Daily flyovers
Latest news for 29 September 2025
Quick hits of consequential news from all corners of the world.
- 01
FRANCE
Former president jailed.
A French court has jailed former president Nicolas Sarkozy for five years for trying to raise campaign funds from Libya’s late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy is dismissing the trial as political and says he’ll appeal. (Reuters)Comment: To give you a sense of the gravity here, the last French head of state to do time was Philippe Pétain (of collaborating-with-Nazis fame). Wanting more French political drama? Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement appeal kicks off in January.
- 02
MOLDOVA
Pro-EU party wins.
Voters look to have re-elected President Maia Sandu’s pro-EU party on Sunday, in a widely-watched election seen as a choice between East (Russia) and West. (EuroNews)
Comment: The main Kremlin-friendly party scored 24%, but is calling for protests. Our exclusive WhatsApp group has Intriguers on the ground with the latest: it’s free to join by sharing Intrigue with friends using your unique referral link down below!
- 03
AFGHANISTAN
Freed.
The Taliban released another American citizen over the weekend, marking the fifth such Qatar-mediated release this year. The Qataris also helped secure the Taliban’s release of a British couple earlier this month. (Al Jazeera)
Comment: It’s unclear what the Taliban might’ve received in return, though word is it could be a swap for an Afghan national held at Guantanamo without trial for years. It’s also a timely reminder, weeks after the Israeli strikes on Hamas members in Qatar, of the role the Gulf state still plays in helping Western powers deal with rogue groups.
- 04
DENMARK
Open skies.
The Danes have banned civilian drones ahead of this week’s European leader summits on Wednesday and Thursday, after its armed forces spotted more mysterious devices hovering near sensitive military sites over the weekend. (FT $)
Comment: Guess what’s topping the agenda for Wednesday’s EU summit? Yep, the idea of establishing a ‘drone wall’ to better repel Putin’s incursions.
- 05
VIETNAM
Friends of all shapes.
Vietnam's Communist Party chief (Lam) is reportedly planning a rare visit to hermit North Korea next month. (Straits Times)
Comment: Why? Likely a mix of reasons, both dull (75 years of diplomatic ties, and reciprocating Kim’s 2019 visit) and semi-spicy (Lam was just in rival South Korea to encourage more investment, so probably wants to square the ledger a little up North).
- 06
COLOMBIA
Mind leaving?
US authorities have terminated the visa for Colombia’s President Petro after he called on US soldiers to “disobey the orders of Trump”, while near a Gaza-related protest in New York. He was en route home when DC announced the move. (AP)
Comment: Petro, who’s long spoken his mind about both President Trump and Gaza, might’ve also been hoping to rally his left-leaning base back home, where his approval keeps dropping amid a deteriorating security situation.
- 07
IRAQ
OPEC watch.
The semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq has resumed pumping oil into neighbouring Turkey after a two-year halt, thanks to an interim revenue deal between Iraq’s federal government, its Kurdistan regional government, and foreign oil producers. (Arab News)