On the front page of the press this Tuesday, September 12, revelations about an agreement between the United States and Iran. The controversy between China and the United Kingdom, after the arrest of a man accused of spying for Beijing. The call, in France, from parliamentarians for the regularization of undocumented workers. And the feat of the Portuguese Seleção, which signed the biggest victory in its history last night, 9-0, against Luxembourg.
On the front page of the press, the revelations of the Washington Post on an agreement between the United States and Iran, providing for an exchange of prisoners and the release of frozen Iranian funds.
According to the American daily, President Joe Biden granted a waiver authorizing the release of $6 billion in Iranian oil funds, and obtained the release of 5 American citizens detained in Iran, in exchange for that of 5 Iranian nationals detained in Iran. UNITED STATES. This agreement is, however, criticized by Republicans, who see it as a “direct incentive for America’s adversaries to carry out future hostage-taking”, and believe that the timing is very bad, as the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, this young Iranian Kurd who died after her arrest by the morality police.
The first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, also mentioned this morning on the front page of the Tehran Times. The official Iranian newspaper, which nowhere mentions an agreement with the United States, cites “a doctor based in Texas”, in the United States, a certain Reza Behrouz, who refutes the thesis. according to which the death of the young woman was caused by a fracture of the skull – facts associated by this “expert” who maintains that Mahsa Amini probably died as a result of a surgical operation, with “fake news”.
Controversy, also, between China and the United Kingdom, after the announcement last week of the arrest of a man, accused of spying for the benefit of Beijing. According to the British press, this man is a researcher who had contacts with Conservative MPs while working in Parliament. China denies having anything to do with this affair, and the political class across the Channel clearly no longer knows which foot to dance on: if the Prime Minister expressed his “deep concern” about possible “interference” from Beijing “in British parliamentary democracy”, Rishi Sunak also stressed the need for economic cooperation with China. A speech also relayed by the Commerce Secretary, who spoke yesterday of “the importance of relations with Beijing”, according to The Daily Telegraph. The Financial Times, for its part, notes that these revelations come as London has recently shown its desire to dialogue with the Chinese regime, after difficult years – a desire for dialogue criticized by some of the conservatives who judge the government “insufficiently firm” towards Beijing.
China, which is also a lot of talk in the presidential race… in the Maldives. Le Monde reports the arrival at the top of the first round, on Saturday, of the mayor of MalĂ©, Mohamed Muizzu, a supporter of Beijing, ahead of the outgoing president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a supporter of a rapprochement with India. According to the newspaper, the competition between the two men “illustrates the struggle for influence between China and India in the Indian Ocean”, where the Maldives, “known for their heavenly beaches and their luxury tourism , have only half a million inhabitants, but occupy a highly strategic position locally. Le Monde recalls that the Maldives “are historically considered by India as its backyard, but that the archipelago had made a 180-degree geostrategic turn from 2013, when the then president, Abdulla Yameen, opened wide the arms to Chinese companies, making his country an essential part of the “new silk roads””. The second round of this presidential election is scheduled for September 30.
A word, also, about this transpartisan initiative, in France, of around thirty parliamentarians, from Modem to environmentalists, to obtain the regularization of undocumented workers. Faced with the temptation of the executive to make concessions to the right on the immigration bill, deputies Renaissance, Modem, Liot, and Nupes published an appeal in LibĂ©ration, whose authors – Julien Bayou for the ecologists or even Fabien Roussel, for the Communists, say they want to protect what the Republicans, on the right, qualify as a “red line”: the regularization of undocumented workers in professions in shortage, an avenue nevertheless put forward by the government which claims to defend a “text balance. “It is very often (these undocumented immigrants) that we find on the front line in sectors in tension such as construction, hotels and restaurants, cleanliness, handling, personal assistance,” recall the signatories.
A word about football, to finish. Impossible to say see you tomorrow without mentioning the qualifying match for Euro 2024, which pitted Portugal against Luxembourg last night. A Seleção delighted the Faro public by signing the biggest victory in its history, 9-0. “Perfeito”, “Perfect”, greets A Bola, the Bible of Portuguese football.
This article is originally published on france24.com