International press review
In the spotlight: fear of new tensions in the eastern Mediterranean
Audio 05:21
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurates a new drilling platform called "Abdulhamid Han", August 9, 2022. © REUTERS / PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE
By: Sébastien Duhamel Follow
4 mins
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It's all about hydrocarbons, once again.
In Greece, the newspapers are wondering about the intentions of Turkey, which is relaunching its search for oil and natural gas on Tuesday, August 9.
Two years ago, a crisis erupted when Turkish ships carried out searches, under military escort, in a disputed area.
This Tuesday, a brand new Turkish drilling platform takes off from the province of Mersin, during a ceremony in the presence of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, explains
I Kathimerini
who speaks of a "
spectacle
".
And the big question – it is even the “
thriller
” of this month of August, ironically the Greek newspaper – is: where will this platform navigate in order to carry out research?
Another Greek media,
Ta Nea,
confirms.
The Turkish president announced on August 8 the departure of the platform, but he did not reveal his destination.
He must do it today.
Turkey's largest drilling rig
“
Abdülhamid Khan
” is his name.
The Turkish media presents it in length, in width and across, videos and graphics in support on the site of
Hürryiet
in particular.
The Milliyet
newspaper
also delivers what it considers to be "
remarkable features
".
Nine floors, 238 meters long, 42 meters wide, Abdülhamid Khan can drill more than 12 kilometers deep.
It is the fourth Turkish research vessel, but it is "
the strongest of the fleet
", boasts
Milliyet
.
Similar platforms, “
there are only 5 in the world!
“, underlines the Turkish newspaper.
Greece on the alert
Whatever the destination, Athens is "
ready for any scenario
", says
Kathimerini
, although the prevailing assumption is that the platform "
will move in the area around Cyprus
".
Still a little further on in
Kathimerini
, in a post entitled "
the geopolitics of drilling
", a professor of international law rightly fears "
a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus
", and he reaffirms Athens' solidarity with the Cypriots .
Yes, a "
possible hot episode
" is to be feared, also believes
To Vima
.
"
The scenario of a war between Greece and Turkey is still a threat on the political horizon
", analyzes the Greek newspaper.
Because the relations between the two countries have “
remained in the particular state of neither peace nor war for years
.
But when does a war break out?
The question has systematically occupied political thought since the time of Thucydides
,” concludes
To Vima
.
Extension of China's exercises around Taiwan
Other skies, other tensions.
China extended its military exercises around Taiwan on Monday, August 8.
This marks “
an extension of the previously announced schedule
,” notes the
Global Times
.
True to the line of the Beijing regime, the Chinese newspaper says that "
exercises of this type will not stop and should become a routine until reunification
".
According to the
Global Times
, mainland China "
shows its determination to push forward the reunification process after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to the island last week
".
A visit "
which seriously violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, according to experts
", says the Chinese newspaper without citing any.
In Taiwan, the
Taipei Times
and
Taiwan News
are concerned.
In Germany, one of the "biggest post-war tax scandals"
It is in these terms that
Die Zeit
presents it .
Also on the front page of the
Frankfurter Algemeine
or the
Suddeütsche Zeitung
: the trial of Hanno Berger.
At 71, this former tax lawyer is on trial for tax evasion.
After a run of almost 9 years in Switzerland, underlines the economic daily
Handelsblatt
which looks back on "
the rise and fall
" of Hanno Berger.
A case known as the "
CumEx
" case.
He risks 15 years in prison, suspected of being the mastermind of vast financial arrangements which allowed investors to escape the tax on dividends all over the world.
In Germany in particular, he “
used a loophole in the law to deceive the state for years
”, explains
Die Zeit
.
Targeted by three trials, he partially admitted the facts of which he is accused here.
Hanno Berger would have embezzled some 278 million euros from German taxpayers, but internationally, many states would have suffered significant damage.
At the time when the case was revealed by an international consortium of newspapers, we were talking about nearly 140 billion dollars in total.
A face in newspapers around the world
Olivia Newton-John's face is on newsstands around the world.
We see it in Italy, on the front page of
Corriere della Sera
,
La Repubblica
or
La Stampa
.
In the United Kingdom, on the front page of the
Times
, the
Guardian
or the
Daily Mail
.
Unanimous tribute to the American actress who died after 30 years of battling breast cancer.
“
Hollywood mourns its loss
,” writes
The Hollywood Reporter
in the United States.
It is of course there that she made herself known, with one film in particular: the mythical
Grease
, a late 1970s musical starring John Travolta.
His face is also often attached to that of Olivia Newton-John today.
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