Pictionary Dictionary - Crime / La Delincuencia

1 Vandalism - Vandalismo

2 Gang Violence - Pandillismo

3 Drunk Driving - Manejar Ebrio

4 Illegal Drugs - Drogas Ilegales

5 Mugging - Ataque

6 Burglary - Robo

7 Assault - Asalto 

8 Murder - Asesinato

9 Gun - Pistola 

Bulgaria profile (BBC)

 

Bulgaria, situated in the eastern Balkans, has been undergoing a slow and painful transition to a market economy since the end of Communist rule.

A predominantly Slavic-speaking, Orthodox Christian country, Bulgaria was the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet, which was created there towards the end of the 9th century AD.

It was long influenced by Byzantine culture then was part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years before gaining its independence in the 19th century.

After World War II it became a satellite of the Soviet Union, but is now a member country of the EU and NATO.

Its transition to democracy and a market economy after the collapse of communism has not been easy and the country is striving to boost low standards of living. 

 

Bulgaria is a major grower of roses which produce rose oil, used in perfumes.

Continue reading the main story

At a glance

• Politics: Inconclusive elections in May 2013 resulted in the formation of a government of technocrats
• Economy: Bulgaria is one of the EU's poorest countries. Organised crime and corruption have deterred investors and hindered growth
• International: Bulgaria joined Nato in 2004 and the EU in 2007. It is not part of the EU's passport-free Schengen zone

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Throughout the early 1990s Bulgaria was wracked by political instability and strikes. The former communists were a powerful influence. Although the end of the decade was more stable, there was little tangible progress with economic reform.

Under Bulgaria's former king, Simeon II, who was prime minister between 2001 and 2005, the country pressed ahead with market reforms designed to meet EU economic targets. 

It achieved growth, saw unemployment fall from highs of nearly 20% and inflation come under control, but incomes and living standards remained low.

 

EU membership

Bulgaria was not among the countries invited to join the EU in 2004. However, it signed an EU accession treaty in April 2005 and joined in January 2007.

EU officials set tough entry requirements, reflecting their concerns about corruption and organised crime. After a series of reports found that the Bulgarian government had failed to tackle these issues effectively, the EU announced in July 2008 that it was suspending aid worth hundreds of millions of euros.

In September 2010, the EU again called on Bulgaria to take urgent action to tackle crime and corruption, and later in the year France and Germany announced that they would block Bulgaria from joining the Schengen passport-free zone until the country had made "irreversible progress" in this area.

Another cause of friction has been the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, which supplies over a third of Bulgaria's electricity.

Amid concerns over the safety of communist-era nuclear facilities, four of Kozloduy's six reactors were shut down as a price for Bulgaria's EU membership, two of them closing just minutes before the country joined the EU.

In a bid to offset the loss of production at Kozloduy and restore its position as a major power exporter in the Balkans, Bulgaria revived plans for a second nuclear power plant, though these were later put on hold.

Bulgaria is also involved in two rival gas pipeline projects: Russia's South Stream pipeline and the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline.

 

Political crisis

Spiralling utilities bills brought down the conservative government of Boiko Borisov in February 2013. Widespread public perception that high fuel costs were the direct result of a too-cosy relationship between the government and foreign-owned privatised monopolies sparked violent protests.

Although Mr Borisov's GERB party won the most seats in the election in May, it failed to achieve a majority and a government of technocrats backed by the Socialists was subsequently formed. However, the protests against official corruption that toppled the Borisov government appeared to intensify under the new government led by Plamen Oresharski.

Founded in the 10th century, Rila Monastery is seen as one of Bulgaria's most important historic monuments

 

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17202996 

French News Vocabulary ~ Le vocabulaire de l'actualité

The French you learn in classes and grammar books is not always enough when dealing with the real world. This list of French vocabulary related to current events will help you understand news in French.

à la une    on the front page
les achats de précaution    panic buying
l'actualité, les actualités    news
affolé (adj)   panic-stricken
allégué (adj)   alleged
un appel    appeal, call
une arme    weapon, gun
une arme blanche    knife
les armes de destruction massive
   weapons of mass destruction
assassiner    to murder
un attentat    attack
un attentat-suicide    suicide bombing
l'avortement    abortion

la banlieue    suburb
un bilan    appraisal, assessment, death toll
blessé (adj)   injured, wounded
une bombe    bomb

la canicule    heat wave
un cas de force majeure    disaster (natural or man-made)
les Casques bleus    UN peacekeeping forces
un casseur    rioter
une catastrophe aérienne    air disaster
une catastrophe écologique    environmental disaster
une catastrophe naturelle    natural disaster
un cessez-le-feu    cease-fire
le chômage    unemployment
un collecte au profit des sinistrés    disaster fund
une coupure de courant    power outage
le crime    crime
un criminel, une criminelle    criminal
une crise    crisis
un cyclone    cyclone, hurricane

des dégâts    damage
le deuil    bereavement, mourning
un désastre financier    financial disaster
un désastre politique    political disaster
les drogues (fem)   drugs

un éboulement    rockslide
une élection    election
une émeute    riot
une enquête    investigation
une épidémie    epidemic
extrader    to extradite

un feu    fire
un flic (informal)   cop

la garde à vue    police custody
   être mis/placé en garde à vue   to be kept in custody, held for questioning
le gaz lacrymogène    tear gas
un glissement de terrain    landslide
une grève (faire la grève)    strike (to be on strike)
la guerre    war
la grippe aviaire    bird flu
la grippe porcine    swine flu

hexagonal    French
l'Hexagone    France
   (more synonyms for French and France)

un immigrant, un immigré    immigrant
les impôts (masc)   taxes
un incendie    fire
une inondation    flood
inonder    to flood
un insurgé    insurgent
des intempéries    bad weather
IVG    abortion
   (French acronyms and abbreviations)

le kamikaze    suicide bomber

la loi    law
la lutte (literal/figurative)   struggle, fight

une manifestation    demonstration
le meurtre    murder
la mondialisation    globalization

une navette spatiale    space shuttle

un obus    explosive shell
opération escargot    rolling blockade
un ouragan    hurricane

une panne d'électricité    blackout, power cut
la peine de mort    death penalty
la pénurie    shortage, lack
la police    police
un policier    police officer
la politique    politics, policy
le politique    politician
poursuivre en justice    to sue
le pouvoir d'achat    buying power
présumé (adj)   alleged
un procès    trial

le rechauffement de la planète    global warming
la région sinistrée    disaster area
une réplique    after-shock, counter-attack
la retraite    retirement

un scrutin    ballot, election
un séisme    earthquake, upheaval
selon (prep)   according to
un sinistré, une sinistrée    disaster victim
un soldat    soldier
un sondage    poll
le suicide assisté    assisted suicide
un syndicat    union
le système de santé publique    health care system

un témoin    witness
une tempête    storm
le terrorisme    terrorism
tirer (sur)    to shoot (at)
les titres    headlines, headline news
une tornade    tornado
les transports en commun    public transit
un tremblement de terre    earthquake
une trêve    truce
tuer    to kill

un vaccin    vaccine
une victime    victim
   (Note that this word is always feminine, even when referring to a man)
voter    to vote

Source:  http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/news.htm