Weekly Current Affairs (19 Oct – 25 Oct 2026): Top 25 News for Bank & SSC Exams

The most important current affairs of the week 19 Oct – 25 Oct 2026 for IBPS, SBI, RRB, SSC and state exams, with the one fact to remember from each. Every item links to the full article.

1. Sudhakar Dalela Named India's Next Ambassador to Nepal — Sudhakar Dalela appointed as India's next Ambassador to Nepal. (Appointments, 19 Oct)
2. Fairfax Financial Proposes N S Kannan as IDBI Bank Chairman — Fairfax proposes N S Kannan as Chairman of IDBI Bank. (Corporate & Business, 19 Oct)
3. Shakti Sharma Becomes First Non-Medical Woman Two-Star Officer in Indian Armed Forces — AVM Shakti Sharma is first non-medical female two-star officer. (Defence, 19 Oct)
4. NHAI Introduces 'OneTag' FASTag Portability on Rajmargyatra Application — NHAI launched OneTag portability service on the Rajmargyatra mobile application. (Launches, 19 Oct)
5. Ministry of Education Plans Five Integrated University Townships — Centre plans five University Townships across five selected Indian states. (Government / Polity, 19 Oct)
6. India's First Salt Container Train Flagged Off in Gujarat — India's first salt container train flagged off in Gujarat. (First-in-news, 19 Oct)
7. Tata Steel Commissions ₹9,067 Crore Manufacturing Facilities in Odisha — Tata Steel commissioned ₹9,067 crore facilities at Kalinganagar, Odisha. (Economy & Infrastructure, 19 Oct)
8. Freecharge Obtains RBI In-Principle Licence for Payment Aggregator — Axis Bank's Freecharge received RBI in-principle approval as payment aggregator. (Banking & Finance, 19 Oct)
9. Pakistan Appointed Chair of IMF and World Bank Boards for 2027 — Pakistan named incoming Chair of IMF-World Bank Boards for 2027. (International, 19 Oct)
10. Nagaland Film 'Angh' Secures Platform Prize at TIFF 2026 — Nagaland's 'Angh' wins Platform Prize at 51st Toronto Film Festival. (Awards & Honours, 19 Oct)
11. Perseverance Rover Breaks Mars Driving Record with 45.22 Kilometres — Perseverance rover sets all-time off-world distance driving record on Mars. (Environment & Science, 19 Oct)
12. Skyroot Aerospace Partners with US Startup Reflect Orbital for Satellite Launches — Skyroot signs agreement with Reflect Orbital for orbital mirror launches. (Mou & Collaborations, 19 Oct)
13. Pramod Bhagat and Simran Sharma Lead India at 5th Asian Para Games — Pramod Bhagat and Simran Sharma served as India's opening flag-bearers. (Sports, 19 Oct)
14. Renowned Tamil Music Composer Deva Passes Away at 75 — Acclaimed Tamil music composer Deva passed away at age 75. (Others (misc), 19 Oct)
15. First Training Squadron of Indian Navy Concludes Port Visit to Seychelles — Indian Navy's 1TS completed Seychelles visit and conducted PASSEX. (Defence, 19 Oct)
16. India's Unemployment Rate Holds Steady at 5% in September 2026 — India's unemployment rate stood unchanged at 5.0% in September 2026. (Economy & Infrastructure, 19 Oct)
17. Global Finance Names State Bank of India World's Best Consumer Bank 2026 — SBI named World's Best Consumer Bank 2026 by Global Finance. (Bank-wise, 21 Oct)
18. Dr. Dhal Singh Bisen Sworn In as Governor of Uttarakhand — Dr. Dhal Singh Bisen appointed new Governor of Uttarakhand. (Appointments, 21 Oct)
19. Reserve Bank of India Inaugurates 'SAMVAD 2026' International Seminar — RBI launched SAMVAD 2026 international central bank seminar in Delhi. (Banking & Finance, 21 Oct)
20. Uzbekistan Selected to Host SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2027 — Uzbekistan to host SCO Heads of Government meeting in 2027. (International, 21 Oct)
21. 106 Artists Conferred Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2024 & 2025 — 106 artists received Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in Delhi. (Awards & Honours, 21 Oct)
22. Scientists Discover Martian Analogue Geological Sites in Tamil Nadu and Chile — Mars-like geological analogue sites identified in Tamil Nadu and Chile. (Environment & Science, 21 Oct)
23. India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Enters into Force — India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement became operational on 20 October. (Mou & Collaborations, 21 Oct)
24. Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches Upgraded Agri Welfare Portal for Farmers — Upgraded Agri Welfare Portal launched for single-window farmer services. (Launches, 22 Oct)
25. Piyush Goyal Inaugurates National Strategic Trade Command Centre in New Delhi — NSTCC launched at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, by Piyush Goyal. (Government / Polity, 22 Oct)

Weekly quiz

Q1. Where are the headquarters of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) located?

• (A) Geneva, Switzerland
• (B) Vienna, Austria
• (C) Paris, France
• (D) London, United Kingdom
• (E) Brussels, Belgium

Q2. At which location in Odisha did Tata Steel commission advanced manufacturing facilities worth ₹9,067 crore?

• (A) Rourkela
• (B) Kalinganagar
• (C) Angul
• (D) Jharsuguda
• (E) Dhenkanal

Q3. Which of the following proposed locations for University Townships is incorrectly matched with its state?

• (A) Tamil Nadu — Coimbatore
• (B) Assam — Jagiroad
• (C) Gujarat — Dholera
• (D) Andhra Pradesh — Visakhapatnam
• (E) Odisha — Sambalpur

Q4. Where was the National Strategic Trade Command Centre (NSTCC) launched by Piyush Goyal?

• (A) Mumbai
• (B) New Delhi
• (C) Bengaluru
• (D) Hyderabad
• (E) Chennai

Q5. Whom has Fairfax Financial proposed as the new Chairman of IDBI Bank while retaining Rakesh Sharma as MD & CEO?

• (A) K. V. Kamath
• (B) N S Kannan
• (C) Sandeep Bakhshi
• (D) Chanda Kochhar
• (E) Aditya Puri

Q6. What is the name of the French-German rover accompanying JAXA's MMX mission to land on Martian moon Phobos?

• (A) Pragyan
• (B) Perseverance
• (C) Idefix
• (D) Rashid
• (E) Viper

Q7. What is the name of the two-day international central banking seminar inaugurated by RBI in New Delhi?

• (A) MANTHAN 2026
• (B) SAMVAD 2026
• (C) CHINTAN 2026
• (D) SANGAM 2026
• (E) DRISHTI 2026

Q8. Which city will host the Indian Navy's Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2026 (IPRD-2026)?

• (A) Mumbai
• (B) Chennai
• (C) Visakhapatnam
• (D) New Delhi
• (E) Kochi

Q9. Which international entity was honored with the European Union's 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought?

• (A) International Court of Justice (ICJ)
• (B) International Criminal Court (ICC)
• (C) Amnesty International
• (D) Human Rights Watch
• (E) United Nations Human Rights Council

Q10. Pankaj Advani recently won his 29th world title in which sport?

• (A) Snooker
• (B) Pool
• (C) Billiards
• (D) Carrom
• (E) Chess

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