13 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on 7 October 2026.
It goes to Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan, "for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis".
Some molecules, such as amino acids, exist as two variants that are mirror images of each other, yet living organisms contain only one of them.
Kagan took the first decisive step in 1986; Soai published a key paper in 1995 and in 2003 produced a reaction in which only one mirror image formed.
Their work is decisive for chemists who design reactions for making pharmaceuticals.
The prize amount is 12 million Swedish kronor, shared equally.
Laureates:
Henri B. Kagan (France), Kenso Soai (Japan)
Announced:
7 October 2026
Prize amount:
12 million Swedish kronor, shared equally
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates, the awarding bodies and the work cited are standard questions in UPSC and Kerala PSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Homochirality Same handedness — All amino acids in living cells share one mirror-image form.
Autocatalysis Self-catalysis — A reaction whose product speeds up its own formation.
13 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel on 12 October 2026.
It goes to Robert E. Hall of Stanford University and Michael Woodford of Columbia University, "for microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation".
Their models are built on how households and businesses, looking ahead, decide on saving and prices.
The Academy says such models let governments and central banks time fiscal and monetary measures to reduce the economy's peaks and troughs.
The work answered doubts raised in the 1970s oil crises, when Keynesian models seemed to fail.
The prize amount is 12 million Swedish kronor, shared equally.
Laureates:
Robert E. Hall (Stanford), Michael Woodford (Columbia)
Announced:
12 October 2026
Prize amount:
12 million Swedish kronor, shared equally
Why it matters for exams: The economics prize and the ideas behind stabilisation policy are frequent questions in economy and current affairs papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Stabilisation policy Fiscal and monetary policy used to smooth economic cycles — Government and central-bank measures that cut rates or raise spending in a slump and do the opposite in a boom.
Sveriges Riksbank Central bank of Sweden — The bank that funds this prize, which is not one of the original five Nobel prizes.
13 October 2026
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the 2026 Peace Prize on 9 October 2026, awarding Navanethem "Navi" Pillay "for her efforts to promote peace and international law".
Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin in Durban under apartheid, she defended Nelson Mandela and others before becoming a judge.
She has served on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, and was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Committee says her influence was a significant factor when the Rwanda tribunal established that rape and sexual violence could be a crime against humanity and genocide.
It also calls her instrumental in a separate breakthrough in the same case: for the first time, a defendant faced charges of incitement to commit genocide purely on the basis of spreading propaganda.
She is now a judge on the International Court of Justice in the genocide case against Myanmar.
The Committee notes that judges are being sanctioned and institutions of international law attacked.
Laureate:
Navanethem "Navi" Pillay
Announced:
9 October 2026
Awarded by:
Norwegian Nobel Committee
Why it matters for exams: Peace Prize laureates and the legal landmarks behind them (ICTR, ICC, ICJ) are core international-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda — The UN tribunal that tried people for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
ICJ International Court of Justice — The principal judicial organ of the United Nations, at The Hague.
13 October 2026
Two merchant ships were struck by drones in Bulgaria's Black Sea exclusive economic zone, and the HS Dignity, flagged in Guinea-Bissau, sank 17 nautical miles east of Krapets.
Six of its crew were rescued and 10 are missing, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said.
The Maltese-flagged, Ukrainian-owned Chelsea-3 was hit about 18 nautical miles off Byala and all 15 crew were rescued.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned Russia's ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova; he said there was no conclusive evidence of blame on either side but that the outcome benefits Russia.
Bulgarian media quoted Mitrofanova as telling Radev she had no information from Russia's defence ministry on the attacks.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance would adjust its deterrence posture as needed.
The attacks came a week after two other ships were hit in the same zone, when the Alfa Watan sank.
Ship that sank:
HS Dignity (Guinea-Bissau flag)
Crew missing:
10
Crew of Chelsea-3 rescued:
15
Why it matters for exams: Black Sea security, NATO's Article 5 and exclusive economic zones are linked topics in international-affairs papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Exclusive economic zone EEZ — Sea area up to 200 nautical miles where a coastal state has rights over resources.
Article 5 Collective defence clause of the NATO treaty — An armed attack on one NATO member is treated as an attack on all.
13 October 2026
The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) was unveiled on Monday at Kabila's residence in Goma, eastern DR Congo.
It says it will coordinate "resistance forces" against the government of President Felix Tshisekedi, "by all means, including force".
M23 leader Sultani Makenga is one of Kabila's four deputies; the other three also come from the AFC-M23 alliance.
Kabila ruled from 2001 to January 2019 and was sentenced to death in absentia for treason last year.
M23 has controlled Goma since early 2025.
Government and M23 representatives were expected to meet in Qatar in November for talks, which analysts say the new coalition could undermine.
The BBC reports that the Congolese government has not commented.
New coalition:
Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN)
Kabila's rule:
2001 to January 2019
Launched:
Monday 12 October 2026, Goma
Why it matters for exams: African conflicts and the eastern Congo crisis feature in world-affairs sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
M23 March 23 Movement — An armed group that controls Goma and large areas of eastern DR Congo.
In absentia In the absence of the accused — A trial or sentence held without the person being present.
12 October 2026
On Monday 12 October 2026 the General Assembly adopted a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The vote was 153 in favour, three against and two abstentions, including New Zealand and Paraguay.
It had been due to be approved by consensus at a high-level meeting on 25 September, but objections from the United States and a few other States blocked that.
The declaration is political and non-binding, and welcomes the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted last year.
That agreement cannot open for signature until States finish the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex.
The World Health Assembly is due to return to the annex next May.
Vote:
153 in favour, 3 against, 2 abstentions
Nature:
Political and non-binding
Pending annex:
PABS (Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing)
Why it matters for exams: UN General Assembly procedure, WHO treaties and pandemic governance are recurring topics in world-affairs and health sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PABS Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing — The system for sharing pathogen samples and genetic data in return for a share of vaccines and treatments.
Political declaration Non-binding UN statement of commitment — It sets out shared aims but creates no legal obligation.
13 October 2026
The IMF published its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook in Bangkok on Tuesday 13 October 2026, as the IMF and World Bank annual meetings opened.
It revised 2026 global growth up to 3.1 per cent from 3 per cent in its previous outlook.
It forecasts the Middle East and Central Asia to shrink 0.3 per cent in 2026, against growth of 1.9 per cent projected in April, citing disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar face the deepest contractions: 16.7, 16 and 15.6 per cent.
It puts US growth at 2.3 per cent and China at 4.5 per cent.
Emergency oil stocks are low, and the IMF warns that without rebuilding buffers the global economy could soon test the limits of resilience.
2026 global growth:
3.1 per cent (up from 3 per cent)
Middle East and Central Asia, 2026:
-0.3 per cent
Venue of release:
Bangkok
Why it matters for exams: The IMF's World Economic Outlook figures and the Annual Meetings are staple economy and reports questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
World Economic Outlook IMF's biannual forecast report — It projects growth and inflation for the world and for individual countries.
Strait of Hormuz Waterway between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf — In peacetime it carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies.
12 October 2026
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued a new alert on Monday 12 October 2026, warning that the risk of famine is growing in parts of Sudan.
A severe El Nino drought now covers more than half of Sudan, compounding war and displacement in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan.
A survey of two camps in Eastern Jebel Marra, South Darfur, found acute malnutrition among children at 38 and 30.8 per cent, above the famine threshold.
Greater Kordofan has seen more than 300,000 people forced from their homes since October 2025.
The IPC's Famine Review Committee said survey data is not sufficient for a full analysis but the evidence points to a rapidly worsening situation.
As of 8 October, less than half of the humanitarian appeal for Sudan had been funded.
Acute malnutrition, two South Darfur camps:
38 and 30.8 per cent
Displaced in Greater Kordofan since October 2025:
More than 300,000
Alert issued:
12 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: The IPC scale, famine thresholds and the Sudan crisis are regular questions on hunger indices and humanitarian affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IPC Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — A global partnership that rates the severity of food insecurity and famine.
El Nino Periodic warming of the central Pacific — It alters rainfall worldwide and can cause drought in some regions.
11 October 2026
The UN migration agency IOM said on Sunday 11 October 2026 that at least 139 migrants died when their boat capsized off Djibouti.
The toll rose from 109 after 30 more bodies were recovered, and 84 people are still missing.
The boat carried 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen and went down near Guehere, north of Obock, early on Friday; about 82 survived.
IOM called it one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded on the Eastern Route, from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
Since 10 September IOM has recorded more than 20,000 movements into Djibouti from Ethiopia.
IOM Director General Amy Pope asked governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down.
Dead:
At least 139
Missing:
84
People aboard:
305
Why it matters for exams: UN agencies like IOM, migration routes and regional geography are tested in international-affairs and geography papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN migration agency.
Eastern Route Migration route from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf — It runs from Djibouti, Somalia and Ethiopia across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
12 October 2026
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday 11 October 2026 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop striking each other's energy infrastructure.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia attacked six Ukrainian energy facilities on Monday and 33 people were wounded.
Ukraine's grid operator Ukrenergo reported new power cuts in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
Zelensky said Ukraine backs the truce and carried out no attacks on Russian refineries overnight.
Trump said "there's been violations on both sides".
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Zelensky does not deserve a respite.
BBC Verify has recorded 273 strikes on Russian-controlled oil and gas facilities in 2026, more than double the 124 in the same period of 2025.
Energy sites hit (Monday):
6
People wounded:
33
Strikes on Russian-controlled oil and gas sites in 2026:
273
Why it matters for exams: Ceasefire diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine war and attacks on energy infrastructure are recurring world-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Ukrenergo Ukraine's state-owned grid operator — It runs the national high-voltage power grid.
BBC Verify BBC's fact-checking and analysis unit — It examines claims and data about events such as strikes.
13 October 2026
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response on 12 October 2026.
Member States had considered the text at the second UNGA High-Level Meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response on 25 September 2026 and then referred it to the full General Assembly for adoption.
The declaration commits countries to sustain investment in national, regional and global capacity to prevent, detect and respond to pandemic threats, and to treat preparedness as a health, development, economic and security priority.
It also commits them to implement the amended International Health Regulations (2005), to ensure timely access to pathogens and equitable benefit-sharing, to expand local and regional manufacturing and research capacity, and to secure sustainable financing.
The World Health Organization welcomed the adoption from Geneva and New York the same day.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "WHO welcomes this strong commitment by UN Member States", and added, "We urge countries to now fulfil the commitments they have made."
The outcome of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing negotiations is to be considered at the next World Health Assembly in May 2027, or earlier at a special session; adopting that annex would allow the WHO Pandemic Agreement to enter into force.
Adopted on:
12 October 2026
High-Level Meeting:
25 September 2026
PABS annex to be considered:
World Health Assembly, May 2027
Why it matters for exams: A fresh UN General Assembly declaration on pandemic preparedness, and the PABS annex on which the WHO Pandemic Agreement's entry into force depends.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PABS Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing — The WHO system under negotiation for sharing pathogen samples and the vaccines and medicines made from them.
IHR (2005) International Health Regulations (2005) — The binding rules under which countries report and respond to public health events of international concern.
13 October 2026
The World Health Organization launched the strategy of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence for 2026-2030 at the World Health Summit in Berlin, in a release dated 12 October 2026.
The five-year strategy sets the goal that by 2030 every country should be able to detect and understand emerging health threats within 24 hours of their appearance.
The Hub was created in 2021 with foundational support from the German Government and has worked with 160 WHO Member States and 190 partner organizations.
Its Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system draws on over 4000 experts and is used by over 125 Member States and 30 regional and international organizations.
The Hub's Collaboratory brings together more than 2000 experts, and its Collaborative Surveillance Initiative has been implemented in more than 83 countries.
The strategy rests on five priority initiatives: EIOS, the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, the Collaboratory, the Collaborative Surveillance Initiative and a new Digital Enablers for Public Health Intelligence Initiative.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Hub "has become an integral part of the global health security system" and that the strategy "charts a clear path towards 2030".
Georg Kippels, Parliamentary State Secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry of Health, was present at the opening.
Strategy period:
2026-2030
Detection target by 2030:
within 24 hours
Member States worked with:
160
Partner organizations:
190
Countries with Collaborative Surveillance Initiative:
more than 83
Why it matters for exams: A named WHO strategy with a measurable target and five initiatives, useful for questions on global health surveillance.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
EIOS Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources — A WHO system that scans publicly available information for early signals of disease outbreaks.
IPSN International Pathogen Surveillance Network — A WHO network that links laboratories doing genomic surveillance of pathogens.