News for the week of February 16-22, 2020:

• Racist shootings in Germany leave 9 dead. [spp-timestamp time="00:00:37″]
• In Iraq, women demonstrated against corruption. [spp-timestamp time="00:01:49″]
• In Rome, the tomb of Romulus, founder of Rome, may be found. [spp-timestamp time="00:02:20″]
• EuroMillions in France: one winner never showed up. [spp-timestamp time="00:03:05″]
• Explanation of the week's vocabulary [spp-timestamp time="00:03:42″]

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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 February 16 - February 22:

• Two racist shootings have left 9 people dead in Germany.
• In Iraq, women marched without men in the holy city of Najaf to denounce corruption.
• The tomb of Romulus, the founder of Rome, may be found by archaeologists.
• EuroMillions in France: a winner never found, his winnings paid to the State.

Two racist shootings left nine people dead in Germany near Frankfurt. The attacks were aimed at the immigrant population. Five Turks, a Bosnian and a Bulgarian were killed in the shootings. On Thursday evening, thousands of people gathered in silence throughout the country to protest against the hatred and threat of terrorism from the extreme right. On Wednesday night, the assailant entered a shisha bar in the town of Hanau and shot the customers. He then got back into his car and drove to a second bar, where he also shot at customers in the smoking area. The alleged shooter was found with his mother, both dead, in his apartment, shot to death. A video and a 24-page document inciting the destruction of the population of at least 24 countries, such as those of the Maghreb, the Middle East and South Asia, were found. It includes theses on race. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, denounces the poison that is racism.

This is a first in Iraq. Women marched this week in the holy city of Najaf without any men by their side. They demonstrated against the government and corruption in this very conservative city south of Baghdad. In this context, they also affirmed their position against the United States and Iran. They believe that their country is ruled by foreigners and want to regain their civil status and their rights.

Recent excavations in Rome's Colosseum archaeological park have probably uncovered the tomb of Romulus, the city's founding father. He is said to have founded Rome on April 21, 753 B.C. The tomb was presented to the public for the first time on Friday. While it is impossible to scientifically confirm that this is indeed the tomb of Romulus, archaeologists are basing their deduction on sources dating back to antiquity. Whether this is indeed the tomb of the father of Rome or not, one thing is certain: an important monument has been discovered. This is an exceptional find.

1,047,023 euros and 20 cents. This is the amount that a mysterious winner of the EuroMillions in France should have received, following the draw of December 20. He had until this Tuesday midnight to come forward and enjoy his winnings. Despite numerous calls in the media by the Française des Jeux, he never showed up. According to the rule, it is therefore the state that recovers the prize. All we know about the winner is that he played his ticket in a tobacconist's in a shopping center in Marseille, in the South of France. Let's hope he never realizes his mistake.

Vocabulary of the week

Enrich your French vocabulary, download our list of key words for the week of February 16-22, 2020.

■ Shooting: gunshots, someone firing a gun at people multiple times.
■ Racist (adjective), racist (noun): is when someone thinks there are races and that all human beings are not equal.
■ Racism: is the belief that there are different races of human beings and that some are above others.

■ To gather in silence: to gather without speaking following a sad event.
■ Shisha bar: this is a bar where you can smoke hookah, which is a water pipe used to smoke tobacco.

■ The customer: is a person who uses a service or buys something with money.
■ Customer base: is the set of customers of a service, location...
■ The alleged perpetrator: this is the person who is suspected of having done something.
■ Shooting someone: using a weapon to injure or kill people.
■ Shot: someone who has been killed by a firearm, by a rifle.
■ Destroy: eliminate, remove.
■ Poison: a dangerous substance that can kill when swallowed. For example, arsenic is a poison. Figuratively speaking, we can also use the word "poison" to talk about dangerous ideas or to refer to someone who is very bad.
■ Thesis: an idea, a theory, an opinion. Theses are also referred to in the academic context. It's the work that a student completes at the end of his or her studies when doing a doctorate, to become a doctor of the university.
■ The smoking area: this is the place, the room in bars or in nightclubs that is reserved for people who smoke.
■ Corruption is when people are bribed. For example, if members of the government receive money from companies to make certain decisions, this is corruption.
■ Demonstrate: is when we gather with other people to express our opinion together, usually in the street.
■ Défiler: Here, the verb défiler is used in the same way as manifester. It means to march down the street. The verb can also be used to refer to a fashion show: "The models parade in Yves-Saint-Laurent dresses."
■ Conservative/Conservative (adjective): when we say that someone is conservative or that an idea is conservative we mean that it dates from ancient times, that it is against novelty, modernity.
■ The archaeologist: it's a profession. It's the person who searches for remains, remnants of the past, remnants of ancient civilizations.
■ Excavation: it is the fact of searching in the ground, to find remains of ancient times, disappeared civilizations.
■ The founder: the person who creates something. For example, you could say that "Steeve Jobs is the founder of Apple".
■ The grave: this is the place where a dead person is buried. One can gather at a grave.
■ The tomb: it's like a grave but bigger, grander. It is a funerary monument, a monument to a deceased person.
■ Bel et bien: actually, really. It's an expression. Another example? "J'ai bel et bien réussi mon examen de français." You weren't sure you'd passed, now you're really sure.

■ Exceptional(le) (adjective): this adjective is used to talk about something incredible, very rare.
■ The draw: in this case, the term draw refers to the numbers that have been drawn, chosen at random as part of a lottery.
■ The winner: this is the winner, someone who wins something.
■ The prize: this is what the winner, the victor, gains. His prize, his lot.
■ Mysterious (adjective): it is someone hidden, whose identity is not known.
■ To manifest (verb): when we add "se" before manifest, it means: to make ourselves known, to show ourselves, to say that it is us.
■ The jackpot: this is a large sum of money.
■ The tobacco shop: it is a place in France where you can buy cigarettes, newspapers and play money games like lotto, EuroMillions, scratch games...