UPSC Daily News Summaries: Essential Current Affairs, Key Issues and Important Updates for Civil Services
Simple, relatable summaries that help you make sense of the day’s news.
Daily News Capsules
1. SC seeks new rules on user-generated content
The Supreme Court on Thursday emphasised the need for an “effective” mechanism to regulate user-generated content and a stronger, independent oversight body, directing the Centre to draft guidelines within four weeks after public consultations. The court said regulations are not meant to “throttle” anyone but to create a “sieve,” noting the legal gap that provides no accountability for content uploaded on online platforms. “This is something very strange that I create my own platform and channel but there is no accountability. There must be a sense of responsibility attached to such content,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and justice Joymalya Bagchi. The suggestion reopens the fundamental tension in content moderation, with both tech companies and authorities being unable to adequately prevent abuse — especially on video sites such as YouTube and on podcasts, where the audio-visual format makes detection of unlawful or denigrating content more challenging. The case arose from podcaster Ranveer Gautam Allahbadia’s petition seeking protection from multiple cases over his vulgar remarks on India’s Got Latent, a show on YouTube. The court had in March asked the Centre to provide guidelines to regulate such obscene, undignified speech. In a related hearing, the court also proposed stronger age verification mechanisms, including Aadhaar-based gating, before explicit or sensitive content becomes viewable on digital platforms, questioning the adequacy of current one-line disclaimers that viewers barely register before objectionable material starts playing. Attorney general R Venkataramani presented a ministry of information and broadcasting note suggesting changes to the Code of Ethics under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, incorporating separate guidelines on obscenity, accessibility for online curated content, and AI and Deepfakes.
Possible Question
Discuss how India can design a regulatory architecture that balances free speech, due process, and protection from online harms, especially in the age of AI-generated content.
2. Indian all-rounder Deepti takes home biggest paycheque
Deepti Sharma, the Most Valuable Player of the Women’s ODI World Cup that India won beating South Africa at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium earlier this month, emerged as the costliest player of the 2026 Women’s Premier League auction in the Capital on Thursday. She was followed by New Zealand’s spin bowling all-rounder Amelia Kerr ( ₹3 crore). Other World Cup standout performers — India spinner N Shree Charani and South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt, also walked away with hefty pay cheques. The five franchises spent ₹40.8 crore on 67 players at the auction. UP Warriorz snatched Deepti from Delhi Capitals for a whopping ₹3.2 crore. The surprises at the auction were Australia captain Alyssa Healy and spinner Alanna King going unsold. The tournament is set to take place from January 9 to February 5, and will be held in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.
Possible Question
India’s growing dominance in global women’s cricket coincides with rising commercialisation through leagues like the WPL. Analyse how sports leagues can function as instruments of soft power, economic opportunity, and gender empowerment in India, while also reshaping the global sports economy.
3. Rajnath discusses BrahMos sale with Indonesian minister
India and Indonesia on Thursday discussed the possible sale of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Southeast Asian country, during talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Delhi, people aware of the matter said. Talks on the proposed missile sale are moving in the right direction, the people said, asking not to be named. Indonesia has been engaged in negotiations with India on acquiring the BrahMos missile system, and the two sides have reached a broad understanding on the pricing of the deal, expected to be worth around $450 million, as previously reported by HT. India used the missile effectively against Pakistan during the four-day military confrontation in May under Operation Sindoor. If the deal goes ahead, Indonesia will become the second foreign buyer of the missile after the Philippines. In January 2022, India signed a deal worth almost $375 million to equip the Philippine Marines with three batteries of the missiles. On Thursday, the two leaders reiterated the importance of a free, open, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, anchored in international law and respect for sovereignty, during the third India-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in Delhi.
Possible Question
With Southeast Asian countries seeking to strengthen deterrence amid China’s assertiveness, examine how India’s defence exports—especially systems like BrahMos—advance its Act East Policy, defence diplomacy, and strategic autonomy.
4. Indians top UK’s exit tally in downward migration trend
Indian students and workers on Thursday topped the tally of visa-holders leaving the UK as the country’s latest net migration data revealed a significant drop of 204,000, down 80% from a peak in 2023. The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals that around 45,000 Indians on study visas and 22,000 professionals on work-related visas had left the UK as their country of residence in the year ending June 2025. An additional 7,000 Indian nationals logged under the “other” visa category also left the country, making up a total of 74,000 Indian emigrants followed by 42,000 Chinese nationals as the second highest in the UK’s exit tally. “Indian was the most common non-EU (European Union) nationality to emigrate (or leave) from the UK,” the ONS states in its data release. “The increase in long-term emigration of non-EU+ nationals who originally arrived on study-related visas is primarily being driven by the large numbers of Indian and Chinese nationals leaving in YE (year ending) June 2025,” it notes. Indians, meanwhile, continue to hold on to the top slot in terms of immigration into the UK with 90,000 logged under study visa grants and 46,000 for work purposes. Reducing net migration, or the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving, has been among the British government’s priorities due to pressures of soaring immigration figures on the economy in recent years. “Net migration is at the lowest level seen since 2021, when pandemic lockdown restrictions were lifted and the new immigration system was introduced following the UK’s EU exit,” said Mary Gregory, Executive Director for Population and Census at the ONS.
Possible Question
The sharp rise in emigration of Indian students and professionals from the UK highlights structural changes in global mobility. Evaluate how shifting immigration rules in developed economies impact India’s education ecosystem, labour market dynamics, and brain-gain/brain-drain balance.
5. I-T dept to nudge taxpayers to declare foreign wealth
The income-tax department will launch a nudge campaign today asking taxpayers to report their foreign assets acquired in the previous financial year (2024-25) by December 31, if they have not mentioned the same in their income-tax returns (ITRs), or face action. The campaign’s launch follows the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) identifying high-risk cases in its Analysis of the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) for 2024-25 where foreign assets appear to exist but have not been reported in the ITRs, a finance ministry statement said. ITRs for FY2024-25 are filed in the current assessment year (2025-26). “Accordingly, the CBDT is launching the second NUDGE campaign, under which SMSs and emails will be issued from 28th November 2025 to such taxpayers, advising them to review and revise their returns on or before 31st December 2025 to avoid penal consequences,” it said. The first NUDGE (Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable) campaign that was launched on November 17, 2024, targeted select taxpayers who had been reported by foreign jurisdictions under the AEOI framework as holding foreign assets that were not disclosed in their ITRs or AY2024-25. The first campaign yielded positive outcomes, with 24,678 taxpayers (including several not directly nudged) revisiting their returns and disclosing foreign assets amounting to ₹29,208 crore, along with foreign-source income of ₹1,089.88 crore. The campaign aims to facilitate correct reporting in schedule foreign assets (FA) and foreign source income (FSI) in ITRs. Accurate and complete disclosure of foreign assets and income is a statutory requirement under the Income-tax Act and the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, the finance ministry said.
Possible Question
Discuss how such approaches strengthen fiscal transparency while balancing privacy, enforcement capacity, and taxpayer rights.
Editorial Snapshots
A. Move to secure a rare resource
In an ideal world, a country need not manufacture everything at home. It need not even manufacture everything it needs to make things it wants to export to the outside world. But we do not live in an ideal world anymore. It is a world where the largest economy, the US, is on a tariff rampage, and the second largest economy, China has tried to counteract some of this by holding back what is arguably the most critical component in modern manufacturing: Rare earth minerals. India, like most other major economies in the world, is having to deal with both problems. It is still in trade dialogue with the US and, hopefully, an amicable solution will be achieved soon. However, the supply constraint side of the problem is more difficult to solve, mainly because most of the rare earth supplies are located in China. It is in this larger context that the Union cabinet’s decision to incentivise production of rare earth permanent magnets (REPM) is welcome. The scheme, from details that are public, pretty much follows the larger framework of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes: Companies will get subsidies to set up production facilities and even more subsidies if their production crosses a certain threshold. To be sure, this is not going to solve India’s problem of not having enough rare earth raw material deposits. What it can do is to take care of second-order supply-side vulnerabilities by setting up manufacturing facilities for REPMs once raw material supplies have been taken care of. To oppose this kind of a policy would be tantamount to opposing expansion of India’s petrochemical refinery prowess on the grounds that we do not produce enough crude oil. It is not just economical — on things such as saving foreign exchange, easing logistics costs for domestic electronic industry, etc — but also strategic in a way.
Possible Question
India’s push to build domestic capacity in rare-earth permanent magnets signals a shift from import-dependence to strategic manufacturing. Analyse how rare-earth supply chain security intersects with economic resilience, technological self-reliance, and geostrategic competition.
B. Why India must host global sports events
Ahmedabad will host the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in 2030, which also marks the centenary of the mega event. This is in step with India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad, and the ambitious National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025 that envisions sports as a public good, a driver of economic development, and seeks to make India a global sporting powerhouse. The choice of Ahmedabad also suggests a push to expand sporting infrastructure beyond the national capital, which has been the preferred city for large international sporting events: Asian Games in 1951 and 1982 and the CWG in 2010 were held in New Delhi. Hyderabad hosted the Afro-Asian Games 2003, which saw representation from close to a hundred countries, though many single-event international tournaments, including cricket and hockey World Cups, have been held in cities across India. What distinguishes CWG from single-sport tournaments is the scale: For instance, over 4,000 athletes from 71 countries converged in Delhi in 2010. India’s concerted bid to become a global sporting hub is welcome for multiple reasons. One, sport is not just about podium finishes; it is also a major economic activity that generates business, creates employment, and helps brand a city. Two, a major sporting event attracts capital and enables urban renewal. A big turnaround of Delhi, for instance, happened during the 1982 Asian Games. Corruption scandals headlined the 2010 CWG, but the latter also led to an overhaul and expansion of the national capital’s creaking infrastructure. It’s time other metros enjoy the pleasure of hosting mega sporting events. Three, the NSP wants to turn sports into a mass movement. Sport is intrinsically connected with national pride and often acts as a glue to hold people together. Olympics and CWG can birth a sporting culture, and back it by offering quality infrastructure. A spectacle by the Sabarmati can surely help raise India’s stature as a sporting hub, and, hopefully, a sporting power.
Possible Question
Large sporting events often catalyse urban transformation and geopolitical branding but also involve fiscal risks and governance challenges. Critically discuss whether hosting mega sports events is a viable pathway for India to pursue soft-power projection and economic modernisation.
Fact of the day
IRCTC to roll out staff uniforms with QR codes to address plaints of overcharging: In a bid to address complaints of overcharging by vendors inside long-distance trains, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will issue new staff uniforms, which will feature a QR code displaying the menu with official rates and a helpline number for passengers to complain, officials aware of the details said on Thursday. While staffers in premier trains such as Vande Bharat and Rajdhani will get navy blue jackets, the employees of other trains will wear light blue t-shirts, officials said. IRCTC authorities will also issue ID cards bearing QR codes, which staffers will need to wear while working inside long-distance trains. While one side of the card will have the menu along with the official rates of food items, the other side will enable passengers to make digital payments, they added. “As a measure to reduce complaints of overcharging, we will begin with this new system of QR codes and uniforms with a special helpline number,” said Gaurav Jha, group general manager (western zone), IRCTC. “The uniforms are being made and will be ready for the upcoming year-end vacations.” IRCTC is already in talks with Central and Western Railway authorities to launch this initiative, and trains starting from Mumbai will be among the first to have these features, officials said. According to IRCTC officials, the western zone alone receives 100 to 120 complaints per day on average, of which 35% to 40% are about overcharging by vendors. “With social media, the avenues to complain have gone up,” an official said on anonymity. “However, genuine complaints are certainly reducing, and this new measure will further help identify specific trains and contractors whose employees overcharge.”
