News for the week of March 29-April 4, 2020:
- Covid-19: the World Bank could release $160 billion to help the poorest countries. [spp-timestamp time="00:00:45″]
- War between America and France to obtain masks [spp-timestamp time="00:01:44″]
- Automotive industry moves into respirator production [spp-timestamp time="00:02:31″]
- COP26 2020 postponed to 2021 [spp-timestamp time="00:03:26″]
- Terrorist knife attack in France [spp-timestamp time="00:04:02″]
- Explanation of the week's vocabulary [spp-timestamp time="00:04:36″]
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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 March 29-April 4, 2020:
- On the front page for this week of March 29-April 4, 2020:
- Covid-19: The World Bank could release $160 billion to help the poorest countries.
- It's a mask war on the tarmac of Chinese airports
- Tesla factory will soon start making respirators
- The international climate conference COP26 2020 postponed to 2021
- Two dead in a terrorist knife attack in southeastern France.
160 billion dollars to help the poorest countries. That's how much the World Bank is prepared to give over the next 15 months. [tooltips keyword= "L'objectif " content= "the goal "] ? [To fight against" content= "to fight against"] the coronavirus epidemic and prepare for the coming economic crisis. In the first phase, $1.9 billion will be distributed among 25 countries. India alone is set to receive one billion dollars. Among the first countries to receive aid are Pakistan, due to receive 200 million dollars, and Afghanistan, which will receive 100 million. These are very poor countries with very vulnerable populations. Against this backdrop of crisis, the World Bank is also helping the most disadvantaged countries gain access to essential medical supplies. The World Bank currently runs health aid operations in 65 countries.
In the face of the Covid-19 epidemic, [tooltips keyword="all is fair" content="All is fair"]. A real war is being waged on the tarmacs of China's airports. This week, the Americans outbid each other to buy masks originally ordered by France. In order to obtain these precious masks, they are prepared to pay three to four times the initial price, all [tooltips keyword="en liquide " content="cash"]. As a result, the masks ended up being flown to America rather than Europe. These practices have been denounced by regional managers in France, who are faced with a real [tooltips keyword="parcours du combattant" content="assault course"]. Rather than take to the air, some have decided to use shipping companies to limit the risk of [tooltips keyword="vol " content="the theft" ].
Tesla boss Elon Musk announced this week that he will [tooltips keyword="reopen" content="reopen"] one of his respirator factories in Buffalo, New York. He announced on Twitter that Tesla would do what was necessary to help in these difficult times. To be able to manufacture these respirators, Tesla is working in collaboration with Medtronic, a company specializing in medical equipment. Other automotive manufacturers also came forward this week to offer their help. These include Jaguar, Toyota and Ford. Italy's Fiat and the Czech Republic's Skoda, meanwhile, have started producing masks. A Renault factory in France has also transformed its activity: workers now make [tooltips keyword="visières" content="visors"] protective masks for [tooltips keyword="soignants" content="cargiver"].
COP 26, the international climate conference, was due to take place in November in Glasgow, Scotland. The British government has announced that it will be postponed until 2021, without specifying a date. As with [tooltips keyword="l'annulation" content="the cancellation"] or the postponement of most of the year's major events, the reason is the Covid-19 crisis. The decision was taken by the UN, in consultation with the British authorities. On the other hand, there are no plans to postpone the targets set for the European Union's ecological transition.
Knife attack in south-east France. A refugee from Sudan [tooltips keyword= "tué " content= "killed "] two people this Saturday. Witnesses told [tooltips keyword="enquêteurs " content="the investigators"] that the man had been feeling very ill for several days due to confinement. Two other people were also injured in the attack. The attack took place in the streets and shops of downtown Romans-sur-Isère. Until now, [tooltips keyword= "l'assaillant " content= "the attacker " ] was not known to the police. He says he has no recollection of the event. A psychiatric examination is planned.
Vocabulary of the week
Enrich your French vocabulary, download our list of key words for the week of March 29 to April 4, 2020.
| The objective | This is the goal to be achieved, the target to be reached. |
| Fighting against | To oppose something. |
| The epidemic | It is a disease that spreads, that spreads. |
| Poor (adjective) | Who is not rich, who does not have much money. |
| Vulnerable (adjective) | Who is quite fragile, who can easily be hurt by a situation or someone. |
| Disadvantaged (adjective) | Who is not rich, who does not have much money. Who doesn't have a lot of resources to live on. |
| All the blows are allowed | You can do anything, there is no justice anymore. |
| The mask | Something you put on your face to disguise yourself, to hide it or to protect yourself. You can put on a mask for the carnival or a mask to protect yourself from catching a disease. |
| The tarmac | The airport floor, the place where the planes land. |
| In cash | In cash, in cash money. |
| The practice | The fact of doing something, the way of doing something. |
| The obstacle course | Very complicated, very difficult procedures. |
| Limiting the risks | To avoid that something bad happens, something that could hurt people or prevent a success. |
| Theft | Take something from someone that doesn't belong to us. |
| Reopen (verb) | Open again. Something had been closed and finally is open again. |
| The respirator | A device in hospitals that helps people with breathing problems. This device allows the patient to breathe in an artificial way. |
| The industrialist | The owner of a factory, a brand that owns factories. |
| The visor | The front of a cap, the part that protects the eyes. |
| The caregiver | The person who cares for us, medical personnel. For example, a doctor or a nurse. |
| The cancellation | Something or some event is cancelled. For example, "My train was cancelled again this morning. I keep getting cancellations lately." |
| Postponement | An event is not cancelled but postponed, it will be organized at another time. |
| The knife | A slicing tool that is used to eat with a fork. It can also be used as a weapon to hurt people. |
| The refugee | Someone who had to leave his country because his life is in danger because of his ideas, his ethnicity .... He is therefore a refugee in another country. |
| To kill (verb) | To make someone die, to make him lose his life. |
| The investigators | Police working on an investigation, looking for the truth about an event. |
| The assailant | The person who attacks, the aggressor. |
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