10 October 2026
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant constituted a Standing Committee on Judicial Well-being on 10 October 2026, World Mental Health Day.
Justice K.V. Viswanathan, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, chairs the committee.
Its members are Dr. Savita Malhotra, former Dean of PGIMER Chandigarh and Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry; Mr. Rajat Mitra, psychologist and Director and Co-founder of Swanchetan Society for Mental Health; Ms. Mrinal Kanwar, Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court of India; and Ms. Aarti Singh, Registrar (J), Centre for Research and Planning, Supreme Court of India.
The committee is to be a continuing institutional platform that identifies areas needing institutional intervention, coordinates welfare measures, develops guidance and periodically reviews support initiatives for judicial officers.
It was set up on the findings of a study by the Supreme Court's Centre for Research and Planning on the well-being of District Judiciary officers, which covered occupational stress, workload, exhaustion, staffing, infrastructure, transfers, work-life balance and institutional support.
The press release refers to the Nauru Declaration on Judicial Well-being, adopted on 25 July 2024, which calls for systemic and evidence-based measures to protect the physical and mental health of judges.
It also notes that the United Nations General Assembly in March 2025 designated 25 July every year as the International Day for Judicial Well-being.
Chairperson:
Justice K.V. Viswanathan
Constituted by:
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant
Members besides the chair:
Four
Nauru Declaration on Judicial Well-being adopted:
25 July 2024
International Day for Judicial Well-being:
25 July
Why it matters for exams: Supreme Court committees, their chairpersons and the international days behind them are regular general knowledge questions in PSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PGIMER Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research — A central medical institute at Chandigarh.
AoR Advocate-on-Record — An advocate entitled to file cases in the Supreme Court on a party's behalf.
District Judiciary District Judiciary — The subordinate courts in the districts, below the High Courts.
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.
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.
10 October 2026
The Executive Committee of the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) has renamed the post heading its Adult Education Department.
The post of District Adult Education Officer (DAEO) is now District Council Adult Education Officer (DCAEO).
The notice cites the administrative structure of Autonomous District Councils and the interest of public service.
The notice was posted on the CADC website on 5 October.
Old designation:
District Adult Education Officer (DAEO)
New designation:
District Council Adult Education Officer (DCAEO)
Decided by:
CADC Executive Committee
Notice date:
5 October
Why it matters for exams: Questions on Sixth Schedule bodies and how they structure their own departments recur in polity papers.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
ADC Autonomous District Council — A district-level self-governing body in tribal areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Background
As France reviews its defence spending in the 2027 budget, which raises defence credits by 6.4 billion euros, its place in NATO is a standing exam fact. France is one of the 12 founding members that signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C. on 4 April 1949. The other founders are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. NATO now has 32 member countries.
Founding members:
12
Current members:
32
Treaty signed:
4 April 1949, Washington, D.C.
Why it matters for exams: NATO's founding members, treaty date and size are frequent international-organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization — A political and military alliance of European and North American countries formed under the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty.
10 October 2026
At its press briefing of 1 October 2026, the French foreign ministry said France can send assets to Saudi Arabia in support and defence of energy infrastructure, including the east-west corridor at Yanbu. The spokesperson called the posture strictly defensive and non-co-belligerent. The spokesperson referred to an announcement made a few days earlier by the French presidency. The briefing also said talks on a UN Security Council resolution on the Strait of Hormuz are under way, with France committed to freedom of navigation under the law of the sea.
Destination:
Saudi Arabia (Yanbu corridor)
Posture:
Strictly defensive
Announcement:
By the French presidency, a few days before the 1 October 2026 briefing
Why it matters for exams: Overseas deployments, the Red Sea and Hormuz energy routes and UN Security Council diplomacy are regular international-affairs topics.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
UNCLOS principle Freedom of navigation under the law of the sea — The rule that ships may pass international waters and straits under the law of the sea.
10 October 2026
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made statements to the press at Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 3 October 2026. He cited 8000 recorded cases and 4000 deaths in the current epidemic, a quarter of them children under 5. He called Bunia the epicentre of the most deadly Ebola epidemic in the DRC's history and the second most serious in world history. After visiting the Rwampara Ebola treatment centre he said France plans to strengthen its support, with humanitarian funding proposed in the coming budget discussions.
Recorded cases:
8000
Deaths:
4000
Location:
Bunia, DRC
Date of statement:
3 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Outbreak geography, health diplomacy and a country's foreign minister are common general-awareness questions.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
Ebola Ebola virus disease — A severe, often fatal viral haemorrhagic fever spread by contact with infected body fluids.
10 October 2026
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs held the Second Regional Review Conference on implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in Kolkata on 9 October 2026; the first, for southern states, was held in Bengaluru on 10 September 2026.
Officials from eight states took part: West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
As of 31 August 2026, over 54 lakh claims had been received nationally and about 25 lakh titles distributed.
About 11 lakh claims were pending and over 18 lakh had been rejected.
The ministry stressed disposal of pending claims, review of rejected claims, digitisation, and recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights and PVTG Habitat Rights.
Claims received (to 31 Aug 2026):
over 54 lakh
Titles distributed:
about 25 lakh
Claims pending:
about 11 lakh
Claims rejected:
over 18 lakh
Why it matters for exams: The Forest Rights Act, 2006 and tribal-rights administration are core polity and governance topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CFRR Community Forest Resource Rights — Rights of a community to protect, manage and use forest resources within its traditional boundary.
PVTG Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group — Tribal groups identified as the most vulnerable, who hold Habitat Rights under the Forest Rights Act.
10 October 2026
The Projet de loi de finances (PLF) for 2027 was registered at the presidency of the National Assembly on 1 October 2026 as No. 3210 and referred to the finance committee. It was presented on behalf of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu by Roland Lescure and David Amiel. The government forecasts a public deficit of 5.0 per cent of GDP in 2027, an improvement of 0.4 point from 2026. Public debt is forecast at 121.7 per cent of GDP in 2027. Net tax revenue is forecast at 375.7 billion euros. This is a bill at the start of parliamentary examination, not an adopted budget.
Bill number:
No. 3210
2027 deficit forecast:
5.0% of GDP
2027 public debt forecast:
121.7% of GDP
Net tax revenue 2027:
375.7 billion euros
Why it matters for exams: Budget cycle, deficit-to-GDP ratio and the role of the lower house are standard economy and polity topics.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
PLF Projet de loi de finances — The French government's annual draft state budget law, filed first at the National Assembly.
Background
Background to the 40th anniversary of Mizoram's Peace Accord Day, when Chief Minister Lalduhoma spoke of peace and stability.
The Memorandum of Settlement was signed in New Delhi on 30 June 1986 by R.D. Pradhan for the Centre, Lalkhama for Mizoram and Laldenga of the Mizo National Front (MNF).
The MNF agreed to end violence and abide by the Constitution, and the Centre agreed to grant statehood.
The conflict began in the early 1960s and lasted about two decades; Mizoram had been a district of Assam before becoming a union territory.
Signed on:
30 June 1986, New Delhi
For the Centre:
R.D. Pradhan
For the MNF:
Laldenga
Insurgency lasted:
About two decades
Why it matters for exams: The 1986 accord is the standard example of a negotiated end to an insurgency and of how statehood followed.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
MNF Mizo National Front — The group led by Laldenga that signed the 1986 settlement.
Background
Background to Mizoram's rail connectivity.
The Bairabi-Sairang line connects Mizoram's capital to the Indian Railways network for the first time.
The project is worth over Rs 8,070 crore and has 45 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 88 minor bridges, built in difficult hilly terrain.
Sairang is the station serving Aizawl, and Aizawl is now directly connected with Delhi through a Rajdhani Express.
Project value:
Over Rs 8,070 crore
Tunnels:
45
Major bridges:
55
Minor bridges:
88
Aizawl's station:
Sairang
Why it matters for exams: Railway projects in the North East and their engineering features are regular static-plus-current topics.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Rajdhani Express Rajdhani Express — A premium long-distance train; one now runs between Aizawl (Sairang) and Delhi.
10 October 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Chennai on 11 October 2026, the Prime Minister's Office announced on 10 October.
He will lay foundation stones for, inaugurate and dedicate projects worth over ₹13,000 crore, including the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro Rail Phase II (about ₹4,900 crore).
Highway works worth about ₹3,700 crore and railway works worth over ₹750 crore are included; five redeveloped Amrit Bharat stations will be inaugurated.
A Lube Oil Base Stocks project at the CPCL Manali refinery (about ₹1,620 crore, 270 thousand metric tonnes a year) will get its foundation stone.
At IIT Madras he will dedicate the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre and release the C-STROKE ischaemic stroke atlas with over 1,000 annotated microscopic sections.
Total project value:
over ₹13,000 crore
Chennai Metro Phase II stretch:
Poonamallee-Vadapalani, about ₹4,900 crore
CPCL Manali LOBS project:
about ₹1,620 crore
Amrit Bharat stations:
5
Why it matters for exams: Prime Ministerial visits, infrastructure outlays and institutions such as the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are common current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
LOBS Lube Oil Base Stocks — Refined base oils that are blended to make lubricants.
CPCL Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited — The company that runs the Manali refinery near Chennai.
10 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission has published a revised rank list for the Chief post in the Kerala Planning Board after re-evaluation.
The earlier list had been published without evaluating the answers to 10 questions.
Shyam Krishnan, the complainant, moves from third place to first. Arun J Prathap, first on the earlier list, is now fifth.
The PSC plans to appoint Shyam Krishnan; Arun J Prathap's appointment recommendation is likely to be cancelled and the High Court informed.
Questions left unevaluated:
10
Shyam Krishnan's rank:
3 to 1 / 3-ൽ നിന്ന് 1
Arun J Prathap's rank:
1 to 5 / 1-ൽ നിന്ന് 5
Why it matters for exams: The PSC's evaluation process and its correction are directly relevant to Kerala PSC exam preparation.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kerala PSC Kerala Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that recruits to Kerala government posts through tests and rank lists.
10 October 2026
The Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) held an education meeting on 27 September at the CADC Rest House Conference Hall, Kamalanagar.
It decided to adopt and implement the National Education Policy (NEP) from the 2027-28 academic session, in line with Government of Mizoram guidelines.
Every Wednesday will be a Mizo Speaking Day in Primary and Middle Schools.
Ten minutes of Anapana Meditation will be held every Friday in all Primary and Middle Schools under CADC.
The draft CADC (Transfer and Posting of Elementary School Teachers) Rules 2026 were approved in principle, and a review committee is to finalise them by 10 October.
NEP adoption from:
2027-28 academic session
Mizo Speaking Day:
Every Wednesday
Anapana Meditation:
10 minutes every Friday
Meeting place:
Kamalanagar
Why it matters for exams: Sixth Schedule councils and their role in education and language policy are tested in polity and state current-affairs papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NEP National Education Policy — The national framework for school and higher education that CADC will adopt from 2027-28.
DSEB District School Education Board — The district-level school education board whose officials took part in the meeting.
10 October 2026
Legal Metrology, Food Safety and Civil Supplies departments carried out joint surprise inspections at cinema theatres, on the instruction of Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob.
26 cases were registered, five show-cause notices were issued and fines of ₹62,000 were imposed.
Several theatres in Kozhikode, Kannur, Kottayam, Malappuram and Palakkad were found selling popcorn below the stated weight.
Inspections in some other districts found no irregularities.
Cases registered:
26
Fines imposed:
₹62,000
Show-cause notices:
5
Why it matters for exams: Consumer-protection enforcement by Legal Metrology and Food Safety is a staple Kerala governance topic.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Legal Metrology Legal Metrology Department — The department that checks weights, measures and packaged-commodity labelling.
10 October 2026
Mizoram is set to host the North East Bankers' Conclave 3.0 on 13 October.
State Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena chaired a meeting to review preparations.
Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia is expected to attend.
The conclave is expected to bring together chief secretaries of northeastern states, Reserve Bank of India officials, state government functionaries and representatives of various banks.
Event:
North East Bankers' Conclave 3.0
Host state:
Mizoram
Date:
13 October
Review meeting chaired by:
Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena
Expected Union Minister:
Jyotiraditya Scindia (DoNER)
Why it matters for exams: Regional banking events and the DoNER ministry's role are common in current-affairs and banking papers.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
DoNER Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region — The Union ministry that coordinates development work in the eight northeastern states.
RBI Reserve Bank of India — India's central bank, whose officials are expected at the conclave.
Background
The International Health Regulations (2005) are a binding international legal agreement involving 196 countries, including all the Member States of the World Health Organization.
Their aim is to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that can cross borders, while avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.
The IHR Emergency Committee is made up of international experts who give technical advice to the WHO Director-General.
The Committee gives its views on whether an event is a public health emergency of international concern, on the Temporary Recommendations that should be taken, and on the termination of such an emergency.
The Director-General makes the final determination, based on the Committee's advice, information from States Parties, scientific experts and an assessment of the risk to human health, of international spread and of interference with international travel.
Temporary Recommendations automatically expire three months after they are issued, so Emergency Committees are reconvened at least every three months.
The Regulations define such an emergency as an extraordinary event that is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.
Countries involved in the Regulations:
196
Life of a Temporary Recommendation:
Three months
Who makes the final determination:
The WHO Director-General
Why it matters for exams: Who declares a public health emergency of international concern, how many countries the Regulations bind and the three-month life of Temporary Recommendations are the standard questions on global health governance.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IHR International Health Regulations (2005) — The binding agreement under which countries detect, report and respond to cross-border public health risks.
PHEIC Public health emergency of international concern — An extraordinary event that poses a public health risk to other States and may need a coordinated international response.
Emergency Committee IHR Emergency Committee — The panel of international experts that advises the WHO Director-General on such an emergency.
Background
NATO describes collective defence as its most fundamental principle.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all, and it triggers an obligation for each member to come to the assistance of the one attacked.
That assistance may or may not involve the use of armed force, and can include any action the Allies deem necessary to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
Article 5 is consistent with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognises that a State that is the victim of an armed attack has the inherent right to individual or collective self-defence and may request others to come to its assistance.
Within the NATO context, Article 5 translates that right of self-defence into a mutual assistance obligation.
NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States.
Though applied only once, Article 5 underpins NATO's wider deterrence and defence work, including military exercises and the deployment of its standing military forces.
Times Article 5 has been invoked:
Once
Corresponding UN Charter article:
Article 51
Why it matters for exams: That Article 5 has been invoked only once, and the link between it and Article 51 of the UN Charter, are the facts examiners test on collective defence.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Article 5 Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty — The collective defence clause under which an attack on one member counts as an attack on all.
Article 51 Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations — The article that recognises the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence against armed attack.
Background
Four main EU institutions work together to set the Union's agenda and to initiate and coordinate EU law-making: the European Council in Brussels, the European Parliament in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, the Council of the European Union in Brussels and Luxembourg, and the European Commission in Brussels and Luxembourg.
The European Council does not generally make laws; its main role is to determine the EU's political direction, though it can agree on changes in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
In most cases the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission produce the policies and laws that apply across the Union.
The work of the four is complemented by three more institutions that handle judicial, financial and audit tasks: the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, the European Central Bank in Frankfurt and the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg.
Around 60,000 EU civil servants and other staff serve the 450 million people living in the EU.
The institutions work with a network of EU agencies whose main function is to translate policies into realities on the ground.
Main EU institutions:
4, complemented by 3 more
Seat of the European Central Bank:
Frankfurt
Seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union:
Luxembourg
People living in the EU:
450 million
Why it matters for exams: Which EU body sits in which city, and the difference between the European Council's political role and the law-making trio, are standard objective questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
CJEU Court of Justice of the European Union — The institution that makes sure EU law is applied the same way across the Union.
ECB European Central Bank — The institution that manages the euro and implements EU monetary policy.
Background
The Commonwealth is made up of 56 independent countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific.
Its member countries include some of the world's biggest, smallest, richest and poorest countries.
Thirty-three of the world's 42 small states are Commonwealth members, each with a population of 1.5 million or less.
The Commonwealth Secretariat says 2.7 billion people live in Commonwealth countries, and more than 60 percent of them are aged 29 or under.
All Commonwealth members have an equal say regardless of size or wealth.
Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities, and meet every two years at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Member countries:
56
Small states that are members:
33 of the world's 42
Population threshold for a small state:
1.5 million or less
People living in Commonwealth countries:
2.7 billion
Why it matters for exams: The membership figure, the small-state threshold and the two-year cycle of the Heads of Government Meeting are the regular Commonwealth questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting — The meeting of member country leaders, held every two years, that sets Commonwealth priorities.