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Places in News · October 2026 · Week 2
Places in News UPSCOctober 2026 Week 2
This page covers 3 places from the news of 8–14 October 2026, each on the map with the UPSC angle. The video has Hindi and English audio tracks.
Tap a pin to jump to that place.
Hindi audio · For English: ⚙ Settings → Audio track → English
Places in News This Week: Quick Table
The 3 places in this week’s video are listed below with chapter start times.
| No. | Place | Where | Why in news | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | West Asia | Missiles hit the capital’s airport; Saudi Arabia blames the Houthis | |
| 2 | Siang | Arunachal Pradesh, India | Protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project; 4 detained on 10 Oct | |
| 3 | Mudumal | Telangana, India | Tenders invited to excavate the menhir site for the UNESCO bid |
25.0°N 46.7°E · Houthi strikes · Red Sea oil route
Saudi Arabia, West Asia: Houthi Strikes and the Red Sea Oil Route
A missile hit the domestic terminals of the international airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital on 10 October 2026. 13 people died, one of them Indian, and 300+ were injured.
The terminals were hit again on 11 October. Saudi Arabia blames the Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group from Yemen.
Key Facts
- Why now? Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s government and has led a coalition against the Houthis since 2015. Attacks surged after the Saudi offensive of 5 October to retake Yemen’s Red Sea coast, seized by the Houthis a month earlier.
- Why that coast? Saudi oil fields lie in the east, by the Persian Gulf. With Hormuz blockaded by Iran, more oil is piped west to the Red Sea; an attack on 4 October halted that pipeline again.
- Bab-el-Mandeb is the Red Sea’s only southern exit, off Yemen. From the Red Sea coast the Houthis can watch ships; both sides claim the strait.
- Saudi Arabia covers about four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula, with coasts on the Red Sea (west) and the Persian Gulf (east).
- Yemen border: the Asir highlands in the south-west hold Saudi Arabia’s highest point; the rest of the border runs mostly through the Rub’ al-Khali. The border stayed undemarcated until 2000.
Map Memory
- 7 land neighbours: Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen. Bahrain is an island, joined by a causeway.
- Rub’ al-Khali is the world’s largest area of continuous sand, over a quarter of Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers, only wadis; no river enters the Red Sea (PYQ 2024).
India Angle
One Indian died and 11 Indians were hurt on 10 October. About 27 lakh Indians live in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia supplied 13.81% of India’s crude imports in FY 2025-26. India’s foreign ministry said the attacks ‘must cease immediately’.
UPSC PYQ (2024)
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe.
Statement-II : Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
- (a)Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
- (b)Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
- (c)Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
- (d)Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
(a) — SUMED runs through Egypt from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, so Gulf oil reaching the Red Sea can go on to Europe.
Mains Link
GS-II, 2026: “India’s global diaspora acts as a living bridge, as a critical economic factor and knowledge network in transforming cultural heritage into geopolitical influence and strategic leverage worldwide.” Critically examine this statement.
More on UCNWho are the HouthisBab-el-Mandeb Strait
28.6°N 95.0°E · Tsangpo–Brahmaputra · storage dam
Siang, Arunachal Pradesh: India’s Largest Planned Dam on the Brahmaputra
Protests continue in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang valley against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (11,200 MW, NHPC). The project becomes India’s largest hydropower station if built.
Security forces have been in the valley for nearly a month so that surveys can go on. On 10 October 2026 four protesters were detained under a state law.
Key Facts
- One river, three names: the river rises near Mansarovar lake and flows about 1,200 km east across southern Tibet as the Tsangpo.
- Near Namcha Barwa the Tsangpo bends through one of the world’s deepest gorges and enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang. After the Dibang and the Lohit join, the river is the Brahmaputra.
- Why dams here? Perennial, steep rivers give Arunachal Pradesh India’s highest hydropower potential (NCERT).
- China upstream: at the Great Bend, upstream of India, China approved a project in December 2024 and began work in July 2025. The project has five stations, reported at about 60,000 MW.
- The Adi, Arunachal Pradesh’s largest tribe, farm the flat riverbank. The Adi fear losing villages, fields and ancestral land, and say consent was taken selectively. The area lies in seismic Zone V.
Map Memory
- Brahmaputra: Tibet → India → Bangladesh, where the Tista joins and the river is called the Jamuna.
- Antecedent rivers (NCERT) are older than the Himalaya and cut gorges as the mountains rose: Sutlej, Kosi, Subansiri. Prelims 2026 Q35: Brahmaputra was the decoy; coaching keys give Sutlej.
- Majuli (Assam) is the world’s largest riverine island.
India Angle: What Next
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju called for talks with Adi elders on 8 October. The State promises a transparent, peaceful, people-centric survey. Adi groups want the forces withdrawn.
UPSC PYQ (2022)
Consider the following pairs:
Peak : Mountains
- Namcha Barwa : Garhwal Himalaya
- Nanda Devi : Kumaon Himalaya
- Nokrek : Sikkim Himalaya
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a)1 and 2
- (b)2 only
- (c)1 and 3
- (d)3 only
Show answer
(b) — Namcha Barwa stands at the Himalaya’s eastern end, in Tibet, where the Tsangpo bends; Nokrek is in Meghalaya’s Garo hills.
Mains Link
GS-III, 2013: What do you understand by Run-of-river hydroelectricity project? How is it different from any other hydroelectricity project?
16.4°N 77.4°E · Megaliths · UNESCO Tentative List
Mudumal, Telangana: Megaliths on the UNESCO Tentative List
Telangana’s Department of Heritage invited tenders on 14 October 2026 to excavate the Mudumal menhir site. A menhir is a single standing stone. The site lies on the Krishna, right next to the Karnataka border.
Officials say the dig is to establish the age and way of life of the people who raised the stones. The dig backs the bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Key Facts
- The site: about 80 acres near the Krishna with about 80 tall menhirs (10–14 ft). About 400 m west, a hillock holds stone circles over burials, still awaiting excavation.
- Age: India’s UNESCO dossier says about 3,500–4,000 years; one newspaper says 3,000. The dig is meant to settle the dates.
- Sun alignment (dossier claim): some menhirs line up with sunrise and sunset on the summer and winter solstices, perhaps an ancient observatory.
- Saptarishi stone: cup marks on a rock on the hillock copy Ursa Major (Saptarishi); two stars of Ursa Major point to the North Star, i.e. north at night.
- Saved by worship: villagers call the stones Niluralla Thimmappa. One menhir is worshipped as Goddess Yellamma, so even fallen stones are left untouched.
Map Memory
- Megalith (NCERT) = ‘big stones’ marking burials, from about 3,000 years ago; megalithic graves hold Black and Red Ware and iron tools.
- Menhir = one standing stone · Dolmen = uprights with a capstone · Cist = box-like burial.
- Moidams (Tai-Ahom, Assam) are royal burial grounds (Prelims 2026).
India Angle: What Next
Tender: ₹39.97 lakh, four months. ASI permission is in place. A megalithic park’s foundation stone was laid in July 2026.
UPSC PYQ (2024)
Consider the following information:
Archaeological Site : State : Description
- Chandraketugarh : Odisha : Trading Port town
- Inamgaon : Maharashtra : Chalcolithic site
- Mangadu : Kerala : Megalithic site
- Salihundam : Andhra Pradesh : Rock-cut cave shrines
In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
- (a)1 and 2
- (b)2 and 3
- (c)3 and 4
- (d)1 and 4
Show answer
(b) — Chandraketugarh is in West Bengal, not Odisha; Salihundam is known for Buddhist stupas and monasteries, not rock-cut caves.
Mains Link
GS-I, 2018: Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Comment
Practice Questions: October 2026 Week 2
The 3 practice MCQs below follow the UPSC Prelims format, one for each place in this week’s video.
Question 1
Consider the following countries:
- Bahrain 2. Iraq 3. Jordan 4. Oman 5. Qatar 6. Syria
How many of the above share a land border with Saudi Arabia?
- (a)Only two
- (b)Only three
- (c)Only four
- (d)Only five
Show answer
(c) — Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Qatar. Bahrain is an island joined by the King Fahd Causeway (no land border); Syria lies beyond Jordan and Iraq.
Question 2
Consider the following statements about the Brahmaputra:
- It rises near Mansarovar lake.
- It enters India in Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang.
- In Bangladesh, after the Tista joins, it is called the Padma.
How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a)Only one
- (b)Only two
- (c)All three
- (d)None
Show answer
(b) — 1 and 2 are correct. After the Tista joins it in Bangladesh it is called the Jamuna, which later merges with the Padma.
Question 3
Consider the following statements about the Krishna:
- It rises near Mahabaleshwar in the Sahyadri.
- The Bhima and the Tungabhadra are its tributaries.
- It is the largest east-flowing Peninsular river.
How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a)Only one
- (b)Only two
- (c)All three
- (d)None
Show answer
(b) — 1 and 2 are correct (NCERT). The Krishna is the second largest east-flowing Peninsular river.
Download the Notes PDF
Free English and Hindi PDF notes for Places in News, October 2026 Week 2, carry the maps, facts, PYQs and practice questions from this page. New notes come every week on the Telegram channel.