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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — Mongolia, where parliamentary elections were being held Friday, is a sparsely populated and landlocked Asian nation known for its bitter winter cold and independent spirit. As a democracy of just 3.4 million people in the shadow of two much larger authoritarian states, China and Russia, it has taken on symbolic importance in an era when democracy is under pressure or in crisis in many countries, including the United States. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In an earlier era, the fierce nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppe were widely feared, at one point conquering China and expanding west across Asia to the edges of Europe. Today, it is a country punctuated by extremes.

It all started out comically enough. When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain to announce the country’s July 4 snap election, there was a palpable feeling of excitement. Five years (and three prime ministers) since Boris Johnson’s landslide victory in 2019, the British people would finally get their chance to elect a new government—one that, if the polls are to be believed, will almost certainly end with Sunak’s ruling Conservatives getting booted from power after 14 years. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] But whatever excitement the snap election generated seemed to quickly give way to bewilderment and disillusionment as, gaffe after gaffe, the Conservatives appeared to sacrifice what little hope they had of narrowing Labour’s poll lead and consequently staving off an electoral wipeout.

Since Iran announced it would hold a snap presidential election on Friday, June 28 after the sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, Iranian activists have taken to the streets to denounce the regime and boycott the electoral process. In the latest example, 26 family members of slain Iranian protesters and dissidents issued a joint statement on Wednesday, June 26, calling the election a “circus” and accusing it of being “staged” by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

She’s one of Japan’s best-loved creations, adorning some 50,000 products sold across 130 countries and earning billions of dollars for parent company, Sanrio. But it’s important to note what she’s not: Hello Kitty isn’t a cat, nor is she, in fact, Japanese. She is an anthropomorphic feline-like British girl born in the leafy suburbs of London, according to the official narrative.

U. K. Prime MInister Rishi Sunak took the British public by surprise last month when he announced a general election on July 4. Sunak was not under obligation to call an election until December 2024, so calling an election earlier than necessary while the Conservative Party had not been performing well in the polls was especially unexpected.

As tensions escalate in the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said his country must “do more” in responding to China’s “illegal action” in the hotly contested waterway, following a confrontation last week that led to one Filipino navy serviceman losing a thumb. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: ‘Like They Are Pirates’: Philippines Slams Latest Chinese Confrontation in South China Sea Marcos told reporters Thursday that Manila has filed “over a hundred” diplomatic protests after individual incidents with China—which have escalated in recent months to include the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) using water cannons, military-grade lasers, and dangerous boat maneuvers—but strong words have not curbed Beijing’s aggression.