Author: Jyotiraditya Raj Dwivedi

Italian participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) international infrastructure investment program has sparked debate and controversy. Launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the BRI aims to restore China’s ancient Silk Road linking Asia, Africa, and Europe by investing in massive infrastructure projects worldwide. Italy became the first major Western country and the only G7 member to join the BRI in 2019. Still, its defence minister, Guido Crosetto, recently criticised the decision and expressed doubts about the benefits it will bring to the nation. In this article, we examine Minister Crosetto’s comments on the BRI and its…

Belgium has long been considered one of the most progressive countries in the European Union (EU) regarding LGBTQ rights, especially transgender rights. The nation has made significant strides in protecting the rights of its transgender citizens, allowing legal gender and name changes without a medical certificate and including a prominent transgender politician. Recently, Ghent in the North Flanders region of Belgium boosted its image by giving city officials a month off for gender reassignment. But this progressive image is threatened by the rise of far-right parties, such as the separatist party Vlaams Belang, which governs Flanders, which has expressed concern…

India has earned a reputation as the “pharmacy of the world” by producing generic drugs at affordable prices, making them available to developing countries and global institutions. Its thriving generic industry has been a significant factor in international healthcare, particularly in Africa, where it accounted for a fifth of the continent’s drug imports in 2018. However, as the European Union (EU) conducts free trade negotiations with India and other generic drug-producing countries such as Indonesia, the EU’s stricter industrial and copyright protection could jeopardise the availability and affordability of generic medicines in the Global South. The role of affordable generic…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to the Oval Office significantly changes her political journey. Previously seen as a far-right populist sympathetic to Moscow, he now presents himself as a pragmatic conservative who wants to engage with the international mainstream. This shift in understanding is crucial for US President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s Western backers as Italy takes over the leadership of the G7 next year at a critical time in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. From extremists to pragmatic conservatives The election of Giorgia Meloni as prime minister in September initially worried Western capitals because of her blunt far-right…

Greta Thunberg, the weather activist, has once again found herself at the centre of attention, dealing with legal outcomes for her passionate fight towards climate change. Recently, she appeared in the courtroom and was fined for allegedly disrupting site visitors and refusing to depart from a protest in Malmo, Sweden, organised by the environmental activist Reclaim the Future. Despite the fine, Thunberg remains steadfast in her commitment to the cause, expressing that the urgency of the “climate crisis” justifies her actions. The June Protest and Court Trial The protest in question took place at the Malmo harbour and aimed to…

Taiwan’s intelligence corporations have launched a comprehensive investigation into a capacity leak of touchy government files, diplomatic cables, and categorised reports associated with the island’s bid to sign up for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Two officers, talking anonymously, disclosed that they may be acquainted with the continued probe. The leaked documents had been spotted on the net message board 8kun, raising worries over the security breach. The Veracity of the Leaked Documents Initial findings from the investigation advocate a combination of authenticity and forgery in the leaked files. According to one official, a few parts…