A perfect attack? – The Hindu Mar 17 2018
The attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who had defected to the U.K., and his daughter Yulia in the cathedral city of Salisbury on March 4 was an outrageous act flouting all international norms. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.
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Courtesy: The Hindu
Word List-2 (To improve Vocabulary)
- suspicion (noun) – doubt/qualm, question mark, misgiving.
- defect to (verb) – abandon/desert, go over to the enemy, change loyalties/sides.
- outrageous (adjective) – shocking, disgraceful, appalling.
- flout (verb) – defy, refuse to obey, go against (a law/rule).
- nerve agent (noun) – Nerve agents are a class of chemicals called organophosphates – meaning they contain phosphorous – that are extremely poisonous. They attack the nervous system of the human body, which passes messages from the brain to other parts of the body, telling it what to do.
- Novichok (noun) – Russian meaning “newcomer”; a series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971-1993).
- modus operandi (noun) – method of working; technique, procedure/style.
- polonium poisoning (noun) – poisoning someone with a radioactive substance, Polonium. Polonium is a radioactive chemical element (atomic number 84) and it is very lethal (harmful) poison and it is trillion times more toxic than cyanide.
- a slew of (noun) – a large number of, lot, range.
- expel (verb) – banish, deport, dismiss/displace.
- diplomat (noun) – ambassador, envoy, emissary.
- retaliate (verb) – fight/strike back, counterattack, return fire.
- get behind (phrasal verb) – to support someone.
- bring home (phrase) – focus attention to; underline, highlight.
- Brexit (noun) – a term used for the (supposed) departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
- haste (noun) – excessive speed, hurry, urgency.
- look (up) to (phrasal verb) – admire, have a high opinion of, respect.
- realm (noun) – domain, sphere, area.
- punitive (adjective) – disciplinary, corrective, penal.
- fractious (adjective) – difficult, uncontrollable, unmanageable.
- need of the hour (phrase) – some need/requirement/demand at a particular point of time.
