Who's Selling This?

Hi Global Recap readers,

I hope you all had a great weekend.

I’ve been saving this clip, just waiting to hit “publish” on today’s newsletter so I could finally share it. Although it's likely you've come across it already (since many of you are locked in on anything geopolitics), it’s still worth a share I think.

• It's both funny and a bit awkward.

• It’s either brilliant self-deprecation or overwhelming confidence that no one will notice the potential for backdoor. 👇️ 

🇨🇳🇰🇷 CHINA & SOUTH KOREA
Xi Jokes
On Backdoors

At a Gyeongju APEC sideline gift exchange, Xi Jinping gifted Xiaomi phones to South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung.

• Lee quipped, “Is the line secure?—a Korean phrase rooted in the military term COMSEC, still used by soldiers at the start of every call in South Korea. He most certainly used it as someone shaped by the military era of his youth, though that hasn’t stopped some people from reading more into it.

• Xi replied, “Check if there’s a backdoor,” then laughed.

This is a rare moment of levity from Xi who almost never jokes, especially about surveillance.

• Online, some saw it as proof that China isn’t intentionally building security risks into its tech, arguing that the West exaggerates such concerns to cast Beijing as an adversary.

• Others, however, say Xi’s remark was almost too on the nose, showing Xi's confidence that any backdoors would go undetected.

Just for fun… 👇️ 

🇫🇷 FRANCE
Child Sex
Dolls Sold

E-commerce platform Shein just imposed a global ban on sex-doll listings after France pressured it and flagged items that looked "childlike" and were listed with sexual descriptions.

But the real question is, who’s making and listing these dolls?

• Trigger: France’s anti-fraud unit said Shein hosted likely pornographic dolls resembling children, including an 80cm (31.5 inches) model shown holding a teddy bear with an explicit description.

• Threat: Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned he would ban Shein from the French market if the listings reappeared, stating the items were illegal and promising a judicial probe.

• Scope: Shein deleted all sex-doll listings and images worldwide and said the new policy is a total ban. CEO Donald Tang said third-party vendors posted the content but added, "I take personal responsibility."

• Spillover: However, Shein isn't the only platform with such listings. Authorities also targeted AliExpress for hosting similar "child-style-porn dolls." AliExpress said it removed the items, but now faces legal action in France.

  • Meanwhile, Temu and Wish are also being investigated for carrying pornographic materials without applying age restrictions.

• Timing: The crackdown lands just days before Shein opens its first physical store inside BHV Marais in central Paris on Wednesday. France has already fined Shein three times in 2025 for a total of €191 million for cookies violations, false ads, misleading info, and undeclared microfibers.

🇩🇪 GERMANY
General Seeks
Assessments

Germany’s top general, Carsten Breuer, wants the state to assess every young man for eligibility before any conscription decision. He rejects a draft lottery and argues screening entire age cohorts is the only way to know who is actually available.

• Rationale: Breuer says a lottery would dilute motivation and training quality, while universal checks would surface who can serve in a defense scenario.

• Method: Screen full age groups first, then pick the most qualified and motivated if volunteers fall short, prioritizing skills like IT over random selection.

• Law: The Bundestag is debating a new military service law in late 2025, with coalition partners still split on what to do if voluntary enlistment falls short. The Bundeswehr (Germany's armed forces) continues to face personnel gaps and needs higher intake to meet NATO demands, making reform look inevitable.

• Comparison: South Korea runs a universal male draft with mandatory physical exams and fitness classifications, allowing exemptions only for strict medical or service reasons. For years, being rated unfit carried social stigma, though that pressure has eased in recent times. It has also fueled cases of men faking physical or mental disabilities to avoid service.

🇹🇷 TURKEY
Turkey Hints
Hamas Handover

Turkey just signaled that Hamas may hand over Gaza’s administration to a "Palestinian committee," a potential handover floated as Muslim-state ministers met in Istanbul. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said countries are still working on a UN mandate for an international stabilization force.

• Venue: Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia arrived in Istanbul on Monday for talks on Gaza’s future governance and reconstruction.

• Mandate: Fidan said governments are negotiating a UN Security Council mandate and will decide on troop deployments only after a framework exists.

• Claim: UAE outlet Al-Ain reported that "Hamas is ready to hand over the administration of Gaza to a committee formed by the Palestinians," echoing Turkish readouts.

• Frictions: But here's the conundrum.

  • Israel views Turkey’s role as problematic, given Ankara’s fierce criticism of its actions.

  • Despite being a NATO member, Turkey has long hosted Hamas terrorists and now seeks leverage over Gaza’s postwar order. The key question is, will a Turkish-backed committee replace Hamas publicly while the group maintains influence behind the scenes? And if so, how will this shape the power dynamics within the Middle East?

🇷🇺🇺🇦 RUSSIA & UKRAINE
Russia Presses Pokrovsk

Russia claims new gains inside Pokrovsk while Ukraine insists its lines still hold. Moscow points to fighting around the railway station and an industrial zone, framing the battle as an encirclement effort.

• Positions: Russia says troops dug in at the Prigorodny area and are attacking near the station and factories. Ukraine says no city district is fully under Russian control and that assaults come in small groups of up to five soldiers without armor.

• Pressure: Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is massing forces near Dobropillia, calling the situation there complicated, while Oleksandr Syrskyi says Ukraine is pushing that sector to pull Russian units off Pokrovsk.

• Numbers: Zelensky estimates up to 300 Russian servicemen remain inside Pokrovsk. Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps reports it foiled a move to cut the Rodynske supply route to the north.

• Strikes: Russia reports overnight hits on a Ukrainian airfield, a repair base, military-industrial targets, and supporting gas infrastructure. It also claims progress near Kupiansk, where Kyiv says about 60 Russian soldiers are being cleared.

• Stakes: Pre-war Pokrovsk had about 60,000 residents. If Russia takes it, the front could tilt toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the largest Ukrainian-held cities in Donetsk.