Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 03 November, 2026

• In October 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) extended the Know Your Customer (KYC) review period for eligible Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) from 3 years to 8 years.
• The annual KYC review period for specified FPIs has also been extended from 1 year to 2 years. The revised rules will come into effect from 1 December 2026.
• Category I FPIs: Eligible FPIs from non-high-risk jurisdictions will undergo KYC review every 8 years. Certain FPIs from high-risk jurisdictions will continue with a 2-year review.
• Category II FPIs: Regulated FPIs from non-high-risk jurisdictions will have an 8-year review period, while other specified FPIs will undergo review every 2 years.

• On 2 November 2026, SEBI permitted Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) to raise foreign capital through the depository receipt route.
• The move is aimed at providing additional channels for raising funds from international investors.
• REITs invest in income-generating real estate assets, while InvITs invest in infrastructure assets such as roads, power transmission lines and pipelines.

Context of the News

Leaders of 90 countries will meet next week at Antalya, Turkey, for COP31. The editorial says the meeting is unlikely to bring much good news. COP stands for Conference of the Parties. It is the yearly climate meeting of countries under the UN.

What Was the Paris Target?

• The 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to keep global warming below 1.5 to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels
• Pre-industrial means the period before factories and coal burning began, taken as 1850 to 1900

What Did the UNEP Report Say?

• The world will cross the 1.5 degree mark within ten years
• This is much faster than expected
• The reason is more fossil fuel burning
• There is more carbon dioxide in the air now than at any time in the last two million years
• Even if every country keeps its promise, the world will warm by 2.3 to 2.5 degrees by 2100

What Is the New Plan?

• Limit warming to a peak of 1.7 to 1.8 degrees
• Then bring it back down to 1.5 degrees by 2100
• This is called a low overshoot path

But there is a problem. The world has already warmed by 1.44 degrees. So reaching even this softer target needs much bigger promises than were made at Paris.

Important Facts for Exams

• CO₂ in the air is higher than at any time in two million years
• Climate finance is over $2 billion a year, against a need of $7.8 trillion a year till 2030
• The US left the Paris Agreement under Donald Trump
• India met its non-fossil power target nine years early and its emission intensity target ten years early
• India’s targets: 45 per cent cut in emission intensity by 2030 over 2005, 50 per cent non-fossil power by 2030, net zero by 2070
• COP30 was at Belem, Brazil; COP29 at Baku, which set a goal of $300 billion a year by 2035
• UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2026 said 1.5 degrees without overshoot is no longer possible
• The Loss and Damage Fund was set up at COP27 and started at COP28

Context of the News

Pranos Fusion, a company based in Bengaluru, will finish the design of PRANIK by 2027. PRANIK will be India’s first fusion reactor built by a private company. The company has already built PRAGYA, a small test machine called a tokamak.

What Is Nuclear Fusion?

• Fusion means joining two small atoms to make a bigger one
• This releases a huge amount of energy
• It is how the sun makes its energy

Fusion is different from fission

What Is Its Goal?

• Build small, low-cost fusion reactors in India
• Produce zero-carbon electricity that runs all the time
• Without long-lasting radioactive waste
• And without the risk of a runaway reaction

What Are Its Two Machines?

PRAGYA — the test machine

• A small research tokamak
• A tokamak is a doughnut-shaped machine that holds hot gas using magnets
• It is used to test how to control plasma, shape magnetic fields, and handle very high heat

PRANIK — the main reactor

• The company’s commercial-scale design
• Blueprint to be ready by 2027
• It will heat deuterium and tritium gas to over 100 million degrees Celsius
• At that heat, atoms fuse and release energy

Context of the News

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has started Digi Yatra trials for international passengers. The trials are running at seven major Indian airports.

It is open to Indian nationals who hold an e-passport and are flying on selected Air India and IndiGo flights.

What Is Digi Yatra?

• A system that uses face recognition at airports
• The passenger’s face becomes their boarding pass
• No need to show tickets or ID at each checkpoint
• The aim is travel that is paperless and contact-free

• On 2 November 2026, U.S.-based cloud infrastructure company Vultr launched a 20-megawatt (MW) Artificial Intelligence (AI) supercluster in Chennai.
• The facility is powered by AMD Instinct MI355X Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).
• An AI supercluster is a group of high-performance computing systems connected to work together on demanding AI tasks.
• The facility is expected to strengthen India’s AI computing infrastructure.

• The Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth ₹53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the construction of eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs).
• GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will construct the remaining three.
• This is the first time that warships designed by the Indian Navy will be constructed by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).
• The corvettes will have advanced missiles, weapons and sensors to support operations in air, surface and underwater domains.
• They will strengthen the Navy’s capabilities in anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence, littoral combat and maritime surveillance.

• On 2 November 2026, the Indian Navy rescued all 20 crew members of the Iranian fishing vessel Azini in the Arabian Sea.
• The rescue was carried out through a coordinated 48-hour operation.
• The operation highlights the Navy’s role in maritime security and protecting vessels and crew in the region.

• Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh launched the BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week 2026 on 1 November 2026 in Imphal.
• The programme will run from 1 to 7 November 2026 and is organised by the Government of Manipur.
• A cyclothon was also flagged off at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex.
• The initiative aims to encourage environmentally friendly lifestyles and promote the responsible use of natural resources.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the President’s Colour to Chandigarh Police during its 60th Raising Day and Diamond Jubilee celebrations in November 2026.
• Chandigarh Police has more than 6,000 personnel across different wings, including the Crime Wing, Traffic Police, Security Wing and Operations Cell.
• The Centre provided 2,152 additional AI-enabled surveillance cameras, taking the total to around 4,282 cameras. The Minister also flagged off 141 new vehicles.
• Since 4 August 2024, the force registered 8,206 FIRs and achieved conviction rates of 85% overall and 93% under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

• Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers National Park recorded a record 35,261 visitors during its five-month open season before closing for winter.
• It is located in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, in the upper reaches of the Bhyundar Valley, near Ghangaria and Joshimath.
• Situated at an average altitude of around 3,600 metres, it is known for its alpine flowers, glacial valleys and biodiversity.
• It was declared a National Park in 1982 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 as an extension of Nanda Devi National Park. It is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.

• Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, reported the asymmetric expansion of a solar eruption using observations from India’s Aditya-L1 mission.
• The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on 3 November 2026.
• Asymmetric expansion means that a solar eruption expands unevenly in different directions rather than spreading equally.
• Aditya-L1 is India’s first space-based solar observatory, designed to study the Sun and its activities.

• On 2 November 2026, scientists reported the detection of cosmic neutrinos with energies around 10 billion times higher than typical solar neutrinos.
• The detection was made using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.
• Neutrinos are extremely light subatomic particles that interact very weakly with matter and can travel across vast distances through space.
• Their detection helps scientists study high-energy cosmic events and distant astrophysical sources.

• The supplied news report describes an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province.
• Ebola causes a severe and potentially fatal viral haemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates.
• It belongs to the genus Orthoebolavirus and the family Filoviridae. The reported average case fatality rate for Ebola is around 50%, although it varies by species and outbreak response.
• Fruit bats belonging to the family Pteropodidae are considered natural reservoir hosts of Ebola viruses.

• The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu, with reported sustained wind speeds of 100–110 kmph.
• It developed over the west-central and adjoining south-west Bay of Bengal during the Northeast Monsoon season.
• According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a Severe Cyclonic Storm has sustained wind speeds of 48–63 knots (89–117 kmph).
• Murasu is reported as the first tropical cyclone to receive a Tamil name since the North Indian Ocean cyclone-naming system began in September 2004.

• India hosted the BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The exercise aims to improve maritime cooperation and coordination among BIMSTEC member countries.
• The initiative was announced during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand.

• India topped the medal tally at the 46th International Tammer Boxing Tournament, held in Tampere, Finland, from 30 October to 1 November 2026.
• The Indian contingent consisted of 14 boxers.
• The tournament is an international boxing competition held in Finland.

• Cheetah CCB-4, from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, entered the Baran forest area of Rajasthan.
• The movement highlights the growing geographical range of cheetahs reintroduced under India’s cheetah conservation programme.

• The United Nations observes 2 November every year as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
• The day highlights violence against journalists and calls for accountability, press freedom and freedom of expression.
• The 2026 theme is “Threats Evolve. Impunity Endures.”
• The observance was inspired by the assassination of French journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon in Mali on 2 November 2013. The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/68/163 on 18 December 2013. The first observance took place in 2014.

• The President’s Colour was presented to Chandigarh Police by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during its 60th Raising Day celebrations.
• The honour recognises the force’s service and contribution to maintaining law and order and tackling terrorism.

• Former Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova won the presidential runoff election held on 1 November 2026.
• She became Bulgaria’s first democratically elected female President.
• She and her Vice-Presidential candidate Kiril Valchev secured 57.58% of the votes.
• They defeated former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov and his running mate Georgi Kandev, who received 39.47% of the votes.

• Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir assumed charge as the 55th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in November 2026.
• He succeeded Varsha Ashok Agalwe, the 54th Director General and the first woman to hold the post.
• Ganvir has more than 32 years of experience in geological investigations, mineral exploration and engineering geology.
• Before his appointment, he served as Additional Director General and Head of Department of GSI’s Central Region in Nagpur.

• On 1 November 2026, Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal assumed charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Indian Air Force’s Eastern Air Command.
• He succeeded Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia, who was appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
• Commissioned into the IAF’s Flying Branch in June 1989, Deswal has over 3,200 flying hours and has served in several operational and command positions.
• He has received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vayu Sena Medal (VM). Eastern Air Command is headquartered at Upper Shillong, Meghalaya.

• Dhinidhi Desinghu, a 16-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru, won bronze in the women’s 100-metre freestyle at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
• She became the first Indian swimmer to win a global medal in the sport, according to the supplied report.
• She clocked 56.27 seconds in the final, setting a new national record and improving her previous record of 56.57 seconds.
• Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic won silver, while New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson finished ahead of Dhinidhi in the final.

• India won both the men’s and women’s titles at the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026, held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from 23 to 31 October.
• The men’s team defeated Sri Lanka 54–20 in the final, while the women’s team defeated Uganda 35–15.
• The event was organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India with approval from the International Kabaddi Federation.
• The championship theme was “One Breath. One Raid. One Commonwealth.”

• India finished with four medals—one gold, two silver and one bronze—at the Senior World Wrestling Championships held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 24 October to 1 November 2026.
• All four medals were won by India’s women’s freestyle wrestlers.
• Manisha Bhanwala became the first Indian woman to win gold at the Senior World Wrestling Championships and the second Indian wrestler overall to win a world title after Sushil Kumar in 2010.
• The United States topped the medal tally with 15 medals, followed by Iran with 15 and Russia with 14.

• Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal were nominated as athlete representatives to the proposed Organising Committee for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
• The Games are scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Jinal Mehta and Ananya Birla were recommended as private-sector representatives.
• India is planning to include 15–17 sporting disciplines, compared with 10 disciplines at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

• Prema Rawat set a record for the fastest half-century in women’s T20 cricket on 2 November 2026.
• She scored 50 not out from just 14 balls for Uttarakhand.
• This was reported as a new record in women’s T20 cricket.

• Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from international cricket on 2 November 2026.
• He made the announcement during an episode of The Final Word podcast.
• The report also states that he is retiring from international cricket at the age of 38.

• Veteran Dogri writer, screenwriter and filmmaker Ved Rahi passed away at the age of 93 in Thane, Maharashtra.
• Born on 22 May 1933 in Jammu, he made important contributions to Dogri literature through stories, novels and poetry.
• He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for his Dogri short-story collection Aale and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2024.
• He also wrote scripts and dialogues for around 25 Hindi films and directed films such as Kali Ghata and Veer Savarkar (2001).

• Observed annually on 2 November to promote journalist safety, accountability and freedom of expression.
• The 2026 theme is “Threats Evolve. Impunity Endures.”
• The UN General Assembly declared the day through Resolution A/RES/68/163 in December 2013.
• The first observance was held on 2 November 2014.