Journalism of Courage
This week saw Russia and the United States, the two countries with the most nukes in the world, on the path of a collision course as the two countries have announced plans to resume tests of their nuclear weapons. The horrors of the ongoing conflict in Sudan were laid bare to the world this week, with satellite images capturing blood stains on the ground. But arguably the person who received the most attention this week was Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-origin New York City mayor-elect.
The last thing the world needs right now is another nuclear arms race, but two nuclear-armed nations took steps closer to making it a reality. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday directed officials to prepare for the resumption of nuclear tests. But Putin made it clear that Russia will resume nuclear tests only if the US does so first. Putin made the comments in response to US President Donald Trump’s order last week asking the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing, while arguing that other countries are already doing it.
Last Russian nuclear test: It should be noted that Russia, as a country, has not conducted any nuclear tests so far. The last nuclear test in the region was conducted on October 24, 1990, on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic, when it was still called the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1991, Russia inherited the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons, including those deployed in the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
Nukes in numbers: Russia has the largest number of confirmed nuclear weapons in the world. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Russia has 5,449 nuclear warheads as of 2025. The US is second with 5,277 nuclear warheads.
Apart from these two countries, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea also possess nuclear weapons.
According to the Federation of Atomic Scientists, the nine countries combined have roughly 12,331 nuclear warheads, with over 9,600 in active military stockpiles. This is significantly less than the approximately 70,000 warheads owned by the nuclear-armed states during the Cold War.
The United States is the only country with nuclear weapons deployed in other countries. US nuclear weapons have been deployed in five other nations: Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Why it matters: The US or Russia resuming nuclear tests will lead to another arms race, with China and other countries doing the same. Iran could also join the race by expediting its nuclear program.
It was a week for the Democratic Party to celebrate, probably the first time in nearly a year after the 2024 US Presidential election, which Donald Trump won, defeating Kamala Harris. The Democrats, who, many critics say, have been leaderless and directionless since the Presidential election result, received a much-needed boost on Tuesday, with victories in four major races – the New York City mayoral race, the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, and Prop 50, California’s redistricting ballot measure.
Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia, while Zohran Mamdani prevailed in his race for New York mayor.
Much of the focus was on Mamdani, a political outsider, Muslim, born in Uganda to Indian-origin parents. The self-proclaimed social democrat ran on a platform of affordability and had to win over the Democratic Party establishment first, before the New York City voters.
Mamdani vs Trump: The election win will put Mamdani in a face-off with Donald Trump, who has already said he will cut funds for New York if the ‘Communist’ was elected. There are also fears that Trump could send the National Guard to New York, much like how he has done in other Democratic cities.
US midterm elections 2026: Tuesday’s election wins are expected to boost the morale of the Democratic Party ahead of the crucial midterm elections in 2026. There are 35 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2026 elections, and the results will decide the balance of power in Congress for the second half of Trump’s term – and potentially in the 2028 presidential race.
Sudan is experiencing a brutal civil war that began in April 2023, but much of the world woke up to it only this week when satellite images surfaced showing blood saturating the ground from the mass killings of civilians in El Fasher.
Sudan civil war: Sudan has been in the grip of a deadly civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF is led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who has also been the military ruler of Sudan since a coup in 2019. On the other side is RSF, a paramilitary group formed in 2013 and allied with SAF during the coup. The current conflict started with the military junta’s efforts to integrate RSF into the military, which the paramilitary group’s leader, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, opposed.
The conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands killed, widespread atrocities, and over 12 million people displaced.
What happened in El Fasher: The RSF laid siege to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in May 2024, and the blockade lasted for approximately 18 months, until the city fell on October 26, 2025. What followed was mass killings of civilians and SAF fighters who couldn’t evacuate. Though the full extent of the massacre is unknown, it is estimated that 1,500 to 2,000 civilians were killed in a few days, and many researchers are comparing the atrocities committed in El Fasher to the first 24 hours of the Rwandan genocide.
In a move that could affect the dreams of hundreds of thousands of Indian students, Canada has reduced the number of study permits issued for the second consecutive year. The move has disproportionately affected Indian students. According to data from Canada’s immigration department, accessed by Reuters this week, 74 per cent of Indian study permit applications in August 2025 were refused, compared with around 32 per cent in August 2023. The overall refusal rate for international applicants in each of those months was about 40 per cent.
Fraudulent documents, rise in asylum claims: The rejection of student visa applications from India appears to have stemmed from an increase in fraudulent admissions. In recent years, migration to Canada, using fake admission documents from colleges and ‘diploma mills’, has been on the rise. Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications linked to fake acceptance letters in 2023, most originating from India. There is also an increase in asylum claims filed by international students in Canada. Out of the over 20,000 asylum claims filed by international students in 2024, about 2,000 were from Indians.
Pakistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan resumed the peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul this week. The two countries were involved in a series of deadly clashes that started on October 9, killing dozens of people, including soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants on both sides. The two sides had agreed on a ceasefire on October 19 after Qatar-backed talks. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which share a 2,640-kilometre border, hit their lowest point in October, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harbouring the Pakistan Taliban. While it was the immediate trigger, tensions have been simmering for decades between the two countries over the Durand Line, the border which was established in 1893. Successive administrations in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, have rejected the Durand Line, arguing that it divides the homeland of the ethnic Pashtun and Baloch populations.
Pashtun nationalism: Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and the second-largest in Pakistan. There are estimated to be around 15-19 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan and over 30 million in Pakistan. Pashtuns who have ruled Afghanistan have long resented the border dividing their homeland and pushed the idea of Pashtun nationalism.
Send your feedback and ideas to bobins.abraham@indianexpress.com
Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for October 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨
