A quick shove. A split-second clip that would have dominated US news for days aired in France for just 24 hours and then it was gone.

When a viral video appeared over the weekend showing French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, pushing his face just as he was about to deplane during a visit to Vietnam, not a single French newspaper front page featured it the next morning.

Was it because Prime Minister François Bayrou was speaking about the financial efforts the French would have to make under his soon-to-be-unveiled budget? Or that people were detained recently in a string of crypto kidnappings?

More likely, it highlighted a cultural divide between France and the Anglosphere – a long-standing French belief that politicians’ private lives should be protected.

This secret-keeping tradition kept President François Mitterrand’s illegitimate daughter hidden for years. It has also meant a delicate silence around other controversial personal lives, like Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s notorious womanizing.

The former International Monetary Fund chief’s arrest on sexual assault charges in New York in 2011 abruptly ended his political career just as he was emerging as a leading presidential contender.

The same unwritten rules surfaced in 2014, when Closer magazine published photos of former President François Hollande – disguised by a motorcycle helmet – arriving at the apartment of a friend, where he was reportedly meeting actress Julie Gayet.

At the time, Gayet was his girlfriend, even though he still had a live-in partner, Valérie Trierweiler.

The story caused a stir, but Hollande’s office condemned the “invasion of privacy,” and the media soon backed off.

At a press conference, Hollande faced only one question about his personal life and deflected it with the remark, “private affairs are dealt with in private,” silencing the throng of French journalists and leaving foreign reporters stunned.

So when the video of the Macrons began circulating, the initial media response was swift but short-lived. French outlets played the clip on loop, dissected it briefly, and moved on.

But that core rule is now being tested.

“Over time, these kinds of personal stories have become far more difficult to contain than they were 30 or even 20 years ago,” said Thierry Arnaud, an international correspondent and veteran journalist at BFMTV.

“It’s true we didn’t make a big deal of it, but it’s deeply embarrassing for Macron. You’re intruding on a couple’s intimate moment and it’s uncomfortable, both for him and for those watching.”

Macron’s relationship with Brigitte was always unconventional. They met when he was just 15, and she was his drama teacher at a private school in Amiens. She was 24 years older, married, and a mother of three.

What began as mentorship grew into something deeper, and by the time Macron graduated, he had vowed to one day marry her. “Whatever you do, I will marry you,” he reportedly told her as a teenager.

Their story was used as campaign material in 2017, they made a point of making their relationship public, posing in glossy French magazines and describing their marriage as a celebration of an atypical but loving modern family. Any critics were labeled misogynists.

“It was completely a badge of honor at first, a special kind of glamour that added to his (Macron’s) image of being daring both politically and personally. He fell in love with his teacher as a teenager and pursued it, come what may. Over time, that picture has eroded,” Arnaud said.

After the Vietnam shoving incident, the couple publicly displayed unity that very evening, walking hand in hand through the streets of Hanoi in a clear effort to quell any rumors of domestic discord.

But the line between public and private is blurring. Traditionally, the Élysée Palace has maintained a strict policy of never commenting on rumors or politicians’ personal lives. However, with the rise of social media and disinformation campaigns they are being dragged into these personal controversies, challenging that long-held stance.

In March, conservative commentator Candace Owens revived an absurd conspiracy theory with a YouTube video titled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?”

Promoted widely on X, Owens called it “likely the biggest scandal in political history.” Since then, Owens has produced numerous videos about Brigitte Macron for her 4 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called Becoming Brigitte.

Although the claims are completely baseless and Brigitte Macron has successfully sued two French women for spreading them it has elicited a response from the president.

At a Paris event in March 2024, Macron addressed the rumor head-on saying that the worst part of being a president is having to deal with “the false information and fabricated stories.”

“People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments,” Macron said.

His words now feel prophetic, with the world speculating on a deeply intimate exchange we may never be let into.

A judge has stepped down from the criminal proceedings regarding the death of Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona.

An Argentine court had removed the judge, Julieta Makintach, after one of the defendants in the Maradona trial requested her disqualification due to a possible lack of impartiality and for allegedly authorizing the filming of a documentary during court hearings.

Makintach accepted the court’s disqualification.

In a previous hearing, she had stated that her brother is a partner at the production company mentioned in the case, but it had nothing to do with a potential documentary about Maradona.

Maradona, world-famous for scoring the goal that won Argentina the 1986 World Cup, died of heart failure in November 2020. Argentine prosecutors have accused eight medical staff of “simple homicide” in the footballer’s death.

The trial for seven of the eight defendants began in March, with the eighth due to be tried by jury after the initial proceedings finish. The charges carry a possible sentence of eight to 25 years in prison.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

An Austrian appeals court has overturned conservative former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s recent perjury conviction and the resulting eight-month suspended prison sentence, news agency APA reported on Monday.

The ruling removes Kurz’s only criminal conviction, taking away a serious obstacle to a future political comeback for the 38-year-old, although prosecutors have yet to decide whether to charge him over potential corruption-related offenses in a separate investigation that forced him from office in 2021.

The court was not immediately available for comment. Kurz denies all wrongdoing.

“I have been confronted with accusations for years. There have been numerous court hearings – a huge amount of confrontation with these accusations. You have all witnessed how much this has been celebrated and that it has now all collapsed,” he said outside the court.

The case centered on whether Kurz was merely kept informed of deliberations on the appointment of executives for newly created state holding company OBAG when he was chancellor, or was in fact making the decisions. The appointments were formally his finance minister’s responsibility.

Kurz testified to a parliamentary commission of inquiry in 2020 that he was “involved in the sense of informed.” The judge who heard the case at first instance ruled that was not true and Kurz played an active role.

“What has come out is what I have always said, namely that I did not tell any untruths in the committee of inquiry,” Kurz said.

Kurz has left the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) and quit politics but some individuals within the OVP hope he will return if there is a change of party leadership, even though polling suggests the majority of Austrians do not want him to stage a comeback.

Kurz led his party to election victories in 2017 and 2019 by adopting a hard line on immigration similar to that of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which won the last parliamentary election in September.

He now works as a consultant and tech entrepreneur and says he is happy in his new career.

Having come second in the last election, the OVP leads the current three-party centrist coalition government headed by OVP Chancellor Christian Stocker.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office moved swiftly on Monday to defuse attention around a viral video showing his wife Brigitte pushing his face away as they deplaned in Vietnam for the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour.

The short clip shows the aircraft door opening with Macron appearing in the doorway. Seconds later, both of Brigitte Macron’s hands reach from the side and presses against the president’s face in what looks like a sudden shove.

Macron appears momentarily surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the press outside.

As the couple descend the steps, Macron offers Brigitte his arm, which she does not take, opting instead to hold the railing.

The Élysée initially denied the incident on the plane, before later moving to downplay its significance.

It was a “moment of togetherness,” according to an Élysée source.

“No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” the source added, saying pro-Russian trolls were quick to spin the moment into controversy.

Macron has been at the forefront of efforts to agree a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The incident in Hanoi comes as Macron faces another swirl of online disinformation. Earlier this month the Élysée dismissed as “fake news” a viral claim – amplified by Kremlin officials – that the French president was using cocaine aboard a train to Kyiv alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The rumor, traced back to pro-Russian accounts, falsely claimed a crumpled tissue Macron picked up was a cocaine bag. The Élysée posted a rebuttal online with the caption: “This is a tissue. For blowing your nose… When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation makes a simple tissue look like drugs.”

The Kremlin’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova fueled the claim, suggesting the scene was part of a wider European dysfunction. French officials condemned the campaign as part of ongoing efforts by Moscow to weaken Western unity on Ukraine and manipulate peace discussions through false narratives and social media manipulation.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier released during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel.

Na’ama Levy, one of five IDF female soldiers released in January, made the comments during a weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Sunday demanding the return of hostages.

“They (strikes) come unexpectedly. At first you hear the whistles, you pray that it won’t fall on us, and then – the explosions, a noise so loud that it paralyzes the body, and the ground shakes,” Levy told a crowd of thousands.

“Every time, I was sure that this was the end of me. It was one of the scariest things I experienced there and that’s also what endangered me more than anything,” she continued, describing an incident where a strike caused the house she was in to partially collapse.

“That was my reality. It’s their reality now,” she said, referring to those still in captivity.

“Even now, at this very moment, there are hostages who hear those whistles and explosions, they’re there trembling with fear. They have nowhere to run, only to pray and cling to the walls with a terrible feeling of helplessness.”

The comments from Levy come as the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza intensify their criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as Israel comes under growing pressure to end the war in Gaza.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said that defeating Israel’s enemies is the “supreme objective” and more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza – drawing backlash from representatives of hostage families.

Levy urged for the return of all Israeli hostages, saying there will be “no victory” otherwise.

“There’s no way in (Israel) they really understand what we’re going through and are still leaving us in Gaza.”

In the early months of the war, another Israeli hostage expressed similar fears of being killed by Israeli strikes, Israeli media outlet Ynet reported, based on audio it said was leaked from a meeting between released hostages, their families, and Netanyahu.

The fear was that “it would not be Hamas, but Israel, that would kill us, and then they would say Hamas killed you,” said the hostage, who was released in one of the first deals.

Levy’s comments on Sunday also came after Netanyahu appointed a new chief for the country’s Shin Bet security agency on Friday, Maj. Gen David Zini, who has reportedly voiced opposition to hostage deals. The families of hostages have blasted the choice.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Zini said in meetings of IDF general staff: “I oppose hostage deals. This is a forever war.” The report does not provide a specific date for Zini’s comments. Channel 12 says it was a position he repeated often over the past year.

“If the report is accurate, these are shocking statements, worthy of unequivocal condemnation, especially coming from someone who is expected to hold the fate of the hostages in his hands,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement at the time.

In his previous position as the head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps in the IDF, Zini had little influence on hostage negotiations. But as head of the Shin Bet, he could have a significant role considering the agency’s participation in previous rounds of indirect negotiations with Hamas.

“Appointing a Shin Bet chief who prioritizes (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s war over the return of the hostages is a sin upon a crime and an injustice to the entire people of Israel – a blow to the value of solidarity and the sacred duty to leave no one behind,” the forum said.

In recent weeks, Israel has come under growing pressure to end the war in Gaza as the enclave faces widespread starvation amid a severe shortage of humanitarian aid.

The United Kingdom has paused trade talks and sanctioned extremist settlers in the West Bank. Canada and France have threatened sanctions. And the European Union – Israel’s biggest trade partner – is reviewing its landmark Association Agreement with the country. In the words of one Israeli minister, their patience has worn thin over Israel’s decision to expand the war.

The kidnapping of Levy emerged as one of the first to make headlines as the Hamas-led October 7 attack unfolded.

Video released by Hamas showed Levy, who was aged 19 at the time, being dragged by her hair at gunpoint with her hands bound.

Britain’s King Charles III will arrive in Canada on Monday for his first visit as its head of state, where he’ll carry out a highly-symbolic whistle-stop trip that will be seen by many as a show of support following increasingly frayed relations between Ottawa and Washington.

During his two-day visit, Charles, 76, will deliver a speech in Canada’s parliament and celebrate the country’s cultural heritage and diversity, according to Buckingham Palace. He will be accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla.

The monarch — who is still undergoing treatment for cancer — will attend the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday, where he will deliver the ceremonial “Speech from the Throne” to the Senate chamber. The address marks the second time that the sovereign has opened parliament.

The parliamentary address is typically delivered by the governor general, the British monarch’s representative in Canada.

The timing of Charles’ visit is notable as it comes as US President Donald Trump persistently references his desire to make Canada the 51st state and touts false claims that the Canadian public likes the idea of being annexed by the United States. In fact, the proposal is overwhelmingly unpopular among Canadians as a whole.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who rose to power on a tide of anti-Trump sentiment in March, has repeatedly denounced the US president’s remarks. In his election victory speech, Carney warned that Canada would never yield to Trump’s relentless provocations.

Carney doubled down on that message last month during an exchange with Trump in the Oval Office.

“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” Carney told Trump, adding: “(Canada) is not for sale. It won’t be for sale, ever.”

Ahead of Charles’ trip to Ottawa, Canada’s envoy to the United Kingdom, Ralph Goodale, told reporters the king will “reinforce” that same directive, according to Reuters.

“The prime minister (Carney) has made it clear that Canada is not for sale now, is not for sale ever,” Goodale told journalists last week.

“The king, as head of state, will reinforce the power and strength of that message,” Goodale said.

An ‘impactful’ visit

Charles will also need to walk a careful diplomatic tightrope as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks a stronger relationship with Trump over Ukraine and as he continues to pursue economic and trade guarantees.

Carney said last week that his compatriots “weren’t impressed” after Charles extended a second state invitation to the US president. Trump would be the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted twice by a British monarch.

“It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty,” Carney said.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are “mindful” of the gravity of their upcoming visit, Buckingham Palace said, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.

“The King and Queen are very much looking forward to the programme, mindful that it is a short visit but hopefully an impactful one,” PA reported, citing a palace spokesperson.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” observed US President Donald Trump, reacting to the intensive Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine over the weekend.

In fact, the Kremlin leader seems pretty much unchanged, despite the urgings of the White House, merely continuing his policy of grinding war in Ukraine, in which aerial assaults have become an all-too-regular feature.

The real question is whether Trump has changed, or at least if his attitude toward Putin has started to shift amid what looks like an increasingly futile US effort to forge peace in Ukraine, something Trump bragged he could do – let’s not forget – in short order.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, certainly thinks a mental corner has been turned, telling reporters in Vietnam that Trump’s latest rebuke of his Russian counterpart as “absolutely CRAZY” means the US president “realizes” that Putin has “lied” on the war in Ukraine, adding that he hopes Trump’s words will “translate into action.”

But the record suggests otherwise.

This is the sixth time this term that Trump, who consistently says he has a strong relationship with Putin, has publicly expressed impatience or downright annoyance with the Kremlin boss.

Back in March, Trump revealed he was “pissed off” with Putin for refusing to agree to a 30-day ceasefire.

In April, Trump demanded “Vladimir STOP,” after a Russian missile strike on Kyiv left a dozen people dead.

“Maybe he doesn’t really want to stop the war and is just tapping me along,” Trump mused later.

The Trump scoldings have been routinely accompanied by expressions of personal disappointment and threats of possible retaliation, like secondary tariffs on “all oil coming out of Russia,” or unidentified “further sanctions.”

Asked again, after the latest rebuke of Putin, whether he would now consider putting more sanctions on Russia, Trump replied: “Absolutely.”

So far, there has been no real sign that Trump is prepared to use the substantial economic leverage at his disposal to force the Kremlin to rethink its hardline stance.

Not so in the US Senate, where a cross-party bill has been introduced to make it more difficult for Russia to fund its war.

The bill, now backed by 81 senators, not only proposes more direct sanctions on Russia, but also secondary sanctions, such as a massive 500% tariff on countries that buy Russian energy.

But the measures, which would seriously impact an already fragile and oil-dependent Russian economy, are super-controversial as they would also punish China, India and the European Union, which are all still major Russian energy consumers.

It is, of course, possible that Trump could now throw his weight behind the bill, or perhaps a watered-down version of it. But that would be a huge change in direction, given his consistent reluctance to confront and punish the Kremlin so far.

More likely, the latest upsurge in violence in Ukraine may further convince an already frustrated US president that he is simply unable to bring the warring parties together any time soon.

And, amid all his anger and bluster about Putin, Trump may simply choose to walk away.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was diagnosed with labyrinthitis Monday after suffering from vertigo, hospital officials said.

The 79-year-old leftist leader has already returned to the country’s presidential residence, where he is resting.

The Sirio-Libanes Hospital said in a statement that Lula underwent imaging and blood tests, and its results came within normal limits. Labyrinthitis is an inflammation of the labyrinth in the inner ear, which is responsible for hearing and balance.

The health scare adds to Lula’s recent medical worries, which are also part of his allies’ concerns ahead of his likely bid for reelection next year.

The most serious is a fall he had in the bathroom of the presidential residence in Brasília on Oct. 19.

Almost two months later, he was transferred to São Paulo for surgery after suffering headaches caused by new a bleeding in his head.

He was discharged Dec. 15.