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Words
in the News
Wednesday 16 April 2003
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find
explanations of difficult words below.
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Iraq humanitarian crisis
Summary: The commander of British forces in Iraq has denied reports of a developing humanitarian crisis in areas under British control. This report from Rupert Wingfield-Hayes:
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The
News 
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General Brims was adamant. There is no humanitarian crisis in Basra, he said. People have enough to eat and water and electricity is being restored to more parts of the city by the day. If there is a crisis, he said, it is of a society deeply traumatised by twenty years of abuse at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime, and that, thanks to the British troops, he said, has been stopped.
He did agree that there are some black spots, in particular with providing clean water, and at the city's hospitals, many of which are completely without medicines. But he again said the old regime was to blame for the situation, not British forces.
Nevertheless, out on the streets of Basra, there is growing impatience with the speed of change, or rather the lack of it. Faces that a week ago smiled in welcome are now turning increasingly surly. Such impatience may be unfair, but if they hope to win the peace, coalition forces are going to have to move fast to do something tangible to improve the lives of people here.
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC, Basra
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The
Words
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adamant
determined not to change his mind
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humanitarian crisis
a serious situation affecting the health and well-being of the population
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deeply traumatised
extremely upset by an event or situation
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at the hands of
committed by
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thanks to
if something happens thanks to another person or thing, that person or thing caused it to happen
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black spots
dangerous areas
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to blame
responsible for
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surly
bad-tempered
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to move fast
to act quickly
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tangible
something that can be easily seen or noticed
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Read
more about this story |
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Other Words in the News archives
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