The Hindu Lead Article (Drive a harder bargain at the Delhi meet) – Oct 23, 2020

In August 2016, just months before the United States presidential elections, then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had detailed discussions… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s advanced word list-1 for The Hindu Lead Article (Drive a harder bargain at the Delhi meet) – Oct 23, 2020.

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Today’s Advanced Word List 1 for The Hindu Lead Article (Drive a harder bargain at the Delhi meet) – Oct 23, 2020:

1. drive (verb) – force, press, pressurize, urge.
2. bargain (noun) – agreement, arrangement, understanding, deal.
3. forum (noun) – meeting, gathering, conference.
4. regime (noun) – government.
5. pay off (phrasal verb) – be advantageous to, be beneficial to, be profitable to.
6. Paris Agreement/Accord (noun) – The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention (agreement) and for the first time brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
7. climate change (noun) – a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth (Courtesy: NASA).
8. mobilise (verb) – Bring (resources) into use for a particular purpose/cause.
9. Green Climate Fund (GCF) (noun) – The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated fund helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to respond to climate change. It was set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010. GCF has a crucial role in serving the Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C.
10. climate adaptation (noun) – adapting to life in a changing climate – involves adjusting to actual or expected future climate. The goal is to reduce our vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change (like sea-level encroachment, more intense extreme weather events or food insecurity).
11. renewable technology (noun) – the (very) method /way with which we sustainably harness the earth’s natural resources (solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass, geothermal resources  etc.) to power consumers.
12. push (noun) – drive, initiative, campaign.
13. ratification (noun) – approval, sanction, endorsement, finalization.
14. legacy (noun) – it refers to something being passed down from earlier generations. The legacy project is something of value for future generations.
15. push for (verb) – demand, insist on, call for, campaign for.
16. bid (noun) – attempt, effort, endeavour/try.
17. ratify (verb) – approve, sanction, endorse, validate.
18. protocol (noun) – procedure, convention, rules of conduct.
19. mark (verb) – indicate, represent, signify, signalize.
20. revoke (verb) – cancel, repeal/reverse, abrogate, nullify.
21. contingent on (adjective) – dependent, conditional.
22. conveniently (adverb) – suitably, favourably, advantageously.
23. predecessor (noun) – previous holder; forerunner, precursor, antecedent.
24. calculation (noun) – assessment, judgement; projection, prediction.
25. make one’s way (phrase) – proceed to a particular place.
26. brief (noun) – instructions, directions, briefing. 
27. itinerary (noun) – a planned  journey/route, way, path.
28. make no bones about (phrase) – not to try to conceal your feelings/emotions.
29. mission (noun) – journey, voyage, tour.
30. thwart (verb) – prevent, hamper/hinder, obstruct/block.
31. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (noun) – The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of modern China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China.
32. Quad/Quadrilateral (noun) – The ‘Quadrilateral’ is described as four democracies (the United States, Japan, Australia and India) with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
33. collaborate (verb) – join, cooperate, team up.
34. exploitation (noun) – taking advantage, utilization, misuse, unfair treatment, capitalization.
35. coercion (noun) – force/pressure, oppression, harassment, intimidation.
36. in contrast (to) (phrase) – in opposition to, be very different from.
37. align (verb) – join/unite, combine, team up, cooperate, collaborate.
38. by no means (phrase) – not at all, in no way, certainly not.
39. relentless (adjective) – continuing, constant, continuous, non-stop.
40. aggression (noun) – hostility, belligerence, combativeness, warmongering, hawkishness.
41. Line of Actual Control (LAC) (noun) – the de-facto (effective) border between India and China. The LAC is a 4,057-km border running through three areas-Western (Ladakh, Ladakh (Kashmir)), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).
42. disengage (verb) – withdraw, pull out, leave, move out, retreat.
43. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) (noun) – People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed forces of the country of China and Communist Party of China (CPC). It is one of the largest military forces in the world.
44. occupy (verb) – capture, seize, take possession of, invade (a place).
45. bilaterally (adverb) – between two countries involved.
46. prompting (noun) – encouragement, inducement, suggestion.
47. accrue (verb) – grow, increase, augment, build up, be added.
48. tenuous (adjective) – weak/shaky, insubstantial, unconvincing, unsatisfactory.
49. for one (phrase) – used for highlighting that someone is thinking in a particular way, even if other people are not.
50. The Electoral College (noun) – it is a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States. (The word “college” in this case simply refers to an organized body of people engaged in a common task).
51. point to (verb) – indicate, suggest, denote.
52. probable (adjective) – most likely, possible, expected, anticipated.
53. nominee (noun) – candidate.
54. ties (noun) – bond, association, relationship.
55. brink (noun) – edge/verge/end (of something).
56. dust off (phrasal verb) – bring something back to use (again) after a long period of time.
57. rhetoric (noun) – the art of speaking or writing effectively & persuasively or impressively (but, often lacking substance); bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.
58. weight (noun) – value; importance, significance. 
59. hardly (adverb) – barely, only just, narrowly, slightly.
60. endear (verb) – inspire, attract, cherish/charm.
61. solidarity (noun) – unity, unanimity, harmony, cooperation.
62. rally (noun) – mass meeting, gathering, assembly (to show support for a cause).
63. front (noun) – a particular situation.
64. South & North Block (noun) – South Block is a metonym of the Prime Minister’s Office. North Block is a metonym of the Ministry of Finance, India. (The Secretariat Building (consists North & South Block) or Central Secretariat is where the Cabinet Secretariat is housed, which administers the Government of India. The South Block houses the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs). The North Block primarily houses the Ministry of Finance and the Home Ministry). (Metonym is used as an alternative for something else with which it is closely related/associated).
65. the elephant in the room (phrase) – it is mostly used to refer to a serious problem — one which people are aware of, but choose to ignore. They think that if they do not talk about it, the problem will somehow disappear.
66. pose (verb) – raise, ask, put (a question/matter for consideration).
67. maritime (adjective) – of or related to the sea.
68. sphere (noun) – an area of activity; a field of activity; domain, realm.
69. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (noun) – Established in 1985, it is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
70. Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation (BECA) (noun) – BECA agreement will allow India to use US expertise on geospatial intelligence and to enhance military accuracy of automated hardware systems and weapons like cruise, ballistic missiles and drones. This is the third foundational agreement to be signed between India and the US after the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
71. pave the way for (phrase) – clear the way for, usher in, set the scene for.
72. cede (verb) – give up, concede, surrender, relinquish (territory).
73. area/sphere of influence (phrase) – domain, province, territory (under someone’s authority/power/influence).
74. counter (verb) – oppose, resist, tackle, confront.
75. infrastructure (noun) – structure, framework, organization, mechanisms.
76. Millenium Challenge Corporation(MCC) (noun) – a bilateral United States foreign aid agency established by the U.S. Congress in 2004, that is designed to use a new approach toward foreign aid. It is an innovative and independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty.
77. key (adjective) – basic, fundamental, essential.
78. at a time (phrase) – during.
79. debt relief (noun) – measures to reduce debt as a means to make it easier for the borrower to repay it. (debt = money owed to others, arrears, bill, financial obligation, liability, outstanding payment).
80. given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.
81. constraint (noun) – restriction, limitation, restraint.
82. stave off (phrasal verb) – avert, prevent, avoid, rule out.
83. (make) inroads into (phrase) – progress/advance into (a new area/territory).
84. continental (adjective) – belonging to a continent (mainland).
85. on one’s own (phrase) – alone, all alone, by oneself, all by oneself.
86. expedite (verb) – accelerate, hasten, speed up, quicken.
87. keep/put pressure on (phrase) – to try to influence/persuade someone to do something in a certain method.
88. in this regard (phrase) – in connection with the aspect/consideration/point referred earlier.
89. perhaps (adverb) – maybe, possibly.
90. Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) (noun) – The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for thousands of products from 129 designated beneficiary countries and territories.
91. exemption (noun) – exclusion, relief, exception.
92. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) (noun) – it is a U.S. federal law that imposes economic sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea. The bill came into effect on August 2, 2017, with the intention of countering perceived aggressions against the U.S. government by foreign powers. It accomplishes this goal by preventing U.S. companies from doing business with sanctioned entities.
93. sanctions (noun) – action taken, or an order given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
94. calculated (adjective) – intentional, purposeful, preconceived, deliberate.
95. consolidate (verb) – strengthen, make stronger, reinforce, fortify.
96. pay-off (noun) – outcome, development, end result.

Note:  

 1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purpose only and they may vary in different context. 

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

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