Episode #4 News Review from January 5 to 11, 2020

News of the week 

• Harvey Weinstein trial for sexual assault
• New election planned in Bolivia to resolve the crisis
• Tensions continue to rise between the United States and Iran
• World War II bombs found in Germany
• An epidemic strikes oysters in France
  
• Vocabulary of the week explained

Every Saturday, HelloFrench publishes a podcast that immerses you in the week's news. Each news review comes with a transcription, a vocabulary list, and a quiz, to help you improve your French and test yourself.

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Transcription

Hello,

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

Headlines for the week of January 5 to 11, 2020

1. Opening of the Harvey Weinstein trial for agressions sexuelles sexual assault in New York.
2. Political crisis in Bolivia. A new presidential election will take place on May 3.
3. Iran classifies all American forces as "terrorists." Tensions continue to rise after the death of General Soleimani.
4. Evacuation in Dortmund, Germany, due to bombs dating from World War II.
5. Several production sites closed after the épidémie gastroenteritis epidemic that strikes huîtres oysters.

The Harvey Weinstein trial opened this week in New York. The film producer is accused by several dozen women of sexual assault. The trial had been eagerly awaited since the first revelations in the American press in October 2017. More than 80 women rompu le silence broke the silence to speak about the harcèlement harassment or abus abuse they suffered. Among them are celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Lea Seydoux, and Gwyneth Paltrow. On the accusers' bench, only two women are present. This illustrates the difficulty of building a criminal case without witnesses or physical evidence, sometimes years later. The trial is expected to last 6 weeks. Harvey Weinstein faces réclusion à perpétuité life imprisonment if found guilty of the chef d’inculpation charge of prédateur sexuel sexual predator behavior. The condamnation conviction of the former Hollywood producer would be a major victory for the #MeToo movement.

The end of a political crisis for Bolivia? Six months after the controversial presidential election, a date has enfin finally been announced for a new vote. Bolivians will vote on May 3, 2020 to désigner elect their president. The controversial victory of Evo Morales, for a fourth mandat term, had triggered a violent revolt. More than 35 people notably died during manifestations protests and affrontements clashes. An audit led by the Organization of American States confirmed irregularities in the election. The vote was therefore annulled and former members of the Bolivian electoral body were arrested. Abandoned by the police and the army, the Bolivian head of state démissionné resigned on November 10. The politician had been à la tête at the head of the country for 14 years. Having taken refuge in Mexico then Argentina, he will not be able to run on May 3. An mandat d'arrêt arrest warrant has also been issued against him. Until the new elections in May, the country remains led by par intérim interim president Jeanine Anez, a right-wing senator.

Tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise. This week, the Iranian parliament adopted an emergency law to classify all American forces as terrorists. Iran actually étendu extended a law passed in April 2019 that classait classified the American military as terrorist in certain areas of the world: the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. This amendment is above all symbolic, to denounce the assassination of General Soleimani. As a reminder, this Iranian regime general was killed on the orders of Donald Trump on January 3, 2020 in Iraq. The funérailles funeral of the military officer took place this week in Kerman, his hometown in southern Iran. As an enormous foule crowd accompanied the dépouille remains of the défunt deceased, more than 50 people décédées died in a bousculade stampede and 200 people were blessées injured. 

In Dortmund, Germany, unexploded bombs dating from World War II may have been found. The city hall identified four sites where bombs larguées dropped by the Allies could être enfouies be buried. As a precaution, 13,000 people from Dortmund's city center must be evacuated this weekend. Irregularities during construction work drew the authorities' attention. fouilles Excavations will therefore take place to determine whether or not they are indeed explosives. This is not the first time Germany has found bombs. In 2017, 65,000 people had to be evacuated in Frankfurt after the discovery of a British bomb.

ostréiculteurs Oyster farmers are calling for help. A gastroenteritis epidemic is currently striking oysters in Morbihan, the English Channel coast, and Charente-Maritime. Several production sites had to be closed to try to stop the propagation spread of the virus. No reopening date is planned for now. Producers are therefore impatiently awaiting the analysis results. 300 oyster farmers protested Wednesday in Brittany. They are calling for a "Marshall Plan" to be implemented to assainir clean up the waters. According to producers, wastewater is the source of the virus present in the coquillages shellfish.

Vocabulary of the week

Expand your French vocabulary - download our list of key words from the week of January 5 to 11, 2020.

📣La révélation (revelation): when information comes to light. You suddenly discover something, you become aware of it.

🤕Une agression (assault): when a person is attacked.

🤙Le harcèlement (harassment): repeatedly attacking or soliciting a person. Harassment can be moral, sexual, or even by phone.

✋L'abus (abuse): the word "abus," when we say, for example, "des femmes ont été abusées" (women were abused), means "rape." They were sexually abused. The word "abusé" can also mean that you were deceived, that someone took advantage of you. For example: "Il a abusé de ma confiance pour me voler mon téléphone" (He abused my trust to steal my phone).

🦅Le prédateur (predator): someone or an animal that feeds on prey. In everyday language, this word is used to describe someone threatening.

🔕Rompre le silence (to break the silence): to finally speak up, to stop remaining silent. 

🚔La réclusion à perpétuité (life imprisonment): when you go to prison for life.

🎓Un chef d'inculpation (a charge): the reason for which someone is accused.

🎓La condamnation (conviction/sentence): when someone has been found guilty. They are convicted. The justice system forces them to serve a sentence or pay a fine.

⏲Enfin (finally - adverb): this word is used when there has been a long wait and it is over. For example: "J'ai faim depuis 2h, enfin nous allons manger !" (I've been hungry for 2 hours, finally we're going to eat!) 

👉Désigner (to appoint/elect - verb): to choose, determine, indicate.

🗣Le mandat (mandate/term):

• In politics, a mandate means a mission entrusted to you after being elected. The term has a predetermined duration. For example: "Le président a été réélu pour un nouveau mandat" (The president was re-elected for a new term).
• In the expression "un mandat d'arrêt" (arrest warrant), the word has a different meaning. It is when a judge asks the police to search for someone. They issue an arrest warrant.

⛰Une irrégularité (irregularity): something that is not normal, something strange. It is not regular.

🙅Démissionner (to resign - verb): to leave your position, to quit your job.

👑 Être à la tête de (to be at the head of): you can say "être à la tête d'une entreprise" (to be at the head of a company) or "être à la tête du pays" (to be at the head of the country). It means you are the leader, that you are in charge.

🆘Se réfugier (to take refuge - verb): to leave in order to find shelter.

⏰Par intérim (interim/acting): to replace someone for a temporary period. You can also say: "Je fais de l'intérim dans une entreprise" (I'm doing temp work at a company), meaning you are replacing someone at their job for a short time.

👿Le terroriste (terrorist) ou terroriste (adjective): a person or organization that uses violence and fear to promote their political ideas or impose their authority.

Étendre (to extend - verb): this means to deploy in length. Depending on the context, "étendre" can mean "to broaden," "to expand" as in "étendre une loi" (to extend a law). You can use the word "étendre" to say "étendre le linge" (to hang out the laundry). In this case, it means to put it out to dry.

🗃Classer (to classify - verb): to classify a person means to put them in a category. You can also use the word "classer" when organizing things. For example: "J'ai classé tous mes livres dans l'ordre alphabétique" (I organized all my books in alphabetical order). 

☮️Symbolique (symbolic - adjective): when we say something has symbolic value, it means it doesn't change anything concretely. It's more about the idea of what it represents.

⚰Les funérailles (funeral): a burial. When a person dies and they are buried.

⚰La dépouille (remains): the body of a person who is no longer living, who is dead.

⚰Le défunt (the deceased): the person who has died.

👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 La foule (crowd): a lot of people gathered together, many people together. 

🚨La bousculade (stampede/crush): a crowd movement, people are agitated, pushing each other.

🤕Être blessé (to be injured): when you have wounds, when you receive blows, shocks. You are in pain.

💣La bombe (bomb): a projectile loaded with explosives. Explosives are what will explode. Figuratively, the word "bombe" is used to talk about unexpected news. For example: "Il a largué une vraie bombe. Il a annoncé qu'il allait quitter son travail pour aller vivre au bout du monde" (He dropped a real bombshell. He announced he was going to quit his job to go live at the end of the world). In slang, you can also call an attractive girl a "bombe."

🔨Enfouir/Être enfoui (to bury/to be buried): to be buried/hidden in the ground.

🔨Les fouilles (excavations): the act of searching the ground to find what is buried.

🤝Les alliés (allies): people who are on our side, with us. We are united by an alliance. This expression is often used to refer to France's side during the war. 

🚓Les autorités (authorities): the government, the people in charge, those who hold power.

🐚Une huître (oyster):

🐚L'ostréiculteur (oyster farmer): the person who produces oysters.

🐚Le coquillage (shellfish): a type of sea creature that has a shell. Oysters are shellfish.

💉 Le virus (virus): a disease that is contagious, that spreads.

🌬La propagation (spread/propagation): the act of spreading.

🤢La gastro entérite (gastroenteritis): a disease that lasts a few days and causes severe stomach pain. It is characterized by nausea and vomiting.

🚿Assainir (to sanitize/clean up): to clean, to make healthier. We say "assainir les eaux usées" (to clean up wastewater).