Author: Riya Peter

Voters in Greece are heading to the polls for a second time in five weeks on Sunday, where former Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hoping for a landslide victory. Polling stations have opened at 7 a.m (0400 GMT) and will close at 1600 GMT. The results will be announced around 1700 GMT. Mitsotakis’s conservative centre-right New Democracy party had a landslide victory securing 41% votes in the election conducted on May 21 2024. New Democracy had a 20-point margin over the centre-left Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras. However, due to the new electoral system of proportional representation, the New Democracy fell…

A declassified US intelligence report on the origins of COVID-19 published on Friday has found no direct evidence to prove the pandemic broke out from a Chinese laboratory. The 10-page report was published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as a response to the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2024. In March 2024, the US Congress urged the US Intelligence Community (IC) to disclose within 90 days the intelligence data they possess regarding potential connections between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin. The report was published a week late after missing the…

The India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) was launched as a joint initiative by the US and Indian Ministries of Defence on June 21, 2024, in Washington, DC. The event, jointly organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the Ministry of Defence, and the US Department of Defence (DoD), and hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), seeks to enhance the collaborative efforts between India and the US in the realms of defence innovation. 15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups showcased their innovative technologies at the event in various domains, from maritime and artificial intelligence to space. “This initiative builds…

During his speech at a fundraiser in California, US President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator on Tuesday. Biden’s remarks on his Chinese counterpart come a day after US State Secretary Antony Blinken met with Xi for talks in Beijing to ease the bilateral relations between both nations. He also added that Xi was embarrassed when the US shot down the Chinese spy balloon above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina in February. According to Mr. Biden, Xi Jinping became extremely angry because he was unaware of the presence of spy equipment when he…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed for his first official state visit to the United States. The visit makes Modi the third world leader after French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to be invited by President Biden for a state visit and dinner. The three-day state visit holds great geopolitical significance and signifies that the US considers India, an equal partner. “I am travelling to the United States of America on a State Visit at the invitation of President Joseph Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden,” said PM Modi in an official statement released…

In a rare intervention, Italy has blocked the Chinese state-owned Sinochem from taking control of the tyre-making giant Pirelli. Since 2015, Sinochem, a prominent chemical company from China, has held the largest share of ownership in Pirelli, making it the primary investor with a 37 per cent stake. The recent revelation comes following Sinochem’s communication with the Italian government this year, where they discussed their intention to renew and update their current shareholder agreement. The decision arose from the Italian Government’s measures to protect the independence of the 151-year-old Milan-based firm from Chinese domination. Italy’s measures to protect strategic assets…

NATO has established a new centre in an effort to protect the undersea infrastructure, including pipelines and data cables in the North and Baltic seas, amid mounting concern over threats of Russian sabotage. The latest development comes after Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally, commented that there were no ‘moral limits’ for Russia not to destroy the undersea communication cables of the enemies. Following the mysterious explosions of Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022, the NATO allies are alarmed over the possibility of Russia mapping crucial Western underwater infrastructure around Europe. Lt. Gen. Hans-Werner Wiermann,…