Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to Inaugurate 45th India International Trade Fair on November 13
🔹45th India International Trade Fair to be Held at Bharat Mandapam from November 14–27, 2026
🔹IITF 2026 to Bring Together 32 States/UTs and 11 Countries, Featuring Over 3,500 Exhibitors Across 17 Halls to Showcase India's Development and Heritage

🔆 ONE-LINERS | 07 NOVEMBER 2026

🔆 HISTORY, ART & CULTURE

📍 Waree Leeba – Traditional Storytelling Art of Manipur
🟢 Manipur Governor inaugurated the 1st North East Waree Leeba Festival 2026 in Imphal West, Manipur.
🟢 Aim: Promote and preserve the traditional storytelling art.
🟢 Origin: Traditional oral narrative art of the Meitei community, dating back to the reign of King Khagemba (1597–1652 AD).
🟢 Nature: Solo storytelling performance in which a single male artist narrates the entire story and portrays all characters.
🟢 Performance features:

• Rhythmic narration, facial expressions, hand gestures, mimicry and humour.
• Traditionally performed without musical instruments.
• Performer sits on a Vyasa Asana.
• Uses a white pillow for dramatic effects and a sacred text placed on a wooden stool called Lairik-phan.
🟢 Themes: Mahabharata, Ramayana, Meitei folklore, history and spiritual teachings.
🟢 Cultural significance: Preserves ancestral knowledge, myths, legends, beliefs and Meitei cultural identity.
🟢 Five-day festival organised in Imphal West by Repertory of Waree Leeba, Khurai, in association with Irom Meijrao Women for Cultural Centre.

🔆 GEOGRAPHY

📍 Climate Zone Shift in India
🟢 An IMD–IITM study, published in the MAUSAM journal, found that peninsular India has become wetter over the past seven decades (1951–2020).
🟢 Study title: Identifying the Climate Zones Shifts of Indian Meteorological Subdivisions: Insights from Historical Records.
🟢 Methodology: Used the Köppen–Geiger Climate Classification System, based on IMD rainfall and temperature data (1951–2020).

🟢 Major Findings:

• Peninsular India: Hot semi-arid climate zone declined from 30% to 16% (1951–1980 to 1991–2020).
• Tropical savannah climate expanded from approximately 60% to 75%.
• The shift was primarily driven by increased rainfall.
• North-West India: Hot semi-arid climate zone expanded towards eastern Uttar Pradesh.
• Declining rainfall contributed to increasingly dry conditions.
• Both daytime and night-time temperatures increased across India.

🟢 Implications: Changes affect agriculture and water management, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring and adaptive planning.

📍 Tamil Nadu – Monsoon Developments (2026)
🟢 Northeast monsoon onset: 5 days earlier than normal.
🟢 IMD forecast: Normal northeast monsoon rainfall for Tamil Nadu (seasonal average approximately 44 cm).
🟢 Southwest monsoon rainfall deficit:

• Tamil Nadu: 20%
• India: 12.6%

🔆 POLITY & GOVERNANCE

📍 Four-Layer Motor Insurance Cover – IRDAI
🟢 Directed by: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for general insurers.
🟢 Aim: Introduce a four-layer motor insurance policy for new private cars and two-wheelers from 15 December 2026, following Supreme Court directions.

🟢 Key IRDAI Directions:

• Effective date: 15 December 2026.
• Uniform Policy Wordings: Insurers must follow standardised policy wording.
• Option Form: Mandatory for customers to indicate their selection of optional covers.
• Customer Information Sheet (CIS): Mandatory issuance at the point of sale.
• Premium Transparency: Policy schedule must specify actual coverage and premium charged for each component.
• Optional Covers: Available on payment of additional premiums.
• Existing Policies: Optional covers can also be added by paying additional premiums.

📍 Third-Party Motor Insurance
🟢 Mandatory under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
🟢 Covers the insured person’s legal liability for injury, death or property damage caused to third parties.
🟢 Does not cover damage to the insured vehicle itself.

🔆 ENVIRONMENT

📍 Malabar Tree Toad – Karnataka’s State Amphibian
🟢 Karnataka became the first Indian state to designate an official State Amphibian: Malabar Tree Toad (Malenadina Mara Gantikappe).
🟢 Endemic to: Western Ghats.
🟢 Discovery: First discovered in 1876; rediscovered at Ponmudi (Kerala) in 1980 and recorded in Karnataka in 2005.
🟢 Conservation status: Endangered.
🟢 Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Reportedly the only amphibian listed under Schedule II.
🟢 Breeding season: March–June (pre-monsoon period), unlike most amphibians.
🟢 Significance: Indicator species of evergreen forest health.
🟢 Unique among toads for its tree-climbing ability.
🟢 Karnataka also selected Apis cerana (Asiatic honeybee) as its State Honeybee in May 2026.

📍 Kazakhstan’s Tiger Reintroduction Programme – Amur Tiger
🟢 Kazakhstan released its second Amur tiger, a male named Amur, into the wild at Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve.
🟢 First release: Female tiger Umit, released on 31 July 2026, is adapting successfully to the wild.
🟢 Objective: Restore tiger populations in their historical Central Asian habitat, where native tigers disappeared over 70 years ago.
🟢 Historical distribution: The region was inhabited by the Caspian (Turanian) Tiger, which became extinct in the mid-20th century.
🟢 Location: Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, south-eastern Kazakhstan, established in 2018.

🟢 Conservation Measures:

• Restoration of natural habitats and prey populations.
• Relocation of Bukhara deer and kulans to the reserve.
• 30 kulans relocated from Altyn-Emel National Nature Park in September 2026.
• Satellite collars used to monitor tiger movements and adaptation.

🟢 International cooperation: Kazakhstan, Russia, Amur Tiger Centre, WWF and other conservation partners.
🟢 Future plan: Two tiger cubs remain under specialist supervision and may be released after reaching the appropriate age and completing assessments.

📍 Disporum kamakhasiense – New Flowering Plant Species
🟢 New flowering plant species discovered in the forests of Assam and Meghalaya.
🟢 Family: Colchicaceae.
🟢 Nature: Perennial herb growing up to 180 cm.
🟢 Recorded at three locations:

• Garbhanga Reserve Forest – Assam.
• Laisong – Dima Hasao district, Assam.
• Barapani – Meghalaya.
    🟢 Habitat: Cliffs, mainly beneath bamboo forests, at elevations of 200–1,100 metres.
    🟢 Identification features: Extensively branched stems, broad yellowish-green leaves with prominent veins and white, star-shaped flowers.
    🟢 Distinctive features: Taller than its close relative Disporum calcaratum (approximately 100 cm) and differs in leaf and floral structures.
    🟢 Name derived from Kamrupa (ancient name associated with Assam) and the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.
    🟢 Conservation concern: Potentially endangered due to restricted distribution, small populations, road expansion, over-exploitation and deforestation.

📍 High-Altitude Wildlife Records in Sikkim
🟢 Camera-trap study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in eastern Sikkim.
🟢 Survey period: February 2023 – May 2026.
🟢 Coverage: 64 camera-trap stations and 20,411 trap nights across three protected areas and adjoining forests.
🟢 Survey elevation: 1,800–4,200 metres.
🟢 Key findings:

• Recorded 30 mammal species.
• Identified 5 new elevational range records.
• Recorded 6 first confirmed photographic records for eastern Sikkim.
    🟢 Protected areas:
• Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary.
• Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary.

📍 Tiger Relocation – Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal
🟢 West Bengal’s first relocated tigress, Dooars Rani (T-138), was captured in Assam’s Raimona National Park and returned to Buxa Tiger Reserve on 3 November 2026.
🟢 Tigress details: Three-year-old tigress translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar, and released in Buxa on 2 October 2026.
🟢 Movement: Crossed the Sankosh River and entered Raimona National Park, Assam, on 25 October 2026 in search of suitable habitat.

#CurrentAffairs

🟢 Objective: Restore the tiger population in Buxa through tiger relocation and habitat recovery.

🟢 Buxa Tiger Reserve:

• Location: Alipurduar district, West Bengal.
• Declared a Tiger Reserve in 1983.
• Part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity landscape.
• Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project initiated by West Bengal in 2018, with support from NTCA and WII.
• Monitoring: Telemetry, camera trapping and field-based monitoring.
• Future plan: Three more tigers proposed to be released over the following two months.

📍 Central Asian White Stork – Okhla Bird Sanctuary
🟢 A rare white stork was spotted at Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, in November 2026.
🟢 Scientific name: Ciconia ciconia asiatica.
🟢 Family: Ciconiidae.
🟢 Habitat: Wetlands, marshes, grasslands and shallow water bodies.
🟢 Migration: Long-distance migratory bird; moves south during winter, with wintering range extending from Iran to the Indian subcontinent.
🟢 Breeding grounds: Primarily Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan.
🟢 Population: Estimated global population of fewer than 2,000 individuals.
🟢 Previous sightings in India: Okhla (1992 and 2005), Palwal (2004–05) and Jewar (2019).
🟢 Significance: Highlights the importance of urban wetlands as habitats and stopover sites for migratory birds.

🔆 SECURITY

📍 MALABAR 2026 – Multilateral Naval Exercise
🟢 Hosted by: Japan, from 5–12 November 2026.
🟢 Venue: Waters south of Japan’s Kanto region, centred around Yokosuka Naval Base.
🟢 Participating countries: India, Japan, USA and Australia (Quad countries).
🟢 Indian participation: INS Sahyadri, an indigenous guided-missile stealth frigate of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet.

🟢 Exercise Phases:

• Harbour Phase: Professional interactions and coordinated planning.
• Sea Phase: Joint naval operations to enhance interoperability and operational coordination.

🟢 Objective: Strengthen maritime cooperation, mutual trust, interoperability and professional expertise among participating navies.
🟢 Significance: Promotes a free, open, secure and stable Indo-Pacific region.
🟢 Strategic linkage: Supports India’s MAHASAGAR Vision – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

#CurrentAffairs

Birsa Munda

Countries around BLACK SEA

Trick : Turkish BURGeR

T: Türkiye
B: Bulgaria
U: Ukraine
R :Russia
Ge:Georgia
R: Romania