Iran's president killed in crash: BBC News Review
Summary
TLDRIn this BBC Learning English News Review, hosts Beth and Phil discuss the death of Iran's President Ebrahaim Raisi in a helicopter crash. The segment explores the mixed reactions to his death, with thousands mourning in the streets, while critics celebrate covertly on social media. The program also covers the vocabulary needed to discuss the story, including 'furtive' for secret celebrations, 'reverberate' for the wide impact of his death, and 'condolences' for expressions of sympathy. The US government's contrasting actions of offering condolences while criticizing Raisi's human rights record are highlighted.
Takeaways
- 🔹 The BBC Learning English News Review discusses the death of Iran's President, Ebrahaim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash.
- 🌧️ The accident occurred in poor weather conditions in a mountainous area in the northwest of Iran.
- 😢 Thousands have mourned Raisi's death, while others have celebrated it, reflecting a divided public opinion.
- 👎 Raisi's human rights record was heavily criticized, which may have influenced the mixed reactions to his death.
- 📰 The news headlines highlight the contrasting reactions to his death, with some expressing muted mourning and others furtive celebration.
- 🔍 The term 'furtive' is explained as secretive or hidden, describing the way some people are celebrating Raisi's death.
- 🌊 The word 'reverberate' is used metaphorically to discuss the potential wide-reaching impact of Raisi's death across the Middle East.
- 🇺🇸 The US government has offered condolences to Iran while also strongly criticizing Raisi's human rights record.
- 💬 The vocabulary 'condolences' is defined as an expression of sympathy, which the US has extended to the Iranian people.
- 📈 The script provides insights into how significant events can have unintended and far-reaching consequences, or 'reverberations'.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the News Review from BBC Learning English in this transcript?
-The main topic is the death of Iran's President Ebrahaim Raisi in a helicopter crash and the subsequent reactions, including mourning and criticism.
How did President Ebrahaim Raisi of Iran die according to the news?
-President Ebrahaim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous region in the northwest of Iran during bad weather.
What is the meaning of the word 'furtive' as used in the context of the news story?
-In the context of the news story, 'furtive' means secret or hidden, describing the celebrations by Raisi's critics in a secretive or discreet manner.
What does the term 'reverberate' imply in the headline from The Times of India?
-The term 'reverberate' in the headline implies that the impact of Raisi's death will spread and have consequences across the Middle East.
What does the word 'condolences' signify in the context of the news headline from The Times of Israel?
-In the context of the news headline, 'condolences' signifies an expression of sympathy from the US government towards the Iranian people following the death of President Raisi.
How is the reaction to Raisi's death described in the Reuters headline mentioned in the script?
-The reaction to Raisi's death is described as 'divided' with 'muted mourning and furtive celebration', indicating a mix of public grief and secret celebration.
What is the meaning of 'muted mourning' as used in the Reuters headline?
-'Muted mourning' refers to a period of sadness that is not very noticeable or expressed in a subdued manner after someone's death.
What does the adverb 'furtively' describe according to the script?
-The adverb 'furtively' describes actions that are done in a suspicious or secretive manner, as if the person does not want to be noticed.
Can you provide an example of how the word 'reverberation' might be used outside of the news context?
-Outside of the news context, 'reverberation' might be used to describe the echoing sound in a large room or the unintended consequences of a significant decision.
What is the difference between 'offering condolences' and 'condoling' as per the script?
-According to the script, 'offering condolences' is a way of expressing sympathy formally, while 'condoling' is the verb form of the action, but it is more common to use verbs like 'offer' or 'extend' in this context.
How does the script suggest one can find more episodes of News Review from BBC Learning English?
-The script suggests that one can find more episodes of News Review by clicking on the provided link and subscribing to the channel to receive updates on new episodes.
Outlines
🔥 Iran's President's Death Sparks Mixed Reactions
The BBC News Review discusses the death of Iran's President Ebrahaim Raisi in a helicopter crash, which occurred in adverse weather conditions in a mountainous area. The incident has led to a divided public response, with thousands mourning his death in the streets, while others, particularly his critics, are celebrating. Raisi's controversial human rights record has been a significant point of contention. The vocabulary words 'furtive', 'reverberate', and 'condolences' are introduced to help viewers understand the nuances of the news story. 'Furtive' describes the secretive celebrations, 'reverberate' is used metaphorically to discuss the potential wide-reaching impact of his death, and 'condolences' refers to the formal expression of sympathy offered by the US government, despite their criticism of Raisi's human rights record.
🌐 US Criticizes Raisi's Human Rights Record While Offering Condolences
The second paragraph delves into the US government's response to President Raisi's death. It highlights the dichotomy in their stance, where they have offered condolences to the Iranian people, expressing sympathy for the loss, while also strongly criticizing Raisi's human rights record. The term 'condolences' is further explained as a formal expression of sympathy, often used in situations involving death. The paragraph clarifies that while the US has extended their condolences, they have not shied away from condemning Raisi's past actions, indicating a complex relationship and a multifaceted approach to international diplomacy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡muted mourning
💡furtive
💡reverberate
💡condolences
💡helicopter crash
💡human rights record
💡criticized
💡mountainous region
💡bad weather
💡thousands mourned
💡social media
Highlights
Iran's president, Ebrahaim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash.
Funeral of President Raisi is taking place after the accident.
The crash occurred in bad weather in a mountainous region.
Thousands mourn Raisi's death in the streets.
Critics on social media celebrate Raisi's death.
Raisi's human rights record was heavily criticized.
News Review from BBC Learning English helps understand news headlines.
Vocabulary words: furtive, reverberate, and condolences are introduced.
Iran is divided in response to Raisi's death.
Muted mourning and furtive celebration are observed.
Definition of 'furtive': secret or hidden.
Usage of 'furtive' in context of glances and looks.
Reverberate used metaphorically to describe impact.
Reverberation as a noun meaning consequence.
Examples of reverberations from significant events.
US government offers condolences but criticizes Raisi's human rights record.
Condolences as an expression of sympathy.
Different ways to express condolences: offer, express, extend.
Encouragement to subscribe to the channel for more English learning.
Transcripts
Iran's president killed in a helicopter crash.
This is News Review from BBC
Learning English where we help you understand news headlines in English.
I'm Beth. And I'm Phil.
Make sure you watch to the end
to learn the vocabulary that you need to talk about this story.
And don't forget to subscribe to our channel to learn more English
from the headlines. Now, today's story.
The funeral of the President of Iran, Ebrahaim
Raisi, is taking place after he was killed in a helicopter crash.
The accident happened in bad weather
in a mountainous region in the north west of the country.
Thousands have mourned him in the streets,
but his death has also been celebrated
by his critics on social media. Raisi's record on human rights
has been heavily criticised.
You've been looking at the headlines.
What's the vocabulary that people need to understand this news story in English?
We have: furtive, reverberate
and condolences.
This is News Review from BBC
Learning English.
Let's have our first headline.
This is from Reuters. In divided Iran,
president's death met by muted mourning and furtive celebration.
So, this headline says that Iran is divided. On the one hand,
there is mourning.
Mourning is a period of sadness after someone dies, and mourning
here is being described as muted, which means not so noticeable.
And then on the other side,
we have the celebrations that are described as furtive. Phil,
what can you tell us about furtive?
Well, furtive is an adjective and
it means secret or hidden.
So, if we describe someone as behaving in a furtive way, that means
that they're being secretive or maybe dishonest or suspicious.
So, in the headline,
those who are celebrating are doing it in a furtive way. They are doing it
in a hidden or a secretive way - they don't want people to know necessarily
that they are celebrating. Another way we often use the word
furtive is with words that talk about ways of looking at things.
So you might hear about a furtive glance, a furtive look, a furtive glimpse.
And that's where someone is trying to look at something or someone else,
but not be spotted doing it. Yes, that's right.
And we also have the adverb furtively. If someone acts furtively,
then they act suspiciously.
OK, let's look at that again.
Let's have a look at our next headline.
This is from The Times of India. Iranian President Ebrahim
Raisi's death: How it may reverberate across the Middle East.
This headline asks about the impact that Raisi's
death will have.
We're looking at the word reverberates. This makes me think of sound.
Well, it can be about sound.
It isn't here, but it can be.
Think about sound as vibration.
Vibrations spread across an area -
that's how sound can reverberate across an area. Here,
it's metaphorical and we're talking about impact.
The impact of something can spread across an area. Maybe
think about a pond.
If you throw a stone into the middle, then the ripples will spread across the pond.
Something reverberating spreads in a
similar way. Exactly.
So, this headline is asking about the reverberations -
the impact across the Middle East - and reverberation is a noun.
It means consequence.
Can you give us some examples of reverberation?
OK, well, any significant event can have reverberations.
So, maybe think about a decision to close a factory – that could have strong
reverberations on the local community and some of those consequences
might be things we didn't expect – you can have unintended consequences.
OK, let's look at that again.
Let's have our next headline.
This is from The Times of Israel.
US offers condolences over Iran chopper crash, blasts Raisi's
human rights record.
So, there are two things happening in this headline.
One is that the US government has blasted –
that means strongly criticised – Raisi's human rights record.
And on the other side,
the US have offered their condolences.
And condolences is what we are looking at.
Yes, so condolences are an expression of sympathy
towards someone when someone has died.
So, the US government has offered sympathy towards the Iranian people,
but they have also criticised Raisi heavily.
Now, when someone dies,
you might use the expression
'My condolences', which is quite formal, but it works here.
We also often talk about 'sincere' or 'heartfelt' condolences and
that just makes them even stronger. Now
there is a verb, condole,
but we probably more often use verbs
like 'offer' as we have in the headline here.
Or you can 'express' condolences or 'extend' your condolences to someone.
OK, let's look at that again.
We've had: furtive – secretive, reverberate – have a
wide impact
and condolences – sympathy.
You can find more episodes of News Review by clicking here!
And remember to click here to subscribe to our channel, so you never miss another epsiode.
Thanks for joining us. Bye. Bye!
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