News of the week of February 16 to 22, 2020:
- Racist shootings in Germany kill 9 people. [spp-timestamp time=”00:00:37″]
- In Iraq, women protested against corruption. [spp-timestamp time=”00:01:49″]
- In Rome, the tomb of Romulus, founder of Rome, possibly found. [spp-timestamp time=”00:02:20″]
- EuroMillions in France: a winner never came forward. [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:05″]
- Vocabulary of the week explained [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:42″]
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Transcription
Hello,
Welcome to the HelloFrench news review, the podcast that immerses you in the week's news to help you improve your French.
Headlines for this week of February 16 to 22:
- Two racist shootings killed 9 people in Germany.
- In Iraq, women marched without men in the holy city of Najaf to denounce corruption.
- The tomb of Romulus, the founder of Rome, possibly found by archaeologists.
- EuroMillions in France: a winner never found, their winnings given to the state.
Two racist shootings killed nine people in Germany, near Frankfurt. The attacks targeted immigrant populations. Five Turks, a Bosnian, and a Bulgarian were among those killed in the shootings. On Thursday evening, thousands of people gathered in silence across the country against hatred and the terrorist threat from the far right. On Wednesday evening, the attacker entered a hookah bar in the city of Hanau and shot at the customers. He then got back in his car to go to a second bar, where he also shot at the customers in the smoking area. The presumed perpetrator of the shootings was found with his mother, both dead, in his apartment, killed by gunshot. A video and a 24-page document inciting the destruction of the population of at least 24 countries, such as those in the Maghreb, the Middle East, and South Asia, were found. In it, he notably advances theories about races. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, denounces racism as a poison.
It is a first in Iraq. Women marched this week in the holy city of Najaf without any men at their side. They protested against the government and corruption in this very conservative city located south of Baghdad. In this context, they also affirmed their position against the United States and Iran. They believe that their country is run by foreign powers and wish to restore a civil state as well as their rights.
It is in the archaeological park of the Colosseum, in Rome, that recent excavations have probably allowed archaeologists to discover the tomb of Romulus, the founding father of the city. He is said to have founded Rome on April 21, 753 BC. This tomb was presented to the public for the first time this Friday. While it is impossible to scientifically confirm that it is indeed the tomb of Romulus, the archaeologists base their deduction on sources dating from Antiquity. Whether or not it is truly the tomb of the father of Rome, one thing is certain: an important monument has indeed been discovered. This discovery is therefore exceptional.
1,047,023 euros and 20 cents. That is the sum a mysterious EuroMillions winner in France should have received, following the draw on December 20. They had until this Tuesday at midnight to come forward and claim their winnings. Despite numerous appeals in the media by the Francaise des Jeux (the French lottery operator), they never came forward. According to the rules, the state therefore collects the windfall. All we know about the winner is that they had played their ticket at a tobacconist in a shopping mall in Marseille, in the south of France. Let us hope they never realize their mistake.
Vocabulary of the Week
Enrich your French vocabulary - download our list of key words for the week of February 16 to 22, 2020.
■ La fusillade (the shooting): gunshots, someone firing multiple times with a gun at people.
■ Raciste (adjective), le raciste (noun) (racist): when someone thinks there are races and that all human beings are not equal.
■ Le racisme (racism): the belief that there are different races of human beings and that some are above others.
■ Se recueillir en silence (to gather in silence): to come together without speaking following a sad event.
■ Le bar à chicha (hookah bar): a bar where you can smoke a hookah, which is a water pipe used to smoke tobacco.
■ Le client (the customer): a person who uses a service or buys something with money.
■ La clientèle (the clientele): all the customers of a service, a place...
■ L'auteur présumé (the presumed perpetrator): the person suspected of having done something.
■ Tirer sur quelqu'un (to shoot at someone): to use a weapon to injure or kill people.
■ Tué par balle (killed by gunshot): someone who was killed by a firearm, by a gun.
■ Détruire (to destroy): to eliminate, to remove.
■ Le poison (the poison): a dangerous substance that can kill when swallowed. For example, arsenic is a poison. Figuratively, the word "poison" can also be used to talk about dangerous ideas or to describe a very bad person.
■ La thèse (the thesis/theory): an idea, a theory, an opinion. The word "thèse" is also used in an academic context. It is then the work a student produces at the end of their studies when completing a doctorate, to become a university doctor.
■ La zone fumeur (the smoking area): the place, the room in bars or nightclubs reserved for people who smoke.
■ La corruption (corruption): when people are corrupt, bribed. For example, if government members receive money from companies to make certain decisions, that is corruption.
■ Manifester (to protest/demonstrate): when people gather with others to express their opinion together, usually in the street.
■ Défiler (to march): here, the verb "défiler" is used in the same way as "manifester." It means marching in the street. This verb can also be used to talk about a fashion show: "Les mannequins défilent dans des robes Yves-Saint-Laurent" (The models walk the runway in Yves Saint Laurent dresses).
■ Conservateur/Conservatrice (adjective) (conservative): when someone is described as conservative, or an idea as conservative, it means it dates from old times, that it is against novelty and modernity.
■ L'archéologue (the archaeologist): a profession. The person who searches for vestiges, remains from the past, remains of ancient civilizations.
■ Les fouilles (excavations): the act of searching in the ground, to find remains from ancient times, from disappeared civilizations.
■ Le fondateur (the founder): the person who creates something. For example, you can also say "Steve Jobs est le fondateur d'Apple" (Steve Jobs is the founder of Apple).
■ La tombe (the grave): the place where a dead person is buried. You can pay your respects at a grave.
■ Le tombeau (the tomb): like a grave but larger, more grandiose. It is a funerary monument, a monument for a deceased person.
■ Bel et bien (expression) (indeed/truly): in reality, really. Another example? "J'ai bel et bien réussi mon examen de français" (I truly passed my French exam). You were not sure you had passed it, now you are really sure.
■ Exceptionnel(le) (adjective) (exceptional): this adjective is used to describe something incredible, very rare.
■ Le tirage (the draw): in this case, the term refers to the numbers that were drawn, chosen at random in a lottery.
■ Le gagnant (the winner): the victor, someone who wins something.
■ Le gain (the winnings): what the winner receives. Their prize, their lot.
■ Mystérieux (adjective) (mysterious): someone hidden, whose identity is unknown.
■ Se manifester (verb) (to come forward): when you add "se" before "manifester," it means: to make yourself known, to show yourself, to say it is you.
■ Le pactole (the windfall/jackpot): a very large sum of money.
■ Le bureau de tabac (the tobacconist): a place in France where you can buy cigarettes, newspapers, and play money games like the lotto, EuroMillions, scratch cards...
