Thursday, May 17, 2012

Persuasive Essay #2

Persuasive Editorial #2

Teachers should give less homework

The problem that most schools have is probably that students complain about the amount of homework they get assigned every night. They actually are right about complaining about less homework though schools or even teachers might not agree with that. Teenagers just expect to be understood and respected by their parents and teachers but it never goes that way as adults do not take teenagers so serious or look at things form their point of view.

Less homework that every students wish to have enables parents and children to spend more time together, which is important for a growing child, especially teenagers. Family time can be spend for solving problems and talking about them, discussing them, which would affect the child in a positive way and showing them the right way, while the parents are able to keep track of what’s going on in their children’s life’s. It also reduces the feeling that the child gets when he knows there is lots of work to do tonight, though the time won’t be enough at all, so the student will not be able to finish the homework. With less homework, teachers would take away that overwhelming feeling a child gets very often during school time and make a students life so much easier.

If students get assigned loads of homework every night, they will be sitting the whole night trying to finish their homework. However, no one thought of those students’ needs, such as sleep. Too much homework assigned by teachers have no purpose at all if the student doesn’t get enough sleep to also be able to concentrate the next day in class. This could even cause sleeping problems later on in their lives and prepare them for an unsuccessful future.

It has been said by teachers that too much homework will eventually increase the chances of a student to success in the exams and be prepared better for them. They haven't considered that it actually takes away a student’s social time, which they should be spending with their friends rather than sitting at home and trying to finish all the homework. This ensures the child having less social skills and having difficulties making friends or socializing in the future. This would again affect a students’ whole life.

When teachers give too much homework they do not realize that they actually harm the students. Instead they think that the opposite would happen and the student would success from it. Less homework will let the family have more family-time and talk about things that they could solve during that time, it will enable the student of getting the required amount of sleep every night for a healthier life and unfortunately giving the students the time to socialize with others, such as their friends.

Correction of the Persuasive Editorial

Persuasive Editorial

The Go-Green club is the most important club at Stonehill

At Stonehill International School there are many clubs and activities where students have the opportunity to learn a new skill or just have fun. The Go-Green club is one of those but it is more than just a club for us. I think that the Go-Green club is the most important club at Stonehill for the students for many reasons.

One reason is that the Go-Green club has been there for a long time, which means it has a history in which you can see how successful the club was due to its history. This is shown through all the different events the club has accomplished. For example the run for disabilities, which was last year, where almost all participants took part in and enjoyed it. Through things like that, the Go-Green club has been successful by including also people not just from the club but outside of the club, who just want to be involved partly.

The Go-Green club gives the opportunity to also have CAS credit, which is otherwise difficult to get elsewhere. The students help the club to continue with its success but they also benefit from the work they do by collecting the CAS credits required by the IB program. For example last year there was an ice-lolly sale during lunch, when students bought ice-lollies to enjoy and the students selling them earned CAS credits for it.

It has been said that the Go-Green club is not fun and bores the students most of the time. Students also added that if they did not get CAS credits for the work they are doing they wouldn’t even have participated. However the Go-Green club is still the only club at Stonehill that does something involving more than fun, which is something useful for the school itself. They plant and recycle making the school have less trash and giving people a chance to do something with the recycled stuff, like bags for example that are made out of tetra packs, which are being collected by the M1 class and the Go-Green participants, partly.

The Go-Green club is the most important club at the Stonehill International School for many reasons. The club shows a history full of success, providing the students a chance of getting the needed CAS credits and still it is the only club at Stonehill, which does something environmentally good that the school eventually benefits from..

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Persuasive Editorial

Persuasive editorial

Why is Go-Green the most important club at Stonehill?

Go-Green for a better Stonehill! The Stonehill international School has the Go-Green club that gives in all effort to make life at Stonehill easier involving the students that want to participate and make a change. The reasons why the Go-Green club is the most important club at Stonehill is that it is the only actual club in school, students participating learn and even though there is no outcome that we have in school, the club participants are actively working.

The Go-Green club is the only ongoing club with participants that was there for more than just a couple of months. It’s been there for almost two years now and actually successful as they are doing events etc. For example last year runs for the disabled people were done, or ice-lolly sales from which the money went again to the disables people as a support. Many things like that have been done only by one club, which is the Go-Green club at Stonehill International School.

Another point is that the students participating in the Go-Green club are eventually learning and developing ideas, while adding something good to the world. This means that they for example plant plants in the schools gardens that make the school look nicer but gives the nature a chance to make our lives better, as plants are a big factor in nature that enable us to breath fresh air, though this is only the plant section of the Go-Green club. The Go-Green club’s actions affect the whole school, even if it is only a small part or amount.

Well, the Go-Green club has its benefits but it has its disadvantages as well. The Go-Green club has no real output. It is doing work, which then is being sent out for good, though we never have anything in school that tells us what the Go-Green club has done so far. Though no matter what, the Go-Green club is the only active club at Stonehill International School that makes the school have a good representative in the city, attracting other people to for example sponsor the school or want to get their children have an education at Stonehill because they know the school is doing good.

The Stonehill International School Go-Green club is the only ongoing club with real participants, where students learn while working and even though the total outcome is not placed in school, the club is the only active club. With all these features we can surely say that the Stonehill International School Go-Green club is the most important club at Stonehill.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Persuasive vs informative editorials

İnformative

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/opinion/campaigning-beyond-inspiration.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Campaigning Beyond Inspiration

Published: May 8, 2012

President Obama could not single-handedly transform American politics. Many of his young 2008 supporters learned that to their disillusionment, and as he begins his re-election campaign, the president himself seems a more somber candidate who learned by trial the limits to inspirational change. In his first formal campaign speech, delivered on Saturday, Mr. Obama’s view of what might happen with a robust use of government power was intertwined with the shadow of a Republican Party that has fought every attempt to use that power.

“The last few years, the Republicans who run this Congress have insisted that we go right back to the policies that created this mess,” he said, speaking in Columbus, Ohio. “Now their agenda is on steroids.”

There was a tiny echo of 2008 at the conclusion of his remarks when he said he “still believes” the country is not as divided as its politics, that people were Americans before they were Democrats or Republicans. But as Mr. Obama has reason to know, the country is more divided than it was four years ago, the parties and their supporters more polarized, and he will have to be far more persuasive if he hopes to win and then to govern effectively.

The president riffled through his considerable accomplishments, and was withering in his assessment of Mitt Romney’s plans to let prosperity sprinkle slowly from the hands of the rich onto the heads of everyone else. It is vital for Mr. Obama to make this contrast, to remind voters how far backward Mr. Romney and his party would take the country.

And Mr. Obama’s general goals are the right ones: more college degrees, better teachers, growth in manufacturing, investments in clean energy and preservation of gains in health care and women’s rights. But it’s not enough to simply tick through dreams that will die in a divided Congress. The public has seen plenty of that. Mr. Obama needs to spend more time persuading dubious and disillusioned voters that he can achieve these goals.

It’s true that he has repeatedly been burned seeking elusive “grand bargains” with Republican leaders who proved unwilling or unable to compromise. But even Democrats say the president has been too aloof in his first term, not bothering to make his case in the Capitol, not interested in the L.B.J.-style flesh-pressing or arm-twisting that can rescue a law out of the mortuary of bills.

The president can let loose a great speech, but without follow-through Congress can be counted on to muck up the details, as he should have learned from the fight over the health care reform law of 2010. He never made the sale with the public on the law, and the two or three sentences he devoted to it in his speech were insufficient. If not struck down by the Supreme Court, the core of the law will be fully felt in his second term; rather than shy away, it is time to explain to the public in detail what that would mean and why it is important that he be there to fight for it.

Similarly, the speech lacked any detail of his plans to shore up Medicare while reducing its untenable cost growth. If he is going to counter the Republican plans to end Medicare’s guarantee to older Americans, he will have to do better than a quick promise to reduce wasteful spending.

Voters already know that Mr. Obama can lift their hopes with a powerful speech. This time around, they will be seeking far more than inspiration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/opinion/a-library-for-the-future.html?ref=todayspaper

A Library for the Future

Published: May 8, 2012

For over a century, New York’s majestic central library on Fifth Avenue has drawn grateful scholars and dazzled tourists. Faced with financial uncertainties and a pressing need to modernize, the president of the New York Public Library system, Anthony Marx, has put forward a $300 million proposal to renovate the flagship building. The plans, which are still evolving, sound both necessary and forward-thinking in this digital era. But the library’s overseers have to take care that they preserve the essence of this cultural landmark.

Mr. Marx and the city must make certain that the renovation provides the widest possible public access to the library’s collection. So far, the city has promised $150 million, and the library must come up with the balance. The plan calls for selling the Mid-Manhattan branch and the Science, Industry and Business Library and folding their collections into the central branch.

The central library will then become a circulating library as well as a research facility. Combining the three libraries will mean about twice as many people, or more than three million a year, will use the central branch. To accommodate more users, the architect Norman Foster is expected to design new public space in areas that are now closed.

The Rose Main Reading Room and other special collections will remain as they are. About two million volumes will be moved elsewhere, probably to a facility in New Jersey, though more than two million will remain in the building. Mr. Marx has said getting off-site books should take about a day.

Though some library lovers want nothing to change, this plan could revitalize the library and make it as much a resource for the public as it is a research haven for writers and scholars
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Persuasive

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/opinion/delaying-justice-at-guantanamo-bay-cuba.html?ref=todayspaper

Delaying Justice at Guantánamo

Published: May 8, 2012

Related in OpinionMilitary commission hearings began last week against five men held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for conspiring in the 9/11 attacks. Other detainees, however, are held without charges and their legal right to challenge their detention remains blocked.

Last fall, when the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia ruled2 to 1 against Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, a Yemeni citizen, Judge David Tatel wrote in dissent that it was “hard to see what is left of the Supreme Court’s command” that government must allow prisoners who aren’t Americans “meaningful” challenges to detention.

The majority, in a grossly unfair decision, said a government report leading to Mr. Latif’s detention must be assumed to be accurate under “a presumption of regularity,” unless there is “clear evidence to the contrary.”

The Supreme Court is expected soon to consider a request to review the case. It should promptly reverse the appellate decision, which eviscerates the justices’ 2008 ruling in Boumediene v. Bush that allowed Guantánamo prisoners to challenge the legality of their detention in federal court through habeas corpus petitions.

Now a version of the appeals court ruling with some previously redacted portions shows even more defects in Judge Janice Rogers Brown’s majority opinion. In addition to misstatements about rules of evidence, there is inexcusable disregard for critical facts.

Mr. Latif, who sustained head injuries in a 1994 car accident in Yemen, went to Pakistan for medical treatment in 2001, and then traveled to Kabul to find a Yemeni man who promised to help him. He was arrested near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and transferred to Guantánamo where he has been held without trial since 2002.

The government contends he fought with the Taliban after being recruited by Al Qaeda. Its evidence is an intelligence field report stating Mr. Latif said he had a hand, not a head, injury, according to the now unredacted portions. He said that was a translation error. In treating the report as reliable, Judge Brown gave the government an unfair and almost insurmountable advantage.

The trial court rightly found the report unreliable and uncorroborated and found Mr. Latif’s story plausible and corroborated by medical records. Instead of accepting the trial court’s proper findings, the appeals court created a new, indefensible rule, essentially rejecting the Supreme Court’s Boumediene ruling.

The appeals court has decided 19 habeas petitions filed by detainees, and has never supported a grant of a habeas petition. In the Latif case and six other detainee cases now up for review, a major question for the justices is whether they will go along with the appellate court’s refusal to allow Guantánamo detainees to prevail in habeas cases. Its own authority is on the line.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/opinion/how-much-for-that-coffee.html?ref=todayspaper

How Much for That Coffee?

Published: May 8, 2012

Imagine that you have exhausted your checking account at the mall when you swing by the coffee shop for some reviving caffeine. Would you prefer the bank to: a) decline the purchase on your debit card so that you can pay cash, or b) pay for that coffee and then slam you with a $35 overdraft penalty. We know what we would answer.

Until two years ago, the nation’s banks could automatically enroll customers in overdraft programs — the result was tens of billions of dollars in overdraft fees. The Federal Reserve finally stepped in, requiring banks to get the customer’s consent before enrolling them. But it should have done more: requiring reasonable, and proportional penalties; and pressing banks to develop ways of alerting debit card users before they overdraw.

Overdraft revenue, estimated to have been as high as $37 billion annually, has dropped by about 15 percent, according to one estimate. The banks are not giving up.

According to a 2011 study by The Center for Responsible Lending, a research group, many banks fail to fully explain their overdraft policies and some have bullied customers into opting in, warning that “your debit card may not work the same way anymore.” A new survey by The Pew Charitable Trusts Safe Checking Project found that more than half of customers with overdraft “protection” did not believe that they had opted into the coverage.

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a vital role to play. It should require financial institutions to clearly explain their overdraft programs and include complete pricing information about different overdraft options. The bureau should also require fees to be reasonable and proportional to the amount of the overdraft, and the actual costs to the banks.

According to the Pew study, 75 percent of people who have been hit with overdraft fees say they would prefer the bank to decline transactions when their accounts are empty. If the banks are playing by the rules, all customers should know that the easiest way to avoid overdraft fees is not to opt into the program
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Sun - Top News

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/

Top Top News:

- Make it a million for Claire http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4274093/Lets-make-it-1million-for-tragic-marathon-girl-Claire-Squires.html

THE Sun today calls on its army of generous readers to help tragic London Marathon girl Claire Squires’ charity appeal reach £1MILLION.

More than £749,000 has been given to the Samaritans since Claire, 30, died during Sunday’s run.

As donations flooded in from around the world, her sister Nicola, 32, said: “Something good has to come out of this. Please, in memory of my beautiful sister, donate some money.”

The Sun last night gave £5,000 to caring hairdresser Claire’s internet charity page.

Catherine Johnstone said: “We are overwhelmed by the support of your readers.”

Sir Richard Branson pledged cash and said: “Hopefully the fundraising will be some comfort to Claire’s family.”

THE family of tragic marathon girl Claire Squires last night appealed for well-wishers to “please keep giving” to her chosen charity in the wake of her death.

Thousands from across the world have donated to the Samaritans since Claire, 30, collapsed and died during Sunday’s London race, with the total topping £710,000.

And her heartbroken family said in a statement: “Don’t stop giving — just like her. It’s what she would have wanted.”

Hairdresser Claire died on Birdcage Walk near St James’s Park, less than a mile from the finish.

She had hoped her run would raise £500 for the Samaritans. But her death has inspired the largest number of donations ever on fundraising website JustGiving.com.

And as The Sun calls on readers to help the appeal reach £1million, the total got a further boost yesterday when JustGiving waived its usual five per cent cut from donations.

Managing director Anne-Marie Huby said: “We thought the right thing to do was to show our sympathy and donate the fees we normally charge in Claire’s honour.”

Claire’s grief-stricken dad Paul said: “Words cannot explain what an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person she was. She was loved by so many and is dearly missed by all of us.” Paul, 62, told The Sun: “We are stunned. She was as fit as a fiddle and went to the gym every day.

“We have no idea how it could have happened and can’t believe she’s just gone.

“She had everything to live for and was an absolutely beautiful girl. I can’t believe she’ll never come bouncing through our door again — it just doesn’t seem real. She loved life and lived life to the full. She was so determined, so caring, and a joy to be around.”

Paul, of North Kilworth, Leics, told how his wife Cilla, 63, and three other daughters Maxine, Penelope and Nicola were consoling each other. He said: “We’re all together and looking after each other. We’ll cope because we have to.”

The family suffered another tragedy in 2001 when they lost Claire’s brother Grant to an overdose at 25.

Paul said: “We coped with that by the family rallying around and looking after each other — and that’s what we’re doing again now.”

Claire’s 31-year-old boyfriend Simon van Herrewege was waiting at the finish to congratulate her.

He collapsed in tears when officials told him she was dead.

Paul said: “He is a lovely boy and is finding it very difficult. They’d been together about 2½ years and were very close.”

Samaritans volunteer Cilla and Paul have been overwhelmed by the level of support and donations.

Paul said: “Claire would be so happy with the incredible support that has been offered by thousands of people from all over the world.”

Other Top News;

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

'The Story that made me read until the end'

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120424-robot-cars-ready-to-roll

i have read the text until the end because i was interested in the story, and because cars play a big role in our life's today. So i wanted to know more about it as it eventually will be affecting my life in the future because i want to purchase a car, so i should be informed about that particular thing that i will have to deal later on.

Monday, April 23, 2012

'SARKOZY LOSES FIRST POLL BATTLE'

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=127677&date=2012-04-24

French President NicolasSarkozy faces an uphill struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday's first vote, reports BBC.

He won 27.1pc of the vote, while his Socialist rival Francois Hollande took 28.6pc, the first time a sitting president has lost in the first round.

The two men will face each other in a second round of voting on 6 May.

Third-place Marine Le Pen took the largest share of the vote her far-right National Front has ever won, with 18pc.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says Mr Hollande's narrow victory in this round gives him crucial momentum ahead of the run-off in two weeks' time.

Analysts suggest Mr Sarkozy, leader of the ruling centre-right UMP, will now need to woo the far-right voters who backed Ms Le Pen if he is to hold on tothe presidency. But Mr Hollande remains the front runner.

Mr Sarkozy began reaching out to Ms Le Pen's voters on Monday, saying "there was this crisis vote that doubled from one election to another - an answer must be given to this crisis vote".

Around one in five people voted for the National Front candidate, including many young and working class voters, putting her ahead of seven other candidates.

The election has been dominated by economic issues, with voters concerned with sluggish growth and rising unemployment.

Ms Le Pen, who campaigned on a nationalist, anti-immigration platform, said she would wait until May Day next week to give her view on the second round.

She told jubilant supporters that the result was "only the start" and that the party was now "the only opposition" to the Left.

Opinion polls taken after voting on Sunday suggested that between 48 and 60% of Le Pen voters would switch to backing Mr Sarkozy in the second round. But pollsters also predict a large abstention rate in the second round.

The BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt says the result revealed a dissatisfaction and restlessness in France, creating political volatility. The elites are despised, the economic future is feared and there is insecurity, he says.

Nearly a fifth of voters backed a party - the National Front - that wants to ditch the euro and return to the franc.

But polls suggest Mr Hollande will comfortably win the second round.

As the results came in, he said he was "best placed to become the next president of the republic" and that Mr Sarkozy had been punished by voters.

"The choice is simple, either continue policies that have failed with a divisive incumbent candidate or raise France up again with a new, unifying president," Mr Hollande said.

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http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=127677&date=2012-04-24

In the first round of the presidential elections, with all the votes counted, Francois Hollande has secured 28.63 per cent of the total votes casted. The incumbent Nicholas Sarkozy is trailing behind his Socialist contender with 27.08 per cent of the vote.

First time a sitting president has lost in the first round. French President Nicolas Sarkozy confronts an overwhelming struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday's first vote. The two men will face each other in a second round of voting on 6 May. If Mr Sarkozy failed to change the minds of a considerable number of people, he will become the first sitting president to lose an election since 1981.

Marine le Pen the Far-right candidate has secured third place with 18.01 per cent of the vote, as per statistics released by the Interior Ministry.

Jean-Luc Melenchon the Left-wing hopeful has acquired about 11.13 per cent of the ballots. The remaining six candidates delivered mild single-digit results.

After the first round results were declared, Hollande in his hometown of Tulle delivered a speech to his cheering supporters. He said he has become a contestant of all the French people who desires to turn “a new page” in the history of France. He also vowed to cut the country’s debt, improve economic development, and bring together the people of France after the “troublesome” rule of Nicholas Sarkozy.

In the meantime, Sarkozy's supporters engrossed the defeat, Jean-Francois Cope the leader of the right-wing UMP, saying that in the coming round, when Nicolas Sarkozy we will be head-to-head against Francois Hollande, “the match will be different.”

The numbers of voters in the ballot has exceeded 80 per cent, regardless of fears that up to one third of the voters might pay no heed to the vote. For contrast, the first round of the 2007 French presidential election witnessed a record high turnout of 83.8 per cent.

With all the ballots now counted, keeping the opening first round results in mind, one can suggests that Hollande would also win by a small margin in a decisive battle.

According to the polls, Hollande is expected to succeed in the second round. But head-to-head run-off set for May 06 may bring some surprises with so many votes secured by the candidates who lag- behind in the first round.

French people have cast their votes at the polling stations to decide the future of France for the next five years, with the candidates themselves casting their votes during the early hours of the election on Sunday. Francois Hollande remarked as he cast his vote, this election will “weigh on the future of Europe”

Political analysts suggest Mr Sarkozy, leader of the ruling centre-right UMP, will now need to persuade the far-right voters who supports Ms Le Pen, if he is to hold on to the presidency. However Mr Hollande remains the front runner.

Mr Sarkozy started reaching out to Ms Le Pen's voters on Monday, by saying , "There was this crisis vote that doubled from one election to another - an answer must be given to this crisis vote".

FACTS RELATED TO SECOND ROUND OF POLLS:

· The election has been dominated by economic issues, with voters worried with lethargic growth and mounting unemployment.

· Post-election Opinion polls taken on Sunday indicates that between 48 and 60% of Le Pen voters would tilt towards Sarkozy in the second round.

· There is also predict that a large abstention rate in the second round.

ANALYSIS:

· There is one apparent favorite - Hollande. He has a support of votes on his left, and he has guaranteed to get them, more or less.

· On the hand, no one is dead sure that Le Pen voters will back Sarkozy in second round or not.

· Marine Le Pen has firm support, she has pulled off a major takeover - 6.3 million voters chose her.

· She has an obvious curiosity in Sarkozy losing. She wants his party to collapse and her party to then pick up some right-wingers from his party and become the main opposition to the Left.

· Leftist nominee Jean-Luc Melenchon, who was backed by the Communist Party, came fourth with almost 12 per cent has urged his supporters categorically to rally behind Mr Hollande in the run-off.

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http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/international/InsidePage.php?id=2000056897&cid=517&story=Sarkozy%20loses%20first%20poll%20battle

French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an uphill struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday's first vote.

He won only 27.1% of the vote, while his socialist rival Francois Hollande took 28.6%, the first time a sitting president has lost in first round.

The two men will face each other in a second round of voting on 6 May. Third-place Marine Le Pen took the largest share of the vote her far-right National Front has ever won with 18.1%.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says his narrow victory in this round gives Francois Hollande crucial momentum ahead of the run-off in two weeks' time.

Analysts suggest Mr Sarkozy will now need to appeal to the far-right voters who backed Ms Le Pen if he is to hold on to the presidency, but Mr Hollande remains the front runner.

Around one in five people voted for the National Front candidate, including many young and working class voters, putting her ahead of seven other candidates.

Debating debates

The poll has been dominated by economic issues, with voters concerned with sluggish growth and rising unemployment. After the results began to come in, Mr Hollande said he was "best placed to become the next president of the republic" and that Mr Sarkozy had been punished by voters.

"The choice is simple, either continue policies that have failed with a divisive incumbent candidate or raise France up again with a new, unifying president," Mr Hollande said.

It is the first time a French president running for re-election has failed to win the first round since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

Mr Sarkozy - who has been in power since 2007 - said he understood "the anguish felt by the French" in a "fast-moving world".

He called for three debates during the two weeks to the second round - centring on the economy, social issues, and international relations.

Mr Hollande promptly rejected the idea. He told reporters that the traditional single debate ahead of the second round was sufficient, and that it should "last as long as necessary".

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http://www.nineoclock.ro/sarkozy-loses-first-poll-battle-hollande-set-to-win-run-offs/

French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an uphill struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday’s first vote, the BBC informs. He won 27.1 pc of the vote, while his Socialist rival Francois Hollande took 28.6 pc, the first time a sitting president has lost in the first round. The two men will face each other in a second round of voting on 6 May. Third-place Marine Le Pen took the largest share of the vote her far-right National Front has ever won, with 18 pc. Analysts suggest Sarkozy, leader of the ruling centre-right UMP, will now need to woo the far-right voters who backed Le Pen if he is to hold on to the presidency. But Hollande remains the front runner. Sarkozy began reaching out to Le Pen’s voters on Monday, saying “there was this crisis vote that doubled from one election to another – an answer must be given to this crisis vote”. Around one in five people voted for the National Front candidate, including many young and working class voters, putting her ahead of seven other candidates. The election has been dominated by economic issues, with voters concerned with sluggish growth and rising unemployment. Le Pen, who campaigned on a nationalist, anti-immigration platform, said she would wait until May Day next week to give her view on the second round. She told jubilant supporters that the result was “only the start” and that the party was now “the only opposition” to the Left. Opinion polls taken after voting on Sunday suggested that between 48 and 60 pc of Le Pen voters would switch to backing Mr Sarkozy in the second round. But pollsters also predict a large abstention rate in the second round. The result revealed a dissatisfaction and restlessness in France, creating political volatility. The elites are despised, the economic future is feared and there is insecurity, he says. But polls suggest Hollande will comfortably win the second round. As the results came in, he said he was “best placed to become the next president of the republic” and that Mr Sarkozy had been punished by voters.“The choice is simple, either continue policies that have failed with a divisive incumbent candidate or raise France up again with a new, unifying president,” Hollande said. Sarkozy – in power since 2007 – said he understood “the anguish felt by the French” in a “fast-moving world”. He called for three debates during the two weeks to the second round – centring on the economy, social issues, and international relations. Hollande promptly rejected the idea. He told reporters that the traditional single debate ahead of the second round was sufficient, and that it should “last as long as necessary”.

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http://www.voiceofnigeria.org/World/Sarkozy-loses-first-poll-battle.html

rench President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an uphill struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday's first vote.

Result

He won 27.1% of the vote, while his Socialist rival Francois Hollande took 28.6%, the first time a sitting president has lost in the first round.

The two men will face each other in a second round of voting on 6 May.
Third-place Marine Le Pen took the largest share of the vote her far-right National Front has ever won, with 18%.

Reports say Mr Hollande's narrow victory in this round gives him crucial momentum ahead of the run-off in two weeks' time.

Analysts suggest Mr Sarkozy, leader of the ruling centre-right UMP, will now need to woo the far-right voters who backed Ms Le Pen if he is to hold on to the presidency. But Mr Hollande remains the front runner.

Mr Sarkozy began reaching out to Ms Le Pen's voters on Monday, saying "there was this crisis vote that doubled from one election to another - an answer must be given to this crisis vote".

The election

About one in five people voted for the National Front candidate, including many young and working class voters, putting her ahead of seven other candidates.

The election has been dominated by economic issues, with voters concerned with sluggish growth and rising unemployment.
Ms Le Pen, who campaigned on a nationalist, anti-immigration platform, said she would wait until May Day next week to give her view on the second round.

She told jubilant supporters that the result was "only the start" and that the party was now t"the only opposition" o the Left.

Opinion polls taken after voting on Sunday suggested that between 48 and 60% of Le Pen voters would switch to backing Mr Sarkozy in the second round.

But pollsters also predict a large abstention rate in the second round.

Nearly a fifth of voters backed a party - the National Front - that wants to ditch the euro and return to the franc.

But polls suggest Mr Hollande will comfortably win the second round.
As the results came in, he said he was "best placed to become the next president of the republic" and that Mr Sarkozy had been punished by voters.
It is the first time a French president running for re-election has failed to win the first round since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

Mr Sarkozy who came into power since 2007 said he understood "the anguish felt by the French" in a "fast-moving world".

He called for three debates during the two weeks to the second round - centring on the economy, social issues, and international relations.

Mr Hollande promptly rejected the idea. He told reporters that the traditional single debate ahead of the second round was sufficient, and that it should "last as long as necessary".

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http://www.punchng.com/news/world/french-election-sarkozy-loses-first-round/

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has lost the first round of the French presidential election, the British Broadcasting Corporation reports.

French Socialist Francois Hollande won most votes in the first round of the election, early results showed.

Hollande got more than 28 per cent of votes against about 26 per cent for centre-right incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy.

The two men will face each other in a second round on May 6.

Sarkozy said it had been a “crisis vote” and called for three presidential debates before the run-off. The poll has been dominated by economic worries.

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen came third with about 19 per cent of the vote, ahead of seven other candidates.

Afterwards, Hollande said he was “best placed to become the next president of the republic” and that Sarkozy had been punished by voters.

It is the first time a French president running for re-election has failed to win the first round since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

Sarkozy – who has been in power since 2007 – said he understood “the anguish felt by the French” in a “fast-moving world”.

He called for three debates during the two weeks to the second round – centring on the economy, social issues, and international relations.

He said he felt confident ahead of the run-off and called on French people to rally behind him.

Turnout on Sunday was high, with more than 80 per cent .

Ms Le Pen, who leads the anti-immigration National Front, achieved more than the breakthrough score polled in 2002 by her father and predecessor, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who got through to the second round with more than 16 per cent.