Bangladesh protests, PM quits: BBC Learning English from the News

From BBC Learning English,

this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

In this programme:

Mass protests force Bangladesh's Prime Minister to quit.

Hello, I'm Phil.

And I'm Georgie.

In this programme, we look at one big news story

and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,

as well as a worksheet on our website, BBCLearningEnglish.com.

So, let's hear more about this story.

Students in Bangladesh have been protesting

about a law that reserves a percentage of state jobs

for the descendants of fighters

in Bangladesh's independence war in the 1970s.

Around 300 people have died in violence

between protestors, opponents and security forces

over recent weeks.

After a large protest in the capital Dhaka,

calling for the Prime Minister's resignation, she stepped down

and escaped the country.

And I have a headline here that talks about some things that have happened

since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country. It's from AP News,

And it says: Bangladesh's president dissolves parliament,

clearing the way for elections to replace ousted leader.

So that headline again, its: Bangladesh's president dissolves parliament,

clearing the way for elections to replace ousted leader.

And that's from AP News.

So this headline is talking about how the president,

which is a less powerful position in Bangladesh's system,

has closed the current parliament so that elections can take place.

Now, we have this expression 'dissolves parliament'.

It means to close the current parliament - in the UK,

the King dissolves parliament before an election,

then a new parliament starts after the election.

So that's a very common usage of dissolve,

but dissolve can just mean to end something,

so we can use it in lots of contexts, like a business partnership,

or dissolve a marriage, even.

And that's a metaphorical use of dissolve,

but we can also use dissolve literally.

So dissolve means break something down.

So think about when you're making tea or coffee.

if you put sugar into it and you stir it, then the sugar dissolves.

It mixes with the water in the tea or coffee and it disappears.

And actually, when we're cooking, there's lots of things that we dissolve.

We've had dissolve - to end an arrangement or close an institution.

So, for example, you could say the committee was dissolved

after it had finished its work.

This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Today we're talking about the resignation

of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Now, this is a quick moving situation,

Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has now been appointed head

of a temporary government.

But there had been concern about what would happen

after Sheikh Hasina left the country.

And here's a headline about those worries.

This is from The Economist in the UK.

Bangladesh's dictator flees, leaving behind a dangerous vacuum.

Okay, let's hear that again.

Bangladesh's dictator flees, leaving behind a dangerous vacuum.

And that's from The Economist, based in the UK.

Now, the writer of this article refers to Sheikh Hasina as a dictator,

that's an opinion,

and says that she has fled -

run away from the country.

And we're looking at this phrase 'dangerous vacuum'.

So think about a vacuum cleaner -

a vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt,

but Phil, how does this relate to this story?

Well, a vacuum is an empty space and there's often pressure to fill it.

If we talk about a power vacuum, then it's a space where no one has power,

but there is pressure to fill that space.

Yes. So Hasina was the most powerful figure in Bangladesh,

and now that she's been removed, there's an empty space, a vacuum.

The headline writer thinks

that this pressure to fill this vacuum could be dangerous.

And that's referring to the potential for conflict over who replaces Hasina.

We've had a dangerous vacuum where the lack of a leader could lead to conflict.

For example, now the CEO has been fired,

there's a dangerous vacuum at the top of the company.

Everyone is fighting to get her job.

This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.

We're talking about the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina had been prime minister for many years.

Originally, she had been seen as a pro-democracy figure,

but in recent years, some people have accused her

of being authoritarian and running the country by force.

She has also been accused of human rights violations.

Now, Bangladesh's economy has been very successful in recent years,

though there have been concerns recently about inflation and the cost of living.

So here's our next headline.

Sheikh Hasina's tainted legacy after two-decade rule in Bangladesh.

And that's from The Telegraph in the UK.

Okay, let's hear that again.

So this is from The Telegraph, which is based in the UK:

Sheikh Hasina's tainted legacy after two-decade rule in Bangladesh.

And the phrase we're looking at is 'tainted legacy'.

Now, a legacy is what you leave behind,

So that can be possessions that you pass on to your relatives when you die,

but it's more commonly used to talk about your reputation, isn't it, Phil?

Yes, we often use legacy to talk about

how politicians will be remembered after they leave office.

Many of them are very keen to leave a good legacy,

but in this headline we're talking about a tainted legacy.

Now, what does tainted mean, Georgie?

Well, if something is described as tainted,

it means that it's been spoiled or damaged in some way.

If someone leaves a tainted legacy,

it means they will be remembered for bad things.

So this article is suggesting that Sheikh Hasina is more likely

to be remembered for negative reasons rather than her economic record.

So we had tainted legacy, and that means being remembered negatively.

For example,

the charity will be better remembered for its corruption than its good work.

It's left a tainted legacy.

So that's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

We'll be back next week with another news story.

If you've enjoyed this programme, why not try 6 Minute English?

You can find it on your podcast app or on our website BBCLearningEnglish.com.

And you can also find us on social media,

just search for us as BBC Learning English.

Bye for now. Bye.