Current affairs grouped by GS paper (filter view; topic-level grouping uses syllabus_topic).
On 19 October 2026 China’s Commerce Ministry announced export controls on tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and related items from 18 November, calling them clearly dual-use. India imports TBMs for metro, rail and border tunnels and has faced customs delays on Chinese machines since 2024. China also announced controls on some drones.
19 Oct 2026
On 19 October 2026 the Ministry of External Affairs rejected references to India in resolutions adopted at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad on 17–18 October. It called them ‘malicious, biased and false’, said Pakistan orchestrated them, and said the OIC has no locus standi on India’s internal matters.
19 Oct 2026
India will host the 61st meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) for the first time, in New Delhi from 26 to 28 October 2026. The Department of Consumer Affairs is organising it with the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), and more than 100 delegates are expected, PIB said on 19 October.
19 Oct 2026
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has de-notified the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (MSMER-2023) by a notification dated 14 October 2026, published in the Gazette on 16 October. Its fixed penalties, including seat cuts and fines of up to ₹5 lakh for false records, go with it. The Annual Disclosure Report stays.
19 Oct 2026
In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
19 Oct 2026
A PIB backgrounder of 19 October 2026 explains how pumped storage projects (PSPs) will store solar and wind power for India’s grid. India runs 7.43 GW of pumped storage today, is building 15.87 GW more and has an assessed potential of 345.38 GW. A roadmap aims to add about 100 GW between 2025-26 and 2035-36.
19 Oct 2026
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 19–20 October 2026. This is the SCO’s second-highest body, and it looks after trade, economy, connectivity and the Organisation’s budget. The last CHG met in Moscow on 18 November 2025, where External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke for India.
18 Oct 2026
On 18 October 2026 Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated a permanent bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh. Until now, a person in Ladakh who wanted to file a writ petition had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu, across high passes and harsh winters. The bench was made possible by a regulation that the President promulgated on 27 August and that came into force on 5 September. It is a simple idea with a big effect: bring the court to the people.
18 Oct 2026
In a judgment of 15 October 2026, the Supreme Court said that the right to access and use the internet is a fundamental right of every person, children included, under Article 21 read with Article 19(1)(a). So the answer to online danger is not to lock children out but to go after the abusive content and the platforms that fail to remove it. The Court ordered a National Hash and URL List Database, two-hour reporting of unknown abuse material, and loss of revenue for platforms that profit from it through paywalls.
18 Oct 2026
On 17 October 2026 the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) said it had shared ₹1.19 crore with 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council. The money came from seed companies that used Indian maize, rice, pearl millet and cotton for research and commercial hybrids. As the crops were bought from markets and the original holders could not be traced, the amount was split in proportion to each State’s cultivation area. The release comes two days before the CBD COP 17 opens in Yerevan.
18 Oct 2026