Article 51
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Current affairsJapan's MMX Mission Launched: World's First Sample Return from Mars's Moon PhobosJapan's JAXA launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft on October 19, 2026 (UTC) aboard an H3-24L rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. MMX will arrive at the Martian system in August 2027, collect at least 10 grams of surface material from Phobos — Mars's larger moon — and return samples to Earth in July 2031, marking humanity's first sample return from the Martian system and potentially resolving the mystery of Phobos's origin. Current affairsSCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting 2026: India at Dushanbe SummitDefence Minister Rajnath Singh represented India at the 25th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on October 19–20, 2026. The meeting focused on trade, economic cooperation, investment, connectivity, and innovation among SCO member states. Current affairsNHRC India Faces GANHRI Accreditation Review: Downgrade from 'A' to 'B' StatusThe Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) has postponed its final accreditation review of India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to November 2026. NHRC faces a potential historic downgrade from 'A' (fully compliant) to 'B' (partially compliant) status under the Paris Principles, following concerns about independence, transparency in appointments, and its failure to adequately address serious human rights violations. Current affairsExercise IBSAMAR IX 2026: India-Brazil-South Africa Trilateral Maritime Exercise at Simon's Town Under IBSA FrameworkThe ninth edition of IBSAMAR — the joint maritime exercise between the navies of India, Brazil, and South Africa — is underway at Simon's Town, South Africa from 12 to 22 October 2026. The Indian Navy is participating with INS Tarkash and its integral Chetak helicopter. The exercise theme is "Stronger Together Towards a Shared Future in the Maritime Domain," covering anti-submarine warfare, anti-piracy operations, maritime interdiction, and search and rescue under the IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) Forum for Dialogue framework. Current affairsFirst BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting 2026: India Hosts Regional Security Dialogue in New DelhiIndia hosted the first-ever Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on October 13, 2026. Chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the meeting brought together all seven member states to forge a collective framework against terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics, radicalisation, human trafficking, illicit financial flows, and cybercrime — marking a landmark upgrade of the grouping's security cooperation architecture. Current affairsNobel Peace Prize 2026: Navi Pillay Awarded for Promoting Peace and International LawThe Norwegian Nobel Committee on 9 October 2026 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay — former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda President, and ICC judge — "for her efforts to promote peace and international law," recognising her pivotal role in prosecuting war crimes and genocide. Current affairsNobel Prize in Literature 2026: Anne Carson Wins for 'Bold and Inventive' Dialogue with Classical TraditionCanadian poet, essayist, and classicist Anne Carson was awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature on October 8, 2026, by the Swedish Academy "for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature." She is the second Canadian-born writer to win the prize, after Alice Munro (2013). Current affairsSagarmanthan 2026: Third Edition of India's Great Oceans Dialogue Concludes in New Delhi with 75 NationsThe third edition of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue was held in New Delhi from October 7–9, 2026, organised by India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The event brought together maritime leaders, policymakers, and heads of state/government from nearly 75 countries to deliberate on ocean governance, blue economy, maritime trade, and sustainability — with the theme 'Blue Geographies, New Aspirations: Trade, Technology, and Trust at Sea.' Current affairsCheetah at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve: India's Third Cheetah Habitat as 'Vyom' and 'Neera' Released in Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released two cheetahs — named 'Vyom' (male) and 'Neera' (female) — into the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve on October 7, 2026, making it India's third cheetah habitat under Project Cheetah. The reserve, spanning ~2,339 sq km across Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts, joins Kuno National Park (Sheopur) and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Mandsaur) as official cheetah sites in Madhya Pradesh. Current affairsNobel Prize in Chemistry 2026: Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai Awarded for Chirality and Asymmetric AutocatalysisThe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to French chemist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai "for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis." Their work solved a century-old mystery of molecular handedness (chirality), transforming pharmaceutical manufacturing and offering clues to the origin of life's chemical asymmetry. Current affairsIndia Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS): Compliance Carbon Market Becomes Operational in 2026India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), notified in June 2023 under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act 2022, moved into its operational phase in 2026 with the launch of the Indian Carbon Market Portal (March 21, 2026) and emission-intensity targets notified for seven industrial sectors. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) administers the scheme, which replaces the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism and links India's domestic carbon market to its Paris Agreement commitments. Current affairsWorld Teachers' Day 2026 (October 5): Theme "Standing with Teachers — 60 Years of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation"World Teachers' Day is observed on October 5 every year under the auspices of UNESCO. The 2026 theme is "Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures" — marking the 60th anniversary of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. The day is co-organised by UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF, and Education International, with the global celebration held at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.
In previous-year questions
- Which Directive Principle of State Policy (DPSP) in the Constitution of India directs the State to endeavour to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (2026) involves Türkiye — a NATO member. Collective defence under NATO is governed by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Which similar article in the UN Charter is typically invoked as the legal basis for bilateral or multilateral collective self-defence arrangements like the MJDA?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Article 48A of the Constitution of India, added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976), directs the State to:UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution (a Directive Principle of State Policy) directs the State to promote international peace and security and to maintain just and honourable relations between nations?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution contains the Directive Principle on promotion of international peace and security and maintenance of just and honourable relations between nations — the constitutional basis for India's active multilateral engagement through forums like BRICS?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Constitutional Article directs the State to protect every monument or place of artistic or historic interest declared by Parliament to be of national importance — directly relevant to the conservation of UNESCO-listed heritage sites in India?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which constitutional provision states that the State shall endeavour to promote international peace and security and maintain just and honourable relations between nations — the spirit underlying India's defence diplomacy including exercises like Veer Guardian?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution directs the State to promote international peace and security and encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's consistent policy position on international sanctions is that it follows only those sanctions mandated by which body, and not unilateral sanctions imposed by individual countries?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which constitutional provision forms the primary legal basis for India entering into bilateral defence agreements such as the one with Japan that enables Acquisition and Cross-Servicing (ACSA)?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Fundamental Duty under the Indian Constitution requires citizens to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Directive Principle of State Policy in the Indian Constitution is cited as the primary constitutional basis for India's advocacy of the Right to Development in international forums, as it mandates the State to promote international peace, foster respect for international law, and encourage settlement of disputes by arbitration?UPSC · Current Affairs