Beirut explosion protest - News Review

Following the massive explosion which has killed over 200 people so far and injured thousands of others, there have been widespread protests in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Neil and Catherine look at the vocabulary in the news about this story.

Video chapters
0:00 - Introduction
0:31 - The story
1:36 - Headline 1: Beirut explosion: protests outside parliament call for fall of government
5:30 - Headline 2: Shots fired as 10,000 rage in Beirut protests
8:38 - Headline 3: Protesters In Lebanon Call For Uprising To Topple Government After Beirut Explosion
11:29 - Language summary

The story
As the protesters walked through their destroyed streets and passed the epicentre of Tuesday’s explosion, the very site of destruction appeared to fuel their rage.

The Lebanese have long been sick of their own government, but after the explosion, there’s a new fury here on the streets.

These protesters are especially angry – not a single senior government official has resigned following this disaster.

Key words and phrases:
the fall of (something)
end of a position of power
* The fall of Rome was followed by the Dark Ages.
* 1989 saw the fall of communism in many Eastern European countries.

rage
continue in an angry or violent way
* The residents raged at the council meeting about poor local education standards.
* A raging crowd of rioters ran through the streets during the protest.

to topple
to force a loss of power
* After years in power, the dictator was toppled.
* Liverpool toppled Manchester City to win the Premier League title.

To download the audio and test your understanding, go to our website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview/unit-14/session-155

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