09.06.25

Nanozyme Anticoagulant

• Researchers at IISc. developed a metal-based nanozyme to combat abnormal blood clotting. This is significant because it offers a potential treatment for dangerous conditions like pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) and thrombosis.
• Abnormal clotting occurs when platelets over-activate, often triggered by increased oxidative stress and toxic Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in conditions like PTE or Covid-19. This over-activation leads to excessive and dangerous clot formation.
• The developed nanozyme, a nanomaterial mimicking natural enzymes, works by scavenging ROS. This is key as it prevents the over-activation of platelets, thus controlling abnormal clot formation.
• Spherical vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) nanozymes proved most effective, mimicking a natural antioxidant enzyme called glutathione peroxidase. Their unique chemistry helps reduce oxidative stress.
• Testing in a mouse model of PTE showed the nanozyme significantly reduced thrombosis and increased survival rates without immediate signs of toxicity. This provides preclinical evidence of its effectiveness and safety.
• The researchers plan to explore its use for ischemic stroke and are hopeful about potential human clinical studies based on successful experiments with human platelets. This indicates potential for broad clinical application.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

• Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) completes a decade, why: marking its significant role in redefining higher education’s engagement with rural development.
• Aims to leverage higher education institutions (HEIs) resources for rural transformation, why: crucial as 70% of India lives in rural areas with agriculture contributing disproportionately low to GDP.
• Coordinated by IIT Delhi, involving 4,000+ institutions and 19,000+ villages, why: showing its extensive national reach and collaborative approach.
• Focuses on key areas like organic agriculture, water, healthcare, rural crafts, and e-governance, why: addressing fundamental challenges in rural communities.
• Emphasizes “Village Adhyayan” and Participatory Learning (bottom-up planning), why: ensuring solutions are based on local needs and wisdom, not imposed from above.
• Notable successes include IIT Delhi’s lemongrass cultivation (boosting income) and NIT Manipur’s water purifier (providing clean water), why: demonstrating tangible impact on livelihoods and health.
• UBA 2.0 (since 2018) uses a Challenge Mode, requiring HEIs to adopt villages voluntarily, why: significantly expanding scale and reach compared to the earlier Invitation Mode (UBA 1.0).
• Forged strategic partnerships with multiple ministries and institutions, why: integrating efforts and leveraging diverse expertise for effective implementation.
• Aims to transform higher education by moving beyond classrooms to engage directly with rural realities, why: fostering scholars attuned to rural needs and promoting action-oriented research.
• Rooted in contrasting ideas of Gandhi (village independence) and Ambedkar (caste oppression), why: reflecting the complex history and aspirations guiding India’s rural development efforts.

Food Safety Day 2025

• World Food Safety Day 2025 Theme: “Food Safety: Science in Action.”
  • Why: Highlights the shift towards a science-based approach to food safety, especially in India, moving away from a simple adulteration focus.
• India’s Evolution: From the outdated Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act (binary view, no risk assessment) to the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, establishing FSSAI.
  • Why: The PFA Act was insufficient; the FSS Act adopted a risk-based framework aligned with global standards (Codex Alimentarius), incorporating MRLs, ADI, etc., essential for modern food safety.
• Challenges in India: Lack of India-specific scientific data, ineffective risk communication (confusing labels like FOPL, INR), outdated regulations (MSG), large informal sector, slow response to emerging risks (AMR, GMOs), rise of processed foods, and misleading advertising.
  • Why: These gaps weaken the scientific basis of standards, confuse consumers, hinder enforcement, and impact public health. The MSG rule, for instance, contradicts global science.
• Needed Reforms: Strengthen labelling (mandatory FOPL), curb misleading ads (empower FSSAI), improve surveillance, mainstream the informal sector, promote healthy diets, and tackle emerging risks.
  • Why: To ensure consumers make informed choices, enforce standards effectively, improve compliance, promote public health, and adapt to new threats, making the system truly science-based and consumer-centric.
• Overall Significance: Food safety is a public health imperative and a fundamental right.
  • Why: Requires multi-sectoral reforms beyond just penalties to empower consumers and build a truly safe and nourishing food system, reflecting the “Science in Action” theme.

Etna

• Mount Etna, Europe’s largest and most active volcano (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), erupted on June 2, 2025, putting on a fiery show.
• The eruption, the 14th recent phase, involved a collapsed part of the southeast crater resulting in hot lava flows and sent a smoke and ash cloud several kilometers high.
• Initially called a Strombolian eruption, the high ash plume caused some experts to suggest it might have been a more explosive Plinian eruption.
• Officials confirmed no danger to the population as the lava flows did not pass the natural containment area, and the danger was confined to the summit area which was closed.
• The volcanic activity led to a raised alert at Catania airport but no immediate flight interruptions; the ash cloud emission ended by the afternoon.
• Tremors from the eruption were widely felt in nearby towns and villages, and the visual event was captured and shared widely online.

Global Economic Outlook 2025

World Economic Situation and Prospects-2025 is in news because its mid-2025 update revised India’s GDP growth forecast down to 6.3% for 2025. The report, by UNDESA and others, gives global/regional economic outlooks.

• India’s Growth Still Highest: Despite a downward revision to 6.3% for 2025 (from 6.6% previously, and down from 7.1% in 2024), India remains the fastest-growing major economy globally, projected to reach 6.4% in 2026.
• Inflation Manageable: Inflation is expected to decrease to 4.3% in 2025, staying within RBI’s target range, indicating effective monetary policy.
• Key Growth Drivers: India’s growth is driven by strong manufacturing GVA, record total exports (especially services and non-petroleum merchandise), and increased defence exports showing rising global trust.
• Global Slowdown: Global GDP growth is projected to slow to 2.4% in 2025 due to various factors including tariffs, policy uncertainty (US), weak demand, export disruptions, and real estate stress (China).
• Other Economies Face Challenges: Many Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face downgrades or declining growth due to factors like tepid trade, falling investment, commodity price volatility, reduced aid, and debt risks.
• Persistent Issues: High food inflation (driven by climate shocks, trade protectionism, etc.) remains a global issue affecting food security for millions, with countries like India particularly vulnerable due to food being a large share of spending.
• Rising Global Risks: Increased trade tensions and US tariffs are causing a “tariff shock,” raising costs, disrupting supply chains, and disproportionately harming developing economies, weakening multilateralism.

New UNSC Members

• UN General Assembly elected Bahrain, Colombia, DRC, Latvia, and Liberia as non-permanent members of the UNSC for a 2-year term starting Jan 1, 2026.
• Why: These countries will join the UNSC, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, bringing their regional perspectives and contributing to global governance for their term.
• They will serve alongside members elected in 2024 (Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, Somalia).
• Why: Ensures continuity and rotation of non-permanent members representing various regions.
• Pakistan will chair the UNSC 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee in 2025 and be vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee during its 2025-26 term.
• Why: Assigns specific roles to elected non-permanent members, giving them influence and responsibility over critical security issues like counter-terrorism and sanctions enforcement related to Afghanistan.
• The UNSC is the UN body primarily responsible for international peace and security, with 5 permanent members (P5) with veto power and 10 non-permanent members elected for 2 years by the UNGA based on regional distribution.
• Why: Provides context on the structure and function of the body these countries are joining.
• Decisions of the UNSC are obligatory for UN member states.
• Why: Highlights the unique authority of the UNSC within the UN system.
• The 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee monitors targeted sanctions against individuals and entities associated with the Taliban threatening Afghanistan’s stability.
• Why: Explains the specific mandate of the committee Pakistan will chair, showing its relevance to current security challenges.

Stratosphere Injection

• Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) is a proposed geoengineering technique to cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight back into space.
• It is inspired by the cooling effect observed after large volcanic eruptions like Mount Pinatubo.
• SAI involves injecting small reflective particles (like sulfate aerosols) into the stratosphere (10-50 km altitude).
• Particles stay in the stratosphere for months to years, scattering solar radiation and increasing Earth’s reflectivity (albedo).
• Recent research explores lower-altitude (around 13 km) SAI in polar regions using existing aircraft, making it potentially faster and cheaper than high-altitude methods requiring specialized planes.
• This lower-altitude approach might require injecting significantly more aerosols (e.g., 12-21 million tonnes/year for 0.6-1°C cooling) compared to higher-altitude injections.
• SAI only masks warming; it does not address the root cause of climate change (greenhouse gas emissions).
• Associated risks include potential damage to the ozone layer, acid rain, uneven cooling (more pronounced in polar regions), alteration of precipitation/monsoon patterns, and disruption of stratospheric chemistry.
• The effects are global, making it controversial due to potential geopolitical and governance challenges; a moratorium on R&D has been called for by some groups.

Energy Investment 2025

• Record Global Investment: Total energy investment is set to hit a record $3.3 trillion in 2025, with clean energy attracting $2.2 trillion (twice fossil fuels’ $1.1 trillion). Why: Shows a significant shift towards cleaner sources driven by emission reduction efforts, energy security concerns, and cost competitiveness.
• Clean Energy Dominance: Spending on low-emissions power nearly doubled in five years, led by solar ($450 billion), sharp rise in battery storage ($65 billion), and significant growth in nuclear (50% increase to $75 billion). Why: Highlights the accelerating deployment of key technologies crucial for the energy transition.
• China’s Outsized Role: China accounts for over 25% of global energy investments in 2025, equalling the US and EU combined, and leads in both clean and fossil fuel infrastructure spending. Why: Demonstrates China’s massive influence on global energy markets and its dual focus on clean energy and energy security (including coal).
• Developing Countries Face Barriers: While global clean energy investment surges, developing countries like those in Africa struggle to mobilise capital due to currency depreciation, high interest rates, and debt servicing costs. Africa accounts for only 2% of clean energy investment despite 20% of the world population. Why: Shows unequal progress in the energy transition and highlights financial challenges hindering climate goals in vulnerable regions.
• India’s Mixed Picture: India significantly increased renewable power investment ($13bn to $37bn) and other clean sources, but fossil fuel investment also rose, and grid/storage investment declined ($31bn to $25bn). High cost of capital remains a challenge. Why: Reflects India’s efforts to diversify its energy mix for security and demand growth, but also persistent reliance on fossil fuels and infrastructure bottlenecks.
• Persistent Fossil Fuel Investment: Oil exploration investment drops, but LNG is rising sharply, and coal investment remains strong, with China approving significant new capacity. Why: Indicates ongoing investments in fossil fuels despite clean energy growth, driven by energy security concerns and regional dynamics, posing challenges to rapid decarbonisation.
• Lagging Grid Investment: While generation investment nears $1 trillion, grid spending lags at $400 billion, a gap widening due to material costs and permitting issues. Why: Grid infrastructure is critical to integrate renewables, and underinvestment risks slowing down the clean energy transition and impacting reliability.

NCC India

• Expansion of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) by three lakh cadets has been announced by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth. This is news because it signifies a major growth initiative for the world’s largest uniformed youth organization, requiring significant effort in terms of infrastructure development and state support.
• The announcement was made at a conference in Bhopal on June 03, 2025, highlighting the government’s commitment to strengthening the NCC’s role in nation-building and youth development.
• Several states have already agreed to support the expansion, indicating a collaborative effort needed to implement this plan, which involves securing manpower, infrastructure, and funding.
• Recent NCC initiatives were highlighted, including the inclusion of Ex-Servicemen as instructors, providing employment opportunities for veterans. This is news as it introduces a new operational change and benefits scheme.
• The NCC’s active participation in national campaigns like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Nasha Mukti Abhiyan was lauded, showcasing its current relevance and contribution beyond military training.
• The successful summit by the NCC Mount Everest Expedition team was also mentioned, demonstrating the cadets’ courage and training effectiveness.