Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Arlette Grosskost, UMP (Union for a Popular Movement) representative and member of the Parliamentary task force on the burqa in France, advocates a law aiming to ban the wearing of the full-body veil in public. What’s your take on this controversial issue? Is it a question of women’s rights? Of religious freedom? Are arguments against the burqa perhaps another type of veil—to cover up underlying racism?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Paris's Gay Pride march (La Marche des Fiertés) takes place every June, beginning in the Montparnasse district and ending in the Bastille district. This video of the march was recorded a few years before France legalized same-sex marriage in 2013.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
High school teacher Karen Montet-Toutain was the victim of one of the worst recent cases of school-related violence when she was stabbed by a student in her classroom. She has written a book about her struggles, and hopes for rehabilitation of her attacker.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
This politically charged performance by Patrice Maktav was censored by French television for mentioning President Sarkozy in a less than flattering manner. See if you can use your French skills to guess where his name fits in the song.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Being born premature is risky, but thanks to modern medical techniques, six out of ten babies who are born greatly premature will grow up to be perfectly healthy children.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
After the devastating earthquake, three French volunteer aid workers—a doctor, a nurse, and a rescue crew worker—spent two weeks in Haiti helping the country’s effort to begin to sort through the chaos. We hear the impressions of one of the workers upon his return to France.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Mauritius has taken preventative measures to stop the Chikungunya virus from spreading, unlike nearby island Réunion. Tourists are more likely to feel safe thanks to strict controls at the airport and continued observation from health officials.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The Thai police force caught a very big fish: the world’s most wanted arms dealer, Viktor Bout. The man who inspired the film Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage was repatriated after 12 years to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange.. And it seems he may have been protected by certain intelligence agencies — but which ones?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Just how bad can stress from work get? Though the effects of stress may not always be visible or immediately apparent, some employees have been driven to insomnia, depression, even suicide because of difficulties at work. Some companies have implemented new anti-stress measures, but will that be enough?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Lionel shows us that sometimes there are better things to do than stay all day in an office building to pay rent for an apartment we can’t even spend time in. (And yes, the word “travail” really is related to the word “torture.”) Remember, the revolution starts with you!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
At the Paris Salon du Livre this year, in response to the visit of the Israeli president, six Arab nations decided to exclude themselves from the event. Some attendees were puzzled by the boycott, especially considering that many Israeli writers are known to advocate the creation of a Palestinian state. With all that pressure, no wonder the roof collapsed!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Immigrants who travel clandestinely from Turkey to Great Britain often pay a far steeper price than the five hundred euros demanded by traffickers.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Don’t confuse Noah’s Ark with Zoé’s Ark. The first is said to have saved Noah, his family, and two representatives of each living creature, and the second claims it tried to save children. The members involved in this child abduction scheme have been found guilty, but who should pay the restitution?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Buddhist monks and other Tibetans protest against Chinese rule while their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, continues his exile in India. The topic of Tibet was a sore point for China as it prepared to host the Summer Olympics.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
There are warnings on cigarettes, warnings on bottles of wine, but do we really need warnings on rich foods? Who doesn’t know that they can make you gros et malsain?
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