Digest

• Iran and the United States have resumed military strikes in West Asia following a brief pause in hostilities. • The Opposition is planning to raise concerns in Parliament regarding an alleged "scam" involving donations made to the Ram Temple. • The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hold a hearing concerning the ongoing Bhojshala case.

• Asian stock markets showed mixed performance as investors processed the latest Federal Reserve decision and Samsung's financial results. • South Korea's KOSPI rebounded, while other regional indices declined, including China's Shanghai Composite (-0.4%), the CSI300 (-1%), and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 (-0.4%). • Hong Kong's Hang Seng remained largely unchanged, and Singapore's Straits Times Index slipped 0.6%.

• Rescuers from Vietnam, the Philippines, and China launched a multinational search operation on Sunday for 17 missing crew members. • The search follows the sinking of a cargo ship caused by severe weather conditions off a Chinese-occupied shoal in the disputed South China Sea. • The incident highlights the ongoing volatility and geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea, where multiple nations claim overlapping territories.

• The Indian government has dismissed 47 officials from the National Testing Agency (NTA) following controversies surrounding examination processes. • In Bihar, widespread protests have erupted in response to recent police actions, signaling rising civil unrest in the region. • Severe wildfires are escalating across France and Spain, posing significant threats to local populations and ecosystems.

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP leader Nitin Nabin accused Rahul Gandhi of "shamelessly" exploiting students as political tools and promoting "anarchy" during his sit-in protest over the NEET paper leak. • The conflict escalated on July 21, 2026, as Delhi Police summarily detained Opposition leaders after the government accused Gandhi of "changing the goalposts" regarding his demands to end the protest. • This clash highlights the deepening political divide between the Union government and the Opposition over educational integrity and the handling of national examination leaks.

• Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa joined protests at Freedom Park in central Bengaluru on Friday to oppose the Bidadi Township Project. • The event marks a significant political shift, as Yediyurappa has not publicly participated in an agitation of this scale since retiring from electoral politics in 2022. • The growing opposition highlights intensifying local resistance against the project's implementation and land use.

Plus, Trump pays out to E Jean Carroll, somnolent Little House on the Prairie, and why I’ll be avoiding salad in the USIt’s the last week of school and, in our case, the last week of primary school, ever, which I thought wouldn’t be a big deal but now we’re here, I’m sliding off my axis about the cruel passage of time. It’s not about my children, who can’t wait to crack on, it’s about me, me, me. Continue reading...