The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) commanding victory in Bangladesh's parliamentary election marks not only a political watershed for the South Asian nation, but also a potential recalibration of regional power dynamics across India, Pakistan and China. With unofficial results declared on Thursday showing the BNP-led coalition securing 209 seats, a two-thirds majority in the 350-member parliament, Tarique Rahman's party has delivered what observers described as Bangladesh's first genuinely competitive election in nearly two decades.
On Friday, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened to continue cracking down on protesters who have risen up against his regime, calling them "vandals" working for the Americans. Years of Western sanctions and internal mismanagement have caused Iran's economy to crater; in response to increasing domestic anger, Iran's government has cut off access to the internet, and protests have been met violently by security forces.
On Sunday, Nepal's then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli mocked youth protesters, who were planning a major agitation the following day in the capital, Kathmandu, against corruption and nepotism. By calling themselves the Gen Z, the protesters seemed to believe they could demand whatever they wanted, he said. list of 4 itemsend of list Less than 48 hours later, Oli was an ex-PM, and the Gen Z protest movement he had spoken dismissively of was discussing who should lead Nepal.