PRESSE ANGLAISE

Lundi 14 septembre

[GERMANY/IMMIGRATION]
Germany imposes borders controls

Germany, only days ago the symbol of European openness in the face of large-scale refugee flows, has reintroduced border controls to decrease the influx and restore some order. On September 13th Thomas de Maizière, the interior minister, explained Germany’s stunning policy.

Reasons :
-In the first weekend of September : 20 000 refugees from Hungaria arrived in Munich.
-The country expects 1m refugees to apply for asylum this year, more than the entire EU took in during 2014.
-Germany's welcoming stance caused a small rebellion in Mrs Merkel’s own centre-right camp. Various leaders of the Christian Social Union (CSU), called her open-door policy a “grave mistake”.

But :
What may appear as a capitulation by Mrs Merkel, however, is at least in part also a tactical manoeuvre to press the rest of the EU to accept a quota system for asylum seekers, which they might do today with Sweden and Austria at a gathering of the EU’s interior ministers.

VOC a écrit:
Large scale= à grande échelle
flows=flux
stunning policy=politique etonnante
asylum seekers=demandeurs d'asile
welcoming stance=attitude acceuillante

Mardi 15 septembre

[USA/ECONOMY]

The Federal reserve is to raise the benchmark interest rates that is now around 0-0,25 %. It has assured the markets that the raise will be gentle and gradual but this has made emerged a large debate :

Those in favor says :

- the american economic recovery is strong enough to support higher benchmark rate. Growth of 3,7 % in the second quarter of 2015. Firms created 3 millions jobs, the best level since 1999, and unemployment rate felt to 5,1 %.
- they brush aside low inflation because with unemployment so low, the Fed is confident that firms will find themselves forced to boost pay to attract workers. That should lead to higher prices.
- it is only a matter of time that unscrupulous investors will take on extravagant risks laying the groundwork for a future financial calamity.

However others argue that :
- a looming rise of inflation is not at all certain. Even if unemployment rates are low, a few studies suggest that they are still a lot of workers waiting for a job which could encourage firms not to raise wages.
- a rise of the benchmark rate would be a magnet for foreign capital and therefore strenghtening the dollar which would squeeze the american exporters and drag down inflation.

Actually there is an assymetry of risks which should persuade the FED to wait. If inflation rises above 2 % he Fed has unlimited capacity to raise rates. Raising rates too soon would be much costlier. A slowdown in growth could turn low inflation into deflation. To perk the economy back up, the Fed would have little option but to restart quantitative easing.

VOC a écrit:
to perk : revigorer requinquer redresser
to ease : soulager apaiser
to brush aside : ignorer repousser
to squeeze : presser
looming : imminent
flawed : imparfait qui présente des défauts
to lay the groundwork for : jeter les bases de
benchmark : référence

La FED veut relever ses taux d'interêts qui sont aujourd'hui proche de zéro. Mais il y a un débat sur le moment où elle doit le faire.

Certains pensent qu'elle peut le faire tout de suite parce que les chiffres de l'économie américaine sont rassurants.
Avec un taux d'inflation si bas, les entreprises vont être obligés d'augmenter les salaires pour attirer des travailleurs ça va donc soutenir les prix et donc l'inflation
ces taux bas incitent des investisseurs (banques) à faire des paris risqués étant donné que l'argent n'est pas cher à emprunter

Mais d'autres économistes disent que en fait, remonter les taux trop tôt va fragiliser la reprise économique. Malgré le taux de chômage bas, il y a encore bcp de travailleurs qui n'ont pas d'emploi donc les entreprises pourront tjrs trouver une main d'oeuvre sans avoir à augmenter leur salaire. Augmenter les taux d'interêts va rapatrier des dollars qui circulent dans les marchés vers la FED. Donc comme l'offre en dollars sera moins importante, le dollar va s'apprécier, c'est à dire qu'elle va prendre de la valeur par rapport aux autres monnaies du monde (comme c'est déjà le cas depuis 1 an par exemple l'euro valait entre 1,3 et 1,4 dollars il y a 2-3 ans, maintenant plus que 1,1 dollars environ). Les exportations américaines vont donc en souffrir et donc compromettre la reprise économique américaine. Et surtout comme le crédit sera moins facile (à cause de la hausse des taux d'interêts) la consommation sera moins forte donc l'inflation sera faible avec un risque de déflation.

En gros la question du moment où il faut relever les taux d'intérêts c'est celle de l'inflation dont l'objectif de la FED est de la maintenir à 2 % pour avoir une croissance viable. La solution serait d'attendre encore pour voir si l'inflation est là et dès qu'elle commence à dépasser 2 % la banque pourrait remonter ses taux d'intérêts et ainsi juguler l'inflation. Dans ce cas la FED a une marge de manœuvre illimitée puisqu'elle peut remonter ses taux autant qu'elle veut. Dans le cas contraire si elle remonte ses taux trop tôt et qu'il n'y a pas d'inflation et donc une déflation, elle n'aura presque pas de marge de manœuvre puisqu'elle devra rebaisser ses taux d'intérêts à 0 % et donc revenir en arrière mais ne pourra pas faire plus

Mardi 15 septembre

[HUNGARY/IMMIGRATION]

Declaring a state of emergency, Hungary sealed off its southern border with Serbia on Tuesday to shut down the flow of migrants pouring in. It led to chaos, with hundreds of migrants piled up in a no man’s land, and Serbian officials reacted with outrage.
Migrants, for the majority of them, fleeing violence decided to settle in this no man’s land but frustrations were on the rise.

Hungary also plans to extend fence to Romanian border for a « reasonable distance » as Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. An announcement that raises the ire/attention of Romanian and Serbian officials.

Disagreements :
-> “Raising a fence between two EU member states who are strategic partners is not a fair gesture from a political point of view, according to the European spirit,” Romania’s Foreign Ministry said.
-> Serbia’s foreign minister declared it was “unacceptable” that migrants were being sent back from Hungary while more and more were arriving from Macedonia and Greece.
-> “(Serbia) wants to be part of the solution, not collateral damage. There will have to be talks in the coming days with Brussels and other countries,” Ivica Dacic said in Prague.

The turmoil at the Hungarian-Serbian border came a day after the 28-nation bloc failed to come up with a united immigration policy at a contentious meeting in Brussels (=> especially UK and David Cameron that refused EU quotas). The ministers did agree to share responsibility for 40,000 people seeking refuge in overwhelmed Italy and Greece and spoke hopefully of reaching an eventual deal — next month or by the end of the year — on which EU nations would take 120,000 more refugees, including some from Hungary.

CCL : the case of Hungary higlights European immigration crisis.

VOC a écrit:
seal off=fermer
pour in=affluer
piled up=entassé(s)
raise the ire=soulever la colère
send back=renvoyer
overwhelmed=débordé
turmoil=trouble
be on the rise=ne cesser d'augmenter/être à la hausse

MERCREDI 16 SEPTEMBRE

[AUSTRALIA]
Australia gets a new prime minister. Malcolm Turnbull unseats Tony Abbott as Liberal Party leader.

[USA/POLITICS]
REPUBLICAN
Will Mr Trump trip up?
First debate on August 6th for Republican nomination: Donald Trump’s support was already high (26% with Scott Walker 14% and Jeb Bush 12% riding in second and third place.
For the second debate, on September 16th, he sits atop the bloated Republican field at nearly 34%, and Mr Bush, the prematurely presumptive nominee, is polling under 9%.
-> He has the best chance of winning the Republican nomination
According to a recent survey, the top three reasons supporters cite for favouring Mr Trump are :

• *“outspoken/says what he believes"

• *“not a politician/outsider”

• *“strong leader”
  

But one problem: his misogyny (well done bro ) during the first debate -> could be one possible line of attack for the other to make him trip up in polls.

DEMOCRAT
(Reminder)
Hillary Clinton apologised for using a private e-mail server when she was secretary of state, admitting it was a “mistake”. The front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination also outlined plans to make political donations more transparent should she be elected.

unseat = faire tomber/évincer
trip up = trébucher

Jeudi 17 septembre.

[BRITAIN/Labour Party]

Jeremy Corbyn, 66 years old, socialist→ new leader of Labour Party (main opposition party, left) since Septembre 12th.

Political life/reputation : He has spent 32 years as one of the hardest of the hardline left-wingers in the House of Commons, a serial rebel.

Ideas : According to him, some old ideological battles must be re-fought

Today's views about him :
(supporters) : Mr Corbyn will enrich Britain by injecting fresh ideas into a stale debate : willingness to speak his mind and condemn the sterile compromises of centre left.
(opponents) : Mr Corbyn does not matter because he is unelectable and he cannot last → synonym of second successive Conservative government in the election of 2020- and perhaps a third in 2025.

The journalist's point of view : Both views are wrong : Mr Corbyn's election is bad for the Labour Pary and bad for Britain too.

Why ?
The argument today : the growing inequality is a side-effect of new technology and globalisation → consequences in labour market (self-employed workers) & welfare systems.
But Mr Corbyn has old ideas & nothing to offer (except his programme of renationalisation & trade-union).
Corbyn wants to implement rent controls, delete university-tuition fees. But according to the journalist it would be regressive and counterproductive (example in Scotland : free universitites are facing a funding crisis and attract no more poor students than they did when there were tuition-fees)
+
he admires Hugo Chavez, encourages Putin's, blames NATO (about Ukraine), entertains Hamas, admires Syriza.
+
clearly anti-american, anti-Israel, anti-NATO and quietly anti-EU (he is ambiguous over Europe) and scolded China's Communist Party for its free-market excesses.

Conclusion : FOR BRITAIN, IT IS A GRAVE MISFORTUNE. As for the journalist, Mr Corbyn will leave his mark on the Labour Party (even if he fails to be become prime minister) → will make the next centrist Labour leader all the harder.

VOC a écrit:
Left-winger : un homme de gauche, gauchiste (PS : aux Etats-Unis, qualifier quelqu'un de gauchiste est une insulte, beaucoup plus qu'au Royaume-Uni)
a stale debate : un débat sans nouvelles idées
willingness : bonne volonté
to speak one's mind : donner son avis
commitment : engagment
a side-effect : un effet secondaire
trade union : syndicat
to scold : gronder
NATO : OTAN
misfortune : malchance, malheur

ALEXIS TSIPIRAS will remain Greece’s prime minister, according to the latest election results. With almost half the votes counted in Sunday's election, his left-wing party, Syriza, had won around 35% of the votes.

And even if his former allies such as Varoufakis and a part of the greece's people consider him as a turncoat. This victory confirms the support for Alexis tsipras. The fact that he negotiated during the economic crisis pulled up for this elections.

However the new government faces immediately a burning issue. Indeed they will also need to handle growing refugee inflows. Greece has been the main route into the European Union for tens of thousands of migrants arriving by sea. Today still 13 migrants died in Turkish waters on Sunday when a boat carrying 46 people en route to Greece collided with a dry cargo vessel and capsized



For the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia wait for roughly 3million people from around the world. Indeed they are expected to converge on Tuesday at the Kaaba, in Mina and other nearby areas for the Hajj, which lasts about five days. However for few years this pilgrimage is the target of terrorist attacks. Therefore 5,000 cameras watch over one of the world's biggest crowds. Moreover Saudi Arabia has deployed an astonishing 100,000 security personnel to guard against threats from Islamic State.

In fact an ISIS-claimed suicide bombing last month in Abha, 350 miles south of Mecca, killed 15 people inside a mosque in a police compound. It was the deadliest attack on the kingdom's security forces in years. That is why a new attack on the Saudi ground would be a real mark of weakness shown by the authorities. I think that the smooth running of the ceremony would be a big sign of Saudis sent to the world. Their reputation is on the line.

A turncoat =  quelqu'un qui a retourné sa veste
To pull up= tirer vers le haut
A vessel= un navire
To capsize= Renverser (un bateau)
Astonishing= Stupéfiant
The smooth runnig= le bon déroulement
Be on the line= être en jeu

J'ai confondu mon actu. Je pensais avoir à faire l'espagnol alors que je devais faire l'anglais. Du coup, pas d'actu anglais ce soir (j'ai fait un article de presse espagnole).
Je la ferai mercredi (il y en aura deux du coup).

Mardi 22 septembre

[AMERICA AND CHINA]  

A very long engagement - Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington will do little to resolve growing tensions

In 1979 -> the two countries re-established diplomatic ties
Today, Xi Jinping, China’s president, will make his own attempt at retail politics when he visits the United States. This is an important moment for one of the world’s most vital relationships. Trust is fading on both sides.

Since he took over in 2012: Mr Xi has been flexing muscle in the seas of the western Pacific, avoiding direct confrontation with America and its allies but testing their resolve. America has responded to such moves by beefing up its alliances. It too wants to avoid a conflict, but countries in the region fret about possible accidents that could trigger one.

In recent months there have been notable areas of accord :
*In November the two countries reached an agreement on carbon emissions, which they hope will encourage progress at UN climate talks in Paris later this year.
*China helped broker a nuclear deal with Iran in April.
*It is moving closer to America’s stance on North Korea.

But his trip is likely to be eclipsed by that of another leader of a billion-plus people : Pope Francis, who is due to arrive on the same day he does. In America, Mr Xi risks suffering something worse than criticism: neglect.


[EUROPE’S MIGRANT CRISIS]  (agaaaain !! )

Relocation quotas

-> A new plan to relocate asylum seekers across the bloc.
The scheme (if it is ratified by EU leaders on Wednesday) will distribute 120,000 asylum seekers from Greece, Italy, Syria, Eritrea and Iraq to 22 other European countries and, hopefully, relieve the pressure of the migrant crisis on front-line countries.

Countries against : Romania, Hungary and Slovakia

fadding = s’estomper
beefing-up = renforcement
fret = se tracasser
trigger = provoquer

[Syrie]

L'armée russe semble augmenter sa présence dans leurs bases militaires en Syrie. Il y a plusieurs raisons à un tel mouvement :
- Au cours de l'été Bachar Al Assad a perdu du terrain et la Russie ne veut pas perdre son dernier allié dans la région et la base navale que les russes ont à Tarse.
- Poutine est attendu à NY où il espère rencontrer Obama. Si on venait à discuter du sortie de crise, la Russie pourrait négocier une sortie en douceur d'Al Assad mais Poutine veut négocier en position de force
-Enfin la Russie veut apparaître comme un partenaire vital des USA dans la lutte contre le terrorisme et donc apparaître comme une grande puissance


j'ai trouvé que la carte qui était avec l'article était assez intéressante et éclairante, elle permet de voir qui sont les différents groupes armés en Syrie et leur positionnement.

Vocabulaire
to beef up : renforcer
raw : cru à vif
to dwindle : diminuer réduire
stand-off : confrontation
upbeat : optimiste enjoué
ore : minerai
to meddle in : se mêler de
to demote : rétrograder
dubious : douteux dubitatif
expenditure : les dépenses

Le Partenariat Transpacifique (Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP))

12 pays ont signé un accord de libre-échange : Etats-Unis, Canada, Mexique, Chili, Pérou, Japon, Malaisie, Vietnam, Singapour, Brunei, Australie et Nouvelle-Zélande.
L'article de the Economist souligne les désavantages de cet accord, pour savoir en quoi le traité consiste voir cet article du monde qui est bien détaillé
(http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2015/10/05/partenariat-transpacifique-un-accord-entre-les-etats-unis-et-onze-pays_4782836_3234.html)

- Obama a eu énormement de mal à faire accepter ce traité et le congrès doit encore le voter. Cependant Clinton qui pourrait succéder à Obama se montre plutôt réticente contre le TPP.

- les bénéficiaires de ce traité sont nombreux (consomamteurs exportateurs) ce qui tend à disperser les gains et à relativiser l'impact visible qu'aura le TPP tandis que les perdants sont clairment identifiés : les entreprises et fermes qui ne pourront pas survivre à l'ouverture des tarifs douaniers et donc subir de plein fouet l'ouverture à la concurrence des marchés nationaux de chacun des pays signataires. Par exemple l'industrie laitière au Canada est menacée, c'est pourquoi le gouvernement a décidé de distribuer une nouvelle subvention pour soutenir ses producteurs contre la concurrence.

- le traité souligne l'absence de nouveau traité de libre-échange au niveau mondial, avec l'échec des négociations depuis 2001 dans le cadre de l'OMC. Les traités régionaux comme celui-ci peuvent être des solutions mais ils n'englobent pas tout le monde. Ici, le grand absent c'est la Chine.

linchpin : l'élement central le pillier
to underscore : souligner
to dole out : distribuer
dairy : exploitation laitière

-

[USA/ECONOMY]
FED = The Federal Reserve = Central Bank of the USA 
President = Janet Yellen (just before : Ben Bernanke)

Context : 
About 10 years ago, when the Americam economy was slowing down, the FED decided to lower the interest rates. The principal aim was to reactivate the economy, to enable the companies to invest and as a consequence, to reduce the unemployment. Moreover, the FED was obsessed by the inflation rate, targeting a 2% inflation. Before, the inflation rate was about 3%, too hight. After, since 2012, the drop in the oil prices is lowering the inflation rate, and now inflation is about 0,3%, too low. Both are risky, but a hight inflation rate is costlier.

But they realize that they made a mistake. They couldn’t reach the 2% of inflation. So they redirect the target to the nominal GDP : total spending and income in an economy in dollar terms.

What happens ? 
Recently, the American economy seems to be in a better shape. The unemployment rate is only 5,1%, the lowest rate since 2008. The economic growth is reaching 3,7%. 
So, Y. Jellen wanted to take advantage of this situation to raise the interest rates. With this announcement, two sides appeared : 

=> The Hawks : they are in favor of a raise in the rates. The economic recovery goes well. The NGDP has increased and the unemployment is quite low. As long as these conditions are favorable, the FED need to take action. They also fear that the economy is starting to overheat. 

=> The Doves : they are in favor of flexible rates. They want to have more evidence that the economic growth is stable enough and the labour market conditions works quite well. They pointed to the low inflation and to building financial stress in emerging markets, as reasons enough to keep the same interest rates. 


September 17th => Decision should be taken 
But new data : 

At the Bureau of Labour statistics : american firms added just 142 000 jobs, far less than the 200 000 that the markets had expected, the wages did not grow that much. To sum up, the employment was not as booming as expected, it grew less than the prior year. 

International scale : the world economy is very dependent of the American economy an so the FED’s decisions. 
Europe’s recovery is going ahead but it remains based on the exchanges and in particular the exports. 
Asian economies seems to be slowing down, especially China. With the big debts in this region, they are very vulnerable of a raise of interest rates. 

Markets are also against a raise in the next months



To be on tenterhooks : être sur les charbons ardents 
To vindicate : donner raison à 
to go ahead : aller de l’avant
to quash : annuler, casser, faire taire

bold : intrepide, audacieux (pour une politique ca marche aussi)