Daily News Capsules
1. Bastion falls as SA deal India record home loss
India’s reputation as Test cricket’s final frontier, one that few countries have scaled, was dealt a telling, perhaps final, blow after South Africa inflicted a 408-run defeat on the country — India’s highest ever in terms of runs — in the second Test at Guwahati on Wednesday. South Africa won the series 2-0, their first series win in India since 2000 and India’s third whitewash loss at home after New Zealand won 3-0 last year. India have now lost five of their last seven home Tests, a record that stands in stark contrast with the previous five home defeats that came in 50 Tests across 13 seasons. The loss also left India coach Gautam Gambhir facing questions about his future — his Test record now stands at a well under-par 7 wins, 10 defeats and 2 draws in 19 matches for a win percentage of 36.82. Tellingly, his loss percentage is over 50%. Among India coaches, only Duncan Fletcher, whose win percentage was 33.33 after 17 loses, 13 wins, 9 draws from 39 Tests, has a worse record. But even Fletcher’s loss percentage was only 43%, lower than Gambhir’s. In the post-match conference, Gambhir proffered the usual cliches losing coaches do — “playing against a top-quality side”; a team in “transition” — and refused to say anything about his own future except that “it’s up to BCCI”. This result also means India’s chances of reaching the World Test Championship have become slimmer, as they now stand fifth on the table with 48.15% points. It won’t be lost on anyone that between the home defeats to New Zealand and the start of this home season, India have witnessed the retirements of greats like Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.While the departures have been amicable, it has been clear for sometime that Gambhir has very definite ideas on how the team has to be remade.
Possible Question
India’s recent slump in home Test cricket performance has triggered debates on leadership, team transition and institutional accountability. In a broader governance context, critically analyse how leadership transitions and loss of institutional memory affect performance in complex, high-stakes systems.
2. China’s arbitrary actions unhelpful in stabilising ties: MEA on Arunachal row
Arbitrary actions by China are “most unhelpful” towards efforts being made by both countries to build mutual trust and normalise bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday, referring to the recent detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at the Shanghai airport by Chinese authorities who declared her Indian passport invalid, claiming “the north eastern state was part of Chinese territory”. Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a UK based Indian citizen, who was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, claimed her three-hour scheduled layover turned into a traumatising ordeal after immigration personnel declared her passport invalid because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace. Arunachal Pradesh, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, was an integral and inalienable part of India and no amount of denial by China will alter the indisputable reality. “Our position in this regard has always been very clear and consistent. Since October 2024, both sides have worked closely to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border regions and it is on this basis that progress has been made particularly in people-centric engagements,” he said. The two sides reached an understanding in October 2024 to end the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector. In a statement on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “We learnt that China’s border inspection authorities have gone through the whole process according to the laws and regulations… Zangnan is China’s territory. China never acknowledged so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India.”
Possible Question
China’s continued attempts to contest India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh highlight the fragility of “understandings” amid boundary disputes. Examine how India’s diplomatic signalling and border-area development strategy collectively shape its response to China’s territorial claims.
3. Green shipping corridors expanding across emerging economies: Report
Green shipping corridor trade routes, with zero-emission fuels, vessels, and technologies, have expanded in China, India, Brazil, and Chile among other emerging economies, according to a new report by the Global Maritime Forum. “At a Crossroads: Annual Progress Report on Green Shipping Corridors 2025” has identified 25 new green corridor initiatives, expanding the global total to 84 such active initiatives. For the first time, green corridor initiatives have been launched in major developing economies like China, India, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, and Kenya, reflecting the significant economic opportunities that can be seized through the development of zero-emission marine fuels and bunkering capabilities in these regions, the report has said. This aligns with governmental maritime and energy ambitions in these geographies, such as the Indian Shipping Ministry’s 2025 goals, China’s efforts to accelerate the development of port infrastructure and green fuels, Brazil’s National Hydrogen Program, Chile’s National Green Hydrogen Strategy, and national commitments to green shipping by Kenya and Ghana. In India, the new corridors include: India Green Corridors; India-Denmark Green Corridors; India-Singapore and Kandla Tuticorin Coastal Green Corridor. The report comes soon after the International Maritime Organisation (IMO’s) Marine Environment Protection Committee adjourned discussions on the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework for one year. The delay was due to lobbying from the US administration, which had threatened countries with tariffs if they supported the net zero framework.
Possible Question
India is positioning itself as a key player in emerging green shipping corridors. Assess how decarbonisation of maritime trade can advance India’s economic competitiveness, energy transition goals and strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific.
4. Mother of Agniveer who died on duty moves HC
The mother of Agniveer M Murali Naik, who was killed in action during Operation Sindoor in May this year, moved Bombay high court on Wednesday seeking parity in death benefits given to regular fallen soldiers of the Indian army. The petition said that under the present policy framework, an Agniveer and his family are not entitled to any form of pension or lifelong family welfare benefits upon completion of service or in the event of death during service. Unlike regular soldiers who earn pension and gratuity upon qualifying for service, Agniveers receive only a one-time ‘Seva Nidhi’ corpus at the end of four years, together with a limited death compensation package if killed in line of duty. Naik, recruited in 2023, was killed on May 9 this year in the cross border shelling at Poonch during Operation Sindoor. Jyothibai Shriram Naik, who said she and her husband were wholly dependent on their son, challenged the “operational consequences” of Agnipath Scheme in her plea, saying it denies the families of Agniveers who fall in the line of duty the same survivor benefits, financial security, and institutional honour that are accorded to the families of regular soldiers. “The fallen Agniveer receives certain ex-gratia and insurance-based payments, amounting to approximately ₹1 crore in total, under several combined heads. However, they are not provided the regular family pension, lifelong health care, or social security benefits that accrue automatically to the families of regular soldiers killed in identical field conditions. Although families may receive certain one-time payments, these cannot substitute the stability, dignity, and long-term security inherent in a lifelong family pension,” the petition added. To be sure, both the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court have upheld the validity of the scheme.
Possible Question
The Agnipath Scheme aims to modernise armed forces recruitment but has raised concerns about welfare asymmetries. Critically evaluate whether the current benefits structure for Agniveers aligns with constitutional principles of equality, morale-building needs of the armed forces, and long-term national security interests.
5. Imran’s kin assaulted, allies ‘can’t meet’ him
Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s three sisters have demanded an impartial probe into the “brutal” police assault on them and supporters of their brother outside the Adiala Jail last week, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan and Dr Uzma Khan — had camped outside Adiala Jail along with other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members after being denied a meeting with him for a month. They were sitting outside the jail when police personnel pounced on them and brutally assaulted them for what the party said was “their crime for seeking a meeting with Imran Khan”. In a letter to Punjab police chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters said the violence was “brutal and orchestrated and carried out by policemen without provocation”. “We peacefully protested over concerns for his health condition. We neither blocked roads nor obstructed public movement, nor engaged in any unlawful conduct. Yet, without warning or provocation, the streetlights in the area were abruptly switched off, deliberately casting the scene into darkness. What followed was a brutal and orchestrated assault by Punjab police personnel,” Noreen Niazi said. “At the age of 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown violently to the ground, and dragged across the road, sustaining visible injuries,” she lambasted. Aleema said that the family should be allowed to meet Imran, Dawn reported. “Who knows, maybe Imran has been shifted. Why are they not letting us meet him?” Khan’s sisters demanded that the IGP Punjab immediately initiate proceedings against all police personnel involved in this brutal assault. Khan, the patron-in-chief of PTI, has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases. The government has placed an undeclared ban on the meetings for over one month. Even Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was not allowed to meet Khan. Afridi made seven consecutive attempts to see him in jail, but he was denied by the jail authorities, whom Khan claims were controlled by an army officer.
Possible Question
Incidents of political repression in Pakistan often spill over into regional security dynamics. Analyse how Pakistan’s internal political instability constrains India’s neighbourhood policy, cross-border security management and counter-terrorism cooperation.
Editorial Snapshots
A. In the guise of anonymity
When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, he promised to eliminate bots and restore trust. Within weeks, he fired half the workforce, slashed the trust and safety team that monitored hate speech and foreign influence operations, and dissolved the advisory council of civil rights organisations. By December, a single staffer was handling all child sexual abuse material for Asia Pacific. The 150-person curation team that added context to trending news vanished. Then came paid verification. Previously free and reserved for confirmed identities, the blue check became available to anyone paying $7.99 monthly. Within 48 hours of launch, fake accounts impersonating Eli Lilly, Tesla, and major brands flooded the platform. The chaos forced Musk to suspend the programme after just three days, but the damage was done — verification, once a mark of authenticity, became legitimacy for sale. But the programme returned, and in 2023, X launched a creator monetisation model. It began paying users based on engagement from other paid subscribers — typically $10 minimum every two weeks. For many, the math was compelling: A Nigerian creator earning $800 monthly via outrage content made a hefty income; a Bangladeshi farm earning $400 could fund an entire team. What had operated in the shadows — Russian troll farms, influence operations documented since the 2016 US polls — now had three advantages: Depleted oversight, purchased credibility through blue checks, and direct financial incentive. The Internet Research Agency’s playbook from 2016, where operatives posed as Americans to organise rallies and spread disinformation, found fertile ground. Accounts that once struggled for reach could now buy verification, earn revenue from divisive content, and operate with minimal platform scrutiny. Last week, X rolled out an “About this account” feature showing where users operate from. Within hours, accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers claiming to represent American patriots or anti-India influencers were revealed to be operating from Turkey, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The backlash was immediate as users and journalists began checking prominent accounts across the political spectrum, discovering how thoroughly X had been compromised by coordinated deception. Big tech platforms wield immense influence over public discourse. They bear a duty of care to the societies they shape. X’s trajectory represents a failure of that responsibility — dismantling protections, monetising division, allowing foreign influence operations to thrive behind purchased legitimacy. The location feature wasn’t about transparency triumphing; it was a platform accidentally exposing the rot its own decisions had cultivated.
Possible Question
In the context of the X/Twitter anonymity revelations, discuss how algorithmic monetisation, weakened trust-and-safety systems, and cross border influence operations collectively threaten democratic discourse in India. What regulatory and institutional safeguards are required?
B. Waking up to air pollution in NCR
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) revising the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) system for the NCR — moving key measures that kicked in under Grap 4 to Grap3 — to tackle the worsening pollution is a welcome step. Pollution in the national Capital and abutting cities is a legacy issue and can be resolved only by adapting a scientific approach and working out a long-term plan. The first step is to acknowledge the problem with all its accompanying headaches. To that end, the Delhi government must improve the quality of pollution data so that plans and measures can be tweaked according to the seriousness of the situation. There have been several questions over the integrity of the pollution data, which is not good augury for both mapping out solutions and engendering public trust in the seriousness in tackling the problem. Two, the government should not shy away from a free and frank discussion on the issue. In fact, it must view the public protests underway in the national Capital positively, and as a way to draw in public attention to the problem and generate traction for non-populist measures such as restrictions on construction — even as it works out solutions for daily-wagers whose livelihoods depend on such work — and higher parking fees to dissuade private transport. Three, it must build political consensus on addressing the problem. Now that all of Delhi’s neighbouring states and the Centre are governed by the same party, working out a common policy for the NCR and enforcing it should be politically easier than before. There is increased public awareness about pollution, especially air quality, now. This should be leveraged to finetune policies that benefit the greater good.
Possible Question
Critically examine whether technocratic measures like GRAP can significantly improve air quality in NCR without parallel reforms in governance capacity, inter-state coordination, and public behaviour.
Fact of the day
One clearance enough: Govt clarifies EIA rule for industrial estates: The Union environment ministry has clarified a “specific condition” in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) notification, 2006, to facilitate establishment of industrial estates/complexes where individual industrial units within those estates do not require separate environmental clearance. The clarification through a November 25 memo comes as India seeks to boost manufacturing and streamline environmental clearances to position itself as a global manufacturing hub. The move aligns with government’s broader effort to ease compliance requirements for industries. The specific condition in the EIA notification states that if any industrial estate/complex /export processing zone/special economic zone/biotech park/leather complex with homogeneous type of industries or those industrial estates with predefined set of activities (not necessarily homogeneous) obtains prior environmental clearance, individual industries, including proposed industrial housing within such estates/complexes, will not be required to take prior environmental clearance.
