Your Favorite Stories Of 2025
Don't miss out on your favorite stories of 2025!
As 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the stories that caught your attention the most this year on @almost.co.
1. Albania And Azerbaijan’s Leaders Were Filmed Mocking Trump For Claiming He Ended A "War" Between Them
US president Donald Trump has been claiming that he has “ended eight wars,” including one between Albania and Azerbaijan that he said had gone for “many, many years”.
Trump had confused Albania with Armenia and actually meant he helped broker a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia in August.
At the European Political Community meeting in Copenhagen on Thursday, Oct. 2, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was filmed making fun of the mistake alongside Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and French President Emmanuel Macron.
2. Italy's Far-Right Prime Minister Has Rolled Her Eyes After Trump Refused To Stop Increasing Tariffs On The EU
On April 17, 2025, Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met US president Donald Trump at the White House to represent the European Union and seek a fair tariff agreement to avoid a trade war.
At the end of the meeting, a reporter asked Trump if Meloni had convinced him to change his mind about imposing tariffs, but Trump said he wouldn’t stop tariff as it is making the US rich.
Meloni was then caught on camera rolling her eyes as Trump delivered a lengthy monologue about tariffs and trade with the EU and other countries.
3. The Queen Of The Netherlands Appeared To Mock Trump’s Mouth While Next To Him On Camera
While posing for photos during a press conference at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, US President Donald Trump stood between King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, giving his signature thumbs-up and smiling at the cameras.
“That’s the picture we want,” Trump said cheerfully, before King Willem said, “I hope you slept well.”
Just as the president responded with a “Thank you,” Queen Máxima was seen looking at Trump before turning away appearing to tighten her mouth, purse her lips and flick her tongue, a split-second expression that immediately caught people’s attention online.
4. Trump Used A Translator To Translate English To English During A Meeting With India’s Prime Minister
During the meeting on Feb. 14, 2025, a reporter with an Indian accent asked US president Donald Trump in English about the US’ role in Bangladesh’s regime change during the Biden administration.
However, Trump had to have a translator repeating the question back to him, also in English, before he could answer it.
5. This Egyptian Woman Writer Gave A Masterclass In Decolonization, Criticizing The Word "Middle East”
During a live discussion at the De Balie program in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, late Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi refused to continue the conversation when the host used the word “Middle East.”
“This is colonial language. It’s like third world, like post-colonial,” Saadawi said.
“Middle to what? Middle to whom? You have to ask yourself,” she said.
6. China’s First Police Corgi Stole A Sausage From A Girl While On Patrol But Showed Up To Apologize Later
In the video, Fu Zai, China’s first police corgi, whose name roughly translates to little lucky one, was walking past the little girl when he suddenly jumped up and snatched the sausage right out of her hand.
After the sausage stealing incident, Fu Zai and his human visited the little girl’s kindergarten. They brought two sausages and some goodies to say sorry.
7. An Old Puppet Show Mocking Israel’s Ex-Prime Minister Is Going Viral For Its Accuracy Over 30 Years Later
The sketch features a parody of the BBC quiz show “Mastermind”, with a puppet of then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir appearing as a contestant who ironically chose "human rights" as his specialty.
Shamir was then asked what his occupation was, to which he ironically replied, “the West Bank and Gaza.”
People said that the sketch demonstrated Israel’s longstanding policy of violating the rights of Palestinians, noting that its current genocide in Gaza didn’t start with Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but way before that.
8. This Spanish Politician Slammed EU President Ursula "Bomb" Der Leyen For Supporting Israel’s Genocide
Spanish member of the European Parliament Irene Montero called EU president Ursula von der Leyen, "Ursula bomb der Leyen”, for supporting Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran.
Speaking during a plenary session on Wednesday, June 18, Montero described the US and Israel as “the biggest threats to humanity” and called out several EU leaders for “feeding the monster”.
9. Italy’s Far-Right Prime Minister Interrupted Her Interpreter To Translate Herself Into English
During Italy's far-right minister Giorgia Meloni's meeting with US President Donald Trump in April, 2025, she is seen listening intently to an interpreter translate her response to a question about Italy reaching NATO's defense budget into English.
She is then seen sitting up and stopping the interpreter, saying "Wait, wait, wait, wait, I will do that" before proceeding to translate the question and her answer into English for Trump and the reporters.
10. Spain’s Ex-Football President, Who Forcibly Kissed A Woman Player, Was Egged At His Book Launch
Spain’s ex-football president Luis Rubiales caused a public uproar when he kissed Spanish woman player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without her consent at the medal ceremony after the team’s World Cup win on Aug. 20, 2023.
On Feb. 20, 2025, he was found guilty of sexual assault and fined €10,000 (about US$10,434).
On Nov. 13, 2025, in Madrid, Spain, Rubiales was presenting his memoir "Matar a Rubiales", or “Killing Rubiales” in English, a 500-page about his professional downfall after forcibly kissing Hermoso, in which he claims he was the victim.
A video from the presentation went viral when a man suddenly threw three eggs at Rubiales.
11. This Chinese State News Anchor Accidentally Called Taiwan And China "Two Countries" On Live TV
CCTV news anchor Hu Die made the unexpected mistake while reporting on the news.
“Nothing can stop the trend of the ‘two countries’… the trend of the ‘motherland’ eventually achieving reunification,” she said, before attempting to correct herself.
The slip drew widespread attention, as China has long claimed Taiwan as part of its territory, and has ramped up pressure on Taiwan in recent years.
12. This Mexican Director Took Revenge On "Emilia Pérez" By Making A French Film Entirely Without A French Cast Or Crew
“Emilia Pérez”, a musical thriller, was directed by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard and tells the story of a cartel boss in Mexico, who leaves the life of crime and drugs to become her true self, Emilia Pérez, a trans woman.
Despite the movie's acclaim among critics in Europe and North America, the film has been criticized for not including any Mexican actors and crew members, as well as its stereotypical and superficial representation of people in Mexico.
The buzz surrounding “Emilia Pérez” prompted one Mexican trans woman director named Camila Aurora to create a parody of the film to illustrate its insensitivities.
She released a short film titled “Johanne Sacreblu” on YouTube as a “homage to Emilia Pérez”. Throughout the film, the Mexican actors use a comical French accent while adorning French mustaches and berets.
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