Ted: Welcome back to another episode of Babbel News - English Only!

 At the end of the last episode, we left you with a proverb: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Were you able to figure out what it means? Well, the idea behind it is that sometimes, when someone or something isn’t there, it can strengthen your connection or affection.
 
With that, I hope you’re as happy to be back as I am. I’m Ted, English expert at Babbel, here to guide you through the two news stories we picked out for you today.

Before I get into the details, just a reminder that there’s a link to this episode’s transcript in the episode description. You might find it helpful to read along while you listen.

So, today’s episode will take us to France, where you’ll hear about some of the problems surrounding the decision to ban the abaya, a dress usually worn by Muslim women and girls, from schools. And for the second story, we’ll head over to Switzerland, where high levels of microplastic have been discovered in Lake Geneva.

Before hearing the first clip, I’ll introduce some of the key words and phrases from this story. The first one is “debate”, an argument or discussion in which different opinions are expressed. The next word, “applause”, describes the sound of clapping hands, showing agreement or enjoyment. In the context of this story, when something is “met with applause”, it means the reaction to it is positive. When something is “counterproductive”, it has the opposite effect of what is intended. And then we have “outrage”, a strong feeling of shock and anger. Next, to “stigmatize” somebody means to consider them in a way that unfairly suggests that they are bad or do not deserve respect. And lastly, “sensitive”, in the context of this story, refers to issues or situations that can easily cause hurt or disagreement, and may need to be treated with care. And with that, let’s head to France and hear more about this debate.

Reuters: The French government is moving forward with a decision to ban students from wearing the style of dress called an abaya in public schools. And it's drawn debate over where the line is between culture, fashion, and religion.

An abaya is a type of loose, full-length robe chosen by some Muslim women. France already had a ban on children wearing religious symbols in public schools. In 2004, France banned headscarves from schools.
 
The latest move on abayas was met with applause from the country's right. But some academics warn it could be counterproductive – especially as it touches on clothing they say is worn for fashion or identity, rather than religion.

This is French sociologist Agnès De Féo.
 
"I think the government's goal is to start a new controversy that will outrage the entire French society. Most of all, it will hurt Muslims in general. They will, once again, feel stigmatized because of their religious beliefs, and that's dangerous."
 
France's ban on religious symbols in schools has both supporters and critics across the political spectrum and is a sensitive subject.
 
Djennat is studying to be a teacher, so she wasn't comfortable with giving Reuters her last name. But she says she wears the dress at home and doesn't understand why it was banned.

"It has no distinct religious symbol. I think the abaya has no religious symbol. It's just like wearing a dress, but that dress has a name. It's like wearing a flower-printed dress. I wouldn't tell you, 'You're wearing that dress, you can't be here.' It's just like any other clothing."

Ted: And now, let’s take a look at the vocabulary from the second story. We’ll start with “reputation”, the general opinion people have of something or someone based on their behavior in the past. Next, we have “severe” – in the context of today’s story it means extremely bad or serious. A “founder” is someone who starts an organization or a company. Up next, the two words “particles” and “fragments” both refer to small pieces of something else. After that, we have “awareness”, which is knowledge, understanding, or interest in an important problem. And finally, a “wacko” is a rude word used to describe people who seem crazy or foolish. Ready to hear the clip? Then let’s go!

Reuters: Switzerland's Lake Geneva has a reputation for its clean water. It sits at the foot of the Alps and looks postcard-ready.
But it turns out plastic pollution here is just as severe as the world's oceans. So how did one of Europe's largest lakes become so polluted?

Oceaneye – a Geneva-based non-profit – has been collecting plastics from oceans for more than a decade. But in 2018 they turned their attention closer to home and conducted their first study in Lake Geneva.
 
That’s Pascal Hagmann, Oceaneye’s founder. On the stern of a sailing boat, he's using a device to help collect different types of plastics. There are microplastics – which are small particles of bigger objects – and mesoplastics, which are bigger fragments.
 
Hagmann says tire residue is the major pollutant, followed by food packaging. And that the plastics that end up here aren’t just a Switzerland problem – it’s a global one, as Lake Geneva borders France and its water eventually flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hagmann says projections are pessimistic, and that if the world continues to produce plastic at the current rate, we'll produce more than 1 billion tons of it per year. But on the brighter side, he says awareness of the issue is growing.
 
“When we began working on plastic 12 years ago, we talked about plastic particles in water… People took us for wackos. And now it is a recognizable problem.”

Ted: That’s it for today’s episode! I hope our story choices kept you interested and that you learned some new vocabulary along the way. Have you ever thought about writing down the new words you’ve learned? In a notebook, for example, or even on post-its that you can leave around your home? The bathroom mirror might be a good spot. That way you can brush up on your English while brushing your teeth every morning!

And with that, I’ll say goodbye for now. See you next week for another episode of Babbel News – English Only! Bye!