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10:21 Qatar and Turkey sign a defense pact in Istanbul.

Politics

Politics

The biggest politics stories of the past week, by attention.

Scott Colom — Photo: The Contrarian / CC BY 4.0

Politics2026 United States Senate election in Mississippi

After a week of counting affidavit ballots, the Associated Press and CNN project the election to the U.S. Senate in Mississippi for Democratic candidate Scott Colom, defeating the incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and becoming the first black senator from the state since Blanche Bruce in the 1874–75 elections.

03:37 GMT

Isaac Herzog — Photo: Avi Ohayon / CC BY-SA 3.0

Politics2026 Israeli legislative election

Israeli president Isaac Herzog selects Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot to attempt to form a coalition government following inconclusive Knesset elections. Eisenkot will have 28 days to secure sufficient support in the Knesset.

05:10 GMT

Christopher Luxon — Photo: New Zealand National Party / CC BY-SA 4.0

Politics2026 New Zealand general election

New Zealanders vote to elect 120 members of the House of Representatives, with 11 additional overhang seats. National leader Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins both seek reappointment as the country's prime minister. Preliminary results see Labour lead in the popular vote and the Nationals having the most amount of seats, with special votes yet to be counted.

00:22 GMT

2026 French student protests — Photo: Guallendra / CC0

Politics2026 French student protests

Unions, the yellow vests, and student protesters hold a fourth consecutive weekend of protests across France with about 146,000 participants.

17:20 GMT

Gibran Rakabuming Raka — Photo: Darwis Triadi & Ministry of State… / Public domain

PoliticsGibran Rakabuming Raka diploma controversy

Indonesian vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka submits his resignation amid questions about his educational qualifications. Bloomberg News reports that President Prabowo Subianto accepts the resignation, although the government has not publicly confirmed its acceptance.

04:53 GMT

2026 Spanish housing protests — Photo: Aniol / CC0

Politics2026 Spanish housing protests

Millions of workers across Spain launch a general strike to demand government intervention over the country's housing crisis, as an escalation of the ongoing protests.

03:37 GMT

PoliticsGibran Rakabuming Raka diploma controversy

Indonesian vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka announces his intention to resign following controversies about the authenticity of his high-school diploma.

01:36 GMT

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