CZECH REPUBLIC: President Petr Pavel today asked former billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis to form a new government after his ANO party’s victory in the October election. 

Mr Babis is negotiating a coalition with two far-right parties critical of the EU.

The three-party bloc would control 108 seats in parliament, ending the tenure of outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

NETHERLANDS: Dutch voters will choose from 27 parties and 1,166 candidates in tomorrow’s general election, with the far-right Party for Freedom leading in polls. 

The large number of parties has created unwieldy ballot papers, prompting some municipalities to test smaller versions this year.

The vote highlights deep political fragmentation in the Netherlands, where coalition talks after elections often take months to form a majority government.

TURKEY: Prosecutors filed new espionage charges against jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu today, escalating pressure on the opposition politician viewed as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival. 

The charges link Mr Imamoglu’s campaign to a businessman accused of spying for foreign governments, which he dismissed as “nonsense.”

His arrest in March triggered nationwide protests, with critics accusing Mr Erdogan’s government of using the judiciary to target opposition mayors.

JAMAICA: Hurricane Melissa strengthened to a category five storm today, threatening catastrophic flooding, landslides, and destruction, forecasters said. 

With sustained winds of 160mph, it is the strongest hurricane to ever hit the island, prompting mass evacuations in flood-prone areas. 

Authorities warned that critical infrastructure in Kingston faces a severe storm surge, calling for urgent international support to avert a humanitarian crisis.