Two Governments Just Collapsed

Hi Global Recap readers,

I hope you all had a peaceful weekend.

Unfortunately, as it will become clear in today's newsletter, it wasn't all that peaceful for many.

• 🇮🇱 Jerusalem: Yet another terrorist attack occurred at a bus stop.

• 🇫🇷 Paris: The French government just collapsed.

• 🇯🇵 Tokyo: The Japanese PM resigned over the weekend.

• 🇺🇦 Kyiv: Russia launched the largest drone attack of the war against Ukraine so far.

🇬🇧 Finally, for over a week now, I’ve had a clip of a UK minister stating that she believes the rights of asylum seekers trump those of UK locals. But I didn’t have a reason to use that clip—until today.

More on that in today’s deep dive. 👇🏼

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇫🇷 France Ousts PM (Again)

As expected, France’s National Assembly just toppled Prime Minister François Bayrou in a 364–194 no-confidence vote, the second head of government they have dumped in just nine months.

• Trigger: Lawmakers from both left and right revolted over Bayrou’s plan to cut 44 billion euros ($51 billion) from the 2026 budget.

• Aftermath: President Emmanuel Macron said he will name a new prime minister “in the coming days,” while some opponents demanded his own resignation.

• Pattern: Michel Barnier was ousted in December under similar circumstances, making Bayrou the fourth PM to fall in under two years.

• Numbers: France’s budget deficit hit 5.8% of GDP last year, far above the EU’s 3% target.

• Climate: “Far-right“ National Rally currently leads current polls despite Marine Le Pen’s legal troubles, and nationwide anti-government protests are set for Wednesday.

🇮🇱 Gunmen Hit Jerusalem Stop

Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a crowded bus stop in Ramot, northern Jerusalem, killing six people and wounding several others before being shot dead.

• Timing: The shooting began at about 10:15 a.m. as commuters waited at a busy intersection.

• Assailants: Police identified the gunmen as residents of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank.

• Response: A soldier and armed civilians at the scene returned fire, killing both attackers instantly.

• Victims: Among the dead were four rabbis, a recently married immigrant from Spain, and a bakery owner.

• Aftermath: Israeli forces surrounded villages near Ramallah, and Hamas praised the attack without claiming responsibility.

🇳🇵 Nepal Police Open Fire

Nepalese police opened fire on crowds of mostly young protesters in Kathmandu after the government blocked Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, leaving at least 19 people dead.

• Trigger: The ban came last week after social media companies refused to complete a mandatory registration process ordered by the government.

  • Context: Nepal’s Supreme Court recently ruled that social media companies must be regulated to curb fake identities, but critics argue the move is a pretext to silence dissent in a country where over half the population is under 30.

• Scene: Protesters, some in school uniforms and waving national flags, marched toward parliament carrying signs like “shut down corruption and not social media.”

• Casualties: Local media reported 19 deaths, with doctors posting videos of wounded demonstrators receiving treatment.

• Response: Amnesty International condemned the use of live ammunition, calling it a violation of international law, while Human Rights Watch urged immediate restraint.

🇺🇦 Zelenskyy Demands US Action

Ukraine’s president just urged Washington to hit Moscow harder after Russia’s largest single-night strike of the war, which sent over 800 drones and missiles toward Ukrainian cities on Sept. 6–7.

• Scale: The attack killed four people and injured more than 40, with nearly half the casualties in Kyiv.

• Target: For the first time since the full-scale invasion began, a missile damaged the Cabinet of Ministers building in central Kyiv.

• Tactic: Almost half the drones were cheap Iranian Shahed knockoffs meant to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses.

• Appeal: Zelenskyy called for “strong actions” like new sanctions, tariffs, and expanded restrictions on Russian trade.

• Waiting: Once again, here's yet another reminder that Trump hinted last week that he had “learned things that will be very interesting” and promised the public would hear about them “in the next few days” when asked if he had spoken with Putin on the phone.

🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
UK Threatens Visa Cuts.

Britain’s new interior minister says countries refusing to take back deported migrants could see their UK visas slashed, after a high-profile meeting with its Five Eyes allies in London.

Now, there are many who think this is rich coming from the Starmer government, given that its Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, recently stated she believes the rights of illegal immigrants outweigh those of the people of Epping. But this is nuanced, so we will go through that below. 👇🏼

The New Hard Line

Keir Starmer’s government is shifting gears on immigration, and the timing is no accident.

• Shabana Mahmood, appointed Home Secretary on Friday, made the announcement on Monday, September 8, 2025.

• She warned that if a country refuses to accept its citizens back after deportation orders, the UK will “take action,” including cutting visa allocations.

• The policy is aimed at migrants with no legal right to remain in the UK, particularly those arriving via small boat crossings.

Five Eyes Agreement

The move comes out of a broader security meeting with the UK’s closest intelligence partners.

• Ministers from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand met in London under the Five Eyes alliance.

• They agreed to share criminal background data on migrants and to counter organized crime groups using social media to facilitate illegal migration.

• US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the group must be “just as aggressive” in tackling these digital tactics.

Political Pressure at Home

So why is the Starmer government doing this?

• If you’ve been following UK politics, just as the US recently leaned toward Trump and his stance on illegal immigration, the UK is experiencing a shift.

• More people feel comfortable voicing disapproval not only of illegal immigrants, but also of migrants they see as unwilling to assimilate into UK culture, who they believe dilute national identity by imposing their own cultural practices on British society.

This shift didn’t happen out of nowhere. These recent incidents helped spark this social change:

• Epping, Essex case: In July 2025, Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia staying at The Bell Hotel in Epping, sexually assaulted a 14‑year‑old girl and a woman. Court evidence showed he told the girl he “wanted to have a baby” with her, touched her thigh, and attempted to kiss her. He was found guilty in September 2025 of multiple offenses, including harassment and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. His arrest sparked protests outside the asylum hotel.

• Pakistani grooming gang scandal: Over the past decade, multiple investigations have uncovered that groups of mostly British‑Pakistani men in towns such as Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford groomed, raped, and sexually abused thousands of underage girls, many from care backgrounds. Official reports found serious failings by police and local councils, with some officials acknowledging that fear of being accused of racism contributed to inaction.

Not surprisingly, immigration is currently the top public concern in UK opinion polls. These events also recently prompted many UK citizens to hang UK flags across towns and cities, which led some critics, who argue that UK flags are racist, to reportedly remove and desecrate them.

Epping Incident

And this is where UK MP Bridget Phillipson comes in.

• After the Epping incident, protests erupted, and a High Court initially ruled that asylum seekers must be evicted from the Bell Hotel.

• The government’s lawyers appealed, and the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, allowing the asylum seekers to remain.

Just over a week ago, when Phillipson was asked repeatedly whether she agrees with her lawyers that “the rights of asylum seekers are more important than the rights of local people in Epping," who have paid taxes all their lives and contributed to the UK, she answered:

“Yes, of course we do."

Even if you watch the full interview, she undeniably makes this point.

• Although she added that the decision was made because the alternative would have been leaving asylum seekers on the streets, which she said would create even greater disruption for the locals.

• She also clarified that the government’s long-term aim is to close asylum hotels altogether.

Trend

Although it doesn't seem like it, under the Labour government, the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has decreased compared to the peak during the Conservative administration.

• As of June 2025, approximately 32,000 asylum seekers were housed in hotels, a significant reduction from the peak of over 56,000 in September 2023.

• That said, the number of hotels remain stable. In July 2024, when Labour took office, there were 213 hotels in operation. One year later, that number decreased to only 210 hotels.

• But before Labour took office, the Conservatives brought the number down from “over 400 in summer 2023.” The Conservatives ruled for 14 years from 2010-2024, though.

Next Steps

The government is signaling it will act quickly, but the specifics are still in play.

• Mahmood told broadcasters she is prepared to “do whatever it takes” to enforce deportations.

• Cutting visas is being positioned as both a deterrent and a bargaining chip with non-cooperative states.

• No list of targeted countries has been released yet, leaving room for diplomatic maneuvering.

Reminder: Activist Tommy Robinson is hosting a massive Free Speech Festival on September 13th in London. While he consistently calls for peaceful assembly, it remains to be seen whether participants will stay calm when faced with provocations from those aiming to elicit a reaction from the Robinson crowd.