World and Press February 1
February 1 2022 • No 3 • 74th Year of Publication • Original Pressetexte aus britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien € 2,50 [d] Sprachtraining • Landeskunde • Vokabelhilfen • Übungsmaterial IN FOCUS B2–C2 • Opinion: A call for Gen Z to rewrite the Constitution | Photo: NYT Every year, an Indian festival to the sun god Surya brings unwelcome reminders of how devastatingly polluted the water and air around Delhi remain. Read more on pag e 3 About 5,000 public phone boxes around the UK will be protected from closure in areas of high accident rates or poor mobile signals. Read more on pag e 16 | Photo: Unsplash Page 2 USA • Politics: A video game immerses users in the world of US politics • Gun laws: Colorado allows tougher local gun laws Pages 4/5 BRITAIN • Wildlife: Endangered six-foot tope sharks found in Thames estuary • Agatha Christie: Whodunit? Before long it’ll be who hasn’t dun it? Pages 6/7 OTHER TOPICS • Food: The E.U. is approving insects as food • Climate: African leaders say rich countries should quit oil first • Business: Frustration as US firms skimp on service as prices rise • Economy: Wealthy nations wage global battle for migrants • Literature: Damon Galgut wins Booker Prize Pages 8/9/10/11/15 Zusatzmaterial zu dieser Ausgabe. Im Abo PREMIUM sehr viel günstiger! für nur € 5,95 Jetzt im Einzelverkauf www.sprachzeitungen.de €2,80 [a] CHF4,50 [ch] Prime Minister Boris Johnson making a statement before Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on January 12, 2022. | Photo: Picture Alliance/House of Commons Boris Johnson apologizes amid national anger over lockdown party PRIME MINISTER Johnson told irate lawmakers that they would have to await an internal inquiry before deciding whether the event broke the rules. By William Booth and Karla Adam 1 BORIS JOHNSONwent into the House of Commons on Wednesday and apologized. And wiggled. And apologized some more – amid shouts from the opposition that he is a liar and should resign – that he attended a “BYOB” garden party at his own home during the height of coronavirus lockdown in May 2020. “For 25 minutes,” Johnson said. To thank the staff. 2 After saying he had no knowledge of lockdown parties at 10 Downing Street, the British prime minister admitted that he had attended a “bring your own booze” catered gathering, organized by his private secretary, at the height of the first coronavirus wave, when ordinary citizens were forced to forgo weddings, funerals, school, office work, and, certainly, parties. 3 In his long life in journalism and politics, as a freewheeling columnist at the ‘Telegraph,’ as backslapping London mayor and now prime minister during a deadly pandemic, Johnson has faced repeated challenges to his veracity – about his newspaper articles, his romantic affairs, his cocaine use, his assurances to the queen, and, most recently, his solicitation for donations to pay for the renovation of his flat. This one might prove the most difficult. 4 Earlier this week, ITV News revealed an email invitation for the May 20, 2020, garden party from Johnson’s private secretary, Martin Reynolds, to more than 100 staff members at Downing Street, which, like the White House, serves as both office and residence for the country’s leader. “Hi all, after what has been an incredibly busy period it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening,” it read. “Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!” 5 After the news broke, Johnson smirked – and dodged. On Wednesday, under tremendous pressure from his own Conservative Party, he came clean. “I want to apologize,” Johnson began, in the packed chamber. “I know millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months. I know the anguish that they have been through, unable to mourn their relatives, unable to live their lives as they want or to do the things they love. And I know the rage they feel with me, and with the government I lead, when they think that in Downing Street itself, they think the rules are not being followed by the people who make the rules.” Johnson said he attended for a short while. “In hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside, and I should have found some other way to thank them,” the prime minister said. 6 Staring down the prime minister, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said, “That apology was pretty worthless, wasn’t it? After months of deceit and deception, the pathetic spectacle of a man who’s run out of road,” Starmer said before asking, “is he finally going to do the decent thing and resign?” Continued on page 12 0 – 2 AMID “´"mId‘ angesichts — irate “aI"reIt‘ wütend — lawmaker Abgeordnete(r) — inquiry “In"kwaI´ri‘ Untersuchung — to wiggle (fig) s. winden — BYOB = bring your own booze/bottle — height “haIt‘ Höhepunkt — gathering Treffen — to force zwingen — to forgo s.th. “-"-‘ auf etw. verzichten 3 – 4 freewheeling unbekümmert; ungeniert — backslapping jovial — veracity “v´"rœs´ti‘ Aufrichtigkeit — assurance “´"SO…r´ns‘ Beteuerung — solicitation of donations “s´ÆlIsI"teIS´n‘ Spendenaufruf — to reveal “rI"vi…l‘ enthüllen — incredibly “In"kred´bli‘ unglaublich 5 to break bekannt werden — to smirk “sm‰…k‘ grinsen — to dodge ausweichen — to come clean mit der Wahrheit herausrücken — to make sacrifices “"sœkrIfaIsIz‘ Opfer bringen — anguish “"œNgwIS‘ Kummer; Leid — to mourn “mO…n‘ betrauern — rage Wut — in hindsight “"haIndsaIt‘ im Nachhinein 6 to stare s.o. down jdn. zum Wegsehen zwingen — worthless wertlos — deceit “dI"si…t‘ Betrug — deception Täuschung — pathetic “p´"TetIk‘ erbärmlich — to run out of road (fig) nicht mehr weiter wissen — to do the decent thing “"di…s´nt‘ das Richtige tun —
