Daily flyovers
Latest news for 31 March 2026
Quick hits of consequential news from all corners of the world.
- 01
FRANCE
Japan trip!
Emmanuel Macron is joining every other Western 40-something making a trip to Japan this year, touching down in Tokyo today (Tuesday) for a three-day visit before heading to South Korea. (NHK)
Comment: Actively deepening ties with the two most capable US allies in Asia, he might be fleshing out his famous ‘strategic autonomy’ idea: building a bit of like-minded ballast amid a distracted US, an assertive China, and an aggressive Russia.
- 02
ISRAEL
Death penalty.
The foreign ministers of France, the UK, and even Italy and Germany have issued a joint statement opposing Israel’s new Death Penalty for Terrorists law, which makes capital punishment the default for West Bank Palestinians convicted of lethal terror attacks. The text highlights the law’s “de facto discriminatory character” — ie, the way it applies almost exclusively to Palestinians rather than (say) Israeli settlers convicted of violent attacks. (Italy’s foreign ministry)
Comment: It’s a win for nationalist-right cabinet members like Ben-Gvir (NatSec) who’ve repeatedly threatened to rug-pull Netanyahu if he didn’t get the bill passed. Israel has had the death penalty on the books since 1948, yet only ever carried it out against one person: convicted Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann.
- 03
TAIWAN
Friendly visit.
China’s Xi Jinping has invited the leader of Taiwan’s Beijing-friendly Kuomintang opposition to China for the first such visit in over a decade. (Taipei Times)
Comment: The most interesting thing about this invite might be its timing: just as US senators visit Taiwan, and ahead of Trump’s own sit-down with Xi in May.
- 04
RUSSIA
Persona non grata.
Russia has expelled another British diplomat on accusations of spying, a charge London has denied. We say “another” because the Russians booted another Brit in January, and two more last year (London has responded in kind). (BBC)
Comment: These two ol’ Cold War foes have been thinning out each other’s embassies for years — spying charges (true or not) are a low-cost way to curb a foe’s footprint and intimidate whatever’s left. Interestingly, the Russians emphasised this particular Brit was carrying out economic espionage via unofficial meetings with experts, hinting at the Kremlin’s sensitivity as wartime pressure on its economy grows.
- 05
INDONESIA
Peacekeepers killed.
The UN has launched an investigation after unspecified “indirect artillery fire” killed at least three Indonesian peacekeepers deployed to Lebanon amid intensifying Israel-Hezbollah fighting. (Independent)
Comment: This might curb Jakarta’s enthusiasm to send peacekeepers to Gaza — something that’s been rumoured for months.
- 06
BRAZIL
Crime and Punishment?
Amid lobbying by the sons of jailed former leader Jair Bolsonaro, the US is mulling whether to designate Brazil’s two largest drug gangs as terrorist groups. (NYT $)
Comment: Neighbouring Bolivia backs the idea, but Brazil itself is pushing back amid fears it could presage more US intervention. The bigger risk might be political ahead of Brazil’s October elections, with a tough-on-crime Bolsonaro son (Flavio) now favoured to win.
- 07
EGYPT
New Arab League chair.
Former top Egyptian envoy Nabil Fahmy has emerged as the Arab League’s next secretary-general. (Africa News)
Comment: It’s unsurprising given the region’s main bloc has only ever had a single non-Egyptian leader, and that was to protest Egypt signing its 1979 peace treaty with Israel. Otherwise, Egypt has long dominated the Arab League as the bloc’s founder, host, and still its largest military power.