The Afternoon Brief: Global crises test response capacity as Germany's far-right surges

Germany's far-right AfD secured approximately 44 percent of the vote in Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt election, the strongest showing for a far-right party in any German state since World War II. Exit polls showed the result far ahead of the center-right CDU at 18.4 to 18.5 percent. The AfD falls marginally short of an absolute majority needed to govern alone, and Germany's other major parties have long ruled out any cooperation with the far-right, leaving the state facing a political impasse once final vote tallies confirm the exit polls. Germany's mainstream parties are silent on how to break the deadlock or whether any governing coalition can form.

Indonesia's eight closed airports reopened operations by midday Monday after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau dispersed. The volcano erupted late Friday and again early Sunday, forcing temporary closure of Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and seven others, stranding more than 150,000 passengers and affecting 712 flights. Ash reached altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi warned that cascading flight cancellations would affect aircraft rotations and fleet availability across the region. No tsunami warning was issued and no evacuation orders were needed, as the nearest settlement lies more than 10 miles away.

In Delhi, rescue operations at the collapsed Hostel Daze continued on Monday as approximately 80 percent of debris had been cleared by midday. At least seven people died and 12 were hospitalized in Sunday's collapse of the five-storey student hostel. The exact number of people trapped under the basement rubble remained unclear. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta attributed the collapse to water accumulation and ongoing basement repair work. The building owner has been arrested and five senior civic officials of the Delhi Municipal Corporation have been suspended. Students reported systemic problems with hostels in the densely populated Satya Niketan neighborhood, citing overloaded buildings and poor conditions, with no inspections conducted.

A fireworks explosion at a festival in Santa María Canchesda in central Mexico killed at least 10 people and wounded at least 60 on Saturday evening. The blast occurred near the Nuestra Señora de la Luz church in the Temascalcingo municipality, approximately 160 kilometers northwest of Mexico City. Preliminary reports suggest a burning straw bull effigy ignited a larger cache of fireworks stored in the church, though authorities said the cause remains under investigation.

A Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft operating as 21 Air Flight 7598 overran Runway 30 at Miami International Airport on September 6 while landing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, struck multiple vehicles, and came to rest in an adjacent field. Five people were killed and five injured. Three of the injured were in critical condition. The aircraft was a cargo plane branded with Amazon markings. First responders addressed an active fuel leak and complex engine fires. The NTSB investigation will determine the cause.

Hawaii's Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard on Friday as Hurricane Lowell, a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 to 125 miles per hour, approached the islands. First impacts were expected by Monday evening, September 9. Lowell's center is forecast to pass approximately 130 miles west of Ni'ihau or 170 miles west of Kauai between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Kauai and Ni'ihau, where wind gusts above 39 miles per hour are possible. Rainfall forecasts project 6 to 10 inches, with maximum totals of 14 inches possible on Ni'ihau and Kaua'i, where flash flooding and landslides are possible. Storm surge and tides could flood normally dry coastal areas with rising waters up to 3 feet. Lowell is the third tropical system to threaten Hawaii in just over three weeks. As of Saturday, Hurricanes Karina, Lowell, and Marie were churning in the Pacific simultaneously, marking the region's first triple-hurricane stretch in a decade. Tropical Storm Moke struck Hawaii two weeks ago, and Hurricane Lala caused at least 43 million dollars in infrastructure damage on the Big Island in August.

Kyiv experienced 76 air raid alerts in the seven days from August 27 to September 2, the highest weekly count since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Russia has shifted from primarily nighttime attacks to continuous day-and-night strikes using faster, jet-engine-powered attack drones that fly at almost 370 miles per hour, three times as fast as older Shahed drones. Russia launched 2,800 fast drones in August, almost twice as many as in July. Air raid alerts can last from a few minutes to nearly four and a half hours. Ukraine has been intercepting approximately 60 percent of incoming strikes.

Nepal observed an official day of mourning on September 8, marking the traditional 13-day period after catastrophic flooding on August 26 that killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and Tibet and left approximately 5,000 missing. Families of the missing gathered to demand faster search and rescue efforts. About 900 workers remain unaccounted for at 12 hydropower project sites, with roughly 500 believed trapped in tunnels. The government lowered flags at state offices and ordered rituals to pray for the souls of the deceased.

The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.14 per gallon heading into Labor Day weekend and rose to $4.15 on Labor Day itself, the highest price ever recorded for that holiday according to AAA. The price is nearly a dollar higher than Labor Day 2025 and well above the previous Labor Day weekend record of $3.82 from 2012. Californians faced prices regularly exceeding $6 per gallon. Diesel hit $5.90 nationally. Energy Secretary Chris Wright attributed the elevation to Middle East supply disruption and said futures markets forecast lower prices by November, with November futures trading 35 cents cheaper per gallon than the current spot price.