G20 summit in india: World leaders arrive for start of talks as Sunak vows to ‘put pressure’ on Russia – live

As he addresses the start of the summit, it is not lost on everyone here that Narendra Modi’s nameplate reads “Bharat” instead of the more conventional “India.”

Both are official names of the country and are mentioned in its constitution, but until now it has been common practice to use the English language version at such international events.

The decision to use the name “Bharat” comes after a week of intense debate here over whether India could abandon its English name entirely and be referred to only by the Hindi version “Bharat” in the future.

Shortly after beginning his address, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was confident that all G20 members would agree to India’s proposal to make the African Union a permanent member of the bloc.

The addition of the 55-member AU would be a significant expansion of the bloc, which currently includes the world’s 19 largest economies as well as the European Union.

Mr Modi invited the President of the AU – Comoros President Azali Assoumani – to take over the chairmanship as a permanent member.

Delivering his opening speech for the summit, Modi begins with remarks on the Morocco earthquake, which killed hundreds of people overnight and caused significant damage to the historic city of Marrakesh.

“Before starting the official procedure, I would like to express my condolences to the people affected by the earthquake in Morocco. The world is with Morocco and we are ready to provide them with all possible help.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Rishi Sunak with a handshake and his trademark long hug as the British Prime Minister of Indian descent walked the red carpet.

Mr Sunak landed in Delhi yesterday afternoon and described how “special” it felt to return to the country as Prime Minister and with his Indian-born wife Akshata Murty.

Mr Sunak said he would hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit and raise the issue of the Ukraine war.

“When it comes to Ukraine and Russia in conflict, I will highlight the devastating impact that Russia’s illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world,” he said yesterday.

Vladimir Putin will miss this weekend’s summit but will be represented by his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, and Mr Sunak said he would “put pressure on Russia to stop attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine”.

Joe Biden, who landed in Delhi late last night, beamed as he was greeted by Modi on the red carpet of the summit.

Mr Modi appeared to show him the background and showed the chakra (a wheel) of the Konark Sun Temple.

The streets of the normally bustling national capital appeared deserted on Saturday as top leaders of the G20 grouping arrived at the Bharat Mandapam venue to attend the summit.

Tens of thousands of security forces have taken over the city’s streets, which were freshly washed by a sudden downpour this morning.

In the city of over 30 million inhabitants, markets were closed, schools closed and traffic restricted.

And offices were ordered to work remotely as nearly 130,000 police and paramilitary security forces were deployed to ensure the safety of arriving guests – Saturday would normally be a working day for most here.

The first day of the G20 summit in Delhi began this morning with an unexpected downpour, bringing a welcome drop in temperature for world leaders – still very warm in northern India in early September.

More than 3,000 journalists arrived very early in the morning at the media center at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre, specially built for this summit and brought to life in time for this historic occasion for India.

At the media convention center, the air was filled with excitement as journalists began preparing for live coverage of the event.

The sprawling complex, like the rest of Delhi in recent days, is decorated with towering images of host Narendra Modi beaming from ear to ear, as well as other life-size posters and billboards proudly displaying the themes of India’s G20 presidency to announce.

The G20 logo of a globe sitting on a lotus flower is splashed in bright colors on the walls of the media center.

Given the size of the event, the media center is separate from the venue where world leaders gather, so the epicenter of attention is a series of giant screens that dominate the two-story hall. These screens offer a view of the Bharat Mandapam itself, where leaders arrive to deliberate on critical global issues.

The first session of the G20 summit, titled ‘One Earth’, will begin shortly at 10:30 a.m. IST (6 a.m. BST).

The discussion will focus on accelerating climate action through increased mitigation and solidifying the global net-zero emissions agenda.

Following the lunch break, another session on “One Family” will begin at 3:00 pm IST.

The two sessions are based on the theme of India’s G20 Presidency: “One Earth – One Family – One Future”, which is taken from a Hindu Sanskrit scripture.

The first day of the summit will end at 7pm with a special dinner hosted by India’s President Droupadi Murmu.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the G20 Summit from the Bharat Mandapam venue here in New Delhi.

The first day of the summit will begin with the arrival of world leaders at the venue from 9:30 am IST.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes heads of state and government from the G20 countries and invited guests.