French President Emmanuel Macron accused Elon Musk on Monday of “supporting a new reactionary international” and interfering in the elections of other countries, such as Germany.
“Ten years ago, if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new reactionary international and intervene directly in elections, including Germany, who would have imagined it?” he asked during a speech before the annual conference of French ambassadors.
Macron warned of the “uncertainty” that lives a world increasingly in “disorder”, marked by the return of imperial impulses, the questioning of information and knowledge and the “very violent” questioning of humanism.
He warned that there is “an international of reactionaries” that represents “great private financial interests”, which takes advantage of the fact that “our liberal democracies have not been sufficiently effective” in protecting the middle class.
“We must achieve an agenda for the defense of democracy”
“We must achieve an agenda for the defense of democracy,” with counter-powers, and he also warned that large technology companies, while offering new possibilities, are also making States feel threatened by their growing power.
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Faced with this situation, he reached out to the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, assuring that the future tenant of the White House “kinds that he has a solid ally” in France.
He added that Trump, who will take office in two weeks, has “a lucid ambition about the transatlantic relationship” between the US and Europe, and recalled that France “knew how to work” with Trump during his first term in 2016-2020.
Macron also acknowledged that “if you are weak and defeatist, there is little chance of being respected by President Trump’s United States.”
The French head of state extended his criticism of Russia and Iran. Regarding Russia, he said that it “has changed” in the way it exerts its “aggressiveness towards Europeans,” and recalled its political and electoral interference last year in Romania, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia.
Macron on Ukraine: “There is no quick and easy solution”
He also accused Moscow of “de facto globalizing” the war in Ukraine, which in his opinion is one of the great strategic challenges for Europe.
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Macron acknowledged that “there is no quick and easy solution to that conflict,” but also recalled that there will be no solution without the Ukrainians, something that Europe would not accept either.
And about Iran, he said that his ballistic program “threatens European territory” and that he has been involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as in the conflicts in the Middle East.
“The Iranian issue is one of the main ones that we will deal with with the new US Administration,” he summarized.
Macron also warned about the “very important” risk of “regression” in the international fight against climate change, for which he said he is responsible for the recent disasters in Spain and in the French department of Mayotte.
“There is no justification for the continuation of Israel’s military operations”
On Gaza, he said that “there is no justification for the continuation of Israel’s military operations” in that territory and said that this year must mark the progress for the materialization of Palestinian aspirations.
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The French president also focused on international trade, which in his opinion must be “rethought”, because Europeans “have been too naive”, and gave as an example the dispute with China over electric cars.
“If there is no loyalty in trade, it is not possible to produce competitively in Europe,” he said, so he asked to “defend European production capacity at every step of the value chain.”
Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez reinstated in Fujimori corruption case
José Domingo Pérez, Peru’s top anti-corruption prosecutor who leads the case against political figure Keiko Fujimori for the alleged illegal financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, will resume his duties on Tuesday after successfully appealing a suspension imposed in April.
The National Control Authority of the Public Ministry (ANC) nullified the six-month suspension, according to local media reports citing the official resolution.
The decision, issued Monday by the ANC’s General Appeals Directorate, partially upheld Pérez’s appeal and ordered his reinstatement to the Special Team investigating the Lava Jato and Odebrecht corruption cases in Peru.
Pérez was suspended on April 7 for six months, during which time he was barred from carrying out his role as provincial prosecutor of the Special Lava Jato Team, due to alleged administrative misconduct.
The resolution noted that “preventive removal from prosecutorial duties is reserved for exceptional and severe circumstances that compromise the dignity of the role and damage the prosecutor’s public reputation.”
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Pérez had called the suspension “unjust and abusive,” adding that Peruvian prosecutors are enduring “difficult and resistant times.”
Meanwhile, on April 3, the Peruvian judiciary upheld a decision to annul the trial against Fujimori regarding alleged irregular campaign financing, affirming a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
As a result, Pérez’s previous appeal was rejected, and the Public Ministry must now rework parts of the investigation and file new charges—a process legal experts say could take between one year and 18 months.
A judge will then determine whether to proceed to trial against Fujimori and 32 other individuals connected to her political party, Fuerza Popular, over alleged illegal contributions from companies like Brazil’s Odebrecht and several Peruvian conglomerates.
Spain approves plan to reduce workweek to 37.5 hours
Spanish workers could soon enjoy an extra 2.5 hours of free time per week.
On Tuesday, the Spanish government approved a draft bill to reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 37.5 hours.
According to the Ministry of Labor, the measure will benefit 12.5 million private sector workers, both full-time and part-time. The ministry also stated that the move is expected to improve productivity and reduce absenteeism.
“Today, we are modernizing the world of work and, more importantly, helping people be a little happier,” said Vice President and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz during a press conference.
Mexican authorities have arrested Jesús Guzmán Castro, also known as ‘Chuy’ or ‘Narizón’, a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, specifically from the ‘Los Mayos’ faction. He is accused of conspiracy and distributing cocaine to the United States, according to security sources.
Guzmán Castro was captured in Culiacán, the capital of the northern state of Sinaloa, and authorities confirmed that he has an arrest warrant for extradition to the United States. He is linked to criminal charges including organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
The Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) reported that his arrest was the result of an investigation and international cooperation aimed at dismantling criminal networks, according to an official statement.
The arrest is significant as it occurred amid the Sinaloa Cartel’s internal struggle following the capture of Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada in the United States, which led to a violent confrontation between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos. This conflict has exacerbated violence in Sinaloa, particularly in Culiacán, with over 800 homicides reported since September 2024.
