World News for Students of English

26-12-2023 07:00

A tragic incident occurred at Charles University in Prague, the Czech Republic, where a student shot and killed 14 people and injured 25 others before being found dead.

The police chief described it as a premeditated violent attack inspired by similar incidents abroad. The shooter’s father was also found dead earlier in the day. The shooter, previously unknown to the police, had a significant arsenal. Investigations revealed his connection to a recent double murder. The prime minister canceled his trip, and European leaders sent condolences. The country mourns with flags at half-mast, religious services, and a minute of silence.

The incident is the deadliest in the country since 1993. Gun crime is relatively rare in the Czech Republic. In December 2019, a 42-year-old gunman killed six people at a hospital waiting room in the eastern city of Ostrava, while in 2015 a 63-year-old man shot seven men and a woman dead in the south-eastern town of Uhersky Brod.

Difficult words: premeditated (planned in advance), arsenal (a collection of weapons and military equipment), half-mast (a flag that has been brought down to a point halfway down the pole as an expression of sadness at someone’s death).

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