6 November 2026
The United Nations food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), reported on Friday that its FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.9 points in October 2026. That is 1.6 points, or 1.2 percent, under the revised reading for the previous month and 5.9 percent higher than a year earlier, though it stays 16.4 percent below the peak of March 2022. The FAO Cereal Price Index fell 4.5 percent as wheat demand stayed subdued. The FAO Sugar Price Index rose for the fourth consecutive month, gaining 6.6 percent after rain disrupted cane harvesting in Brazil, its highest level since December 2024. FAO forecasts world cereal production at 2 999 million tonnes in 2026, the second-highest on record. Its Crop Prospects and Food Situation report lists 41 countries and territories in need of outside food assistance, 31 of them in Africa.
Index reading:
133.9 points
Countries needing outside food aid:
41, of which 31 in Africa
Why it matters for exams: The FAO Food Price Index and the agency that publishes it are regular questions in economy and international organisations papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
8 November 2026
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 hit western Shizuoka Prefecture at 1:04am on Sunday, at a depth of about 40km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. More than 20 people were hurt in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, the Kyodo news agency reported from authorities, some after falling on stairs as they ran outside. No tsunami warning was issued and the tremor was not felt in Tokyo. Local trains were halted, while the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka ran late after safety checks. Officials asked people to watch for strong quakes during the coming week and for mudslides and falling rocks. The agency said it had seen no apparent change in the Nankai Trough, the ocean trench where scientists say a megaquake could occur.
Magnitude:
5.7
Depth:
about 40km
Why it matters for exams: The Nankai Trough, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Shinkansen are standing facts in world geography papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
7 November 2026
El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands of Spain, has declared an emergency, and its authorities want the government in Madrid to step in following a rush of boat landings. Local authorities count more than 3,300 arrivals on about 30 boats so far this month, against a resident population of about 11,400. Alpidio Armas, head of the island's governing council, said the step gives a framework for cooperation with higher institutions. Fernando Clavijo, regional leader of the Canary Islands, called the pace absolutely unsustainable. The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canaries is among the deadliest migration crossings in the world. Arrivals touched a record of more than 46,000 in 2024, then dropped as surveillance and cooperation with origin and transit countries grew. Boats now leave from further south because of patrols off Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco.
Arrivals since the start of the month:
more than 3,300
Residents of the island:
about 11,400
Why it matters for exams: The Canary Islands, their ownership by Spain and the Atlantic migration route are recurring geography and world affairs facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 November 2026
A court in Macau has sentenced former lawmaker Au Kam San, 69, to 12 years and six months in jail in the first national security case in the city. On Friday judges found him guilty, after a closed-door trial, on four of the seven charges he faced, including subversion against the political power of the state. Au sat in the Legislative Assembly for 20 years after his election in September 2001. China regained Macau in 1999 after over 400 years under Portuguese rule. The national security law of the city dates from 2009 and was widened in 2023 to cover non-violent acts of secession. A further change this year allowed trials to be held behind closed doors.
Sentence:
12 years and six months
Macau handed back to China:
1999
Why it matters for exams: Macau's return to China and its special status under Chinese rule are standing facts on world polity and East Asia.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 November 2026
A three-judge panel in Dar-es-Salaam on Friday sentenced Tundu Lissu, head of the main opposition party Chadema, to four years in prison for incitement. The same panel dismissed the charge of treason, which carried the threat of a death sentence. The judges held that his statements were meant to disrupt elections and instigate violence. He may appeal to the Court of Appeal, the highest court of the country. Lissu rejected the verdict as political persecution. He was arrested before the October 2025 presidential vote, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared to have won with 98 percent. This was the third high-profile treason trial in the history of mainland Tanzania.
Sentence for incitement:
four years
Bench:
three judges
Why it matters for exams: Tanzania's commercial capital, its President and its main opposition party are standing facts on East African polity.
Kerala PSCUPSC
7 November 2026
Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim said on Saturday that the conditional pardon letting former prime minister Najib Razak serve the rest of his prison term at home was clear, evident and without any ambiguity. The pardon, granted in September, depended on payment of a $12m fine. On Friday, after the fine was settled, the attorney general's office called for the transfer to house arrest to be temporarily suspended, saying it needed more clarification. The king said all the conditions had been fulfilled and that arguing over the order would amount to defying his command. He said the power to pardon is a royal prerogative under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution. The office of king is held in rotation by the nine regional sultans and is largely ceremonial. Najib, 73, has been in prison since 2022 over money from SRC International, a former subsidiary of the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund.
Fine set in the pardon:
$12m
Regional sultans who rotate the throne:
nine
Why it matters for exams: Malaysia's rotating monarchy and the royal power of pardon under Article 42 are standing facts on South-East Asian polity.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 November 2026
On Friday lawmakers in China adopted a law covering Antarctic activities and environmental protection, in force from Jan 1. At its 25th session the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, top legislature of China, cleared the law, which has 59 articles across seven chapters. It makes environmental protection its primary purpose and requires care for Antarctic animals and plants, proper disposal of waste and prevention of marine pollution. The Legislative Affairs Commission said the law fulfils the obligations of China under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty. It went through three readings, in December 2025, June 2026 and November 2026. Most Antarctic Treaty consultative parties have already passed national laws of their own.
Articles in the law:
59 across seven chapters
Treaty the law implements:
the 1959 Antarctic Treaty
Why it matters for exams: The 1959 Antarctic Treaty and the National People's Congress are standing facts in environment and world polity papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 November 2026
Lawmakers in Beijing voted on Friday to ratify the accord that creates the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. The body will be headquartered in Shanghai, where representatives from 29 countries signed the founding agreement on July 16. The vote came as the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress ended its 25th session. At the same meeting lawmakers passed a law against cross-border corruption and a law on procuratorial public-interest litigation. They also passed a revised Water Law and a decision amending 15 laws, including the Emergency Response Law. President Xi Jinping put his name to five orders bringing the laws and the decision into effect. Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee, presided over the closing meeting.
Session:
25th session, 14th National People's Congress Standing Committee
Laws amended by one decision:
15
Why it matters for exams: A new intergovernmental body on artificial intelligence, its host city and its founders are likely questions on science and international bodies.
Kerala PSCUPSC