Daily flyovers
Latest news for 26 May 2026
Quick hits of consequential news from all corners of the world.
- 01
RUSSIA
You should leave.
Russia has warned foreigners, including diplomats, to leave Kyiv ahead of “systematic strikes” on the Ukrainian capital. Putin is still claiming it’s all retribution for last week’s deadly drone strikes on a student dorm in Russia-controlled Luhansk, which Ukraine continues to deny. (Independent)
Comment: Putin has also signed a new law allowing Russia to intervene militarily abroad to protect Russian citizens. We mention this because, as above, it’s not like laws or plausible provocations have ever restrained Putin to date. Rather, he’s ramping up the rhetoric and war crimes as Ukraine tilts its self-defence back in its own favour.
- 02
IRAN
Cease or fire?
Both the US and Iran’s regime say their fragile ceasefire still holds, even after the US hit missile sites in southern Iran plus IRGC mine-layers near Hormuz. Iran’s regime says it returned fire. (BBC)
Comment: Yesterday, we flagged that the two sides seem to be buying time more than making peace, and that view still holds.
- 03
MEXICO
Iranian footballers welcome.
President Sheinbaum has announced Iran’s football team will now commute to its World Cup matches from a new base in Mexico, after the US refused to host. (CNN)
Comment: It seems everyone’s happy about this — Iranian football officials were already citing visa issues, lack of direct flights, and fears of political violence.
- 04
NIGERIA
Tinubu locks in 2027 run.
President Tinubu has crushed his party’s primaries with a landslide ~11 million votes (99%) to secure his candidacy for re-election in January. Accepting the nomination, he’s vowed to continue his reform agenda. (Voice of Africa)
Comment: It’s a formality that still sends a clear message: he’s in control, and he’s staying the course to stabilise Nigeria’s finances (ditch subsidies, harmonise taxes). The real test will be whether voters feel the reforms are working by polling day, though any opposition still looks divided.
- 05
CANADA
Albrexit?
Prime Minister Carney has dunked on the Alberta provincial government’s plan for a non-binding vote in October on whether to hold a referendum to secede, calling it a “dangerous bluff” that risks echoing Brexit’s mess. (Global News)
Comment: It’s a tightrope for Carney to draw hard lines on federal unity while still keeping the oil-rich province onside. Alberta’s conservative premier (Danielle Smith) likewise rejects separatism, but sees October’s vote as a safety-valve to quench sentiment among her base then move on. Support for a ‘leave’ vote is low (30%), but so was support for Brexit when David Cameron first rolled a similar set of dice.
- 06
CAMBODIA
Opposition pardon.
Hun Sen has taken to Facebook to grant a royal pardon to longtime opposition leader Kem Sokha, three years into his 27-year sentence for being an opposition leader treason. (The Diplomat)
Comment: It’s classic Hun Sen calibration ahead of his big Francophonie summit in November: just enough mercy to polish his regime’s image, but without handing over any real power. His son technically runs the show these days, but Hun is taking on royal duties (like this pardon) while the king fights cancer.
- 07
INDIA
It’s leg day.
India’s foreign minister (Jaishankar) hosted his ‘Quad’ counterparts in Delhi today (Tues), including America’s Rubio, Japan’s Motegi, and Australia’s Wong. Their big new announcement involves jointly building a new port in Fiji. (Reuters)
Comment: This grouping — born and revived in reaction to China’s assertiveness over the years — now offers India cover to deepen its Western ties without fully alienating Russia or China. Adjusting to those Delhi sensitivities, the Quad now pushes a gentler notion of giving the region ‘options’, like this new Fiji port— ie, maybe when it comes to infrastructure, China ain’t your only option anymore.