Bring Monarchy Back

Hi Global Recap readers,

“Nepalese protest, seeking restoration of ousted monarchy”

If you grew up in a democracy, chances are you assume it’s the default everywhere.

I just caught myself doing the same. When I first skimmed the above headline, I thought they were fighting to bring democracy back. Turns out, they’re actually fighting to reverse it, by restoring a monarchy that was ousted in favor of a republic.

We’ll get into the details a few stories down. 👇️

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇺🇸 Trump’s Tariffs Restored. Just a day after a trade court ruled Donald Trump overstepped his authority with tariffs, a federal appeals court hit pause on the decision. The stay lets Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariffs—including penalties on Canada, Mexico, and China—remain in place while the government fights back. Markets reacted cautiously, knowing uncertainty still looms, with businesses having already lost over $34 billion to the ongoing “trade war.”

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🇨🇳 China Launches Asteroid Mission. China just sent its Tianwen-2 probe toward asteroid 2016HO3 for its first deep-space sample return mission. If everything goes as planned, it will reach the asteroid in July 2026, grab a sample, and shoot a capsule full of space rocks back to Earth by November 2027. China’s space agency is also eyeing comet 311P as its next target.

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🇨🇦 Wildfire Smoke Drifting to US. Western Canada is burning, and it’s bad. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency as wildfires spiral out of control. Over 160 fires are burning across the country, nearly half of them totally uncontained. In Manitoba alone, 17,000 people have been forced to evacuate. But now, smoke is drifting south into the US, setting off air quality alerts in Minnesota and Michigan. Officials warn this could be just the beginning, with Canada’s fire season already hitting record levels earlier than ever before.

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🇮🇱 Israel Backs Ceasefire Deal. Israel has accepted a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, but Hamas isn’t jumping for joy just yet. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday that Israel “backed and supported” the deal, while Hamas officials called the Israeli response a move to “perpetuate occupation and continue the killing and famine.” The proposal includes a 60-day pause in fighting, the release of hostages, and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but whether Hamas will agree remains uncertain.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 HAMAS-ISRAEL
Thanking US, But
What’s the Whole Picture?

Since we’re talking about Gaza, here’s a recent upload from the Center for Peace Communications—a US-based nonprofit organization.

It shows people in Gaza:

• picking up food aid,

• praising the US and Trump,

• blaming Hamas for dragging out the war,

• expressing frustration about the messy way aid is handed out, with some people grabbing way more than others.

That said, this might not necessarily reflect how all Gazans feel. Many might still back Hamas, or people in the video could simply be thanking whoever’s feeding them, no matter who it is.

Keep in mind, there’s plenty of propaganda flying around in the fog of war.

• One side might only push clips of Gazans shouting “Death to America.”

• The other might show only those thanking the US.

I think it’s safe to say we’ve shared a good amount of both over the months. 😅 

🇳🇵 NEPAL
Royalists Push to
Restore Monarchy

Thousands of royalists packed the streets of Kathmandu, calling for the comeback of Nepal’s former king—and the constitutional monarchy that was scrapped 17 years ago.

Why? Because frustration with elected leaders is boiling over, and for some, turning back to royalty feels like the only way out of the chaos. But is this realistic?

The Rally

Protesters marched through the city waving flags and chanting, “Our king is dearer than lives ... king come back and save the country.”

• Riot police stood by but did not intervene.

• The rally follows similar protests in March, where two people died.

Why the Monarchy Fell

Nepal’s monarchy, which lasted 239 years, officially ended in 2008, but the collapse had been building for years, driven by political chaos, royal overreach, and deepening public distrust.

• Everything changed in 2001. Crown Prince Dipendra committed a brutal massacre, killing King Birendra and most of the royal family.

• It was a huge shock, and it completely shattered people’s trust in the monarchy.

• Then, Dipendra’s uncle, Gyanendra, became king, but it was immediately overshadowed by suspicion.

• In 2005, Gyanendra dissolved Parliament and seized absolute power, suspending the constitution and ruling by decree. His authoritarian move, during a raging civil war, triggered mass protests and pushed the monarchy toward its breaking point.

• Gyanendra, Nepal’s last king, has lived as a private citizen since his removal.

• He hasn’t commented on this latest rally but expressed sorrow over the March violence.

Complexity of Nepalese Government

Remember when I said earlier that these protesters want to reverse democracy? Well, it’s not that black and white.

• A monarchy can coexist with democracy—the UK is a prime example. It’s both a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy, where the monarch is purely ceremonial.

• Nepal tried a similar model from 1990 to 2005, though it was far more fragile. Unlike in the UK, Nepal’s monarch retained real influence, especially over the military and political system. And from 2005 to 2008, after King Gyanendra seized power, it wasn’t democratic at all. It was a royal autocracy in everything but name.

Rising Discontent

Frustration and anger, the same forces that helped bring down Nepal’s monarchy, now seem to be driving the push to turn things back.

• Protesters say successive governments have failed to deliver on jobs and development.

• Millions of young Nepalis are forced to work abroad, especially in the Middle East and Malaysia, to earn a living.

Republican Response

Supporters of Nepal’s current system held a separate, smaller rally to defend the republic.

• The country’s three biggest parties, which control nearly 200 of the 275 parliamentary seats, insist monarchy is history.

• To reinstate it, royalists would need 184 lawmakers—far more than the 13 seats they currently hold.

What’s Next?

Royalists say their protests will continue until the monarchy is restored, but the political odds are stacked against them.

• Nepal’s constitution, adopted in 2015, solidifies the country’s status as a federal democratic republic.

• While protests might push debate, there’s no real path to bringing back the king… yet.