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Sonam Wangchuk, Indian activist rallying Gen Z against Modi

NEW DELHI, July 20 - Indian social activist Sonam Wangchuk may be pushing 60, but he has become the face of a Gen Z movement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's education minister over exam paper leaks, drawing wider support after he was forcibly taken

Asia

Child sex case a diplomatic reckoning for UK-Pakistan ties

The debate over whether convicted child sex offender Shabir Ahmed should be deported from the United Kingdom to Pakistan is about far more than one offender. It has evolved into a test of how modern states balance domestic political pressures, immigration policy and

Asia

Why autocracies get more repressive when opening their economies

The current state of democracy in the world is fragile. According to the V-Dem Project, which measures global democracy, 41% of the world’s population live in autocratizing countries — that is, those becoming more authoritarian. In fact, a “third wave of autocratization” has

Asia

An unwinnable standoff at Hormuz

Five months after Israel and the United States launched strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader and ignited a wider war, the Strait of Hormuz has become the conflict’s most stubborn front, a 21-wide chokepoint where military power and diplomatic paralysis meet. The pattern by

Asia

Bangladesh’s Hasina death penalty: when courts become weapons

A death sentence is supposed to be the moment a legal system proves it can be trusted with its gravest power. In November, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal handed down exactly that verdict against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for crimes tied to the killings of

Asia

US firm Holtec bets big on small modular nuclear reactors in IPO

Nuclear giant Holtec International is betting big that its 300-megawatt small modular reactors are the future of atomic energy. On Friday, the Florida-headquartered firm filed paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in order to sell shares in the company on the

Asia

Can Ukraine’s worst week in years become the best?

JULY 19, 2026 – I have had many requests to discuss the removal of Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. However, I wanted to hold off until this update to see how issues were developing. This is still a fast-moving and chaotic story, and the fallout will only be known

Asia