Aufrufe
vor 1 Jahr

World and Press May 1 2022

Original Pressetexte aus britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien Sprachtraining, Landeskunde, Vokabelhilfen und Übungsmaterial für Fortgeschrittene Sprachniveau B2 - C2

6 Britain

6 Britain May 1 2022 | World and Press Hopes raised for historic St Albans pub closed by pandemic PUBS The landlord of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which has been operating for more than 1,200 years, is optimistic a buyer can be found. mit Audiodatei By Tom Ambrose 1 WITH ITSbeer garden overlooking the ruins of the Roman city of Verulamium, the historic Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub in St Albans has been pushed to the brink by COVID-19. Two years of on-off lockdown closures, as well as the wider challenges brought on by the pandemic, have taken their toll on a pub that once held a Guinness World Record for the oldest in England. The pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans. | Photo: Picture Alliance/Reuters 2 It was announced this month that the pub, which has foundations dating back to 793 and hosted Oliver Cromwell for dinner in the 1600s, had served its last pint. But now its landlord, Christo To- falli, believes the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks could be given a reprieve, urging regulars and its global fanbase to “watch this space”. 3 “It’s a very fluid situation at the moment, there have been 2 The paper that was decoded is known as the Tavistock letter. The team discovered that the letter, written on blue-headed notepaper, was an appeal by Dickens for someone to intervene over a rejected advertisement. 3 Professor Hugo Bowles, of the University of Foggia in southern Italy, who is collaborating on the project, said that the various interpretations of Dickens’s shorthand had been used together to help “read” the letter. He told the BBC: “One of our solvers found the words ‘Ascension Day’, which helped us pinpoint the date of the letter. When other solvers found the words ‘advertisement’, ‘refused’, and ‘sent back’, we knew he was writing about an adverlots of phone calls over the past few weeks with people interested in buying the pub,” he told the ‘Guardian’. “The pub was a good business before COVID, and we are really working hard to find a prospective buyer. We want to get it done as quickly as possible.” Tofalli said he had been touched by the messages he had received since it was announced the pub was facing closure because of the pandemic. 4 He said: “When I bought it ten years ago, it had been derelict for nine months, so to go from that to being one of the best pubs in the country, if not the world, has been an amazing achievement. We know how special this place is. We connect with our customers and it’s not just the locals, it’s people from all around the world who have been in touch with me.” … 5 He said Ye Olde Fighting Cocks has been operating, in some shape or form, for more than 1,200 years, and he has been told “the past ten have been the best it has ever seen”. On the pub’s future, he added: “Watch this space. We want to put this to bed in the best possible way and hopefully there will be some news very soon.” 6 The pub’s Facebook page was inundated with support from well-wishers when it was confirmed the company, called Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (YOFC) Ltd, had gone into administration. It is being marketed by the auctioneers JPS Chartered Surveyors, with the deadline for expressions of interest set for Monday. A description reads: “A unique opportunity has arisen to purchase the business and assets of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, a true piece of English history. Reputedly England’s oldest pub, established in the 8th Century and moved to its current site, a Grade II listed building overlooking the picturesque River Ver, in the 1500s.” © 2022 Guardian News and Media Ltd 0 – 2 FIGHTING COCKKampfhahn — to operate “"Åp´reIt‘ betrieben werden — to push to the brink an den Rand des Abgrunds bringen — closure “"kl´UZ´‘ Schließung — to take its toll “t´Ul‘ seinen Tribut fordern — foundations Fundament — to host for dinner bewirten — reprieve “rI"pri…v‘ Atempause; Gnadenfrist — to urge “‰…dZ‘ auffordern — regulars “"regj´l´z‘ Stammgäste 3 – 5 fluid unklar; veränderlich — prospective “pr´"spektIv‘ potenziell — derelict “"der´lIkt‘ verlassen; heruntergekommen — local Ortsansässige(r) — to put s.th. to bed (fig) etw. zum Abschluss bringen 6 to indundate “"InøndeIt‘ überschwemmen — well-wisher Gratulant(in); h.: Unterstützer(in) — to go into administration Insolvenz anmelden — to market verkaufen — auctioneers “ÆO…kS´n"I´z‘ Auktionshaus — chartered surveyor “s´"veI´‘ (BE) Immobilienexperte(-in) — expression of interest Interessensbekundung — unique “ju…"ni…k‘ einzigartig — to arise entstehen; s. ergeben — assets “"œsets‘ Vermögenswerte — reputedly “rI"pju… tIdli‘ angeblich — Grade II listed (BE) unter Denkmalschutz — picturesque “ÆpIktS´r"esk‘ malerisch Dickens code cracked 150 years on – with the help of Reddit RESEARCH By Nadeem Badshah 1 EXPERTS have deciphered one of Charles Dickens’s coded manuscripts, which had remained a mystery for more than 150 years, with the help of the public. More than 1,000 volunteers from across the world came forward to help the researchers for the Dickens Code project. The author wrote cryptic notes in his own modified version of an 18th-century shorthand called brachygraphy using symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms which is similar to modern-day textspeak. He called it “the devil’s handwriting”. Charles Dickens’s Tavistock letter, written in his own personalised shorthand. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons tisement of his which had been rejected.” 4 In the writer’s personalised shorthand, the phrase “electric telegraph”, for example, is given the symbol of three horizontal, parallel lines. A notebook containing an explanation of the altered rules is held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The researchers also discovered a likely response to the Tavistock letter in a New York museum, written to Dickens by Mowbray Morris, manager of ‘The Times’, in 1859. Morris apologised for the rudeness of a clerk who had rejected an advertisement for a journal. 5 Dr Claire Wood, a lecturer in Victorian literature at the Univer- sity of Leicester, said: “The work of the Dickens decoders helps to cast light upon this fraught time in Dickens’s life. In the letter we glimpse Dickens the businessman, using personal contacts to promote his interests and strongly arguing his case.” 6 The team had offered a £300 reward for the person who transcribed the most symbols. The prize went to Shane Baggs, from San Jose in the US, who said he honed his code skills via groups on the community forum site Reddit. “After getting mostly C grades in literature, I never dreamt anything I’d ever do would be of interest to Dickens scholars,” he said. “It has been an honour.” © The Times, London/News Licensing This article originally appeared in The Times, London. 0 – 1 TO CRACKknacken — to decipher “dI"saIf´‘; s.w.u. to decode entschlüsseln — volunteer Freiwillige(r) — cryptic “"krIptIk‘ verschlüsselt; geheimnisvoll — to modify “"mÅdIfaI‘ abwandeln — shorthand Kurzschrift — brachygraphy “brœ"kIgr´fi‘ Stenografie — abbreviation “´Æbri…vi"eIS´n‘ Abkürzung — acronym “"œkr´nIm‘ — text-speak SMS-Sprache 2 – 3 blue-headed mit blauem Briefkopf — appeal Appell — to intervene “ÆInt´"vi…n‘ eingreifen — to collaborate “k´"lœb´reIt‘ mitarbeiten — solver Rätsellöser(in) — Ascension Day “´"senS´n‘ Himmelfahrtstag — to pinpoint genau bestimmen 4 – 5 to alter “"O…lt´‘ abändern — rudeness Unhöflichkeit — clerk “klA…k‘ Büroangestellte(r) — lecturer “"lektS´r´‘ Dozent(in) — Leicester “"lest´‘ — decoder Entschlüssler(in) — to cast light upon s.th. Aufschluss über etw. geben — fraught “frO…t‘ angespannt — to glimpse e-n flüchtigen Einblick bekommen 6 to transcribe “trœn"skraIb‘ umschreiben; übertragen — to hone one’s skills seine Fähigkeiten verbessern — C grade Note 3 (befriedigend) — scholar “"skÅl´‘ Gelehrte(r); Wissenschaftler(in)

World and Press | May 1 2022 Is the U.K. finally cracking down on dodgy Russian money? OLIGARCHS Russian money is ubiquitous and notorious in Britain’s capital. mit Übungsmaterial By William Booth and Karla Adam 1 WHEN Boris Johnson announced in Parliament this week “the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen,” the British prime minister made a boast that drew guffaws. “Oligarchs in London,” Johnson declared, “will have nowhere to hide.” Except in plain sight, it appears. 2 Russian money is so ubiquitous, so notorious in Britain’s capital city that the global financial hub was long ago nicknamed “Londongrad.” It is an old joke, but not so funny to anti-corruption crusaders, kleptocracy tour operators, and frustrated lawmakers, who have watched as post-Soviet elites with ties to the Kremlin snap up London townhouses and English estates, often bought anonymously through shell companies, with the profits generated by Russia’s version of crony capitalism. 3 After Johnson promised new sanctions against 100 Russian banks, defense contractors, and oligarchs, to punish President Vladimir Putin and his circle for the assault on Ukraine, many said the move was long overdue. “For too long, our country has been a safe haven for the money Putin and his fellow bandits stole from the Russian people,” opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said, simply stating the conventional wisdom. 4 But even as the ferocity of Russia’s attack in Ukraine produces shock and outrage in Britain, there is skepticism about how much will change here. Previous Conservative Party governments have promised to clamp down on dirty money in London, with little impact. A protester in London in March. | Photo: Picture Alliance 5 There have been parliamentary investigations, which have issued many reports, one of the latest under the title “Moscow’s Gold” in 2018. There’s a toothless “unexplained wealth” ordinance that allows the British courts to compel a target to reveal the sources of their riches. Ten prosecutions a year were promised. There have been four in four years – none against Russians. Instead, there’s an entire ecosystem of investment brokers, property agents, tax lawyers, and “reputation managers” who have enriched themselves off Russian money in London. 6 The anti-corruption group Transparency International U.K., which has been researching real estate transactions in Britain since 2016, reported this past week that 150 properties in Britain, valued at billion, were “owned by Russians accused of financial crime or with links to the Kremlin.” “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Rachel Davies Teka, head of advocacy for the group, who added that 90,000 properties in Britain have been bought anonymously through shell companies, most registered in Britain’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, such as the British Virgin Islands. 7 Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said London’s role in global finance has delivered “considerable benefits” to the British people. “But the reality is that the channels of wealth have also been carrying corruption and crime through our markets,” he said, adding that the government “has done little to address these dangers.” Margaret Hodge, a Labour Party lawmaker, who has led the charge to slow the sketchy foreign funds from flowing into business and politics, put it this way: “There’s a ‘for sale’ sign hanging over Britain. … Britain asks few questions, doesn’t care who you are, and doesn’t mind where your money comes from,” Hodge wrote in the ‘Guardian’ newspaper. … 8 London prides itself on being a draw for the global rich. It can be a very nice place to be – and not just for Russia’s bad apples. London is safe, cosmopolitan, with luxury goods at Harrods, skilled doctors on Harley Street, and posh boarding schools like Johnson’s alma mater, Eton College, which costs ,000 a year for one boy’s tuition. The growth of London’s financial services sector also happened to coincide with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Elites from the former USSR had vast fortunes to spend, invest, and launder – and the city provided the way. 9 “There is all sorts of dodgy cash in London,” said Helena Wood, a senior fellow with RUSI, Britain 7 a think tank. She said accountants and lawyers stand ready to help distance people’s wealth from its sources, from any corruption or criminality, often by pouring it into London’s red-hot property market, which can be flipped or inherited. 10 Johnson this past week announced the creation of a new “kleptocracy cell” at the National Crime Agency, which will “target sanctions evasion and corrupt Russian assets hidden in the U.K.” Wood, who used to work at that agency, said taking on oligarchs is difficult, and she’s skeptical that the new unit would make much of an impact unless it’s backed with considerable resources. Unlike drug traffickers who may eschew publicity, oligarchs are often willing to have their day in court. “They turn up with banks of lawyers” who square off against poorly-resourced litigators and law enforcement officials, she said. “I can only describe it as a David-and-Goliath battle.” … 11 A recent report on dirty money, from the Chatham House think tank, concluded that Britain “is ill-equipped to assess the risk of corruption from transnational kleptocracy, which has undermined the integrity of important domestic institutions and weakened the rule of law.” The authors wrote that “the success of kleptocracy requires that the perpetrators are hidden in plain sight,” with “professional enablers” available to help exploit loopholes. … 12 After Putin’s forces entered Ukraine, Johnson said he would close the loopholes and improve the unexplained wealth law before the spring recess in Parliament. He also pledged to introduce an Economic Crime Bill. For the first time, Britain would demand to know the individuals who own the shell companies that buy properties, and a buyer of a Kensington mansion – or a Cotswold cottage – would be identified by a real name. That’s not Johnson’s idea, though. It was first proposed in 2016, two prime ministers ago. © 2022 The Washington Post 0 – 1 TO CRACK down on s.th.; s.w.u. to clamp down on s.th. hart gegen etw. vorgehen — dodgy; s.w.u. sketchy zwielichtig — oligarch “"ÅlIgA…k‘ — ubiquitous “ju…"bIkwIt´s‘ allgegenwärtig — notorious “n´U"tO…ri´s‘ berühmt-berüchtigt — severe hart — boast großspurige Behauptung — guffaws “gøf"O…z‘ schallendes Gelächter — in plain sight vor aller Augen 2 financial hub Finanzzentrum — crusader Kreuzzügler; h.: Aktivist(in) — kleptocracy tour operator “Æklep"tÅkr´si‘ Anbieter von Rundfahrten durch Londoner Bezirke, in denen Kleptokraten ihr Kapital zwecks Geldwäsche in Wohnimmobilien angelegt haben — lawmaker Abgeordnete(r) — to snap up aufkaufen — estate Anwesen — shell company Strohfirma — crony capitalism “"kr´Uni‘ Vetternwirtschaft 3 – 4 defense contractor Rüstungsunternehmen — assault “´"sÅlt‘ Überfall — overdue “Æ--"-‘ überfällig — safe haven Zufluchtsort — fellow bandit Kumpan(in) — conventional wisdom gängige Meinung — ferocity “f´"rÅs´ti‘ Grausamkeit — outrage Entrüstung — skepticism “"skept´sIz´m‘ Skepsis 5 investigation Untersuchung — to issue hervorbringen — toothless (fig) wirkungslos — ordinance “"O…dIn´ns‘ Verordnung — to compel s.o. “-"-‘ jdn. zwingen — to reveal offenlegen — prosecution “ÆprÅsI"kju…S´n‘ strafrechtliche Verfolgung — property agent Immobilienmakler(in) — tax lawyer Steueranwalt (-anwältin) — to enrich o.s. off s.th. “In"rItS‘ s. an etw. bereichern 6 to research recherchieren — real estate transaction Immobiliengeschäft — property Immobilie — to value schätzen — billion Millliarde — to accuse s.o. of s.th. “´"kju…z‘ jdm. etw. vorwerfen — financial crime Finanzdelikte — head of advocacy “"œdv´k´si‘ h.: Leiter(in) des Bereichs Antikorruptionskampagnen — Crown Dependencies “dI"pend´nsiz‘ Kronbesitzungen 7 – 8 chair Vorsitzende(r) — Foreign Affairs Committee Auswärtiger Ausschuss — considerable “k´n"sId´r´b´l‘ beträchtlich — to address s.th. etw. angehen — to lead the charge e-e Vorreiterrolle einnehmen — funds Kapital — to pride o.s. s. rühmen — posh (coll) vornehm — tuition “tSu…"IS´n‘ Schulgeld — to coincide with s.th. “Æk´UIn"saId‘ mit etw. zus.fallen — to launder “"lO…nd´‘ waschen 9 accountant Steuerberater(in); Wirtschaftsprüfer(in) — red-hot (fig) überhitzt — to flip weiterverkaufen — to inherit “In"herIt‘ erben 10 to target s.th. etw. ins Visier nehmen — evasion “I"veIZ´n‘ Umgehung — assets “"œsets‘ Vermögenswerte — to take s.o. on es mit jdm. aufnehmen — to back h.: ausstatten — drug trafficker Drogenhändler(in) — to eschew “Is"tSu…‘ meiden — banks of h.: (fig) Horden — to square off against s.o. gegen jdn. antreten — poorly-resourced finanziell schlecht ausgestattet — litigator “"lItIgeIt´‘ Prozessanwalt(-anwältin) — law enforcement official Polizeibeamter(-in) 11 – 12 to conclude “k´n"klu…d‘ zu dem Schluss gelangen — to undermine unterminieren — rule of law Rechtsstaatlichkeit — perpetrator “"p‰…p´treIt´‘ Täter(in) — enabler Helfer(in) — to exploit loopholes Schlupflöcher ausnutzen — forces Streitkräfte — recess Pause — to pledge versprechen — economic crime Wirtschaftsverbrechen

World and Press