Keeping abreast of the situation in a country you are planning to travel to is an important part of trip preparation. Perhaps there is an unstable political situation, or, more likely you simply want to check on the weather forecast.

The BBC has long been the best choice for news, including invaluable coverage of weather.

Really digging into a country's local affairs is possible in the Internet Age. There are some good resources out there for finding local publications. Most nations have an English language newspaper, or at least an online news portal.