Our daily tour around the world

🇮🇳 India now holds the world’s fifth-largest reserves of lithium, following the recent discovery of a 5.9-million-ton deposit. It marks the first major discovery of lithium in India, with the only other reserves being a deposit of 1,600 tons that was discovered two years ago. It’s also a step towards reduced dependency – up to this point, India had been reliant on Australia, Chile, and Argentina for any imports of lithium, which is a key material in the production of batteries found in most EVs and personal devices (including phones, tablets, and computers).

🇷🇺 The State Department yesterday issued its strongest “Do Not Travel” alert for Russia and warned all Americans to leave the country. The Level 4 advisory cites a range of reasons, including the potential for harassment and wrongful detention, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, and the US Embassy’s limited ability to assist its citizens. And in other Russia-related news, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said yesterday that Russian forces are plotting to overthrow Moldova’s government in order to stop the country from joining the EU alongside Ukraine.

🇨🇳🎈 Chinese officials accused the US of regularly flying high-altitude balloons over its airspace. The White House disputed China’s claims that more than 10 US balloons had flown over Chinese airspace since the start of 2022. Experts noted that Beijing didn’t provide evidence of their existence, or specify whether the balloons were flown over China’s internationally recognised territory versus its claims in the South China Sea, most of which aren’t recognised under international law.