The controversies surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland are not new, but on Friday, October 30, 2026, they culminated in a protest triggered by news that the president of the Constitutional Tribunal, Bogdan Święczkowski, had been suspended, effectively ousting him from the court’s leadership. Demonstrators gathered outside the Tribunal’s headquarters, with some attempting to force their way into the building.

In mid-September, students at Lycée Saint-Exupéry in Créteil, a Paris suburb, protested teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and crumbling buildings. Within two weeks, France counted more than 400 school blockades. University students, teachers, nurses and the CGT union then joined, and calls to revive the yellow vests turned an education protest into a broader revolt against living costs and failing public services. On October 17, authorities counted 550,000 marchers nationwide, while unions said 800,000.

Germany's latest regional elections have produced two very different political victories. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the strongest party with 38.2 percent of the vote, more than doubling its 2021 result. In Berlin, meanwhile, Die Linke (the Left) achieved a striking breakthrough, rising from 12.2 percent in 2023 to 25.7 percent in 2026 and becoming the strongest party in the capital.

The result of the Saxony-Anhalt state election should not be dismissed as a temporary protest vote or an isolated eastern German phenomenon. The more uncomfortable question is why almost half of the electorate chose the AfD.

The Israeli government is exploring closer cooperation with Japan on semiconductor technology, and Tokyo has already approved subsidies for an Israeli chip investment in Japan. The investment's importance, however, extends beyond commerce, reflecting an intent to deepen ties between the two countries.

In February 2026, India joined the Pax Silica Declaration, a US-led supply-chain framework designed to secure mainly critical minerals and semiconductors (also known as chips). Prior to that, the Indian government established India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) in 2021 to strengthen the domestic semiconductor ecosystem by about 10 billion US dollars of subsidy. For years, India’s semiconductor ambition has attracted less attention than the equivalents in the USA, EU, Japan and South Korea. As American memory giant Micron Technology started its manufacturing in Gujarat in February 2026, India’s ambitions seem to finally start making progress with international and domestic supports.

The Turkey–EU Customs Union, established in 1995, has been a defining feature of trade relations between Turkey and the European Union. Over the past three decades, the global economic landscape has evolved significantly, necessitating a modernization of the agreement to address new trade realities, regulatory developments, and emerging geopolitical challenges.

This report focuses on Turkey's prominence as an emerging market for cocaine trafficking and organized crime in the last decade. Cocaine production in Latin America has dramatically increased since 2013, and Turkey’s status as an emerging market has attracted the attention of Latin American government officials on the front lines of the cocaine trade.

Most of the Russian propaganda in Turkey is not overtly conducted by Russian state-affiliated media outlets. Eurasianists in Turkey carry out the Kremlin’s bidding to influence Turkish public opinion in favor of Russian war efforts. They blame the West, specifically NATO and the US, for instigating the war in Ukraine and causing regional instability. They also attack Turkey's political opposition for their milder views on NATO and the US and recommend that the Turkish government prioritize its relations with Russia.