News of the week 

• Harvey Weinstein trial for sexual assault [spp-timestamp time="00:00:48″]
• New election planned in Bolivia to end crisis [spp-timestamp time="00:01:55″]
• Tension continues to mount between the US and Iran [spp-timestamp time="00:03:09″]
• World War II bombs found in Germany [spp-timestamp time="00:04:11″]
• Epidemic strikes oysters in France [spp-timestamp time="00:04:55″]
  
• Explanation of the week's vocabulary [spp-timestamp time="00:05:38″]

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Transcription

Hello,

Welcome to the press review of Hello French, 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 5-11, 2020

1. Harvey Weinstein's trial for [tooltips keyword="agressions sexuelles " content="sexual assault"] opens in New York.
2. Political crisis in Bolivia. A new presidential election will be held on May 3.
3. Iran classifies all U.S. forces as "terrorists". Tensions continue to rise after the death of General Soleimani.
4. Evacuation in Dortmund, Germany, due to World War II bombs.
5. Several production sites closed following the [tooltips keyword="épidémie " content="epidemic"] gastroenteritis affecting [tooltips keyword="huîtres " content="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 have [tooltips keyword="rompu le silence" content="broken the silence"] to talk about the [tooltips keyword="harcèlement" content="harassment"] or [tooltips keyword="abus" content="abuses"] suffered. They include celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Léa Seydoux and Gwyneth Paltrow. Only two women are in the dock. We understand how difficult it is to build a criminal case without witnesses or material evidence, sometimes years later. The trial is expected to last 6 weeks. Harvey Weinstein faces a [tooltips keyword= "réclusion à perpétuité " content= "lifetime sentence "] if found guilty of [tooltips keyword= "chef d'inculpation " content= "charge "] behavior as a [tooltips keyword= "prédateur sexuel " content= "sexual predator "]. The [tooltips keyword="conviction" content="conviction"] of the former Hollywood producer would be a major victory for the #MeToo movement.

The end of a political crisis for Bolivia? 6 months after the controversial presidential election, a date has [tooltips keyword="enfin " content="finally, at last "] been announced for a new ballot. Bolivians will vote on May 3, 2020 for [tooltips keyword="désigner " content="appoint, elect"] their president. The controversial victory of Evo Morales, for a fourth [tooltips keyword="mandat " content="mandate"] had triggered a violent revolt. More than 35 people were killed during [tooltips keyword="demonstrations" content="demonstrations"] and [tooltips keyword="confrontations" content="clashes"]. An audit conducted by the Organization of American States confirmed irregularities in the election. As a result, the election was cancelled and former members of the Bolivian electoral body were arrested. Abandoned by the police and army, the Bolivian head of state [tooltips keyword="resigned" content="resigned"] on November 10. The politician had been [tooltips keyword="head of" content="head of"] the country for 14 years. Having fled to Mexico and then Argentina, he will be unable to stand for re-election on May 3. A [tooltips keyword= "mandat d'arrêt " content= "an arrest warrant "] has also been issued against him. Until new elections are held in May, the country will continue to be run by President [tooltips keyword="par intérim" content="in temporary capacity"] Jeanine Añez, a right-wing senator.

Tensions between the United States and Iran continue to mount. This week, the Iranian parliament passed an emergency law to classify all US forces as terrorists. Iran has in fact [tooltips keyword="extend" content="extend"] a law passed in April 2019, which [tooltips keyword="classified" content="classified"] as terrorist the US military 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 general of the Iranian regime was killed on Donald Trump's orders on January 3, 2020 in Iraq. The soldier's [tooltips keyword="funeral" content="funeral"] took place this week in Kerman, his hometown in southern Iran. While a huge [tooltips keyword="crowd" content="crowd"] accompanied the [tooltips keyword="remains" content="the remains, the body"] of the [tooltips keyword="deceased" content="deceased"], more than 50 people were [tooltips keyword= "décédées " content= "dead "] in a [tooltips keyword= "bousculade " content= "rush "] and 200 people were [tooltips keyword= "blessées " content= "wounded "]. 

In Dortmund, Germany, unexploded bombs dating back to the Second World War may have been found. The town council has identified four sites where bombs [tooltips keyword="to be buried" content="to be dropped"] dropped by the Allies could be located. As a precautionary measure, 13,000 people in downtown Dortmund are to be evacuated this weekend. Irregularities in construction work have drawn the attention of the authorities. A [tooltips keyword="excavation" content="excavation"] will therefore be carried out to ascertain whether or not explosives were involved. This is not the first time bombs have been found in Germany. In 2017, 65,000 people had to be evacuated in Frankfurt after the discovery of a British bomb.

The [tooltips keyword="oyster farmers" content="oysters"] are calling for help. An epidemic of gastroenteritis is currently affecting oysters in Morbihan, Manche and Charente-Maritime. Several production sites have had to be closed to try and stop the [tooltips keyword="propagation" content="spread"] of the virus. No reopening date has yet been set. Producers are impatiently awaiting the results of the tests. 300 oyster farmers demonstrated in Brittany on Wednesday. They are calling for a "Marshall Plan" to be put in place to [tooltips keyword="assainir " content="sanitize"] the waters. According to the producers, wastewater is the source of the virus present in the [tooltips keyword="coquillages" content="shells"].

Vocabulary of the week

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

📣The revelation: it is when a piece of information comes out in the open. We suddenly discover something, we become aware of it.

🤕An assault: is when a person is attacked.

🤙Harassment: a person is repeatedly attacked or solicited. Harassment can be moral, sexual, or by telephone.

✋Abuse: the word abuse, when we say, for example, that "women have been abused", means "rape". They have been sexually abused. The word "abused" can also mean that we've been deceived, that we've been played. For example: "He abused my trust to steal my phone".

🦅The predator: is someone or some animal that feeds on prey. In everyday language, this word is used to refer to someone who is threatening.

🔕Breaking the silence: finally speaking up, stop being silent. 

🚔Life imprisonment: that's when you go to prison for life.

🎓A charge: the reason for which someone is accused.

🎓The conviction: is when someone has been found guilty. He or she is sentenced. The justice system forces him to undergo a punishment or pay a fine.

⏲Enfinitely (adverb): we use this word when there's been a long wait and it's over. For example, "I've been hungry for 2 hours, finally we're going to eat!" 

👉Designate (verb): to choose, determine, indicate.

🗣The mandate:

• In politics, a mandate means a mission that is entrusted to us after being elected. The mandate has a predefined duration. For example, we can say: "The president has been re-elected for a new term".
• In the expression "Un mandat d'arrêt", the word has another meaning. It's when a judge asks the police to look for someone. He issues an arrest warrant.

⛰An irregularity: it's something that's not normal, something odd. It is not regular.

🙅Demit (verb): to leave one's position, to quit one's job.

👑 To be at the head of or of: we can say to be at the head of a company or to be at the head of the country. It means to be the leader, to be in charge.

🆘To take refuge (verb): to leave for safety.

⏰By interim: to replace someone for a temporary period. You can also say, "I'm temping at a company," to say that you are replacing someone in their job for a short time.

👿Terrorist or terrorist (adjective): is a person or organization that uses violence and fear to make its political ideas heard or impose its authority.

Étendre (verb): this means to extend in length. Depending on the context, to extend can mean "to widen", "to enlarge", as in "to extend a law". The word extend can also be used to mean "hang out the washing". In this case, it means to put out to dry.

🗃Classify (verb): to classify someone means to put them in a category. We can also use the word "classify" when arranging things. For example: "I've arranged all my books in alphabetical order". 

☮️Symbolique (adjective): when we say that something has a symbolic value, it means that it does not change anything concretely. It is more the idea of what it represents.

⚰A funeral is a burial. When a person dies and is buried.

⚰The remains: the body of a person who is no longer alive, who has died.

⚰The deceased: this is the person who died.

👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 The crowd: it's a lot of people gathered, a lot of people together. 

🚨The jostle: it is a movement of crowd, people agitate, push each other.

🤕To be injured: is when we have wounds, when we receive blows, shocks. It hurts.

💣A bomb is a projectile loaded with explosives. Explosives are things that will explode. Figuratively speaking, we use the word bomb to refer to unexpected news. For example: "He dropped a real bomb. He's announced that he's going to quit his job and move to the ends of the earth." In slang, you can also use bombe to refer to a pretty girl.

🔨To bury/to be buried: to be buried/hidden in the ground.

🔨Excavation: the act of digging in the ground to find what's buried.

🤝Allies: these are the people who are on our side, with us. We are united by an alliance. This expression is often used to talk about France's side during the war. 

🚓The authorities: this is the government, the people in charge, those with power.

🐚Oyster:

🐚The oyster farmer: the person who produces oysters.

🐚The shell: it's an output of animal from the sea that has a shell. Oysters are shells.

💉 The virus: it is a disease that is contagious, that spreads

🌬Propagation: this is the act of spreading.

🤢Gastroenteritis: this is an illness that lasts a few days and makes the stomach hurt a lot. It is characterized by nausea and vomiting.

🚿Sanitize: clean, make healthier. We speak of "sanitizing wastewater".