CURRENT AFFAIRS

India has recorded a sharp escalation in cyber-enabled financial crimes during 2024–25, particularly a new form of intimidation-based fraud popularly termed as the “digital arrest” scam. Multiple incidents involving losses of several crores, prolonged psychological confinement of victims via video calls, and impersonation of senior law-enforcement or judicial officials have raised serious concerns. Courts and central agencies have taken cognisance of the growing threat, highlighting cyber fraud as not merely an economic crime but a challenge to internal security and public trust.

According to Check Point Software Technologies’ “State of Cyber Security in India 2025” report, Indian organisations faced an average of 2,011 cyberattacks per week in 2025, significantly higher than the global average. The report highlights cloud misconfigurations, infostealer malware, ransomware, and AI-enabled frauds as key drivers behind India’s rapidly escalating cyber threat landscape.

A multi-fold increase in the value of domestic production has enabled India to move beyond being merely an electronics assembly hub toward greater value addition.

Dr. Ambareesh Ghosh of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has been awarded the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences-Tata Sons Transformation Prize for the year 2025. He received this honor for developing magnetic nanobots for targeted cancer therapy, signaling the beginning of a new era in medicine.

India recently conducted a successful test of the K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the nuclear-powered submarine INS Arighaat in the Bay of Bengal.
The test demonstrated India’s ability to strike targets at a distance of around 3,500 km from underwater platforms, significantly strengthening its sea-based nuclear deterrence.

The Indian Navy has received ‘Anjadip’, an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at Chennai. It is the third vessel in the series of eight such ships being inducted to strengthen India’s coastal and littoral defence capabilities.

Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) clarified that eggs available in the country are completely safe for human consumption. The authority termed recent claims linking eggs to the risk of cancer as misleading, devoid of scientific basis, and unnecessarily spreading public fear.

The United States Army and Navy have recently completed integrated testing of the Dark Eagle Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), marking a key milestone in the US effort to deploy operational hypersonic strike capabilities amid intensifying great power competition.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch AST SpaceMobile’s advanced BlueBird Block-2 satellite using its heavy-lift LVM3 rocket on December 24, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, under a commercial agreement facilitated by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

Parliament has passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, fundamentally restructuring India’s nuclear power framework by allowing private participation in nuclear power plant operations and related activities.