{"id":62344,"date":"2025-12-22T18:48:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T13:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=62344"},"modified":"2025-12-23T13:01:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T07:31:30","slug":"news-in-short-22-12-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-12-2025\/news-in-short-22-12-2025","title":{"rendered":"News In Short 22-12-2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Chillai-Kalan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kashmir is currently under the grip of &#8216;<strong>Chillai-Kalan&#8217;.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u2018Chilai Kalan\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is\u00a0 the coldest phase of winter in Kashmir, starts on December 21 and ends on January 31.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 40-day \u2018Chilai Kalan\u2019 is followed by a 20-day-long \u2018Chillai-Khurd\u2019 (small cold) and a 10-day-long \u2018Chillai-Bachha\u2019 (baby cold).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Relevance&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Heavy snowfall during Chillai Kalan replenishes water reservoirs in the higher reaches, sustaining rivers, streams and lakes during the summer months.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A poor snow season can lead to water stress later in the year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/kashmir-sees-fresh-spell-of-snowfall-as-chillai-kalan-begins-watch-videos-101766292035565.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>HT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>NAAT Testing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As the National Blood Transfusion Bill, 2025 gets introduced in Parliament, patients recount <strong>how unsafe screening changed their lives<\/strong> and why <strong>screening donor blood should be mandatory.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is mandatory by law for all blood banks to test for <strong>five key transfusion transmissible infections:<\/strong> HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and malaria.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However it is that most blood banks across the country use <strong>ELISA-tests and not NAAT tests for screening.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>NAAT (A Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests)&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A NAAT test is a molecular diagnostic test that <strong>detects the genetic material (DNA or RNA) of a pathogen.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Uses:<\/strong> COVID-19 diagnosis, Tuberculosis (CBNAAT\/TrueNat) HIV, Hepatitis B &amp; C, STIs (Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea) diagnosis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advantages:<\/strong> It detects infection early, has been a gold standard for many diseases and is highly reliable for confirmation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disadvantages: <\/strong>Requires lab infrastructure, costlier than rapid antigen tests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At present, the law <strong>does not mandate NAAT testing.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, a 2023 guidance document by the Union Health Ministry said that while <strong>the NAAT test is not mandatory, it is recommended.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/health-wellness\/student-blood-transfusion-hiv-safety-young-thalassaemia-patients-10428745\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Operation Hawkeye Strike<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The US forces commenced <strong>\u2018Operation Hawkeye Strike\u2019 <\/strong>in Syria to eliminate<strong> Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)<\/strong> fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The operation comes days after a suspected Islamic State attacker struck a convoy of US and Syrian forces in the central Syrian town of Palmyra.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The US personnel who were targeted were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international effort to combat IS, which seized swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e1c090\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-122-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-62346\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e1c090; width:357px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-122-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-122-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-122-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-122-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-122.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do you know?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The terrorist organisation, ISIS, is banned in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/world-news\/largescale-attacks-70-islamic-state-targets-why-the-us-launched-operation-hawkeye-strike-in-syria-101766195095356.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Superkilonova<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Space&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researchers observed a bright cosmic event 1.3 billion light-years away that may be a<strong> superkilonova.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Superkilonova&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a rare kind of <strong>cosmic explosion<\/strong> and it is a more energetic version of a <strong>kilonova.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kilonovae occur when two neutron stars merge<\/strong>, ejecting heavy elements like gold and platinum, whose radioactive decay produces light.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>superkilonova<\/strong> can be brighter and bluer than a regular kilonova because some ejected matter falls back onto the merged object, heats up, and warms the surrounding material, possibly extending the event\u2019s brightness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/what-is-a-superkilonova\/article70422320.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Supreme Court\u2019s Uniform Definition of Aravalli Hills<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/ Geography, GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court of India has accepted a uniform definition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-12-2025\/supreme-court-aravalli-boundaries-mining\">Aravalli hills,<\/a> as recommended by a Central Government\u2013appointed expert committee, and issued additional directions to strengthen conservation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Supreme Court\u2019s Key Observations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Conservation must be ecological and geological, not revenue-record based.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Aravalli should be protected as a single landscape system for hydrology, biodiversity, and climate resilience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Directed preparation of a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli landscape by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Piecemeal protection undermines long-term sustainability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Expert Committee Recommendations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Operational Definitions:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aravalli Hills: <\/strong>Any landform in notified Aravalli districts with local relief (elevation) of \u2265100 metres.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aravalli Range: <\/strong>Two or more Aravalli Hills located within 500 metres of each other.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Core \/ Inviolate Zones Safeguards:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Absolute prohibition of mining in protected Areas &amp; Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs), tiger Reserves, wetlands &amp; CAMPA plantation sites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of the Aravalli Range<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Aravalli Range, stretching over approximately<strong> 692 kilometres <\/strong>in a northeastern direction, traverses the Indian states of<strong> Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana<\/strong> before culminating in <strong>Delhi<\/strong>, is the oldest mountain range in India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rajasthan<\/strong> accounts for nearly <strong>two-thirds<\/strong> of the mountain range.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It acts as a <strong>critical ecological barrier<\/strong> preventing the eastward expansion of the <strong>Thar Desert<\/strong> into Haryana, Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Aravallis support water-recharge systems and are the source of rivers such as the<strong> Sabarmati and Luni.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The region is <strong>rich in minerals<\/strong> including sandstone, limestone, marble, granite, lead, zinc, copper, gold, and tungsten.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives for Protection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Matri Van Initiative:<\/strong> Development of a 750-acre urban forest in Aravalli hills. Linked to \u2018Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam\u2019 campaign.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aravalli Green Wall Project: <\/strong>Creation of a 5 km green buffer around Aravalli across four states.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Aims to combat desertification and land degradation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: TH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Great Indian Bustard<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Species In News<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court of India has tightened safeguards for the protection of the<strong> Great Indian Bustard (GIB) <\/strong>by revising and rationalising conservation areas in relation to <strong>Green Energy Corridor (GEC) <\/strong>transmission projects in Rajasthan and Gujarat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Great Indian Bustard (GIB)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>About:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>One of the heaviest flying birds endemic to the <\/strong>Indian subcontinent mainly Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is also a State Bird of Rajasthan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is an omnivorous bird.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Habitat:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Untamed, Arid grasslands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A maximum number of GIBs were found in Jaisalmer and the Indian Army-controlled field firing range near Pokhran, Rajasthan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Other areas:<\/strong> Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Protection Status:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>IUCN Status<\/strong>: Critically Endangered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Listed in <strong>Wildlife Protection Act\u2019s Schedule 1<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Threats to the Bird:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hunting, Intensification of agriculture, Power lines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: TH<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Kashmir is currently under the grip of &#8216;Chillai-Kalan&#8217;.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018Chilai Kalan\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It is\u00a0 the coldest phase of winter in Kashmir, starts on December 21 and ends on January 31.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The 40-day \u2018Chilai Kalan\u2019 is followed by a 20-day-long \u2018Chillai-Khurd\u2019 (small cold) and a 10-day-long \u2018Chillai-Bachha\u2019 (baby cold).<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-12-2025\/news-in-short-22-12-2025\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62344"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62351,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62344\/revisions\/62351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}