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.
Background
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR is described as the Spaceport of India.
It stands on a spindle shaped island in SPSR Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, situated in the backwater Pulicat Lake.
The site was chosen because it is on the East Coast of the country, far from populated areas.
Sriharikota covers an area of about 43,360 acres (175sq.km) with a coastline of 50km.
The Centre has two launch pads from where PSLV and GSLV launches are carried out.
Area:
about 43,360 acres (175sq.km)
Coastline:
50km
Launch pads for PSLV and GSLV:
two
Why it matters for exams: Location and features of ISRO's launch site are repeated questions in science and State Focus papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
5 October 2026
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
The citation reads "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics".
Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, an algal protein, in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas.
Deisseroth introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into rat nerve cells and triggered a nerve signal with blue light; he published this in 2005.
Two years later he made the light-controlled switch work in the brains of living mice.
Deisseroth is at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, USA; Hegemann at Humboldt University of Berlin and Nagel at the University of Würzburg, both in Germany.
Announced:
5 October 2026
Laureates:
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel
Prize share:
1/3 each
Discovery:
Channelrhodopsin and optogenetics
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates, their fields and citations are a standing question in every current-affairs paper.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Optogenetics Light-controlled gene-based neuroscience method — A method that makes it possible to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviours in the living brain.
Channelrhodopsin Light-gated algal ion channel protein — An algal protein that opens a channel when lit by blue light, letting charged ions into the cell.
5 October 2026
A study at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, looked at about 38 children aged 6 to 14 years over 8 weeks.
The group on medicine alone showed about 38 per cent improvement.
The group that combined medicine with yoga showed about 70 per cent improvement.
Memory improved by about 61 per cent in the combined group, with irritability down about 66 per cent and hyperactivity down about 71 per cent.
The findings were published in the AYU journal; the Ministry of Ayush released them on 5 October. This is a small study, not clinical advice.
Children studied:
About 38, aged 6-14 years
Duration:
8 weeks
Medicine only:
About 38 per cent improvement
Medicine plus yoga:
About 70 per cent improvement
Why it matters for exams: AYUSH research institutes and evidence for traditional medicine appear in Health and Science & Technology current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ITRA Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda — The Ministry of Ayush institute at Jamnagar that conducted the study.
5 October 2026
The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science & Technology, signed an agreement with BigEndian Semiconductors of Bengaluru.
It will provide ₹130 crore in financial assistance against a total project cost of ₹260 crore.
The VeerAI project aims to take an indigenous AI Vision System-on-Chip from TRL-5 to TRL-9.
The funding is through Optional Convertible Debt (OCD), under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.
The camera-focused chip targets surveillance, especially CCTV systems, first, and later defence, automotive, industrial and medical uses.
TDB assistance:
₹130 crore
Total project cost:
₹260 crore
Project:
VeerAI
Readiness target:
TRL-5 to TRL-9
Why it matters for exams: Semiconductor self-reliance and the role of the Technology Development Board are common Science & Technology and economy topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SoC System-on-Chip — A single chip that carries the main functions of a system.
TRL Technology Readiness Level — A scale that rates how mature a technology is, from TRL-1 to TRL-9.
5 October 2026
India and Switzerland exchanged five agreements during the state visit of Swiss President Guy Parmelin, in talks with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The Migration and Mobility Partnership provides multiple-entry visas valid for up to 5 years, with stays of up to 6 months per visit, and renewable 1-year student permits.
The Young Professionals Scheme covers 300 people per country each year, expandable to 500, with 30/90-day timelines for verifying nationality and residence.
A transport MoU covers electric vehicles, ropeways, the circular economy and tunnels.
The Department of Science and Technology signed a Letter of Intent with the Swiss National Science Foundation and an implementation agreement with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
The talks also looked back at the India-EFTA TEPA, which the leaders say targets $100 billion of investment and one million direct jobs in India over 15 years.
Visa validity:
Up to 5 years (multiple-entry)
Stay per visit:
Up to 6 months
Young Professionals Scheme:
300 per country a year, expandable to 500
Investment target (TEPA):
$100 billion in 15 years
Why it matters for exams: Bilateral agreements, visa and mobility frameworks and the EFTA trade pact are staple topics in International Relations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TEPA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement — India's trade pact with the four EFTA states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
DST Department of Science and Technology — The Union department that signed the research and startup-training pacts with Swiss partners.
5 October 2026
The Nature paper of 30 September 2026 used femtosecond time-resolved X-ray liquidography to watch azobenzene turn from its trans form to its cis form in solution.
Two transient intermediates, called I1 and I2, were identified on the path from the Franck-Condon state to the cis product.
The three steps carry time constants of 0.4 ps, 2.7 ps and 14 ps.
The sequence begins with C-N torsion and is followed by N-N rotation, rather than a single concerted twist.
A method the authors call PEPC separated the weak solute signal from the far larger solvent background, and CASPT2 quantum chemical calculations were used to check the structures.
The team was led by Hyotcherl Ihee, with Jungmin Kim and Hosung Ki among the authors.
Journal and date:
Nature, 30 September 2026
Technique:
femtosecond time-resolved X-ray liquidography
Intermediates found:
I1 and I2
Time constants:
0.4 ps, 2.7 ps and 14 ps
Why it matters for exams: Azobenzene is the standard molecular switch in photochemistry, and the technique names and time scales here are the examinable details.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
Azobenzene azobenzene — A molecule with two benzene rings joined by a nitrogen-nitrogen double bond that flips shape when it absorbs light.
Isomerization isomerization — A change in the arrangement of a molecule's atoms without any change in its formula.
ps picosecond — One million millionth of a second.
5 October 2026
The Nature paper, published on 30 September 2026, describes disease tolerance rather than faster clearance of the pathogen.
Mice previously infected with the parasitic nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis survived lethal H1N1 influenza while carrying the same viral burden as control mice.
Nerve- and airway-associated macrophages were both necessary and sufficient: removing them abolished the protection, and transferring them conferred it.
The training works through IL-4-STAT6-PPAR-gamma and ARG1-dependent chromatin reprogramming that sets up pro-resolving and reparative programmes.
Protection came from reduced immunopathology, amplified type 2 immunity, more eosinophils and faster tissue repair, not from killing more virus.
In human lung tissue the same repair programme was enriched in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and absent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Journal and date:
Nature, 30 September 2026
Parasite used:
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
Virus:
H1N1 influenza
Cells responsible:
nerve- and airway-associated macrophages
Why it matters for exams: Disease tolerance as distinct from pathogen clearance is a concept worth knowing, and the paper names the exact cells and pathway involved.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Macrophage macrophage — A white blood cell that swallows debris and microbes and helps repair tissue.
Disease tolerance disease tolerance — Surviving an infection by limiting the damage it causes rather than by removing the pathogen.
Chromatin reprogramming chromatin reprogramming — A lasting change in how DNA is packaged, which alters which genes a cell can switch on.
5 October 2026
The paper, published in Nature on 30 September 2026, tests the long-held idea that high-contrast patterning confuses a predator's perception of motion.
Elementary motion detector models found that naturally patterned butterflies produced significantly greater motion confusion than unpatterned controls, both forward-backward and sideways.
Across 397 European butterfly species, Papilionidae consistently showed high confusion through contrasting stripes, while Nymphalidae varied widely.
With 100 human participants, high-confusion patterns misdirected attacks by about 38 per cent of average body length along the attack path.
A genetic algorithm that evolved 57,600 digital butterfly patterns for motion confusion converged independently on high-contrast striped designs resembling real species.
Vertical stripe orientation, uneven stripe distribution, hindwing luminance and wing roughness such as tails did most to raise confusion.
Journal and date:
Nature, 30 September 2026
Species analysed:
397 European butterfly species
Human participants:
100
Digital patterns evolved:
57,600
Attack misdirection:
about 38 per cent of average body length
Why it matters for exams: A clean example of adaptation and natural selection explained through an experiment, with figures that are easy to ask about.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
EMD elementary motion detector — A computational model of the circuits animal eyes use to sense movement.
Papilionidae the swallowtail butterfly family — A butterfly family that often carries bold contrasting stripes and tailed hindwings.
Genetic algorithm genetic algorithm — A computer method that improves designs by repeated selection, imitating evolution.
Background
UCIL, which marked its Diamond Jubilee Year at Jaduguda this week, is a public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, and this is the structure above it.
The Department of Atomic Energy was established on 3 August 1954 and works under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
The Atomic Energy Commission was established on 1 March 1958 through a Government Resolution, which Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru later placed before Parliament.
Under that resolution the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is ex-officio Chairman of the Commission. Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty holds that post.
Its ex-officio members include the National Security Advisor, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of the Department of Expenditure and the Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Appointed members include Ms Seema Jain as Member-Finance, Prof. P. Rama Rao, Dr Anil Kakodkar and Dr Ravi B. Grover; Dr Deep Prakash is Scientific Secretary.
Department of Atomic Energy established:
3 August 1954
Atomic Energy Commission established:
1 March 1958
Ex-officio Chairman:
Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy
Scientific Secretary:
Dr Deep Prakash
Why it matters for exams: The ex-officio chairmanship and the 1954 and 1958 dates are the two facts examiners take from this structure.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Ex-officio — Holding a position automatically because of another office one already holds.
BARC Bhabha Atomic Research Centre — India's principal nuclear research centre, at Trombay in Mumbai.
Government Resolution — An executive order of the Union government that sets up a body without a separate Act of Parliament.
5 October 2026
Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, celebrated its Diamond Jubilee Year on 4 October 2026, six decades after its incorporation on 4 October 1967.
The celebrations at Jaduguda were attended as Chief Guest by Ms. Seema Jain, Member-Finance of the Atomic Energy Commission.
She visited the Technology Demonstration Pilot Plant and the proposed new site of the Dark Matter Laboratory at the 815-metre level of the Jaduguda underground mine. The laboratory belongs to the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, an aided institution of the Department of Atomic Energy.
A first-of-its-kind Journalists' Workshop was held at the Information Centre, Narwapahar, along with a DAE Technology Exhibition for school students.
Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, sent greetings; the gathering paid homage to Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha and the pioneers of India's uranium mining capability.
Incorporated on:
4 October 1967
Depth of the proposed Dark Matter Laboratory:
815-metre level
Chief Guest:
Ms. Seema Jain, Member-Finance, Atomic Energy Commission
Venue:
Jaduguda
Why it matters for exams: UCIL, Jaduguda and the Dark Matter Laboratory are standard atomic-energy questions, and the 815-metre depth is a ready one-liner.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UCIL Uranium Corporation of India Limited — The public sector company that mines and processes uranium ore for India's nuclear power programme.
DAE Department of Atomic Energy — The central department, under the Prime Minister, that runs India's atomic energy programme.
Dark Matter Laboratory — An underground laboratory sited deep in a mine so that rock shields the detectors from cosmic rays.
Background
There are three kinds of plate tectonic boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries. At a divergent boundary two plates move away from each other; molten rock rises from the mantle and solidifies to create new oceanic crust. At a convergent boundary two plates come together, and the edges may buckle up into mountain ranges or one plate may bend down into a deep seafloor trench. At a transform boundary two plates slide past each other. The mid-ocean ridge is the most extensive chain of mountains on Earth, stretching nearly 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles), with more than 90 percent of the mountain range lying in the deep ocean. Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries, where new ocean floor is created as the plates spread apart.
Kinds of plate tectonic boundary:
Three: divergent, convergent, and transform
Length of the mid-ocean ridge:
nearly 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles)
Share of the range in the deep ocean:
more than 90 percent
Why it matters for exams: Boundary types and the length of the mid-ocean ridge system are standard physical geography questions, and the ridge explains where new ocean floor is made.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Divergent boundary — A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other and new crust forms.
Convergent boundary — A plate boundary where two plates come together, forming mountains or a deep trench.
Transform boundary — A plate boundary where two plates slide past each other.
Background
Kerala has been through a deficient southwest monsoon: India Meteorological Department data for the period from 1st June to 17th September showed the State with a 28 per cent rainfall deficit, Wayanad with the highest shortfall at 54 per cent and Idukki at 47 per cent. The season whose shortfall is counted that way has a precisely defined beginning. The India Meteorological Department's guidelines for the onset of monsoon over Kerala say that if after 10th May, 60% of the available 14 stations enlisted report rainfall of 2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days, the onset over Kerala is declared on the 2nd day, provided two further criteria are in concurrence. The enlisted stations are Minicoy, Amini, Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur, Kudulu and Mangalore. The second criterion is the wind field: over defined boxes north of the equator, the depth of westerlies should be maintained upto 600 hPa and the zonal wind speed should be of the order of 15 to 20 knots at 925 hPa. The third is Outgoing Longwave Radiation: the INSAT derived OLR value should be below 200 wm-2 over a defined box in the ocean west of Kerala. Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1st June, advances northwards usually in surges, and covers the entire country around 15th July.
Enlisted stations:
14
Share of stations required:
60%
Rainfall threshold:
2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days
OLR threshold:
below 200 wm-2
Normal onset over Kerala:
around 1st June
Why it matters for exams: Kerala is the one State whose name is written into a national weather declaration, and the station list and thresholds are asked as straight recall.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
OLR Outgoing Longwave Radiation — The heat radiation leaving the top of the atmosphere; a low value means thick cloud.
hPa hectopascal — The unit of air pressure used to name a height level in the atmosphere.
Westerlies — Winds blowing from the west, whose depth is one of the onset conditions.
Background
Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) is an indigenous technology developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, to convert sea water to potable water.
Desalination plants based on LTTD technology are operational across eight islands of Lakshadweep, including Kavaratti, Minicoy, Agatti, Amini, Kalpeni, Kadamat, Chetlat and Kiltan.
The technology converts seawater into potable water by utilising the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep-sea water drawn from depths of around 350 to 400 metres. The warm seawater is flash-evaporated under low pressure and the vapour is condensed using cold seawater from the deep ocean.
The process needs no chemical additives and no high-pressure membranes, and it avoids the discharge of concentrated brine, which can affect fragile coral ecosystems.
The first LTTD plant in Lakshadweep was commissioned in Kavaratti in 2005. The first three plants, at Kavaratti, Agati and Minicoy, each had a capacity of 1 Lakh litre of potable water per day.
Six more plants, at Amini, Androth, Chetlet, Kadmat, Kalpeni and Kiltan, were taken up with a capacity of 1.5 lakhs litres/day, at a total cost of Rs. 187.75 cr.
The technology suits these islands because the temperature difference of about 15 degrees Celsius that it needs between sea surface water and deep-sea water is found in the vicinity of Lakshadweep coasts, where groundwater is limited and salinity intrusion is a standing problem.
Technology developed by:
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)
Islands with operational LTTD plants:
eight islands
Depth of the cold seawater drawn:
350 to 400 metres
Capacity of each of the first three plants:
1 Lakh litre of potable water per day
Total cost of the six later plants:
Rs. 187.75 cr
Why it matters for exams: LTTD is the standard example of an indigenous ocean technology solving a civilian problem, and the island list, the depth and the temperature difference are the three things a paper can test about it.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
LTTD Low Temperature Thermal Desalination — A desalination method that uses the temperature gap between warm surface seawater and cold deep seawater.
NIOT National Institute of Ocean Technology — An autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences that builds ocean technology.
Brine Concentrated brine — The very salty water left over by most desalination plants, which can harm marine life where it is discharged.
Salinity intrusion Salinity intrusion — Seawater seeping into fresh groundwater, which makes wells on small islands undrinkable.
Background
The department that developed these parks has been renamed: the Kerala Government has renamed the Electronics and Information Technology Department as the Department of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future Technologies, through a Government Order issued on October 3, following the decision of the Council of Ministers on September 30. The department has over the years played a key role in developing Kerala's IT ecosystem, including Technopark, Infopark and Cyberpark. The renaming expands its mandate to cover emerging technology sectors and next-generation digital capabilities. The three parks themselves are the permanent fact an aspirant is asked about: Technopark, Infopark and Cyberpark remain the State's government-promoted technology parks whatever the department is called.
New name of the department:
Department of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future Technologies
Former name:
Electronics and Information Technology Department
Technology parks developed:
Technopark, Infopark and Cyberpark
Government Order issued on:
October 3
Why it matters for exams: The names of Kerala's government technology parks are a standing question, and the department's new name is the kind of renaming a paper asks about the following year.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Government Order GO — A written order of a State government that puts a decision into effect.
Council of Ministers — The body of ministers that takes collective decisions for a government.
Background
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the defence research and development agency of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. DRDO was formed in 1958 from the amalgamation of the then already functioning Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO). It began as a small organisation with 10 establishments or laboratories. Today DRDO is a network of around 41 laboratories together with 05 DRDO Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSLs), working across disciplines that include aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, information systems and agriculture. Among the systems it has developed indigenously are the Agni and Prithvi series of missiles, the light combat aircraft Tejas, the multi-barrel rocket launcher Pinaka and the air defence system Akash. Its motto is Balasya Mulam Vigyanam, which the organisation renders as the source of strength is science.
Formed:
1958
Establishments or laboratories at formation:
10
Laboratories now:
around 41
DRDO Young Scientist Laboratories:
05
Why it matters for exams: The year DRDO was formed, the bodies it was formed from and the size of its laboratory network are recurring one-mark questions in both state and central examinations.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
DRDO Defence Research and Development Organisation — The defence research and development agency of the Ministry of Defence.
DTDP Directorate of Technical Development and Production — One of the bodies merged in 1958 to create DRDO.
DSO Defence Science Organisation — The defence science body merged with the Army's technical establishments to form DRDO.
DYSL DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory — A DRDO laboratory headed by a young scientist and devoted to an emerging technology area.
Background
Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) is the regional navigation satellite system established by the Indian Space Research Organisation; it was earlier known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). NavIC is designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations working round the clock. Three satellites are placed in geostationary orbit, at 32.5°E, 83°E and 129.5°E, and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit with equatorial crossings at 55°E and 111.75°E, at an inclination of 29°. It offers two services, the Standard Position Service (SPS) for civilian users and the Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users, in both the L5 (1176.45 MHz) and S band (2498.028 MHz); a new civilian signal is being introduced in the L1 band (1575.42 MHz). The coverage area includes India and a region up to 1500 km beyond Indian boundary, with user position accuracy better than 20m and timing accuracy better than 50ns. The International Maritime Organisation has recognised NavIC as a component of worldwide radio navigation system for maritime applications. GAGAN is a different thing: GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation, implemented by ISRO with the Airports Authority of India, is a satellite based augmentation system (SBAS) for Indian airspace that adds the accuracy, availability and integrity needed for phases of flight from en-route to approach. It is inter-operable with other such systems including the United States' WAAS, the European EGNOS and the Japanese MSAS, and has been certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for RNP 0.1 and APV-1 services.
NavIC constellation:
constellation of 7 satellites
Coverage beyond the Indian boundary:
1500 km
Position accuracy:
better than 20m
Timing accuracy:
better than 50ns
Civilian service frequency in L5:
1176.45 MHz
GAGAN implemented with:
Airports Authority of India
Why it matters for exams: NavIC and GAGAN are regularly set against each other in examinations, and the number of satellites, the service bands, the 1500 km coverage and the role of the Airports Authority of India are the details most often asked.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NavIC Navigation with Indian Constellation — India's own regional satellite navigation system, formerly called IRNSS.
SBAS Satellite based augmentation system — A system that corrects and checks signals from a navigation constellation so aircraft can rely on them.
Geostationary orbit — An orbit over the equator in which a satellite stays above the same point on the ground.
GNSS Global navigation satellite system — The general term for all satellite positioning systems, of which GPS is only one.
4 October 2026
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, with its epicentre at San Jose Del Palmar in the Choco region, about 400 km west of Bogota, at a depth of 107 km.
At least 132 people were killed and 570 others injured.
President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of emergency, saying the first priority was rescuing people trapped under the rubble.
In Cali, the country's third-largest city, at least 20 buildings collapsed and 380 were damaged; Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales were also hit.
At least 21 aftershocks followed within hours and several airports suspended operations for structural inspections.
The Colombian Geological Service said it was the country's strongest recorded earthquake in the 21st century.
Magnitude:
7.4
Epicentre:
San Jose Del Palmar, Choco
Depth:
107 km
Deaths:
At least 132
Injured:
570
Why it matters for exams: Major earthquakes are asked with their magnitude, epicentre and tectonic setting, and this one also fixes the name of Colombia's current President.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Aftershock A smaller earthquake following a larger one — Aftershocks occur in the same area as the main shock as the ground settles.
4 October 2026
World Space Week 2026 is being celebrated globally from October 4 to 10.
The theme for 2026 is "Rocket Revolution", which focuses on the rapid transformation of space launch, expanding access beyond government programmes to commercial providers, reusable rockets, universities and startups.
By resolution 54/68 of 6 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Space Week, to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.
The two dates are not arbitrary. October 4, 1957 was the launch into outer space of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1.
October 10, 1967 was the date on which the Treaty on Principles Governing Activities in Outer Space entered into force.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space, and in the utilisation of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development.
Dates:
October 4 to 10
Theme 2026:
Rocket Revolution
Declared by:
General Assembly resolution 54/68 of 6 December 1999
Why 4 October:
Launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957
Why 10 October:
Outer Space Treaty entered into force in 1967
Why it matters for exams: A United Nations observance with a fixed date range, a named resolution and two treaty-and-launch anniversaries behind it is exactly the kind of fact examiners turn into one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNOOSA United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs — The UN office that promotes international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space.
Background
Background to the yellow alerts now in force across seven Kerala districts.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority publishes the rainfall thresholds that go with each colour of warning issued for the State.
A yellow alert means isolated heavy rainfall is forecast, defined as 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm of rain within 24 hours.
The colours are a graded scale: a yellow alert asks the public and agencies to stay watchful, while higher colours signal heavier rain and a greater need for preparedness.
The alerts are issued district by district, which is why the list of districts under warning changes from day to day during a rain spell.
The Authority is the State's nodal body for disaster management, and its rainfall page carries the daily district warnings.
Yellow alert threshold:
64.5 mm to 115.5 mm in 24 hours
Issuing authority for the State page:
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority
Unit of issue:
District
Why it matters for exams: The exact millimetre band for a yellow alert is a single-fact question that recurs whenever Kerala is under a rain warning.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KSDMA Kerala State Disaster Management Authority — The State's nodal authority for disaster management, which publishes rainfall warnings district by district.