Top 10 news for SSC, Banking & Railway exams · 5-minute read · published
Top stories: Cabinet approves 3 per cent DA and DR hike, raising rate from 60 per cent to 63 per cent; Anup Bagchi takes charge as MD and CEO of HDFC Bank; Rajnath Singh and Pete Hegseth review 10-year India-US Defence Framework in Cebu.
Cabinet approves 3 per cent DA and DR hike, raising rate from 60 per cent to 63 per cent
The Union Cabinet on October 28, 2026 cleared a hike of 3 per cent in Dearness Allowance for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners, with effect from July 1, 2026. The rate went up from 60 per cent to 63 per cent, benefiting about 48.54 lakh employees and 68.71 lakh pensioners at an annual cost of Rs 10,016.10 crore.
Exam angle: The 7th Central Pay Commission, whose formula governs DA revisions, was chaired by Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur.
Sources: The Tribune, Economic Times
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2Appointments
Anup Bagchi takes charge as MD and CEO of HDFC Bank
Anup Bagchi formally took over as MD and CEO of HDFC Bank, the country's largest private sector lender, from October 27, 2026. His predecessor's term ended at the close of business hours on October 26, 2026, the bank informed the stock exchanges.
Exam angle: HDFC Bank is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Rajnath Singh and Pete Hegseth review 10-year India-US Defence Framework in Cebu
Rajnath Singh held talks with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Cebu, Philippines on October 28, 2026, on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus. Both sides took stock of the 10-year India-US Defence Framework, which spans military technology, information sharing and co-production. Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus.
Exam angle: ASEAN was founded on 8 August 1967 and its secretariat is in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Sources: All India Radio official, The Tribune, Hindustan Times
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4Awards & Honours
Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas takes women's award for third time
England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane was named winner of the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in London on October 26, 2026, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. He became the first Englishman to lift the prize since Michael Owen in 2001. Spain's Alexia Putellas claimed the Women's Ballon d'Or for the third time.
Exam angle: The Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 1956, when England's Stanley Matthews won it.
Sources: Outlook, The Tribune
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5Sports
Abhishek Sharma's 113 off 38 balls seals T20I series for India against New Zealand
Opener Abhishek Sharma hit 113 off 38 balls as India chased down New Zealand's 198/3 to win by six wickets in the third T20I at Wellington on Tuesday. The win gave India an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. A day later, Abhishek replaced Ishan Kishan at the top of the ICC Men's T20I batting rankings.
Exam angle: The ICC is headquartered in Dubai, UAE; it was founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference.
RBI hosted 36th Conference of State Finance Secretaries in Mumbai
The Reserve Bank of India hosted the 36th Conference of State Finance Secretaries in Mumbai on October 27, 2026, attended by Finance Secretaries of 27 States and three Union Territories. The RBI Governor pressed States to borrow prudently, manage cash efficiently and join the Unified Lending Interface (ULI), and released a booklet on cash and debt management.
Exam angle: RBI was established on 1 April 1935 and is headquartered in Mumbai.
Sources: Reserve Bank of India official
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7International
India and Mexico sign Terms of Reference to launch Preferential Trade Agreement talks
India and Mexico signed the Terms of Reference for Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) negotiations on Wednesday, formally starting the talks, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said. The agreed areas cover goods market access, rules of origin, customs procedures and dispute settlement. It follows a June 2025 understanding between PM Narendra Modi and President Claudia Sheinbaum at the G7 Summit in Canada.
Exam angle: Mexico's capital is Mexico City and its currency is the Mexican peso.
Sources: Economic Times, The Tribune
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8Environment
Cyclone Arnab begins landfall near Kakinada on Andhra Pradesh coast
Cyclone Arnab began crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts near Kakinada at 1:20 AM on October 28, 2026, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). It brought sustained winds of 115-125 km per hour with gusts up to 140 km per hour and heavy rain in coastal Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha.
Exam angle: Yanam, located near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, is an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Sources: All India Radio official, Mint
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9International
PM Modi holds talks with Liechtenstein's Hereditary Prince Alois in New Delhi
Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, on his second state visit to India, held delegation-level talks with PM Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, New Delhi, on October 27, 2026. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi received him and Hereditary Princess Sophie at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The two sides looked to build on the India-EFTA TEPA, which entered into force in 2025.
Exam angle: EFTA has four members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Hockey Olympian Nilakanta Sharma announces retirement from international hockey after nine years
Indian hockey midfielder Nilakanta Sharma announced his retirement from international hockey after a nine-year career. He announced the decision after India's 13-0 win against Bangladesh in their Asian Champions Trophy opener at Jalandhar's Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, saying the ongoing tournament will be his last assignment with the Indian team. The Manipur-born player won bronze with India at the Tokyo Olympics and gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Exam angle: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Every morning at 6:00 AM IST we publish the 10 news points from the previous two days that matter most for SSC, Banking, Railway and State PSC exams. Each fact is confirmed in at least two independent sources, with official sources such as All India Radio and the Reserve Bank of India preferred and marked; every number and name is matched against those sources, and each point is reviewed again before it is published. Points are written in our own words, and each one names the sources it was checked against. Spotted a problem? Use “Report an error” under the point.
