News in Shorts: 23 February 2026

Smoke Vortex

Context: Recent atmospheric studies explain why wildfire smoke in the stratosphere forms coherent rotating vortices that spin in opposite directions across hemispheres.

About Smoke Vortex

• Smoke Rings, also known as Smoke Vortex, are compact, circular vortices of smoke or gas that rotate coherently around a central core, maintaining structure while travelling through air.
• Formation Mechanism
• • Smoke particles absorb sunlight and warm surrounding air, making it buoyant and causing it to rise through the stratosphere.
  • As the warm core ascends, Earth’s rotation induces a vortex clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • The rotating motion wraps around the smoke bubble like a collar, preventing rapid mixing with surrounding air.
  • The atmosphere’s layered structure and Coriolis effect influence rotational direction.
    • As heating shifts upward with rising smoke, rotation becomes concentrated around the bubble, sustaining its coherence.
• Characteristics: The rotating bubble acts as a container, keeping warmer smoke concentrated at the centre and allowing prolonged vertical ascent.
• Examples: Wildfire-induced stratospheric vortices observed over the northeast Pacific (2020).
  • Volcanic vortex rings (VVR), formed when gas with mainly water vapour is rapidly expelled through circular volcanic vents such as Mt Etna.

Significance

These phenomena help scientists understand aerosol transport, atmospheric heating, and climate interactions in the upper atmosphere.

9th Conclave of Chiefs of IONS

Context: India assumed the Chairmanship of the 9th Conclave of Chiefs of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) at Visakhapatnam, marking its return after 16 years.

About Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)

• The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium is a voluntary and inclusive forum of navies of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• Origin: IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy and inaugurated in 2008 in New Delhi to create a platform for structured maritime dialogue.
• Chairman Ship: The Chairmanship of IONS rotates among member countries for a two-year term, which includes one Conclave of Chiefs and one preparatory workshop during each cycle.
  • The 8th Conclave of Chiefs was held in Thailand in December 2023.
  • India assumed Chairmanship from the Royal Thai Navy for the 2026–28 term.
• Members: It comprises over 30 member states from South Asia, West Asia, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia, along with observer countries.
• Significance: IONS promotes maritime security, counters piracy and terrorism, enhances HADR coordination, and aligns with India’s SAGAR vision of regional stability and cooperative security.

About 9th Conclave of Chiefs of IONS

• The Conclave of Chiefs is a biennial apex decision-making meeting of IONS, bringing together naval leadership of Indian Ocean littoral states.
  • The 9th Conclave was held in February 2026 at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• Participation: The event witnessed participation from 33 countries, including members, observers, and maritime security agencies spanning the Atlantic to the Pacific.
  • The Philippines joined as an Observer, and Oman entered the HADR Working Group.
• Objectives: The Conclave aimed to strengthen maritime security cooperation, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), information sharing, and interoperability.
  • India announced initiatives such as IMEX exercises, IOS SAGAR deployments, and maritime information-sharing workshops.

FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026

Context: Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.

About the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026

• First official edition: This was the inaugural FIDE-recognized Freestyle Chess World Championship.
  • It integrated Freestyle Chess (Chess960) into the official FIDE World Championship framework.
• Location: Schloss Weissenhaus in Wangels, Germany.
• Organizers: Jointly organized by FIDE (International Chess Federation) and Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH.
• Participants: The championship featured 8 top grandmasters.
• Champion: Magnus Carlsen (Norway) defeated Fabiano Caruana (USA) in the final.
• Significance: This championship solidifies Freestyle/Chess960 as a major format in elite chess and marks a growing institutional recognition by FIDE.

About the Freestyle Chess

• Freestyle Chess also known as Chess960 or Fischer Random Chess is a chess variant where the starting position of back-rank pieces is randomized.
• Origin and Inventor: Created by Bobby Fischer in 1996  to combat the dominance of computerized opening preparation in classical chess. 
• Chess960: The name “Chess960” refers to the 960 possible randomized starting positions.

About the FIDE

• FIDE is the apex global body for chess governance.
• Full Form: Fédération Internationale des Échecs (French for International Chess Federation)
• Founded: 1924
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Objectives: Governs and regulates international chess competitions.
  • Frames official rules of chess and tournament regulations.
  • Awards international titles like Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM), Woman Grandmaster (WGM) etc.
  • Maintains the FIDE rating system (Elo rating).

Surat Emerges as a Major Global Trade Hub

Context: Surat has emerged as a major global trade hub, recording exports of $10.55 billion (nearly Rs 95,710 crore) in the financial year 2024-25.

• Contribution to Gujarat: Gujarat’s overall exports stood at Rs 9.83 lakh crore in 2024-25, accounting for over 27% of India’s total exports.
  • Surat has been a key driver of this success, leveraging its traditional strengths while expanding into new areas.
• Dominant Sectors Driving Exports: 
  • The gems and jewellery sector remains the cornerstone of Surat’s economy:
    • The Surat region processes around 90% of the world’s diamonds.
    • This sector contributes roughly 70% of the city’s total exports.
  • The city is also renowned for silk sarees, textiles, and related products.
• Key Trading Partners:  The USA (32%) is the primary destination, followed by Hong Kong (18%) and the UAE (14%).

Takeshima / Dokdo Islets

Context: South Korea protested Japan’s “Takeshima Day” event, renewing tensions over sovereignty of disputed islets.

• Takeshima Day is an annual event held on February 22 in Shimane Prefecture, Japan, to assert sovereignty over a group of disputed islets known in Japan as Takeshima.

About Takeshima / Dokdo Islets

• The islets ( Small Islands ) are known as Liancourt Rocks, called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
  • The dispute reflects unresolved historical grievances linked to Japan’s colonial rule of Korea (1910–1945).
  • An islet is a tiny landmass surrounded by water, smaller than a regular island.
• Location: The islets are located in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), roughly equidistant from the Korean Peninsula and Japan’s Honshu island.
• Geography:  The formation consists of two main rocky islets and several smaller surrounding rocks.
  • They are volcanic in origin, largely barren, and have limited freshwater resources.
  • The surrounding waters are rich in marine biodiversity and fisheries.
• Current Administration: South Korea exercises effective administrative control over the islets, maintaining a small police detachment and infrastructure facilities.
  • Japan continues to claim sovereignty.
• Strategic Significance: The surrounding waters are fertile fishing grounds and may contain significant natural gas hydrate reserves.
  • Control over the islets strengthens Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims under UNCLOS.

Operation Chivalrous Knight 3

Context: The UAE pledged assistance at a Washington meeting for a humanitarian air bridge to Gaza during Ramadan under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.

• The humanitarian air bridge is a coordinated airlift operation that uses continuous flights to transport emergency relief supplies and personnel to a crisis-affected area.

About Operation Chivalrous Knight 3

• It is a comprehensive humanitarian campaign launched by the United Arab Emirates under the directives of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to support Palestinians in Gaza amid ongoing conflict. 
  • It represents the most extensive phase of the UAE’s “Chivalrous Knight” relief series.
• Objective: To provide urgent, sustained humanitarian aid to Gaza by addressing shortages in food, water, healthcare, shelter, and essential services while supporting recovery and resilience.
• Financing: The United Arab Emirates announced an additional $1.2 billion in aid for Gaza.
  • This contribution forms part of a broader multilateral pledge exceeding $7 billion from regional partners, alongside further U.S. commitments.
• Focus Areas 
  • Rehabilitation of damaged water supply lines and networks in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
  • Delivery of essential supplies including food, potable water, fuel, and medical aid.
  • Establishment and operation of field and floating hospitals for critical medical care.
  • Provision of winter relief such as tents, blankets, and clothing for displaced families.
  • Rubble clearance and infrastructure support to restore mobility and basic services.
  • Educational assistance through distribution of school bags and learning materials to children.
• Contributors: The initiative is led by the UAE with support from the Emirates Red Crescent, Zayed Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, and Sharjah Charity International.
• Previous Operations
  • Operation Chivalrous Knight 1 (2021): Facilitated secure evacuation of civilians from Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • Operation Chivalrous Knight 2 (2023): Responded to the Turkey-Syria earthquake, delivering over 15,000 tonnes of aid and constructing more than 1,000 residential units.

Significance

It demonstrates Gulf-led financial mobilisation for conflict-affected regions and reinforces multilateral cooperation in addressing humanitarian emergencies.

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