live Middle East tensions simmer as U.S.–Iran talks loom and strike kills 13- Friday, 10 April
Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's Pres...
A brief moment between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte aboard their plane in Vietnam sparked viral speculation online, with the Elysee calling it “banal couple’s teasing.”
A video showing French first lady Brigitte Macron playfully pushing President Emmanuel Macron’s face as they disembarked a plane in Hanoi went viral on Monday, igniting a wave of online chatter and speculation.
The clip, recorded by Western international press agencies, captures the moment Sunday evening when Macron steps out of the aircraft and Brigitte, dressed in red, suddenly places both hands on his face. The president appears surprised but quickly steps back, smiles, and waves to the cameras.
Initially dismissed as fake by the Elysee when contacted by Franceinfo, the palace later confirmed the video’s authenticity. Officials described the interaction as “banal couple’s teasing,” a lighthearted moment of playfulness between the couple before the president’s official trip began.
A source close to Macron told reporters, “It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip, playfully teasing each other. It didn’t take more to give conspiracy theorists something to feed on.”
While some social media users interpreted the gesture as a “small altercation” or “blow,” the Elysee emphasized it was a harmless moment. The video also shows Brigitte apparently refusing to hold Macron’s arm as they descended the plane stairs.
Macron arrived in Hanoi Sunday evening to start a week-long Southeast Asia tour focused on strengthening economic and diplomatic ties, with scheduled visits to Indonesia and Singapore.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue and avoid steps that could worsen tensions after China-hosted talks in Urumqi, with Kabul and Beijing saying the meetings focused on easing differences and improving relations.
Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's President said an Israeli strike killed 13 security personnel in Nabatieh.
Memorial events were held in Tehran’s main squares on Wednesday (8 April) to mark the 40th day since the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died during U.S.-Israeli attacks on 28 February.
Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to one daily flight to its airports until 31 May due to the Iran crisis, raising fears of significant revenue losses for Indian carriers, industry letters show.
A charity co-founded by Prince Harry in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, is suing him for libel at the High Court in London, according to a court record published on Friday (10 April).
The European Union and Washington are nearing an agreement to coordinate the production and security of critical minerals, Bloomberg News reported on Friday (10 April).
In a forceful rebuke to Washington’s foreign policy in the Americas, a senior Russian diplomat has declared that Moscow will never abandon Cuba, pledging ongoing support to help the Communist-run island overcome a severe energy crisis linked to the United States embargo.
Hungary votes on Sunday in a parliamentary election that could loosen Viktor Orbán’s 16-year hold on power. His ruling Fidesz faces a strong challenge from Péter Magyar’s Tisza party, which has led some polls, though many voters remain undecided.
While a fragile ceasefire in the Iran war may deliver badly needed relief to economies battered by the world’s worst-ever energy crisis, hopes it will quickly restore normal oil and gas flows from the Middle East are almost certainly misplaced.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment