An Australian newspaper gave G20 leaders an irreverent welcome Friday, with our new President, Joko Widodo, seen wearing an apron over one of his signature checkered shirts and tending to a barbecue alongside other world leaders engaged in similarly stereotypical Australian activities.
Barack Obama is depicted bare-chested and in swimming trunks, Angela Merkel is shown hugging a koala and Vladimir Putin can be seen wearing a hat made from beer cartons. Japan’s Shinzo Abe is dressed as a surf lifeguard and Chinese leader Xi Jinping looking like he is heading for a swim with a towel draped over his shoulder.
A wrap-around front-page of an Australian newspaper displayed in the media centre gives G20 leaders an irreverent welcome at their Summit in Brisbane on November 14, 2014. Photo: William West / AFP
Indian Prime Minister Nahendra Modi is portrayed as having just hauled in a huge fish, France’s Francois Hollande is sipping white wine while South Africa’s Jacob Zuma holds a beer.
Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who hosts the leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies for the G20 summit in Brisbane this weekend, is shown having emerged from the surf wearing only swimming briefs — known in Australia as budgie-smugglers — and cap.
While the wrap-around ‘Welcome to Paradise’ cover took a light-hearted tone, giving Obama the nick name ‘Bazza’ and explaining local landmarks and lingo, inside the tabloid took a more serious stance — devoting its proper front page to the downing of Flight MH17 and calling on Putin to say ‘sorry’.
The editors are lucky they didn’t decide to photoshop Jokowi into a skimpier outfit. We know how much trouble people can get into for doing that sort of thing, don’t we?
Story: Agence France-Presse
