“New Party” shakes up opposition in Turkey
Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel launched a new political party on Friday to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party, the AKP. Özel was previously ousted by a Turkish court as chairman of the CHP in a move critics saw as an attempt to weaken opposition. More than 90 former CHP lawmakers joined Özel's Yeni Parti (literally the “New Party”), making it the largest opposition bloc in parliament. Özel now faces a critical question: Should he push for early elections and capitalize on the momentum behind his new party and the broader opposition movement? Doing so carries significant risks. While Erdoğan has already reached the constitutional two-term limit, an early election called by parliament would allow him to seek a third term. Some experts believe Erdoğan may push for early elections regardless, but having Özel's party lead the charge would allow the president to preserve his political capital. The next presidential election is not due until May 2028.
Haitians in the US weigh a dangerous return home
Over 350,000 migrants in the US will lose their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) today following a Supreme Court ruling last month that allowed the Trump administration to end the program for some groups. The majority of those losing TPS, which allows migrants to live and work in the US, are Haitians who were granted the ability to live and work in the US after a devastating earthquake in 2010. Now, hundreds of thousands of Haitians will face the choice of trying to stay in the US, where they could be vulnerable to deportation, or return to Haiti. But going home would not be safe. The country is currently consumed by gang violence, with armed groups controlling roughly 90% of the capital, the economy in ruins, and over half the population facing food insecurity.
Ukraine picks Russian Wildberries
Over the past week, Ukraine has expanded its list of targets inside Russia beyond oil refineries and military installations to include e-commerce giant Wildberries. The sprawling company, started years ago by a schoolteacher selling goods out of her apartment, is often called “the Amazon of Russia.” Ukrainian drones have so far hit at least four of the company’s warehouses, destroying billions of dollars worth of consumer merchandise belonging to the thousands of small businesses that use the platform. Kyiv has hinted it believes the company’s logistics networks are being used to transfer military-use goods to Russian troops involved in the invasion of Ukraine. And the company openly sells non-lethal military equipment such as body armor, first aid kits, or food rations used by soldiers on the front lines. But by hitting Wildberries, Kyiv also seeks to bring home the reality of the war to the tens of millions of ordinary Russians who increasingly rely on e-commerce.
