Turkey extends state of emergency, continues crackdown on journalists. Yesterday, Turkey’s parliament extended the country’s state of emergency for the sixth time since the failed coup attempt in 2016. The move to extend emergency powers, which have allowed the Turkish government to crack down on dissenters, comes as the government and lower courts have defied Constitutional Court orders to release unconstitutionally detained journalists.

Zimbabwe to hold elections soon. Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said yesterday that his country will have elections within four to five months, which is substantially earlier than the constitution dictates. Many believe that elections are necessary to legitimize the Mnangagwa administration, which took power in November after ousting longtime authoritarian dictator Robert Mugabe.