Image: Tenor
🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in the four occupied Ukrainian territories. The enhanced powers granted to Moscow-backed officials include the ability to impose curfew, to detain anyone for up to 30 days for any reason (and imprison all Ukrainian nationals indefinitely), and to forcibly re-settle citizens away from their homes. Putin’s decree also tightened security across Russia, especially the areas closest to the Ukraine border.
🇮🇷 Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, who competed without a hijab in S. Korea over the weekend, has returned home. The 33-year-old was met by cheering crowds when she arrived, as her act was widely seen as support for ongoing anti-government protests over Iran’s treatment of women, including hijab mandates. After landing, Rekabi gave a “careful, emotionless interview” to Iranian state TV in which she said not wearing a hijab was unintentional, per AP News.
🇮🇳 A Meta “scandal” reported on by Indian news outlet The Wire is probably a hoax. The Wire – which Slate calls “one of India’s few truly independent publications” – published a story last week alleging Meta allowed certain officials within the Indian government to unilaterally decide which Insta posts should be taken down. ​​After the story was initially challenged by Meta, the news org doubled down on its claims. But upon further inspection, Meta and several independent experts said it appeared The Wire was misled by a fake source who fabricated their evidence, including purported internal documents. The Wire on Tuesday finally acknowledged doubts in its reporting and pulled the stories pending an internal investigation.
🇪🇺🇫🇷 EU officials are seeking emergency power to impose a cap on natural gas prices, a French cement company agreed to pay $778 million over charges stemming from payoffs to ISIS, and Russia has destroyed 30% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure over the past eight days.
🌎 UK PM Liz Truss fired her Treasury chief and reversed a pledge to limit corporate taxes, President XI Jinping delivered the opening address of China's 20th National Congress, and a new Danish political party emerged that's led by an AI.
🌎 Russia continues to strike at Ukraine w/ missiles & kamikaze drones, China’s 20th National Congress begins on Sunday, and the world's wildlife populations have fallen 69% over the past 5+ decades, per a new report.
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