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

News of the week 

• Harvey Weinstein trial for sexual assault [spp-timestamp time=”00:00:48″]
• New election planned in Bolivia to resolve the crisis [spp-timestamp time=”00:01:55″]
• Tensions continue to rise between the United States and Iran [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:09″]
• World War II bombs found in Germany [spp-timestamp time=”00:04:11″]
• An epidemic strikes oysters in France [spp-timestamp time=”00:04:55″]
  
• Vocabulary of the week explained [spp-timestamp time=”00:05:38″]

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 [tooltips keyword=”agressions sexuelles” content=”sexual assault”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”épidémie” content=”epidemic”] gastroenteritis epidemic that strikes [tooltips keyword=”huîtres” content=”oysters”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”rompu le silence” content=”broken the silence”] broke the silence to speak about the [tooltips keyword=”harcèlement” content=”harassment”] harassment or [tooltips keyword=”abus” content=”abuses”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”réclusion à perpétuité” content=”lifetime sentence”] life imprisonment if found guilty of the [tooltips keyword=”chef d’inculpation” content=”charge”] charge of [tooltips keyword=”prédateur sexuel” content=”sexual predator”] sexual predator behavior. The [tooltips keyword=”condamnation” content=”conviction”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”enfin” content=”finally, at last”] finally been announced for a new vote. Bolivians will vote on May 3, 2020 to [tooltips keyword=”désigner” content=”appoint, elect”] elect their president. The controversial victory of Evo Morales, for a fourth [tooltips keyword=”mandat” content=”mandate”] term, had triggered a violent revolt. More than 35 people notably died during [tooltips keyword=”manifestations” content=”demonstrations”] protests and [tooltips keyword=”affrontements” content=”clashes”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”démissionné ” content=”resigned”] resigned on November 10. The politician had been [tooltips keyword=”à la tête” content=”head of”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”mandat d'arrêt” content=”an arrest warrant”] arrest warrant has also been issued against him. Until the new elections in May, the country remains led by [tooltips keyword=”par intérim ” content=”in temporary capacity”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”étendu” content=”extend”] extended a law passed in April 2019 that [tooltips keyword=”classait ” content=”classified”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”funérailles” content=”funeral”] funeral of the military officer took place this week in Kerman, his hometown in southern Iran. As an enormous [tooltips keyword=”foule” content=”crowd”] crowd accompanied the [tooltips keyword=”dépouille” content=”the remains, the body”] remains of the [tooltips keyword=”défunt ” content=”deceased”] deceased, more than 50 people [tooltips keyword=”décédées” content=”dead”] died in a [tooltips keyword=”bousculade” content=”rush”] stampede and 200 people were [tooltips keyword=”blessées” content=”wounded”] injured. 

In Dortmund, Germany, unexploded bombs dating from World War II may have been found. The city hall identified four sites where bombs [tooltips keyword=”larguées ” content=”dropped”] dropped by the Allies could [tooltips keyword=”être enfouies” content=”to be buried”] 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. [tooltips keyword=”fouilles” content=”excavation”] 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.

[tooltips keyword=”ostréiculteurs” content=”oysters”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”propagation” content=”spread”] 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 [tooltips keyword=”assainir” content=”sanitize”] clean up the waters. According to producers, wastewater is the source of the virus present in the [tooltips keyword=”coquillages” content=”shells”] 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).