标签： Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are preparing to present photographic and scientific evidence in a US court to refute claims that Brigitte was born male. The couple has filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly asserted this controversial belief. Owens’ legal team has responded with a motion to dismiss the case. The Macrons’ lawyer, Tom Clare, emphasized that the allegations have been deeply distressing for Brigitte and have served as a significant distraction for the president. Clare stated that the couple is determined to disprove the claims through expert testimony and scientific evidence, though the specifics of the evidence remain undisclosed at this stage. Clare also mentioned that the Macrons possess photographs of Brigitte during her pregnancies and raising her children, which will be presented in court. Owens, a former commentator for the conservative outlet Daily Wire, has millions of social media followers and has staked her professional reputation on the allegation. The claim originated in fringe online spaces, notably through a 2021 YouTube video by French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey. Although the Macrons initially won a defamation case in France against Roy and Rey in 2024, the ruling was overturned on appeal in 2025 on freedom of expression grounds. The Macrons are appealing this decision. In July 2024, they filed a lawsuit against Owens in the US, accusing her of knowingly spreading false information. Owens’ lawyers argue that the case should not be heard in Delaware, claiming it would cause her significant financial and operational hardship. Emmanuel Macron has defended the legal action, stating it is about defending his honor and countering harmful, ideologically driven misinformation.

Lithuanian prosecutors have charged 15 individuals with terrorism offences in connection with an alleged Russian-backed plot involving explosive parcels sent to Germany, Poland, and the UK. The suspects are accused of using delivery services DHL and DPD to send four packages containing explosives concealed within cosmetics containers from Vilnius, Lithuania. Three of the parcels ignited in July last year, causing fires in Leipzig, Germany; near Warsaw, Poland; and in Minworth, UK. The fourth parcel failed to detonate due to a technical malfunction. Lithuanian investigators claim the operation was orchestrated by individuals linked to Russian military intelligence, with the aim of sabotaging flights to the US and Canada. Russia has consistently denied involvement in such activities, despite repeated allegations from NATO countries. The explosive devices were reportedly triggered by electronic timers hidden in vibrating massage pillows. Among the 15 charged are citizens of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine, though it remains unclear how many are currently in custody. The suspects are also accused of orchestrating an arson attack on an Ikea store in Vilnius last year. Western security officials have previously suggested that the incidents were part of a coordinated campaign by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has publicly accused the Kremlin of orchestrating her husband’s death through poisoning. In a compelling video statement shared on social media, Navalnaya revealed that independent laboratories in two countries had analyzed smuggled biological samples, concluding that Navalny was murdered. While she did not disclose specific details about the poison or the laboratories involved, she urged them to release their findings publicly, despite what she described as ‘political considerations’ preventing transparency.

Navalny, a prominent anti-corruption activist and fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died suddenly on February 16, 2024, while serving a prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony. His death came three years after he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in 2020, an incident that led to his treatment in Germany and subsequent arrest upon his return to Russia. Navalny’s supporters and his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) have consistently alleged that the Russian government was complicit in his demise.

Navalnaya recounted her husband’s final days, citing testimonies from penal colony employees. She described how Navalny fell ill during a walk, suffered convulsions, and vomited before collapsing in his cell. Despite his visible distress, an ambulance was not called until 40 minutes later, and he died shortly thereafter. Prison authorities initially attributed his death to ‘sudden death syndrome,’ while state investigators later cited a medical condition and arrhythmia.

Navalny’s associates have shared previously unseen images of his cell and the exercise yard where he spent his last moments. Navalnaya, who faces potential arrest herself, vowed to continue seeking justice, declaring, ‘I affirm that Vladimir Putin is guilty of killing my husband.’ She also emphasized Navalny’s role as a symbol of hope for a better future in Russia, a sentiment echoed by the thousands who attended his funeral in Moscow despite government warnings.

The Kremlin has remained largely silent on the matter, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov claiming unawareness of Navalnaya’s statements. President Putin briefly acknowledged Navalny’s death a month later, describing it as a ‘sad event’ and revealing that a prisoner swap involving Navalny had been considered but was ultimately abandoned. Navalny’s death has left a void in Russia’s opposition movement, with many of his associates either imprisoned or in exile, and civil society increasingly suppressed under punitive laws enacted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.