La clé des langues - Anglais - News headlines

News headlines - press review

Every monday, tuesday, thursday and friday, this section gives you an overview of the topics that hit the headlines in national newspapers in Britain (the Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent) and in the United States (the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and USA Today). It also provides you with links to other newspaper websites of the English speaking world as well as a selection of 'lighter' readings.

UK latest

Britons getting fatter despite consuming fewer calories The Telegraph, 18 June 2013
Hayley Dixon
On average adults weigh up to 30 pounds, 14kg, more than they did 30 years ago despite a 20 per cent drop in daily calorie intake.

Although they are consuming the equivalent of a burger and chips or three pints of Guinness less they are also less active than those of the same age were in the 1980s, the Institute of Fiscal studies claims.

Expanding waist-lines are also explained by the fact that as you get older it is harder to keep your weight down and you become more susceptible as to the effects of some sugars and fats, the five-year study found.

Read on...
Cameron tells Russia: join the club or face isolation on Syria The Independent, 18 June 2013
Andrew Grice
David Cameron on Monday evening made a final attempt to bounce Russia into supporting a future for Syria without President Bashar al-Assad.

The Prime Minister lined up the support of the six other members of the G8 nations for a five-point plan to underpin a second round of peace talks on Syria in Geneva. At a working dinner at the G8 summit at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, he challenged Russia's Vladimir Putin to join the rest of the eight-member club or face isolation. "It is a clarifying moment," said a British source.

Mr Cameron hopes his five principles will be reflected in the G8's communiqué when the two-day summit ends on Tuesday - with or without Russian support. He made clear on Monday night that the other seven members could issue their own statement on Syria, formally isolating President Putin on the world stage.

Read on...
Junk food still marketed to children as companies bypass rules The Guardian, 18 June 2013
Sarah Boseley
Food companies are accused on Tuesday by the World Health Organisation, the public health arm of the UN, of finding ways to bypass the rules on advertising unhealthy products to children and fuelling the obesity epidemic.

Attempts by the authorities in Britain to clamp down on marketing to children through television advertising are not enough to protect them, a major report by the WHO says. There are tough rules on advertising during children's TV programmes but not on shows such as ITV1's Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor, which research shows are widely watched by younger viewers.

Increasingly, food companies are also targeting children through computer games, mobile phones and social networks such as Facebook.

Read on...

USA latest

Edward Snowden vows more disclosures about U.S. surveillance The Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2013
Shashank Bengali and Ken Dilanian
WASHINGTON — Defiant and apparently unbowed by threats of prosecution, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden vowed Monday to release more secrets about U.S. intelligence surveillance systems that he described as "nakedly, aggressively criminal."

Snowden, who has been hiding in Hong Kong, said NSA analysts routinely obtain emails and other Internet communications of Americans as part of the cyber-spying agency's surveillance of global telecommunications and Web traffic.

Writing in a chat on the website of Britain's Guardian newspaper, Snowden said U.S. communications were "collected and viewed on a daily basis" by NSA analysts operating without a specific warrant. "They excuse this as 'incidental' collection, but at the end of the day, someone at NSA still has the content of your communications."

Read on...
Lawyer Cliff Sloan faces tough assignment: Closing Guantanamo The Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2013
Steve Holland and Lesley Wroughton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cliff Sloan has represented Jon Bon Jovi's band in legal matters and argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, he has perhaps his toughest assignment: Helping to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Washington attorney was named on Monday as the State Department's Guantanamo Bay envoy, a central player in President Barack Obama's renewed push to make good on a 2008 campaign promise to shut the installation where the United States holds terrorism suspects. Obama wants to close the facility because it is a legacy of the Bush administration that he feels has damaged the U.S. reputation with allies around the world.

The most pressing demand for Sloan, who has deep legal skills but little foreign policy experience, will be to serve as the lead negotiator for the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees abroad, a task fraught with difficulty.

Read on...
Rouhani, Obama sound positive but indicate progress on nuclear issue is likely to take time The Washington Post, 18 June 2013
Joby Warrick and Jason Rezaian
President Obama and the newly elected president of Iran signaled willingness to improve ties between their nations Monday, but both leaders made clear that a positive tone may not easily translate into progress in resolving the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.

In his first news conference since being elected president of Iran on Friday, moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani said he wanted better relations with Washington. But he ruled out suspending Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, the biggest source of tensions between the two governments over the past decade, saying, “Those days are behind us.”

Read on...

News from other parts of the world

Ireland

The Irish Times: A socially liberal and rather left wing newspaper. Founded in 1859, it is one of the major Irish daily information media and offers an excellent online edition.
The Irish Independent: Founded in 1905, it is Ireland's best-selling daily newspaper. Its website offers regular updates on both Irish and world news.

South Africa

The Mail and Guardian: A major investigative newspaper founded in 1985. Although it is a weekly paper, its online version offers daily updates on South African and world news.

Australia

The Daily Telegraph: Founded in 1879 and named after the British upmarket daily newspaper, it is rather conservative and offers a variety of sections ranging from politics to 'wacky' news.
The Australian: Less populist than the telegraph, this newspaper provides its readers with news from all over South-East Asia. It was founded in 1964 and is based in Sydney.

New Zealand

The New Zealand Herald: Founded in 1863, it is the country's best-selling paper and offers an excellent website with regular news updates.

Canada

The Toronto Star: Canada's largest daily newspaper, with a left of centre vantage point. It was founded in 1892.
The Globe and Mail: A result of the 1936 merger between The Globe and The Mail and Empire, it is a widely read conservative newspaper.

India

The Indian Express: Started in 1931, it is one of India's most prominent daily newspapers. It is renowned for its investigative reports and offers a fine website.

On the lighter side

The Daily Mirror: Launched in 1903, the Mirror was intended as a newspaper for women, run by women. It now belongs to the buoyant and colorful British gutter press.
The Sun: Founded in 1964 and sold in the UK and Ireland, it is the pendent of the Mirror on the waiting room table of any good British GP.
People: An American weekly magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories founded in 1974.