29 September 2026
UN News reports on Yemen on 29 September 2026 that about 7,800 suspected cholera cases and 22 deaths have been recorded in 2026.
More than 22,000 measles cases have been identified, and dengue has been linked to 37 deaths.
Since 6 August, renewed clashes have caused more than 4,481 casualties, including 830 deaths.
Over 180,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.
Dr. Annette Heinzelmann of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said emergency obstetric and newborn care has been suspended in two hospitals because staff were redirected to trauma care.
Suspected cholera cases in 2026:
about 7,800
Casualties since 6 August:
more than 4,481 (830 deaths)
People displaced:
over 180,000
Why it matters for exams: Links a conflict to disease outbreaks, a recurring theme in health and international-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
29 September 2026
At a UN Security Council meeting on 28 September 2026, officials reported over 1,600 settler attacks in the West Bank this year, an average of 6.7 a day against 5 a day in 2025.
More than 4,300 Palestinians have been displaced.
Israel invited bids for 1,234 homes in the E1 area near East Jerusalem, with a 19 October deadline.
In Gaza, 1,394 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 ceasefire, and about 94% of the population needs shelter assistance.
Board of Peace official Nickolay Mladenov said the situation on the ground does not yet match the documented agreements; Hamas disarmament and Israel's full withdrawal have yet to begin.
Settler attacks this year:
over 1,600
E1 homes put to bid:
1,234
Killed in Gaza since ceasefire:
1,394
Why it matters for exams: Tests knowledge of the Security Council's role in the Israel-Palestine question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
On 25 September 2026 the UN said it was gravely concerned as fighting spreads across multiple fronts in northern Ethiopia.
Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric cited reports of drone use and harm to civilians.
Internet and phone services have been largely cut across Tigray, and a drone strike hit a truck carrying food aid for displaced people.
Armed groups have seized humanitarian vehicles in parts of Amhara, and road closures have paused planned aid movements.
Below-average rainfall linked to El Niño adds to needs; the Secretary-General is engaging leaders, and the African Union and IGAD are among partners.
Regions named:
Tigray, Amhara, Afar
UN spokesperson:
Stéphane Dujarric
Climate factor:
El Niño
Why it matters for exams: African geography, regional organisations and conflict are regular exam topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
On 28 September 2026 Sudan's Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim addressed the UN General Assembly in place of de facto head of state General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
He called the denial of General al-Burhan's US visa deeply regrettable and called on the UN to examine the incident and uphold the 1947 Headquarters Agreement.
He rejected any attempt to impose solutions, dictates or external agendas on Sudan's people.
He called for Security Council reform, including two permanent African seats.
The civil war between the de facto government and the Rapid Support Forces has run since April 2023.
Speaker:
Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim
Agreement cited:
1947 Headquarters Agreement
African permanent seats sought:
two
Why it matters for exams: UN host-country obligations, Security Council reform and the Sudan war are linked exam themes.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
On 28 September 2026 South Sudan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng, addressed the General Assembly.
She said South Sudan remains committed to general elections in December 2026 to conclude its transition period, 15 years after independence.
She said the ballot must replace the bullets and called for lifting all sanctions, including the arms embargo.
She said the country does not want indefinite dependence on international peacekeeping through UNMISS.
She noted that electoral institutions need resources and that refugees and internally displaced persons must not be left out.
Elections planned:
December 2026
Speaker:
Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng
UN mission:
UNMISS
Why it matters for exams: Elections, UN missions and African states' recent history are recurring topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
On 28 September 2026 Kim Son Gyong, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, spoke in the general debate of the UN General Assembly's 81st session.
He said the country's nuclear status can never be reversed in any circumstances or by any means.
He cited the US-Japan-Republic of Korea security partnership and military exercises as raising pressure.
He called for UN reforms to increase impartiality and equal representation of Member States.
He marked 35 years since the DPRK joined the United Nations.
Speaker:
Kim Son Gyong
UNGA session:
81st
Years since UN entry:
35
Why it matters for exams: Korean Peninsula security and UN membership history are frequent exam topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
On 28 September 2026 UN Member States held a high-level meeting marking 25 years since the Durban Declaration.
Secretary-General António Guterres called racism a poison requiring stronger laws, inclusive institutions and reparatory justice.
He warned that digital tools are amplifying hate speech and disinformation.
Ethiopia's representative urged reparations for colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.
The Durban Declaration, adopted in South Africa in 2001, is a framework for eliminating racism, discrimination and xenophobia.
Years since Durban:
25
Declaration adopted:
2001, South Africa
Meeting date:
28 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Human-rights declarations and anniversaries are common in general awareness papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
UN News reported on 28 September 2026 on the State of the World's Forests (SOFO) 2026 report.
It says 489 million hectares of forest were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2025.
More than 460 million hectares of forests worldwide are degraded.
Restoring more than one billion hectares of degraded land could generate $1.8 trillion per year in benefits.
One-third of the global population relies on forests for food and work.
Forest lost 1990-2025:
489 million hectares
Degraded forests:
over 460 million hectares
Restoration benefit:
$1.8 trillion per year
Why it matters for exams: Reports and indices with headline figures are staple exam material.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
29 September 2026
Hungary's parliament voted overwhelmingly on 28 September 2026 to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two former ministers.
The two are former Culture Minister Balazs Hanko and former National Development Minister Miklos Sesztak.
Orbán's Fidesz party and its ally KDNP boycotted the session.
Magyar requested the removal himself; the step lets prosecutors proceed with criminal investigations against all three.
Magyar's Tisza party ended Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule in a recent landslide election victory.
Prime Minister:
Peter Magyar
Boycotting parties:
Fidesz and KDNP
Orbán's years in power:
16
Why it matters for exams: European politics and parliamentary immunity are current-affairs staples.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
A military airstrike on a market in Kyauktaw, Rakhine state, killed at least 33 people and wounded 36 on 28 September 2026.
The Arakan Army reported the figures and rescue official Wai Hun Aung confirmed the details to the Associated Press. The group has captured 14 of Rakhine's 17 townships.
The market is the region's main wholesale centre and was hit at noon local time; the Arakan Army said the toll may continue to increase.
The military did not immediately comment but has previously said it strikes only legitimate military targets.
Nearly 500,000 people are displaced in Rakhine amid fighting since the 2021 coup.
Killed:
at least 33
Wounded:
36
Displaced in Rakhine:
nearly 500,000
Why it matters for exams: Myanmar's post-coup conflict is a recurring Asia-security topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Article 7 of the UN Charter establishes six principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat. All were established under the Charter when the Organization was founded. The International Court of Justice is the only one of the six not located in New York (United States of America). The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization.
Principal organs:
6
Charter provision:
Article 7
Organ outside New York:
International Court of Justice
Why it matters for exams: Questions on which UN organ does what, and which is located where, recur in general studies papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Under Article 23 of the UN Charter the Security Council consists of fifteen Members: five permanent members (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States) and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years. Each member has one vote. Under Article 27, decisions on procedural matters need an affirmative vote of nine members. Decisions on all other matters need an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members, which is the basis of the power popularly called the veto. The Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Members:
15 (5 permanent, 10 non-permanent)
Term of non-permanent members:
two years
Votes needed for substantive decisions:
nine, including the permanent members
Why it matters for exams: Composition, terms and the voting formula of the Security Council are among the most frequently examined UN facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC