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The euro zone, Afghanistan and cheeseburgers were on the agenda at French President Francois Hollande's first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. Deborah Gembara reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: French President Francois Hollande wrapped up his first week in the new job with a meeting at the White House. The Eurozone, particularly how to handle budgets while promoting growth dominated talks between him and U.S. President Barack Obama
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:: "President Hollande and I agreed that this is an issue of extraordinary importance, not only to the people of Europe, but also to the world economy."
REPORTER: The two leaders also discussed the role world powers will play in Afghanistan. Hollande made sure to remind Obama of a pledge he made to his countrymen to pull troops out by the end of the year.
FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE: "That being said, we will continue to support Afghanistan, in a different way. Our support will take a different format, and all of that will be in good understanding with our allies."
REPORTER: President Obama also took the opportunity to tease Hollande who spent some time in the U.S. in youth about American fast food.
FRANCOIS HOLLANDE: "I will make no declaration about French Fries."
REPORTER: After the G8 meeting at Camp David, the two leaders will head to a NATO summit that Obama is hosting in Chicago this weekend. Deborah Gembara, Reuters.

ALSO SEE
• Monsieur Hollande: Obama's new friend (BBC News)
• Obama, Hollande agree on much - but not Afghanistan (Reuters)
• Obama welcomes Hollande as French president hints at Afghan compromise (The Guardian)

COMMENT
Hollande's English is much better than Sarkozy's (it could hardly be worse!). You can hear him saying a few words in English in this BBC News video (at 1:13).

Facebook's stock market flotation makes it onto the front page of the Daily Mirror. The story claims Mark Zuckerberg made £12bn yesterday. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
The Mirror's one-word headline is a play on the words "Facebook" and "buck". Buck is an informal word for dollar (note the 's' is a dollar sign). More generally, bucks is sometimes used to mean money. • Comparison shopping can save you big bucks.

This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent is a comment on David Cameron's refusal to contemplate any reduction in his government's austerity programme. Cameron told business leaders on Thursday that Britain was “moving in the right direction” and insisted he would not “blow the budget on more spending” in an attempt to stimulate the economy. Read more >>

Cameron is portrayed as a woodcutter (lumberjack) with an axe. He's already chopped down (cut down, felled) a number of trees—a metaphor for the government's deficit-reduction measures—but the one remaining tree (labelled "eurozone") is about to fall on his head.

Cameron's statement, "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job", is in fact a quote from a famous wartime speech by Sir Winston Churchill directed at President Roosevelt (the V-sign is a clue). Here, it is used ironically. Cameron's austerity strategy is about to be crushed by the eurozone crisis.

VOCABULARY
Traditionally, the cry of "Timber!" is used as a warning to alert fellow workers in an area that a tree is being felled.

ALSO READ
• David Cameron to tell François Hollande austerity works – but King raises alarm (The Independent)

Dog TV says it offers ''a new breed of television'' to entertain our canine companions. Tara Cleary reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: Sport …outdoor adventure - it's a new TV channel and it's just for dogs. Dog TV's creators say the channel entertains canines when their humans are at work. Dr. Nicholas Dodman explains.
DR. NICHOLAS DODMAN, DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, TUFTS UNIVERSITY CUMMINGS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE: "There are numerous dogs, 80 million in the United States, many of whom are spending long hours alone, up to and even more than eight hours a day. And in that vacuum, devoid of human company, they have pretty much nothing to do."
REPORTER: Dodman says sound, colors and content are especially tailored for dogs.
DR. DODMAN: "We know that dogs are kind of red-green color blind. So the colors have been adjusted and augmented. Auditorily, we know that they appreciate more melodic sounds and music. And content, we know they like looking at other dogs. They like looking at people. They like motion, like balls being kicked around, frisbees and stuff."
REPORTER: Dog TV claims it can reduce your best friend's angst and relax them. Dodman says about 15 percent of dogs in the U.S. show signs of clinical separation anxiety.
DR DODMAN: "The cardinal signs being vocalization and destructive behavior. You often don't know about vocalization until a neighbor reports your dog barking or disturbing them and howling and otherwise. And then destruction, sometimes clawing at the back of a door or microblind, other times chewing on pillows or entering trash cans. So these are clinical separation anxiety cases."
REPORTER: Dog TV streams from its website and also has plans to broadcast nationwide. Making millions of dogs jump for joy. Tara Cleary, Reuters.

COMMENTS
1. No, it's not April 1st. Dog TV really exists—just check out their website.
2. Cat lovers may be wondering if there's a channel for moggies. Well, not yet (it's only a matter of time), but you can buy DVDs for cats to watch.

IDIOM
Note the punning title of this report. If you say that something has gone to the dogs, you mean that it has become weaker and worse in quality. • The country is going - or indeed, has already gone - to the dogs, and there's probably nothing we can do about it.

Metal thieves have stolen a memorial to two children murdered by the IRA, the Daily Mail reports. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If you say that a person or action is despicable, you are emphasizing that they are extremely nasty, cruel, or evil. • A “despicable” drug addict who stole the wedding ring off the finger of an 87-year-old cancer sufferer in her bed has been jailed for 14 years.

This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express relates to plans to give tens of thousands of civil servants the chance to work from home for seven weeks to help ease congestion on London’s transport network during the Olympics. Read more >>

The cartoon shows a man wearing a suit and tie and bowler hat mowing his lawn with a lawnmower. A passer-by comments, "You can always spot civil servants working from home ..."

EXPLANATION
The joke is that the man mowing the lawn corresponds to the classic stereotype of the civil servant, dating back to the nineteen fifties or earlier, which is why he is easy to spot (i.e., identify). No civil servant looks like that today, but the stereotype is often used by cartoonists and caricaturists.

VOCABULARY
A civil servant or public servant is a civilian public sector employee working for a government department or agency.

ALSO SEE
• Mac cartoon (Daily Mail)

Diamond Jubilee biscuits are expected to be in high demand over the coming weeks as the UK gears up to celebrate 60 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Tara Cleary reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: The kitchen at Biscuiteers is heating up. The bakery is expecting a sales boom in Diamond Jubilee biscuits as the U.K. catches royal fever. Co-founder Harriet Hastings has created a range of handmade cookies especially for the celebrations.
HARRIET HASTINGS: "There's nothing better than a starting point where you sit down and think about a new collection. I mean we create new collections in our business all the time, seasonally and for all events, but obviously to have such a big event as this, this year, is really good."
REPORTER: Hastings says the royal collections are the most intricate, so they take much longer to produce. And with a kitchen capacity of 30 staff, there's sure to be a lot of overtime.
HARRIET HASTINGS: "What we're trying to do here is to show that you can have a successful - and a volume business actually - based on very old-fashioned, handmade qualities, which I think you can."
REPORTER: The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations take place from June 2nd to 5th - no doubt with plenty of tea and Jubilee biscuits. Tara Cleary, Reuters.

IDIOM
If something sells like hot cakes, it sells quickly and in large numbers. • The new iPad has been selling like hot cakes since it was launched in March.

Greece will hold new elections after party leaders failed to reach an agreement to form a coalition, promising to leave the country in political limbo that could threaten its future in the euro zone. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
A ballot is a secret vote in which people select a candidate in an election, or express their opinion about something. • A victims' rights group is seeking to remove from the November ballot a measure that would abolish the death penalty.

I'm pleased to announce that the Business Words iOS app I created for learning business vocabulary is now available for free in Apple's App Store. So don't delay, download it today!

DESCRIPTION
Business Words is ‘hangman’ type game aimed at students or professionals who have a good level of English but wish to improve their vocabulary in the field of business and management. Business Words is also a useful resource for anyone preparing for a professional exam such as the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). The game uses a database of 2,000 words and is similar to the game of hangman. Players have to find the missing word in a sentence relating to a specific business topic by guessing individual letters. Each game lasts 10 minutes, and the aim is to score a maximum number of points. The words and sentences are organized into 12 topic areas: Economy, Law, Industry, Trade, Marketing, Human Resources, Banking, Travel, Retailing, Finance, Communication, and Technology. There is also a ‘Mixed Bag’ featuring words from all categories. Translations of all words are given in French. The author of Business Words is Jeffrey Hill, who teaches English at the Ecole de Management de Normandie in France.

VERDICT
A totally awesome 5-star app (even if I do say so myself!).

COMMENT
This app was released in July 2011 when it cost €1.59. It's now being offered free for a limited period of time as part of the EM Normandie's admissions campaign.

Newly elected Francois Hollande meets outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy at the presidential palace for an official exchange of power. Lindsey Parietti reports.

TRANSCRIPT
France's new president Francois Hollande. After battling in a close and sometimes surprising race, Hollande officially took the reins from Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday. The meeting at the presidential palace is believed to have included an exchange of nuclear codes ahead of a swearing-in ceremony that made Hollande the country's first Socialist president in 17 years. In contrast to his predecessor's image, Hollande said his tenure would be "dignified" and "sober". After leading a procession to the Arc de Triomphe and paying tribute to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Hollande was scheduled to travel to Berlin. He is expected to push for adding stimulus measures to a European austerity pact created to stem the EU's economic crisis. Lindsey Parietti, Reuters.

ALSO SEE
• Hollande and Merkel vow to seek growth for Europe (France 24)
• François Hollande becomes France's new president (BBC News)
• François Hollande takes up presidential reins – then flies off for Berlin talks (The Guardian)
• Mr Normal Francois Hollande ushers in a new era in France (Daily Telegraph)

This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent relates to François Hollande's first meeting with Angela Merkel as President of France.

Merkel and Hollande are portrayed as the star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack in the famous "I'm flying" scene from the movie Titanic (prepare those hankies before watching!).

The Titanic (representing the euro) is about to hit a Greek column (a metaphor for Greece's role in the downfall/sinking of the euro).

The cartoonist plays on the words 'unthinkable' and 'unsinkable', which, with Merkel's German accent, both sound like 'unzinkable'. The end of the euro is unthinkable and, like the Titanic, the euro was thought to be unsinkable.

COMMENTS
1. Note the anchor in the shape of the euro sign!
2. In the Titanic movie Jack holds Rose, but in the cartoon the roles have been reversed (Merkel is holding Hollande). This could signify that Merkel is the senior partner in the new Franco-German relationship, or perhaps, like Rose earlier in the film, Hollande was about to jump (a reference to his suicidal growth policies?) and she is holding him back.
3. The sinking of the Titanic is commonly used as metaphor for disaster and catastrophe. See an earlier post for a discussion of this.

VOCABULARY
If you say that something is unthinkable, you are emphasizing that it cannot possibly be accepted or imagined as a possibility.

MORE CARTOONS
• Hollande's First Day (Adams in The Telegraph)
• Zeus strikes Hollande's plane (Andy Davey in The Sun)

The Daily Telegraph reports that Greece's economy is close to collapse. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If something, for example a system or institution, collapses, it comes to an end completely and suddenly.  • German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the collapse of the coalition negotiations was "a severe setback for the urgently needed confidence in Greece's readiness to reform''.

Today's news is dominated by the Greek debt crisis and fears that Greece may be forced to leave the euro if it can't meet its debt repayments. Greece's total debt amounts to €360bn, but who loaned it all that money in the first place, and what does €360bn actually look like? For answers to those questions, check out this wonderful infographic from Demonocracy.info. And while you're at it, don't miss some other great infographics on related topics such as The European Superhighway of Debt and Global Financial Crisis: A World in Debt, which put all those debt mountains into visual perspective.

VOCABULARY
A bank loans (or lends) money to individuals, companies or countries. The money which is lent is a loan. People borrow money from banks. Strangely, English doesn't have a noun corresponding to the verb 'to borrow' (in French they have 'emprunt' from the verb 'emprunter'), so you just have to use the word loan.
• I got a loan from the bank to buy a new car.
• Barclays is offering loans at reduced rates to existing customers.

François Hollande is set to meet Angela Merkel in Berlin this evening, soon after he is sworn in as President. This cartoon by Kal from The Economist shows them eating a meal in the "Das Austerity Euro Cafe". Merkel is having a sausage and a glass of water, while Hollande has plenty of food in front of him and is now ordering wine.

EXPLANATION
The meal is a metaphor for the two leaders' differing approaches to the eurozone financial crisis. Merkel continues to insist that austerity as the only solution to the crisis, whereas Hollande wants less austerity and greater focus on measures to stimulate growth.

ALSO SEE
• Euro crisis: Can Merkel and Hollande find compromise? (BBC News)
• François Hollande faces a baptism of fire in Berlin (The Guardian)
• President of France to Open New Term by Getting to Know a Neighbor Better (New York Times)

MORE EURO CRISIS CARTOONS
• Andy Davey (The Sun)
• Phil Disley (The Independent)
• Adams (The Daily Telegraph)
• Steve Bell (The Guardian)

European shares fell to their lowest levels in over four months on worries about political instability in Greece, with Greek bank shares among the biggest fallers. A week after elections, Greece is without a new coalition government, leading to more discussion about the country leaving the euro. Joanna Partridge reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: A week after Greece's inconclusive elections - and the country seems no closer to forming a new coalition government. The political uncertainty has worried investors - and Greek stocks fell once again on Monday. Banking shares were the hardest hit - initially falling by 7% before recovering slightly. The instability has also seen European stocks slide to 4-month lows, says Frankfurt trader Robert Halver.
ROBERT HALVER, BAADER BANK: "It's all politics right now and the German equities are suffering, because we have no clear picture considering a Greek policy, a French policy, a European policy."
REPORTER: The situation in Greece could be about to get much worse if the country has to hold fresh elections. There are warnings Athens could run out of money as early as the end of June, if there isn't a government in place to negotiate the next installment of aid from its international lenders. Polls show Alexis Tsipras, the leader of Greece's radical leftist party, would now come out on top of a new vote. He opposes the EU/IMF bailouts - but wants to stay in the euro zone. That's easier said than done, says Nick Beecroft from Saxo Bank.
NICK BEECROFT, SAXO BANK: "There's a real danger in the next six months we see a number of misjudgements on the part of the Greek populous led, I would say, astray by Tsipras' suggestion that Greece can renege on the austerity programme and stay in the euro zone. And there may also be a miscalculation going on by let's say German politicians that Greece can exit without disastrous consequences."
REPORTER: But the discussions about a Greek euro exit - or "Grexit" are getting louder. A return to the drachma would be disastrous, says Greek analyst George Tzogopoulos.
GEORGE TZOGOPOULOS: "Political chaos and social instability will follow. Small business and enterprise will become immediately bankrupted, and the new Greek currency will be devaluated."
REPORTER: Attempts continue to form a unity government. Greek voters, who have had enough of austerity, are likely to go to the polls again as soon as mid-June. EU leaders have warned that without a government backing the 130-billion euro rescue plan agreed in March, Greece would stop getting aid and could find itself pushed out of the euro. Joanna Partridge, Reuters.

VOCABULARY
Grexit is a recently-coined portmanteau word combining "Greek" with "exit".

ALSO SEE
• From 'Grexit' to 'Spain in the neck': It's time for puns, neologisms and break-ups (Mail Online)

The Guardian's front page story focuses on the possibility of Greece leaving the euro. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
You can refer to the most powerful, rich, or talented people within a particular group, place, or society as the elite. • In 2000, Livingstone became London's first elected mayor on the back of his own celebrity and refusal to kowtow to the political elite.

The new TV ad for the Volkswagen Polo shows the evolving relationship of a protective father and his daughter, from the moment he first brings her home from the hospital to the day she finally leaves home, when he hands her the keys to a shiny new Polo -- ensuring she "stays in safe hands".

THE MESSAGE
You can trust the small but tough Volkswagen Polo to protect your loved ones and keep you safe.

COMMENT
I defy any dads with teenage daughters to watch this ad without welling up (I know I did!).

LESSON IDEA
Show ad to class. Stop it at 1:09 and ask them to guess the 'product'. Then ask them what they think the 'message' of the ad is. Finally, discuss the ways in which the ad manipulates the viewer's emotions.

This cartoon by Martin Rowson from The Guardian uses the story of the Battle of Thermopylae to comment on Greece's politico-economic crisis. (Thermopylae is the ancient battle site where the Greeks, 300 Spartans and their allies, held off masses of invading Persians in 480 BC).

In Martin Rowson's version, the Spartans are defending their country against a Euro army of fat cats and greedy pigs led by Angela Merkel. The scene can be viewed as a metaphor for Merkel's attempts to impose austerity on the increasingly fractious Greeks. The title of the cartoon is a joke based on the fact that, despite several attempts, the leaders of Greece's political parties have so far failed to form a government a week after indecisive elections. Read more >>

TRIVIA NOTE
300, a 2007 American action film directed by Zack Synder, is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae.

ALSO SEE
• Clock ticking down on Greek government talks (CNN)

This cartoon by John Cole, editorial cartoonist for The Times-Tribune is part of a collection of cartoons from The Cagle Post relating to President Obama's support for gay marriage. The Guardian explains the context:

Obama's announcement, in a hastily-arranged ABC interview on Wednesday, came after years of dodging the issue. He was forced to go public partly because vice-president Joe Biden ignited the debate with a remark in support of gay marriage at the weekend.

In the interview, Obama said he had long supported civil unions but his position on same-sex marriages had been evolving because of the powerful traditions and religious beliefs attached to the word marriage.

LANGUAGE NOTES
1. A shotgun wedding is a wedding that has to take place quickly, often because the woman is pregnant. The cartoon implies that Obama was forced to come out in favour of gay marriage because of Biden's remarks, which is why Biden is portrayed with a shotgun for a mouth. The cartoonist may also have been thinking of the expression to shoot one's mouth off, which means "to talk too much in a loud and uncontrolled way".
2. If you are uncertain about the difference between the words 'marriage' and 'wedding', a good rule of thumb is that marriage refers to the institution and wedding to the ceremony.
• The wedding cost over $25,000 but their marriage lasted just a few months.

ALSO SEE
• Biden pushes Obama to declare gay marriage support, then offers his apologies (Chicago Tribune)

One week after Francois Hollande was elected as France's president, rumours are swirling about who will occupy the top posts in his government. Andrew Raven reports.

TRANSCRIPT
Last week, Francois Hollande celebrated his election as France's new president. Now, it's down to business for the country's first Socialist leader in 17 years. One of his first tasks will lie outside France. With Europe mired in a debt crisis, he will meet with German chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the continent's economic future and the fate of the beleagured euro. That could be a fiery meeting - Hollande spent much of his campaign pressing for things that Merkel stands against, including fewer austerity measures and a more political European central bank. He is also tasked with appointing senior government officials back home - a process that will be closely watched by France's debt-struck neighbours. At the top of Holland's list is naming a prime minister. Among the front-runners are former presidential rival and Socialist power broker Martine Aubry… …and the mayor of the western city of Nantes, Jean Marc Aryualt. It's thought that Hollande is looking to include as many women as possible in a party traditionally dominated by men. Defeated 2007 presidential hopeful Segolene Royal - Hollande's former domestic partner - is said hopeful to lead the lower house of parliament. Final announcements for these, and other senior government posts, are expected later this week. Andrew Raven, Reuters.