News for the week of April 5-11, 2020: 

• An update on the condition of Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, with covid-19. [spp-timestamp time=”00:00:48″]
• Social network Tik Tok will donate 230 million to help fight coronavirus. [spp-timestamp time=”00:01:31″]
• In Colombia, police give Zumba classes to the confined population. [spp-timestamp time=”00:02:41″]
• In the United States, Bernie Sanders is withdrawing from the election. [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:10″]
• Life is slowly returning to Wuhan. [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:47″]
• Explanation of the week's vocabulary [spp-timestamp time=”00:04:21″]

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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.
 
On the front page for this week of April 5-11, 2020:

• Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, [tooltips keyword="infected" content="To be infected"] by covid-19, leaves intensive care but remains [tooltips keyword="hospitalized" content="To be hospitalized"].
• The social network Tik Tok will donate 230 million to help the fight against the coronavirus.
• In Colombia, the police [tooltips keyword="give lessons" content="To give lessons"] of Zumba to [tooltips keyword="entertain" content="to entertain"] the confined population.
• In the United States, Bernie Sanders is [tooltips keyword="has withdrawn" content="To withdraw from"]. It is the Democrat Joe Biden who will face Donald Trump in November.
• Life is slowly returning to Wuhan, [tooltips keyword="focus of" content="the centerl"] the Covid-19 outbreak.

This week, the condition of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had deteriorated. Sick of Covid-19, he had entered intensive care on Monday. After three days, the 55-year-old leader was discharged from the intensive care unit on Thursday evening. He is still being treated in hospital. He remains [tooltips keyword="under close monitoring" content="Close monitoring"] during the [tooltips keyword="recovery"] phase. Today, Boris Johnson remains the only state leader to have [tooltips keyword="be infected" content="To be infected"] by the coronavirus. It is Dominic Raab, Minister of Foreign Affairs who now assumes the role of Prime Minister [tooltips keyword="acting, interim"]. A complex task in this country very hard hit by the crisis.

Tik Tok, the social network that makes the world dance in video is about to donate 230 million euros to help caregivers, teachers and professionals impacted by the virus. The app, which has been a big hit since containment began, was [tooltips keyword="downloaded" content="To downloadl"] 65 million times in March. The company has planned to donate 130 million euros directly to health workers in the countries most affected by the disease for the purchase of masks or protective equipment. It has also created a fund to support health heroes that will be paid to large organizations such as the Red Cross, then in charge of redistributing the donations. But Tik Tok does not stop there since the company also intends to help professionals who represent the communities used by the application as artists, for example, who have lost all [tooltips keyword="source of income" content="the income"] with the closure of concert halls and theaters. Tik Tok is not the only social network to have shown [tooltips keyword="supportive" content="supportive"] in the face of the disease. The founder of Twitter has for his part donated 920 million euros to help in the fight against covid-19.

It is possible to continue partying while confined. In Colombia, the police give Zumba classes from the [tooltips keyword="sidewalks" content="sidewalks"] to entertain the confined population. In uniform and equipped with masks, the police of Bogota gives appointment three times a day to the inhabitants of the city. They are invited to participate from their [tooltips keyword="balcony" content="balcony"] or their [tooltips keyword="window" content="window"]. For the government, this activity allows both to maintain the physical and mental health of Colombians. 

This week, Bernie Sanders withdrew his candidacy for the American presidential election. He leaves the place to his [tooltips keyword="competitor" content="competitor"] in the current Democratic primary: Joe Biden. In 2016, Bernie Sanders, already [tooltips keyword="candidate" content="candidate"], had lost in the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton. In these 2020 primaries, he was already largely [tooltips keyword="lagging behind" content="To lag behind"] against his rival. Bernie Sanders, however, assured that he would work [tooltips keyword="hand in hand" content="together, side by side"] with Joe Biden to move towards a more progressive America. In 2016, the Democrat will face the Republican Donald Trump on November 3.

Life is resuming in Wuhan, home of the Covid-19 epidemic. On January 23, the Chinese authorities had placed the 11 million inhabitants under quarantine, forced to confine themselves to their homes. 75 days later, life is slowly returning to normal. The quarantine of the region has been lifted, transport is starting to run again, shops are reopening and people are going out into the streets. For the first time in two months, China has not recorded any new [tooltips keyword="death" content="death"] related to the coronavirus.

Vocabulary of the week

Enrich your French vocabulary, download our list of key words for the week of April 5-11, 2020.

Being infected, being contaminated	To be afflicted by a disease, to have contracted a disease.
Being hospitalized	To be in a hospital, to be in a facility where you receive care.
Teaching courses	Being a teacher, giving lessons.
Withdraw from the race	Stop a competition, leave a contest or an election, no longer participate.
The home of...	The place of origin, the place where it all began, the place where everything started.
Under close surveillance	When we are watched very closely, watching what we do or our condition.
The healing	When you have been ill and are in the process of eliminating the disease or are no longer ill.
On an interim basis	As a replacement, for a short time. We replace someone for a short period of time, for a temporary period.
Containment	The fact of staying locked up at home, of not going out, of staying inside.
Download	Take a document, software or application from the internet and put it on your phone or computer.
The source of income	It is the money that we earn. This can be by working, through investments or through renting out a house, for example.
Supportive (adjective)	Who wants to help others.
The sidewalk	This is the area next to the road where pedestrians walk.
The balcony	It is an outdoor space, in height, in a house or an apartment.
The window	It is an opening in the wall of an apartment or house that allows you to see the outside, thanks to a glass. A window can be opened.
The competitor	This is our opponent, a person we are pitted against, usually in a fight or competition.
The candidate	Someone who applies for a position, a function or a job. For example, I am applying for the position of communications officer.
The rival	It is our opponent, a person to whom we are opposed, our competitor.
Falling behind	Being late, being behind someone.
Working hand in hand	Working together, collaboratively.
Quarantine/being quarantined	People are separated from other people, prevented from going to other places. Generally, it is to prevent a disease from spreading.
The death	The death of a person.