Ethics in Public Administration & Corporate Governance

A newspaper analysis has argued that artificial intelligence, autonomy and algorithmic warfare are rapidly reshaping modern battlefields, with examples from Ukraine, West Asia and emerging US autonomous aircraft programmes showing how software, drones, sensors and real-time data are compressing the military decision cycle. The issue is important for UPSC because it links AI warfare, national security, drone swarms, defence indigenisation, cyber warfare, space-based surveillance, start-up-led innovation and the ethics of autonomous weapons.

The Delhi High Court has held that private media organisations may be amenable to writ jurisdiction under Article 226 when they perform a public function and violate a person’s right to privacy. The verdict arose from a broadcast that revealed details capable of identifying a minor survivor of sexual abuse and has triggered a debate on press freedom, privacy, horizontal application of fundamental rights and possible chilling effects on journalism.

An Indian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, Disha, has become the first Indian merchant vessel in nearly two months to transit the Strait of Hormuz, following the announcement of a provisional US-Iran ceasefire deal that is expected to reopen the world's most important oil chokepoint. The transit, carrying Qatari LNG for India, has refocused attention on India's deep dependence on West Asian energy and on the vulnerability of a single maritime corridor. This article explains the geography of the Strait of Hormuz, the 2026 West Asia war that triggered its closure, why the chokepoint is critical for India's crude, LNG and LPG supplies, the international law on straits under UNCLOS, India's response through naval and diplomatic action, and the structural options to reduce this dependence.

A recent Indian Express interview with lawyer and anthropologist Petra Molnar discussed the AI Resist List and warned that AI-led growth narratives can hide issues of invisible labour, data extraction, surveillance, digital infrastructure and democratic accountability. The debate is significant for India as it expands the IndiaAI Mission, data centres, AI compute capacity and digital public infrastructure.

The Reserve Bank of India has revived a 2013-style FCNR(B) swap facility to attract foreign currency deposits from non-resident Indians, support dollar inflows and reduce pressure on the rupee. The move comes amid external-sector concerns, including rupee volatility, global uncertainty and the need to strengthen India’s Balance of Payments position.

The United States has directed Anthropic to suspend access to its latest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for foreign nationals on national-security grounds, forcing the company to disable the models for all users. The issue is important for UPSC because it links frontier AI, export controls, cybersecurity risks, technological sovereignty, global AI governance and India’s need to build indigenous AI capacity.

Anthropic has released Claude Fable 5, a publicly available version of its more powerful Mythos-class AI model, while keeping Claude Mythos 5 restricted for selected trusted users because of risks in cybersecurity, biology, chemistry and model misuse. The issue is important for UPSC because it links frontier AI, dual-use technology, cyber security, data protection, responsible innovation, IndiaAI Mission and global AI governance.

The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets from 3 to 5 June 2026, with most economists expecting the repo rate to be held at 5.25% for a third straight time even as the West Asia conflict, rising crude oil prices, a weak rupee and foreign capital outflows push up inflation risks. This article explains the RBI's monetary policy framework, the repo rate, flexible inflation targeting, the MPC, the growth-versus-inflation trade-off, and how a global oil shock transmits to India's economy — everything an aspirant needs for Prelims and Mains.

On March 27, 2026, the government introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha. The bill seeks to amend 79 central acts administered by 23 ministries and proposes to decriminalise 717 minor procedural offences while removing or changing 67 more provisions. This is the second edition of the Jan Vishwas initiative after the 2023 Act. Congress members raised strong objections during introduction, but the government rejected them, saying there is no precedent for sending such bills to a parliamentary committee at this stage.

The Trump administration has ramped up military and intelligence operations against Venezuela, including authorizing CIA covert actions, deploying forces in the Caribbean Sea, and offering a $50 million bounty for President Nicolas Maduro's arrest on drug trafficking charges. This escalation, framed as a fight against drugs and migration, comes amid accusations that Maduro's regime is illegitimate following disputed elections, raising fears of a potential US-led regime change similar to past interventions in Latin America.