🔆 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

📍 Genus Neoterpnosia
🟢 Neoterpnosia is a genus of cicadas belonging to the family Cicadidae.
🟢 First described in 2014 by entomologists Young June Lee and David Emery; the name means “new Terpnosia”.
🟢 Belongs to the subtribe Euterpnosiina, tribe Leptopsaltriini and subfamily Cicadinae.
🟢 Diagnostic features include a very short basal portion of the forewing’s RA2 vein, lateral abdominal inflation in males and distinctive genital structures.
🟢 The genus includes five recognised species distributed across South and Southeast Asia.
🟢 Neoterpnosia mawphlangensis, described in 2026, was found in the semi-evergreen subtropical pine forests of the Mawphlang Hills, Meghalaya.
🟢 It is noted for its dusk-peaking mating chorus, camouflage against mossy trees and distinctive wing markings.

📍 Allocaecilius nilgiriensis
🟢 A newly discovered barklouse species identified by scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
🟢 Found in high-altitude shola forests and evergreen rainforests of the Southern Western Ghats, across Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
🟢 Belongs to the family Pseudocaeciliidae and is only the second species of the genus Allocaecilius recorded in India.
🟢 Its discovery brings the known global total of Allocaecilius species to 13.
🟢 Diagnostic features include distinctive brown patches on the forewings and specialised abdominal structures.
🟢 Ecological role: Barklice feed on mould, fungi, algae, lichens and dead organic matter on tree bark, functioning as natural micro-scavengers.

📍 Anil Menon’s Fourth Spacewalk at the ISS
🟢 NASA astronaut Anil Menon completed his fourth career spacewalk on 29 October 2026, alongside Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk.
🟢 Duration: 7 hours and 11 minutes.
🟢 The astronauts installed and deployed the seventh of eight International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs) on the station’s 2A electrical power channel.
🟢 The multi-year upgrade programme aims to increase the ISS’s power-generation capacity by up to 30%.
🟢 The mission marked the 100th US spacewalk from the ISS’s Quest airlock without a Space Shuttle docked and the 285th spacewalk supporting station assembly, maintenance and upgrades.
🟢 Menon’s cumulative spacewalking time reached 26 hours and 31 minutes.
🟢 A follow-up spacewalk was scheduled for 5 November 2026 to install the eighth and final iROSA.

🔆 SPORTS

📍 World Boxing U19 Championships 2026
🟢 India finished the championships in Budva, Montenegro, with 4 medals: 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze.

📍 Indian Medal Winners
🟢 Aditya: Gold — Men’s 55 kg.
🟢 Megha Sheokand: Silver — Women’s 80 kg.
🟢 Harshika: Bronze — Women’s 65 kg.
🟢 Prachi Tokas: Bronze — Women’s 80+ kg.

📍 Key Performances
🟢 Aditya defeated Russia’s Islam Magomedov 4–1 in the men’s 55 kg final to secure India’s only gold.
🟢 Megha Sheokand reached the women’s 80 kg final but lost to Russia’s Ekaterina Frolova by a unanimous decision.
🟢 Harshika and Prachi Tokas secured bronze medals in their respective categories.

#CurrentAffairs

31 october UPSC current affairs

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Join https://t.me/upsc_prelims_2027_28

🔆 DELHI DECLARATION 2026
📍 GS II: Urban Governance | GS III: Climate Change

🔆 WHY IN NEWS?
🟢 The ARISE Cities Forum 2026 concluded in New Delhi with the Delhi Declaration on Local Action for Global Climate Goals, calling for greater recognition of cities and local governments in climate decision-making ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

🔆 1. ARISE CITIES FORUM 2026
🟢 Date: 27–28 October 2026.
🟢 Organisers: ICLEI South Asia and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), with support from MoHUA.
🟢 Participation: 200+ participants from 50+ cities across 18+ countries.
🟢 Theme: “From Bharat to Antalya — Commit. Implement. Deliver.”

🔆 2. KEY COMMITMENTS
The Declaration outlines 10 commitments, including:

🟢 Taking the cities’ agenda to COP31.
🟢 Strengthening climate adaptation and cooperation across environmental conventions.
🟢 Promoting circularity and zero waste.
🟢 Advancing energy transition aligned with the 1.5°C pathway.
🟢 Ensuring just transitions and multilevel climate finance.
🟢 Strengthening independent science, data and coordination across governance levels.
🟢 Promoting Global South urban leadership, youth and community participation.

🟢 A Delhi Biodiversity Map, developed by ICLEI South Asia, was also launched.

🔆 3. WHY CITIES MATTER
🟢 Climate Action: Cities implement climate policies through transport, buildings, water and waste management.
🟢 Adaptation: Urban areas face heatwaves, floods and water stress.
🟢 Localising NDCs: Translating national climate pledges under the Paris Agreement (2015) into city-level plans.
🟢 Global South: Developing countries need greater representation and resources for urban climate action.

🔆 4. INDIA’S POLICY FRAMEWORK
🟢 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992: Introduced Part IXA and the Twelfth Schedule, covering 18 municipal functions, including urban planning, water supply and environmental protection.
🟢 NAPCC (2008): Includes the National Mission on Sustainable Habitat.
🟢 Smart Cities Mission & AMRUT (2015): Support urban infrastructure and service delivery.
🟢 Mission LiFE: Encourages environmentally responsible lifestyles.

🔆 5. KEY CHALLENGES
🟢 Climate Finance: Cities have limited direct access to international climate funds.
🟢 Weak Municipal Capacity: Shortages of technical staff and limited own-source revenue.
🟢 Incomplete Devolution: Twelfth Schedule functions are unevenly transferred to urban local bodies.
🟢 Limited Global Role: Local governments participate in UNFCCC processes through the LGMA constituency but do not have formal negotiating authority.

🔆 6. WAY FORWARD
🟢 Expand predictable, accessible multilevel climate finance.
🟢 Strengthen municipal revenues, technical capacity and climate data systems.
🟢 Prioritise heat action plans, flood resilience, electric public transport and urban greening.
🟢 Improve coordination among national, state and local governments.

🔆 MAINS QUESTION

“National climate pledges are ultimately implemented in cities. Discuss the role of urban local bodies in achieving India’s climate goals and examine the institutional and financial constraints they face.” (15 marks | 250 words)

#Environment

Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA 2025 - FAO):
India’s Rank: 9th globally in total forest area (an improvement from 10th in 2020); ranks 3rd in annual net forest area gain.
Release Site: Bali, Indonesia.

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