UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | June 16 to June 22, 2025

Report

(FYI: The data provided in these reports can be used to substantiate your Mains answer and create a broad understanding of the topic.)

• SIPRI Report

— The latest Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) yearbook said that India has more nuclear warheads than Pakistan, even as China has over three times more warheads than India has.

— India has 180 nuclear stored warheads as of January 2025, while Pakistan has an estimated 170. China has 600 nuclear warheads as of January 2025, of which 24 are deployed warheads or those placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces.

— The SIPRI report also said Russia and the US have the largest military stockpile of the nine nuclear forces at 5,459 and 5,177, respectively, including retired warheads.

• Global Peace Index 2025

— The 10th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025 was released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The report covers 163 countries, comprising 99.7 per cent of the world’s population.

— The report states that there is a deterioration of global peacefulness by 0.36 per cent, marking the 13th deterioration in peacefulness in the last 17 years, with 74 countries improving and 87 deteriorating in peacefulness.

— Iceland continues to lead and set global standards in maintaining its position as the world’s most peaceful country. It is followed by Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Western and Central Asia are the most peaceful regions in the world.

— India ranks 115th globally with a GPI score of 2.229, a 0.58 per cent improvement in its level of peacefulness over the past year. This marks a gradual upward trajectory from its rankings of 116 in 2024, 126 in 2023, 139 in 2020, and 141 in 2019.

• Global Terrorism Index 2025

— The Global Terrorism Index 2025 is released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

— According to the Index, “The number of countries experiencing at least one terrorist incident increased from 58 to 66, the most countries affected since 2018.” Pakistan is among the countries where terrorist activities have increased since 2007.

— India ranked 14th with a score of 6.411. Burkina Faso was at the top with a score of 8.581.

• Global Liveability Index 2025

— According to the recently released Global Liveability Index 2025 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the global average livability score across the 173 cities in the index was the same as last year, at 76.1 out of 100.

— Copenhagen (Denmark) has claimed the top spot to become the world’s most liveable city in 2025, ending Vienna’s three-year dominance by achieving perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure.

— The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Global Liveability Index 2025 assessed 173 cities globally based on 30 indicators divided into several factors like stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education, and infrastructure, to disclose how comfortable these cities are to live in.

— For India, Delhi and Mumbai are jointly placed at 141st, underlining persistent urban challenges such as inadequate public infrastructure, air pollution, and overburdened healthcare.

 

Polity

• Census 2027

— The government has formally announced that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions. This Census will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931.

— The Census process is carried out in two broad phases: the House-listing and Housing Census, followed by the Population Enumeration.

— In the House-listing phase, every structure in the country is visited to record the characteristics of buildings and households. Enumerators collect data on the head of the household, the number of members, on the use of the building (residential, commercial, etc.), the materials used in its construction, the number of rooms, ownership status, sources of water and electricity, the type of toilet, fuel used for cooking, and the availability of assets like TV, phone, vehicle, etc.

— The Population Census is conducted after the housing census. It focuses on individual data: name, age, sex, date of birth, relationship to the head of household, marital status, education, occupation, religion, caste/tribe, disability status, and migration history.

— The 2027 Census will be the first digital census in India’s history, with the use of mobile apps, online self-enumeration, and near-real-time monitoring.

• Tribal welfare schemes

— The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has rolled out a large-scale outreach campaign for the implementation of its welfare schemes in over 500 districts of the country, aiming to cover 1 lakh tribal dominated villages and habitations.

— It aimed at doorstep delivery of two key flagship schemes – Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), launched in 2023, and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, which was launched in 2024.

— The outreach is also part of the Centre’s ongoing year-long celebration of the Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh. The Centre began this celebration on November 15, 2024, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda.

— PM-JANMAN was launched with a focus on particularly vulnerable tribal groups, and the Dharti Aaba scheme was launched as an umbrella initiative aimed at the implementation of welfare measures, with the convergence of 17 line ministries.

International Cooperation

• G7 Summit

— The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15 to 17, 2025.

— Leaders of the Group of Seven countries meeting in Canada signed a joint statement calling for de-escalation of fighting between Israel and Iran while reaffirming that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear bomb.

— PM Modi described his meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney as “fruitful”, stating that the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation in key areas such as trade, energy, space, critical minerals, fertilisers and more. The two leaders “agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability to the relationship” and decided to restore High Commissioners to each other’s capitals.

— The Group of 7 (G7) is an informal group of seven countries that consists of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Together, these countries represent 40% of global GDP and 10% of the world’s population.

What are the guest countries or outreach partners at the G7 summit? Learn more about the history of the G7 here.

MoS MEA Kirti Vardhan Singh welcomes the first group of 110 Indian students evacuated from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI via MEA)

• Operation Sindhu

— India has launched ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as fears of an all-out Israeli-American military strike on Iran increased.

Other Important past rescue operations launched by India

↪ Operation Ajay: In October 2023, as the Israel-Hamas war escalated and countries scrambled to bring home their people trapped in the fighting or looking for a way out of the war zone, India launched Operation Ajay to repatriate its citizens from Israel and Palestine.

↪ Operation Kaveri: In April 27, 2023, India launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate its nationals stuck in Sudan, where an intense conflict had broken out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rival factions of the country’s military government.

↪ Operation Ganga: In 2022, when war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, the government of India had launched Operation Ganga to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine.

• Falcon 2000 planes

— French military aircraft and business jet maker Dassault Aviation will manufacture its best-selling business executive jet—the Falcon 2000—at Nagpur in partnership with the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group company Reliance Aerostructure Ltd (RAL).

— Dassault Aviation will manufacture Falcon 2000 jets outside of France for the first time in its storied history.

— This would be the first-ever instance of a foreign aircraft manufacturer setting up a final assembly line (FAL) in India for civilian aircraft.

— Airbus, in partnership with the Tata group, will also set up an FAL, but it will be for manufacturing helicopters.

• International conventions in the news after the Air India plane crash

Chicago Convention

— The Convention on International Civil Aviation, better known as the Chicago Convention, was signed in 1944 as World War II was drawing to a close.

— The Convention’s technical standards are overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a UN agency based in Montreal. All 193 member countries—including India, the United States, and the United Kingdom—have agreed to follow its rules.

— One of the most important of these is Annex 13, which lays out the international protocols for investigating aircraft accidents and serious incidents. Chapter 5 of Annex 13 outlines the core responsibilities for conducting such investigations. It clarifies that the goal is not to assign blame or liability, but to improve aviation safety by uncovering causes and preventing future accidents.

— According to Chapter 5, the responsibility to investigate an aircraft accident lies with the ‘State of Occurrence’ — the country where the accident took place. In addition, other countries connected to the aircraft have a formal right to participate.

— These include the ‘State of Registry’ (where the aircraft is registered), the ‘State of the Operator’ (which operated the flight), the ‘State of Design’, and the ‘State of Manufacture’ (of the aircraft in question).

Montreal Convention 1999, or MC99

— The Tata Group, which owns the airlines, announced Rs 1 crore compensation to each of the kin of the victims. Air India will have to pay a compensation of around Rs 1.5 crore, as per the Montreal Convention treaty.

— The Montreal Convention 1999, or MC99, is formally known as the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air. It was finalised under the aegis of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

— It provides a comprehensive and unified framework for the international carriage of passengers, baggage, and cargo by air, introducing several elements to balance the interests of travelers and the shippers of cargo and the aviation industry. India signed the Montreal Convention on Civil Aviation in 2009 to become its 91st member.

— As per the Montreal Convention treaty, Air India will have to pay a compensation of around Rs 1.5 crore each to the kin of victims of the plane crash. Air India will get adequate compensation for the lost aircraft from insurance companies.

— Compensation is calculated using Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which stood at 128,821 SDRs (approximately USD 1.33 per SDR) as of October 2024. The actual payout will depend on the coverage purchased by Air India.

 

Environment

The king cobra has so far been considered a monotypic genus, which means the most venomous snake all over the world was thought to be a single species under the genus Ophiophagus.(Express Photo)

• King Cobra

— A king cobra brought to Bhopal’s Van Vihar zoo from Karnataka’s Mangalore zoo in exchange for a tiger died in its enclosure on June 18.

— The king cobra, the world’s longest venomous snake, can grow to 15 feet in length.

— It prefers humid, dark forests with thick undergrowth, cool swamps, and bamboo patches across diverse habitats — from highland evergreen and semi-evergreen forests to estuarine mangroves with high rainfall.

— In India, the king cobra’s range includes the Western Ghats, the North Indian terai belt, Northeast India, the mangrove coastlines of West Bengal and Odisha, Andaman and Nicobar, and parts of the Eastern Ghats.

— The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is placed under the “vulnerable” category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (Ophio means snake, phagus stands for eating).

— New research by a wildlife biologist has found that the king cobra has four different lineages which are geographically separate and are found in the Western Ghats, Indo-Chinese region, Indo-Malayan region and Luzon in the Philippines.

• Bonn Climate Change Conference

— The annual Bonn Climate Change Conference began in Bonn, Germany. It will continue from June 16 to June 26.

— It is an annual mid-year meeting that takes place under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — an international agreement, signed in 1992, that has provided a basis for climate negotiations.

— The conference is formally known as the Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs). Along with the annual Conference of the Parties (COP), it is the only other regular climate summit hosted by the UNFCCC.

— It is attended by the members of SBs — essentially committees that assist UNFCCC’s governing bodies in implementing and reviewing climate change agreements.

— The meeting is led by the SBs of the UNFCCC. There are two permanent SBs of the UNFCCC, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).

— SBI assists UNFCCC governing bodies in the assessment and review of the implementation of their decisions. It also facilitates discussions on financial and technical support to developing countries which are party to the UNFCCC.

— SBSTA advises governing bodies on scientific knowledge related to climate change. “It serves as the ‘link’ between scientific advisors at the IPCC and policymakers serving in party delegations at the COPs.”

Oarfish is rarely seen by humans due to its deep-water habitat. (Source: Instagram/The Ocean and X/@chinchat09)

• Oarfish

— A rare oarfish, ominously dubbed the ‘doomsday fish’ in Japanese folklore, was recently caught off the Tamil Nadu coast.

— Oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is the world’s longest bony fish, which can reach lengths of up to 36 feet (11 meters). They typically inhabit the mesopelagic zone, dwelling 660 to 3,300 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, where sunlight barely penetrates.

— The silvery, ribbon-like fish with its distinctive red crest-like dorsal fin is rarely seen by humans due to its deep-water habitat. They are thin and slow due to their lack of muscles and generally swim vertically in the ocean.

— The ‘doomsday fish’ reputation stems from ancient Japanese folklore, where oarfish are called ‘ryugu no tsukai,’ meaning ‘messenger from the sea god’s palace.’

• Green India Mission (GIM)

— The Centre, on June 17, released a revised roadmap for the National Mission for Green India, also known as the Green India Mission (GIM).

— In addition to the core objectives of increasing and restoring forest and green cover, the mission will focus on restoration in the Aravalli ranges, Western Ghats, Himalayas and mangroves.

— GIM was rolled out in 2014 as one of the eight missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Its core aim is to combat climate change by increasing forest and tree cover, and the ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems and forests.

 

Persons in News

(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)

• Amitabh Kant

— Amitabh Kant has stepped down as India’s G20 Sherpa, ending a 45-year career in government service.

— Kant served as NITI Aayog’s longest-tenured CEO, holding the post for over six years from February 2016 to June 2022, before being appointed India’s G20 Sherpa in July 2022, succeeding Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

Blaise Metrewali joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999. (AP Photos)

•  Blaise Metreweli

— For the first time in its 116-year-old male-coded history, Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, will be led by a woman, Blaise Metreweli. She qualifies to be the 18th Chief in the organisation.

— The first chief of the SIS, Sir Mansfield Cumming, frequently signed his directives with the letter C, giving birth to a codename that remains in use till date.

— Referred to as ‘C’, the Chief possesses operational responsibility for MI6, and is accountable to the Foreign Secretary, according to the government release.

— ‘C’ is also a part of the Joint Intelligence Committee, alongside heads of other departments and senior government officials. It receives intelligence reports, analyses ongoing situations and advises the prime minister

MI6: Military Intelligence Section 6, officially the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), is the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, tasked with the collection, analysis, and dissemination of foreign intelligence, as well as conducting espionage activities outside British territory.

 

Places in News

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

• Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki

— Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located in south-central Indonesia, erupted on Tuesday (17th June), sending massive columns of ash high into the sky. It is located in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province.

— According to Volcano World, Lewotobi is a stratovolcano with a recorded history of at least 19 eruptions between 1675 and 1991. A stratovolcano is a massive volcano made of layers of lava, ash, and other components.

Awards

• Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 

— The Sahitya Akademi on June 18, 2025, announced the names of 23 writers for its ‘Yuva Puraskar’. No award is given in the Dogri language this year.

— The awardees include Advait Kottary in English, Parvati Tirkey in Hindi, Neha Rubab in Urdu, Latshmihar for Tamil and Prasad Suri for Telugu.

• Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar 

— The Akademi announced the names of 24 authors for its Bal Sahitya Puraskar.

— In English, Nitin Kushalappa MP won the award. Similarly, for Hindi and Urdu, the award was given to Sushil Shukla and Ghazanfar Iqbal, respectively.

About Sahitya Akademi

— The Sahitya Akademi was established by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was also its first chairperson, and was inaugurated on March 12, 1954.

— Every year, the Akademi announces awards for authors of works of outstanding literary merit in Indian languages.

— Awards are currently given for 24 languages; the most recent additions being Bodo and Santhali in 2005. Awards in English began in 1960 — the first recipient was R.K. Narayan for his novel The Guide.

 

Sports

(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)

Neeraj Chopra’s first throw of 88.16m won him the Paris Diamond League 2025 event. (Diamond League)

• Paris Diamond League 2025

— Indian javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra won the Paris Diamond League 2025 with a throw of 88.16m.

— Germany’s Julian Weber finished second with the throw of 87.88m.

• 2025 ISSF World Cup, Munich

— India team won a total of four medals – two gold and two bronze – which saw them end in third spot at the overall standings behind the People’s Republic of China and Norway.

 

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(1) Consider the following statements:

1. India is ranked 115 in the Global Peace Index 2025 released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

2. In the Global Terrorism Index 2025, India is ranked 114th.

3. The Global Liveability Index is released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

(2) With reference to the G7, consider the following statements: 

1. It is a formal grouping of advanced democracies that meets annually to coordinate global economic policy and address other transnational issues.

2. The presidency of G7 meetings is held by each of the seven countries in turn, along with the European Union.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

(3) Consider the following pairs:

For your suggestions, write to khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.com

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