10 October 2026
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate end to the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. The statement was issued on Friday night in New York by his Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric. Guterres said he was deeply worried by reports that Eritrean forces are present in Ethiopia and urged the signatories of the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the civil war in Tigray, to return to dialogue under its framework. He said the fighting in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions risks escalating in ways that would further destabilise the wider region. He reminded all States in the region of their Charter obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, and of the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. UN humanitarian affairs chief Tom Fletcher asked all parties to give aid workers safe and rapid access, and the UN said verified displacement figures are not yet available. In Amhara, a government-led effort to help displaced people return from the town of Kobo has been suspended after security there deteriorated. In a letter to the Security Council, Ethiopia's foreign minister said Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres into the region, a claim Eritrea rejected.
Peace deal invoked:
Pretoria Agreement, 2022
Depth of advance stated by Ethiopia:
up to 60 kilometres
Regions affected:
Tigray, Afar and Amhara
Why it matters for exams: The Horn of Africa crisis links the UN Charter's rules on the use of force with the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, both standard international relations topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TPLF Tigray People's Liberation Front — The party that had controlled Ethiopia's Tigray region and fought the federal government.
Pretoria Agreement Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, 2022 — The deal signed in South Africa that ended the Tigray civil war.
9 October 2026
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday that Israeli military incursions into southern Syria are intensifying, with some 280 incidents recorded in September alone. That is the highest monthly figure this year. The incidents include raids on homes, restrictions on movement, harassment of civilians and arbitrary detention. OHCHR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said 49 Syrians are believed to remain in Israeli custody, a figure the office said has not been independently verified. Former detainees have described detention lasting over a year in some cases, with no reasons given and transfers to unknown facilities. On Monday a 22-year-old man from Jaba town in Quneitra governorate was killed by Israeli forces near Al-Hamidiyah while walking at night; no warning shots are known to have been fired. On Wednesday a farmer with a disability was shot in the leg during an incursion in northern Quneitra, then detained while bleeding and released an hour and a half later. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for a prompt and impartial investigation into the killing and urged Israel to stop harassing civilians.
Incidents in September:
some 280
Syrians believed in custody:
49
Governorate most affected:
Quneitra
Why it matters for exams: OHCHR monitoring figures and the role of the High Commissioner are recurring questions on the UN human rights machinery.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights — The UN office in Geneva that monitors and reports on human rights worldwide.
9 October 2026
Six weeks after Nepal's flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild and will need sustained help, the UN Children's Fund said on Friday. At least 1,400 people were killed, including 84 children, and nearly 5,300 people are still missing. The flooding began in late August when a mountain of glacial ice and rock collapsed into the Bhotekoshi, Upper Trishuli and Narayani-Gandak rivers, unleashing a torrent that washed away bridges and homes. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, reporting from Kathmandu, said affected towns and villages look like war zones and that access to some communities in Rasuwa remains difficult. Caroline Holt of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said relief supplies are still being airlifted to the most isolated areas, and that families face disrupted markets, higher transport costs and shortages of essential goods. Elder said the Himalayas are warming about twice as fast as the global average, while Nepal produces only 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. He urged that pledges on loss and damage be turned into support that reaches families, ahead of the UNFCCC climate summit COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, from 9 to 20 November.
Killed:
at least 1,400, including 84 children
Still missing:
nearly 5,300
Nepal's share of global emissions:
0.1 per cent
COP31:
Antalya, Turkiye, 9-20 November
Why it matters for exams: The item carries exact casualty figures, the rivers involved and the COP31 venue and dates, all of which are directly examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies — The global body of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, based in Geneva.
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — The treaty under which the annual COP climate summits are held.
8 October 2026
The International Criminal Court made public on 8 October 2026 a decision of Trial Chamber III, dated 28 September 2026, holding that former Philippine president Rodrigo Roa Duterte is fit to stand trial. The opening of the trial is scheduled for 30 November 2026. The Chamber said it was satisfied that the accused is able to exercise his fair trial rights effectively, basing its finding on an independent Panel of Experts and on submissions by the parties and participants. The Expert Panel unanimously found that he has the capacity to understand the charges, the purpose and consequences of the proceedings, the nature of entering a plea and the evidence, and to instruct counsel. The Chamber said it will assess sitting hours case by case depending on the circumstances of the witnesses and the accused, and instructed the Registry that his health be continuously monitored by the Medical Officer of the Court's Detention Centre. The arrest warrant was issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I as secret on 7 March 2025 and made public on 11 March 2025. Duterte was surrendered to the ICC on 12 March 2025 and made his initial appearance on 14 March 2025. The confirmation of charges hearing was held from 23 to 27 February 2026, and on 23 April 2026 Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously confirmed all charges, comprising three counts of crimes against humanity.
Chamber:
Trial Chamber III
Decision dated:
28 September 2026, made public 8 October 2026
Trial opens:
30 November 2026
Charges confirmed:
three counts of crimes against humanity
Why it matters for exams: A fitness-to-stand-trial ruling against a former head of state shows how ICC procedure works from warrant to confirmation of charges to trial.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICC International Criminal Court — The permanent court at The Hague that tries individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression.
Rome Statute Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court — The 1998 treaty that created the ICC and defines the crimes it may try.
10 October 2026
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree on Saturday calling for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on 11 September 2027. The legislative polls had been due to take place on 28 November 2026, while a presidential vote had been expected in early 2027. His office announced the decree in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. The last legislative elections in the Palestinian territories were held two decades ago, in 2006, and holding fresh polls is part of the reforms sought by the international community, including the European Union. Palestinian factions including Abbas' Fatah and its rival Hamas had agreed to hold a national dialogue before the legislative elections. The PLO Executive Committee, which Abbas heads, said conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza were not suitable for a vote, citing restrictions on election officials and observers and the slow pace of reconstruction in Gaza. Abbas, who is 90, won the presidential election of 2005.
New poll date:
11 September 2027
Date originally set:
28 November 2026
Last legislative election:
2006
Why it matters for exams: The date change, the 2006 benchmark and the role of the PLO Executive Committee are the examinable facts in a long-running governance question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WAFA Palestine News and Information Agency — The official news agency of the Palestinian Authority.
PLO Palestine Liberation Organization — The umbrella body recognised internationally as representing the Palestinian people; Abbas chairs it.
8 October 2026
The European Space Agency released the first images and measurements from the Sentinel-3C satellite on 8 October 2026.
Sentinel-3C was launched on 15 September 2026 on a Vega-C rocket, together with the FLEX mission.
It is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series and part of Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation programme.
Its ocean and land colour instrument returned natural-colour views of Italy and of the Canadian Arctic captured on 30 September, and of Cuba and the Bahamas captured on 29 September.
The synthetic aperture radar altimeter measured sea-surface height over the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and mapped the elevation of the Greenland ice sheet between 30 September and 4 October.
ESA says the sea and land surface temperature radiometer will return its first observations soon.
Commissioning is expected to take about five more months, after which ESA and Eumetsat will run the mission jointly.
ESA notes that global sea level has been rising by about 3.64 mm per year since 1999.
Launch date:
15 September 2026
Launch vehicle:
Vega-C
Position in series:
Third Sentinel-3 satellite
Sea-level rise cited:
About 3.64 mm per year since 1999
Why it matters for exams: Copernicus Sentinel satellites and their instruments are a recurring science and environment question in both Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA European Space Agency — The intergovernmental space agency of Europe, headquartered in Paris.
Copernicus European Union Earth observation programme — The EU programme whose Sentinel satellites supply free Earth observation data.
Eumetsat European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites — The Darmstadt-based body that runs Europe's operational weather satellites.
8 October 2026
The European Space Agency announced on 8 October 2026 that its Solar Orbiter spacecraft has traced where magnetic switchbacks in the solar wind are formed.
Switchbacks are S-shaped kinks in the magnetic field carried by the solar wind.
Solar Orbiter flew through a large switchback while roughly halfway between the Earth and the Sun and sampled its plasma with the Solar Wind Analyser instrument.
The plasma held a mix of charged oxygen and carbon particles that could only have formed inside hot magnetic loops at the Sun's surface.
The team says this is evidence for interchange reconnection, in which open and closed magnetic regions interact and let trapped plasma escape.
Signs of waves and turbulence were also seen, but only after the switchback had left the Sun, so both processes act at different stages of its life.
The study was published in Nature Astronomy, with Jesse T. Coburn of CNRS/LPP in France as lead author, and used data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory alongside Solar Orbiter.
Daniel Mueller, ESA's project scientist for Solar Orbiter, said better knowledge of the solar wind improves preparation for solar storms.
Journal:
Nature Astronomy
Lead author:
Jesse T. Coburn, CNRS/LPP, France
Instrument used:
Solar Wind Analyser
Process identified:
Interchange reconnection
Why it matters for exams: Space weather and solar missions are standard science and technology material, and Solar Orbiter is the flagship European Sun mission.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Solar wind Stream of charged particles from the Sun — A continuous flow of plasma from the Sun's corona that carries the Sun's magnetic field outward.
SDO Solar Dynamics Observatory — A NASA spacecraft that images the Sun continuously from Earth orbit.
8 October 2026
UNESCO released its Global Education Monitoring Report gender report on 8 October 2026, ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October.
The report finds that girls and boys are now enrolled in equal numbers from pre-primary through upper secondary education.
The share of girls married before the age of 18 fell from 25 per cent in 2000 to 18 per cent in 2025, but remains 25 per cent in Central and Southern Asia and 31 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.
About 6 million pregnant girls and young mothers aged 10 to 19 were out of school in sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, and fewer than 5 per cent of pregnant and parenting girls in the region return to school.
UNESCO data for 2026 show that 58 per cent of countries guarantee education without discrimination by sex or gender, while only 35 per cent explicitly protect the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls.
The Central African Republic, Tanzania, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Togo have ended bans on education for married, pregnant and parenting girls and women.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany said too many girls still face barriers to accessing, completing and thriving in school.
The report also records national gains, including Nepal closing a 33-point gap in lower secondary completion between 1990 and 2024.
Girls married before 18:
25% in 2000 to 18% in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa share:
31%
Out of school in sub-Saharan Africa, 2024:
About 6 million pregnant girls and young mothers aged 10-19
Countries protecting pregnant and parenting girls:
35%
Why it matters for exams: The Global Education Monitoring Report is a named UNESCO publication whose headline figures are often asked in reports and indices questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GEM Report Global Education Monitoring Report — An independent UNESCO-hosted report that tracks progress on education targets.
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — The UN agency for education, science and culture, headquartered in Paris.
9 October 2026
UNESCO awarded its 2026 Prize for Girls' and Women's Education at a ceremony at its headquarters in Paris on 9 October 2026.
The two laureates are Project Soar of Morocco, for its Project Soar in a Bag initiative, and CARE Peru, for its Girls with Opportunities project.
Each laureate receives US$50,000.
The prizes were presented by UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and the Vice-Minister of Education of China, Ren Youqun.
The Director-General selects the laureates on the recommendation of an international jury.
The prize was established in 2015, is funded by the Government of China, is awarded to two laureates every year and supports Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5.
Project Soar reports that in 2025, 97.5 per cent of participating girls passed their school year and 99 per cent remained free from child marriage.
CARE Peru reports that secondary completion among participants rose from about 65 per cent to about 82 per cent and that the project has reached more than 37,000 rural adolescent girls aged 14 to 19 since 2016.
Prize money:
US$50,000 to each laureate
Laureates:
Project Soar, Morocco and CARE Peru
Established:
2015
Funded by:
Government of the People's Republic of China
Why it matters for exams: International awards, their prize money and their donors are asked directly in awards questions in both Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SDG Sustainable Development Goal — One of the 17 goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 for the year 2030.
9 October 2026
The World Health Organization published a practical guide titled Supporting the transition to community-based mental health and social care on 9 October 2026.
The 146-page guide carries ISBN 978-92-4-012413-4.
It is written for psychiatric hospital leaders and decision-makers who are working to deinstitutionalize adults who have had long stays in psychiatric hospitals.
WHO says institutional care can absorb a large share of mental health resources, separate people from their communities, limit their autonomy and expose them to human rights risks.
The guide sets out adaptable, evidence-informed actions organised across three phases, described as plan, prepare and provide.
It focuses on three areas where hospitals can have influence: reducing admissions and lengths of stay, transforming care inside hospitals, and increasing supported discharge, continuity of care and community participation.
Responsibilities are grouped under leadership, partnership and mandate, reflecting the need for coordination among hospitals, authorities, people with lived experience, families, workers and community services.
WHO says deinstitutionalization requires system-wide reform, including aligning policies, laws and funding and building community-based services and housing support.
Publication date:
9 October 2026
Pages:
146
ISBN:
978-92-4-012413-4
Three phases:
Plan, prepare and provide
Why it matters for exams: WHO guidance documents and the idea of deinstitutionalization in mental health care are standard health and governance material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WHO World Health Organization — The United Nations specialised agency for public health, based in Geneva.
Deinstitutionalization Shift from long-stay institutions to community care — Moving care for people with mental health conditions out of long-stay hospitals and into community services.