News of the week

• Donald Trump's impeachment [spp-timestamp time="00:00:50″]
• Strikes in France against pension reform [spp-timestamp time="00:01:18″]
• UK on the march for Brexit [spp-timestamp time="00:01:48″]
• Strong storm kills 5 in Spain and Portugal [spp-timestamp time="00:02:35″]
• Electric car sales drop [spp-timestamp time="00:03:07″]
• Explanation of the week's vocabulary [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:42″]

Every Saturday, HelloFrench publishes a podcast that immerses you in the news of the week. Each press review is accompanied by a transcription, d'a vocabulary list and a quizto help you improve your French and test yourself.

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Transcription

Hello,

Welcome to the press review of Hello French, the podcast that immerses you in the news of the week, to help you improve your French.

In the spotlight for this week of December 14-21, 2019

1. The U.S. House of Representatives to vote [tooltips keyword="the impeachment" content="the impeachment"] of President Donald Trump. The president now awaits the Senate's verdict in January.
2. [The strikes in France against the pension reform are still going on [tooltips keyword="pension reform" content="pension reform"]. A country almost at a standstill in this holiday season.
3. After his victory in the general election, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, is putting the country on the road to Brexit.
4. Heavy weather in Europe has already caused 5 deaths in Spain and Portugal. A new storm named "Fabien" should arrive this weekend.
5. Electric car: auto industry sees global sales decline in 2019. A first.

This Wednesday, December 19, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump for "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress. Donald Trump is the third president in history to be impeached. His trial [tooltips keyword="trial" content="trial"] will take place in January in the Senate, where Republicans have a majority. Barring a reversal of fortune, the president is expected to avoid impeachment. In that case, the president will be able to run for a second term in the presidential elections on November 4, 2020, as he had planned.

No Christmas truce [tooltips keyword="trêves de Noël" content="Christmas truce"] for strikers in France. Since December 5, the country is experiencing a strong wave of strikes and [tooltips keyword="demonstrations" content="demonstrations"] against the pension reform of President Emmanuel Macron. Mainly carried by workers in the public domain, many sectors are affected: transport - trains, planes, subways), schools, nurseries ... Today the end date of these movements remains unknown. The strikers have announced an unlimited strike, until the government comes back on its proposal of pension reform.

On December 12, 2019, early parliamentary elections [tooltips keyword="early parliamentary elections" content="early parliamentary elections"] were held in Britain to elect new representatives to the House. The objective was to break the deadlock and find an agreement for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The Conservative Party won the elections by a wide margin. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now holds [tooltips keyword="absolute majority" content="absolute majority"] in parliament. Not surprisingly, the new [tooltips keyword="MPs" content="Members of Parliament"] therefore voted this Friday, December 20, 2019 in favor of Boris Johnson's agreement on leaving Europe. In the second reading, the text was approved by 358 MPs and was rejected 234 MPs. After 3 years of crisis, the Conservative Party Prime Minister and the country are now moving to make the Brexit a reality. The legislative process will continue after the holiday season. The official date of Brexit is expected to be January 31, 2020.

Heavy rains and strong winds hit Spain and Portugal this week. Dubbed Elsa, [tooltips keyword="the storm" content="the storm"] has already killed five people. [Tooltips keyword="The gusts" content="gusts"] have reached 160 km/h. Because of these [tooltips keyword="bad weather" content="bad weather"], boat links between Spain and Morocco were interrupted Friday morning. This weekend, "Fabien", a new storm of high intensity will again affect Spain, Portugal but also France. With gusts of up to 120 km/h, it should be of a slightly lower intensity.

7 million [tooltips keyword="vehicles" content="vehicles, cars"] electric vehicles are now on the road worldwide. However, the automotive sector has recorded a decline in sales of electric vehicles this year. A first! This decline of 10 %, in the third quarter of 2019 compared to 2018, is probably due to a global decrease in purchase aid. Europe is the exception, however, with an annual increase in sales of 93 %, thanks to aid and tax benefits.

Vocabulary of the week

Enrich your French vocabulary, download our list of key words for the week of December 14-22, 2019.

👑Impeachment It is a sanction that consists in depriving someone of his function (king, president...).

👉The indictment Trial: a procedure that consists of sending someone to court for a trial, in order to be judged.

🔚The verdict It is the result of a trial, the judgment that is rendered.

👮The trial is when a dispute is submitted to a judge for justice.

🏃Escape from : to avoid something.

✊The strike Strike: It is when several people decide to stop working at the same time to show that they are not happy with a situation. These people are called: strikers.

👵Retirement Retirement is the period of life when one has stopped working. We also talk about retirement to talk about the money that is paid to someone who is retired.

🎄The Christmas Truce We speak of a pause, a break for the Christmas period. This expression is used in the context of a crisis.

🚨The event It is a gathering of people who want to express their opinion together, usually in the street.

📃The legislative elections A vote to elect representatives to parliament. The expression "the legislative" is also correct.

∞ The absolute majority half of the votes + one (election).

🕴The MP The representative of the people, a member of an elected assembly.

🌬The gust : a violent gust of wind.

🌧The storm : a very violent wind with rain and thunderstorms.

🌫Bad weather : the bad weather.

🚍The vehicle a means of transportation. We can use this term for a car, a truck, a motorcycle...