SIPRI Yearbook 2025 Report

Context: The 56th edition of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) yearbook has been released recently.

• The SIPRI Yearbook is a compendium of cutting-edge information and analysis on developments in armaments, disarmament and international security.

Key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2025

• Total Global Inventory: 9 nuclear countries possess an estimated 12241 nuclear  warheads in January 2025.
  • Nuclear Countries: The United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel
• Trend: A clear trend of  intensive nuclear modernization programmes, growing nuclear arsenals and the abandonment of arms control agreements is being witnessed in 2024.
  • Russia and the US have the largest military stockpile with 5,459 and 5,177 warheads respectively, including retired warheads.
• Arms Import: 162 states were recipients of major arms in 2020-24 and the five largest arms recipients were,
  • Ukraine, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan account for 35 per cent of the total arms imports.

Highlights of Report on India

• Expansion: India has slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and possesses a total of 180 nuclear stored warheads as of January 2025
  • Pakistan has an estimated 170 nuclear weapons whereas China has 600 nuclear warheads as of January 2025.
• India’s focus is on developing new types of nuclear delivery systems.
  • The New ‘Canisterised’ Missiles: It can be transported with mated warheads and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational.

Flipkart Secures NBFC license from RBI

Context: Flipkart, India’s biggest e-commerce company, has received a lending license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The approval was granted in March 2025.

What is an NBFC?

• An NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company) is a finance company that offers services similar to banks but doesn’t have a banking licence.
• It can give loans and provide credit, but cannot accept regular deposits like a bank savings account.
• Regulated by the RBI under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, which ensures safe and fair financial practices.
• They do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself.
• Significance of the License for Flipkart
  • First large e-commerce player in India to get an NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company) license.
  • This allows Flipkart to offer loans directly to customers, instead of partnering with banks or other lenders.
    • it can now directly finance customer purchases, especially for EMI and installment-based payments.

Arc Therapy

Context: A team of U.S. experts has successfully used a new proton therapy technique called Step-and-Shoot Spot-Scanning Proton Arc Therapy (SPArc) for the first time to treat a patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma (a type of cancer).

About Step-and-Shoot Spot-Scanning Proton Arc Therapy

• SPArc is a type of radiation therapy. 
• It precisely targets tumors with proton beams while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
• Two Types of SPArc:
  • Step-and-Shoot SPArc: The machine follows a pre-programmed pattern to deliver radiation. This is the one successfully used on the patient.
  • Fully Dynamic SPArc: This is a more advanced, computer-simulated version where the radiation dose and delivery point are constantly adjusted. 
    • While it performed slightly better, it’s still in development and not yet available for patient use. The difference in performance between the two was small.
• Advantages of SPArc
  • Ideal for complex tumors, such as those near the skull base, where precise radiation delivery is critical.
  • Suitable for large tumors, allowing accurate targeting with minimal damage to surrounding tissues.

India’s Trade Deficit

Context: India’s overall trade deficit in May has narrowed to $6.6 billion, down nearly 30% over its level in May 2024.

Trade Statistics in May 2025

• Released by:  the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• India’s Total Exports: It witnessed a 2.8% growth to $71.1 billion in May 2025, up from $69.2 billion in May 2024.
  • The Services Sector saw exports growing to 9.4% to $32.4 billion.
  • Merchandise exports contracted 2.2% in May 2025 to $38.7 billion due to the fall in global oil prices.
    • India’s non-petroleum exports grew 5.1% in May 2025.
• Merchandise Imports: Total imports contracted 1% in May 2025 largely due to a fall in oil prices 
  • Merchandise Imports: The total imports contracted 1.7% in May 2025 whereas the non-petroleum imports grew 10% in the same month. 
  • Services imports grew 1.5%.

About Trade Deficit

• A trade deficit also referred to as a negative balance of trade (BOT) occurs when a country’s imports exceed its exports. 
• A trade deficit can be calculated on different categories of transactions ie. merchandise, services, goods and services.

ICC World Test Championship (WTC)

Context: South Africa clinched a historic World Test Championship victory against Australia at Lord’s, ending a 27-year ICC trophy wait.

About the World Test Championship

• The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is a league competition for Test cricket, introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC). 
• Cycle Duration: The WTC runs over a two-year period, featuring a league stage followed by a final.  
• Teams: Nine full ICC members participate (Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh).  
• Points System: 
  • Win = 12 points
  • Draw = 4 points
  • Tie = 6 points
  • Loss = 0 points
  • Rankings are based on percentage of points won (PCT) to account for varying series lengths.
  • This means that series of different lengths still contribute equally to the overall points, making sure teams are not disadvantaged by playing shorter series.
• Qualification for Final: The top two teams in the points table at the end of the cycle qualify for the WTC Final, a one-off Test match at a neutral venue.  
  • If the final ends in a draw or tie, the trophy is shared.  
• Past Winners:  
  • 2019–2021: New Zealand beat India
  • 2021–2023: Australia beat India 
• The current champion (2023–2025 cycle) is South Africa, who defeated Australia in the final

India Designated as Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility

Context: India’s ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, has been designated as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility (RHF) for a one-year term by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and FAO during the 92nd WOAH General Session in Paris.

About Rinderpest/Cattle plague

• Viral Disease: It was a highly contagious viral disease that affected cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals like buffalo, sheep, and goats.
• Genus: It belongs to the Morbillivirus genus, related to measles and canine distemper viruses.
• Transmission: No insect vector and transmission is strictly animal-to-animal through respiratory secretions, urine, and feces. It caused high mortality (up to 90%)
• Eradication: It was officially declared eradicated in 2011 following the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme initiated by the FAO in 1994, making it the second disease ever eradicated globally, after smallpox.

Significance For India

• India is now one of only six facilities globally entrusted with securely holding rinderpest virus material.
  • The other five facilities are located in the UK, USA, France, Japan, and Ethiopia.
  • RHFs ensure safe containment, preventing accidental release and protecting global livestock from any potential re-emergence of the virus.

About  World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

• It is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1924, coordinating, supporting and promoting animal disease control.

Kuki-Zo Groups

Context: The Kuki-Zo insurgent groups and the Ministry of Home Affairs have reached an understanding on closure of seven camps close to Meitei areas in Manipur.

About Kuki Zo Groups

• The Kuki-Zo are an ethno-linguistic tribal group in the Northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, as well as the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
  • The Chin people of Myanmar and the Mizo people of Mizoram are kindred tribes of the Kukis and are collectively known as the Zo people.
• Language: They speak languages belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family.
• Society: Their society is traditionally clan-based and many follow Christianity, introduced during British colonial rule.
• Agricultural Practice: Kukis traditionally engaged in shifting or Jhum cultivation.
• Institutions: The Kukis have a rich cultural heritage, with institutions like Sawm and Lawm.
  • Sawm is a community center for boys where they learn under the guidance of elders.
  • Lawm is a youth club that fosters social activities and practical skills.
• Background: In May, 2023, ethnic violence broke out between the Kuki-Zo (hill tribes) and Meitei (valley-based majority) communities in Manipur.
• Main Demands:
  • Pre-2023: Autonomy through Kuki Territorial Council.
  • Post-2023 Violence: Separate Union Territory with Legislative Assembly for Kuki-Zo areas in Manipur.

New Tech Platforms Unveiled in Disaster Management

Context: Recently, the Union Home Minister unveiled three major technology platforms to improve the speed and precision of disaster management.

The three platforms are

• Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER)
  • Objective: To enable real-time, technology-driven coordination for nationwide disaster response.
  • Features:
    • Streams satellite data to rescue agencies.
    • Facilitates prompt and informed decision-making.
    • Enhances nationwide situational awareness.
• National Database for Emergency Management Lite 2.0 (NDEM Lite 2.0)
  • Objective: To provide a lightweight, accessible platform for disaster response units across the country.
  • Features:
    • Real-time data sharing for coordinated action.
    • Accessible even in remote locations.
    • Ensures unified response across agencies.
• Flood Hazard Zonation Atlas of Assam
  • Objective: To support flood mitigation and planning through a scientific mapping of flood-prone areas in Assam.
  • Features:
    • Satellite-based analysis of flood zones.
    • Assists in regulating floodplain development.
    • Supports disaster plans, resilient farming, and crop insurance.

Simhachalam Temple

Context: Facing roof leaks unresolved by modern methods, the Simhachalam temple is being restored using traditional construction materials like lime, jaggery, and Arabic gum.

About the Temple

• Location: Simhachalam, Visakhapatnam mandal, Andhra Pradesh.
• Altitude: Situated at 244 meters above sea level on the Simhachalam hill range.
• Etymology: Simhachalam means “Hill of the Lion”, referring to Narasimha (man-lion avatar of Vishnu).

Mythological and Historical Significance

• Sthalapurana:
  • Built by Prahlada, saved by Vishnu at Mount Simhadri.
  • Rediscovered and rebuilt by Emperor Pururava of the Lunar Dynasty.
• Deity: Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy – an incarnation of Vishnu combining Varaha and Narasimha
• Image: Small idol kept covered with sandal paste, revealed once a year during Chandanotsavam (May).

Inscriptions and Dynastic Patronage

• Total Inscriptions: As per government epigraphist’s lists for 1899, temple has at least 125 inscriptions, making it a valuable historical archive for the region
  

Architectural Features

• Material: Predominantly dark granite
• Style: Fusion of Dravidian and regional styles
• Key Features:
  • Square shrine with a high tower (vimana) and portico
  • Mukhamandapam: 16-pillar granite hall with rich floral carvings and Vishnu Purana scenes
  • Natyamandapam: 96-pillared black stone hall for the deity’s celestial wedding
  • Kappa Stambham (tribute pillar): Believed to have healing powers
  • Stone chariot with carved horses and wheels in the outer veranda

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