 "FirstUp: Trump to meet Syrian president at White House, Cop30 to begin in Brazil... The big news")
It is set to be a busy Monday with several events lined up for the day.
Firstly, US President Donald Trump is set to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at White House today. Meanwhile, the United Nations Climate Conference, also known as Cop30, will hold its annual summit from today in Belem.
Spanish King Felipe VI is set to begin an official visit to China for the first time in 18 years. The Booker Prize ceremony will be announced today. Meanwhile, the South African Cricket team will begin its tour of India.
Here is all that is set to take place today.
Trump to meet Syrian president at White House
US President Donald Trump is set to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House today. This will mark the first visit by a Syrian head of state to the White House since 1974 and signals a major shift in diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Discussions are expected to focus on solidifying peace and reconstruction efforts in war-torn Syria, addressing counter-terrorism, and integrating the new Syria into the regional peace framework, including its relations with Israel.
Cop30 to begin in Brazil
World leaders will be gathering in Belem, Brazil, today for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (Cop30), which is set to begin today. It will go on till November 21.
The summit will bring together world leaders, negotiators, scientists, and civil society to address the global climate crisis. One of the main objectives of the summit this year is to urge countries to submit updated and more aggressive 2035 climate plans. Discussions will focus heavily on the “Baku-to-Belem Roadmap,” an initiative aiming to mobilise at least $1.3 trillion per year in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.
Spanish king to visit China
Spanish King Felipe VI is set to begin his three-day official visit to China from today. This marks the first visit of a Spanish king to the Asian giant in 18 years.
China is willing to join hands with Spain to seize the opportunity presented by the king’s visit to expand mutual cooperation and enhance the two countries’ strategic partnership, Mao Ning, spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a regular news briefing.
Spain has actively wooed China economically despite US warnings about moving closer to the world’s second-biggest economy.
Booker Prize winner to be announced
The winners of the Booker Prize 2025 will be announced today in London. Six authors have been shortlisted for the top position, out of which only one will receive the £50,000 prize and the highly coveted Iris trophy.
The ceremony will be held at Old Billingsgate in London and will be livestreamed on the Booker Prizes’ social media channels. This year’s nominations include Flashlight by Susan Choi, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, Audition by Katie Kitamura, The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits, The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller and Flesh by David Szalay.
Each shortlisted author will receive £2,500 and a unique, hand-bound edition of their nominated novel. Ahead of the winner announcement, the shortlisted authors participated in public events, including readings at the Southbank Centre on November 9.
Lenskart IPO set for debut
One of India’s biggest eyewear retailers Lenskart’s set to make their debut in the stock market today. The shares will be listed on the BSE and NSE.
Lenskart Solutions is a tech-driven and integrated eyewear company primarily selling prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and other products such as contact lenses and eyewear accessories. The company designs and sells a wide range of eyewear products under multiple owned in-house brands and sub-brands.
As of June 2025, Lenskart operated a total of 2,806 stores and offered collections across 22 brands and sub-brands.
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