At a G20 tech ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the US urged member nations to adopt what it calls the "Carolina Principles" — a light-touch approach to AI regulation that avoids new AI-specific regulators and reserves fresh rules only for "novel considerations." White House tech adviser Michael Kratsios revealed that China has also signed on, even as Washington and Beijing compete for global AI dominance. Tech leaders including Musk, Zuckerberg and Hassabis joined the discussions, with Musk criticizing the EU's stricter regulatory approach.


Washington urges G20 to avoid new AI regulations

The G20 finance meeting in Asheville wrapped up with a final statement backed by 19 of 20 members, even as Russia's surprise return sparked sharp tensions among allies. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended in person for the first time since 2022, prompting Europe to voice open frustration — the traditional "family photo" was even taken without him. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the move, insisting Moscow's presence caused "no impact" on talks, while stressing that resolving the Ukraine war requires direct engagement rather than isolation.


G20 meet ends with broad backing as US defends Russia's surprise return to talks

The G20 meeting takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine war and escalating Iran conflict, with global economic stability and geopolitical tensions dominating discussions. Russia’s return to G20 talks has also triggered fresh divisions among members.


G20 Summit: Ukraine war, Iran conflict take centre stage amid global tensions 

The US is set to invite Vladimir Putin to the upcoming G20 Summit in Miami, marking a potentially significant diplomatic moment. However, Donald Trump has expressed doubts over Putin’s attendance, as the Kremlin has yet to confirm. With the Ukraine conflict ongoing and Putin absent from G20 summits since 2019, the invite adds a fresh layer of geopolitical intrigue to the global gathering.


US To Invite Putin To G20 Summit In Miami, Kremlin Yet To Confirm Putin's Attendance

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveils America’s 2026-era vision for the G20 with a hard message: as the U.S. assumes the presidency, it is excluding South Africa — despite its 2025 leadership — and welcoming Poland instead. He argues South Africa’s “politics of grievance,” economic mis-management and regulatory burdens disqualify it. This video details what Rubio calls the “New G20,” its priorities around energy, tech and deregulation, and what this shake-up means for global geopolitics and Africa’s role on the world stage.

'America Welcomes A New G20': Marco Rubio Slams Africa's G20 Presidency

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called Donald Trump’s threat to bar South Africa from the G20 “regrettable” and “baseless,” pushing back strongly against the former U.S. President’s remarks. This segment features a detailed standup analysis, context behind Trump’s statements, and the potential diplomatic implications for South Africa, the G20, and U.S.–Africa relations.


South Africa denies improper G20 handover, blames US for absence

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, claiming the country is “not worthy of membership anywhere.” His remarks have sparked renewed diplomatic tension and strong reactions across the political spectrum.


G20 summit 2026: Trump says south Africa not worthy of membership anywhere

Canadian Prime Minister said the world can make progress on a range of issues without the US. He said the consensus reached at the Group of 20 leaders' meeting in Johannesburg carries weight despite a boycott by President Donald Trump's administration.


Carney: World can make progress on range of issues without the US

Canadian PM Mark Carney said the world can make progress on a range of issues without the US, and that consensus reached at a Group of 20 leaders' meeting in Johannesburg this weekend carries weight despite a boycott by President Donald Trump's administration.


G20 summit: Carney says world can move on without the US, stresses new ties 

G20 South Africa: At the IBSA summit held alongside the G20 in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that reforming the United Nations Security Council is no longer optional but essential, highlighting that current global institutions do not reflect the realities of the 21st century. Modi called for a unified front among IBSA nations, India, Brazil, and South Africa, to send a strong message for global governance reform. He also urged close coordination in combating terrorism, stressing zero tolerance for double standards

G20 : PM Modi calls UN Security Council reform ‘a necessity’ at IBSA summit 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in New Delhi after attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit and holding bilateral meetings with various world leaders in Johannesburg. PM Modi met his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his counterparts from Jamaica and the Netherlands.


India pushes for UNSC reform at IBSA meet, PM Modi urges united stand against terror

At the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged world leaders to take unified action against the global threats of fentanyl trafficking and terror financing.

G20 Summit: PM Modi Urges G20 To Tackle Drug-Terror Nexus

The G20 Summit has officially opened, with notable absences including U.S. President Donald Trump. UN Secretary-General made an urgent appeal to G20 leaders to address global challenges such as climate change, economic stability, and international cooperation. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit, emphasizing India’s priorities on sustainable development, trade, and geopolitical collaboration among the world’s major economies.


BREAKING: Trump's G20 Boycott Delays Presidential Handover 

In a surprising move at the G20 Summit, South Africa has defied the US declaration ban, signaling growing tensions and independent policy-making. The decision highlights shifting alliances and challenges in global diplomatic coordination.

US vs South Africa: White House Denies Participation at G20 Summit

 White House: U.S. Won't Take Part in Official Talks at G20 Summit

In a surprising move at the G20 Summit, South Africa has defied the US declaration ban, signaling growing tensions and independent policy-making. The decision highlights shifting alliances and challenges in global diplomatic coordination.


U.S. vs South Africa Ahead Of G20 Summit: White House Denies Ramphosa's Statement 

US-South Africa Tensions: 'Won't Handover Presidency To America'

G20 Update: South Africa Rejects US Declaration Ban

South Africa will host the 2025 G20 Summit, a major event in global diplomacy, but tensions have already risen. Donald Trump has clashed with South Africa over the G20 agenda, raising questions about the future of international cooperation and political influence.

US-South Africa Ties Hit New Low Over G20 Agenda

G20 Summit in South Africa: Trump Disagrees Over Agenda

South Africa hosts the historic first African G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Nov 22–23, 2025, with a focus on global south debt relief, energy transitions, and inequality reduction.


India-South Africa ties: S Africa's High Commissioner says both nations share vision of the world 

South Africa’s Department of Defense said Thursday it has asked China to postpone naval exercises that would have brought Chinese and Russian warships to South African waters around the time the country hosts a Group of 20 summit.


South Africa asks China to delay naval exercise as it coincides with G20 summit

India has quietly emerged as one of the most income-equal countries in the world, according to the World Bank’s Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief. With a Gini Index of 25.5, India ranks fourth globally in income equality, behind only the Slovak Republic (24.1), Slovenia (24.3), and Belarus (24.4). The Gini Index positions India ahead of the United States (41.8), China (35.7), and all G7 and G20 countries. This shift marks a significant change in India’s economic narrative, which has historically been associated with high levels of inequality.&nbsp;<h2>What is a Gini Index?</h2> The Gini Index is a global standard used to measure income inequality within a country. Ranging from 0 (perfect equality) to 100 (complete inequality), a lower score indicates a more balanced income distribution. With a Gini score of 25.5, India falls into the 'moderately low' inequality bracket (25–30).&nbsp;<h2>Decline in Poverty and Improved Distribution</h2>&nbsp;India’s current score marks a notable improvement from 28.8 in 2011. The World Bank reports that, between 2011 and 2023, India lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty. The poverty rate, which stood at 16.2 per cent in 2011, has now dropped to just 2.3 percent based on the international poverty line of $2.15 per day. During this period, India’s Gini Index improved from 28.8 to 25.5, reflecting more equitable income distribution. The World Bank attributes this progress to focused policy interventions aimed at poverty reduction and ensuring benefits reach the lowest-income households.&nbsp;The country’s economic gains are increasingly being shared more evenly, a notable contrast to widening inequality trends in several developed nations. The World Bank data suggests that India’s model, which is emphasising more on targeted delivery, financial access, and digital identification, has played a key role in fostering inclusive growth.&nbsp;<h2>Role of Welfare and Digital Governance</h2>&nbsp;The release also highlights on key government schemes playing important role in this transformation. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), PM Vishwakarma Yojana and, Ayushman Bharat yojana. The Stand-Up India initiative and PM Vishwakarma Yojana have supported entrepreneurship among marginalised groups. Meanwhile, food security under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana has benefited people nationwide.

The Gini Index positions India ahead of the United States (41.8), China (35.7), and all G7 and G20 countries.

India has quietly emerged as one of the most income-equal countries in the world, according to the World Bank’s Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief. With a Gini Index of 25.5, India ranks fourth globally in income equality, behind only the Slovak Republic (24.1), Slovenia (24.3), and Belarus (24.4). The Gini Index positions India ahead of the United States (41.8), China (35.7), and all G7 and G20 countries. This shift marks a significant change in India’s economic narrative, which has historically been associated with high levels of inequality. What is a Gini Index? The Gini Index is a global standard used to measure income inequality within a country. Ranging from 0 (perfect equality) to 100 (complete inequality), a lower score indicates a more balanced income distribution. With a Gini score of 25.5, India falls into the 'moderately low' inequality bracket (25–30). Decline in Poverty and Improved Distribution India’s current score marks a notable improvement from 28.8 in 2011. The World Bank reports that, between 2011 and 2023, India lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty. The poverty rate, which stood at 16.2 per cent in 2011, has now dropped to just 2.3 percent based on the international poverty line of $2.15 per day. During this period, India’s Gini Index improved from 28.8 to 25.5, reflecting more equitable income distribution. The World Bank attributes this progress to focused policy interventions aimed at poverty reduction and ensuring benefits reach the lowest-income households. The country’s economic gains are increasingly being shared more evenly, a notable contrast to widening inequality trends in several developed nations. The World Bank data suggests that India’s model, which is emphasising more on targeted delivery, financial access, and digital identification, has played a key role in fostering inclusive growth. Role of Welfare and Digital Governance The release also highlights on key government schemes playing important role in this transformation. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), PM Vishwakarma Yojana and, Ayushman Bharat yojana. The Stand-Up India initiative and PM Vishwakarma Yojana have supported entrepreneurship among marginalised groups. Meanwhile, food security under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana has benefited people nationwide.

The Gini Index positions India ahead of the United States (41.8), China (35.7), and all G7 and G20 countries.

India rises to 4th globally in income equality, ahead of US and China: World Bank

EAM Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. They met on the sidelines of G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in South Africa. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and global challenges. There have been some notable developments: EAM Jaishankar. He lauded the G20 for providing an opportunity for interaction during the challenging phases in India-China relations. Watch in for more details!

G20 Summit: India, China preserving G20, EAM Jaishankar tells China FM Yi

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa opened a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting on Thursday with a call for "cooperation" amid geopolitical tensions and "rising intolerance".
Top diplomats from the world's largest economies gathered in Johannesburg for the two-day talks held for the first time in Africa and overshadowed by the absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"It is critical that the principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism and international law should remain at the centre of all our endeavours. It should be the glue that keeps us together," Ramaphosa said.
"Geopolitical tensions, rising intolerance, conflict and war, climate change, pandemics and energy and food insecurity threaten an already fragile global coexistence," Ramaphosa said.
The G20, a grouping of 19 countries as well as the European Union and the African Union, is deeply divided on key issues from Russia's war in Ukraine to climate change.
World leaders have also been split on how to respond to the dramatic policy shifts from Washington since the return of US President Donald Trump.
"As the G20 we must continue to advocate for diplomatic solutions to conflicts," Ramaphosa said.
"I think it is important that we should remember that cooperation is our greatest strength," he added. "Let us seek to find common ground through constructive engagement."
A curtain-raiser to the G20 summit in November, the meeting was attended by top diplomats including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his Chinese and Indian counterparts as well as European envoys like France's Jean-Noel Barrot and Britain's David Lammy.
But the group's richest member, the United States, was only represented by the deputy chief of mission at the American embassy in Pretoria after Rubio skipped the meeting amid disputes with the host nation over several policy issues.
"My job is to advance America's national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism," Rubio said, announcing his decision to not travel to South Africa for the meeting.
Ramaphosa said Rubio's absence was not a "train smash" and did not amount to a boycott since the United States was represented.
He hoped the diplomatic process would "iron out wrinkles that may have appeared in our relationship", he told reporters.
Pretoria has in particular come under fire from Washington for leading a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of "genocidal" acts in its Gaza offensive, which Israel has denied.
US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent announced on Thursday that he would also not attend the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Cape Town next week.
<h2><hl2>'Africa must be heard'&nbsp;</hl2></h2>
The first G20 presidency by an African nation was an opportunity for the continent to be "heard on critical global issues, like sustainable development, the digital economy and the shift toward green energy", Ramaphosa said in his opening address.
South Africa's priorities included finding ways to scale up resilience to climate disasters and improving "debt sustainability" for developing countries.
It also wanted to mobilise finance for a "just energy transition" in which countries most responsible for climate change support those least responsible, he said.
But in a sign of the tensions within the grouping, the planned family photograph was cancelled as several countries did not wish to appear next to Lavrov, members of a delegation told AFP.
South Africa has been criticised for its ties with Russia, including not condemning its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Rubio's absence will "distract the focus of the meeting," warned William Gumede, professor of public management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
"It sends a symbolic message to Africans: the US is not taking Africa seriously," he said.
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.
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World: Top diplomats from the world's largest economies gathered in Johannesburg for two-day talks held for the first time in Africa and overshadowed by the absence of Marco Rubio.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa opened a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting on Thursday with a call for "cooperation" amid geopolitical tensions and "rising intolerance". Top diplomats from the world's largest economies gathered in Johannesburg for the two-day talks held for the first time in Africa and overshadowed by the absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "It is critical that the principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism and international law should remain at the centre of all our endeavours. It should be the glue that keeps us together," Ramaphosa said. "Geopolitical tensions, rising intolerance, conflict and war, climate change, pandemics and energy and food insecurity threaten an already fragile global coexistence," Ramaphosa said. The G20, a grouping of 19 countries as well as the European Union and the African Union, is deeply divided on key issues from Russia's war in Ukraine to climate change. World leaders have also been split on how to respond to the dramatic policy shifts from Washington since the return of US President Donald Trump. "As the G20 we must continue to advocate for diplomatic solutions to conflicts," Ramaphosa said. "I think it is important that we should remember that cooperation is our greatest strength," he added. "Let us seek to find common ground through constructive engagement." A curtain-raiser to the G20 summit in November, the meeting was attended by top diplomats including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his Chinese and Indian counterparts as well as European envoys like France's Jean-Noel Barrot and Britain's David Lammy. But the group's richest member, the United States, was only represented by the deputy chief of mission at the American embassy in Pretoria after Rubio skipped the meeting amid disputes with the host nation over several policy issues. "My job is to advance America's national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism," Rubio said, announcing his decision to not travel to South Africa for the meeting. Ramaphosa said Rubio's absence was not a "train smash" and did not amount to a boycott since the United States was represented. He hoped the diplomatic process would "iron out wrinkles that may have appeared in our relationship", he told reporters. Pretoria has in particular come under fire from Washington for leading a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of "genocidal" acts in its Gaza offensive, which Israel has denied. US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent announced on Thursday that he would also not attend the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Cape Town next week. 'Africa must be heard' The first G20 presidency by an African nation was an opportunity for the continent to be "heard on critical global issues, like sustainable development, the digital economy and the shift toward green energy", Ramaphosa said in his opening address. South Africa's priorities included finding ways to scale up resilience to climate disasters and improving "debt sustainability" for developing countries. It also wanted to mobilise finance for a "just energy transition" in which countries most responsible for climate change support those least responsible, he said. But in a sign of the tensions within the grouping, the planned family photograph was cancelled as several countries did not wish to appear next to Lavrov, members of a delegation told AFP. South Africa has been criticised for its ties with Russia, including not condemning its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Rubio's absence will "distract the focus of the meeting," warned William Gumede, professor of public management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. "It sends a symbolic message to Africans: the US is not taking Africa seriously," he said. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

G20 foreign minister meeting: South Africa's Ramaphosa calls for 'cooperation' amid geopolitical tensions

Senator Marco Rubio has announced his decision to skip the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in South Africa, criticizing the nation for its anti-American stance and concerns over private property expropriation. This move highlights growing tensions between the U.S. and South Africa.

Rubio skips g20 talks over anti-american sentiment

Senator Marco Rubio will not attend the G20 foreign ministers’ talks in Johannesburg, accusing South Africa of expropriating private property and pursuing an "anti-American" agenda. His decision highlights growing tensions between the US and South Africa.

Rubio skips G20 talks in South Africa over ‘anti-American agenda’ and property concerns

Senator Marco Rubio has announced that he will not attend the G20 foreign ministers' talks in South Africa, citing concerns over South Africa's expropriation of private property and its "anti-American" stance. This marks a significant moment in US-South Africa relations.

Rubio refuses to join G20 talks in South Africa amid property rights dispute and US concerns

In this WION exclusive, Ibrahim Al-Helali, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network, delves into Saudi Arabia’s investment priorities. He highlights the critical role of G20 countries in setting global standards. The discussion also touches on collaboration opportunities between Saudi Arabia and India in the energy and digital sectors. Listen in to this insightful conversation.

‘G20 Countries Have a Responsibility’: WION's exclusive with Ibrahim Al-Helali

Negotiators in Baku had been hoping for a breakthrough at the G20 summit on issues blocking progress at their talks thousands of miles away...But a statement from the meeting of world leaders in Rio fell short of expectations...Watch in for more details!

Divided G20 Fails To Agree On Climate

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