Sean's Daily Digest

Taiwan's vice president visits Europe for democracy forum; China calls trip 'despicable'

Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim traveled to Italy this week to attend the Ventotene Conference for Freedom and Democracy alongside Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, a rare visit to Europe by such a senior Taiwanese official. China called the trip "despicable," while European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno said Hsiao's participation was kept secret until her arrival "to protect her participation" given the risk of backlash from Beijing.

Israel destroys Hezbollah tunnel network in south Lebanon, triggering tremor

Ongoing · day 3

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced the military had completed what they called operational control of the Ali al-Taher area after destroying the underground infrastructure. The Ali al-Taher ridge has become a major flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict due to its extensive tunnel network, which Israel says was utilized by the Iran-backed group.

Russian drone strike on Ukraine mall kills five, wounds 67

A Russian drone hit a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, a city in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, on Thursday, killing at least five people and wounding at least 67, Ukrainian officials said. Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said eight of the wounded were children. It was the third Russian strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine within days, following earlier attacks on malls in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, and Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia was deliberately targeting civilians as a "tactic of coercion."

Canada and Ukraine sign 100-year pact, Carney pledges $254 million air-defence package

Canada and Ukraine signed a 100-year partnership covering defence, energy, technology and trade in Calgary, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced alongside visiting President Volodymyr Zelensky. Carney committed a C$350 million (US$254 million) air-defence interceptor package, more than C$430 million in loan guarantees for Ukrainians to buy gas this winter, and a pledge to send Ukraine one third of all drones manufactured in Canada, while also voicing Canadian support for Ukraine's path to NATO and EU membership.

Trump declines Saudi call for US strikes on Houthis as Saudi jets bomb Mokha airport

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called President Trump twice on Thursday urging direct US strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, but Trump declined, Axios reported, citing two US officials. Instead, the US is increasing military support to Saudi Arabia, including more than 100 advisers on the ground, while Saudi Arabia carried out air strikes on the Houthi-held Mokha airport on Friday, a day after Houthi forces seized the key Red Sea port and advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

AfD's Saxony-Anhalt win leaves Turkish community anxious, tests Merz

Ongoing · day 9

Turkish communities in eastern Germany are expressing alarm and anxiety following the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt victory, with workers and business owners considering leaving the increasingly AfD-friendly region. Analysis describes Chancellor Merz as 'on the ropes' after the Saxony-Anhalt result, with commentary indicating the AfD is now setting the agenda — 'making the weather' — in German politics. Lower Saxony's premier is navigating a dual political crisis, simultaneously managing Volkswagen job cuts and the rising AfD threat in his state, according to Reuters.

Hungary expels 10 Russian diplomats, breaking with Orban-era Moscow ties

Hungary's government under Prime Minister Peter Magyar has expelled 10 Russian diplomats, accusing them of activities "unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention," Foreign Minister Anita Orban said -- language generally understood to mean espionage. Orban said the move protects Hungary's security and sovereignty but does not mean breaking off diplomatic relations with Moscow, marking a sharp reversal from predecessor Viktor Orban's pro-Russian stance.

Kristersson pledges to bring Sweden Democrats into cabinet if right wins Sunday election

Ongoing · day 2

Sweden held a general election on September 11, with incumbent Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson seeking a new term while explicitly backing a formal partnership with the far-right Sweden Democrats — a reversal of his 2018 promise to Holocaust survivor Hedi Fried never to cooperate with that party. Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson is running against Kristersson on a platform of unity and cooperation, seeking to return to the prime minister's office she previously held. The race is described as tight, with the Sweden Democrats falling short of the dominant showing the populist-right party had hoped for, and Russian interference casting a shadow over the contest.

ECB raises interest rates as Iran war fuels inflation jump

The European Central Bank raised interest rates, citing an inflation jump linked to the Iran war. Bond yields hit multi-year highs as traders braced for a new ECB rate-hike cycle, and the ECB's Lagarde addressed the move at a press conference.

Philippines demands China leave reefs after flares fired at coast guard plane

The Philippines' foreign affairs department on Friday called on China to end its occupation of Panganiban (Mischief) and Zamora (Subi) reefs, days after Chinese forces fired flares at an unarmed Philippine Coast Guard aircraft on September 7 as it flew toward Pag-asa Island. The coast guard released footage of the incident on Thursday; China has not responded to the claim. Manila cites the 2016 Arbitral Award, which found the reefs are low-tide elevations where no sovereignty can be claimed.

Beijing weighs sending tech and EV executives with Xi on Washington trip

Beijing is weighing plans to send top executives from the tech, EV and aerospace sectors to accompany Xi Jinping to Washington later this month, modeling the delegation on the American CEOs who joined Donald Trump's trip to Beijing in May, including the heads of Tesla, Apple, Nvidia and Boeing. China has not formally committed to including business leaders, and both sides are reportedly treating the composition of the delegation as a matter of reciprocity. Xi is also finalizing a trip to India, his first since 2019, as he works through his busiest month of international travel in years.