your solutions are the problem.

 

On Sunday evening, many of the G-20 leaders will fly to Glasgow, Scotland, for a crucial climate summit.

 

When the demonstrators refused to budge, police officers lifted them bodily and moved them to a side road, where the protesters continued to lie down or sit on the pavement, blocking traffic.

 

On Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced alarm that the climate meeting might see leaders fail to deliver on promises, leaving humanity facing a calamitous rise in global temperatures.

6:15 PM

67 per cent voting in Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha bypoll till 5 pm

Nearly 67 per cent polling was recorded in byelection to the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha constituency by 5 pm on Saturday, Election Commission officials said.

 

Voting was underway without any untoward incident, they added. It is scheduled to end at 6 pm. The byelection in the constituency which is part of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu was necessitated by the death of seven-time independent MP Mohan Delkar.

 

Delkar allegedly hanged himself at a Mumbai hotel on February 22 this year. Polling is underway at 333 booths amid heavy police presence. The administration has also deployed ten companies of paramilitary forces. There are three contestants in the fray -- Delkar's wife Kalaben Delkar who is contesting as Shiv Sena candidate, BJP's Mahesh Gavit and Congress' Mahesh Dhodi. There are a total of 2.58 lakh eligible voters in the constituency.

6:13 PM

Over 69% cast votes in Assam bypolls

Over 69.60 per cent of nearly eight lakh voters on Saturday cast their votes in the bypolls to the five Assembly seats in Assam, officials said.

 

Election officials said that the voting was held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. under heavy security cover of the central forces and strict Covid protocols in all the 1,176 polling stations. One health worker was posted as Covid Nodal Officer in each of the polling stations, where sanitizer, infrared thermometer and social distancing were religiously followed by the voters and elections officials.

 

According to the election officials, the voting was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere of the five districts, where the by-elections were conducted. The state's Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade, who along with other officials monitored the polling process through webcasting, said that there has been no incident so far.

 

"Adequate Central Armed Police Forces were deployed at each polling station to ensure free and fair polling," he said. Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of the five districts personally supervised the situations.

6:09 PM

Army shelling in Myanmar blamed for setting 160 homes ablaze

More than 160 buildings in a town in northwestern Myanmar, including at least two churches, have been destroyed by fires caused by shelling by government troops, local media and activists reported Saturday.

 

The destruction of parts of the town of Thantlang in Chin state appeared to be the most extensive so far in the ongoing struggle between Myanmar's military-installed government and forces opposed to it. The army seized power in February from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, but has failed to quell the widespread resistance.

 

Human rights groups and U.N. experts have recently warned that the government is planning a major offensive in the country's northwest, including Chin state, along with the regions of Magway and Sagaing. Residents of the rugged area have a reputation for their fierce fighting spirit, and have put up stiff resistance to military rule despite being only lightly armed with single-shot hunting rifles and homemade weapons.

 

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the fire, which started early Friday and burned through the night, according to reports.

 

The humanitarian aid agency Save the Children said its offices were in one of the buildings that have been deliberately set ablaze.

4:52 PM

Attacking someone over religion is most pathetic thing human being can do: Kohli on Shami's trolling

A livid India captain Virat Kohli on Saturday hit back at "spineless trolls" who attacked Mohammed Shami's religion after the team lost to Pakistan in its inaugural T20 World Cup game and said targetting people for their faith is "the most pathetic thing" to do.

 

Shami, who endured an off day in India's 10-wicket defeat, was trolled on instagram for his Muslim identity.

 

"Attacking someone over their religion is the most, I would say, pathetic thing that a human being can do," skipper Kohli didn't mince words on the eve of his team's crucial match against New Zealand when asked about the trolling that his senior pacer faced.

 

For Kohli, social media trolls are nothing but a bunch of "spineless" people, who don't have the courage to face real people in real life.

 

"There is a good reason why we are playing on the field and not some bunch of spineless people on social media that have no courage to actually speak to any individual in person," he said.

4:50 PM

G-20 opens with call for more vaccines for poor countries

The leaders of the world's economic powerhouses on Saturday took part in the first in-person summit since the coronavirus pandemic, with climate change, COVID-19 economic recovery and the global minimum corporate tax rate on the agenda.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi welcomed the Group of 20 heads of state to Rome's Nuvola cloud-like convention center in the Fascist-era EUR neighborhood, which was sealed off from the rest of the capital. Saturday's opening session was focused on global health and the economy, with a meeting on the sidelines among U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss next steps on Iran's nuclear program.

Host leader Draghi opened the forum with a sharp call for redoubled efforts to get vaccines to the world's least-prosperous countries.

Draghi underlined that while 70% of people in rich countries have been vaccinated, only 3% in the poorest countries have had their shots, calling it morally unacceptable.

Draghi urged a new commitment to multilateral cooperation: The more we go with all our challenges, the more it is clear that multilateralism is the best answer to the problems we face today, he said. In many ways, it is the only possible answer.

4:25 PM

IL&FS gets NCLT approval for phase 1 InvIT

Debt-ridden Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) on Saturday said it has received approval from NCLT for launching phase I of its Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT).

The group, in a release, said the approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) was received on Saturday.

With this approval, six road projects -- Barwa Adda Expressway Ltd, Baleshwar Kharagpur Expressway Ltd, Sikar Bikaner Highway Ltd, East Hyderabad Expressway Ltd, Moradabad Bareilly Expressway Ltd and Jharkhand Road Projects Implementation Company Ltd -- will be transferred to the newly formed Roadstar Infra Investment Trust under its InvIT Phase I.

These six road projects' special purpose vehicles (SPVs) will be transferred to the InvIT at an aggregate valuation of Rs 9,214 crore -- determined by an independent valuer appointed in accordance with Sebi InvIT regulations, the group said.

4:21 PM

Over 64% turnout till 3 pm in 5 Assembly seats in Assam

Amid heavy security measures and Covid protocols, Assam saw 64.3 per cent turnout till 3 p.m. on Saturday in the bypolls to the five Assembly seats, officials said.

 

The 10-hour long balloting, which so far has been peaceful, will continue till 5 p.m. The state's Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade, who along with other officials are monitoring the polling process through webcasting, said that there has been no untoward incidents so far. "Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed at each polling station to ensure a conducive atmosphere for the smooth conduct of elections," he said.

 

Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of five districts, where the bye-lections are going on, are personally monitoring the situations. An election official said that showcasing Assam's vibrant traditional culture, many of the polling stations were decorated with local produce and items.

 

Meanwhile, all polling personnel, agents of the candidates and political parties' representatives engaged in the election process, have been mandated to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

4:19 PM

Lankan President Rajapaksa bans strikes by employees at essential services

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued a special gazette banning strikes by employees related to essential services following threats by trade unions that they would launch a protest against an energy deal with a US company.

As per the gazette, all services related to supply and distribution of all fuels, including petroleum products and liquefied gas, freight transport by the Sri Lanka Railway Department and all public transport services carried out by the Sri Lanka Transport Board for passenger transport, government administration, insurance services, functioning of food services agencies and the postal services have been declared as essential services.

The order followed threats made by utility trade unions, warning of strike in protest against a power sector deal entered with a US agency.

The government also faced internal dissension from representatives of a smaller party of the ruling alliance.

4:18 PM

Karnataka bypolls: 56.78 % voting in 2 assembly segments till 3pm

An estimated 56.78 per cent voter turnout was recorded in by-poll bound Sindgi and Hangal assembly constituencies in Karnataka till 3pm, election officials said on Saturday.

While Sindgi has recorded 51.6 per cent voting so far, in Hangal it is 62.72 per cent.

The polling began at 7 am and will go on till 7 pm.

A total of 19 candidates are in the fray in the two constituencies, including six from Sindgi and 13 from Hangal. Two candidates from Sindgi are women.

The counting of votes will take place on November 2.

There are a total of 4,39,148 eligible voters, including 230 service voters from both constituencies, who can cast their votes at 560 polling stations.

3:51 PM

Madhya Pradesh: Power sector employees threaten to boycott work from Nov 1

The Madhya Pradesh United Forum for Power Employees and Engineers (MPUFPEE) on Saturday gave a call to employees of the state-owned power companies to boycott work from November 1 to press for their various demands.

 

Employees and engineers of the state-owned power companies will go on karya bahishkar andolan (work boycott agitation) to press for their five-point demand from November 1, MPUFPEE coordinator engineer V K S Parihar told PTI.

 

The demand includes payment of 50 per cent of the arrears of dearness allowance and deferred increment amount in the salary for October, Parihar said.

 

The forum has already put forth its demand in a series of meetings with the state energy minister and the principal secretary of the Energy Department, during which assurances were made but no action has been taken so far, he said.

3:50 PM

Coalition govt with Congress as major party will come to power at Centre in 2024: Sanjay Raut

Taking potshots at the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said a coalition government with Congress as a major party will come to power in 2024, when general elections are due, which will end the reign of the incumbent one-party government.

Speaking to reporters in Pune city of Maharashtra after addressing JS Karandikar memorial lecture organised by the Pune press club, Raut said, "No government can be formed without Congress, which is a major and deeply-rooted party in the country. Congress is the main opposition party too. Others are regional parties."

Queried about political strategist Prashant Kishor's reported statement that BJP will remain in power for many decades, Raut said the BJP will stay in Indian politics but as an opposition party.

3:48 PM

G20 leaders endorse global minimum corporate tax deal for 2023 start

Leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies (G20) will endorse an OECD deal on a global minimum corporate tax of 15%, draft conclusions of the two-day G20 summit showed on Saturday, with a view to have the rules in force in 2023.

"We call on the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting to swiftly develop the model rules and multilateral instruments as agreed in the Detailed Implementation Plan, with a view to ensure that the new rules will come into effect at global level in 2023," the draft conclusions, seen by Reuters, said.

The conclusions are to be formally adopted on Sunday.