6 October 2026
UN News reported that water sources are drying up, crops are failing and food prices are rising across Papua New Guinea. In September the Nino 3.4 index, a measure of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific used to track El Nino, surpassed the temperatures recorded during every previous El Nino event, including 1997 and 2015. El Nino conditions have been present since mid-2026 and are forecast to peak between October and December. The Government declared the event in June, established a dedicated task force and approved a $112 million supplementary budget. Some 1.2 million people are estimated to require direct food relief. The largest impacts on agriculture and food security are expected from November. Across the Greater Horn of Africa the same event could instead bring wetter-than-normal conditions, river and flash flooding and waterborne disease.
Supplementary budget approved:
$112 million
People needing direct food relief:
1.2 million
Forecast peak:
October to December
Why it matters for exams: El Nino, the Nino 3.4 index and its opposite effects in different regions are standard geography and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Nino 3.4 index Nino 3.4 index — A measure of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific used to track El Nino.
6 October 2026
A new report released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, produced with the World Health Organization and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, examines the illicit market in medical products. From 2020 through 2025 authorities seized 251 tonnes of medical products in Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic and Chad. Annual seizures rose from about five tonnes in 2020 to nearly 116 tonnes in 2024, before exceeding 97 tonnes in 2025. Cameroon accounted for nearly all seizures recorded in 2025, with 96 tonnes intercepted against just 2.5 tonnes five years earlier. The products ranged from antibiotics and antimalarials to painkillers and psychoactive substances such as tramadol and pregabalin. From 2013 to 2025 WHO surveillance recorded incidents involving 228 medical products in the bloc, of which 71 per cent were classified as falsified and 11 per cent as substandard. In 2023 the WHO universal health-coverage index placed all six countries of the bloc among the world's poorest performers, with Chad scoring 26 out of 100 against a global average of 71.
Seized 2020-2025:
251 tonnes
Cameroon seizures in 2025:
96 tonnes
Share classified as falsified:
71 per cent
Chad's universal health-coverage score:
26 out of 100
Why it matters for exams: Falsified and substandard medicines, the WHO universal health-coverage index and CEMAC are examinable health-governance topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime — The UN office that researches and counters drugs, crime and trafficking.
CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa — A regional bloc of six Central African countries.
2 October 2026
The latest World Bank Group Tanzania Economic Update projects economic growth of 6.1 per cent in 2026 and an average of 6.5 per cent over the medium term, driven by increased private sector activity. Inflation remains within the Bank of Tanzania's target range, public debt remains sustainable, and strong private sector credit growth points to expanding economic activity. The special theme of the edition, Making Jobs Work, finds that Tanzania does not face a shortage of jobs but a challenge in creating higher-quality jobs. While the country's employment rate is among the highest globally, most workers remain concentrated in low-productivity activities, particularly in agriculture and informal employment. Firas Raad, World Bank Division Director for Tanzania, said the country needs deliberate policy choices and continued investment in education, skills and health. The report highlights two priorities: building a stronger workforce through skills development, social protection and labour market systems, and expanding the number of productive firms capable of generating quality jobs.
Projected growth in 2026:
6.1%
Medium-term average growth:
6.5%
Special theme:
Making Jobs Work
Why it matters for exams: World Bank country economic updates and the distinction between job quantity and job quality recur in economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tanzania Economic Update Tanzania Economic Update — A periodic World Bank Group report on Tanzania's economy with a special theme in each edition.
5 October 2026
The European Space Agency announced that its Intermediate Ministerial Meeting 2026, known as IMM26, will take place in Rome, Italy, on 15 December 2026 at the La Nuvola Rome Convention Center. ESA Member States will meet to discuss Europe's future role in space exploration and agree on a joint way forward. In September 2026, at the International Space Summit in Paris, ESA Member States endorsed a document called A Call to Boost European Space Exploration, which provided political guidance and required ESA to prepare concrete options for decision by ministers at IMM26. Discussions will focus on securing Europe's access to and presence in low Earth orbit in the post-International Space Station era, strengthening Europe's presence on and around the Moon through a combination of international cooperation and targeted autonomy, and using low Earth orbit and the Moon as stepping stones towards future exploration of Mars.
Meeting date:
15 December 2026
Venue:
La Nuvola Rome Convention Center, Rome, Italy
Guiding document:
A Call to Boost European Space Exploration
Why it matters for exams: ESA's ministerial meetings and the post-ISS transition are current science and international cooperation topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA European Space Agency — Europe's intergovernmental space agency, whose Member States set its programmes at ministerial meetings.
6 October 2026
Sixty-nine Palestinians, more than half of them children, were displaced after Israeli authorities cleared the demolition of their residential building in the At Tur area of occupied East Jerusalem.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said this is the highest number of people displaced in a single demolition in occupied East Jerusalem since UN records began in 2009.
Families told the UN and humanitarian partners that Israeli forces had prevented them from retrieving their belongings, which are now under rubble.
UN aid partners assessed the families' immediate needs and provided rent support and other essential items.
So far in 2026, Israeli authorities have demolished, or forced owners to demolish, the homes of more than 1,800 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
OCHA said most were demolished for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are rarely granted to Palestinians in the affected areas.
People displaced:
69
UN records began:
2009
Palestinians whose homes were demolished in 2026:
more than 1,800
Why it matters for exams: Demolitions and displacement in the occupied Palestinian territory recur in questions on West Asia and on the UN humanitarian system.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — The UN office that coordinates relief work by UN agencies and other aid bodies in emergencies.
At Tur At Tur, occupied East Jerusalem — A Palestinian neighbourhood on the Mount of Olives ridge in occupied East Jerusalem.
6 October 2026
More than 347 million children in nearly 100 countries and territories are expected to experience unusually wet or dry conditions between October and December 2026 because of El Nino, according to the latest UNICEF data reported by the UN.
The 2026-2027 El Nino is forecast to become one of the strongest on record, and Pacific Ocean temperatures have already surpassed the equivalent measurements of the 1997 and 2015 events.
Colombia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines are among the countries expected to turn drier, raising the risk of drought, water scarcity and acute malnutrition.
In the Greater Horn of Africa, wetter-than-normal conditions could trigger flash flooding, spread water-borne diseases and disrupt schooling.
The UN said every $1 invested in disaster risk reduction and prevention can save up to $15 in recovery costs, yet less than one per cent of humanitarian funding goes to anticipatory action.
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has recalled that in the 2015-16 El Nino more than 70 per cent of South-East Asia's land area experienced drought, exposing more than 200 million people to severe drought at its peak.
Children exposed, October-December 2026:
more than 347 million
Countries and territories:
nearly 100
Return on prevention spending:
up to $15 saved for every $1
Why it matters for exams: El Nino's teleconnections, its effect on monsoon and food security, and the economics of anticipatory action are standard geography and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
El Nino El Nino-Southern Oscillation, warm phase — A periodic warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific that shifts rainfall and temperature patterns worldwide.
ESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific — The UN regional commission for the Asia-Pacific, with its headquarters in Bangkok.
Anticipatory action Anticipatory humanitarian action — Relief released on the strength of a forecast, before a disaster strikes, rather than after it.
6 October 2026
Djibouti is facing overlapping emergencies as refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen arrive on its shores while migrants continue to travel in the opposite direction, the International Organization for Migration said.
More than 3,700 refugees reached the Horn of Africa country in the preceding three weeks after a dangerous crossing of the Red Sea, said Alexandre Coissac, head of IOM's mission in Djibouti, briefing journalists in Geneva.
At the same time IOM has recorded more than 20,000 journeys made from Ethiopia since 10 September by migrants heading for Yemen in the hope of finding work in the Gulf, and a further 539 Ethiopian migrants arrived from Yemen on their way home.
Between 20 and 30 September more than 3,000 stranded migrants were observed along migratory routes in Djibouti, facing dehydration, exhaustion and shortages of food and water.
IOM said it had received reports of migrants dying in the desert near the border with Ethiopia, and that migrants were increasingly using secondary routes, making them harder to reach.
Mr Coissac said most migrants bound for Yemen were unaware of the grave situation there as fighting between government and Houthi forces intensifies.
Refugees arriving in Djibouti in three weeks:
more than 3,700
Journeys from Ethiopia since 10 September:
more than 20,000
Stranded migrants observed, 20-30 September:
more than 3,000
Why it matters for exams: The Eastern Route across the Red Sea and the mandate of IOM are frequently asked in questions on migration and the Horn of Africa.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN agency for migration, which assists migrants and runs voluntary return programmes.
Horn of Africa Horn of Africa — The peninsula of north-east Africa comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.
6 October 2026
Opening a two-day official visit to Pakistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for an end to the United States-Iran war and to the damage it has done to global trade.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, he told all parties to end the conflict, return to diplomacy and fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law.
The crisis began in late February 2026 following joint United States-Israeli strikes on Iran; Tehran launched counter-attacks on targets in Gulf countries and Jordan and blocked transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor critical for trade in crude oil, fertilisers and liquefied natural gas. Hundreds of ships and their crews have been stuck at sea for months.
Fighting has also spread to Yemen's Red Sea coast, where Houthi forces are battling government troops, supported by Saudi Arabia, for control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Mr Guterres credited Pakistan with helping to create the conditions for dialogue, citing the 17 June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the subsequent ceasefire and the framework for further negotiations.
He also noted that Pakistan and Denmark led Security Council resolution 2823, which strengthens accountability for crimes against UN peacekeepers and drew 153 co-sponsoring countries, the largest number of co-sponsors for a Security Council resolution in UN history.
Conflict began:
late February 2026
Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding:
17 June
Co-sponsors of Security Council resolution 2823:
153 countries
Why it matters for exams: The Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab and the Security Council's resolution numbering are high-yield facts for world geography and international organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Strait of Hormuz Strait of Hormuz — The narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, through which much of the world's seaborne oil moves.
Bab al-Mandab Bab al-Mandab Strait — The strait between Yemen and Djibouti that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Memorandum of Understanding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) — A written record of an understanding between parties that is usually not a binding treaty.
6 October 2026
The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is robbing children of the adults they depend on, the UN Children's Fund said at a briefing in Geneva.
The update came as regional neighbour Kenya confirmed its first case and first death from the disease, which the World Health Organization said was likely imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 1,900 boys and girls have either lost one or both parents or their caregivers, or have been separated from them, since the outbreak was declared in May 2026.
Most of these children, 1,581, are in North Kivu province, the epicentre of the crisis.
Halimatou Amadou, UNICEF Chief of Communication in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the figures cover only the areas where UNICEF works with social affairs teams in the affected provinces.
She said fear and stigma can keep relatives and neighbours away at the very moment a child most needs someone.
Children affected since May 2026:
more than 1,900
Children in North Kivu:
1,581
Kenya:
first case and first death confirmed
Why it matters for exams: Ebola, its transmission and the UN agencies responding to outbreaks are recurring public health questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund — The UN agency for children, which works on child health, nutrition, education and protection.
North Kivu North Kivu province — A province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bordering Uganda and Rwanda.
6 October 2026
The first Global Heat Forum opened in Bangkok to unlock finance and scale up solutions on extreme heat, amid record-breaking temperatures and an intensifying El Nino, the World Meteorological Organization said.
Nearly 600 scientists, business leaders, philanthropists and health experts gathered for the four-day event, which took place as the Thai capital recovered from devastating rainfall and deadly floods.
Addressing the forum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on every city to build lasting defences against extreme heat and said heat action plans should be in place by 2030, backed by the systems and resources to make them real.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said El Nino literally turns up the heat and that prevention begins before the emergency, with forecasts giving health services, employers and communities time to act.
The WMO said scaling up heat-health warning systems could protect 1.5 billion people.
The forum launched an executive summary titled Extreme heat and health: Global evidence for action, a platform rating more than 80 heat interventions built after a review of 300,000 academic papers, a Global Call to Action on Heat and Women's Health, and a Roadmap for Investment and Action on Extreme Heat that carries the work into COP31 in Antalya.
Venue:
Bangkok, Thailand
Participants:
nearly 600
People protectable by heat-health warnings:
1.5 billion
Deadline for city heat action plans:
2030
Why it matters for exams: Heat action plans, heat-health warning systems and the venue of the next climate conference are current environment and health questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WMO World Meteorological Organization — The UN specialized agency for weather, climate and water, with its headquarters in Geneva.
Heat action plan Heat action plan — A city or state plan that sets out warnings, health measures and worker protections for heatwave periods.
COP31 Thirty-first Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — The annual climate negotiation to be held in Antalya, Turkiye.
7 October 2026
NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) report that Arctic sea ice reached its 2026 annual minimum on September 12, 2026.
The ice covered an estimated 4.6 million square kilometers (1.78 million square miles) at that point.
The 2026 minimum ties 2008, 2010 and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record.
Each of the past 20 summers, from 2007 through 2026, ranks among the 20 lowest minimum extents in the satellite record.
The lowest minimum of all occurred in September 2012.
The March 2026 maximum ice extent tied the 2025 maximum for the lowest in the satellite record.
The analysis was written by Michala Garrison for the NASA Earth Observatory.
2026 minimum extent:
4.6 million square kilometers (1.78 million square miles)
Date of minimum:
September 12, 2026
Rank in satellite record:
10th-lowest, tied with 2008, 2010 and 2025
Lowest minimum ever:
September 2012
Why it matters for exams: Arctic sea ice minimum figures and their ranking are a standard climate-data question in both Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NSIDC National Snow and Ice Data Center — The United States centre that archives and reports snow and ice data, including daily sea ice extent.
Sea ice extent Sea ice extent — The total area of ocean where sea ice cover crosses a set threshold, used to compare years.
6 October 2026
Eurostat's euro indicator release reports that the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade rose by 0.1% in the euro area and by 0.1% in the EU in August 2026 compared with July 2026.
Compared with August 2025, the calendar adjusted retail trade volume increased by 0.8% in the euro area and by 1.2% in the EU.
Among Member States, the highest monthly increases were recorded in Romania (+2.3%), Sweden (+1.4%) and Germany (+1.3%).
The largest monthly decreases were in Luxembourg (-9.4%), Malta (-1.9%) and Latvia (-1.4%).
The highest annual increases were in Sweden (+7.7%), Cyprus (+7.5%) and Estonia (+6.0%).
Annual declines were recorded in Malta (-2.4%), Spain (-0.6%), Italy (-0.5%) and Germany (-0.4%).
Automotive fuel sales fell in both the monthly and the annual comparison.
Monthly change, euro area:
+0.1%
Monthly change, EU:
+0.1%
Annual change, euro area:
+0.8%
Annual change, EU:
+1.2%
Largest monthly fall:
Luxembourg -9.4%
Why it matters for exams: Eurostat's retail trade indicator is a standard reference for questions on euro area demand and on how EU statistics are compiled.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Eurostat Statistical Office of the European Union — The European Commission department that produces official statistics for the EU and the euro area.
Seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted — A series from which regular seasonal swings have been removed so that month-to-month change can be read.