learning...

Learning English - Words in the News

23 April, 2007 - Published 12:45 GMT

French presidential election

The French have chosen the right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and the Socialist Segolene Royal to battle it out for the presidency after the first round of voting took place on Sunday. Mr Sarkozy gained 30% of the vote and Ms Royal 26%. This report from Paul Legg:
Listen to the story
Unlike five years ago when the presidential run-off in France offered a choice between a centre-right incumbent, Jacques Chirac, and a far-right politician, Jean-Marie le Pen, this time voters will face a more classic choice between Right and Left.
In the coming two weeks, both Mr Sarkozy and Ms Royal will have a difficult challenge. On the one hand, they'll want to shore up their core support on the Right and Left but, on the other hand, they'll need to appeal to the nearly one-fifth of voters who opted for the centrist candidate, Francois Bayrou, in the first round. Mr Bayrou's message was one of unity and pragmatism and both the candidates are certain to be stressing those themes.
It's hard to imagine two more different personalities than Mr Sarkozy, the former hard-line Interior Minister who leads from the front, and Ms Royal who promises a new style of leadership based on inclusivity. The policy contrast is also stark. Mr Sarkozy wants the French to work harder and pay less tax, is promising to curb union powers and a crackdown on young offenders. Ms Royal would maintain and improve France's welfare state, raise the minimum wage and, as she has put it, "reform the country without breaking it". Her election would also, of course, take France into totally uncharted territory - with a woman as president for the first time in the country's history.
Paul Legg, BBC
Listen to the words
run-offthe final round of voting in the French election
incumbentsomeone who is already holding a post
to shore upto make secure, to use to their advantage
core supporthere, people who always vote for the same party
to appeal toto become liked by, to get support from
opted forchose, voted for
pragmatisma practical attitude
inclusivitynot excluding any section of society
starksharply evident, very obvious
totally uncharted territoryan entirely new situation, something that has never happened before
Read more about this story

French presidential election

Learning English - Words in the News

23 April, 2007 - Published 12:45 GMT

French presidential election

The French have chosen the right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and the Socialist Segolene Royal to battle it out for the presidency after the first round of voting took place on Sunday. Mr Sarkozy gained 30% of the vote and Ms Royal 26%. This report from Paul Legg:
Listen to the story
Unlike five years ago when the presidential run-off in France offered a choice between a centre-right incumbent, Jacques Chirac, and a far-right politician, Jean-Marie le Pen, this time voters will face a more classic choice between Right and Left.
In the coming two weeks, both Mr Sarkozy and Ms Royal will have a difficult challenge. On the one hand, they'll want to shore up their core support on the Right and Left but, on the other hand, they'll need to appeal to the nearly one-fifth of voters who opted for the centrist candidate, Francois Bayrou, in the first round. Mr Bayrou's message was one of unity and pragmatism and both the candidates are certain to be stressing those themes.
It's hard to imagine two more different personalities than Mr Sarkozy, the former hard-line Interior Minister who leads from the front, and Ms Royal who promises a new style of leadership based on inclusivity. The policy contrast is also stark. Mr Sarkozy wants the French to work harder and pay less tax, is promising to curb union powers and a crackdown on young offenders. Ms Royal would maintain and improve France's welfare state, raise the minimum wage and, as she has put it, "reform the country without breaking it". Her election would also, of course, take France into totally uncharted territory - with a woman as president for the first time in the country's history.
Paul Legg, BBC
Listen to the words
run-off = the final round of voting in the French election
incumbent = someone who is already holding a post
to shore up = to make secure, to use to their advantage
core support = here, people who always vote for the same party
to appeal to = to become liked by, to get support from
opted for = chose, voted for
pragmatism = a practical attitude
inclusivity = not excluding any section of society
stark = sharply evident, very obvious
totally uncharted territory = an entirely new situation, something that has never happened before
Read more about this story

Yeltsin Leaves Behind Mixed Legacy
By Andre de Nesnera Washington23 April 2007
De Nesnera report - Download 404k Listen to De Nesnera report
Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin has died in Moscow at the age of 76. In this report from Washington, Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera looks at the Russian leader's legacy.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin waves as he arrives at Helsinki airport (File photo - 20 Mar 1997) Western experts on Russia use one word to describe Boris Yeltsin's presidency from 1991 to 1999 - "contradictory."
Marshal Goldman is a Russia expert at Harvard University.
"The positive side, he helped bring about the collapse of the Soviet system, of communism - he brought in democracy, he brought in the market system," said Marshal Goldman. "But the negative side, from a Russian point of view, if you were Russian - under his administration, Russia lost its status as a superpower."
Few can forget the sight of Yeltsin - newly elected president of Russia - standing atop a tank in
Boris Yeltsin atop a tank (Aug 1991, declaring illegal an attempted hardline coup against Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev.
Several months later - in December - Gorbachev resigned, bringing to an end the existence of the Soviet Union.
But in October 1993, President Yeltsin stunned the world by ordering the army to shell the parliament building occupied by anti-Yeltsin forces, including lawmakers.
Dale Herspring, a Russia expert with Kansas State University, says Yeltsin had no choice.
"He was working with a parliament that was pretty-much communist dominated and what he did was completely illegal but he felt that he had to destroy them in order to get communism out," said Dale Herspring.
Boris Yeltsin (file photo)Experts say Yeltsin did introduce many aspects of democracy such as multi-party elections, private property and the right to free speech. But they point out that the single military action against the parliament tarnished his image as a democratic leader.
Analysts say on the economic front, Yeltsin's record was also mixed.
Robert Legvold, a Russia expert with Columbia University, says the Russian president wanted to introduce economic reforms to break with the Soviet past.
"But it was not well-designed and the West was not terribly effective, including the United States, in providing sound advice to him on how he might go about something that he didn't understand," said Legvold. "And so in effect he did smash the soviet economic machinery, but he put in its place a kind of ruthless, even crony - and in the public mind - discredited form of capitalism which has since then created basic problems of legitimacy for the economic system that the Russians have."
Legvold says corruption was not a new phenomenon either in the Soviet Union or in Russia. But he says it reached unprecedented heights in the Yeltsin era because of the nature of the reforms - privatization of state-owned enterprises.
"He continually said that his regime needs to fight against it [corruption], just as the Putin regime has said they must fight against it - but they've never found an effective way to do it," he said.
Experts say history will remember Boris Yeltsin as a leader who fluctuated between democratic tendencies and authoritarian actions. They say Russia under his watch was a far more open place than it was under soviet times. But they also say Yeltsin's hand-picked successor - Vladimir Putin - is reverting back to authoritarian rule to correct what the current Russian government believes was the chaos and uncertainty of the Yeltsin years.

La Russie première le président librement élu, Boris Yeltsin, est morte d'arrêt du coeur à l'âge de 76 ans. Lisa Mcadams du VOA'S à Moscou fait un rapport sur la réaction initiale à la mort de M. Yeltsin :
Un porte-parole de Kremlin a annoncé le mot de l'ancienne mort présidentielle tant de russes faisaient leur voie à la maison du travail.

Parmi le premier à réagir aux nouvelles était l'ancien Président soviétique Mikhail Gorbachev, qu'Yeltsin a remplacé en 1991. Il a dit que M. Yeltsin a fait beaucoup pour la Russie, bien que, Gorbachev supplémentaire, il ait remis(commis) des erreurs sérieuses.

L'ancien Premier ministre Sergei Stepashin a crédité M. Yeltsin avec la prévention d'une guerre civile en Russie et le risque lui-même et sa carrière, quand il a été debout placé sur un réservoir(char) à l'extérieur de la Maison Blanche russe pour résister à un coup soviétique essayé en août 1991.


Stepashin des russes pressés pour se rappeler le bon travail fait par Yeltsin - le travail qui a poussé la Russie à embrasser la démocratie et une économie de marché.
Mais Viktor Kremenyuk de l'Institut d'Etats-Unis-Canada a dit à VOA qu'il pense que pour la majorité de russes, la mort d'Yeltsin ira en grande partie inaperçue.
"Peut-être il y aura quelques mémoires rituelles et un autre verre de vodka. Mais autrement, je ne pense pas que le peuple(les gens) se le rappelle vraiment pour quoi que ce soit.
Sa règle(autorité) est associée au désordre, au favoritisme, avec quelques mouvements radicaux, qui n'ont mené à rien. Je veux dire les coups de feu(le tournage) du Parlement, la guerre en Tchétchénie, je veux dire la crise économique en 1998. Pour le peuple(les gens), vous savez(connaissez), ils n'ont pas apporté de soulagement dans leur vie, "il a dit.

Mais Kremenyuk crédite M. Yeltsin avec le pincement de Vladimir Poutine alors inconnu pour être son successeur comme le président, après sa démission de Saint-Sylvestre dramatique(spectaculaire) à la fin de 1999. Kremenyuk dit que la décision par M. Yeltsin a prouvé populaire parmi des russes.

La visite du Ministre De la Défense Nationale américain Robert Gates, qui a été en pourparlers plus tôt avec le Président Poutine à Moscou, a offert ses condoléances au peuple(aux gens) russe. Il a décrit M. Yeltsin comme une figure(un chiffre) importante dans l'histoire.

M. Yeltsin est réchappé par sa femme, Naina, deux filles et plusieurs petits-enfants. Les plans d'Obsèques sont en suspens.

Moscow23 April 2007
McAdams report - Download 300k Listen to McAdams report
Russian President Boris Yeltsin waves as he arrives at Helsinki airport (File photo - 20 Mar 1997) Russia's first freely elected president, Boris Yeltsin, has died of heart failure at the age of 76. VOA's Lisa Mcadams in Moscow reports on initial reaction to Mr. Yeltsin's death:
A Kremlin spokesman announced word of the former president's death just as many Russians were making their way home from work.
Among the first to react to the news was former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Yeltsin replaced in 1991. He said Mr. Yeltsin did a lot for Russia, even though, Gorbachev added, he committed serious errors.
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin credited Mr. Yeltsin with preventing a civil war in Russia, and risking himself and his career, when he stood atop a tank outside the Russian White House to resist an attempted Soviet coup in August, 1991.
Stepashin urged Russians to remember the good work done by Yeltsin - work that pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a free-market economy.
But Viktor Kremenyuk of the U.S.-Canada Institute told VOA he thinks that for the majority of Russians, Yeltsin's death will go largely unnoticed.
"Maybe there will be some ritual memories and another glass of vodka. But otherwise, I do not think that the people really remember him for anything. His rule is associated with disorder, with favoritism, with some drastic moves, which led to nothing. I mean the shooting of the parliament, the war in Chechnya, I mean the economic crisis in 1998. For the people, you know, they did not bring any relief into their life," he said.
But Kremenyuk credits Mr. Yeltsin with plucking a then-unknown Vladimir Putin to be his successor as president, after his dramatic New Year's Eve resignation at the end of 1999. Kremenyuk says that decision by Mr. Yeltsin has proved popular among Russians.
Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who earlier held talks with President Putin in Moscow, offered his condolences to the Russian people. He described Mr. Yeltsin as an important figure in history.
Mr. Yeltsin is survived by his wife, Naina, two daughters and several grandchildren. Funeral Plans are pending

Moscow23 April 2007
McAdams report - Download 300k Listen to McAdams report
Russian President Boris Yeltsin waves as he arrives at Helsinki airport (File photo - 20 Mar 1997) Russia's first freely elected president, Boris Yeltsin, has died of heart failure at the age of 76. VOA's Lisa Mcadams in Moscow reports on initial reaction to Mr. Yeltsin's death:
A Kremlin spokesman announced word of the former president's death just as many Russians were making their way home from work.
Among the first to react to the news was former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Yeltsin replaced in 1991. He said Mr. Yeltsin did a lot for Russia, even though, Gorbachev added, he committed serious errors.
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin credited Mr. Yeltsin with preventing a civil war in Russia, and risking himself and his career, when he stood atop a tank outside the Russian White House to resist an attempted Soviet coup in August, 1991.
Stepashin urged Russians to remember the good work done by Yeltsin - work that pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a free-market economy.
But Viktor Kremenyuk of the U.S.-Canada Institute told VOA he thinks that for the majority of Russians, Yeltsin's death will go largely unnoticed.
"Maybe there will be some ritual memories and another glass of vodka. But otherwise, I do not think that the people really remember him for anything. His rule is associated with disorder, with favoritism, with some drastic moves, which led to nothing. I mean the shooting of the parliament, the war in Chechnya, I mean the economic crisis in 1998. For the people, you know, they did not bring any relief into their life," he said.
But Kremenyuk credits Mr. Yeltsin with plucking a then-unknown Vladimir Putin to be his successor as president, after his dramatic New Year's Eve resignation at the end of 1999. Kremenyuk says that decision by Mr. Yeltsin has proved popular among Russians.
Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who earlier held talks with President Putin in Moscow, offered his condolences to the Russian people. He described Mr. Yeltsin as an important figure in history.
Mr. Yeltsin is survived by his wife, Naina, two daughters and several grandchildren. Funeral Plans are pending

President Bush dit que sa décision d'envoyer plus de soldats américains en Irak rencontre jusqu'ici des espérances en commençant à réduire la violence sectaire dans le capital(la capitale).

"Il y a des attaques toujours terrifiantes en Irak, comme les attentats à la bombe(les bombardements) à Bagdad mercredi, mais la direction du combat commence à changer," a dit M. Bush.

Le président essaye de rassembler(reprendre) l'appui pour une guerre qu'une majorité d'Américains croit maintenant est une erreur. Un sondage d'opinion publique par CBS News dit que le deux-tiers des Américains désapprouve pour comment le président manipule(traite) la guerre.

En parlant dans l'état de Midwest du Michigan vendredi, M. Bush a de nouveau critiqué des Démocrates d'opposition pour appeler à un horaire(calendrier) pour le retrait de troupe, le disant coupe des forces américaines à la fois quand il y a les signes de progrès.

Ils ont passé des factures(des projets de loi) dans la Maison et le Sénat qui imposerait des restrictions de nos commandants militaires et mettrait sous le mandat un retrait abrupt par une date arbitraire," a-t-il ajouté.

Le président Bush a juré de mettre son veto à n'importe quel horaire(calendrier) pour le retrait de troupe. Tant comme la Maison que les mesures de Sénat passées par des votes proches, c'est des Démocrates fortement peu probables peut constater que la majorité de deux-tiers a eu besoin d'ignorer le veto promis.


Le président a rencontré des leaders Démocratiques cette semaine pour discuter leurs différences, mais aucun côté n'a montré les signes de cédant.

Les démocrates veulent un horaire(calendrier) pour le retrait de troupe parce qu'ils disent qu'il forcera le gouvernement de l'Irak de prendre la responsabilité plus grande de sa sécurité(titre) propre et empêchera le président de continuer ce qu'ils disent est un engagement ouvert en Irak.


En parlant sur le plancher(l'étage) du Sénat jeudi, le Leader Majoritaire Harry Reid a dit que c'est le temps pour une nouvelle direction.

"Tant que nous suivons le chemin présidentiel en Irak, la guerre est perdue. Mais il y a toujours une chance de changer de cap et nous devons changer de cap," a dit M. Reid.

En reconnaissant que les Démocrates ne vont pas probablement laisser tomber leurs demandes d'un retrait de troupe, President Bush dit qu'ils devraient lui envoyer leur législation
rapidement donc il peut y mettre son veto et récupérer le Congrès pour travailler(marcher) sur une facture(un projet de loi) de dépenses sans un tel délai.

Bush Again Rejects Timetable for Troop Withdrawal
By Scott Stearns White House20 April 2007
Stearns report - Download 239k Listen to Stearns report
President Bush is again rejecting opposition calls for a timetable to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, saying his new strategy is beginning to reduce sectarian violence. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.
President Bush 18 April 2007President Bush says his decision to send more American soldiers to Iraq is so far meeting expectations by beginning to reduce sectarian violence in the capital.
"There are still horrific attacks in Iraq, such as the bombings in Baghdad on Wednesday, but the direction of the fight is beginning to shift," said Mr. Bush.
The president is trying to rally support for a war that a majority of Americans now believe is a mistake. A public opinion poll by CBS News says two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the war.
Speaking in the Midwest state of Michigan Friday, Mr. Bush again criticized opposition Democrats for calling for a timetable for troop withdrawal, saying it undercuts U.S. forces at a time when there are signs of progress.
"They have passed bills in the House and the Senate that would impose restrictions on our military commanders and mandate a precipitous withdrawal by an arbitrary date," he added.
President Bush has vowed to veto any timetable for troop withdrawal. As both the House and Senate measures passed by close votes, it is highly unlikely Democrats can find the two-thirds majority needed to override the promised veto.
The president met with Democratic leaders this week to discuss their differences, but neither side showed signs of backing down.
Democrats want a timetable for troop withdrawal because they say it will force Iraq's government to take greater responsibility for its own security and will prevent the president from continuing what they say is an open-ended commitment in Iraq.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate Thursday, Majority Leader Harry Reid said it is time for a new direction.
"As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is still a chance to change course, and we must change course," said Mr. Reid.
Acknowledging that Democrats are unlikely to drop their demands for a troop withdrawal, President Bush says they should send him their legislation quickly so he can veto it and get Congress back to work on a spending bill without such a deadline

Bush Again Rejects Timetable for Troop Withdrawal
By Scott Stearns White House20 April 2007
Stearns report - Download 239k Listen to Stearns report
President Bush is again rejecting opposition calls for a timetable to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, saying his new strategy is beginning to reduce sectarian violence. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.
President Bush 18 April 2007President Bush says his decision to send more American soldiers to Iraq is so far meeting expectations by beginning to reduce sectarian violence in the capital.
"There are still horrific attacks in Iraq, such as the bombings in Baghdad on Wednesday, but the direction of the fight is beginning to shift," said Mr. Bush.
The president is trying to rally support for a war that a majority of Americans now believe is a mistake. A public opinion poll by CBS News says two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the war.
Speaking in the Midwest state of Michigan Friday, Mr. Bush again criticized opposition Democrats for calling for a timetable for troop withdrawal, saying it undercuts U.S. forces at a time when there are signs of progress.
"They have passed bills in the House and the Senate that would impose restrictions on our military commanders and mandate a precipitous withdrawal by an arbitrary date," he added.
President Bush has vowed to veto any timetable for troop withdrawal. As both the House and Senate measures passed by close votes, it is highly unlikely Democrats can find the two-thirds majority needed to override the promised veto.
The president met with Democratic leaders this week to discuss their differences, but neither side showed signs of backing down.
Democrats want a timetable for troop withdrawal because they say it will force Iraq's government to take greater responsibility for its own security and will prevent the president from continuing what they say is an open-ended commitment in Iraq.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate Thursday, Majority Leader Harry Reid said it is time for a new direction.
"As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is still a chance to change course, and we must change course," said Mr. Reid.
Acknowledging that Democrats are unlikely to drop their demands for a troop withdrawal, President Bush says they should send him their legislation quickly so he can veto it and get Congress back to work on a spending bill without such a deadline

Election en FRANCE

France Prepares For Close Vote in Sunday's Presidential Election
By Anita Elash Paris20 April 2007
Elash report - Download 255k Listen to Elash report
Friday is the last day of campaigning before the first round of voting in the presidential election in France. The two leading candidates, former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal, are running neck and neck. But record numbers of voters are still undecided. Anita Elash reports for VOA from Paris.
French President Jacques Chirac, right, walks behind French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy (File photo)The latest opinion polls put two candidates well in the lead. Former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy is in first place. His closest rival, Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal, is just a few points behind. But the polls also show that with just two days to go, about 40 percent of voters still haven't decided. Of those who have, nearly half are wavering.
By law, the candidates must stop campaigning at midnight tonight. They've spent the last few days trying to win the votes of those who cannot make up their mind.
Segolene Royal is worried about a repeat of the last election, when the Socialist Party candidate lost to far right leader Jean Marie Le Pen in the first round. She was in the southern city of Toulouse last night.
Segolene Royal, 18 Apr 2007"I'm asking everyone who believes in the same values as I do to come and vote for me starting with the first round," she told supporters.
Nicolas Sarkozy has been battling a concerted attack from his opponents. In Marseille last night, he continued with his message that he would restore French pride.
"The first round is just the first step," he said. "I'm asking you to make my fight your fight. I'm asking you to stand up for the silent majority that no longer wants someone else to speak for them. Long live the republic! Long live France!"
There are 10 other candidates in this election. They include a Communist, three Trotskyists, an anti-globalizaion campaigner, and a man who defends the rights of hunters and fisherman. Centrist Francois Bayrou, a historian and part-time horse farmer, is in third place, and Jean Marie Le Pen, the leader of the far right National Front, is in fourth.
Most analysts say Sarkozy and Royal will likely make it through to the second and final round of voting. But with so many candidates and so many undecided voters, either Bayrou or Le Pen could cause an upset.