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The Third Wave of Autocratisation: How elections survive while democracy erodes
For nearly two decades, a subtle but relentless transformation has been reshaping governance across continents. Elections are held, opposition parties compete, and parliaments convene. Yet in country after country, the playing field has tilted decisively in favour of incumbents. Media outlets friendly to the ruler dominate the airwaves. Courts increasingly interpret the law in ways that hobble rivals. State contracts and public resources flow to loyalists. Critics face investigations, tax audits, or worse. This is “competitive authoritarianism” — a hybrid system in which democratic forms persist but the substance of fair competition erodes. Political scientists Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way identified the phenomenon two decades ago. Today it has become the dominant mode of backsliding. According to the V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2026, autocracies now outnumber democracies (92 to 87),…
The Wages of Impunity
In the shadowed corners of detention facilities and occupied territories, sexual violence has long served as a weapon of war and domination. On May 29th, 2026, the United Nations placed two more state actors on its annual list of parties credibly suspected of systematic conflict-related sexual violence: the armed and security forces of Israel and Russia. The decision, buried in the Secretary-General’s latest report on the subject, marks a grim milestone. For the first time, established states with sophisticated militaries and legal systems find themselves alongside militias, jihadists, and warlords in this particular ledger of shame. The report is no sensational headline-grabber. It is a sober, often dry compilation drawing on survivor testimonies, medical records, open-source material, and the painstaking verification work of UN specialists. Last year it documented 9,788…
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Turkiye’s Opposition: A Judicial Coup De Grâce?
On a recent Saturday in Ankara, tens of thousands of people marched through the city centre in support of Ozgur…
Hungary: A Resilient Magyar Heart in the Heart of Europe
To the casual outsider, Hungary—or Magyarország, the Land of the Magyars—might seem like just another Central European country, sandwiched between…
Editor's Choice
View AllIndia’s Dramatic Power Shift: New Stars, Old Bastions Fall
In a week that has reshaped India’s political map, assembly elections across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry…
Why Ancient Indian Philosophers Treated Sleep as a Window Into Consciousness
Sleep is usually framed as a biological necessity — a period of rest during which the brain resets, consolidates memory…
Divided on the Hill: How America Views Trump’s Handling of the West Asia Crisis
With a fragile ceasefire in the West Asia conflict hanging by a thread and US negotiators preparing for another round…
Government Decisions & Policy
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Southern drawl in the courtroom
A federal court in Alabama delivered an unexpected rebuff to Republican mapmakers on Tuesday, blocking a congressional redistricting plan that would have pared back Black…
India’s Sacred Cows and Shifting Sensitivities
As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, a festival centred on sacrifice and submission to God, Muslim leaders in several Indian states have issued an unusual plea: forgo the…
End of an Era in Lutyens’ Delhi: Iconic Gymkhana Club Ordered to Vacate for Defence and Security Needs
In the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, where power, history, and privilege have long intertwined, one of India’s most storied institutions faces an uncertain future. The…
Modi’s call for sacrifice
With crude oil prices elevated above $105 a barrel amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Narendra Modi has asked his 1.4bn fellow citizens to…
India & Neighbourhood
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Nepal’s Landless Squatters Push Back Against Balendra Shah’s Vision of a ‘Clean’ Nation
In a significant show of defiance, more than 25,000 landless squatters from 22 districts marched through the streets of Butwal in southern Nepal on Sunday,…
Political Theatre
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Travel & Tourism
View AllIndian authorities warn travellers of harsh new drug penalties in Maldives, including possible death sentence
India's Narcotics Control Bureau has issued a strong advisory cautioning citizens travelling to the Maldives that even small quantities of…
A bumpy ride ahead
As summer 2026 looms, the travel industry is confronting an uncomfortable truth. Jet-fuel prices in America averaged $8.63 a gallon…
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Turkiye’s Opposition: A Judicial Coup De Grâce?
On a recent Saturday in Ankara, tens of thousands of people marched through the city centre in support of Ozgur Ozel, the deposed leader of…
States & Cities
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Saints of the flame: Rajasthan ascetics ready to renounce earthly life for a sacred grove
In the blistering heat of Rajasthan’s Dudu district, a group of Hindu seers have chosen fire and fasting over comfort.…
From Workshop to Encrypted Chat: How Four Ordinary Men Allegedly Built a Toy Car Bomb Plot Targeting India’s Heart
In the dim glow of a private automobile workshop on the outskirts of Thane, just north of Mumbai, Mosaib Ahmad…
India’s Digital Underworld: How Jailed Gangsters Run Transnational Crime Empires via WhatsApp and Instagram
In a brick-kiln office on the outskirts of Jind in Haryana, businessman Anup Chaudhary was reviewing accounts on the afternoon…
Ground mishap at Delhi airport leaves two Boeing 737s damaged as safety questions linger
A routine afternoon on the tarmac at one of the world’s busiest airports in New Delhi turned into an embarrassing…
Life & Culture
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Economy & Markets
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The Quiet Battle for the Heart of India’s Greatest Business Empire
In the polished corridors of Mumbai’s legal and philanthropic world, a discreet but intense struggle is unfolding over one of India’s most storied institutions. On…
