TOP NEWS

Trump: China and Russia are not “participating” in the Iran war

Donald Trump says he does not believe China or Russia are “participating” in the Iran war, but at the same time warns the countries that it would be “very bad for them” if they joined the conflict. This is reported by Reuters.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump writes that China’s Xi Jinping said during their meeting in Beijing that he will not give or sell weapons to Iran.

“Given our relationship, I take him at his word, and by the way, I am doing him a very big favor as well,” Trump writes.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has also told Trump that he does not intend to sell weapons to Iran, according to the post.

“He understands that I am not selling weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO countries. They pay full price and how those weapons are distributed, I have no idea,” he writes. 

The monopoly position of the tech giants
Trump accuses the EU of “attacking” American companies – threatens with new tariffs

Donald Trump accuses the EU of “attacking” American companies after billion-dollar fines against Apple and Meta, among others. In a post on Truth Social, he threatens with new tariffs.

“The EU will pay a high price for its illegal and highly unethical behavior,” he writes.

In his post, Trump claims that the EU fined Apple, Meta, Amazon and Google without reason or explanation. This is not true. The latest fine against Google was issued according to the EU for violating competition rules on the internet, specifically the Digital Markets Regulation.

The other companies have been fined for various reasons, including regarding the use of personal data.

Trump calls the fines a “robbery” and writes that the US will launch an investigation.

“The fines will be withdrawn in full and we expect a significant tariff to be imposed on them at the earliest possible opportunity,” Trump writes. 

Japan-China Relations
Japan to Start Spying – Following CIA

Japan is investing heavily in building its own intelligence service, writes the Washington Post. After decades of refraining from spying on others, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is now trying to build an agency that will report directly to her and that will emulate the CIA.

Among the stated missions are hunting spies on its own soil and carrying out missions in foreign countries. The hope

is to be better able to meet threats from China, North Korea and Russia and make Japan “a safer country”.

– Japan currently has no idea how much information is lost through espionage, says Ken Kotani, an intelligence expert at Nihon University in Tokyo. 

Venezuela Leaves ICC: “Geographically Biased”

Venezuela has notified the UN of its “irrevocable” decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said, according to Reuters.

The Venezuelan government accuses the ICC of “geographical bias” in the court, and claims that the ICC disproportionately selects cases from countries in Africa and Latin America.

The United States has also criticized the ICC harshly in recent times. Among other things, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called the court “a collection of lunatics and fools” after discussions about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant, should be arrested when he comes to the United States

Tech mogul pays billions in the “divorce of the century”

South Korean tech billionaire and AI mogul Chey Tae-won will pay roughly the equivalent of 6.2 billion kronor to his ex-wife Roh Soh-yeong in what has come to be called the “divorce of the century”. This is reported by Korean media.

The decision comes after a dispute that has lasted for over a decade. It all started when Chey published an open letter in a newspaper in which he revealed that he had been unfaithful with a woman with whom he also had a child.

Chey's personal wealth has skyrocketed in recent years, which the court stated was taken into account. Since Chey filed for divorce in 2017, the value of his company has risen by about 2,500 percent.