Article 8
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Current affairsWMO Warns of Very Strong El Niño Through Early 2027: India's Monsoon Risks, IOD Interaction, and Global Extreme Weather OutlookThe World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued an El Niño/La Niña Update (September 2026) warning of a near-100% probability that a very strong El Niño will persist through February 2027, with Niño 3.4 sea-surface temperature anomalies reaching +2.2–2.6°C above normal. The event — the most unequivocal El Niño forecast WMO has ever issued — raises risks of floods, drought, and extreme heat globally. A developing positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) may partially offset El Niño's typical weakening effect on India's monsoon. Current affairsHara Mangrove Forests: Oil Spill Threat, Ecological Significance, and Lessons for India's Coastal ConservationThe Hara Biosphere Reserve — home to the largest Avicennia marina mangrove ecosystem in the Middle East, on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf — faces a major threat from an oil spill caused by a vessel struck near the Strait of Hormuz on August 3–4, 2026. The event underscores the global vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems and the urgency of India's own coastal conservation under MISHTI and Ramsar commitments.