20 October 2026
Valentine Rugwabiza, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic and head of MINUSCA, told the Security Council that the mission should be maintained with adequate force levels and capabilities during its consolidation phase. MINUSCA, deployed in 2014, maintains more than 12,000 peacekeepers, and the Council must decide before mid-November whether to renew the mandate. The Secretary-General recommended a one-year extension that preserves rapid-intervention capabilities. On 30 June armed groups attacked Am-Dafock on the Sudan border, killing civilians and security force members, displacing 17,000 civilians and injuring six United Nations peacekeepers; the group held the town for five days before retreating into Sudan. Between June and September 26 serious incidents in the southeast were attributed to the Lord's Resistance Army, including 68 civilians abducted, around 40 of them children. Since July 2025, 1,907 fighters have been disarmed and demobilised. Nearly two million Central Africans, 31 per cent of the population, faced acute food insecurity between April and August, and the humanitarian plan was 46.6 per cent funded at the start of October.
Mission:
MINUSCA, deployed in 2014
Peacekeepers:
More than 12,000
Displaced at Am-Dafock:
17,000 civilians
Fighters demobilised since July 2025:
1,907
Acute food insecurity:
31 per cent of the population
Why it matters for exams: United Nations peacekeeping mission acronyms, their host countries and mandate renewals are standard international relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic — The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, deployed in 2014.
LRA Lord's Resistance Army — An armed group that originated in Uganda and operates across central Africa.
20 October 2026
Nearly 16 million Afghans face crisis-level hunger, including about 3.4 million in emergency conditions, and hunger is expected to rise for around 19 million people once winter begins next month. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification findings cited report 15.9 million people facing acute food insecurity, with record acute malnutrition for August to October. Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the United Nations aid coordination office OCHA, briefed from Kabul after field visits to southern and northeastern Afghanistan and said a harvest can improve and markets can have food while families still go hungry, because the crisis turns on whether people can afford food and earn income. She said the outlook is deteriorating and urged action before winter. From January to July United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners reached 8.3 million people with at least one form of assistance. A UNICEF report warns that Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030 if current restrictions continue.
Facing crisis-level hunger:
Nearly 16 million
In emergency conditions:
About 3.4 million
Expected to face hunger in winter:
Around 19 million
Reached January to July:
8.3 million
Why it matters for exams: The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification and the agencies that run humanitarian response are examined in reports and indices.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — The United Nations body that coordinates emergency relief across agencies.
IPC Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — A five-phase scale used internationally to classify the severity of food insecurity.
20 October 2026
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called for urgent investment in Bangladesh's children at the end of a three-day visit. She cited the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025, which found that 47.2 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 in Bangladesh were married before the age of 18, or nearly one in two girls. She set out three priorities: ending child marriage and keeping girls in school, meeting the government's pledge to invest 5 per cent of gross domestic product in education and health, and protecting quality learning for Rohingya refugee and host-community children. UNICEF called for girls to complete secondary school and for loopholes in national law that permit child marriage to be closed. Russell visited Korail, Dhaka's largest informal settlement, and Cox's Bazar, home to one of the world's largest refugee camps, where she met Rohingya families and visited a UNICEF-supported learning centre. She met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam and welcomed the commitment to increase education and health spending.
Married before 18:
47.2 per cent of women aged 20 to 24
Source survey:
Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025
Spending pledge:
5 per cent of GDP on education and health
UNICEF Executive Director:
Catherine Russell
Why it matters for exams: Child marriage rates in South Asia and the survey instruments that measure them are asked in reports and indices.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey — A household survey programme supported by UNICEF that measures indicators on women and children.
19 October 2026
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 160 olive harvest-related attacks in the West Bank over a two-week period caused casualties, property damage or both. Over the same fortnight five Palestinians were killed and more than 240 injured by Israeli forces or settlers, and record demolitions displaced 96 Palestinians. The key points of the briefing list 200 olive harvest-related attacks documented since early September. In Gaza, citing local health authorities, the office reported 57 Palestinians killed and 319 injured between 29 September and 12 October, taking the cumulative totals since the October 2025 ceasefire to 1,493 killed and 5,299 injured. About 950,000 displaced people live in sites at medium to high flood risk, including over 400,000 at high risk, and supplies partially assist only 18 per cent of the 294,250 families needing rainy-season shelter support. Daily cooked-meal production fell 12 per cent to about 614,000. Independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council urged Israel to guarantee farmers protection and safe access to their land.
Olive harvest attacks in a fortnight:
160
Attacks since early September:
200
Gaza casualties 29 September to 12 October:
57 killed, 319 injured
Families needing shelter support:
294,250
Daily cooked meals:
About 614,000, down 12 per cent
Why it matters for exams: The mandate of OCHA and the role of Human Rights Council special procedures are examined in international relations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — The United Nations body that coordinates emergency relief and publishes humanitarian situation data.
19 October 2026
Uzbekistan signed the Artemis Accords on 19 October 2026 at a ceremony in Samarkand, becoming the 77th signatory. Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov signed for Uzbekistan, and the signing took place during a visit by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson said Uzbekistan joins the Artemis Accords at a pivotal moment. NASA and the State Department established the Accords in 2020 with seven other founding nations, in response to growing government and private interest in lunar activities. Signatories commit to exploring peacefully and transparently, aiding those in need, sharing scientific data, avoiding interference with the activities of others and preserving historically significant sites and artefacts. Uzbekistan is developing a national space programme, and Uzbek students are working on the country's first CubeSat, targeted for launch by 2028. NASA officials had met representatives of Uzbekistan's Ministry of Digital Technologies and its space agency Uzcosmos at the 2026 International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, and Uzbekistan will host an annual global space event in 2028.
Signatory number:
77th
Date and place:
19 October 2026, Samarkand
Accords established:
2020, with seven other founding nations
Uzbek space agency:
Uzcosmos
First CubeSat target:
Launch by 2028
Why it matters for exams: The year the Artemis Accords were established and the running count of signatories are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Artemis Accords Artemis Accords — A set of non-binding principles for civil exploration and use of the Moon, Mars and other bodies, established in 2020.
CubeSat CubeSat — A miniature satellite built in standard units of ten centimetres a side.
20 October 2026
A computer model developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with the University of California, Irvine and Dartmouth College projects that Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier could raise sea levels more by the end of the century than some earlier estimates, with its contribution in some simulations as much as twice current projections. The study was published on 12 October in Nature Communications. The model treats grounding zones, rather than only grounding lines, as the transition where ice lifts off the seafloor. It finds that seawater penetrates several miles beneath the grounded ice and lifts it with the tides, introducing warmer water that speeds melting and destabilises the glacier more than a sharp boundary would. The model matched historical satellite data from the 1990s onward about four times more closely than models that omit grounding zones. Kristy Hutchings of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was quoted on the work.
Glacier:
Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica
Journal and date:
Nature Communications, 12 October
Projected contribution:
As much as twice current projections
Model accuracy:
About four times closer to satellite data
Institutions:
NASA JPL, UC Irvine, Dartmouth College
Why it matters for exams: The Thwaites Glacier and the mechanism of marine ice sheet instability are examined in environment and geography.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Grounding zone Grounding zone — The band where a glacier stops resting on bedrock and begins to float, treated as a zone rather than a single line.
21 October 2026
The remnants of Hurricane Isaias, the only Atlantic hurricane of 2026 at the time, moved east over the North Atlantic on the jet stream and became an extratropical cyclone near Iceland. Isaias had made landfall in Florida as a Category 2 storm on 9 October. The VIIRS instrument on the NOAA-21 satellite captured the storm on the afternoon of 14 October. Air pressure fell by more than 50 hectopascals in 24 hours, about double the threshold for bombogenesis, or explosive cyclogenesis. A gust of 205 km/h, or 128 mph, was recorded near the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland, and sustained winds of 150 km/h, or 93 mph, were recorded on a small offshore island. Northwestern Scotland saw gusts up to 90 km/h, or 55 mph, on 14 October, and several Scottish ferry routes were cancelled. Damaging winds reached northern Iceland, where residents also prepared for sleet and snow. Some meteorologists think the storm may have set a new October low for barometric pressure in Iceland, after correcting for altitude, which would break a record dating to 1963. The image was published as the NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day for 21 October 2026.
Peak gust:
205 km/h (128 mph)
Sustained winds:
150 km/h (93 mph)
Pressure fall:
More than 50 hectopascals in 24 hours
Satellite and instrument:
VIIRS on NOAA-21
Original storm:
Hurricane Isaias, Florida landfall 9 October
Why it matters for exams: Bombogenesis, extratropical transition and the hectopascal unit of pressure are standard geography and disaster questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bombogenesis Explosive cyclogenesis — A rapid deepening of a mid-latitude cyclone, conventionally a fall of 24 hectopascals in 24 hours.
VIIRS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite — An imaging instrument carried on polar-orbiting weather satellites.
21 October 2026
A preprint posted on bioRxiv on 11 October 2026 reports that the speed at which brain regions mature in early adolescence may forecast mental-health conditions up to four years before symptoms appear. The work draws on nearly 12,000 young people in the United States from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, which began around age nine, with nearly 30,000 magnetic resonance imaging scans over six years and annual parent surveys on mental-health symptoms. The authors report that cortical thinning follows an S-shaped curve, accelerating, then proceeding steadily, then slowing as a region nears maturity, and that sensory areas of the cortex mature first, followed by regions responsible for complex thought. The findings challenge the idea that psychiatric disorders stem from defects in specific brain circuits and suggest instead that vulnerability may involve disruption of the brain's developmental timeline, possibly set in motion by genes active before birth. Jacqueline Clauss, a child psychiatrist at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, is a co-author. Avram Holmes of Rutgers University, who was not involved, said the population-level patterns are subtle and cannot yet predict an individual child's trajectory. The preprint has not been peer reviewed.
Participants:
Nearly 12,000 young people
Scans:
Nearly 30,000 MRI scans over six years
Lead window of prediction:
Up to four years before symptoms
Preprint server and date:
bioRxiv, 11 October 2026
Cohort:
Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study
Why it matters for exams: The distinction between a preprint and a peer-reviewed paper, and large cohort studies, come up in science and technology.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Preprint Preprint — A research manuscript posted publicly before peer review and journal publication.
Cortical thinning Cortical thinning — The normal reduction in thickness of the brain's outer layer as it matures in adolescence.
20 October 2026
The World Health Organization published a 33-page technical document on 20 October 2026 titled Development, management and support of care workers, subtitled Towards an integrated health and care workforce: policy options, with ISBN 978-92-4-012401-1. It was produced by the WHO Academy and is released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The document sets out evidence-based policy options for planning, developing, managing and supporting paid and unpaid care workers who provide personal care in homes, health services and residential settings. It is based on a realist synthesis literature review and advice from a global WHO Advisory Group, and is organised around 20 thematic areas across the entry, working and exit stages of the workforce lifespan. Gender equality, migrant status and employment settings run through the document as cross-cutting equity and human rights concerns. The priority measures identified are stronger governance of education and training and better working conditions, including fair wages and social protection. The intended audience is policy-makers and planners across health and related sectors.
Publication date:
20 October 2026
Pages:
33
Thematic areas:
20
Produced by:
WHO Academy
Method:
Realist synthesis literature review
Why it matters for exams: The care economy and the health and care workforce are a live policy theme in reports and indices questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Care worker Care worker — A paid or unpaid person who provides personal care in homes, health services or residential settings.
21 October 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on 21 October 2026 on a visit the French presidency described as one of solidarity, and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the al-Yamamah Palace. The Elysee Palace told AFP that Saudi Arabia agreed to supply extra diesel to France for as many months as necessary. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the two discussed regional and international developments and coordinated efforts on security and stability. On the same Gulf tour the United Arab Emirates committed about 100,000 tonnes a month and another 100,000 tonnes a month is to be secured in Bahrain, taking France's commitments to 295,000 tonnes a month, just over 10 per cent of its consumption. Under an earlier agreement France is sending military assets to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port of Yanbu, and the United Kingdom announced fighter jets for Saudi Arabia; both countries describe their support as purely defensive. The French presidency linked the tour to securing and diversifying hydrocarbon supplies as energy prices rose during the war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Total monthly commitments:
295,000 tonnes a month
Share of French consumption:
Just over 10 per cent
UAE commitment:
About 100,000 tonnes a month
Port being protected:
Yanbu, Red Sea
Meeting venue:
al-Yamamah Palace, Riyadh
Why it matters for exams: The Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea port of Yanbu and Gulf energy diplomacy are high-value map and current affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Strait of Hormuz Strait of Hormuz — The narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil moves.
21 October 2026
Brazil's presidential runoff is between incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, with voting on Sunday. Lula's campaign petitioned the Superior Electoral Court, the body known as the TSE, asking it to enforce rules requiring equal treatment for political campaigns. Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, says it does not favour any candidate and attributes incidents such as campaign ads going offline to technical errors. Campaign groups report that their organic reach has dropped and that they must boost posts, in some cases spending over 70 per cent of their budgets on Meta. The monitoring group CTRL+Z reported 1,100 cases this year of accounts being taken down or restricted, mostly pro-Lula profiles. The group Eko found that Meta approved 13 of 15 test advertisements that included artificial-intelligence-generated content promoting violence and disinformation, a sample whose relevance Meta disputed. NetLab found Meta allowed over 1,600 political advertisements paid for by companies outside the country. Brazilian election rules ban artificial-intelligence-generated depictions of candidates, require disclaimers on political advertisements using artificial intelligence and restrict platform advertisements to officially backed campaigns. The TSE earlier barred Jair Bolsonaro from public office for eight years.
Candidates in the runoff:
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro
Electoral authority:
Superior Electoral Court (TSE)
Accounts taken down or restricted:
1,100 cases this year
Foreign-funded political ads found:
Over 1,600
Bolsonaro disqualification:
Eight years from public office
Why it matters for exams: Brazil's Superior Electoral Court and the regulation of political advertising on platforms are examined in polity and international relations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TSE Superior Electoral Court of Brazil — Brazil's highest electoral authority, which both administers elections and decides electoral disputes.
21 October 2026
The future of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile has returned as the main point of contention in talks with the United States. Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, described as a key negotiator, visited Tehran on 20 October 2026 and met Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian received him. Qatar is also mediating. Rezaei said not a particle of the enriched stockpile will leave Iran, while the United States wants part or all of it removed. United States Vice President JD Vance cited 60 per cent enriched fuel as a concern and President Donald Trump has called for zero uranium enrichment, while Iran maintains that enrichment is a right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. A memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June 2026 named downblending under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision as the minimum approach for the stockpile, without specifying a quantity, a target enrichment level or a timetable, and it expired in mid-August without a comprehensive deal. The United States and Israel began their war on Iran on 28 February 2026.
Enrichment level cited:
60 per cent
Memorandum of understanding signed:
17 June 2026, expired mid-August
Mediators named:
Pakistan and Qatar
Iranian security chief:
Mohsen Rezaei
War began:
28 February 2026
Why it matters for exams: The Non-Proliferation Treaty, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the meaning of downblending are core international relations content.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Downblending Downblending — Mixing highly enriched uranium with lower-enriched or natural uranium to reduce its enrichment level.
NPT Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — The 1968 treaty under which non-nuclear-weapon states forgo nuclear arms in return for peaceful nuclear cooperation.