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From BBC Learning English,
this is Learning English from the News,
our podcast about the news headlines.
In this programme – Thailand-
Cambodia conflict.
Hello, I'm Beth.
And I'm Phil.
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.
OK, so let's have a look
at this story.
Fighting broke out last week on the
border between Thailand and Cambodia,
leading to the deaths
of at least 33 people
and causing thousands
of people to leave their homes.
The exact border
between the two countries
has been disputed for many years.
There are some areas which
both countries claim to be theirs.
Tensions between the countries
have risen over recent months.
After an armed confrontation in May,
each country imposed
border restrictions,
while Cambodia banned some imports
from Thailand.
Following diplomatic efforts
from Malaysia and President Trump,
both sides agreed to a ceasefire
on Monday,
but Thailand's military has accused
Cambodia of continuing to fire
on their troops.
Cambodia has denied this.
Later on Tuesday, Thailand's acting
Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said
that there had been no escalation
of fighting.
However, there were also reports of
Cambodian troops firing on Thailand
on Wednesday morning.
Our first headline is
about the ceasefire.
And this is from The Guardian.
Thailand seeks to ease fears amid
shaky ceasefire deal with Cambodia.
And that headline again: Thailand seeks
to ease fears amid shaky ceasefire
deal with Cambodia.
And that's from The Guardian.
This headline is about
the acting prime minister's statement
that's trying to ease fears,
make people less worried.
We're going to learn
the adjective shaky.
Now, used literally,
something is shaky if
it's not very strong and moves a lot.
Imagine a table that feels
like it's about to break –
maybe one of the legs
isn't working properly –
we could say that the table is shaky.
Now, here, it's not a physical thing
that's about to break,
but a situation.
If a ceasefire is shaky,
then it's weak or vulnerable
and might be
at risk of ending. An agreement
can be shaky if it looks
like it might not last.
And we can use shaky
with people as well,
so if you feel a bit shaky
then you feel weak and unwell.
We had: shaky – weak and vulnerable.
For example, No one wanted to invest
in the company
because of
its shaky financial situation.
This is Learning English from the News,
our podcast about the news headlines.
Today we're talking about military
clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.
Civilians have been caught up
in the fighting
with a number of people being killed
or injured.
Thousands of people living close
to the border
have left their homes to find safety.
And this is
what our next headline is about.
It comes from Deutsche Welle.
As Thai-Cambodia truce nears,
evacuees speak out.
That headline again:
As Thai Cambodia truce nears,
evacuees speak out.
And that's from Deutsche Welle.
Now, this headline mentions
a truce which has
a similar meaning to ceasefire.
And it also mentions evacuees,
and that is the word
that we want to look at.
The noun evacuee comes
from the verb evacuate.
To be evacuated means to be moved
from your home
because of something dangerous,
such as a war or a natural disaster.
Evacuees are people who are evacuated
from somewhere.
So, this headline is talking
about people who have been moved away
from the border regions in Thailand
and Cambodia
to keep them safe from the fighting.
One thing to notice about the
noun evacuee is that it ends in ee,
and this ending is often used to mean
people who have something done to them.
For example, employees are people
who are employed.
Mentees are people
who are being mentored.
We've had: evacuee – someone
who has been moved from
or has moved
from a dangerous location.
For example, Emergency hostels
had been set up for evacuees.
This is Learning English
from the News, our podcast
about the news headlines.
Today we're talking about fighting
on the border between Thailand
and Cambodia.
While this fighting only started
last week,
tensions have been growing
over recent months.
Disagreements over the border
goes back to the time
when Cambodia was a French colony
and a treaty signed in 1907.
Recent political developments
in each country have also contributed
to the current crisis.
And the next headline is
about the background to the conflict.
It comes from The Diplomat,
an American magazine:
The roots of the Thailand-
Cambodia border conflict.
And that headline, again: The roots of
the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict.
And that comes from The Diplomat,
an American magazine.
Now, the word that we are interested
in is roots.
Literally, the roots are the part of
the plant that is under the ground,
and the rest of the plant
grows upwards from the roots.
We also use roots to talk
about the causes of a situation.
The roots of a problem are the things
that have made it happen – where it began.
Now, here in the headline,
roots is referring to the long
and short-term causes of this conflict
between Thailand and Cambodia.
We can also describe these causes
as root causes.
And if a situation has causes
that go back over a long time,
it can be described as deep-rooted.
And this article suggests
that the conflict between Thailand
and Cambodia is deep-rooted.
So, we had: roots –
the causes of the problem.
For example,
The roots of the economic crisis lie
in the last government's policies.
That's it for this episode
of Learning English from the News.
We'll be back next time
with another news story.
And if you want to practise what you've
learned, you can go to our website
where you'll find more example
sentences and a free worksheet.
And also you can find us
on social media.
Just search for BBC Learning English
on your favourite platform.
Goodbye for now.
Bye.
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