11 Nov 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

01  Cyclone Naming: Why “Murasu” Followed “Arnab”

WHY IN NEWS  Cyclone Murasu, proposed by India, followed Bangladesh’s Arnab on the North Indian Ocean naming list.

How naming works

WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) coordinates the list; IMD’s Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), New Delhi, assigns North Indian Ocean cyclone names.

The panel originally had 8 members: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen joined in 2018, taking it to 13.

The 2020 list contains 169 names (13 submitted by each member). Names are taken in sequence, following the alphabetical order of participating countries.

Rules and India’s entries

A name should have no more than 8 letters, be easy to pronounce, be non-offensive in member languages and avoid political, religious, cultural or gender bias. Names are not reused.

India’s 13 names: Gati, Tej, Murasu, Aag, Vyom, Jhar, Probaho, Neer, Prabhanjan, Ghurni, Ambud, Jaladhi, Vega.

Gati was India’s first name in this list; Tej its second; Murasu its third. “Murasu” means a traditional Tamil drum formerly used for public announcements and storm warnings.

PRELIMS TRAP  The PTC develops the list; RSMC New Delhi names the storm. Countries do not independently name every cyclone as it forms.

MEMORY LOCK  PTC = 13 members • 169 names • IMD New Delhi = naming centre • Murasu = Tamil drum.

02  Western Sahara: A Long-Running Territorial Dispute

WHY IN NEWS  The source reports that the UNSC did not renew MINURSO and that its mandate ended on 31 October; Morocco welcomed the development.

Map it first

Western Sahara is in the Maghreb, northwest Africa: Atlantic Ocean to its west, Morocco north, Algeria northeast, and Mauritania east and south.

Principal city: Laayoune. Resources: phosphates and fisheries. Formerly “Spanish Sahara”, it was left by Spain in 1975 amid the Madrid Accords and Morocco’s Green March.

Actors and timeline

Morocco controls about 80% of the territory, separated by a sand berm of roughly 2,700 km.

Polisario Front (founded 1973) seeks independence. It declared the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976; SADR is a member of the African Union. Algeria supports Polisario; Tindouf hosts refugee camps.

MINURSO, established in 1991 under UNSC Resolution 690, was meant to oversee a ceasefire and a self-determination referendum; the referendum did not occur. The 1991 ceasefire broke down near Guerguerat in 2020.

Diplomatic positions

Morocco proposed an autonomy plan in 2007. The United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty in December 2020, alongside the Abraham Accords; UNSC Resolution 2797 (2025) described the autonomy proposal as the most realistic basis for talks.

Western Sahara appears on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. India recognised SADR in 1985, withdrew recognition in 2000, and supports a UN-led political solution.

PRELIMS TRAP  SADR and Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara are not the same political entity; the dispute remains about sovereignty and self-determination.

MEMORY LOCK  Western Sahara = Atlantic coast • Polisario 1973 • SADR 1976 • MINURSO 1991 • India: UN-led solution.

03  Natural Rubber: Price Surge and Commodity Boards

WHY IN NEWS  Domestic natural rubber reportedly touched ₹300/kg for the first time; RSS-4 had reached ₹284.50/kg in Kottayam and Kochi amid tyre demand and tight supplies.

Rubber essentials

RSS-4 = Ribbed Smoked Sheet, grade 4; latex is coagulated, ribbed and smoke-dried. RSS grades run from 1 to 5 (lower number = better quality).

Rubber needs a hot humid tropical climate, more than 200 cm rain, temperatures around 25–35°C, well-drained laterite soil, and protection from frost/strong winds. Tapping generally begins after 6–7 years.

Production and trade

Kerala produces roughly 70–75% of India’s natural rubber; Kottayam is the principal hub. Tripura is second, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (Kanyakumari).

India is among the leading producers (around sixth) but remains a net importer; tyres consume approximately 70% of rubber. Leading global producers include Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire.

The Rubber Board is a statutory body under the Rubber Act, 1947, with headquarters in Kottayam, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. A draft Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill seeks to replace the 1947 Act.

Import duty: 25% or ₹30/kg, whichever is lower. The source specifies Chennai and Nhava Sheva (JNPT) as permitted import ports.

PRELIMS TRAP  RSS-4 is a processed sheet grade—not a plant variety. Rubber Board is under Commerce, while Coir Board comes under MSME.