FirstUp: Meloni to host Nato’s Mark Rutte, UNGA vote on Gaza... The headlines today

It is set to be a busy Thursday with several events lined up for the day.

Firstly, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni will be hosting Nato chief Mark Rutte today in Rome. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly will hold an emergency vote on a resolution demanding a ceasefire and humanitarian access in Gaza.

The Chinese Vice President is scheduled to meet Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez today to hold bilateral talks. In India, a hearing for a petition concerning the stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will take place today while Krutrim, the artificial intelligence arm of Bhavish Agarwal’s Ola Group, will launch its own AI assistant chatbot.

Here is all that is set to take place today.

Meloni to host Nato chief Mark Rutte

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will officially host Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte today. The meeting will take place at the Palazzo Chigi in Rome.

According to reports, this invitation signals Italy’s strong commitment to Nato solidarity. According to experts, this high-level meeting is more than ceremonial. With the Nato summit looming, Meloni and Rutte are set to chart a course for stronger defence collaboration, increased military spending and unified support for Ukraine, all while reaffirming Italy’s strategic role within Nato’s evolving defence landscape.

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UNGA vote on Gaza

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) will hold an emergency vote on a Spain‑led resolution demanding a ceasefire and humanitarian access in Gaza . This comes after a nearly identical text in the UNSC was vetoed by the United States on June 4, preventing adoption despite support from 14 of 15 members.

Since the Security Council couldn’t act, member states escalated the issue to the General Assembly, where no veto is possible, to issue a global political statement. Although non-binding, UNGA resolutions reflect global sentiment. Observers anticipate broad support as most countries are expected to vote “yes,” with the United States and Israel almost certainly opposing.

Chinese VP to meet in Spain’s PM

China’s Vice President, Han Zheng is set to hold bilateral talks with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez in Madrid today. The meeting is a reciprocal of Sánchez’s efforts to position Spain as a strategic EU–China interlocutor and to entice Chinese investment in green tech.

Zheng is on a four-day visit to Spain starting June 10. The trip comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s earlier trip to Beijing. He is also expected to hold a formal audience with King Felipe VI. While the relationship between the two nations is largely seen as blossoming, some tensions exist, particularly concerning Beijing’s anti-dumping inquiry into EU pork, which has impacted Spain as a major exporter.

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Krutrim to launch chatbot

Ola Group’s Artificial Intelligence wing, Krutrim , is set to launch its own agentic AI assistant dubbed ‘Kruti’ today.

“Ask Kruti what to eat, where to order, or how to cook it. Your own food agent will now be just a prompt away. Coming on 12th June!” Krutrim posted on social media platform X, with a video visualising the tool.

Ask Kruti what to eat, where to order, or how to cook it. Your own food agent will now be just a prompt away.
Coming on 12th June! ⚡ pic.twitter.com/sPxbRIRJf3

— कृत्रिम (@Krutrim) June 10, 2025

“Kruti” is billed as “India’s first agentic AI assistant,” indicating a move beyond traditional chatbots that merely respond to prompts. Unlike standard conversational AI, Kruti is designed to be proactive, anticipate user needs, make decisions, and autonomously execute tasks within defined boundaries.

Hearing on Bengaluru stampede case

The Karnataka High Court is set to continue the hearing on a petition in connection to the stampede in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives.

During previous hearings, the High Court has pressed the government for a comprehensive report, which the Advocate General was granted permission to submit in a sealed cover by June 12 due to ongoing investigations and legal sensitivities. The state government has largely blamed RCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), alleging that no proper permissions were sought for the event and that organizers “invited the whole world” via social media without adequate arrangements.

The stampede took place during a felicitation event for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL team, where an unexpectedly large crowd gathered. The Karnataka High Court took suo motu cognizance of the incident and has been actively seeking answers from the state government regarding crowd safety, administrative planning, and adherence to protocols.

With inputs from agencies