Background
The Convention relating to the Status of Refugees was adopted at Geneva on 28 July 1951 and entered into force in 1954; the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees was done at New York on 31 January 1967. Article 1A, paragraph 2 of the Convention defines a refugee as a person outside their country of origin who is unable or unwilling to return or to seek its protection on account of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. As first drafted, that definition covered only those who became refugees by reason of events occurring before 1 January 1951, and the conference added an option allowing States to limit their obligations to refugees from events in Europe. The General Assembly took note of the Protocol in resolution 2198 (XXI); the Protocol required just six ratifications and lets a State apply the Convention's provisions without becoming party to the Convention itself. The core protection is non-refoulement, from the French refouler, to drive back or repel: no refugee should be returned to a country where he or she would be at risk of persecution, subject to a narrow security and serious-crime exception added by the 1951 conference. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was set up by resolution 428 (V) with effect from 1 January 1951, with a mandate unconstrained by geographical or temporal limits.
Convention adopted:
Geneva, 28 July 1951
Protocol done at:
New York, 31 January 1967
Original cut-off:
events occurring before 1 January 1951
Ratifications the Protocol needed:
six
Why it matters for exams: Examiners test the refugee definition, the non-refoulement rule and the exact relationship between the Convention and its Protocol.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
non-refoulement prohibition on returning a refugee to danger — The rule that no refugee may be sent back to a country where he or she risks persecution.
Background
The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties was adopted at Vienna on 23 May 1969 by the United Nations Conference on the Law of Treaties, and it has been in force since 27 January 1980. The General Assembly convened that conference by resolution 2166 (XXI), working from a final draft of the International Law Commission whose last Special Rapporteur was Sir Humphrey Waldock. The Convention applies to written treaties between States, excluding treaties concluded by international organizations; a separate convention of 1986 covers those. It prohibits reservations that are incompatible with the object and purpose of the treaty to which they relate, in article 19 (c). Its rule of interpretation makes the object and purpose of a treaty, and its context, guidelines for reading the text. Articles 53 and 64 introduced the concept of jus cogens, a peremptory norm of international law, into positive international law. The conference accepted the final text by 79 votes to 1, with 19 abstentions.
Adopted at:
Vienna, 23 May 1969
In force since:
27 January 1980
Jus cogens articles:
Articles 53 and 64
Final vote:
79 votes to 1, with 19 abstentions
Why it matters for exams: The Convention is the standard reference for how treaties are made, read, suspended and ended, and jus cogens, reservations and interpretation are repeatedly asked in international law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
jus cogens peremptory norm of general international law — A rule so fundamental that a treaty conflicting with it is void.
ILC International Law Commission — The United Nations body of legal experts that drafts and codifies international law.
5 October 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 103 million registered voters, its chairman Professor Joash Amupitan said at a workshop with the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Abuja. New registrations across three phases of Continuous Voter Registration totalled 10,772,421, subject to verification through the commission's automated biometric identification system. Phase I, from 25 August to 10 December 2025, drew 2,611,266 registrations; Phase II, from 5 January to 17 April 2026, drew 4,121,835; and Phase III, from 11 May to 26 July 2026, drew 3,867,997. The chairman announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards would commence on Friday, 9 October 2026, with newly produced cards distributed to Local Government Area collection centres, and the commission has introduced printable PVC technology to shorten waiting times. The preliminary display of the register for claims and objections was set for 9 to 15 October 2026. The commission has completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities in its election timetable and has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines.
Registered voters:
over 103 million
New registrations:
10,772,421
New BVAS machines acquired:
57,000
Statutory activities completed:
8 of 14
Why it matters for exams: The size of Nigeria's electorate is a favourite comparison figure with India's, and the BVAS machine and Continuous Voter Registration are named technical terms in such questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
BVAS Bimodal Voter Accreditation System — The device INEC uses to accredit a voter by fingerprint or facial recognition before the ballot is issued.
PVC Permanent Voter Card — The card a registered Nigerian voter must collect and present in order to vote.
5 October 2026
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, in the post since August 2024, resigned, citing "personal reasons". The president's office accepted the resignation on Sunday 4 October, and a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB named Hamid Bovard, 62, chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) since 2024, as acting oil minister while the government picks a permanent replacement. According to The National, the government said the price change addressed a daily petrol deficit of about 10 million litres. From 7 September, petrol above the 110-litre monthly subsidised quota costs 100,000 rials a litre; the first 60 litres cost 15,000 rials a litre and the next 50 litres 30,000 rials. Per the central bank chief, the US naval blockade has cut Iranian crude exports to zero.
Resigned:
Mohsen Paknejad, Oil Minister
Acting minister:
Hamid Bovard, NIOC chief executive
Daily petrol deficit (government figure):
About 10 million litres
Price above 110-litre quota:
100,000 rials a litre
Why it matters for exams: Appointments and resignations in the ministry of a major oil producer, and fuel subsidy pricing under blockade, are common economy-current-affairs questions.
UPSC
In plain words
NIOC National Iranian Oil Company — Iran's state oil company, which Hamid Bovard has headed since 2024.
5 October 2026
The European Space Agency announced that its Intermediate Ministerial Meeting 2026, known as IMM26, will take place in Rome, Italy, on 15 December 2026 at the La Nuvola Rome Convention Center. ESA Member States will meet to discuss Europe's future role in space exploration and agree on a joint way forward. In September 2026, at the International Space Summit in Paris, ESA Member States endorsed a document called A Call to Boost European Space Exploration, which provided political guidance and required ESA to prepare concrete options for decision by ministers at IMM26. Discussions will focus on securing Europe's access to and presence in low Earth orbit in the post-International Space Station era, strengthening Europe's presence on and around the Moon through a combination of international cooperation and targeted autonomy, and using low Earth orbit and the Moon as stepping stones towards future exploration of Mars.
Meeting date:
15 December 2026
Venue:
La Nuvola Rome Convention Center, Rome, Italy
Guiding document:
A Call to Boost European Space Exploration
Why it matters for exams: ESA's ministerial meetings and the post-ISS transition are current science and international cooperation topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA European Space Agency — Europe's intergovernmental space agency, whose Member States set its programmes at ministerial meetings.
5 October 2026
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence carried out an intelligence-led operation along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar District.
The suspects were intercepted near Chowdhurihat while travelling on two motorcycles.
Officers recovered 72 gold biscuits of 116 grams each, totalling 8.3 kg of foreign-origin gold.
The seized gold is valued at approximately Rs. 12.37 crore.
The gold was concealed in specially tailored cloth waist belts worn by two of the persons.
Four individuals were apprehended and the gold was seized under relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
Further investigation is under way to identify the syndicates distributing the contraband gold.
Gold seized:
8.3 kg
Value:
approximately Rs. 12.37 crore
Gold biscuits:
72, of 116 grams each
District:
Cooch Behar
Persons apprehended:
Four
Why it matters for exams: Customs enforcement bodies, the Customs Act, 1962 and gold smuggling routes are frequently asked in economy and internal security sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DRI Directorate of Revenue Intelligence — The apex anti-smuggling intelligence agency under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
5 October 2026
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Sudan by 28 votes in favour, 10 against and 9 abstentions in the 47-member Council.
The text demands an immediate and complete ceasefire by all parties without preconditions, independent monitoring mechanisms, the restoration of basic infrastructure and a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the conflict.
It also extends the mandate of the independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan by one more year.
The resolution condemns violations by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians and aerial bombardment affecting schools and hospitals.
Brazil, Britain, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and South Africa were among those voting in favour, while China, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan and Qatar voted against.
Ethiopia, India and Thailand were among the countries that abstained.
Vote:
28 in favour, 10 against, 9 abstentions
Council membership:
47
Fact-finding mission mandate:
extended by one year
Why it matters for exams: The Human Rights Council's size, its voting arithmetic and its fact-finding mechanisms are standard questions on UN human rights machinery.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Human Rights Council United Nations Human Rights Council — A body of 47 States elected by the General Assembly to promote and protect human rights; it meets in Geneva.
Fact-finding mission Independent international fact-finding mission — An investigative body set up by the Human Rights Council to establish the facts of alleged violations; it is not a court.
Rapid Support Forces Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — A Sudanese paramilitary force that has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces since 2023.
5 October 2026
The Cabinet Division announced that the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, approved a five-day holiday for Sharadiya Durga Puja from 20 to 24 October 2026.
To make up for the added day, government offices will remain open on Saturday 17 October 2026.
The existing holidays were 20 October for Navami and 21 October for Bijoya Dashami, with 23 and 24 October falling on the weekly holidays; 22 October was newly declared.
The Ministry of Public Administration will issue the notification giving effect to the decision.
The government also raised the grant to the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust for Durga Puja to Tk 50 million against a request for Tk 40 million, and the grant to the Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust for Kathin Chibar Dan to Tk 30 million against a request for Tk 20 million.
Holiday period:
20 to 24 October 2026
Working Saturday:
17 October 2026
Newly declared holiday:
22 October 2026
Grant for Durga Puja:
Tk 50 million
Grant for Kathin Chibar Dan:
Tk 30 million
Why it matters for exams: The Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Public Administration are the bodies that declare Bangladesh's public holidays, a frequently tested point of administrative structure.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Cabinet Division Cabinet Division of the Government of Bangladesh — The division that services cabinet meetings and announces their decisions.
Bijoya Dashami Bijoya Dashami — The concluding day of Durga Puja, when the idols are taken for immersion.
Kathin Chibar Dan Kathin Chibar Dan — A Buddhist ceremony in which robes woven within a day are offered to monks.
Taka Bangladeshi taka — The currency of Bangladesh, issued by Bangladesh Bank.
5 October 2026
Punjab province's Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar housing programme was selected for the UN Scroll of Honour Award.
The award was presented on World Habitat Day, 5 October 2026, at a global event in Muscat, Oman.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz received it.
Phase 1 of the programme financed over 134,000 homes with loans exceeding 196 billion rupees.
Phase 2 financed 65,000 more homes with loans surpassing 62 billion rupees.
Award:
UN Scroll of Honour
Venue:
Muscat, Oman
Phase 1:
over 134,000 homes
Why it matters for exams: World Habitat Day and the UN-Habitat awards link housing policy to UN bodies.
Kerala PSCUPSC
5 October 2026
The Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement held an emergency meeting in Riyadh on 5 October 2026.
Pakistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Pakistan's Foreign Office said the foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Turkey would also attend.
The agreement, signed on 7 August 2026, says an armed attack on any one of the three countries is regarded as an attack on all three.
The committee had first met in Istanbul on 31 August 2026.
In a joint statement issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three countries said they agreed to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and to ensure their rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia, in accordance with approved arrangements and national legislation.
The committee appointed Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood (retd) of Pakistan as the alliance's first secretary-general for a three-year term.
Meeting:
5 October 2026, Riyadh
Agreement signed:
7 August 2026
Parties:
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey
Why it matters for exams: Defence pacts and the countries bound by them are standard international-relations questions.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
SPDC Strategic Political and Defence Committee — The committee that reviews cooperation under the Makkah Agreement.
5 October 2026
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on 5 October 2026 that the world is running out of time to put guardrails on artificial intelligence. Speaking at an AI and Human Rights Summit in Oxford, he called for mandatory human rights safeguards and due diligence in AI development and use. He urged action to prohibit machines from deciding who lives and who dies. He welcomed two UN initiatives, the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, and a joint call backed by 29 States and the European Union for tighter control of frontier AI models.
Venue:
AI and Human Rights Summit, Oxford
States backing joint call:
29 States and the European Union
Why it matters for exams: AI governance: UN initiatives and the human rights case for regulation.
Kerala PSCUPSC
5 October 2026
On 5 October 2026, three years after the attack, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said "nothing can justify these atrocities". He recalled that more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and 251 people were abducted into Gaza as hostages. He also noted UN agencies' figures that Israeli attacks have killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, including 20,000 children. Guterres urged all parties to implement their commitments and move to the next phase of the October 2025 ceasefire under Security Council resolution 2803. He said the ceasefire should become permanent and aid should flow at scale.
Hostages abducted:
251
Killed on 7 October:
more than 1,200
Ceasefire resolution:
Security Council resolution 2803
Why it matters for exams: UN system: the Secretary-General's role and Security Council resolution 2803 on the Gaza ceasefire.
Kerala PSCUPSC
5 October 2026
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early general election for 29 November. The decision followed the lower house, Congress, voting down two housing decrees put forward by his government on Friday. The first decree was rejected by 172 votes in favour to 178 against. The decrees were meant to answer public anger over housing affordability after the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid. Sánchez spent the weekend consulting ministers and Socialist Party (PSOE) figures before deciding. His coalition has struggled to win votes in Congress amid corruption cases and a migration crisis in Ceuta.
Election date:
29 November
First decree vote:
172 for, 178 against
Decrees rejected:
2
Why it matters for exams: Parliamentary systems: dissolution and early elections in a European democracy.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PSOE Spanish Socialist Workers' Party — The Socialist Party that Prime Minister Sánchez leads.
5 October 2026
Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court unsealed four arrest warrants in the Afghanistan situation on 5 October 2026. The warrants, issued on 8 July 2025 and 9 September 2025, name Haibatullah Akhundzada, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadim. The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe they ordered, induced or solicited the crime against humanity of persecution under article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. The persecution was on gender grounds against girls, women and others not conforming to Taliban gender policy, and on political grounds against "allies of girls and women". The ICC says these crimes are believed to have been committed in Afghanistan from 15 August 2021 until at least 20 January 2025.
Warrants unsealed:
4
Provision:
article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute
Unsealed on:
5 October 2026
Period covered by the warrants:
15 August 2021 to 20 January 2025
Why it matters for exams: International criminal law: Rome Statute article 7 and the ICC's reading of 'gender'.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Rome Statute Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court — The treaty that set up the ICC and defines its crimes.
Pre-Trial Chamber Pre-Trial Chamber — The ICC bench that decides on arrest warrants before any trial.
5 October 2026
Citizens have visited the Sanchar Saathi portal more than 30 crore times since its launch in May 2023, the Department of Telecommunications said.
The portal has blocked 60.96 lakh lost or stolen handsets; 37.85 lakh were traced and over 14 lakh recovered.
The Chakshu facility received 12.80 lakh inputs on suspected fraud communication, leading to action in 59.82 lakh cases, including disconnection of more than 50 lakh mobile connections.
Suspected cyber-fraud losses of more than ₹5,000 crore have been prevented through the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI).
Portal visits:
30 crore+
Handsets blocked:
60.96 lakh
Connections disconnected:
50 lakh+
Losses prevented via FRI:
₹5,000 crore+
Why it matters for exams: Digital governance platforms and cyber-fraud safeguards are common current-affairs and science-tech questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Chakshu Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi — The facility for reporting suspected fraud calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages.
FRI Financial Fraud Risk Indicator — A risk signal used to flag mobile numbers linked to possible financial fraud.
5 October 2026
The President, exercising powers under the Constitution of India, appointed three High Court Chief Justices as Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
They are Justice Sunita Agarwal (Chief Justice, Gujarat High Court), Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (Chief Justice, Delhi High Court) and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh (Chief Justice, Telangana High Court).
The Ministry of Law and Justice lists their parent High Courts as Allahabad, Allahabad and Jharkhand respectively.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the three names at its meeting on 28 September 2026.
Appointed by:
President of India
Number appointed:
3
Collegium recommendation:
28 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Appointments to the Supreme Court and the role of the Collegium are staple polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Collegium Supreme Court Collegium — The forum of the Chief Justice of India and senior-most judges that recommends judicial appointments.
PHC Parent High Court — The High Court in which a judge was originally appointed.
5 October 2026
The Food Safety Department ran a statewide special drive called 'Operation Thelima' to stop reuse of used cooking oil in local snacks and other food items.
In Thiruvananthapuram district, 14 special squads inspected 167 establishments over two days.
They found and destroyed 41 litres of unusable oil kept for cooking.
Action was taken to close seven establishments found violating rules.
Other violations included having no food safety licence or registration, no medical fitness certificates, unsafe water and unhygienic storage.
The Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, Thiruvananthapuram, said inspections will continue.
Establishments inspected:
167
Special squads:
14
Oil destroyed:
41 litres
Closure action:
7 establishments
Why it matters for exams: Enforcement drives by State departments and their names are common current affairs questions.
Kerala PSC
5 October 2026
Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan will inaugurate the State-level observance of the World Mental Health awareness month on 9 October at 11.45 am.
The venue is the Diamond Jubilee Auditorium of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
The event is organised by the Kerala State Mental Health Authority with the Psychiatry Department of Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College.
The Authority's official logo will also be released at the function.
State-level launch:
9 October, 11.45 am
Venue:
Diamond Jubilee Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College
Why it matters for exams: Statutory health bodies of the State and their launches are useful for Kerala PSC current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
5 October 2026
The temporary roof at the Aquatic Complex in Thrissur, the venue of the State School Games swimming events, collapsed in heavy rain on 1 October 2026. Four students and two parents were seriously injured. After visiting the Thrissur Aquatic Complex on 5 October, Sports Minister O J Janeesh said the collapse was a lapse at the level of officials and that action will follow. He said only four events were held in Thrissur, so a separate organising committee was not needed, and that teachers' organisations had taken charge of the committees when the DDE called a meeting. Mayor Niji Justin said she had not been invited to the organising committee meetings.
Venue:
Thrissur Aquatic Complex
Seriously injured:
four students and two parents
Sports Minister:
O J Janeesh
Mayor, Thrissur:
Niji Justin
Why it matters for exams: Event management and accountability in State-level school sports bodies, and the roles of the Sports Minister, the DDE and the Corporation, are recurring governance topics.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
DDE Deputy Director of Education — The district-level officer of the General Education Department.
Background
The United Nations Member States list carries the entry 'Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of'.
Its Date of Admission is given as 15-11-1945.
That makes Venezuela a member from the first months of the UN, which came into being in 1945.
The UN's own member list is the primary record for any question on when a country joined.
Official name on UN list:
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Date of Admission:
15-11-1945
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UN United Nations — The world body of sovereign states formed in 1945.