THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 10, 2019
Want to Become a Bank, Central / State Govt Officer in 2020?
Join the Most awarded Coaching Institute & Get your Dream Job
Now Prepare for Bank, SSC Exams from Home. Join Online Coure @ lowest fee
Lifetime validity Bank Exam Coaching | Bank PO / Clerk Coaching | Bank SO Exam Coaching | All-in-One SSC Exam Coaching | RRB Railway Exam Coaching | TNPSC Exam Coaching | KPSC Exam Coaching
THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 10, 2019
Dear Banking Aspirants,
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – January 10, 2018, is one of the must-read section for the competitive exams like IBPS Clerk 2018 Mains Exam, Canara Bank PO – PGDBF 2018 and IBPS SO 2018. These topics are widely expected to be asked in the reading comprehension, Cloze Test or Error Detection in the forthcoming exams. So gear up your Exam preparation and learn new words daily.
A) Korean consensus? : on Kim Jong-un’s visit to China
Kim Jong-un’s visit to China is likely to force next steps after the Singapore summit
The visit to China of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, is significant for two distinct reasons. It is evidence of the continuing calm in the Korean peninsula for nearly a year since the thaw between Pyongyang and Washington that culminated in the Singapore summit in June 2018. The meeting also coincides with the resumption of trade negotiations this week between U.S. and Chinese delegations in Beijing. Expectations are that the dialogue between the regional neighbours could impact the trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies. Whereas Mr. Xi is keen on securing sanctions relief for Mr. Kim, U.S. President Donald Trump will be equally eager that his peace deal continues to resonate in the region and beyond, notwithstanding the practical hurdles it has encountered. The Xi-Kim meeting cannot have overlooked the stalled progress on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula that Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump agreed on in Singapore. The American and North Korean leaders have in recent days reiterated their willingness to schedule another bilateral summit, a hope they have held out for months. But unlike the ambiguous promises issued in the Singapore declaration, Mr. Kim now wants to talk specifics. This could raise the stakes beyond diplomatic niceties and sound bites. In his New Year address, he emphasised the easing of economic sanctions as a priority, on which Beijing’s diplomatic clout could prove critical despite the lack of movement on the nuclear question. In that speech, Mr. Kim also insisted on a permanent end to the annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. Another demand was for multilateral negotiations to declare a formal end to the Korean war in place of the truce that has obtained since 1953. The latter issues have acquired greater weight in view of the ongoing rapprochement between Seoul and Pyongyang. This is exemplified by their decision to convert the Demilitarised Zone that separates the two countries into a peace park, and to disarm the joint security area.
Formal negotiations between North Korea and the U.S. have made little headway since the Singapore summit. Access to North Korea’s nuclear installations has proved elusive to U.S. officials. The sudden cancellation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang last August was an indication of the stalemate. A North Korean test of a new tactical weapon in November was seen as a way to pressure Washington for concessions, if not a return to the hostile posturing of previous years. The uneasy calm that has been sustained on the peninsula for over a year now is no doubt a respite from Pyongyang’s successive nuclear tests to rattle the U.S. mainland. But Washington is impatient for information on the North Korean weapons stockpile. Pyongyang is anxious about sanctions relief. Something has to give.
B) Mass messaging: on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
The BJP is recklessly reinforcing ethnic and religious fault lines in the Northeast
Protests in the Northeast, especially in Assam and Tripura, over the Centre’s move to push through the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament highlight the dangerous pre-election adventurism of the BJP. The Bill seeks to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted migrants from the Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Parsi, Christian and Buddhist communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who came to India before 2014. The Bill, contentious in itself for its exclusion of Muslims, is seen by many as a ploy to legitimise the presence of Hindu Bengalis who had reached the Northeast in the aftermath of the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. The BJP’s ally in the Assam government, the Asom Gana Parishad, an ethnic party at its core, called it quits on Monday when the Union Cabinet cleared the redrafted Bill for introduction in the Lok Sabha. It was passed on Tuesday. While the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Assam have often given the assurance that the extra burden of people is not solely the State’s, the Rajendra Agrawal-led Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report is categorical: “The Assam Government should help settle migrants especially in places which are not densely populated, thus, causing lesser impact on the demographic changes and providing succour to the indigenous Assamese people.” Thus, an alliance with the BJP became politically impossible for the nativist AGP.
The blowback from the Bill in the Brahmaputra valley is not lost on the BJP either. It has tried to offset the impact with two decisions aimed at appealing to the Assamese electorate. These, the constitution of a committee to resurrect and operationalise the crucial Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord stipulating “constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards for the Assamese people”, and the proposal to accord Scheduled Tribe status to six major communities that are currently classified as OBCs, are of a piece. They are intended to assuage and assure Assamese speakers that the party can merge Hindutva obligations with local interests. The ST status could turn Assam, which has a 34% Muslim population, into a tribal State with a majority of seats reserved. The panel could recommend reservation of seats in the Assembly and local bodies and in jobs for the indigenous populace. The point, however, is that for now the measures count as messaging. The Citizenship Bill and the ST Bill have yet to be passed in the Rajya Sabha. And the panel on Clause 6 has until July 6 to submit its report. The BJP knows that with reverses expected in the rest of the country in the Lok Sabha elections, it needs to retain, if not augment, its seats from Assam to come anywhere close to its 2014 haul. It is doing all it can ensure that, but with little thought to the ethnic and communal fault lines it is aiding.
VOCABULARY
1) evidence
Meaning : the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.
Tamil Meaning : ஆதாரங்கள்
Synonyms : clue
Antonyms : denial
Example : “the study finds little evidence of overt discrimination”
2) thaw
Meaning : a period of warmer weather that thaws ice and snow(n).
Synonyms : dissolve
Antonyms : worry
Example : “the thaw came yesterday afternoon”
3) culminated
Meaning : reach a climax or point of highest development.
Tamil Meaning : முடிவடைந்தது
Synonyms : conclude
Antonyms : commence
Example : “weeks of violence culminated in the brutal murder of a magistrate”
4) coincides
Meaning : occur at the same time.
Synonyms : concur
Antonyms : disagree
Example : “publication is timed to coincide with a major exhibition”
5) resumption
Meaning : the action of beginning something again after a pause or interruption(n).
Tamil Meaning : மறுதொடக்கமாக
Synonyms : restoration
Antonyms : hiatus
Example : “with peace came the resumption of foreign imports”
6) delegations
Meaning : the action or process of delegating or being delegated(n).
Synonyms : appointment
Antonyms : keeping
Example : “the delegation of power to the district councils”
7) impact
Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.(n)
Tamil Meaning : தாக்கம்
Synonyms : brunt
Antonyms : loss
Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”
8) dispute
Meaning : a disagreement or argument(n).
Tamil Meaning : சர்ச்சை
Synonyms : conflict
Antonyms : concord
Example : “a territorial dispute between the two countries”
9) relief
Meaning : a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.
Tamil Meaning : நிவாரண
Synonyms : comfort
Antonyms : hindrance
Example : “much to her relief, she saw the door open”
10) resonate
Meaning : produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound(v).
Tamil Meaning : போகின்றன
Synonyms : reverberate
Example : “the sound of the siren resonated across the harbour”
11) reiterated
Meaning : say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity(v).
Tamil Meaning : வலியுறுத்தி
Synonyms : renew
Antonyms : take back
Example : “she reiterated that the government would remain steadfast in its support”
12) diplomatic
Meaning : of or concerning diplomacy(adj).
Tamil Meaning : தூதரக
Synonyms : gracious
Antonyms : rude
Example : “diplomatic relations with Britain were broken”
13) emphasised
Meaning : give special importance or value to (something) in speaking or writing(v).
Tamil Meaning : வலியுறுத்தினார்
Synonyms : indicate
Antonyms : deny
Example : “they emphasize the need for daily, one-to-one contact between parent and child”
14) prove
Meaning : demonstrate the truth or existence of (something) by evidence or argument(v).
Synonyms : convince
Antonyms : conceal
Example : “the concept is difficult to prove”
15) despite
Meaning : contemptuous treatment or behaviour; outrage(n).
Tamil Meaning : போதிலும்
Synonyms : although
Antonyms : exalt
Example : “the despite done by him to the holy relics”
16) negotiations
Meaning : discussion aimed at reaching an agreement(n).
Tamil Meaning : பேச்சுவார்த்தைகள்
Synonyms : agreement
Antonyms : disagreement
Example : “a worldwide ban is currently under negotiation“
17) truce
Meaning : an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing for a certain time(n).
Tamil Meaning : சமாதான
Synonyms : detente
Antonyms : continuation
Example : “the guerrillas called a three-day truce”
18) exemplified
Meaning : be a typical example of.
Tamil Meaning : நிரூபிக்கப்படும்
Synonyms : elucidate
Antonyms : conceal
Example : “the best dry sherry is exemplified by the fino of Jerez”
19) convert
Meaning : change the form, character, or function of something(v).
Synonyms : follower
Antonyms : remain
Example : “modernization has converted the country from a primitive society to a near-industrial one”
20) elusive
Meaning : difficult to find, catch, or achieve(adj).
Tamil Meaning : மழுப்பலாக
Synonyms : illusory
Antonyms : definite
Example : “success will become ever more elusive”
21) indication
Meaning : a sign or piece of information that indicates something.
Tamil Meaning : அறிகுறி
Synonyms : hint
Antonyms : misinformation
Example : “the visit was an indication of the improvement in relations between the countries”
22) posturing
Meaning : behaviour that is intended to impress or mislead.
Tamil Meaning : வெளிப்பாடுகள்
Synonyms : display
Antonyms : withhold
Example : “a masking of fear with macho posturing”
23) sustained
Meaning : continuing for an extended period or without interruption(adj).
Tamil Meaning : நீடித்த
Synonyms : continued
Antonyms : ending
Example : “several years of sustained economic growth”
24) respite
Meaning : a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant(n).
Tamil Meaning : ஓய்வுக்கான
Synonyms : letup
Antonyms : continuation
Example : “the refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering”
25) confer
Meaning : grant (a title, degree, benefit, or right)(v).
Tamil Meaning : வழங்க
Synonyms : advise
Antonyms : refuse
Example : “the Minister may have exceeded the powers conferred on him by Parliament”
26) persecuted
Meaning : subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs.
Tamil Meaning : துன்பப்படும்
Synonyms : injure
Antonyms : assist
Example : “his followers were persecuted by the authorities”
27) contentious
Meaning : causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Tamil Meaning : சர்ச்சைக்குரிய
Synonyms : injure
Antonyms : please
Example : “a contentious issue”
28) assurance
Meaning : a positive declaration intended to give confidence; a promise(n).
Tamil Meaning : உத்தரவாதம்
Synonyms : guarantee
Antonyms : break
Example : “he gave an assurance that work would begin on Monday”
29) densely
Meaning : in a closely compacted or crowded manner; thickly.
Synonyms : slowly
Example : “a densely populated country”
30) appealing
Meaning : attractive or interesting(adj).
Tamil Meaning : முறையீடு
Synonyms : engaging
Antonyms : repulsive
Example : “village life is somehow more appealing”
31) impact
Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
Tamil Meaning : தாக்கம்
Synonyms : shock
Antonyms : avoidance
Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”
32) intended
Meaning : planned or meant.
Tamil Meaning : நோக்கம்
Synonyms : contracted
Antonyms : unfixed
Example : “the intended victim escaped”
33) assuage
Meaning : make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense(v).
Synonyms : appease
Antonyms : aggravate
Example : “the letter assuaged the fears of most members”
34) electorate
Meaning : all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.
Synonyms : voter
Example : “75 per cent of the electorate voted for a Scottish parliament in some form”
35) stipulating
Meaning : demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of an agreement.
Synonyms : impose
Antonyms : break
Example : “he stipulated certain conditions before their marriage”
36) merge
Meaning : combine or cause to combine to form a single entity(v).
Synonyms : absorb
Antonyms : disconnect
Example : “the merchant bank merged with another broker”
37) ethnic
Meaning : relating to a population subgroup (within a larger or dominant national or cultural group) with a common national or cultural tradition.
Synonyms : traditional
Antonyms : avoidant
Example : “ethnic and cultural rights and traditions”
38) retain
Meaning : continue to have (something); keep possession of.
Tamil Meaning : தக்கவைத்து
Synonyms : contain
Antonyms : desert
Example : “Labour retained the seat”
39) augment
Meaning : make (something) greater by adding to it; increase.
Tamil Meaning : அதிகப்படுத்த
Synonyms : amplify
Antonyms : condense
Example : “he augmented his summer income by painting houses”
40) exclusion
Meaning : the process of excluding or the state of being excluded.
Synonyms : discharge
Antonyms : allowance
Example : “he had a hand in my exclusion from the committee”
