EDUCATION
UPSC Daily News Summaries: Essential Current Affairs, Key Issues and Important Updates for Civil Services
Daily News Capsules
1. Trump baffles India with claim on Russia oil buys
US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him India will stop purchasing Russian oil, but India denied any conversation occurred on Wednesday when Trump said the discussion took place. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the leaders had last spoken on October 9, not Wednesday. Trump acknowledged that ending Russian oil purchases would take time. “You know, you can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” he said. The US has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods—including a 25% penalty specifically for Russian energy purchases— arguing that such transactions fund Moscow’s war machine. Trump added in his latest comments that he could get Russia and Ukraine to settle soon. “If India doesn’t buy oil, makes it much easier.” Jaiswal said India’s energy purchases are guided solely by the objective of safeguarding “the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.” He added that India was in discussions to deepen energy cooperation with America, including through greater purchases of US energy.
Possible Question
India has defended its Russian oil purchases as serving the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy market. Critically analyse the strategic, economic, and diplomatic considerations behind India’s oil import policy, especially amid US tariffs and sanctions..
2. Ahead of Zelensky talks, Trump says will meet Putin
President Donald Trump said he would meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest after making “great progress” in a call on Thursday, just a day before Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is due at the White House to push for US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have range of around 1,600 kilometers and could strike deep into Russia. Trump did not give a date for the meeting in the Hungarian capital, which would be his second with Putin since returning to office. The pair met in Alaska in August without a breakthrough on ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, the Kremlin said the 2.5-hour-long call was “extremely frank and trustful”. However, Putin told Trump the delivery of Tomahawk missiles would harm US-Russia ties and the peace process. The call took place at Russia’s initiative. Top US and Russian officials including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would hold “initial meetings” next week in an as yet to be decided location, Trump added. Trump’s comments represented the latest wild swing in his relations with Putin, after he recently expressed growing frustration with the Kremlin leader over his refusal to reach a peace deal.
Possible Question
What are the implications of US deliberations on supplying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine for the trajectory of the Russia–Ukraine war and for global security?
3. Shah calls for special jails to aid extradition
Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked for special jails in every state and Union Territory that meet international standards so as to ease the extradition of fugitives, and also recommended revoking passports of fugitives as soon as Interpol red notices are published against them. Addressing the opening session of a two-day conference organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), he also suggested creating a national database of fugitives and a special cell of the police in every state and UT to deal with extradition cases. Extradition requests totalling 388 from India are pending with various countries. Till date, 957 Interpol red notices—a request to 195 Interpol member countries to locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive—have been issued against various kind of fugitives. “Creating special prisons is needed because fugitives argue in foreign courts that prisons in India are not up to the standards, and that their human rights will not be protected. While I do not agree with that, if it is an excuse, why give them that chance? Every state capital should have a cell which conforms to international standards in its entirety,” said Shah.
Possible Question
India’s record on extradition is marred by delays and rejections. How would creating internationally compliant prisons and a centralised fugitive database strengthen India’s case in foreign courts? Discuss the legal and human-rights dimensions.
4. China blames US for global panic over rare earth curbs
China on Thursday accused the US of stoking panic over its rare earth controls and said treasury secretary Scott Bessent had made “grossly distorted” remarks about a top Chinese trade negotiator, rejecting a White House call to roll back the curbs, Reuters reported. The Communist Party’s official newspaper issued a seven-point rebuttal after US negotiators suggested China could avert Donald Trump’s threat to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese goods by scrapping measures set to take effect on November 8. “The US’s interpretation seriously distorts and exaggerates China’s measures, deliberately stirring up unnecessary misunderstanding and panic. Provided export licence applications are compliant and intended for civilian use, they will be approved,” said He Yongqian, a commerce ministry spokesperson. Beijing’s expanded rare earths export controls left trade negotiators and analysts the world over wondering whether China intends to require manufacturers of any product anywhere in the world containing even trace amounts of Chinese rare earths to apply for a licence to ship it to its final destination. He Yongqian said that was not the case.
Q: Rare earths are vital for high-tech manufacturing and clean energy. Analyse the geopolitical and economic implications of China’s export controls. How should India build resilience in critical mineral supply chains?
5. SC tells BCCI to disclose stand on criminalising match-fixing
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed BCCI to disclose its stand on criminalising match-fixing after the cricketing body sought permission to intervene in a matter where this issue is under consideration. BCCI in an application moved two days ago said that the prevalence of corrupt practices in matches has an adverse impact on the game and undermines the integrity of the sport and any decision by the court will impact the regulation and administration of the game, with which BCCI is directly concerned. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi allowed the application and granted BCCI four weeks to file its response. The application by BCCI was filed in a pending appeal by Karnataka government challenging a 2022 decision of the Karnataka high court which quashed a case involving match-fixing by players in KPL. The high court had held that match fixing is not a crime and at best, it is an issue of impropriety that will invite disciplinary action against the players under BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Code.
Q: Match-fixing has long plagued Indian cricket. Should it be criminalised under Indian law? Examine the arguments for and against, and discuss how such a move would affect sports governance and integrity.
Editorial Snapshots
A. Redlines for a green Diwali
The Supreme Court’s order allowing the sale and bursting of so-called green firecrackers in Delhi (and the National Capital Region), during designated days
and within specified time windows, signals a conditional relaxation of the blanket ban on firecrackers in the national capital. The onus is now on the Delhi government, which had sought a relaxation of the ban on grounds of “public sentiments”, and the Delhi Police (under the Union government, which too supported the move) to enforce the order not just in letter but in spirit as well. The level of pollutants emitted from these firecrackers is relatively lower than the regular ones, but it is still quite high. Given the scale at which Diwali
fireworks take place in the national capital, the air quality index (AQI), which is already registering unhealthy levels of dangerous pollutants, could worsen and trigger health emergencies. Against this backdrop, a strict implementation of the Supreme Court’s order is the only hope for citizens. The first test for the administration will be sales. As this newspaper reported, based on a mystery shopping expedition, the markets are flooded with firecrackers that have nothing “green” about them other than their labels. Given the short window for procuring temporary licences for selling green firecrackers and stocking goods, it is anybody’s guess how the administration would regulate the market. Next, the administration must ensure that the time windows for bursting the firecrackers (only on Diwali and the day before, from 6 am to 7 am and between 8 pm and 10 pm) are strictly adhered to. Given that it sought the relaxation, the government has to muster the required political will and show administrative determination to see it through. Diwali is a festival of joy; post-Diwali days should also stay so.
Q: Despite Supreme Court guidelines, enforcement of “green firecracker” norms remains weak in Delhi-NCR. Evaluate the challenges of implementing judicial environmental directives during festivals and suggest ways to balance cultural traditions with public health imperatives.
B. Trump’s Brics angst is of his own making
The Brics grouping, which brings together several key emerging economies, has been the frequent target of the ire of US President Donald Trump. With India set to assume the presidency of the 10-member grouping shortly, Trump repeated his claim that Brics is “an attack on the dollar” and threatened tariffs on all products from member States coming into the US if the bloc challenged the dollar’s preeminent position as a global currency. The truth is Brics, which struggled for long to frame a cohesive agenda, has been gaining in salience because of the trade policies of the US, as countries seek alternative supply chains and markets to compensate for the impacts of American tariffs. With important economies such as Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates becoming full members of the grouping, and others such as Malaysia, Nigeria and Thailand becoming partner countries, the building blocks are in place to allow Brics to take on a more meaningful role in a multipolar world. India has maintained that it does not perceive Brics as a grouping intent on “dedollarisation” but various member States now conduct a sizeable amount of trade settlement in national currencies. The actions of the US, both on the economic plane and as a security partner that cannot be relied on, are forcing countries around the world to hedge and look towards partnerships with groupings such as Brics. India should focus on framing an agenda for its presidency of Brics that bolsters its position as an emerging power and as a reliable partner for nations of the Global South.
Q: With BRICS expanding its membership and experimenting with trade in national currencies, assess how India can shape the grouping’s agenda during its presidency to maximise benefits while avoiding confrontation with the US.
Fact of the day
Biggest ever rise in atmospheric CO2 recorded: Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere soared to record levels in 2024, committing the planet to more long-term temperature increase, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin said continued emissions of CO2 from human activities and from wildfires, and reduced CO2 absorption by “sinks” such as land ecosystems and the ocean were responsible for this spike. From 2023 to 2024, the global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 ppm, the largest increase since modern measurements started in 1957, WMO added. Growth rates of CO2 have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm per year to 2.4 ppm per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020. Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide – the second and third most important long-lived greenhouse gases related to human activities – have also risen to record levels. The global temperature in 2024 was the highest recorded in the observational record dating back to 1850, breaking the record previously set in 2023. For the first time, it passed the significant 1.5 °C mark relative to the pre-industrial period, mainly a result of El Nino. The oceans may also have contributed to a small fraction of the additional carbon dioxide in 2024. But the majority of the 2024 anomaly arose from decreased net ecosystem carbon uptakes and increased fire emissions.