In the papers
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
By Gulliver Cragg
Le Figaro (France)
Saving face with Beijing
The whole business of the Olympic flame and protests has damaged China’s relations with France particularly – it was here that the procession of the flame was most badly disrupted, and President Nicolas Sarkozy has been particularly vocal in calling for action by China on Tibet.
So Le Figaro’s editorial welcomes the Chinese decision to speak to the Dalai Lama – Pierre Rousselin says it is a very significant gesture and he believes it comes in response to pressure from Paris. It shows how important a successful Olympics is for China, the article says, but though Beijing is not about to make any great promises, such as Hong-Kong style autonomy for Tibet, now is the time to recognize that it has made a concession, and not up the ante.
China Daily (China)
Events reported from many different angles
Meanwhile in China, Qu Yingpu of the China Daily complains about foreign media coverage of the flame's progress – he says we offer a disproportionate account of the level of protests. Qu is the paper's deputy editor-in-chief , and also spokesman for the torch relay…
El Mundo (Colombia)
The scandal of politicians’ alleged links to paramilitary death squads continues to shake Colombian society.
El Mundo in Medellín carries an interview with Carlos Garcia Orjuela, the president of Alvaro Uribe’s party, who features among those under investigation. He says his conscience is clear, but as the interviewer William Acero Arango points out, thirty members of congress are being held over the alleged links and another 62 are being investigated. For the journalist, this is the biggest crisis in Colombian political history; indeed, there’s never been anything like it anywhere in Latin America.
El Colombiano (Colombia)
Ex AUC member says NGO offered cash to smear Uribe
El Mundo is a Liberal paper. In the more conservative El Colombiano, also based in Medellín, the plot thickens: see this headline on the front page: EX AUC MEMBER SAYS NGO OFFERED CASH TO SMEAR URIBE – a former member of the AUC rightist paramilitaries says a left-wing, foreign-based NGO offered him money to give evidence on the Colombian President’s links to the paras, i.e. to smear the president. Alvaro Uribe is currently under investigation for his links to the right-wing death squads.
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Excuses ring hollow as the world idly waits for Mugabe’s disaster
Meanwhile, the situation in Zimbabwe continues to make headlines all over the world. As we wait for results of the election recount, intimidation against the opposition continues unabated… In Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald’s diplomatic editor Cynthia Banham has written an opinion piece describing the fears of people in Zimbabwe, and accusing the world of idly waiting for disaster. Is there really no more the international community can do, she asks, suggesting that the best place to apply pressure is on Zimbabwe’s southern African neighbours.
The Sun (UK)
Amy cheats on Blake
Collins has had his Phil
Doherty turns to Islam
Perhaps it’s a little shameful to skip from so terrible a tragedy to so such a minor one, but I couldn’t help noticing that, apart from Zimbabwe, the other story really making headlines all over the world is the state of Amy Winehouse: the British soul singer and drug addict has been arrested for assault.
The Sun, however, has more details: it all happened after she got wasted celebrating her break-up from her junkie husband Blake. She’s got a new man, who’s a bit more clean-cut, apparently.
And as it’s Saturday, why not continue in the same vein, with some more British celebrity news from The Sun... We also learn that Pete Doherty formerly of the Libertines, and currently in jail on drug offences, is reading the Koran in his prison cell; the Sun wonders whether he’ll convert to Islam.
And finally, champagne was apparently flowing in the newspaper’s offices at the news that the deeply unfashionable Phil Collins, formerly of Genesis, has announced his retirement.
