International press review
In the spotlight: confused situation in Sri Lanka after the departure of the president
Audio 05:32
Sri Lankan protesters wave the national flag from the roof of the prime minister's office to demand his resignation, in Colombo, July 13, 2022. © AP / Rafiq Maqbool
By: Anne Corpet Follow
5 mins
Advertising
In Sri Lanka, the press returns to the president's nocturnal flight.
The
Daily Mirror
in Colombo reports that Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country in the middle of the night with his wife and two security officers, on board a military jet.
"
The use of a military aircraft by the Head of State is in accordance with the Constitution
", justifies the spokesman of the air force in the columns of the newspaper.
The aircraft landed in the Maldives at three o'clock in the morning.
The newspaper considers it to be a stopover, but does not know what the ousted president's final destination is.
"
Rajapaksa is stuck
," says
The Hindu
.
According to the Indian newspaper, the United States refused the president's visa application.
"
He fled like a coward
", commented a demonstrator in Colombo, interviewed by the special correspondent of the
New York Times
.
And he adds: “
We need a change of system, not only a change of heads
”.
The political future of the country, now under a state of emergency, remains confused: “
it will take at least four months to organize general elections
”, estimates the president of the electoral commission in the pages of
The Island
.
“
I think most elected officials will be reluctant to run given the hostility of the people towards the political class
,” he explains, and he adds: “
There is also the question of the financing of the ballot.
We currently do not have the necessary means to organize elections
”.
Shireen Abu Akleh's shadow hangs over Joe Biden's trip to Israel
Joe Biden goes to the Jewish state
for the tenth time
: he beats all his predecessors, notes
The Haaretz
.
The daily recalls that the American president met Golda Meir in 1973 during his first visit - he was then a young senator - stresses that he has never stopped supporting Israel during his long political career, but weighs: "
When When it comes to settlement, Biden is like a left-wing Zionist
: OK to serve in the military but furious at Israeli prime ministers who sabotage chances for peace
.”
The Haaretz
also recalls that
the American president is under pressure from the left wing of his party
.
“
The shadow of Shireen Abu Akleh will hang over this trip.
In Washington, fifty-eight Democratic representatives asked the FBI, the Secretary of State and the Department of Defense to launch an investigation to identify the perpetrators of the assassination of the Palestinian-American journalist.
This request is supported by the two senators who chair the Foreign Affairs Committee
”, explains the daily which specifies: “
This pressure around Shireen Abu Akleh's case is not only coming from the most progressive circles.
Four respected senators close to Joe Biden have also called for an independent investigation into the journalist's death
.
Last minute on this subject, since Air Force One en route to Israel, the American executive has just announced that the family of Shireen Abu Akleh was invited to the United States.
Explosion of the port of Beirut
: a complaint filed in the United States
An exclusive on the front page of
Le Temps
: the Swiss newspaper reveals that a collective of victims of the explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020 has filed a
complaint in the United States against an American company
.
With this procedure in Texas, the victims hope to obtain a first victory in their fight against impunity.
The complaint targets the company TGS Nopec Geophysical, which bought Spectrum in August 2019. The latter was one of the sponsors of the boat which transported 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate to Beirut.
Originally the ship was to go to Mozambique but made a detour to Beirut to load an additional 160 tonnes of equipment.
The maneuver will crack the boat and cause the high explosives to be unloaded on site.
“
Before arriving in Beirut, the boat was already at 300
% of its maximum authorized capacity
.
How is it that the Spectrum company chose this ship to carry heavy additional equipment
?
“Asks one of the complainants joined by the newspaper.
Determined, she declares: “
Nothing will bring my son back.
But I want to be able to tell her that I did everything to obtain justice
".
The victims' lawyers evoke the role of Gebran Bassil, former Lebanese Minister of Transport.
He had signed the company's last contract.
Contacted by the newspaper, Gebran Bassil did not respond.
Russians protest against the conflict in Ukraine
“
The Art of Dissent, How Russians Are Protesting the War in Ukraine
,” headlines the
Washington Post
alongside a photo of two young women in dresses stained red like blood spatter.
A photo taken hastily in the streets of Moscow to avoid arrest, but which has gone viral on social networks.
"
With these performances, we can penetrate people's minds and inform them
," explains one of the two young women.
The
Washington Post
also publishes photos of Russians dressed as skeletons brandishing anti-war slogans in a cemetery, that of a man who has decided not to shave his beard until the end of military operations in Ukraine, or even , more spectacular, those of a man lying on the ground in the streets of Moscow, his hands tied behind his back.
An explicit reference to the Bucha massacre.
And the
Washington Post
comments: “
They face jail and steep fines, but Russian protesters are finding creative ways to make their voices heard
.”
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Sri Lanka
Israel
United States
Lebanon
Ukraine
Newspaper