India has said it “hopes” all G20 leaders, including Vladimir Putin, are able to attend this year’s summit in person amid increasing questions over the Russian leader’s participation. India, which walks a tightrope between placating the West and maintaining decades-old ties with Russia, is hosting this year’s G20 summit. It has sought the physical participation of leaders, with the awkward possibility emerging that if Mr Putin were to attend, he would be in the same room with Western leaders for the first time since he called for the invasion of Ukraine. India’s foreign ministry said the G20, to be held on 9-10 September, will take the form of a physical summit in Delhi. Signals to Mr Putin’s potential India visit will be closely watched as the Russian leader has continued to avoid many such meetings since the Ukraine war. His attendance would become a significant occasion, as it would be the first time since Russia’s war that he would be face to face with world leaders like Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and others who have condemned the invasion. “The invitations have gone out to all the G20 members, invitee countries and international organizations,” foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. “This is a physical summit and we would hope that all the invitees are able to participate in person.” He said there have been confirmations for the summit, but did not share specifics on any world leaders. India becoming the G20 host has given rise to speculation that Mr Putin could travel there because of Moscow’s longstanding ties with Delhi. He had skipped the summit last year when it was hosted by Indonesia. The Kremlin had earlier cleared up Mr Putin’s schedule at the same time as the G20 summit in September to allow the possibility of him flying to India by cancelling a scheduled event. In March, Mr Putin’s aides reportedly pushed the dates by a week for an annual economic forum in Vladivostok, from its earlier 9-10 September date. Russia’s deputy chief of mission Roman Babuskin had earlier told The Hindu newspaper that G20 is “one of the most important events” for Russia. The speculation comes after it emerged that Mr Putin will not attend the Brics summit in South Africa to be held in late August and will send his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov instead. The decision, however, was made because South Africa is a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and if Mr Putin steps on South African soil, there is a chance he could be arrested. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for him in relation to the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.. Russian state media said Mr Putin will instead dial in via video link, while Mr Lavrov will fly down to Johannesburg. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said the decision was “by mutual agreement” as any attempts to arrest Mr Putin would be a declaration of war against Russia. Meanwhile, India last month confirmed Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky will not attend the main G20 conference as invites for the summit this year were sent only to members. “G20 participation is for members of G20,” foreign minister S Jaishankar had said at a press conference marking nine years of the foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government. “And for countries and organisations who we have invited and that list we had declared as soon as we assumed presidency of the G20.” The G20 ministerial meetings held this year in India have revealed the country’s reluctance in referring to the Ukraine invasion. Under the Indian presidency, no clear, joint communiques for the G20 meetings have been issued as officials disagreed in calling the invasion a “war”. In the absence of a joint communique, the G20 chair has been publishing a “chair’s summary” as the main outcome document. On Thursday, India’s foreign ministry said it has “optimism” that G20 leaders would be able to agree to a joint communique at the upcoming meeting. “There have been differences in paragraphs related to Ukraine. But largely, there has been a high degree of convergence among the participants on other issues and that’s a very positive thing,” Mr Bagchi stated. Read More India’s Modi stakes reputation on bringing together a G20 beset by international crises G20 nations raked in $50bn in debt repayments from poor countries since Covid, report finds Vladimir Putin to skip South Africa summit where he faced risk of arrest The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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An illegal streaming gang who offered cut-price subscriptions for Premier League matches to more than 50,000 people have been jailed. The Premier League said five men were convicted of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and contempt of court after generating more than £7 million in five years. Mark Gould, from London, was reported to have masterminded the operation and was handed an 11-year prison sentence at Chesterfield Crown Court on Tuesday. The 36-year-old and co-defendants Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown and Christopher Felvus offered illegal access to matches from hundreds of channels around the world, as well as tens of thousands of on-demand films and TV shows. A sixth gang member, Zak Smith, failed to appear at court for sentencing and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, the Premier League said. We are pleased that through rulings such as this, the courts continue to show that they recognise the importance of safeguarding the Premier League's rights Kevin Plumb The league added that the illegal streaming businesses had 30 employees, with one undercover at a specialist anti-piracy company. Brown, from Stoke-on-Trent, denied the offences, claiming to have been an undercover informant acting in the interests of law enforcement authorities and broadcasters But the 33-year-old was unanimously convicted by a jury after a seven-week trial as the Premier League said he used his technical skills to hack legitimate customers’ accounts to access and copy streams – intending for them to take the blame if identified by authorities. The prosecution was supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s trading standards team and the intellectual property protection organisation Fact. Premier League general counsel Kevin Plumb said: “Today’s sentencing is the result of a long and complex prosecution of a highly sophisticated operation. “The sentences handed down, which are the longest sentences ever issued for piracy-related crimes, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes. “This prosecution is another concrete example of the clear links between piracy and wider criminality, a warning we repeatedly make. “While most Premier League fans enjoy watching our games in a safe way, those who were customers of these services were effectively supporting individuals involved in other sinister and dangerous organised crime. “The Premier League’s substantial financial contribution to the entire football pyramid is made possible through the ability to sell our broadcast rights. “We are pleased that through rulings such as this, the courts continue to show that they recognise the importance of safeguarding the Premier League’s rights. “We will continue to protect our rights and our fans by investigating and prosecuting illegal operators at all levels.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Umpire Sue Redfern: I’ll feel awkward and fortunate to break new ground in Blast Daniil Medvedev dumped out of French Open in first round by Thiago Seyboth Wild Dean Windass proud as Conor McGregor splashes cash – Tuesday’s sporting social

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