TOP NEWS

Putin's Russia
New Russian law hammered out: Putin allowed to invade other countries

The Russian lower house, the Duma, voted on Wednesday to pass a new law that allows President Vladimir Putin to invade other countries, writes Politico.

Formally, the law is about "protecting Russian citizens abroad." If Russian citizens are detained, arrested or subjected to persecution, Putin is given the right to call in the army, writes the Duma. Protecting Russian interests is often used as a pretext when Russia illegally intervenes abroad.

Ukraine describes the law as "aggressive lawlessness."

- By giving himself the unlimited right to use Russian occupation forces outside the country under the pretext of protecting Russian citizens, Putin is in practice admitting that aggression has become the norm of Russian policy, says Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tychyj.

The ear file against Macron
New book claims that a fight over an Iranian film star was behind Macron's ear file

It was a text message conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian film star Golshifteh Farahani that caused Brigitte Macron to slap her husband in the face almost a year ago. At least that's what French journalist Florian Tardif claims in a new book, which translated into Swedish is roughly called "An (almost) perfect couple".

Brigitte Macron is said to have become worried that her husband was planning to leave her for the actress.

The fight, if that's what it was, took place when Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron got off the presidential plane in Hanoi - and was partly caught on camera. They have both always claimed that it was a joke between them.

A spokesperson for Brigitte Macron tells Le Parisien that the claims are "categorically untrue" and that she never looks at her husband's president's phone.

Middle East Crisis  Iran War
Sources: China Strengthens Its Position as a Result of the War

A classified intelligence report shows that China is taking advantage of the war in Iran to strengthen its position vis-à-vis the United States in military, economic and diplomatic areas. This is stated by two sources for the Washington Post.

According to the report, China has, among other things, sold weapons to US allies around the Persian Gulf as they struggled to defend themselves against Iranian retaliatory attacks. China has also reportedly helped countries around the world meet their energy needs after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, the US arms stockpile is said to have been emptied at a rapid pace, something that according to the report could have serious consequences in a future conflict with China over Taiwan. The war has also given China the opportunity to analyze US warfare and learn lessons for future military operations.

The report was produced earlier this week and is said to have raised concerns within the Pentagon about the geopolitical costs of the war in Iran, according to the sources.