Invasion Trend Showing

Hi Global Recap readers,

24 years ago, America experienced the deadliest attack on its soil. It sparked wars, fueled conspiracy theories, and left consequences we still feel today.

• I don’t know where you were that day, but I remember watching the news and thinking it was a movie.

• At the time, the idea of the US being attacked (especially New York City) was unimaginable.

Amid the ongoing conflicts around the world, let us remember those who lost their lives then and those still suffering today because of war and violence.

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇵🇱 Poland Locks Belarus Border

Poland just closed all crossings with Belarus hours before the Russian-Belarusian war games kick off, while rushing 40,000 troops to its eastern edge.

• Trigger: PM Donald Tusk ordered the shutdown starting midnight on September 12, citing the Zapad 2025 drills as a direct threat. Zapad is translated as "West."

• Scale: The exercises, running until September 16, will involve roughly 30,000 troops from Russia and Belarus, down from the 13,000 Belarus initially promised in January.

• Flashpoint: Warsaw says the drills simulate seizing the Suwalki Gap, a narrow land bridge between Poland and Lithuania that NATO calls its "Achilles heel."

• Incident: Two days before the closure, Polish and Dutch jets shot down nearly 20 Russian drones after they crossed into NATO airspace.

🇨🇳 China Warns Mexico

China’s Ministry of Commerce just threatened countermeasures after Mexico unveiled plans to hike tariffs on Asia-made cars, especially from China, to 50 percent.

• Proposal: Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the tariff jump from 20-50% would hit vehicles from countries without free trade deals, with a 30-day delay after Congressional approval.

• Reaction: China urged Mexico to be “extremely cautious, and think twice before acting,” warning it would act to protect its “legitimate rights and interests.”

• Impact: From June 2022 to July 2024, Chinese auto firms pledged over $7 billion in Mexico investments, though many projects remain incomplete.

• Trade: Not just that, Mexico is China’s top car export destination, with Chinese brands often taking market share from other Asian automakers rather than Western ones.

• Leverage: Mexico’s auto industry is its largest employer and benefits from USMCA rules, but those rules require more regional content than the old NAFTA deal.

🇧🇷 US Warns Brazil

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed the US would respond after Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and 3 months in prison for reportedly plotting a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 election.

• Accusation: Brazil’s top court found Bolsonaro guilty after five justices ruled he conspired to overturn the election results. He is accused of the following:

  • After the election, Bolsonaro allegedly asked then-AG Bianco whether there were any legal issues that he could use to challenge the result, to which Bianco replied no.

  • He allegedly met with high-ranking military officials to discuss staging a siege and issuing arrest warrants against Supreme Court justices.

• Sentence: The conviction makes him the first ex-president in Brazil’s history to be imprisoned for attacking democratic institutions.

• Reaction: Rubio called the ruling a “witch hunt” led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has already been sanctioned by the US Treasury for alleged human rights abuses.

• Pushback: Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said Rubio’s remarks threatened national sovereignty and ignored court evidence.

🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
Starmer Sacks Mandelson Fast

Keir Starmer has abruptly cut loose his US ambassador, Peter Mandelson, after leaked 2008 emails showed him telling Jeffrey Epstein to fight his conviction for procuring a child for prostitution. The emails landed days before Donald Trump’s state visit, and just a week after Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, resigned over her "tax affairs."

The Breaking Point

What's striking here is that this was the second high‑profile exit in just seven days, and it hit right before a major diplomatic event.

• On Thursday morning, September 11, 2025, Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper decided to withdraw Mandelson after reviewing the leaked emails the night before.

• The leaked messages, from June 2008, included Mandelson telling Epstein: "I think the world of you" and urging him to "fight for early release."

• The Foreign Office said the emails revealed a "materially different" depth to their friendship than was known at the time of Mandelson’s appointment.

Why Appoint Him At All

Photograph: US Committee on Oversight and Government Reform/PA Wire

The obvious question is why Starmer picked Mandelson in the first place, given his history.

• Intelligence services reportedly raised red flags during vetting, though officials say any concerns were likely in a risk assessment rather than a formal block.

• A government advisor admitted they had flagged Mandelson’s 2005 ties to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska but were reassured he was "such a master of the dark arts"—whatever that means.

• Starmer defended Mandelson in Parliament as recently as Wednesday, insisting he had been fully vetted.

Internal Labour Fallout

Inside Labour, the knives are out, and it's not just for Mandelson.

• Some MPs blame Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, for pushing Mandelson’s appointment, calling it a "boys’ club sticking up for their own."

• Others say McSweeney had already decided Mandelson should go by Wednesday lunchtime, but Starmer delayed.

• Harriet Harman, former deputy leader, said it was "shameful" Mandelson put himself forward knowing these emails existed.

Opposition Pounces

The political cost is already mounting.

• Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of dithering and putting "party above country."

• Lib Dem leader Ed Davey demanded Starmer explain in Parliament what he knew and when.

• SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Starmer’s "judgment, his reputation and his authority are now on the line."

Next Moves in Washington

The vacated US post will not stay empty for long, but the shortlist is shifting.

• James Roscoe, deputy head of mission in Washington, will serve as interim ambassador during Trump’s visit.

• Possible permanent replacements include former ambassador Karen Pierce and outgoing MI6 chief Richard Moore.

• Starmer is expected to choose a career official rather than a political figure this time.