Daily News Wrap 3 Nov 2026: Green Crackers, Navy Corvettes, Binance, WHO, Antonelli

DAILY NEWS WRAP | 3 NOVEMBER 2026

Ten stories from 31 October to 2 November 2026 that a CLAT, UPSC or SSC aspirant can revise from: a Supreme Court order on green firecrackers, an air-quality action plan, a Navy corvette contract, rural-employment grievance rules, a fuel export levy, a record crypto hack, WHO pandemic-treaty talks, Uganda’s exit from Somalia, Cyclone Murasu and a Formula 1 record.

1. Supreme Court allows green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on only two days

On 2 November 2026 the Supreme Court permitted green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on 7 and 8 November, between 6 am and 7 am and between 8 pm and 10 pm. A complete ban returns from 9 November. Firecrackers with barium, and those not approved by CSIR-NEERI as green crackers, are not permitted. No firecrackers may be burst within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes and old-age homes, and these areas become No-Cracker Zones. The bench was Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale.

2. Delhi-NCR moves to GRAP Stage II as air quality turns “very poor”

On 2 November 2026 the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region with immediate effect. Delhi’s AQI reached 324 at 4 pm, the “very poor” category for the first time this season. Measures include mechanical road cleaning, water sprinkling, anti-smog guns and action against open burning of waste.

3. Defence Ministry signs Rs 53,866 crore contracts for 8 next-generation corvettes

On 2 November 2026 the Defence Ministry signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for 8 next-generation corvettes. GRSE builds 5 and GSL builds 3. It is the first project in which ships are designed by the Indian Navy and built by defence public sector undertakings selected through a competitive process. The Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the project days earlier.

4. Centre notifies grievance redressal rules under the VB-G RAM G Act

The Centre notified grievance rules under the Viksit Bharat rural employment and livelihood mission (Gramin) law, the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025. Grievances must be resolved within 15 days of receipt and each enquiry completed within 7 working days. Grievance redressal officers sit at Gram Panchayat, block and district levels, with the District Programme Coordinator overseeing the district level. The rules say no grievance can be refused registration.

5. Petrol export duty cut to nil; diesel levy raised to Rs 11.5 per litre

On 31 October 2026 the government cut the export duty on petrol to nil and raised the levy on diesel by Rs 3 to Rs 11.5 per litre and on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) by 50 paise to Rs 11 per litre, for the next 15-day period. Excise duty on petrol and diesel for domestic use is unchanged. India’s diesel exports were 700 kilo barrels per day in October, the highest since September 2025, according to Kpler. This is a single-source item (The Hindu).

6. Binance reopens after a $6.3 billion hack

Binance resumed service on 1 November 2026 after a security breach in which $6.3 billion was stolen, believed to be the largest hack in history. The FBI has accused North Korea of being responsible. Customers withdrew a net $3.64 billion, about 2.1% of its $171 billion in assets, and Binance said withdrawals were stabilising. A crypto exchange lets users buy, sell and trade digital assets.

7. WHO pandemic-treaty talks: ninth IGWG meeting begins in Geneva

The ninth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement runs from 2 to 13 November 2026. The World Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement in May 2025. The IGWG is negotiating the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, whose outcome goes to the Eightieth World Health Assembly in May 2027. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to “finish the job”, citing the Ebola epidemic in DR Congo.

8. Uganda begins withdrawing its troops from Somalia

Uganda began withdrawing its troops from Somalia on 2 November 2026 after nearly 20 years. It was the first African country to deploy troops there under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), established in 2007. A first contingent of 109 soldiers reportedly left Mogadishu on Friday, and all forces, including those under the African Union mission, will exit by the end of 2027 in a phased withdrawal. This is a single-source item (BBC).

9. Cyclone Murasu: landfall expected on the south Andhra Pradesh coast

On 2 November 2026 the India Meteorological Department said severe cyclonic storm Murasu, centred 110 km from Nellore and moving at 14 kmph, would cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narasapur between about 11:30 pm on 2 November and 4 am on 3 November. Wind speed would be 100 to 110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph. Cyclone Arnab hit India’s eastern coast less than a week earlier. This is a single-source item (The Indian Express).

10. Antonelli becomes the youngest Formula 1 world champion

Kimi Antonelli of Italy became the youngest Formula 1 world champion on 1 November 2026, aged 20 years and 68 days, by finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The previous record was set by Sebastian Vettel in 2010; Antonelli is more than three years younger. He had 380 points with 4 races remaining, 9 wins and 16 podiums this year.

Sources

The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, The Hindu, BBC News and BBC Sport, the World Health Organization (WHO) event page, and Reuters and AFP as carried by the outlets above. Single-source items are attributed in the text.