All Editorials Snapshot & Free Vocabulary PDF – 17 Dec 2025

The Hindu Editorials snapshot

Editorial 1

Stepping Stone: On Nuclear Policy, the SHANTI Bill

India’s nuclear power generated just 3% of electricity in 2024-25, but the government aims for 100 GW capacity by 2047, including five indigenous small modular reactors by 2033, prompting the SHANTI Bill to allow licences for civil nuclear facilities to government entities, joint ventures, and private companies to mobilise capital and spread construction risks while keeping sensitive fuel cycles under state control. The bill clarifies safety, enforcement, disputes, and participation terms to cut legal ambiguities, lower developer costs, and speed up site approvals and commissioning for scalable power generation. However, concerns persist over the ₹3,000 crore operator liability cap—with the Centre covering excess or assuming full liability—potentially undercompensating victims and remediation, alongside exemptions for state installations, variable supplier recourse via contracts, and insufficient regulatory independence due to Centre and Atomic Energy Commission influence on appointments, which could erode public trust and investor confidence.

Editorial 2

​Blatant Foul: On Venezuela and U.S. Aggression

The United States seized a Venezuelan oil tanker named Skipper on December 10, which Venezuela labelled as piracy, theft, and extrajudicial actions in international waters, amid efforts to aid Cuba via subsidised oil sales to China for revenue, continuing a decades-long exchange of Venezuelan oil for Cuban doctors and security experts. This marks an escalation under President Nicolás Maduro, driven by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s hawkish stance against Cuba, evoking Monroe Doctrine-era interventions and regime change tactics like recognising opposition figure Juan Guaidó, economic sanctions crippling oil sales, covert operations, and recent strikes on alleged drug boats without legislative approval or evidence linking Maduro to cartels. Despite Maduro’s credible faults like 2024 election manipulation and economic mismanagement, U.S. actions—paralleling its long-standing Cuba embargo—violate international law, demanding global condemnation and principled defence to prevent anarchy.

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The Indian Express Editorials snapshot

Editorial 3

In the Wake of the Bondi Beach Terror Attack

In open democracies, public spaces foster commerce, discussion, leisure, and respect for diverse identities, but the horrific Bondi Beach shooting by two gunmen killed 14 people and wounded 40 others during a Jewish Hanukkah gathering, aiming to instill fear and suspicion instead of trust and pluralism. Australia’s deadliest since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, the attack appears driven by antisemitism and ISIS inspiration, prompting India—familiar with terrorism—to offer aid given one shooter’s Indian passport, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned it. Australia must bolster intelligence protocols after past oversights on one attacker, avoid politicisation like Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks on PM Anthony Albanese’s government, and protect its multicultural vibrancy, higher education appeal for Indians, and core values amid strengthened anti-terror measures.

Editorial 4

Even Messi Can’t Distract from Delhi’s AQI Mess

Delhi’s winters follow a familiar pattern of severe air pollution with high particulate matter, political blame games, temporary fixes, and eventual neglect until the next season. This year, citizens have pushed back strongly for clean air rights, highlighted when fans chanted “AQI, AQI” during Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s event with Lionel Messi amid “severe” smog on the third day of crisis-level pollution. Without usual factors like stubble burning or cold winds, low wind speeds and a shallow atmospheric layer trapped local emissions from vehicles, construction, and industry, pushing the Air Quality Index (AQI) over 400—far above WHO safety limits—with Delhi’s average annual AQI at 235 from 2015 to November 2025 and pollution linked to 1.72 million deaths in 2022 per the Lancet Countdown. Political responses remain weak with half-measures and excuses, despite promises of an “emergency mission”; instead, Delhi requires transparent data, strict vehicle emission controls, better public transport, reduced reliance on cars and construction, and urgent multi-party action like Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s call for parliamentary debate.

Vocabulary from the Editorial: 1

Word	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Governance	System of management or control	Administration, regulation	Chaos
Indigenous	Native or originating locally	Local, homegrown	Foreign
Mobilisation	Gathering resources or funds	Assembly, rallying	Disbandment
Roster	List of available people or entities	Register, lineup	Exclusion
Proliferation	Rapid spread, especially of weapons	Expansion, growth	Containment
Mitigate	Make less severe or serious	Reduce, alleviate	Aggravate
Ambiguity	Lack of clarity or uncertainty	Vagueness, doubt	Clarity
Recourse	Means of seeking remedy or justice	Appeal, option	Helplessness
Conducive	Helpful or favourable	Supportive, aiding	Hindering
Vests	Gives power or authority to	Confers, grants	Strips

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