In the spotlight: France outraged by the United States' decision
US Presidents Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, at the G7 meeting in England, July 11, 2021 AP - Phil Noble
Text by: Romain Lemaresquier Follow
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Tensions are more than palpable between France and the United States, following the cancellation of the contract of more than 30 billion dollars signed with Australia for the construction of conventional submarines. A subject that dominates the front pages of the American press this Friday. The historic agreement sealed Thursday between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia to try to preserve security in the Indo-Pacific region was aimed at China, says the
Washington Post
, but had the consequence of offending France . French officials are even outraged, details the daily. Because in addition to financial issues, this agreement demonstrates the real intentions of the United States in terms of geostrategy for which, from now on, China is the main adversary, explains the newspaper.
For the
Washington Post
, this decision marks a turning point in relations with the European Union, a partner hitherto essential, but which is now relegated to the backyard. According to an analyst interviewed by the daily, the European Union is not a player in this Indo-Pacific region, unlike Australia and the United Kingdom, two long-standing partners who forge very long-term ties in allying with the United States with which they now share advanced nuclear technology. For the
New York Times
, this decision strains relations between two historical partners, namely France and the United States. Relations which fall back to the same level as in 2003, when France opposed the American intervention in Iraq.
Texas facing unprecedented influx of migrants
Thousands of migrants are crammed under a bridge in the border town of Del Rio in Texas, waiting for their cases to be processed.
Since the start of the week, a constant flow of migrants, mostly Haitian nationals, according to the
Houston Chronicle
, have converged on this small town on the banks of the Rio Grande, the river that marks the border between the United States and Mexico.
Local authorities say they are overwhelmed by the number of migrants who are more than 9,000, according to the
New York Times
.
A figure that should increase further, according to the authorities.
These migrants are installed under a bridge, to protect them from the sun, says
CNN
. And it will take days, even weeks for the files of these asylum seekers to be processed despite the reinforcements that must be sent, reports the border police interviewed by the New York daily. Officials who have allegedly called for help from the Republican Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott. The latter announced in a press release yesterday his intention to close six crossing points between the two countries in an attempt to slow down the entry of migrants on American soil, details the
Houston Chronicle
.
Greg Abbott took the opportunity to attack the Biden administration, guilty of negligence, according to him.
But a few hours later, the Texan governor reconsidered his statements, because as the daily explains, he does not have the power to decide on his own whether a border should be closed.
The situation is therefore tense in Del Rio and this tension is likely to increase further in the days to come, concludes the
New York Times.
Public Account Settlement in Argentina
In Argentina, less than a week after the defeat of the ruling party in the primaries, war is in full swing within the Argentinian executive. The pressure is maximum against President Alberto Fernandez, details this Friday
Clarin
. Blame it on a letter from the vice-president and former Argentine leader Cristina Fernandez Kirchner. In this public letter, she recalls that since the beginning of the week, she has pleaded for a change of government, which President Alberto Fernandez has so far refused.
The one who had chosen Alberto Fernandez as presidential candidate seems to have distanced himself from the head of state.
A rupture which accentuates the instability of the government, estimates
La Nacion
.
Alberto Fernandez, who was due to attend a summit in Mexico on Thursday, has finally canceled his trip.
A crisis that seems endless and which, according to
La Nacion,
marks
the beginning of the end for the Peronist movement.
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