The news of the week from January 25 to February 1, 2020 

• American basketball star Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash [spp-timestamp time="00:00:48″]
• Brexit: the United Kingdom is officially out of Europe this January 31, 2020 [spp-timestamp time="00:01:24″]
• 223 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by the humanitarian ship "Ocean Viking" [spp-timestamp time="00:01:50″]
• In France, the National Assembly rejects extended leave for child's death [spp-timestamp time="00:02:32″]
• End of a 50-year saga in Belgium, the former king acknowledges his illegitimate daughter. [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:24″]
• Explanation of the week's vocabulary [spp-timestamp time=”00:04:29″]

Every week, HelloFrench publishes a podcast that immerses you in the news of the week. Each press review is accompanied by a transcript, a vocabulary list and a quiz, so you can improve your French and test yourself.

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Transcription

Hello,

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

In the spotlight for this week of January 25 - February 1, 2020

1. Kobe Bryant, the American basketball star, [tooltips keyword="dies" content="dead"] in a [tooltips keyword="accident" content="crash"] helicopter
2. Brexit: the United Kingdom is officially out of Europe this January 31, 2020
3. 223 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by the humanitarian [tooltips keyword="ship" content="ship"] "Ocean Viking"
4. In France, the National Assembly rejects the extension of the [tooltips keyword="leave" content="leave, holiday"] in case of [tooltips keyword="death" content="death"] of a child
5. End of a 50-year saga in Belgium, the former king recognizes his illegitimate daughter.

The basketball world is in mourning. Kobe Bryant, the American basketball super star, died last Sunday in a helicopter accident. On board the aircraft was his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people. None survived the helicopter crash. The NBA legend had [tooltips keyword="take the habit" content="to take the habit"] nearly 15 years ago to [tooltips keyword="move" content="to move"] by helicopter in Los Angeles to avoid [tooltips keyword="traffic jam" content="traffic jam"] and spend more time with his family. Kobe Bryant is one of only 7 players in the world to have scored over 30,000 points in his [tooltips keyword="career" content="career"].

This January 29, the European Parliament ratified the agreement on the exit of the United Kingdom by a very large majority. This was the last step to validate the official exit of the country from the European Union. Three and a half years after the referendum held in Great Britain, on its exit from Europe, the British have indeed left the ship this Friday, January 31 at midnight.

In the Mediterranean Sea, 223 migrants were rescued by the humanitarian ship "Ocean Viking" last weekend. Among them, [tooltips keyword="pregnant women" content="pregnant women"] and children. The Ocean Viking, sent by SOS Méditerranée and Doctors Without Borders was able to [tooltips keyword="rescue" content="rescue"] these migrants thanks to several operations [tooltips keyword="off" content="off"] from Libya. They are now waiting for a [tooltips keyword="port" content="harbor"] safe place to land. In 2019, the International Organization for Migration estimates at least 1,283 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. In the last 5 years, the figures rise to 19,164 people who died during [tooltips keyword="crossings" content="crossings"].

In France, the National Assembly rejects the extension of leave for the death of a child. It was a proposal from the centrists that the president's party, En Marche, did not want to hear about. The centrist party proposed to extend the leave of [tooltips keyword="mourning" content="mourning"], in the case of the death of a child, from 5 to 12 days. The proposal was rejected [tooltips keyword="barely" content="barely"] by 38 votes to 40. To [tooltips keyword="calm tensions down"] around this issue, the majority party proposed that colleagues of the bereaved employee could [tooltips keyword="offer" content=give"] days off. Their vote against this proposal [tooltips keyword="makes controversy" content="to do counterversy"] within the public opinion and the National Assembly who speak of "lack of humanity". Every year, 4,500 children lose their lives in France.

It's a saga that has been going on for nearly 50 years in Belgium. King Albert II, former king of the Belgians who abdicated in 2012 [tooltips keyword="in favor of" content="in favor of"] his eldest son, finally recognizes his illegitimate daughter. Justice had forced him to take a DNA test in May, after many years of legal proceedings. Delphine Boël, a Belgian artist now aged 51, was born of a 10-year affair between her mother and Albert, still a prince [tooltips keyword="at the time" content="at the time"]. Until now, he had always denied this paternity. The results of the test, which have remained confidential until now, were revealed on Monday and the king acknowledged being the biological father of Delphine Boël. At the death of the king, she could claim the same right of inheritance as her two half-brothers and half-sister: a quarter of his fortune.

Vocabulary of the week

Enrich your French vocabulary, download our list of key words for the week of January 25 to February 1, 2020.

💥Accident: an unforeseen event, which will cause damage to property or to people. An accident can be more or less serious.

🚁The helicopter: it is a kind of small plane that takes off thanks to propellers above its roof.

■ Migrant: this is a person who leaves his or her country for another. Generally, this word is used to talk about a person who leaves his or her country because there is a war, for political reasons or because he or she is very poor.

🌊The Mediterranean: it is the sea between Europe and Africa.

🛥The ship: it is a boat, so it allows you to move around the sea.

■ Humanitarian (adjective): when we talk about humanitarian, we are talking about an action or something that wants to do good, improve the condition of human beings.

■ The National Assembly: this is a part of the parliament in France. It gathers deputies who have been elected by the people to represent them.

■ Lengthening: is increasing the duration of something.

■ Time off: is when you take a break from work for a few days or weeks. It is permission to be away. For example, you might say, "I'm taking a few days off to go on vacation."

⚰Death: is the death of a person.

■ Saga: this is a story, usually in several episodes, over several generations.

■ Illegitimate (adjective): an illegitimate child is a child born out of wedlock who has not been recognized by the father.

■ Getting into the habit: this is something we do often, something we do without even thinking about it. For example, "I've gotten into the habit of eating a banana every morning." 

■ Move: move from one point to another.

🚗🚗🚗Congestion: is when there is traffic, lots of vehicles on the roads and it is difficult to move forward.

■ Career: one's working life, one's professional career.

■ Bel et bien (expression): really. This expression is used to say that something has finally come true.

■ Leaving the ship (verb/expression): is to abandon a project or people

■ To save (verb), to rescue (verb): eTo prevent a danger to people, to help them avoid a dangerous situation.

🤰🏽La Pregnant woman: that's what we call a mother-to-be, someone who is expecting a baby.

■ The port: theThe place, the shelter where the boats meet. It is in the harbors that the cargo of the ships is loaded and unloaded.

■ Off the coast of: when we say that a boat is off the coast of X sea, we mean that it is on the open sea.

■ Crossing: is the action of crossing a sea or ocean, going from one side to the other.

■ Not wanting to hear about (verb/expression): to make a rejection of something or someone, to the point of not being able to bear to hear about it.

■ Just barely: by a tiny margin. "It could almost have passed/it just barely passes". For example, you could say, "I just barely fit into my wedding dress, I mustn't gain a single pound".

■ Easing tensions: getting people less worked up about a topic, trying to get people to be less worked up.

■ The colleague: this is a person with whom one works in one's business.

⚰Grief: it's the pain when you lose someone close to you.

🎁Offer: to give, to make a gift.

■ To make a polemic: to create debate, discontent.

■ Public opinion: this is the population, what society thinks, the judgment of citizens.

👑Abdicate (verb): to give up something.

👨‍👦Fils eldest child/ eldest daughter: the oldest child, the first child.

■ In favor of: for something or someone.

■ To compel / be compelled: to force someone to do something, not to give them a choice.

■ At the time: at that time, when events took place. We also often speak of the time to refer to a distant period.

■ Fatherhood: it is the fact of being a father, of being a father of a child.

■ Confidential (adjective): it's secret, no one knows about it.

■ An affair: a love relationship between two people, often kept somewhat secret.

■ Half-brother, half-sister: this is our brother or sister with whom we have only one parent in common. We share a mother or father.

💰Inheritance: is the money and wealth that someone leaves when they die.

💰Fortune is wealth