International

Abiy Ahmed Begins a Second Term as Ethiopia Slides Toward Regional War

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the oath for a second five-year term on Monday, but he did so in the middle of the most dangerous crisis of his tenure since the 2020–22 Tigray war. Within the past week, Ethiopian federal forces have retaken Mekelle, the Tigray regional capital, from…

Housing Defeat Becomes Ballot Box Gamble: Sánchez Dissolves Parliament and Calls a November 29 Election

World Politics 

Overview

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez dissolved the Cortes Generales on October 5, 2026 and called a general election for November 29, roughly seven months before his legislature was due to run its full course. The decision came three days after the Congress of…

Algeria's Fighter Jets Expose a Regional Scramble Over Niger After a Failed Mutiny

NIAMEY, Niger 

Five weeks after a failed uprising by soldiers at Niamey's main airbase, the political consequences are still unfolding, and the latest revelation has changed how the episode is understood. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed in recent days that Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger…

Bridges and Bargaining: Merz Arrives in a Shaken Kyiv as Washington Pushes for Trilateral Talks by Month's End

World Politics 

Overview

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled unannounced to Kyiv on Sunday, October 4, arriving to air raid sirens and explosions as Russia struck a second Kyiv bridge in as many days. His visit, aimed at finalizing a joint drone-production deal and releasing a…

Guinea-Bissau's Junta Bars Ousted President Embaló's Return, Putting December Election in Doubt

BISSAU 

Guinea-Bissau's military leadership has blocked the return of deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who had said he would fly home from exile in Morocco on Sunday, October 4, to run in the country's December 6 presidential election. The decision, announced in the days before his…

Somalia's President Vows No Israeli Foothold in Berbera as Somaliland Hits Back, Deepening a Dispute Over Sovereignty

MOGADISHU  

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government will not accept an Israeli military presence in Somaliland "under any circumstances," accusing Israel of seeking a naval base at the port of Berbera and use of its airport. Somaliland's government answered within a…