President Macron re-elected in the French presidential elections
Emmanuel Macron becomes the fourth French leader to win a second term since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958, overcoming the growing threat from far-right rival Marine Le Pen. The République En Marche candidate received 58.8% of the votes, a margin 8% smaller than his previous victory over Le Pen in 2017. However, the high voter abstention rate in France is alarming, denoting how growing political extremism makes it harder for people to choose their preferred candidate (reflected by the popular phrase “ni l’un ni l’autre” – neither one nor the other).
Elon Musk buys Twitter
The board of renowned social networking site Twitter struck an agreement with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for a £34.5bn takeover, with the bid just two weeks ago coming as a shock to the world. Twitter’s board rejected the sizeable bid at first, but since reconsideration has asked its shareholders to accept the transfer. Musk spoke of the app’s “tremendous potential”, describing it as “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated”. In a statement informing the world of the purchase, the entrepreneur vowed to restrict content, remove fake accounts, and enhance it with new and improved features, as well as simultaneously promote free speech, posing the question of what will happen to extremists (such as Trump) if they get their platforms back.
Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to five years imprisonment
Myanmar’s ex civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi – deposed in a military coup in February 2021 – is predicted to remain behind bars into her eighties after being charged with corruption. This sentence comes in addition to the previous six years she has served under an alleged violating of Covid-19 rules, incitement against the military, and a breach of telecommunications law. Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize laureate, described the court’s most recent ruling against her as “absurd”, with a member of her legal team telling international media that “[the verdict] is unfair and [they] will appeal”.
