Iranian Earthquake

BBCwin 5 January 2004 1

IRANIAN EARTHQUAKE

This week the world began to assess the full extent of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Iran. As the week began it was feared that five thousand had lost their lives. But as the days passed the number of dead increased to ten times that number. Tens of thousands of people from the Iranian city of Bam had to sleep in the open and freezing temperatures. All over Bam the same grim scenes : bulldozers moving in to clear the heavy debris, then relief workers and relatives moving in to finish the job with their bare hands. If there were hopes of finding survivors, they’ve faded as body after body was pulled from the rubble. International rescue experts like these brought in to find the living but found themselves digging up the dead. The sheer scale of the devastation - vast areas of densely populated housing demolished as people slept - explains just why so it is that many have died. As for the injured who were rescued in the early hours of the disaster, many were evacuated by air to Teheran. They included a British tourist who arrived on holiday in Bam on Christmas Day. “I woke the room was shaking, bouncing up and down. And my friend Michael was grabbing my feet pulling me forward and just screaming ‘Get out, get out !’ He kicked the door out and then he pushed me through. And we came out into the open and it was just silence. And we looked around us and the hotel had disappeared.” In the heart of Bam the ancient Citadel, the world’s biggest mud-brick structure, was transformed into an ocean of dust and rubble. It’s thought that hundreds may now still lie buried under the ruins. Those who emerged unscathed are now sleeping outside the remaining buildings which still stand. They fear an aftershock could bury them too. Many of them have lost loved ones as well as their homes and possessions. Nothing that can be done to help them now can change that massive tragedy. to assess évaluer, mesurer an earthquake un tremblement de terre a seaquake un séisme sous-marin five thousand 5000 personnes in the open à l’air libre, dehors grim sinistres, macabres the debris les gravats relief workers des secouristes relief aide, secours relatives des parents moving in s’attelant à la tâche with bare hands à mains nues they’ve faded ils se sont amenuisés the rubble les décombres rescue sauvetage the living les vivants to dig up exhumer the sheer scale l’ampleur réelle the injured les blessés the early hours les premières heures was shaking tremblait was bouncing up and down était secouée de bas en haut BBCwin 5 January 2004 2 to bounce rebondir to grab attraper, saisir pulling me forward me tirant pour m’entraîner he kicked the door out il a ouvert la porte d’un coup de pied into the open dehors mud-brick en briques crues mud la boue, l’argile dust la poussière it’s thought that on pense que still lie gisent encore buried ensevelis unscathed indemnes, sains et saufs an aftershock une réplique loved ones des êtres chers

PARMALAT SCANDAL

An Italian judge ordered the founder of the multinational food giant Parmalat to remain in prison. Calisto Tanzi had been seeking a change to house arrest since he admitted funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars out of the company. He’s one of twenty people under investigation for alleged fraud at Parmalat. The company filed for bankruptcy last week. Calisto Tanzi emerges from police headquarters after another tough interrogation accused of one of the largest financial frauds in history. Documents being examined by prosecutors showed ten billion pounds may be missing from the company he ran for forty years. Parmalat ’s amongst the world’s biggest food producers. Now thirty-six thousand jobs are at risk. The firm’s accounts were allegedly fiddled to disguise huge losses. But millions of pounds were also transferred from Parmalat to a family-owned travel agency. And the repercussions even reach out to the football pitch. Parmalat owns one of Italy’s most successful teams, Parma. It’s survival like the rest of Parmalat’s business is now at stake. Parmalat’s management has told me they’re hopeful that much of this business can be saved including the factory in Britain. But unravelling this financial mess will be time consuming and there’s no guarantee of success. But as the criminal investigation continues, only Calisto Tanzi really knows just how much damage he’s done.

Jonathan Childs BBC News Rome

Parmalat ‘Le lait de Parme’ ital. latte : le lait to seek chercher, demander house arrest assignation à résidence to funnel out détourner a funnel un entonnoir (pour le lait aussi …) < anc. occitan, fonel : entonnoir à vin BBCwin 5 January 2004 3 to be under investigation être mis en examen alleged présumée filed poursuivie bankruptcy banqueroute < ital banca rotta : comptoir brisé tough rigoureux, ‘musclé’ he ran qu’il a dirigée is amongst compte parmi ’s = is to be at risk être en danger were allegedly fiddled auraient été trafiqués allegedly selon les présomptions to fiddle bricoler, magouiller 1er sens : jouer du violon losses des pertes family-owned familiale, possédée par la famille a travel agency une agence de voyages to reach out to atteindre the football pitch le terrain de foot owns possède to be at stake être en jeu the stake la mise, l’enjeu the factory l’usine unravelling démêler, le démêlage to ravel embrouiller the mess le désordre What a mess ! Quel fouillis ! will be time consuming prendra beaucoup de temps

STARDUST

Now a NASA spacecraft called Stardust is due to approach a comet later today on an unprecedented mission. It’s trying to collect dust particles and return them to earth for analysis. Scientists hope that new insights will be given into the origins of the solar system and into our own planet. "Six - grain bore all the way across. Four, three two - we have main engine start, Zero - and lift off of the Stardust spacecraft …! " A perfect launch at Cape Canaveral in 1999 for a unique mission to catch up with a comet. The spacecraft on board was starting a five-year two billion mile journey that’s now about to reach its climax. The aim : to collect pristine dust particles from interplanetary space. "We’re actually going to a comet and bringing back the building-blocks of our own solar system. The fundamental materials that actually made our own planet earth and also made us. In a very real sense we are stardust." The spacecraft will fly right into the heart of a dusty cloud that surrounds a comet called Wild 2. As the comet spins through space, particles of gas and dust fly off it at speeds of more than 13,000 miles an hour. They’re captured in a special collector about the size of a tennis racket. It uses a strange substance called aerogel which traps the particles inside. BBCwin 5 January 2004 4

Comets have always captured the imagination. Some believe these mysterious objects in the night sky brought a message of doom from the heavens. We now know they are just the frozen leftovers from the birth of the solar system. And they’ll soon be revealing their innermost secrets for the first time. Hundreds of tiny grains from the comet will be stored in a special capsule. After a long two-year journey back to earth, that’s detached from the spacecraft and parachutes down to earth.

Christina McGourty BBC News at Mission Control in California

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration spacecraft vaisseau spatial craft embarcation aircraft avion stardust poussière d’étoiles comet comète < grec comètès : chevelu, (astre) pourvu d’une traînée new insights de nouvelles perspectives, un nouvel éclairage grain bore ‘parfait’ jargon de l’aéronautique engine moteur the lift-off le décollage a launch un lancement unique exceptionnelle to catch up with rattraper 2 billion miles 2 milliards de miles 1 mile : 1,6 km to be about to être sur le point de climax apogée, point culminant < grec klimax : échelle the aim le but, l’objectif pristine du début ; datant de la naissance de l’univers the building blocks les constituants de base spins tournoie, vrille fly off se détachent collector récepteur traps piège to capture captiver a message of doom un funeste présage doom ruine, catastrophe the heavens les cieux, le firmament Heaven le paradis the leftovers les restes frozen gelés to freeze, froze, frozen innermost les plus profonds tiny tout petits stored stockés that’s detached celle-ci est séparée and parachutes down et elle descend, munie d’un parachute BBCwin 5 January 2004 5

JAPANESE WEDDING

The blushing bride, the white dress, adoring groom looking on. The allure of a Western-style wedding in an exotic foreign location has never been more popular with young Japanese couples. And the fairy tale is what it’s all about here at Abeka on Australia’s Gold Coast. The world’s first purpose-built luxury wedding resort. It’s a one-stop shop for happy couples. From the dress to accessories, the ceremony, down to the very last detail of the reception. Newly-weds Kenichii and Yoko Fujiyoko are just one of the six thousand happy couples flocking to Australian shores each year to tie the knot. The average Japanese wedding costs around 20,000 US dollars. So it’s no wonder they are part of a younger generation of Japanese opting for smaller, cheaper and more simple ceremonies overseas. “This country is big and free and we don’t have to worry about old traditions.” There’s a few pre-wedding jitters as the resort’s make-up artist applies the finishing touches “We feel a bit nervous, but happy “ And then it’s off to the chapel. Abeka’s extensive grounds and facilities enables a spectacular arrival. The happy couple can enter by boat, helicopter, hot-air balloon or even an elegant horse-drawn carriage. Usually a few close relatives will tag along.This intimate ceremony is appealing as traditional Japanese weddings can be large impersonal affairs. Abeka plays host to hundreds of international holiday makers. The resort can squeeze in up to seven weddings a day. But Kenichii and Yoko are oblivious to the production line. The replica nineteenth century chapel is perfect. And as the rings are exchanged, the day is sealed with a kiss. And the romance will linger on for years to come as the resort’s photographer captures the moment on film.

the blushing bride la mariée rougissante adoring en adoration groom le marié looking on la contemplant the fairy tale le conte de fée what it’s all about exactement ce dont il s’agit purpose-built construite à cette fin wedding resort ‘station de mariage’ skiing resort station de ski seaside resort station balnéaire a one-stop shop un hypermarché, un bazar down to the very last detail jusqu’au moindre détail newly-weds les jeunes mariés to flock se rendre en masse the shores les rivages to tie the knot passer la corde au cou to tie a knot faire un noeud overseas outre-mer, à l’étranger the jitters la frousse to give someone the jitters flanquer la trouille à qqn the make-up artist la maquilleuse BBCwin 5 January 2004 6 nervous anxieux it’s off to on part pour extensive grounds le vaste parc facilities les équipements a hot-air balloon une montgolfière horse-drawn hippomobile a carriage une calèche the close relatives les proches parents to tag along suivre, se joindre au groupe appealing tentante, sympathique plays host to reçoit, accueille to squeeze in up to caser jusqu’à to squeeze compresser a day par jour are oblivious to ne pensent pas à oblivious oublieux the production line la chaîne (à l’usine) is sealed est scellée, couronnée to linger on se prolonger