UPSC Daily Current Affairs for 22 October 2025

Japan Elects First Female Prime Minister

Context

The Prime Minister extended congratulations to Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s newly-elected and first woman Prime Minister.

Similarities and Differences between Indian and Japanese Political Systems

Parliamentary System: India is a parliamentary republic, while Japan is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. In both systems, the Prime Minister is the real executive authority.

India has bicameral Parliament – Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States).

Japan has a bicameral Diet – House of Representatives (Shugiin) and House of Councillors (Sangiin).

Written Constitution & Fundamental Rights: India and Japan possess written constitutions, both constitutions emphasize the protection of fundamental rights and human freedoms.

Lead Exposure: Major Public Health and Economic Threat

In News

New study in Communications Earth & Environment reveals that lead exposure remains a major public health and economic threat.

About

The estimated annual global cost from childhood lead exposure is $3.4 trillion, or over 2% of global GDP (2019), with low- and middle-income countries bearing the brunt due to informal recycling and weak regulations.

Lead production is around 16 million tonnes/year, mainly used in batteries, paints, and consumer goods.

Evolving Dimensions of Poverty in India

Context

Economists from the RBI have updated the poverty line established by the Rangarajan Committee in 2014, for 20 major states of India using the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23.

What is a Poverty Line?

A poverty line is a threshold level of income or consumption used to determine whether an individual or household is poor.

Anyone living below this threshold is considered unable to afford basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, education, and healthcare.

Impact of a Coronal Mass Ejection on the Lunar Exosphere

Context

The Chandrayaan-2 mission has made the first-ever observation of the effects of the Sun's Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on the Moon using its onboard scientific instruments.

About the observation

The finding was made by Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2 (CHACE-2), a payload onboard Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter.

CHACE-2 recorded a sharp rise in total pressure and molecular density in the Moon’s sunlit exosphere.

CMEs are the events when the Sun ejects significant quantities of its building material, comprising mostly Helium and Hydrogen ions.

CAQM Invokes Stage-II of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Entire NCR

In News

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage-II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) as Delhi’s air quality slipped into the “Very Poor” category (AQI 301–400) ahead of winter.

What is GRAP?

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of emergency measures implemented in Delhi-NCR to control air pollution based on the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels.

It was formulated by the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) and enforced by CAQM from 2021.

News in Short – 22 October, 2025

Context

A novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) named MAM01, has demonstrated strong, dose-dependent protection against malaria in an early clinical trial.

What are Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs)?

Monoclonal antibodies are lab-engineered proteins designed to target specific antigens (foreign substances like viruses, bacteria, or cancer cells).

They are derived from a single clone of a B-cell and hence are identical in structure and specificity.

mAbs mimic the natural immune response but are highly specific, making them powerful tools in treating diseases.