International
Elon Musk calls Australia “fascist” for plan against disinformation on social networks
The owner of the X platform, Elon Musk, called Australia “fascist” for proposing a law to fine social networks and digital platforms with 5% of their global income for spreading misleading or false news that causes serious damage.
“Fascist” Musk wrote on Thursday night on his X account, when sharing the news about this bill presented by the Canberra Executive to combat the serious damage caused by the distribution of misinformation and misinformation in the safety, health and well-being of Australians, as well as to the democracy, society and economy of the oceanic country.
The answer from Australia
For the assistant of the Australian Ministry of the Treasury, Stephen Jones, Musk’s comments are “crapid,” as he told the Australian public broadcaster ABC when he stressed that the bill responds to the exercise of the “sovereignty” of his country, as of any other, to keep its citizens “safe from scammers, safe from criminals.”
“I don’t understand how Elon Musk or anyone else, in the name of freedom of expression, thinks it’s okay to have social media platforms that publish content about scams (…) ultra-fake news, child pornography or live broadcast murder scenes,” he said.
“Is this what he believes freedom of expression is?” Jones said, alluding to Musk’s reaction when the Electronic Security Commissioner in Australia, Inman Grant, ordered social networks last April to remove the videos related to a stabbing of a bishop in an Assyrian church in Sydney, which the authorities described as terrorist.
X, who considered that the order was an attack on freedom of expression, only geoblocked the images in Australia, which motivated the commissioner to go to court to have the material removed worldwide, although she withdrew the lawsuit two months later on the grounds of wanting to focus on other pending trials.
Musk’s criticisms
Last night’s criticism from Musk refers to the 2024 Draft Amendment to the Communications Legislation (Fight against Misinformation and Misinformation), which was presented on Thursday to the Parliament in Canberra.
With the law, the Canberra Executive plans to give more powers to supervise and regulate the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which may impose a code of conduct, although it may not be able to withdraw individual content, among other measures.
This proposal is part of a series of initiatives that have been announced or presented to Parliament against ‘doxing’ (reveying information about a person online without their consent), online fraud, and the imposition of age limits for accessing social networks.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
International
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.
The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.
“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.
While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.
International
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
Julio César Jasso Ramírez, identified by authorities as the gunman behind the armed attack at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán, had allegedly spent years building a personal narrative shaped by an obsession with historical mass shootings, extremist symbolism, and an increasing detachment from reality.
According to preliminary findings from the Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México, the 27-year-old suspect, originally from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, acted alone and appeared to have carefully planned the attack.
Investigators also pointed to signs of a severe psychological or psychiatric disorder. One official involved in the case stated that the suspect seemed to live in “his own reality,” disconnected from the world around him.
“I would not speak of a motive; I would speak of psychopathy, a condition, an illness,” the official said while discussing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities reported that Jasso Ramírez was allegedly fixated on mass violence incidents that occurred outside Mexico, particularly in the United States.
Among the items found in his possession were writings, images, and materials reportedly linked to the Columbine High School massacre, the school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue analyzing evidence connected to the suspect’s background and mental state.
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