28 October 2026
The Federal Open Market Committee of the United States Federal Reserve decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-3/4 to 4 percent. The statement said economic activity is growing strongly, domestic spending has held up despite elevated uncertainty, the unemployment rate has barely moved and inflation remains elevated. The Committee said it will gather more information to decide the policy stance needed to bring inflation back to its 2 percent goal in a timely way, and will keep maintaining a sufficient supply of reserves in the banking system. The decision passed by ten votes to two. Lisa D. Cook and Beth M. Hammack voted against, both preferring an increase of a quarter of a percentage point.
Target range:
3-3/4 to 4 percent
Vote:
10 to 2
Inflation goal:
2 percent
Why it matters for exams: The Federal Open Market Committee, the federal funds rate and the Federal Reserve's 2 percent inflation goal are standard questions in banking and economy papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
FOMC Federal Open Market Committee — The committee of the United States Federal Reserve that sets monetary policy.
Federal funds rate Federal funds rate — The rate at which American banks lend reserves to one another overnight.
28 October 2026
The World Health Organization has published public health advice on gender considerations during Ebola disease outbreaks, issued by its Health Emergency Preparedness team. The guidance explains how to identify and respond to differences between men, women and other groups in exposure to risk, in needs and in barriers to care, and stresses risk communication, community engagement, fair access to services, protection and participation. It is organised into themes that include gender analyses, a cross-pillar response, protection for pregnant and breastfeeding women, engagement with caregivers, protection risks including gender-based violence, and cultural acceptance. It is addressed to government departments, national and local authorities, health and social service providers and response staff, including community-level workers.
Issuing body:
World Health Organization
Why it matters for exams: WHO's headquarters, its role in issuing outbreak guidance and the nature of Ebola virus disease are repeat Health questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WHO World Health Organization — The United Nations specialised agency for international public health.
27 October 2026
Kenya released twenty Ebola contacts after they completed a twenty-one day monitoring period, with another ninety-eight contacts still in quarantine. Kenya confirmed its first case on 6 October, a Kenyan man who had worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and who died in a Nairobi hospital, and has reported nine confirmed cases and two deaths, all linked to one group, with no evidence of community spread. The Democratic Republic of the Congo declared its outbreak on 15 May and its caseload is approaching ten thousand. The strain is Bundibugyo virus disease, for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. The TUMAINI trial launched in the Democratic Republic of the Congo uses a ring vaccination approach, and the first vaccine under evaluation is Ervebo, which has worked against the Zaire strain of Ebola. The World Health Organization is also reviewing two Bundibugyo-specific vaccines, ChAdOx1 and mRNA-1469.
Monitoring period:
21 days
Kenya's confirmed cases:
nine
Why it matters for exams: Ring vaccination as a containment method, the Bundibugyo and Zaire strains of Ebola and the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are repeat Health and Geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Ring vaccination Ring vaccination — Vaccinating the contacts of a confirmed case, and their contacts, to box the outbreak in.
28 October 2026
The third Russia-Africa Summit is being held at Moscow on 28 and 29 October 2026, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the African Union chair Evariste Ndayishimiye, President of Burundi. Representatives from forty-eight African countries are taking part, with twenty-two heads of state attending according to Kremlin presidential aide Yury Ushakov, against seventeen heads of state at the 2023 summit. The theme is Developing Mutually Beneficial Cooperation. More than forty sessions and about a hundred speakers are to cover trade, investment, technology transfer, food and energy security, healthcare, education and youth exchange, and a final declaration together with a Russia-Africa Partnership Forum plan covering 2027 to 2029 is expected to be adopted. The first summit was held at Sochi in October 2019. Trade between Russia and Africa has exceeded 28 billion dollars, up from about 16.8 billion dollars in 2019. The African Union Commission Chairperson took part in the Russia-Africa Agro-Industrial Alliance event held alongside the summit.
Edition:
Third
African countries represented:
48
First summit:
Sochi, October 2019
Why it matters for exams: The Russia-Africa Summit series, the rotating African Union chair and the venue of the first summit at Sochi are the durable facts here.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
AU African Union — The continental body of African states, with its headquarters at Addis Ababa.
22 October 2026
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission has appointed Vanessa Nakate of Uganda as Special Envoy for Youth. The Special Envoy for Youth carries the voice of young Africans into the work of the Commission and its organs. The African Union Commission is the secretariat of the African Union, which has its headquarters at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and succeeded the Organisation of African Unity.
Post:
Special Envoy for Youth
Country:
Uganda
Why it matters for exams: Named envoys and office holders of the African Union, and the fact that the AU succeeded the Organisation of African Unity, are standard International Relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
AUC African Union Commission — The secretariat of the African Union, which runs its day to day work.
27 October 2026
The African Union has opened the sixth ordinary session of its Specialized Technical Committee on Communication and Information and Communications Technology at Libreville in Gabon. Specialized Technical Committees are the sectoral ministerial bodies of the African Union, each made up of ministers of member states in its field, and they prepare work for the Union's Executive Council and Assembly. The African Union has fifty-five member states and its headquarters is at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
Session:
Sixth
African Union member states:
55
Why it matters for exams: The Specialized Technical Committees are a named layer of African Union machinery, and the Union's membership count and headquarters recur in International Relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
STC Specialized Technical Committee — A sectoral ministerial committee of the African Union.
ICT Information and Communications Technology — The field covering computing, telecom and the internet.
28 October 2026
The Nassib crossing, Jordan's only border crossing with Syria, reopened to passenger and commercial traffic, according to Syria's state news agency SANA. The crossing had been closed briefly after Jordan carried out air strikes on suspected ISIL sites in southern Syria, which killed at least seven people in Deraa and Suwayda. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the strikes targeted confirmed threats and expressed deep regret over the civilian deaths. In a telephone call that also involved Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, the two countries agreed to form a security committee to investigate the aftermath of the strikes and to coordinate intelligence on terrorist threats.
Crossing:
Nassib
Syrian provinces affected:
Deraa and Suwayda
Why it matters for exams: The Nassib crossing as the single Jordan-Syria land crossing, and the capitals and provinces named here, are the durable geography facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SANA Syrian Arab News Agency — The state news agency of Syria.
28 October 2026
With more than 76 per cent of votes counted by Israel's Central Elections Committee, the bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu stood at 54 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, seven short of the 61 needed for a majority, while the alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot stood at 47 seats and Arab parties at 19. Exit polls had put both main blocs at 51 seats, with Netanyahu's Likud projected as the largest single party at 27 seats and Eisenkot's Yashar at 21. Turnout was 77.7 per cent of eligible voters, the highest since 1999. The final tally was expected by the end of the week, with official results due on 4 November.
Seats in the Knesset:
120
Seats needed for a majority:
61
Turnout:
77.7 per cent
Why it matters for exams: The Knesset's strength of 120 seats, the 61-seat majority mark and the name of Israel's election authority are the durable facts an exam can test.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Knesset Knesset — The unicameral parliament of Israel.
23 October 2026
The African Union has called for the unconditional lifting of unilateral sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe. Unilateral sanctions are restrictions imposed by one country or group of countries on its own decision, as against sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, which bind all United Nations member states. Zimbabwe, whose capital is Harare, is a member of the African Union and of the Southern African Development Community.
Body making the call:
African Union
Why it matters for exams: The difference between unilateral sanctions and United Nations Security Council sanctions, and Zimbabwe's capital and regional groupings, are standard International Relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SADC Southern African Development Community — A regional grouping of southern African states.
Background
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. It is the only tripartite U.N. agency: since 1919 it has brought together governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men. The International Labour Conference sets the international labour standards and the broad policies of the ILO and meets annually in Geneva; it is often called an international parliament of labour. The Governing Body of the International Labour Office is the executive body of the ILO and meets three times a year; it takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft Programme and Budget for submission to the Conference, and elects the Director-General. The International Labour Office is the secretariat of the Organization. The biennial Programme and Budget is proposed by the Governing Body to the Conference and must be adopted through a vote of the Conference. At country level the ILO works mainly through Decent Work Country Programmes.
Member States:
187 Member States
Plenary body:
International Labour Conference, annually in Geneva
Executive body:
Governing Body, meets three times a year
Secretariat:
International Labour Office
Why it matters for exams: The ILO's tripartite make-up, its 187 Member States, the Geneva Conference and the Governing Body's power to elect the Director-General are standard polity and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ILO International Labour Organization — The only tripartite UN agency, bringing governments, employers and workers together.
DWCP Decent Work Country Programme — The ILO's programming instrument at the country level.
Background
Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), with its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne, is the second oldest international organization worldwide. With its 192 member countries, the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players: it sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail, parcel and financial services volumes and improve quality of service for customers. Any member country of the United Nations may become a member of the UPU; a country that is not a United Nations member may join provided that its request is approved by at least two-thirds of the member countries of the UPU. Congress is the supreme authority of the UPU and meets every four years. The Council of Administration ensures the continuity of the UPU's work between Congresses, supervises its activities and studies regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal issues. The Postal Operations Council, described by the UPU as the technical and operational mind of the organisation, consists of 48 member countries elected during Congress. The International Bureau fulfils a secretariat function, providing logistical and technical support to the UPU's bodies.
Established:
1874
Headquarters:
Berne
Member countries:
192 member countries
Postal Operations Council:
48 member countries, elected during Congress
Why it matters for exams: The UPU's Berne headquarters, its 192 member countries and the four-year Congress are standard questions on UN-family bodies.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UPU Universal Postal Union — Sets the rules for international mail exchanges between its member countries.
Background
The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. Its main functions are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland. The Executive Board is composed of 34 technically qualified members elected for three-year terms; its annual meeting agrees the agenda for the World Health Assembly and the resolutions to be considered by the Health Assembly, and a second, shorter meeting follows the Health Assembly. The main functions of the Board are to implement the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, and advise and generally to facilitate its work. The WHO Constitution, adopted on 22 July 1946 and in force from 7 April 1948, established the World Health Organization as the United Nations specialized agency for health; it defines WHO's objective as “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health” and states that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. WHO's regional structure covers Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific.
Plenary body:
World Health Assembly, held annually in Geneva, Switzerland
Executive Board:
34 technically qualified members elected for three-year terms
Constitution in force:
7 April 1948
Why it matters for exams: The WHO Constitution's definition of health, the Assembly's power to appoint the Director-General and the 34-member Executive Board are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
WHA World Health Assembly — WHO's plenary body, which appoints the Director-General and approves the programme budget.