Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

Germany’s political center suffers historic blow, Turkey weighs coming to Saudi Arabia’s aid, Major TV networks support outlets banned from White House

Germany’s political center suffers historic blow, Turkey weighs coming to Saudi Arabia’s aid, Major TV networks support outlets banned from White House
ddp/dts Nachrichtenagentur via Reuters Connect
Make us preferred on Google

Populist wave continues to crash through German elections

Two weeks ago, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was “shocked” when his conservative CDU party got creamed by the hard right AfD in local elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. That was just the start. Now his shock has given way to “disaster” as the CDU failed to even pass the 5% threshold in yesterday’s vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which the AfD also won. Meanwhile, in Berlin, the hard left Die Linke party topped the vote, beating the Social Democrats who are currently in a coalition with Merz at the national level. Merz, an aloof and unpopular leader who has struggled to push through reforms and corral his unwieldy coalition, has pledged to stay in power despite growing calls to oust him. Whether he stays or goes, the bigger picture remains: Germany’s post-war establishment parties are in severe crisis, as populists on both the left and right speak more effectively to popular concerns about economic malaise and mass immigration.


The Saudis look to an old rival for help against the Houthis

Saudi Arabia is looking for help in its fight against the Houthis. The US appeared ready to come to the kingdom’s aid over the weekend, only to back out of planned strikes in Yemen at the last minute. But Saudi Arabia may now get help from an old rival: Turkey. The Turkish Foreign Minister said Ankara is prepared to provide some military support to the kingdom. Military assistance from Turkey would mark a drastic shift in relations, as both have backed opposing sides across multiple conflicts in the Middle East: Turkey opposed the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar in 2017, and has typically supported Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that the Saudis see as a threat to the monarchy. The two also diplomatically clashed after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. With its traditional security relationships looking increasingly uncertain, Saudi Arabia is casting a wider net, even if that means turning to former rivals.

Major TV networks unite against White House media ban

The five major networks covering the White House will not participate in pool coverage this week after the Trump administration banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House on Friday. ABC, CBS, NBC News, Fox News, and now-banned CNN issued a joint statement saying that “no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” The banned outlets have also sued on First Amendment grounds and are seeking a restraining order to block the action, which could lead to emergency hearings in DC as early as this week. Posting on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump claimed that he cherished the free press but lambasted “FAKE NEWS.” His presidency has seen the US fall seven places in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom rankings since 2025 as he continues to sue news outlets whose coverage he disagrees with, several of which have resulted in multi-million- dollar settlements.

More For You

Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on ahead of the presentation of the certified results of the elections for the 26th Knesset at the President's Residence.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on ahead of the presentation of the certified results of the elections for the 26th Knesset at the President's Residence.

Haaretz Pool via Reuters Connect
Eisenkot and Netanyahu pitch their vision to form a government in IsraelIsraeli President Isaac Herzog is meeting with political party leaders today to determine who has the best chance of forming the country’s next government. In last week’s election, PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies won 53 seats, while opposition leader Gadi [...]
Election posters of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties are displayed on street poles ahead of South Africa's municipal elections on November 4, in Pretoria, South Africa, October 29, 2026.

Election posters of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties are displayed on street poles ahead of South Africa's municipal elections on November 4, in Pretoria, South Africa, October 29, 2026.

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
South Africans vote in pivotal local elections Voters in Africa’s wealthiest country have a pivotal election of their own today, with over 250 local contests nationwide. The elections are widely seen as a referendum on the African National Congress (ANC), the party that has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid, amid frustration over [...]
Members of the Green Bangla Garment Workers Federation hold a protest rally demanding the immediate reconstitution of the wage board for garment workers and the announcement of a minimum wage of Tk 30,000 in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 9, 2026.

Members of the Green Bangla Garment Workers Federation hold a protest rally demanding the immediate reconstitution of the wage board for garment workers and the announcement of a minimum wage of Tk 30,000 in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 9, 2026.

Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto
Bangladeshi garment workers demand higher wagesGarment workers in Bangladesh have taken to the streets over the past week, demanding higher wages and forcing more than 600 factories to shut down nationwide. Protests escalated on Sunday in the capital, Dhaka, after police fired tear gas at demonstrators. The industry generates more than $40 billion [...]
Polish riot police officers stand in a defensive cordon along Avenue Szucha outside the Constitutional Tribunal building on October 31, 2026, in Warsaw, Poland. Security forces deployed early in the morning to secure the perimeter following overnight political developments regarding the leadership of the court.

Polish riot police officers stand in a defensive cordon along Avenue Szucha outside the Constitutional Tribunal building on October 31, 2026, in Warsaw, Poland. Security forces deployed early in the morning to secure the perimeter following overnight political developments regarding the leadership of the court.

Anadolu via Reuters Connect
Poland’s constitutional crisis deepensPoland is engulfed in a constitutional crisis amid a standoff between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki over the country’s top court. Last month, Chief Justice Bogdan Święcicki, aligned with the previous government’s Law and Justice Party (PiS), refused to allow a parliament-approved [...]