Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September 2026, highest this year

Economy & banking

1. Retail (CPI) inflation rose to 5.54% in September 2026 from 4.83% in August, MoSPI data shows.
2. Food inflation (CFPI) jumped to 7.74% from 5.97%; onion prices rose 108.09% year-on-year.
3. Rural inflation hit 6.08%, urban 4.88%; figure is provisional, on new CPI base year 2024.
4. Released on 12 October 2026, it is the highest reading of 2026, near RBI's 6% upper limit.
5. 📚 CPI is compiled by the National Statistics Office under MoSPI; RBI's inflation target is 4%. (Banking, SSC)

India, Bangladesh flag trade barriers at first joint working group meeting after long gap

International relations

1. India and Bangladesh held the first meeting of a bilateral joint working group after a prolonged gap.
2. Both sides raised trade barriers during the talks, reported on 12 October 2026.
3. The meeting is part of efforts to normalise bilateral relations between the neighbours.
4. 📚 India's longest international land border, about 4,096 km, is with Bangladesh. (SSC, BPSC)

C3S: September 2026 was the second-warmest September on record globally

Environment & ecology

1. September 2026 was the second-warmest September on record worldwide, says the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
2. C3S had earlier rated August 2026 the joint warmest month ever, tied with July 2023.
3. Reported on 12 October 2026, the data shows global warming is not letting up.
4. 📚 C3S is run by ECMWF under the European Union's Copernicus Earth-observation programme. (SSC, Railway)

Sunil Bharti Mittal conferred France's highest civilian award, the Légion d'Honneur

Awards & honours

1. Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder of Bharti Enterprises, has been given France's highest civilian award, the Légion d'Honneur.
2. French President Emmanuel Macron conferred it for deepening India-France economic ties.
3. He will receive the insignia at a ceremony in New Delhi on 28 October 2026.
4. 📚 The Légion d'Honneur was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. (SSC, Banking)

Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford win 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics

Awards & honours

1. Americans Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford won the 2026 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
2. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced it on 12 October 2026.
3. Cited for microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation; central banks worldwide use their models.
4. Hall works at Stanford University; Woodford at Columbia University.
5. 📚 The economics prize, funded by Sweden's central bank, was first awarded in 1969. (All exams)

Navy commissions INS Mangrol, third Cochin Shipyard-built anti-submarine shallow water craft

Defence & security

1. INS Mangrol, the third ASW Shallow Water Craft built by Cochin Shipyard, was commissioned on 12 October 2026.
2. Commissioned at Naval Dockyard Mumbai; Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan of Western Naval Command presided.
3. Over 80% indigenous content; carries the Abhay hull-mounted sonar and Maareech torpedo decoy system.
4. Named after a fishing harbour in Junagadh, Gujarat; it strengthens anti-submarine defence of coastal waters.
5. 📚 Western Naval Command is headquartered in Mumbai; Cochin Shipyard is in Kochi, Kerala. (SSC, Railway)

RBI cuts corporate dollar forward limit from $100 million to $5 million

Economy & banking

1. RBI cut the maximum limit on corporates' dollar forward deals from $100 million to $5 million.
2. Stricter paperwork aims to curb speculative bets and keep the forex market orderly.
3. The rupee closed at 96.73 per dollar on Friday, near its record low of 96.96.
4. The rupee is down nearly 8% this year; banks may explore easier hedging options, reported 12 October 2026.
5. 📚 FEMA, 1999 governs foreign exchange in India; it replaced FERA, 1973. (Banking, SSC)

India beat West Indies in 3rd T20I to lead series 2-1

Sports

1. India beat West Indies in the 3rd T20I to take a 2-1 series lead, reported 11 October 2026.
2. India scored 223, crossing the 200-run mark again in the series.
3. Opener Abhishek Sharma hit 69 off 30 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes.
4. Pacer Arshdeep Singh also starred in the high-scoring win.
5. 📚 The ICC, cricket's global governing body, was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Dubai. (SSC, Railway)

India-France TRISHNA satellite in advanced stage of realisation, says ISRO official

Science & technology

1. An ISRO official says the India-France TRISHNA satellite is in an advanced stage of realisation.
2. It is the third joint India-France satellite, after Megha-Tropiques and SARAL.
3. SARAL stands for Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA; update reported on 11 October 2026.
4. TRISHNA is a thermal infrared imaging mission for monitoring natural resources such as water.
5. 📚 France's space agency is CNES; ISRO is headquartered in Bengaluru. (SSC, Railway)

Bihar CM transfers ₹1,237 crore to over 1.8 crore pension beneficiaries

States

1. Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary transferred ₹1,237 crore under the social security pension scheme.
2. Over 1.8 crore beneficiaries received the money on 10 October 2026.
3. The CM told all district magistrates to make sure no eligible beneficiary is left out.
4. 📚 Bihar Diwas is observed on 22 March, marking Bihar's separation from Bengal Presidency in 1912. (BPSC, BSSC)