Current Affairs 22 October 2025
Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter
It is a neutral gas mass spectrometer to study the composition of the lunar neutral exosphere in the mass range 1–300 AMU (atomic mass unit). CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona (the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere). Causes: This is often associated with solar flares and active sunspot regions where magnetic fields are strong and twisted.
Japan Elects First Female Prime Minister
Japan has elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female Prime Minister reflecting a gradual shift toward inclusivity and gender balance.
Similarities between the Indian and Japanese political systems
- Written constitutions: India’s constitution is the lengthiest in the world, while Japan has a small constitution with utmost 5000 word.
- Parliamentary Democracies: Both are parliamentary democracies with a Prime Minister as the real executive head.
- Bicameral Legislatures: Japan’s National Diet consists of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, while India’s Parliament comprises the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
- Fundamental Rights: In Japan, Chapter III (Articles 10–40) guarantees equality, liberty, and human dignity, while in India, Part III (Article 12-35) ensures 6 fundamental rights.
- Other: Independent judiciary, Universal Adult Franchise, Constitutional Supremacy etc.
Italy’s births are set to sink to a new record low in 2025.
Italy (Capital: Rome)
Political Features
- Located in South-central Europe on the Apennine Peninsula.
- It is positioned both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth.
- Land Borders: Switzerland and Austria in the north, Slovenia in the northeast and with France in the northwest.
- Water Borders: Southern boundary extends into the Mediterranean Sea (South), Adriatic Sea (east), Ionian Sea (southeast), Ligurian Sea, and Tyrrhenian Sea (west).
The Supreme Court Bench ordered the Jharkhand government to give an undertaking to notify a new wildlife sanctuary in Saranda.
About Saranda Forest
- It is the largest Sal forest in Asia located in Jharkhand.
- Sal Tree is a moist deciduous tree.
- Saranda means ‘the land of seven hundred hills’.
- Fauna: It is home to endangered species of flying lizards and elephants.
- Flora: Sal, Kusum, mushroom, Mahua etc.
- Nearly 80% of the human population belongs to Ho, Munda, Oraon and some primitive tribes.
Central government has issued a gazette notification listing gallantry award citations for defence personnel.
About Gallantry Awards
- Objective: Recognitions given for acts of bravery, valour or self-sacrifice both during wartime and peacetime.
- Background: First three gallantry awards namely Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted by the Government of India on 26th January, 1950
- These were deemed to have effect from the 15th August, 1947.
- Ashok Chakra Class First, Ashok Chakra Class Second & Ashok Chakra Class Third were instituted in 1952.
- Ashok Chakra Class First, Second, and Third were renamed as Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra, respectively in January 1967.
- These awards are announced twice in a year (Republic Day and Independence Day).
Tamil Nadu’s newly notified reserve forest in Gudalur hills is covered in violet kurinji flowers, blooming after 8 years.
About Kurinji Flowers
- Kurinji plants flowers only once in a lifetime.
- The more famous Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) blooms once every 12 years at relatively higher altitudes (>1,300 m).
- Prominent Location: Shola Forest, Western Ghats.
- Kurinji flowering indicates healthy grasslands; disturbances cause patchy blooms.
- Acts as a barometer of biodiversity and climate change.
Fiji has officially become the 26th country worldwide to eliminate trachoma as a public health concern.
About Trachoma Disease:
- Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.
- Cause: By Chlamydia trachomatis Bacteria,
- Spread: Via personal contact, contaminated surfaces, and flies exposed to eye or nasal discharge.
- Repeated infections cause eyelid scarring, inward-turning eyelids, and eventual blindness.
- Endemic in vulnerable communities with limited clean water and sanitation access.
- India has successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.
