World News for Students of English

09-05-2023 07:00

On Wednesday last week, eight children and a security guard were killed after a 14-year-old boy shot their classmates and teacher at a school in Serbia.

The killer used his father’s gun to open fire in an elementary school in the capital city of Belgrade and was detained right after the shooting. The school resumed the classes on Thursday and the Serbian government announced three days of mourning.

Just one day later, a gunman shot randomly at people during a drive-by attack near a village south of Belgrade. Some injured people were taken to hospital where they are receiving treatment and are in stable condition. The man suspected of killing at least eight people and injuring 14 has been arrested by police.

In Serbia, schools had been safe and gun crime rare. However, the two mass shootings have rocked Serbians’ long-held beliefs about their society.  A 2018 survey suggested that Serbia had the third-highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, behind only Yemen and the United States.

Difficult words: resume (to begin again or continue after a pause or interruption), rock (to cause shock or distress).

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