Birth of a submarine, Evergrande, German elections, football in Suriname
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Dateline United Nations Headquarters in New York. Joe Biden spoke to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday as Washington’s oldest ally France recalled ambassadors to the two countries in an unprecedented blind reaction to a contract for abandoned submarine with Canberra and a surprise military alliance that unites the UK and closes Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron has since responded to Joe Biden’s call and the French ambassador returned to Washington on Monday. Siding with Paris, former Australian Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told France 24 it made no sense to abandon an existing deal for a hypothetical one. Last week, the French Foreign Minister said he had not even bothered to recall the ambassador to London because, as Jean-Yves Le Drian said, Britain is the fifth coach wheel.
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, the Chinese president took to the highways, making no mention of the rivalries between the superpowers. Instead, he vowed to stop funding coal-fired power plants abroad: an important first step ahead of next month’s UN climate summit in Glasgow.
Xi Jinping has more pressing concerns than the South China Sea, such as the Sea of Red Ink overwhelming struggling real estate giant Evergrande. Once the height of China’s real estate boom, the company owes its creditors $ 305 billion. On Thursday, he missed an interest payment of $ 83 million to bondholders, increasing uncertainty for everyone from international banks to construction workers at an unfinished construction site in Suzhu near Shanghai. .
Germany is not done with Merkel yet and certainly not its own Christian Democratic Union party. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel at a final rally in Munich alongside her potential successor Armin Laschet and the leader of the Bavarian sister party CSU Markus Söder. During the candidates’ last debate on Thursday, Laschet vowed to be firm if need be, when asked about Nord Stream 2, the pipeline that runs from Russia to Merkel’s home constituency on the Baltic Sea. Meanwhile, Social Democratic leader Olaf Scholz staged his last big rally in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. Scholz was in Munster before heading to Cologne, where the current finance minister of a Merkel-led coalition government hopes to emerge as the capable manager who can replace her shoes.
After Roger Milla scored for Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup at the age of 42, it’s time for Ronnie Brunswijk. Suriname’s Inter Moengotapoe owner signed up against Olympia Honduras for the Concacaf Cup first leg on Tuesday. At the ripe old age of 60, he played 54 minutes. Brunswijk is not only the owner of the stadium that bears his name. He is also a former rebel leader, drug lord and vice president of the country. He won’t play the return leg, but not because Inter lost 6-0, but rather because there is a notice from Interpol for his arrest if he travels.
Produced by Charles Wente, Sophie Pizzimenti, Juliette Laurain, Laura Burloux.
