Podcast #14 News Review - March 22 to 28, 2020

News of the week - March 22 to 28, 2020:

• Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus [spp-timestamp time=”00:00:41″]
• An update on the Covid-19 situation around the world. [spp-timestamp time=”00:01:18″]
• A cat tests positive for coronavirus in Belgium. [spp-timestamp time=”00:02:04″]
• Lockdown and violence against women. [spp-timestamp time=”00:02:44″]
• Tunisia puts a woman on its banknotes. [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:10″]
• Switch to daylight saving time. [spp-timestamp time=”00:04:00″]
• Vocabulary of the week explained [spp-timestamp time=”00:04:41″]

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 the week of March 22 to 28, 2020:

• Boris Johnson. First head of state to test positive for coronavirus.
• An update on the Covid-19 situation around the world.
• A cat tests positive for coronavirus in Belgium.
• Lockdown and violence against women: a 32% increase in France.
• Tunisia puts a woman on its banknotes.
• Switch to daylight saving time on the night of March 28 to 29.

Boris Johnson tested positive for coronavirus this Friday. The British Prime Minister had been [tooltips keyword=”tardé à” content=”to take a long time to do something”] slow to take measures to prevent the [tooltips keyword=”épidémie” content=”epidemic”] from [tooltips keyword=”se propager” content=”to spread”] spreading. He is now one of the first leaders to be officially affected by the disease. His symptoms remain [tooltips keyword=”légers” content=”light”] mild, however: cough and fever. Confined at home, he continues to lead the country via video conference to [tooltips keyword=”combattre” content=”to fight”] fight the crisis. Since the beginning of the crisis, Great Britain [tooltips keyword=”recense” content=”To identify sth., to count sth.”] has recorded 578 Covid-19 deaths and more than 11,500 official cases, including Prince Charles. 

Let us continue with an update on the Covid-19 crisis around the world. With more than 100,000 cases in the United States, the country has become the most affected nation in the world. In Italy, the center of the crisis in Europe, nearly 1,000 deaths were recorded in 24 hours. The country thus [tooltips keyword=” bat” content=”beats (to beat)”] broke a [tooltips keyword=” triste” content=”sad”] sad record, with a total number of deaths exceeding 9,100 people. This week, new countries went into total [tooltips keyword=”confinement” content=”the lockdown”] lockdown. This is the case for Greece, Ireland, South Africa, Rwanda, Tunisia, Colombia, and also India, which placed 1.3 billion inhabitants under lockdown for three weeks. Today, nearly half of humanity is in lockdown. Unprecedented.

A [tooltips keyword=”chat” content=”cat”] cat tested positive for coronavirus in Belgium. Infected by its [tooltips keyword=”maître” content=”master”] owner, it reportedly developed symptoms, according to the faculty of veterinary medicine that treated the [tooltips keyword=”animal domestique” content=”pet”] pet. This is therefore indeed a case of transmission from human to animal. The authorities specified that this is an isolated case. The National Animal Protection Council reminded people that [tooltips keyword=”animaux de compagnie” content=”pets”] pets are not carriers of the disease. It hopes to prevent this [tooltips keyword=”rumeur” content=”the gossip”] rumor from continuing to spread. Since the beginning of the epidemic, the SPA (Society for the Protection of Animals), which takes in abandoned animals, has indeed noticed a large boom in animal abandonments. 

With the ban on going out, [tooltips keyword=”violences conjugales” content=”Domestic violences”] domestic violence increased by 32% in one week in France. In Paris, the increase reaches +36%. To try to help these women who are victims of violence, an alert system was set up in pharmacies. The authorities created the code "Masque 19" (Mask 19) that women can say to their pharmacist. The pharmacist can then alert the police.

A woman on Tunisian [tooltips keyword=”billets de banque” content=”the bank notes”] banknotes. This Friday, the Tunisian central bank indeed put a new banknote into circulation. On the 10-dinar bills, equivalent to about 3 euros, you can now find the portrait of Tawhida Ben Cheikh, the first female [tooltips keyword=”médecin” content=”doctor”] doctor in the Maghreb. Vice-president of the Tunisian Red Cross, this doctor passed away in 2010 at the age of 101. This figure was chosen last year to honor Tunisian women in the scientific sector. A lovely way also to salute the work of doctors during this health crisis. On the back of the banknote, you can see [tooltips keyword=”bijoux” content=”the jewel”] jewelry and [tooltips keyword=”la poterie” content=”the pottery”] pottery. These illustrations honor the [tooltips keyword=”l’artisanat” content=”the craft”] craftsmanship of women in Tunisia.

At two in the morning, it will actually be three o'clock in France. It's the switch to daylight saving time on the night of March 28 to 29. The consequence? One less hour of [tooltips keyword=”sommeil” content=”the sleep”] sleep. However, this is one of the last times Europeans will change the clocks. In 2018, the European Commission organized a large online consultation where 84% of Europeans voted for an end to the time change. Each state could then choose by 2021 whether it preferred to stay on summer time or winter time. Starting in March 2021, France should therefore stay on summer time all year round!

Vocabulary of the week

Expand your French vocabulary - download our list of key words from the week of March 22 to 28, 2020.

Être testé positif (to test positive)	You take a test to detect a substance in your body. When you are "tested positive," the test showed that this substance is indeed present in your body. You can test positive for a disease, a drug...
Tarder à (verb - to be slow to)	To take a long time to do something, to drag your feet doing something.
L'épidémie (epidemic)	A disease that spreads, that diffuses.
Se propager (to spread)	To diffuse, to spread. The disease is spreading, it is propagating, it is affecting more people.
Le symptôme (symptom)	The way a disease shows itself, manifests in our body. It is thanks to a symptom that we can discover we have a disease.
Léger (adjective - light/mild)	Not very important, not very heavy, weak.
Être confiné (to be in lockdown)	You must stay locked in at home, not go out.
Le confinement (lockdown)	The fact of staying locked in at home, of not going out, of staying inside.
Combattre (verb - to fight)	To struggle against something, to oppose something.
Battre (verb - to beat)	To have the upper hand over something or someone. To win.
Recenser (verb - to count/record)	To count. To evaluate a number of people, objects, cases...
Triste (adjective - sad)	The opposite of happy. When a situation or someone is not cheerful. It is painful, there is sadness.
Le record (record). For example: "Battre un record" (to break a record).	Something that has never been reached before. It is the "best" performance achieved to date.
Le chat (cat)	A pet that many people have at home. It is a feline.
Le maître (master/owner)	The person who owns a pet.
L'animal domestique / L'animal de compagnie (pet)	An animal like a cat, a dog... It has been adopted by an owner. It is not wild, it lives with a person.
Le billet de banque (banknote)	Money printed on paper. It is a cash payment method.
Vecteur de (carrier of)	When someone or something is a "carrier," it causes something, it transmits.
La rumeur (rumor)	Something that is told. We don't know if it's true, there is no proof. It is gossip.
Le boom (boom)	A sudden growth, a rise that happens all at once.
Abandonner/être abandonné (to abandon/to be abandoned)	To leave someone, something, or an animal. To no longer want it.
Les violences conjugales (domestic violence)	In a couple, one of the two people hits, beats the other person. One of the people in the couple is therefore violent with the other.
Les autorités (the authorities)	The government, the people who lead, those who have power.
La pharmacie (pharmacy)	A store, a shop where you go to get medication to treat yourself or hygiene products like soap, skin creams...
Le code (code/password)	A password.
Le portrait (portrait)	The image of someone, the representation of a person. It can be a drawing, a photo, a painting...
Le médecin (doctor)	A doctor. The person who treats us, who cures us when we are sick.
Le bijou (jewel)	A small object worn on oneself for decoration: a bracelet, earrings, a necklace... Jewelry can be made of gold, silver...
La poterie (pottery)	A way of making objects with fired clay. Generally, pottery refers to dishes: a plate, a bowl, a cup...
L'artisanat (craftsmanship)	The entirety of artisans. These are people who work with their hands. They have manual expertise. For example: a cobbler, a chocolatier, a heating technician, a watchmaker...
Le sommeil (sleep)	The act of sleeping, when you are lying in bed. You sleep, you rest.
La consultation (consultation)	When you ask someone or people for their opinion. You want to know what they think. This consultation will generally help leaders make a decision.