Daily News Capsules
1. US cuts China tariffs as part of trade truce
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, resuming US soybean purchases, and keeping rare earths exports flowing. Trump’s face-to-face talks with Xi in the South Korean city of Busan, their first since 2019, marked the finale of a whirlwind Asia trip on which he also touted trade breakthroughs with South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations. The deal, according to Beijing, also included a US pledge to delay for a year a new measure — strongly opposed by China — to bar thousands of Chinese firms from receiving US technology if they are part owned by a sanctioned company. Trump said tariffs on Chinese imports would be cut to 47% from 57%, by halving to 10% the rate of tariffs related to trade in fentanyl precursor drugs. China agreed to pause export controls unveiled this month on rare earths, elements with vital roles in cars, planes and weapons that have become Beijing’s most potent source of leverage in its trade war with the United States, for a year.
Possible Question
How do tariff adjustments between major economies like the US and China influence India’s export competitiveness, currency stability, and participation in global value chains?
2. Green approvals pave way for initial work on Great Nicobar project
Recent approvals issued for the Great Nicobar infrastructure project indicate that preliminary work on the township and the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) will start soon. The quantum of forest land diversion — 1 square metre (sq m) in one case and 195 sq m in another — is almost insignificant, but the reasons for it, setting up an automatic weather station, and digging bores to test the soil suggest that this is an important step in the construction of the proposed port at Galathea Bay, and a township at Great Nicobar, both under the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island Project. In Great Nicobar, the government has planned four projects — ICTT, Greenfield International Airport, Gas and Solar based Power Plant and Township; and Area Development Projects — for which an area of 166.10 sq km is required. Of this, the forest area is about 130.75 sq km. The Nicobar Islands fall in the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot. Independent experts and scientists have raised several environmental concerns with the project, including loss of biodiversity and impacts on the indigenous people like the Shompen and Great Nicobarese.
Possible Question
Evaluate the ecological, strategic, and developmental trade-offs involved in the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island Project. How can environmental safeguards be balanced with national infrastructure goals?
3. Man accused in Pocso case involving his wife gets relief, SC warning
The Supreme Court has set aside the conviction and 10-year sentence of a man found guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor — now his wife, on the condition that he must not abandon her or their infant, and asserted that “the law must yield to the cause of justice” in the unique circumstances of the case. Recording that the couple married in 2021, have since had a son, and are living together, a bench of justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih said it could not ignore the woman’s plea to exonerate her husband so that they may “lead a peaceful marital life.” Exercising its constitutional power under Article 142, it said, “We are conscious of the fact that a crime is not merely a wrong against an individual but against society as a whole.…However, the administration of such law is not divorced from the practical realities. Rendering justice demands a nuanced approach.” It noted that the case involved a relationship of love, not coercion or lust, and continuing the imprisonment now would cause greater harm. “We draw inspiration from Cardozo, J. (former US Supreme Court judge) to hold that the law aims to ensure not just punishment of the guilty, but also harmony and restoration of the social order,” it added.
Possible Question
Examine the ethical and legal tensions between the rigid application of criminal law and the pursuit of restorative justice in cases involving the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
4. HC seeks explanation on CRPF’s tattoo rules
The Delhi high court has asked the Centre to explain the reasoning behind its guidelines that disqualify candidates with tattoos on their right forearm from recruitment into the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). A bench of justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla passed the order on Wednesday while dealing with a man’s petition against the Centre’s decision to disqualify him for the recruitment to the post of Motor Mechanic Vehicle due to a tattoo on his right forearm. The decision was based on the guideline issued by the Union home ministry that allows tattoos on the left forearm or hand depicting religious symbols or names but prohibits them on the right forearm, ostensibly to prevent Western cultural influence and maintain discipline. In his petition, the petitioner stated that if permitted to join the force, he was willing to undergo surgery to have the tattoo removed. “Prima facie we do not understand how the mere presence of a tattoo on the right forearm of a candidate can disqualify him for recruitment to the Forces,” the high court said on Thursday. The matter will be next heard on November 17.
Possible Question
Discuss the constitutional and administrative dimensions of bodily autonomy and personal expression within India’s uniformed services. Should cultural norms influence recruitment standards?
5. Govt: AI to be taught in school from class 3
The Union Education Ministry on Thursday announced that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will become part of the school curriculum from Class 3 onwards, starting from the 2026-27 academic session. The move is aimed at advancing Artificial Intelligence and Computational Thinking (AI & CT) as essential components of future-ready education. A senior official in Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) of the ministry said that the government wants the children to be aware about AI at a foundational level. The department held a stakeholder consultation on Wednesday bringing together expert bodies including CBSE, NCERT, KVS, NVS, and external experts. CBSE has constituted an expert committee chaired by Prof. Karthik Raman, IIT Madras, to develop the AI and CT curriculum. According to the ministry, development of resource materials, handbooks, and digital resources will be completed by December 2025. “AI and CT will reinforce the concept of learning, thinking, and teaching, and will gradually expand towards the idea of AI for public good. This initiative marks a nascent yet significant step towards the ethical use of AI to solve complex challenges, as the technology will be organically embedded from the foundational stage, beginning in Grade 3,” the ministry said in a statement.
Possible Question
Critically analyse the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and Computational Thinking in India’s school curriculum. How can early AI education shape future human capital and address ethical concerns?
Editorial Snapshots
A. Sino-US trade détente, for now
Almost a year after he won the presidency for a second time on the promise of turbocharging the US’s trade, President Donald Trump has arrived at a deal with China. While the details are yet to be worked out, the quid pro quo seems to be a 10-percentage point reduction in US tariffs on Chinese goods to 47% in return for, in order of priority, China agreeing to ease rare earth supplies, agreeing to buy US soybean and cracking down on fentanyl production. The first is likely the most critical component of the trade truce. Global markets will heave a sigh of relief with the deal. Rare earth supplies are essential in making anything that involves electronic components, whether rudimentary or cutting-edge. China almost completely dominates the supplies for these inputs. The latest Sino-US deal also holds lessons for other economies, especially US allies. While Trump invented his protectionist rhetoric targeting China, it is not the country with the highest US tariffs anymore: India and Brazil have higher tariffs than China now. The fact that Trump has agreed to bring down the tariffs faced by Chinese goods by more than a third after China put a squeeze on rare earth supplies also shows that his style of mercantilism is best countered by reverse mercantilism for an absolutely critical input. Not all countries hold such a card vis-à-vis the US. Trump called his meeting with the Chinese president the G2. This is not a term that exists, and Trump’s use of it is clearly signalling that the rest of the world can very well be used as cannon fodder in the great power competition between the US and China.
Possible Question
How does the latest Sino-US trade détente underscore the strategic value of critical minerals such as rare earths in shaping global power equations? In what ways can India secure its technological and supply-chain resilience in this context?
B. Case for inclusive polls in Bangladesh
Former premier Sheikh Hasina’s warning that Awami League supporters will boycott the Bangladesh national elections — scheduled for February next year — if the ban on it is not lifted, has an ominous ring to it. The caretaker administration in Dhaka banned the outfit in May, and thereafter, the election commission withdrew its registration. But an election boycotted by the major Opposition will have only limited legitimacy. Hasina is under probe for the actions of her government in July-August 2024 that allegedly led to the killing of close to 1,400 persons. She fled Dhaka to India when a mass uprising soon after toppled the Awami League government. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, investigating her actions, is expected to deliver its verdict between November 10 and 13, which may well be the reason why Hasina chose to present her side of the story to the international media now. Elections in Bangladesh have been violent and contested affairs in the past. The forces that ousted Hasina in 2024 pledged to reform the polity and turn it more inclusive and democratic — but this has not come to pass. Caretaker administrator Muhammad Yunus’s reaction to Hasina’s poll boycott threat has been to allege that outside forces intend to disrupt elections. The Yunus administration’s resolve to investigate the Hasina government’s omissions is understandable, but it must differentiate between the leader and her party. The Awami League represents a secular-nationalist strand in Bangladesh politics, and its origins predate the birth of that nation in 1971. Bangladesh’s secular identity has been under threat since Hasina’s ouster, and the Yunus administration has embarked on a revisionist project of reimaging the country’s history by encouraging the erasure of Sheikh Mujib from the founding of the nation and rehabilitating outfits that collaborated with Pakistan in waging war against Bengali nationalists. New Delhi has said it is in favour of “free, fair, inclusive and participatory elections”. There’s merit in it.
Possible Question
Analyse the implications of Bangladesh’s ongoing political crisis for regional stability and India’s neighbourhood policy. How can India balance its democratic ideals with its strategic and security interests in Dhaka’s evolving political landscape?
Fact of the day
L&T orders hint at private capex revival in Q2:
Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro Ltd flashed the first signs of a much-awaited recovery in India’s private capital expenditure, reporting a sharp recovery in domestic infrastructure orders in the September quarter. The company’s infrastructure projects segment received domestic orders worth nearly ₹27,400 crore during the quarter, almost 50% more than a year earlier. Domestic order receipts for this business segment crossed the ₹20,000 crore mark after five fiscal quarters. L&T is India’s largest infrastructure developer by a wide margin. “We find that both private sector capital as well as infrastructure investments have shown an uptick. We do believe that the trend would continue going forward,” said R. Shankar Raman, whole-time director and chief financial officer of L&T. On private sector expenditure, he said that while there was an uptick in order receipts during the second quarter, it remains to be seen whether it turns into a trend. Senior government officials have frequently flagged a slowdown in capital expenditure, and have repeatedly nudged companies to invest and grow. Analysts acknowledged that L&T’s numbers paint a promising picture, but at least one analyst has cautioned against jumping to conclusions. Amit Anwani, vice-president and lead analyst for capital goods, industrials and defence sectors at Prabhudas Lilladher, however, said that there was one large order win from the Adani Group for thermal power plants, which he estimates to be worth around ₹20,000 crore. Without this order win, private sector order inflow during the second quarter was normal.
