India's Vice President Dhankhar resigns due to health reasons
(REUTERS)Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post on Monday for health reasons.Dhankhar, 74, has served as the vice president of India since August 2022.The vice president holds office for five years.'To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately,' Dhankhar said in a letter to the country's President Droupadi Murmu, posted on X.
In India, the vice president holds second highest constitutional office, as well as being chair of the upper house of parliament. The vice president also acts as the country's president if there is a temporary vacation.
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Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Germany plans to play central role in rearming Europe
For Gundbert Scherf — the co-founder of Germany's Helsing, Europe's most valuable defence start-up — Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed everything. Scherf had to fight hard to attract investment after starting his company — which produces military strike drones and battlefield AI — four years ago. Now, that's the least of his problems. The Munich-based company more than doubled its valuation to $12 billion at a fundraising last month. 'Europe this year, for the first time in decades, is spending more on defense technology acquisition than the US," said Scherf. The former partner at McKinsey & Company says Europe may be on the cusp of a transformation in defence innovation akin to the Manhattan Project — the scientific push that saw the US rapidly develop nuclear weapons during World War Two. 'Europe is now coming to terms with defence.' Reuters spoke to two dozens executives, investors and policymakers to examine how Germany — Europe's largest economy — aims to play a central role in the rearming the continent. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government views AI and start-up technology as key to its defence plans and is slashing bureaucracy to connect startups directly to the upper echelons of its military, the sources told Reuters. Shaped by the trauma of Nazi militarism and a strong postwar pacifist ethos, Germany long maintained a relatively small and cautious defence sector, sheltered by US security guarantees. Germany's business model, shaped by a deep aversion to risk, has also favoured incremental improvements over disruptive innovation. No more. With US military support now more uncertain, Germany — one of the biggest backers of Ukraine — plans to nearly triple its regular defence budget to around 162 billion euros ($175 billion) per year by 2029. Much of that money will go into reinventing the nature of warfare, the sources said. Helsing is part of a wave of German defence start-ups developing cutting-edge technology, from tank-like AI robots and unmanned mini-submarines to battle-ready spy cockroaches. 'We want to help give Europe its spine back," said Scherf. Some of these smaller firms are now advising the government alongside established firms — so-called primes such as Rheinmetall and Hensoldt — that have less incentive to focus primarily on innovation, given their long backlogs for conventional systems, one of the sources said. A new draft procurement law, expected to be approved by Merz's cabinet on Wednesday, aims to reduce hurdles for cash-strapped start-ups to join tenders by enabling advance payment to these firms, according to a version dated June 25, reviewed by Reuters. The law would also entitle authorities to limit tenders to bidders inside the European Union. Marc Wietfeld, CEO and founder of autonomous robots maker ARX Robotics, said a recent meeting with German defence minister Boris Pistorius hammered home how deep the rethink in Berlin goes. "He told me: 'Money is no longer an excuse — it's there now'. That was a turning point," he said. Since Donald Trump's return to the political stage and his renewed questioning of America's commitment to NATO, Germany has committed to meet the alliance's new target of 3.5% of GDP on defense spending by 2029 - faster than most European allies. Officials in Berlin have emphasized the need to foster a European defence industry rather than rely on U.S. companies. But the hurdles towards scaling up industry champions in Germany - and Europe more broadly - are considerable. Unlike in the United States, the market is fragmented in Europe. Each country has its own set of procurement standards to fulfill contracts. The United States, the world's top military spender, already has an established stable of defence giants, like Lockheed Martin and RTX, and an advantage in key areas, including satellite technology, fighter jets and precise-guided munitions. Washington also began boosting defence tech startups in 2015 - including Shield AI, drone maker Anduril and software company Palantir - by awarding them parts of military contracts. European startups until recently languished with little government support. But an analysis by Aviation Week in May showed Europe's 19 top defence spenders - including Turkey and Ukraine - were projected to spend 180.1 billion this year on military procurement compared, to 175.6 billion for the United States. Washington's overall military spending will remain higher. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, head of Germany's security and defence sector association BDSV, said one challenge was that the military's procurement system was geared toward established suppliers and not well suited to the fast pace that new technologies require. Germany's defence ministry said in a statement it was taking steps to accelerate procurement and to better integrate startups in order to make new technologies quickly available to the Bundeswehr. Annette Lehnigk-Emden, head of the armed forces' powerful procurement agency, highlighted drones and AI as emerging fields that Germany needs to develop. "The changes they're bringing to the battlefield are as revolutionary as the introduction of the machine gun, tank, or airplane," she told Reuters. Sven Weizenegger, who heads up the Cyber Innovation hub, the Bundeswehr's innovation accelerator, said the war in Ukraine was also changing social attitudes, removing a stigma towards working in the defence sector. "Germany has developed a whole new openness towards the issue of security since the invasion," he said. Weizenegger said he was receiving 20-30 Linkedin requests a day, compared to maybe 2-3 weekly back in 2020, with ideas for defence technology to develop. Some of the ideas under development feel akin to science fiction - like Swarm Biotactics' cyborg cockroaches that are equipped with specialised miniature backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras for example. Electrical stimuli should allow humans to control the insects' movements remotely. The aim is for them to provide surveillance information in hostile environments - for example information about enemy positions. "Our bio-robots — based on living insects — are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules," said CEO Stefan Wilhelm. "They can be steered individually or operate autonomously in swarms. In the first half of the 20th century, German scientists pioneered many military technologies that became global standards, from ballistic missiles to jet aircraft and guided weapons. But following its defeat in World War II, Germany was demilitarized and its scientific talent was dispersed. Wernher von Braun, who invented the first ballistic missile for the Nazis, was one of hundreds of German scientists and engineers transported to the United States in the wake of World War II, where he later worked at NASA and developed the rocket that took Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. In recent decades, defence innovation has been a powerful driver of economic progress. Tech like the internet, GPS, semiconductors and jet engines originated in military research programs before transforming civilian life. Hit by high energy prices, a slowdown in demand for its exports and competition from China, Germany's $4.75 trillion economy contracted over the last two years. Expanding military research could provide an economic fillip. "We just need to get to this mindset: a strong defense industrial base means a strong economy and innovation on steroids," said Markus Federle, managing partner at defence-focused investment firm Tholus Capital. Risk aversion among European investors had in the past disadvantaged startups, which struggled to get the capital they need to survive the 'valley of death' — the critical early stage when costs are high and sales low. But a boost in defence spending by European governments following Russia's invasion of Ukraine has investors looking for opportunities. Europe now boasts three start-ups with a unicorn valuation of more than $1 billion: Helsing, German drone maker Quantum Systems, and Portugal's Tekever, which also manufactures drones. "There's a lot of pressure now on Germany being the lead nation of the European defense," said Sven Kruck, Quantum's chief strategy officer. Germany has become Ukraine's second-biggest military backer after the United States. Orders that might once have taken years to approve now take months and European startups have had the opportunity to test their products quickly in the field, several sources said. Venture capital funding of European defence tech hit $1 billion in 2024, up from a modest $373 million in 2022, and is expected to surge even more this year. "Society has recognized that we have to defend our democracies," said Christian Saller, general partner at HV Capital, an investor in both ARX and Quantum Systems. Venture capital funding has grown faster in Germany than elsewhere, according to a data analysis by Dealroom for Reuters. German defence startups have received $1.4 billion in the last five years from investors, followed by UK, the data shows. Reuters
Middle East Eye
10 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
German chancellor faces pressure over refusal to condemn Israeli war crimes
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under fire after Berlin declined to back a joint statement by 29 Western nations condemning Israel's war on Gaza, Reuters reported. The declaration, signed earlier this week by countries including Britain and France, called the killing of Palestinians 'inhumane' and slammed the 'drip feeding of aid' into the besieged enclave. Over 1000 civilians have reportedly died while trying to reach food aid. Reem Alabali-Radovan, Germany's development minister and member of the SPD coalition partner, criticised the move. 'The demands in the letter from the 29 partners to the Israeli government are understandable to me. I would have wished for Germany to join the signal sent by the 29 partners,' she said. Merz defended Germany's position, saying the European Council had already adopted a statement in June that 'practically' mirrored the contents of the new letter. The earlier declaration, while deploring the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stopped short of condemning Israel's proposed plan to relocate Palestinians to what it calls a 'humanitarian city.' It also lacked the stronger language found in Monday's joint appeal. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement during his first visit as Chancellor at the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony in Hanover, northern Germany, on July 22, 2025 (AFP)
Dubai Eye
11 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Syrian committee reports 1,426 killed in March violence
A Syrian government fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks. The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. The fact-finding committee's work is seen as an important test of the new leadership who are facing new unrest this month involving other minority groups in the southwest. The committee concluded that Syrian commanders did not give orders to commit violations and, in fact, gave orders to halt them. It came up with a list of 298 suspects involved in violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, committee head Jumaa Al-Anzi said. The names are not being released publicly for now and have been referred to courts for further investigations, spokesperson Yasser Farhan said. He added that 31 people who committed violations against civilians had been arrested, as well as six people he referred to as "remnants" of the former regime. The Supreme Alawite Council condemned the committee's findings, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as an "impudent play." It said it rejects the findings of the committee, blaming the attacks in March on the "de facto authority" represented by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government. They called for an international and independent investigation under the direct supervision of the United Nations. A Reuters investigation last month identified 1,479 Syrian Alawites killed and dozens who were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings and found a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. Syria's new leadership, led by Sunni Muslim groups against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, has long sought to reassure minorities they will be safe. Safety of minorities has become a major issue again this month with hundreds of people killed in clashes between government security forces, Bedouin fighters and fighters from the Druze sect in the southern province of Sweida. The authorities have set up a new fact-finding committee in response. The violence began on March 6 with attacks on Syrian security forces stationed in the region. It put hospitals and other state institutions out of operation and caused large areas to fall out of government control, Farhan said. The committee found that 238 members of the security forces were killed in these attacks, perpetrated by forces aligned with the former Assad government, Farhan said. In response, around 200,000 armed men mobilised from across Syria, pouring into the coastal region, he said. This led to violations including killings, theft and sectarian incitement that the committee found were "widespread but not organised," Farhan said. He said the committee members had full cooperation from government forces as they carried out months of work and it was now up to Sharaa whether to release their report in full. Diana Semaan, Syria researcher at Amnesty International, called for the full findings to be released and for perpetrators to face prosecution. "In terms of the fact-finding committee, acknowledging that atrocities against Alawite civilians happened is an important step towards justice," she told Reuters. "[But] without the proper prosecution of perpetrators, then we have impunity. It won't be the justice and accountability that the victims deserve."
