Tuesday, December 24, 2024 | 09:42 PM ISTEN Hindi

G20 LIVE: PM Modi, Prez Murmu join G20 leaders, delegates at grand dinner

G20 Summit: India is hosting the event which is being attended by the leaders from 30 countries and the European Union. Catch all the live updates here

BS Web Team New Delhi

A view of the Bharat Mandapam, where Session 1 of the G20 Summit is being held, in New Delhi on Saturday.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed G20 leaders and delegates at a grand dinner hosted for them at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the Summit, in Delhi. They welcomed the guests before the start of the dinner at a dais, with its backdrop depicting the ruins of the Nalanda University in Bihar and India's G20 presidency theme -- 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future'. Nalanda university ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site in Bihar, was one of the oldest universities of the world. President Murmu is hosting the ceremonial dinner for the G20 leaders, international delegates and other dignitaries at the Bharat Mandapam.

As the national capital gets ready to host the 18th G20 Summit today with global leaders in presence, it is very important to look at what it holds on its agenda.

The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the key leaders who are going to attend the event in the country's capital city.

Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be taking part in the weekend summit. China, however, will be represented at the summit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is being hosted by India. Extensive preparations have been underway to portray India's tradition and strength.

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President Murmu, PM Modi welcome G20 leaders, delegates at grand dinner

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed G20 leaders and delegates at a grand dinner hosted for them at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the Summit.

They welcomed the guests before the start of the dinner at a dais, with its backdrop depicting the ruins of the Nalanda University in Bihar and India's G20 presidency theme -- 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future'. For more details, click here

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Momentous milestone of our Presidency, says N Chandrasekaran on G20

Lauding India's Presidency, N Chandrasekaran, B20 Chair and Executive Chairman, Tata Sons, said in a statement, "It is a momentous milestone of our Presidency of the G20 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The G20 Declaration embodies the One Family, One Earth, One Future vision."

"B20 India warmly welcomes the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 grouping. With Africa’s voice as part of the global economic forum, partnerships with the continent will be greatly intensified. Human capital development, agricultural and industrial transformation, and trade facilitation to make Africa a common market are inclusive aspects of the Declaration," he said.

He added, "The digital public infrastructure and the headroom for additional capital raising are pioneering aspects of the Declaration. The focus on climate change and the commitment of major economies to phase down fossil fuel power generation are large steps in the right direction to protect the Earth. We congratulate India on these landmark outcomes."

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Ready for a productive day two in India: US President Joe Biden

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Watch | President Murmu and PM Modi arrive at Bharat Mandapam for G20 dinner

7:06 PM

Want to expand collaboration with India to include supply chains, says Japan PM

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said that he wishes to expand the collaboration with India to wider areas including supply chains.

“Japan is delivering various transport infrastructure development projects including the construction of Delhi metro here in the city to support economic development of countries. Going forward, we want to take this effort a step further to expand the scope of cooperation to wider areas including supply chains to link people together by strengthening connectivity. We also intend to work on building industrial value chains in the whole of Bay of Bengal," he said.

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What is the African Union, newest member of the G20?

During the ongoing G20 Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the African Union (AU) had been granted permanent membership in the Group of 20 largest economies (G20) worldwide.

This marked the AU's accession as a new member of this prominent global organisation.

The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states from the African continent. On May 26, 2001, the AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, calling for establishing the African Union. The bloc was founded on May 26, 2001, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on July 9, 2002, in Durban, South Africa. Read more here

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EU Commission chief terms the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor as 'historic'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday said that the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor is historic and it would be the most direct connection to date between India, the Arabian Gulf and Europe.

“We are presenting two large-scale projects today. First the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor. This is nothing but historic. It would be the most direct connection to date between India, the Arabian Gulf and Europe, with a rail link that would make the trade between India and Europe 40% faster. With an electricity cable and hydrogen pipeline to foster clean energy trade between the Middle East and Europe. This corridor is much more than a railway or cable corridor. It is a green and digital bridge across continents and civilizations," she said.

"In this spirit, we announce the second project: The trans-African Corridor which will connect the port of Lobito in Angola with Katanga province in DRC and the copper belt in Zambia," the European Commission president said.

6:31 PM