Current Affairs June 24, 20

1. NASA launches world's lightest satellite designed by 18-year-old TN student

India once again broke a global space record by launching the world's lightest satellite weighing a mere 64 grams, called Kalamsat, designed and developed by 18-year-old Tamil Nadu student Rifath Sharook and his team.

The tiny satellite, named after Abdul Kalam, was flown by a Nasa sounding rocket.

Kalamsat was the only Indian payload in the Nasa mission.

2. UN Public Service Day: 23 June

The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on June 23 of every year.

The UN Public Service Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly's resolution to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community”.

2017 UN Public Service day theme is ‘The Future is Now’.

3. International Olympic Day: 23 June

International Olympic Day is celebrated on June 23 of every year.

It is a day for the world to get active, learn about Olympic values and discover new sports.

Based on the three pillars move, learn and discover, National Olympic Committees are organising sports, cultural and educational activities throughout the world.

4. India’s biggest municipal bonds programme launched in Maharashtra

To finance its 24x7 water supply project, the Pune Municipal Corporation launched India’s biggest municipal bonds programme.

The project looks to raise Rs 2,264 crore in five years.

Municipal bonds are debt instruments through which a corporation or municipality raises money from individuals or institutions.

5. Union Government launches VAJRA scheme to attract Indian scientists abroad

In a bid to bring together the Indian scientists abroad and India-based researchers for conducting joint researches in India, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched a scheme named 'Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty' (VAJRA).

Under this scheme, scientists or senior researchers abroad - of Indian origin or otherwise - can collaborate with faculties here.

The broad areas of research like energy, health, advance material and others would be promoted under the scheme.

6. Government launches Livability Index for 116 cities to measure quality of life

The central government has launched the "City Livability Index" - a first of its kind initiative introduced by the Urban Development Ministry - to measure the quality of life in 116 major cities including capital cities and those with population over one million.

The cities will be assessed on a comprehensive set of 79 parameters to capture the extent and quality of infrastructure including availability of roads, education and health care, mobility, employment opportunities, emergency response, grievance redressal, pollution, availability of open, green spaces, and culture.

7. PSLV-C38 Successfully Launches 31 Satellites in a Single Flight 

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

This is the thirty ninth consecutively successful mission of PSLV.

The total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV now stands at 48.

One of the 30 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C38 was the 15 kg NIUSAT, a University/Academic Institute satellite from Nurul Islam University, Tamil Nadu, India.

The remaining 29 co-passenger satellites carried were 14 international customer satellites from USA (10), United Kingdom (3), Belgium (3), Italy (3), Austria (1), Chile (1), Czech Republic (1), Finland (1), France (1), Germany (1), Japan (1), Latvia (1), Lithuania (1) and Slovakia (1).

8. Maharashtra government to launch ‘My Plant’ mobile app on tree plantation

Maharashtra forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar announced that a mobile app named ‘My Plant’, which would help in recording data about tree plantations in the state, would be launched on July 1.

Using this app, people and organisations can feed the data about the saplings they have planted with the forest department, which would help it in creating a database of trees.

The forest department has set a target of planting four crore saplings through public participation between July 1 and 7.

9. World Bank sanctions 44 million dollars for ASPIRe

World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan assistance of 44 million dollars for the Assam State Public Finance Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) Project.

The loan was sanction by World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

The project aims at improving predictability and transparency in budget execution and efficiency in tax administration in Assam.

10. World Bank-AIIB Sign Loan Agreement for Power Project 

World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have together signed a $380 million loan agreement with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to help the state in providing reliable, quality, and affordable 24x7 power supply to its citizens.

The World Bank and AIIB will provide loans in a 60 to 40 ratio for all components of the project.

The energy demand in Andhra Pradesh is expected to grow to 78,900 GWh (Gigawatt-hour) by FY 2019 from 56,313 GWh in FY 2015, which signifies an annual energy requirement of more than 8.5 per cent.

11. US approves sale of 22 Guardian drones to India

The US has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India, a deal being termed as a “game changer” ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington for his maiden meeting with President Donald Trump.

The deal, estimated to be worth $2to 3 billion, has been approved by the State Department.

The Indian Navy had made the request for this intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform last year.

12. Kavita Devi first Indian woman ever to appear in WWE

Former Indian powerlifter and South Asian Games gold medal winner, Kavita Devi will be making history as she becomes the first Indian woman to appear in WWE.

Kavita has been selected to compete in the Mae Young Classic which is the first-ever WWE tournament for women.

She was selected after taking part in the WWE Dubai tryout earlier this year in April wherein she caught the attention of talent scouts.

Current Affairs June 23, 2017

1. Estonia to open the world’s first data embassy in Luxembourg

The world’s first ever data embassy is set for launch next year after the Estonian government signed a deal with Luxembourg.

Estonia is planning to keep backup files of its vital information on servers in the duchy in order to guarantee country's digital continuity.

2. Rajdhani, Shatabdi trains set for revamp under 'Operation Swarn’

After years of complaints by the travelling public, the premium trains are now set for a makeover. The Railway Ministry is set to launch "Operation Swarn" to improve services in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains.

In the first phase, the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express and Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express have been selected for upgradation.

Work will start from September 26. More trains will be identified in a phased manner.

3. RBI releases names of the 5 members in Overseeing Committee to tackle bad loans

The Reserve Bank of India announced the names of five members of the Overseeing Committee (OC) which looks into the resolution of stressed accounts where a company's exposure exceeds Rs 500 crore.

The five members include existing members former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar who will be the Chairman and former State Bank of India Chairman Janki Ballabh.

The committee will comprise three other members – former chairman of Canara Bank MBN Rao, non-executive chairman of L&T Finance Holdings YM Deosthalee and former SEBI whole-time member S Raman.

4. India's first single-wallet contactless, Open Loop Metro Card launched 

Axis Bank, India's third largest private sector bank in association with Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) has launched KMRL Axis Bank 'Kochi1' Card.

This is India's first open loop EMV contactless metro card that would make travel a convenient and hassle free experience for commuters in Kochi.

Axis Bank has partnered with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in developing this transit EMV contactless specification on interoperable open standards.

5. Kenneth Juster to be new US ambassador to India

Kenneth I Juster, a top aide of US President Donald Trump, is set to be America’s new ambassador to India, the White House said.

Juster, 62, who is the deputy assistant to the US president for International Economic Affairs and deputy director of his National Economic Council, would replace Richard Verma if nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

6. Russian diplomat Vladimir Voronkov to be first UN counter-terrorism chief

The United Nations has announced the appointment of its first counter-terrorism chief, Russian diplomat Vladimir Voronkov.

The new high-level position has been created by United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts that had been dispersed among several United Nations agencies and departments.

Voronkov will hold the title of under-secretary-general.

7. Qatar Airways voted best airline in the world

Qatar Airways has been named Best Airline in the World for 2017 by leading consumer aviation website Skytrax .

The Gulf-based carrier was presented with the honor at World Airline Awards at the 2017 Paris Air Show.

This is Qatar Airways' fourth win in the last 10 years after securing the top spot in 2011, 2012, and 2015.

8. Ireland & Afghanistan awarded Test status by ICC

Ireland and Afghanistan have been granted Test status by the International Cricket Council.

It increases the number of countries competing at the top level of international cricket to 12.

They are the first admissions since Bangladesh gained Test status in 2000.

The changes were passed unanimously at the ICC full council meeting at The Oval.

International Cricket Council is headquartered in Dubai.

Current Affairs June 22, 2017

1. First air corridor between India and Afghanistan inaugurated

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has inaugurated the first Afghanistan-India air corridor during a ceremony at the Kabul International Airport—a direct route that bypasses Pakistan and is meant to improve commerce.

Ghani said the aim of the route is to create more opportunities and make Afghanistan an exporting nation.

Mountain-riddled Afghanistan is a landlocked country and all imports and exports depend on neighboring countries.

2. China unveils world’s first train that runs on virtual tracks

China has unveiled the world's first 'railless' train - a train that runs on virtual tracks.

China is also testing a bus that can straddle the road, and allow traffic to pass under it.

The new train is part of China's attempts to develop "intelligent rail express system". Instead of railway tracks, the train runs on rubber tyres.

The train can move at a maximum speed of 70 km/hour.

3. Mumbai continues to be most expensive city for expatriates in India

Mumbai is the most expensive city for expatriates in India and is ranked higher than major global cities such as Paris, Canberra, Seattle and Vienna, says a report.

According to Mercer's 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey, Mumbai is placed 57th on the list while New Delhi was placed at 99. Chennai (135), Bangalore (166) and Kolkata (184) were the other Indian cities on the list.

Luanda, the capital of Angola, was the costliest city, driven by cost of goods and security, followed by Hong Kong and Tokyo at the second and third places, respectively.

4. India's population to surpass that of China's around 2024: UN

India's population could surpass that of China's around 2024, two years later than previously estimated, and is projected to touch 1.5 billion in 2030, according to a UN forecast.

The 2017 Revision, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said that currently China with 1.41 billion inhabitants and India with 1.34 billion remain the two most populous countries, comprising 19 and 18 per cent of the total global population.

In roughly seven years, or around 2024, the population of India is expected to surpass that of China, the report said.

5. Indore India’s first city to use robot to control unruly traffic

The number one clean city of India, Indore has got another milestone to its name. This commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh has reportedly become the first city in India where robot is being used on an experimental basis to control its ever growing and unruly traffic.

The traffic police in association with a private engineering college of the city for the first time has installed a metallic robot at a busy MR 9 intersection on an experimental basis to control the chaotic traffic in the locality.

6. Free education for girls in Punjab from Nursery to PhD

The Punjab Government has announced free education for girls in government schools and colleges from Nursery to PhD.

Fulfilling another poll promise, he announced free Wi-FI for 13,000 primary schools and all 48 government colleges.

Reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies has already been increased by the government from 33 per cent to 50 per cent.

7. Rajiv Gauba to be next Union Home Secretary

Rajiv Gauba, currently Union Urban Development Secretary, will be the next Home Secretary, an official statement said.

The 1982-cadre IAS officer will succeed Rajiv Mehrishi, whose tenure ends on August 30.

Gauba, who was originally of the Bihar cadre but transferred to Jharkhand after the state's division, is also posted on special duty in the Home Ministry. 

8. India re-nominates Justice Dalveer Bhandari for another term as ICJ judge 

Justice Dalveer Bhandari has been nominated by India as its candidate for another nine year term as judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN.

Bhandari, 69, was elected in April 2012 during simultaneous balloting in both the General Assembly and the Security Council to a seat on the International Court of Justice, which is also known as the World Court and is based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

His current term runs through February 2018.

The ICJ elections will be held in November and if elected, he will serve a term of nine years.

9. Unicef names 19-year-old Syrian refugee as youngest goodwill ambassador

The UN children’s agency announced the appointment of its youngest goodwill ambassador — 19-year-old Syrian refugee and education activist Muzoon Almellehan.

Unicef deputy executive director Justin Forsyth said that Muzoon is the first goodwill envoy with official refugee status.

10. Agri. Microbiologist Dr Shrihari Chandraghatgi gets Japan Award 

Indian Agricultural Microbiologist Dr Shrihari Chandraghatgi, President & CEO, EcoCycle Corporation, has been conferred with Ministry of Environment Award in Japan for developing cutting edge technologies to address environmental  problems.

Dr Shrihari is the first foreigner to win this award in environmental sector in Japan.

This award is the highest honour given every year jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Japan, and National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan and The Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun (a media group).

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL: 18 JUNE, 2017

Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year 

Marking another milestone for a changing planet, scientists reported on Wednesday that the Earth reached its highest temperature on record in 2016, trouncing a record set only a year earlier, which beat one set in 2014. It is the first time in the modern era of global warming data that temperatures have blown past the previous record three years in a row.

The findings come two days before the inaugurration of an American president who has called global warming a Chinese plot and vowed to roll back his predecessor’s efforts to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases.

In reality, the Earth is heating up, a point long beyond serious scientific dispute, but one becoming more evident as the records keep falling. Temperatures are heading toward levels that many experts believe will pose a profound threat to both the natural world and to human civilization.

In 2015 and 2016, the planetary warming was intensified by the weather pattern known as El Niño, in which the Pacific Ocean released a huge burst of energy and water vapor into the atmosphere. But the bigger factor in setting the records was the long-term trend of rising temperatures, which scientists say is being driven by increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Graphic | How 2016 Became Earth’s Hottest Year on Record 2016 is the hottest year on the historical record and the third consecutive record-breaking year, scientists say.

“A single warm year is something of a curiosity,” said Deke Arndt, chief of global climate monitoring for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “It’s really the trend, and the fact that we’re punching at the ceiling every year now, that is the real indicator that we’re undergoing big changes.”

The heat extremes were especially pervasive in the Arctic, with temperatures in the fall running 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across large stretches of the Arctic Ocean. Sea ice in that region has been in precipitous decline for years, and Arctic communities are already wrestling with enormous problems, such as rapid coastal corosion, caused by the changing climate.

“What’s going on in the Arctic is really very impressive; this year was ridiculously off the chart,” said Gavin A. Schmidt, head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, a unit of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that tracks global temperatures.

But Arctic people were hardly alone in feeling the heat. Drought and starvation afflicted Africa. On May 19, the people in the town of Phalodi lived through the hottest day in the recorded history of India, 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Interactive Feature | The World Is Getting Hotter: How Has It Affected You? We want to know how people living in some of the cities that have seen record-breaking heat are dealing with it.

El Niño has now ended, and climate scientists almost universally expect 2017 to be cooler than the year before. But the scale of the heat burst has been startling to many of the experts, and some of them fear an accelerated era of global warming could be at hand over the next few years.

Even at current temperatures, billions of tons of land ice are melting or sliding into the ocean. The sea is also absorbing most of the heat trapped by human emissions. Those factors are causing the ocean to rise at what appears to be an accelerating pace, and coastal communities in the United States are beginning to spend billions to fight increased tidal flooding. Their pleas for help from Congress have largely been ignored.

The finding that a record had been set for the third year in a row was released on Wednesday by three government agencies, two of them American and one British, that track measurements made by ships, buoys and land-based weather stations. They analyze the figures to correct for known problems, producing an annual average temperature for the surface of the Earth. The national meteorological agency of Japan confirmed the findings in a preliminary analysis.

In the British data set, 2016 set a record by only a small amount; the margin was larger in the NOAA data set and larger still in NASA’s. NASA does more work than the other groups to take full account of Arctic temperatures, and several scientists said they believed the NASA record to be the most accurate for 2016 for that reason.

Interactive Graphic | How Much Warmer Was Your City in 2016? Interactive chart showing high and low temperatures and precipitation for more than 5,000 cities around the world.

NASA’s calculations suggested that the planet had warmed by well over a half-degree Fahrenheit from 2013 to 2016. That is a huge change for the surface of an entire planet to undergo in just three years, and it appears to be the largest temperature increase over a three-year period in the NASA record, which begins in 1880.

The findings about a record-warm year were also confirmed by the Berkely Earth Surface temperature project, a nonprofit California group set up to provide a temperature analysis independent of governments. That group, however, did not find that three records had been set in a row; in its analysis, 2010 was slightly warmer than 2014.

In addition to the surface measurements, satellites are used to measure the temperature of the atmosphere within a few miles of the surface. Two groups that analyze these figures showed a record-warm 2016 in data going back to 1978, though in one data set it was a record by only a small margin.

Since 1880, NOAA’s records show only one other instance when global temperature records were set three years in a row: in 1939, 1940 and 1941. The Earth has warmed so much in recent decades, however, that 1941 now ranks as only the 37th-warmest year on record.

Interactive Feature | Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change The issue can be overwhelming. The science is complicated. We get it. This is your cheat sheet.

The modern era of global warming began around 1970, after a long stretch of relatively flat temperatures, and the past three years mark the first time in that period that three records were set in a row. Of the 17 hottest years on record, 16 have now occurred since 2000.

Two of the agencies that issued Wednesday’s figures, NOAA and NASA, will soon report to cabinet secretaries appointed by President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has expressed doubt about the findings of climate science. In 2012, Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive.”

Fear has erupted within the agencies about whether their data will now be subject to political manipulation. Mr. Trump and his cabinet nominees have given no detailed indication of what their broad climate policies are likely to be, much less how they will manage the scientific enterprise of monitoring the climate.

Since he was elected president, Mr. Trump has acknowledged there may be “some connectivity” between human activity and climate change, and he promised to keep an open mind on the subject.

WORDS:
trounce (verb) – defeat utterly, crush/thrash, overwhelm.
inauguration (noun) – the formal admission of someone to office.
plot (noun) – conspiracy, intrigue, secret plan.
vow (verb) – promise, swear, pledge.
roll back (phrasal verb) – reverse, remove, revoke.
predecessor (noun) – forerunner, precursor, antecedent.Heat-trapping gases/greenhouse gases – a gas (such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc) in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation, causing greenhouse effect and warming of Earth’s temperature (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
profound (adjective) – serious, extreme, severe.
El Niño (noun) – it is a phenomenon during which the relationships between winds and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean change, with an impact on weather conditions around the world (Courtesy: The Earth Observatory, NASA).
curiosity (noun) – peculiarity, oddity, strangeness.
pervasive (adjective) – prevalent, common, widespread.
precipitous (adjective) – steep, sudden, abrupt.
wrestle with (verb) – fight, grapple (with), struggle.
be off the charts (phrase) – be at an extreme or unanticipated level.
drought (noun) – dry spell/period, lack of rain, shortage of water.
starvation (noun) – extreme hunger, lack of food, famine.
live through (phrasal verb) – survive; undergo, go through.
startling (adjective) – surprising, astonishing, shocking.
at hand (phrase) – close by/near by, coming, imminent.
plea (noun) – appeal, petition, request (an emotional).
buoy (noun) – anchored float, navigation mark, guide/marker.
erupt (verb) – break out, flare up, start suddenly.political manipulation (noun) – it is a series of tactics/techniques used by politicians to disorient/confuse/mislead the pubic.
hoax (noun) – deception, fraud, humbug/bluff.climate change (noun) – a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth (Courtesy: NASA).
undercut (verb) – undermine, weaken, destroy/demolish.
contrarian (adjective) – opposing popular opinion.
in fits and starts (phrase) – intermittently, irregularly, now and then.
steep (adjective) – sheer, abrupt, sharp.
court (verb) – risk, invite, attract.fossil-fuels (noun) – non renewable resources or fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are formed from the buried /deposited organic materials.
inevitable (adjective) – unavoidable, unpreventable, sure to happen.
drown (verb) – flood, submerge, immerse.
fortify (verb) – strengthen, revive, restore.

THE HINDU EDITORIAL: 27 JUNE, 2017

a) Mending the rift

The fact that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have handed over a list of demands to the Qatari regime should, on the face of it, indicate some progress in the impasse created after they cut ties with Qatar. The list has not been officially released, but is reported to include demands that Qatar snap all but trade ties with Iran, end military cooperation with Turkey and shut down the Al Jazeera news network. It may be that many of the demands are only meant to be bargaining counters — even U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has been running the backroom negotiation along with the Emir of Kuwait, said they are “very difficult for Qatar to meet”. In any case, such demands on the list may be more understandable if these countries complied with them as well. For example, in asking Qatar to disown ties with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE cannot ignore their own role in building up Sunni extremist groups across West Asia, sometimes in partnership with Qatar. The UAE has a thriving business relationship with Iran. And while the Saudi-led bloc may object to “negative narratives” and the platform given to their dissidents on Al Jazeera and the other news outlets named, it is unlikely that they will lean too much on the internationally recognised news networks to close shop. The bulk of the demands, however, focusses on asking Qatar to enforce its own commitments from the 2014 Riyadh declaration of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on ceasing support to extremist and terrorist groups. This indicates that a path is being cleared for a resolution to the current crisis. The next few days will be crucial in ensuring the outcome. There are implications of this crisis that India and the international community cannot afford to ignore. While the action against Qatar is mainly political and nowhere close to the Saudi-led action on Yemen, where more than 10,000 people have already been killed, in both cases the muscle power of the regional bullies has been allowed to prevail over a weaker nation. The treatment of Qatar could well become the playbook for future diplomacy, which would lead to a further weakening of the international order, the rule of law and the UN system of conflict resolution. There are also signs that this may be the precursor to a larger conflict with Iran. This is a troubling scenario for the world, and for India in particular with its commitment to build connectivity and shore up oil reserves. The impact of any conflict in the Gulf cannot be over-estimated, given India’s dependence on oil supplies and remittances from some eight million Indians based there. For New Delhi to continue to be as sanguine about the Qatar crisis as it appeared to be a few weeks ago, when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called it an “internal matter” of the GCC, is no longer an option.

 

b) In another court

Srikanth brought joy in two equal helpings. The 24-year-old won back-to-back badminton titles in the space of eight days, on Sunday adding the Australian Open title to the higher-rated Indonesia Open he had clinched on June 18. Success is not new to Srikanth, and in Sydney his domination of an elite field could be gauged from the fact that he dropped just one game in five matches. Even more heartening, he is part of a cohort in Indian men’s badminton, with the likes of B. Sai Praneeth and H.S. Prannoy, who have been beating elite players this season. For instance, Srikanth has upstaged the current World No. 1, Korea’s Son Wan Ho, twice in two weeks and raced past the reigning World and Olympic champion, Chen Long, in Sunday’s final at Sydney. He will be back in the world’s top 10 ranking this week, having also beaten World No. 4 and the topmost Chinese, Shi Yuqi, twice this year. In fact, Srikanth, who had overcome a bout of brain fever in July 2014 to become World No. 3 a year later, has beaten all the leading Chinese players. Praneeth, winner of the Singapore Open and the Thailand Open, is finally realising his potential. Interestingly, Praneeth holds a 5-2 head-to-head record against Srikanth, and the latter’s dream run is bound to increase his confidence of also beating the best in the world. Prannoy, unbeaten in this year’s Premier Badminton League and conqueror of the legendary Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long in successive matches in the Indonesia Open this month, will also expect to strike it rich going ahead. In sum, Srikanth, Praneeth and Prannoy are on track for a potential podium finish in the World Championship in Glasgow in August. With Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu maintaining their formidable challenge in the women’s game, Indian badminton now has a strong nucleus of the world’s best. The biggest gain of late has been the consistency with which the male shuttlers are delivering, with each believing he has the game to outdo the other. This healthy competitiveness, coupled with the maturity and patience shown on the court of late, is paying dividends. Srikanth has wisely refrained from being in attack mode at will. Known for his powerful smashes, his current use of soft strokes and deft touches is proving very effective, complementing the deep clearances from the backhand corner. Pullela Gopi Chand’s role in the success of these players is well-known; Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo too has clearly made an impact, especially in rallying the players to think clearly in the heat of a match. As a result, Indian shuttlers are no longer ‘choking’ against more illustrious rivals. Significantly, all the leading overseas players today have lost to an Indian at least once. On current form, at least a medal each from the men’s and women’s singles in this year’s World Championship is now a realistic expectation.

 

WORDS/ VOCABULARY

1)      Mending

Meaning: Things to be repaired by sewing or darning.

Example: Once a week they had Troops Day when they could bring their mending,’ she says.

Synonyms: Resolution, Settlement, Rectification

2)      Regime

Meaning: A particular government or a system or method of government.

Example: The old corrupt, totalitarian regime was overthrown.

Synonyms: Government, Authorities

3)      Complied

Meaning: Act in accordance with a wish or command.

Example: We are unable to comply with your request.

Synonyms: Abide By, Agree To

Antonyms: Ignore, Disobey

4)      Thriving

Meaning: Very healthy or successful.

Example: The dog is thriving in its new home.

Synonyms: Flourishing, Prosperous

Antonyms: Moribund, Dying

5)      Dissidents

Meaning: A person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government.

Example: A dissident who had been jailed by a military regime.

Synonyms: Dissenter, Rebel

Antonyms: Conformist

6)      Ceasing

Meaning: To stop something.

Example: The company has decided to cease all UK operations after this year.

Synonyms: Pause, Break Off

Antonyms: Start, Continue

7)      Prevail

Meaning: To get control or influence.

Example: I am sure that common sense will prevail in the end.

Synonyms:Exist, Abound, Win

8)      Diplomacy

Meaning: The management of relationships between countries.

Example: Diplomacy has so far failed to bring an end to the fighting.

Synonyms: Statemanship, Negotiation

Antonyms: Tactlessness

9)      Precursor

Meaning: A person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner.

Example: Biological research has often been a precursor to medical breakthroughs.

Synonyms: Forerunner, Predecessor, Forefather

10)    Remittances

Meaning: An amount of money that you send to someone.

Example: She sends a small remittance home to her parents each month.

Synonyms: Payment, Settlement

11)    Sanguine

Meaning: (Of someone or someone’s character) positive and hoping for good things.

Example: They are less sanguine about the prospects for peace.

Synonyms: Optimistic, Bullish

Antonyms: Pessimistic, Gloomy

12)    Clinched

Meaning: To finally get or win something.

Example: I hear he finally clinched the deal to buy the land he wanted.

Synonyms: Secure, Settle, Conclude

Antonyms: Lose

13)    Elite

Meaning: The richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society.

Example: The silent majority were looked down upon by the liberal elite.

Synonyms: Best, Aristocracy

Antonyms: Dregs

14)    Gauged

Meaning: A way of judging or showing something, especially how successful or popular something is.

Example: The fact that the play is being performed on Broadway is a gauge of its success.

Synonyms: Assess, Evaluate, Appraise

15)    Cohort

Meaning: A group of people who support a particular person, usually a leader.

Example: The Mayor and his cohorts have abused their positions of power.

Synonyms: Group, Grade

16)    Reigning

Meaning: Being the most recent winner of a competition.

Example: She’s the reigning champion at Wimbledon.

Synonyms: Incumbent, Current

17)    Conqueror

Meaning: A person who conquers a place or people; a vanquisher.

Example: A chance for revenge against his Olympic conqueror.

Synonyms: Vanquisher, Defeater, Subjugator

Antonyms: Loser

18)    Podium

Meaning: A raised area on which a person stands to speak to a large number of people, to conduct music, or to receive a prize in a sports competition.

Example: Tears ran down her face as she stood on the winner’s podium.

Synonyms: Platform, Stage, Dais

19)    Formidable

Meaning: Causing you to have fear or respect for something or someone because that thing or person is large, powerful, or difficult.

Example: She is a formidable figure who commands a great deal of respect .

Synonyms: Intimidating, Forbidding, Redoubtable

Antonyms: Comforting, Weak

20)    Nucleus

Meaning: The group of people or things that are the most important part of something.

Example: These three players will form the nucleus of a revised and stronger team.

Synonyms:Small group, Core

21)    Smashes

Meaning: In tennis or volleyball, to hit the ball down towards the ground quickly and forcefully.

Example: In tennis, there is the forehand, the backhand, the overhead smash and the drop volley, all with a different grip.

Synonyms:Crowd-puller, Knockout

22)    Deft

Meaning: Skilful, clever, or quick.

Example: Her movements were deft and quick.

Synonyms: Skillful, Nifty

Antonyms: Clumsy, Awkward

23)    Rallying

Meaning: A continuous exchange of hits between players in tennis, squash or badminton.

Example: There will be fierce competition among the top seeds over two tough days of rallying to decide the outcome of this most prestigious of motorsport events.

Synonyms:Gather, Improve

Antonyms: Deteriorate, Disband