Climate, Covid and the economy top G20 agenda at Rome summit

Rome: The heads of the world's 20 biggest economies kicked off two days of talks on Saturday where they were set to acknowledge the existential threat of climate change, but stop short of radical new commitments to tame global warming.

A draft communique seen by Reuters shows major countries are only likely to slightly toughen their pledges on climate action, while failing to set tough new targets that activists say are vital to prevent environmental catastrophe.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi greeted leaders from an array of countries, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first face-to-face G20 summit in two years as the COVID-19 pandemic starts to ebb.