Daily flyovers
Latest news for 8 September 2026
Quick hits of consequential news from all corners of the world.
- 01
UKRAINE
Morning after the ‘peace express’.
Trump envoys Witkoff (property tycoon) and Kushner (son-in-law) did Moscow on Saturday, Kyiv on Sunday (their first), then shipped out just as Putin resumed putting ballistic missiles into Kyiv apartments. (CBS)
Comment: Witkoff and Kushner cited “encouraging” progress, but they’ve been saying that for years. Putin meets them (and not the CIA’s Ratcliffe) because they bypass standard US institutions and thus caution, while enabling the Kremlin to play peacemaker. Putin’s more interesting move might be his reported parallel withdrawal from a big chunk of Ukraine’s Lyman — proof he (or at least his minions) will just back down when forced.
- 02
GERMANY
Shock in the east?
The centre-right’s Chancellor Merz has ruled out any resignation talk after the populist-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) came first in Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt state elections, doubling its vote with a 44% result. Falling short of an outright majority, and with major parties ruling out a coalition, the populist-left’s small BSW might now emerge as kingmaker. (DW)
Comment: It’s a humiliation for Merz, whose Christian Democrats saw their share of the vote cut in half. But there’s value in looking beyond the shock headlines — one credible pollster found ~80% of AfD voters showed little or no extremist tendency, instead citing immigration, security, the economy, and an east-as-second-class rage. But that’s not to suggest the AfD is moderate — authorities have formally classified parts of the AfD as extremist. Rather, together with a solid haul of previous non-voters and even ex-CDU (Merz) voters, it suggests the AfD is connecting with folks beyond its traditional base. That’ll put further pressure on Merz to shift right and blunt the AfD’s appeal, just without alienating his own base.
- 03
SAUDI ARABIA
Houthi attacks.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have just hit four Saudi cities, leaving several oil facilities damaged and more than 70 people wounded. (Bloomberg $)
Comment: Another escalation in the low-boil conflict that’s now pushed oil prices back close to $100, it leaves the Saudis in a tough spot — swallow this and advertise that the world’s swing producer can’t keep its own plants online, or retaliate hard but get pulled right back into the Yemen hole they spent years escaping.
- 04
CANADA
Messy divorce.
Ottawa’s $20B in retaliatory tariffs went live just after midnight this morning (Tuesday), hitting US steel, aluminium, timber, apparel, appliances, farm kit, electronics, and more. (Globe and Mail $)
Comment: Canada clearly has some leverage and agency here, but following through on this threatened retaliation is still a spicy move for an economy shipping 70% of its exports south, and without the kind of rare-earth ‘kill switch’ that forced Trump’s back-down on China. Polling suggests America’s bruised Canadian neighbours and allies are ready to absorb pain to defend the flag, and no doubt Trump will ratchet that pain higher rather than watch Canada join China in open defiance. But Canada’s single largest (by far) export to the US is actually its unique oil and related products — and Trump can’t realistically tariff that without hurting refineries in Texas and Louisiana.
- 05
FRANCE
Ladies first dispersed.
The Eiffel Tower has now reopened after staff walked out in protest over a weekend visit by one of India’s more conservative Hindu movements, which reportedly asked Tower staff to limit “interactions with women”. The ‘BAPS’ movement has apologised for the incident, which reportedly saw female staff pulled off Tower posts and swapped for men. (Le Monde)
Comment: BAPS is close with Prime Minister Modi, who just inaugurated the group’s new Paris temple this week! And Modi has in turn been the object of an Élysée balance away from the US and China. But even if just a one-off, this incident is arguably still a glimpse at the tension between Modi’s Hindutva and France’s laïcité. And it’ll be catnip for France’s populists claiming Europe has forgotten how to defend its values.
- 06
BRAZIL
Judge v judge.
Two judges on Brazil’s all-powerful supreme court have turned on one another, with Mendonça demanding suspension for Moraes pending a probe into his links to a disgraced banker, while Moraes wants Mendonça investigated for his handling of the probe into Moraes! (Independent)
Comment: Nobody’s coming off well here, and the whole thing risks denting the court’s credibility and legitimacy *just* as Brazil’s institutions brace for a re-litigation of Brasilia’s 2023 storming, courtesy of next month’s elections again pitting Lula against Bolsonaro (junior). Moraes, already a polarising figure (recall his Elon spat, or his lead role in the Bolsonaro trial), is facing pressure to resign.
- 07
INDONESIA
Volcanic ash clears.
Jakarta’s biggest airport and four others are now back open, three days after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau filled the skies and grounded over 340,000 passengers. We might not be in the clear yet, as the volcano recorded another three eruptions earlier today (Tuesday). (CNA)
Comment: ‘Anak’ means ‘child of’, so ‘Anak Krakatau’ is basically the cone that grew from Krakatoa’s 1883 catastrophe. These eruptions are brutal for an archipelago like Indonesia. Ash is effectively just microscopic glass that melts in jet engines, which is why a volcano 150km away can still close the capital, with ripples not only across international tourism but also domestic supply.
- 08
ALGERIA
Look at my subs.
The Algerian navy has posted an unusual promotional video of one of its Russia-built subs firing cruise missiles as part of a Mediterranean test. (BIA)
Comment: Sure — in this world of ours, it’s another day, another flex. But this is part of a long-running defence-spending spree by Algeria, now Africa’s top spender, as jihadis seize turf to the south, rival Morocco pushes its advantage in the west, and relative disorder still wracks Libya to the east.