FREE Editorial PDF – 05 Jan 2026 | The Hindu & Indian Express | Banking • SSC • TNPSC

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The Hindu Editorials snapshot

Editorial 1

Tragedy and Farce: On U.S. and Venezuela

US President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela—capturing President Nicolás Maduro on drug charges via bombing, naval blockades, and tanker interdictions without UN approval—marks a blatant violation of international law and UN Charter Article 2, reviving Monroe Doctrine hegemony to control oil reserves, sever China ties, and crush Bolivarian resistance, echoing Iraq 2003’s disastrous “democracy export” that spawned ISIS and regional chaos. Maduro’s authoritarian rule masked inequality from US-backed elites, but forcible regime change risks militia wars, refugee surges, and Latin American instability, highlighted by Trump’s hypocritical release of convicted Honduran drug lord Juan Orlando Hernández while condemning Maduro without evidence. This isolationist-imperialist Trumpism scorns global norms—from climate exits to tariff wars—threatening sovereignty worldwide if unchallenged.

Editorial 2

High and Dry: On Gig Workers, Social Security

India’s gig economy has boomed with millions of workers powering platforms like Zomato, Blinkit, and Uber, but recent strikes by over a lakh workers on December 31 highlighted unresolved issues like algorithmic pay cuts, opaque incentives, long hours, and unsafe conditions, even as new draft labour rules focus solely on social security registration via portals—requiring 90 days with one aggregator or 120 cumulative days—without addressing wages or work norms, mandating platform contributions to funds for benefits. While multi-platform days count flexibly, thresholds risk penalising caregivers or slump victims without illness/maternity protections, dispute resolution, minimum benefits, or periodic earnings statements allowing contests, leaving insecurity intact unless rules ensure accessible, practical security beyond platform goodwill.

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The Indian Express Editorials snapshot

Editorial 3

​In Venezuela, Trump’s Lawless Grab Opens Risky New Chapter

A US special operation captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges, flown to New York in a pre-dawn raid involving air, land, and sea forces penetrating Caracas, bypassing Congress and UN approval, signalling the collapse of rules-based order amid Trump’s tariff wars and similar aggressions. Maduro’s autocratic rule crushed dissent and wrecked institutions with vast oil reserves, but Trump’s plan to “run” Venezuela via US oil firms ignores opposition leader María Corina Machado, risking militia conflicts, refugee crises, and regional chaos replacing one authoritarianism with extractive control. Global response stays muted—Europe urges restraint, Russia-China criticise, India voices concern amid stalled trade talks post-50% tariffs—leaving the world watching US “nation-building” in a 28-million sovereign state it brazenly breached.

Editorial 4

For Centre & State Finances, a Reckoning

India’s government finances face mounting pressure in 2026, with the Centre’s fiscal deficit hitting 62.3% of its annual target by November 2025-26—up from 52.5% last year—and primary deficit at 78.9%, driven by weak tax collections at 49.1% of budget amid GST cuts forcing spending reductions. States confront higher borrowing costs, like Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal paying 7.50-7.56% on long-term bonds versus 7.15-7.16% previously despite RBI repo rate drops to 5.25%, with combined state deficits rising to 3.2% of GDP and debts over 35% in Punjab, Kerala, and others. Unsustainable freebies and cash handouts risk growth by crowding out private investment, unlike resolved corporate balance sheets; 2026 demands fiscal discipline focused on infrastructure over electoral populism

Vocabulary from the Editorial: 1

Word	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Flagrant	Shamelessly obvious	Blatant, glaring	Subtle
Interdictions	Stopping illegal activities	Blockades, seizures	Allowances
Calculus	Strategic reasoning	Motive, plan	Impulse
Pyrrhic	Costly victory	Hollow win	Decisive
Asunder	Completely apart	Torn, shattered	United
Hypocrisy	Pretending opposite beliefs	Double standards	Consistency
Belied	Contradicted reality	Disproved, refuted	Confirmed

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