World
French conservatives blast von der Leyen's 'technocratic drift'
Ahead of the congress of the European People’s Party (EPP), the French delegation has come strongly against the re-election bid of Ursula von der Leyen, denouncing her as “the candidate of Mr Macron and not the right.”
Von der Leyen is expected to be elected by acclamation as the EPP’s lead candidate for the elections of the European Parliament during a two-day congress in Bucharest, which kicks off on Wednesday. The nomination will make von der Leyen the indisputable frontrunner to preside over the European Commission for another five years.
But in a deliberately timed letter, the French delegation of the EPP from the Les Républicains (“The Republicans”) party, published a scathing letter blasting von der Leyen’s policy legacy and leaving no doubt of their opposition to her re-election.
Les Républicains are in opposition in the French Assembly and support President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal government on a case-by-case basis.
“For far too long, the Union has distanced itself from the people of Europe and fed their distrust by building walls in technocratic reflexes. We cannot resign ourselves to this crisis of confidence,” Eric Ciotti, president of Les Républicains, writes in the letter.
“To face future challenges, Europe needs clarity. Europe needs profound changes and a renewal at the top of the European Commission. The outgoing Commission president cannot be this candidate because she embodies precisely this technocratic drift.”
Ciotti castigates von der Leyen because she did not run as a lead candidate under the so-called Spitzenkandidaten system in 2019 and was instead hand-picked by Macron as a conservative figure who was moderate and flexible enough to appease the progressive faction of the European Council.
Von der Leyen’s surprising appointment enraged the European Parliament, which confirmed her bid by a razor-thin margin. She later tried to make amends by putting forward an ambitious, far-reaching agenda that included the European Green Deal, a €750-billion recovery fund, the joint procurement of vaccines, 13 rounds of sanctions against Russia, the opening of accession talks with Ukraine, a comprehensive reform of migration and asylum policy, and ground-breaking legislation to rein in AI and Big Tech.
Ciotti hones in on some of these initiatives to denounce von der Leyen’s mandate as overly progressive and contrary to conservative values, directly blaming her for the farmer protests that have recently swept across Europe. The backlash has put von der Leyen in an awkward position, caught between her staunch defence of the Green Deal and the right-wing pressure of her political family.
“A candidate of Mr Macron and not the right, she has continuously left the European majority drift towards the left,” Ciotti says.
“This was particularly the case on environmental and agricultural issues, but also in the management of the migration crisis. This drift has fuelled anger that can now be heard throughout the continent, particularly among our farmers and our fishers.”
Ciotti then goes on to excoriate von der Leyen for, in his view, having embraced “anti-nuclear dogmas” and “de-growth policies promoted by the left,” and “failing to confront mass immigration and secure the external borders,” an apparent reference to the steady rise of asylum requests after the pandemic. In 2023, the bloc received 1.14 million applications for international protection, a seven-year high.
Ciotti also censures von der Leyen for having participated in an event of Renaissance, Macron’s party, back in October, something that, for him, reflects her lack of party loyalty.
“By giving the impression to the European people that Europe is being built without them, and even against them, Ms von der Leyen and Mr Macron are risking a dramatic and dangerous weakening of the European project,” Ciotti says.
The letter is addressed to Manfred Weber, president of the EPP, and is dated 5 March, even if it was made public on social media the following day. Given that Les Républicains hold only seven seats in the 177-member group, the harsh indictment is not expected to derail von der Leyen’s electoral prospects.
The text, however, serves to expose the party’s ideological divide caused by five years of transformational policies, which have left the largest formation in the European Parliament striving to uphold its conservative roots while advancing von der Leyen’s vision.
Speaking to Euronews ahead of the congress, Thanasis Bakolas, the EPP’s secretary general, threw his support behind the incumbent.
“We have one candidate for this position. It is the sitting president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, a person with a (track) record, a person whose commitment to Europe is unquestionable,” Bakolas said.
“We’re very much looking forward for Ms von der Leyen to be our lead candidate for the European elections. And of course, we look forward to her second term in office.”
Asked about the farmer protests and the pressure put on the EPP to move away from the Green Deal, Bakolas said the party was open to taking their demands into consideration.
“We got a lot of heat and a lot of pushback when we listened to farmers when they were asking society as a whole and us, as the EPP, to listen to their needs because farmers are the custodians of the land,” he said. “They care about the land.”
World
Israeli Strikes Kill a Journalist and Injure Another in Lebanon
Israeli strikes killed one journalist and wounded another in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, rattling a tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said the Israeli military had targeted the journalists in the town of Tayri, where they took shelter in a nearby house after an airstrike struck a vehicle in front of the car they were traveling in. About an hour and a half later, a second strike hit the house they were hiding in, according to a statement by a Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which employed the journalist who was killed.
The Lebanese Red Cross said its teams came under fire while trying to evacuate the journalists from the house, forcing them to withdraw. The rescue crews were targeted by a warning strike and machine-gun fire, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Zeinab Faraj, a photojournalist, was rescued from the house. The other journalist, Amal Khalil, who was a reporter for Al-Akhbar, remained trapped under rubble for hours before emergency medics recovered her body, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.
In addition to Ms. Khalil, the two people in the car in front of her were killed in the strikes, Al-Akhbar reported.
Amid the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon, Israel has continued strikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, citing its right to self-defense. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia group, said that it had fired rockets and drones into Israel on Tuesday in response to what it said were violations of the cease-fire. Earlier on Wednesday, the Lebanese News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike killed one person and wounded two others in another part of the country.
The Lebanese health ministry called the strikes in Tayri a “blatant double breach, involving both the obstruction of rescue efforts for a civilian known for her media and humanitarian work, and the direct targeting of an ambulance clearly marked with the Red Cross.”
The Israeli military denied in a statement that it had prevented rescuers from reaching the injured journalists, and said the incident was under investigation.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli military said Israeli forces had spotted two vehicles emerging from a military building used by Hezbollah. The military observed the vehicles cross what the spokeswoman called the forward defense line, determining the move to be a violation of the truce agreement.
The spokeswoman confirmed that the Israeli military had struck one of the vehicles and the building some of the occupants of the second vehicle had taken shelter in.
Ms. Khalil had covered southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah exercises strong control, since at least 2006. In a tribute to Ms. Khalil, a colleague from Al-Akhbar said she embodied the resilience of the southern Lebanese through her relentless reporting, refusing to leave the front lines of war where thousands of Lebanese had been displaced.
“As with every act of aggression, wearing a press vest did not protect those who wore it from the treachery of the Israeli enemy,” Al-Akhbar said in a statement. “Instead, it has become a danger to journalists’ lives, as part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at silencing anyone who seeks to expose the crimes and practices of the occupation.”
In a forceful statement on social media, Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese prime minister, accused the Israeli military of war crimes for targeting journalists and obstructing access to medical aid. He said that Lebanon would pursue action to ensure Israel is held accountable with international bodies.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said that it was outraged by the attack, and that it raised serious concerns of deliberate targeting.
“The repeated strikes on the same location, the targeting of an area where journalists were sheltering, and the obstruction of medical and humanitarian access constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
World
Former Mexican beauty queen found shot dead as investigators examine possible family involvement: reports
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A former Mexican beauty queen was found shot to death in her Mexico City apartment, with investigators examining the possible involvement of her mother-in-law, according to local reports.
Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, was found dead inside an apartment in the Polanco neighborhood, one of the city’s most affluent areas, Reporte Índigo, a Mexico-based news outlet, reported.
Authorities said the death is being investigated as a homicide, after initial findings indicated she suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency responders were called to the scene, where paramedics confirmed she showed no signs of life.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Flores Gómez’s mother-in-law, Erika María, as well as a man described in reports as her partner or husband, may have been involved in her death.
CALIFORNIA HIKER’S BODY FOUND NAKED IN BIG SUR BACKCOUNTRY
Carolina Flores Gómez was found shot dead in her luxury apartment April 15 in Mexico City. Her mother-in-law has been named the main suspect in the suspected homicide. (Jam Press)
The man, identified as Alejandro, accused his mother of killing Flores Gómez, Mexican news outlet Azteca Guerrero reported.
The outlet also reported that the woman’s mother-in-law was present at the scene when the gun was fired and that authorities are looking into the timeline of when the incident was reported.
WIDOW, SON OF LATE CHICAGO COMMISSIONER FOUND SHOT DEAD INSIDE HOME IN SUSPECTED HOMICIDE
Mexican prosecutors have opened a homicide with intent case in the death of former beauty queen Carolina Flores Gómez. (Jam Press)
Preliminary reports cited by Mexican news outlet Diario Puntual indicate that a security guard at the building did not hear gunshots, adding uncertainty about how the crime occurred.
Authorities in Baja California, Mexico, also responded to the case, Diario Puntual reported.
CIA PERSONNEL KILLED IN MEXICO CRASH TIED TO CARTEL OPERATION; QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER US ROLE
Former beauty queen Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, was found dead in her Mexico City apartment. (Jam Press)
Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda expressed solidarity with the victim’s family and called for the case to be clarified.
State prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez also said there is coordination with Mexico City authorities to support the investigation.
Flores Gómez previously competed in beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Teen Universe Baja California in 2017.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The case has drawn attention in Mexico amid ongoing concerns about violence against women, with advocacy groups calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
The investigation into the matter is open and ongoing.
World
‘Blockade and threats’: Iran blames US siege of ports for stalled talks
Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed at least five people on Wednesday, including Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, in what was described as a ‘heinous crime’ by the government.
Published On 23 Apr 2026
-
Augusta, GA3 minutes ago
Start your engines: Augusta Tech gets $6.8M grant for new auto institute
-
Washington, D.C9 minutes agoLawton veteran returns from Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight to Washington
-
Cleveland, OH15 minutes ago’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville
-
Austin, TX21 minutes agoCentral Texas aquifers could see slight boost after week of rainfall
-
Alabama27 minutes agoAlabama QB Ty Simpson says faith in Jesus Christ fuels confidence heading into 2026 NFL Draft
-
Alaska33 minutes agoHawaiian and Alaska Airlines officially integrate digital services
-
Arizona39 minutes agoArizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for April 22, 2026
-
Arkansas45 minutes agoArkansas’ congressional delegation updates state business leaders on legislative priorities | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette