World & IR Current Affairs for UPSC

12 October 2026

OHCHR voices concern on Delhi detentions; India calls it interference

The Ministry of External Affairs on 11 October 2026 called remarks by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) "an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of India". The OHCHR had on 10 October voiced concern over reported mass detentions around a Delhi protest. India's Permanent Mission in Geneva called it "misplaced" the same day.

Read the story

12 October 2026

International Organization for Migration: the UN's migration agency

Why in news: On 11 October 2026 the IOM said at least 139 migrants had died and 84 were missing after a boat capsized off Djibouti.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), founded in 1951 and based in Geneva, is the leading intergovernmental body on migration and has been part of the United Nations System since a 2016 agreement. It has 174 member states; India joined in June 2008. On 11 October 2026 it reported at least 139 migrants dead in a shipwreck off Djibouti.

Read the story

12 October 2026

Katchatheevu and the 1974 and 1976 India–Sri Lanka maritime agreements

Why in news: On 11 October 2026, Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said India had told its Supreme Court that Katchatheevu belongs to Sri Lanka.

Katchatheevu is an islet in the Palk Strait on Sri Lanka's side of the 1974 India–Sri Lanka boundary. That agreement lets Indian fishermen and pilgrims visit without visas; a 1976 agreement extended the line into the Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal. On 11 October Sri Lanka's President said India told its Supreme Court the island is Sri Lankan.

Read the story

12 October 2026

International Telecommunication Union: sectors, Council and India's PP-30 bid

Why in news: An ITU document of 1 October 2026 for PP-26 records that the Council approved India's invitation to host PP-30, pending formal acceptance at PP-26.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialised agency for telecommunications. Through three sectors it allocates radio spectrum and satellite orbits, sets technical standards and helps developing countries connect. Its Council, at its 2026 session, approved India's invitation to host the 2030 Plenipotentiary Conference; formal acceptance rests with the 2026 conference in Doha in November.

Read the story

11 October 2026

IMEC: the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor

Why in news: The United States strongly supports IMEC, its President said on 22 September 2026, citing attacks on commercial shipping in the region.

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a planned ship-and-rail trade route, with electricity and data cables and a clean-hydrogen pipe, set out in a non-binding 2023 MoU signed by India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the EU, France, Germany, Italy and the US. On 22 September 2026 the US President said his administration strongly supports it, citing attacks on shipping.

Read the story

11 October 2026

ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and its review

Why in news: The AITIGA Joint Committee met in Jakarta on 6-9 October 2026 and told its sub-committees to set time-bound deliverables on pending chapters, the government said.

The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), signed in 2009 and in force since 1 January 2010, cut duties on most goods traded between India and ten ASEAN countries. India sought a review, citing asymmetric trade and loose rules of origin. The review's Joint Committee met for the 15th time in Jakarta on 6-9 October 2026.

Read the story

11 October 2026

BRICS: origin, expansion, rotating chair, NDB and CRA

BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies that began in 2006 as a forum of Brazil, Russia, India and China, took in South Africa in 2010-11 and expanded from 2024. It has no charter or secretariat, and its two financial bodies are the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. India holds its rotating chair in 2026.

Read the story

11 October 2026

India–Netherlands Strategic Partnership and the Chola copper plates

India and the Netherlands, diplomatic partners since 1947, cooperate on water management, semiconductors, green hydrogen, agriculture and maritime technology, and the government counts the Netherlands as India's fourth-largest investor. In May 2026 the two raised ties to a Strategic Partnership for 2026–2030, and the Netherlands returned the 11th-century Chola copper plates recording the Anaimangalam grant.

Read the story

11 October 2026

India–Nordic Summit, India's Arctic Policy and the India–EFTA TEPA

The India–Nordic Summit brings India together with the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Begun in 2018, the partnership centres on green technology, clean energy and innovation, and supports India's Arctic Policy. At the third summit, in Oslo on 19 May 2026, the leaders agreed a Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership.

Read the story

11 October 2026

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Panama on the Pacific Ring of Fire

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Panama on 9 October 2026, centred near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province at a shallow depth of about 10 km. The US Geological Survey first put it at 8, then 7.6. A 6.6 quake followed that afternoon, damage was concentrated in three central provinces, and the Panama Canal kept operating.

Read the story

10 October 2026

Siang Upper Multipurpose Project and China's Yarlung Tsangpo dam

Why in news: In October 2026, protests in Upper Siang district against the project's pre-feasibility report surveys escalated.

The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo, on whose lower reaches China has announced a mega dam, and enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang. On the Siang, India proposes the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, estimated at 11,000 MW or more. Its pre-feasibility surveys face sustained protests from Adi communities in Upper Siang district.

Read the story

10 October 2026

WHO uses International Health Regulations to verify Russian lab worker's death

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on 10 October 2026 that the pneumonia which killed an anti-plague institute worker in Irkutsk, Russia, on 2 October has no confirmed cause. Alerted by media reports, WHO sought verification under Articles 9 and 10 of the International Health Regulations (2005). Russia reported negative plague tests. WHO advised no travel or trade curbs.

Read the story

10 October 2026

Inter-Parliamentary Union elects new President as 153rd Assembly closes in Arusha

The 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) closed in Arusha, Tanzania, on October 9, 2026, after its Governing Council elected Milton Dick, Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives, as IPU President for three years. The Assembly adopted the Arusha Communiqué on good governance. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh led India's delegation, which cast India's three votes.

Read the story

10 October 2026

Bab el-Mandeb Strait: Yemen's war reaches the Red Sea chokepoint

The UN Security Council met on October 9, 2026 on Yemen, where a Houthi offensive launched in September has revived the 12-year war. The Houthis seized parts of the Red Sea coast near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and have claimed attacks on Saudi airports. Yemeni Government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, say they have recaptured the port city of Mocha.

Read the story

10 October 2026

US sanctions International Criminal Court, the tribunal created by Rome Statute

The United States on October 9, 2026 imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, blocking its property in the US and banning funds, goods or services to it. The ICC, based in The Hague, was created by the Rome Statute and has 125 member states. The US and Israel are not parties to it.

Read the story

10 October 2026

Nobel Peace Prize 2026 honours international law; Navi Pillay named laureate

The Norwegian Nobel Committee on October 9, 2026 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. She was a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and later United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The prize will be presented in Oslo on December 10.

Read the story

9 October 2026

At East Asia Summit meeting, India outlines 2,000 MW Singapore power link

Minister of State for Power Shripad Yesso Naik told the 20th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers' Meeting in Manila on October 8 that India and Singapore are exploring a proposed 2,000 MW cross-border power interconnection. One option is a land corridor of about 3,000 km from Imphal through Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. India also backed the ASEAN Power Grid.

Read the story

8 October 2026

Nobel Prize in Literature 2026: Swedish Academy honours Canada's Anne Carson

The Swedish Academy on 8 October 2026 awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature to Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson, 76, “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature”. The undivided prize, worth SEK 12 million, is due to be presented in Stockholm on 10 December.

Read the story

8 October 2026

Jaishankar opens Africa tour in Ghana; two MoUs exchanged

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar began a three-nation Africa tour in Ghana on October 6, 2026, meeting President John Dramani Mahama and his counterpart Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa. The talks covered multilateral cooperation and India's deeper engagement with the African Union and ECOWAS. Two MoUs, on scientific and agricultural research, were exchanged. Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia are next.

Read the story

8 October 2026

WHO's first child-obesity guidelines advise against drugs, surgery for under-10s

The World Health Organization on October 7, 2026 issued its first guidelines on obesity in children and adolescents, advising against medicines, bariatric surgery and weight-loss devices for ages 0-9. It strongly recommends structured diets, physical activity and behaviour change instead. Adolescents aged 10-19 may get approved drugs only if a supervised lifestyle programme fails; surgery is reserved for severe cases.

Read the story

8 October 2026

WHO Pandemic Agreement: India ties pathogen sharing to equitable access

India's Health Secretary told the UN High-Level Meeting on pandemics in New York on 25 September 2026 that countries sharing pathogens must get timely access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, with national sovereignty respected. The meeting's Political Declaration was not adopted by consensus after the United States objected, partly over references to unfinished pathogen benefit-sharing talks.

Read the story

7 October 2026

Projectile strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz, injuring 11 Indian crew

A projectile hit the Panama-flagged vessel MT On Peace in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman on October 6, 2026, injuring 12 of its 19 crew, including 11 Indians. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the strike and a separate Black Sea attack, and called for an end to attacks on commercial shipping. Omani authorities helped evacuate the injured.

Read the story

7 October 2026

India, Switzerland sign mobility pacts, widen defence and nuclear cooperation

India and Switzerland signed a Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement and a Young Professionals Agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met visiting Swiss President Guy Parmelin on Monday. The two sides agreed to strengthen defence and nuclear energy cooperation and signed a transport and infrastructure pact. The visit marked a year since the India-EFTA trade pact, TEPA, entered into force.

Read the story

7 October 2026

Bangladesh expert calls Ganga Water Treaty flawed ahead of December expiry

The 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty, which expires in December, is flawed and should be replaced by a three-year interim pact, former Bangladesh river commission chairman Manjur A. Chowdhury said on October 6. He wants a later trilateral treaty including Nepal, with guarantee, ecological-flow and climate change provisions.

Read the story

5 October 2026

India conveying messages between Russia and Ukraine, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on October 4 that India has gone "beyond advocacy" on the Russia-Ukraine war and is in talks with both Moscow and Kyiv. The conversations cover Black Sea shipping safety, grain and energy exports and "non-attack possibilities". Ukraine's foreign minister earlier called India's proposal the most comprehensive of four.

Read the story

27 September 2026

India, Liberia launch seafarer-safety 'group of friends' on UNGA sidelines

India and Liberia launched a 'group of friends' on the safety and security of shipping and seafarers on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly on September 25, 2026. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called recent attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf and Red Sea simply indefensible, noting such incidents are no longer exceptional.

Read the story

23 September 2026

US law provides for up to 100% tariffs on top Russian-oil buyers

US President Donald Trump on 18 September signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. It directs duties of up to 100% on all goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude or gas that keep buying after 30 days. China and India import the most Russian crude. The President may waive a duty.

Read the story

23 September 2026

BRICS Delhi Declaration notes UNSC Resolution 2803, reaffirms 1967 borders

The BRICS New Delhi Declaration, adopted by consensus on September 12, 2026, takes note of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which endorsed US President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and reaffirms a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Its 140 paragraphs do not mention Yemen. It notes the International Court of Justice's provisional measures in South Africa's case against Israel.

Read the story

19 September 2026

Trump signs Russia sanctions law, India in tariff scope

US President Donald Trump signed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law on Friday. It takes effect in 30 days and allows duties of up to 100% on goods from the top five buyers of Russian crude or gas by volume — a group that includes India and China.

Read the story

18 September 2026

US Bill threatens up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil

The US Congress passed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, providing for duties of up to 100% on all goods from the five biggest buyers of Russian crude or gas that keep buying. India imports over 88% of its oil needs; in August, Russia supplied nearly half its crude imports. The Bill became law on 18 September.

Read the story