PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, May 13: Papers discuss the trade deal agreed between the US and China. Where it is celebrated in the Chinese press, the American press is more critical. Also, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming under fire for his comments on immigration. Next, preparations are under way for the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, where a new dress code has been announced. Finally, The Times reports that pets provide us with more comfort than our partners.
Papers worldwide are covering the trade deal between the United States and China. The English-language government paper China Daily calls the deal a positive step for the global economy. The article says that China hopes that the US will "fully rectify its erroneous practice of imposing unilateral tariffs". The South China Morning Post has the deal on its front page. The paper calls it a major de-escalation and a win for both sides, but in particular for Beijing. In the US, Politico is looking at why the two countries pulled back from the edge. The article says that the deal came as the US faced a potential downturn. The Atlantic offers up an interesting way of understanding the latest trade deal. It compares Trump's deals to con artists playing a switch and bait card game, where the dealer "talks non-stop". Although the game is made to look like you stand a fair chance, you are actually being swindled. The Guardian, though, seems to think that the noisy card dealer might have swindled himself. It argues that the 90-day pause to the trade war still falls short of repairing what was effectively a trade embargo.
In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming under fire for his rhetoric on immigration, which is widely criticised on the British front pages. The Independent's headline reads: "Dismay at PM over 'island of strangers' rhetoric". The "island of strangers" quote has been likened to late far-right politician Enoch Powell’s infamous "rivers of blood" speech. The Guardian accuses the Labour prime minister of trying to combat the rise of the far-right party Reform that made significant gains in recent local elections. The Times is highlighting the aims of the new policies on its front page and in particular, Starmer's promise that it will curb 100,000 arrivals a year. Meanwhile the right-wing tabloids are ridiculing the fact that Starmer is being ridiculed. The Daily Mail also says that he is taking people for fools by announcing an immigration crackdown after years of backing open borders.
Film fans are looking forward to the iconic red carpet at Cannes this Tuesday, but Variety brings us news that the film festival has some new rules this year: nudity and voluminous outfits are banned. FRANCE 24's website looks at the impact of Trump's tariffs on the film industry, particularly after he said he would put tariffs on films made outside of the US. Le Monde tells us that Cannes will be as political as ever. It reports that many key figures of the film industry published an open letter on Monday denouncing the silence of the film industry in the face of what they called a genocide in Gaza.
Finally, scientists have found that cats and dogs are more comforting than our human partners, The Times reports. The survey of 30,000 people found that pets outranked not only spouses but also children and friends as the preferred form of emotional support.
You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
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