24 October 2026
France's Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at protests on Saturday, 24 October 2026, at 410,000, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union confederation said both figures were nearly double the official totals. More than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed nationwide, which Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said was 20 per cent more than the previous weekend. Nunez said police arrested nearly 1,000 people across the country. Protests were prohibited in Montpellier, Rouen and Nice, and in Paris the originally negotiated Bastille-to-Nation route was banned. At least 24 metro stations were closed in Paris and the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay shut for the day. The movement began in mid-September with high school student blockades over school conditions. On 23 October 2026 President Emmanuel Macron met student representatives and promised more teachers and an overhaul of Parcoursup, the university admissions system.
Official nationwide turnout:
410,000
Turnout in Paris:
110,000
Police deployed:
more than 70,000
Arrests:
nearly 1,000
Why it matters for exams: Turnout figures, the French Interior Minister's name and Parcoursup are the kind of specifics asked about European current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CGT Confederation Generale du Travail — A major French trade union confederation that gave its own protest turnout count.
Parcoursup Parcoursup — France's central online platform for admission to higher education.
24 October 2026
France's National Rally re-elected Jordan Bardella as party president with nearly 99 per cent of the vote. The report of 24 October 2026 states that Bardella and Marine Le Pen were expected to address about 10,000 supporters on Sunday to launch their presidential campaign. The party congress came during a month of nationwide protests over school conditions and the cost of living, in which the French Interior Ministry counted 410,000 demonstrators on 24 October 2026. Counter-demonstrators were expected at the Le Pen rally, according to the live coverage of the day. The National Rally is the party formerly known as the National Front.
Vote share in party election:
nearly 99 percent
Supporters expected at campaign launch:
about 10,000
Why it matters for exams: Party leadership changes in major European states and the National Rally's earlier name are standard world-politics facts.
UPSC
In plain words
National Rally Rassemblement National — A French far-right party, formerly called the National Front, led by Jordan Bardella as president.
24 October 2026
Nearly 159 million Brazilians will vote in the run-off of Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, 25 October 2026. The contest is between the incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, a Senator and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro won the first round on 4 October 2026 by 47 per cent to 45 per cent. The two candidates held their final debate on Friday, 23 October 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, questioning each other on Brazil's economy, infrastructure and regional development. On Saturday more than one million Lula supporters gathered on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lula was first elected in 2002 and is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. Since the return of democracy to Brazil in the 1980s no first-round loser has gone on to win the run-off.
Voters:
Nearly 159 million
First round date and result:
4 October 2026, 47% to 45%
Run-off date:
25 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Brazil's two-round presidential system, the first-round margin and the electorate size are directly examinable facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Run-off Run-off election — A second round of voting between the two leading candidates when no one wins a majority in the first round.
24 October 2026
Approximately 25,000 people gathered in Madrid on Saturday, 24 October 2026, in support of Spain's state pension scheme. Protesters marched from Atocha train station to the Gran Via and carried banners reading 'protect and guarantee our pensions'. Demonstrators want pensions to remain indexed to inflation and the gender pension gap to be eliminated. The march was held before Spain's general election next month. The report states that pressure on Spain's state pension scheme is being driven by an ageing population, a low birth rate, wage stagnation and a declining ratio of workers to pensioners. Spain's monthly pension bill hit a record high this year of almost 14.5 billion euros. The march formed part of a wider wave of protests across Europe over the cost of living and school conditions.
Participants:
Approximately 25,000
Route:
Atocha train station to the Gran Via
Monthly pension bill:
almost 14.5 billion euros
Why it matters for exams: Pension indexation, the gender pension gap and Europe's demographic pressures appear in economy and social-sector questions.
UPSCBank
In plain words
Indexation Inflation indexation — Linking a payment such as a pension to a price index so that it rises with inflation.
24 October 2026
Protesters clashed with police in the Albanian capital Tirana on Saturday, 24 October 2026, and police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse crowds. Authorities said several government buildings were attacked, dozens of demonstrators were arrested and more than 300 protesters and police were injured. Police deployed water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets against crowds. A significant wave of protests began in mid-October 2026 over poor conditions in schools and the cost of living. Thousands heeded calls from organisers for students and others around Albania to attend the rally, and university professors, artists and opposition parties announced their support or attendance. Albania's Ministry of Education has become a focal point of the rallies, and some in the crowd threw stones and rolled burning bins at the building.
Injured:
more than 300 protesters and police
City:
Tirana, Albania
Protests began:
mid-October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Albania is a small Balkan state that is now in the news; its capital and the reason for the protests are examinable.
UPSC
In plain words
Tirana Tirana — The capital and largest city of Albania, a country in the Balkan peninsula.
24 October 2026
Protests were called in eight Italian cities on Saturday, 24 October 2026, against the government of Giorgia Meloni and the rising cost of living. The Italian government deployed hundreds of soldiers in Milan, the country's fashion and finance capital, where luxury boutiques were boarded up. Around 50 people gathered spontaneously in Cordusio Square in Milan and headed towards the central Castle square chanting 'We are all antifascists', with small groups joining along the way. The protests came a week after clashes with police and looting during demonstrations in Milan. Italian police said nine people were arrested and 371 were briefly detained during protests in eight cities, and that 110 of those arrested or detained were minors. In Rome a small number of protesters tried to force their way into the Colosseum but were ushered out by guards.
Cities with protests:
eight Italian cities
Arrested:
nine
Briefly detained:
371
Minors among them:
110
Why it matters for exams: The spread of European cost-of-living protests and Italy's use of soldiers for public order are examinable current affairs.
UPSC
In plain words
Cordusio Square Piazza Cordusio — A central square in Milan from which the spontaneous demonstration set off.
24 October 2026
The Ukrainian government said on Saturday, 24 October 2026, that its military has a stable connection to Starlink, ten days after its ability to use the satellite communications system was suddenly restricted. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Starlink and Starshield had resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. Ukraine's defence ministry confirmed on Saturday that the connection remained stable. Starshield is the military version of Starlink, operated by the United States using Starlink technology. SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in a social media post that the Ukrainian military had violated Starlink's terms of service and that the loophole was closed last week. Serhiy Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, said on Telegram that the country is physically unable to use Starlink for long- and medium-range attack drone operations. Neither Musk nor the United States government took responsibility for imposing the curbs.
Duration of curbs:
10 days
Systems involved:
Starlink and Starshield
SpaceX Chief Executive:
Elon Musk
Why it matters for exams: Starlink and Starshield, and who controls them, are now standard science-and-security questions.
UPSCBank
In plain words
Starshield Starshield — The military version of Starlink, operated by the United States using Starlink technology.
24 October 2026
Israeli troops levelled a neighbourhood in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, 24 October 2026, driving out families, local Palestinian authorities said. The Hebron municipality estimated that 35 hectares, equal to 86 acres, had been destroyed or marked for destruction and that about 1,500 people had been evicted from their homes by Saturday afternoon in the district of Ein Deir Baha. The whole city of 250,000 people was sealed off by checkpoints at every point of entry. The demolitions followed an attack on Friday, 23 October 2026, on an Israeli military checkpoint outside Hebron by two gunmen, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and three injured after a 20-minute gunfight; the two gunmen were also killed. Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said in an interview with the public broadcaster Kan that about 2,000 people had been displaced. Hebron's Mayor Yousef al-Ja'bari put the figure at 2,200.
Area destroyed or marked:
35 hectares (86 acres)
People evicted by Saturday afternoon:
about 1,500
City population:
250,000
District:
Ein Deir Baha
Why it matters for exams: Hebron, the occupied West Bank and the figures given by each side are standard international affairs material.
UPSC
In plain words
Hebron Hebron — A city in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, known in Arabic as Al-Khalil.
24 October 2026
UN News reported on 24 October 2026 on Sudanese women who became frontline responders during the country's war. The war between the Rapid Support Forces and the military government's Sudanese Armed Forces erupted on the morning of 15 April 2023 and has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Khartoum was disputed between the two main combatants and was retaken by government troops in March 2025. The city of El Fasher in North Darfur was besieged by the Rapid Support Forces in October 2025. The gender equality agency UN Women has spotlighted women who ran communal kitchens, documented conditions and led aid organisations through the sieges. The report records that thousands of women are now returning to Khartoum after years of displacement across Sudan and in neighbouring countries, and that many have returned to looted houses stripped even of doors and windows. A woman heading a UN-supported, women-led organisation in North Darfur said that when it comes to funding, projects sometimes go to organisations led by men.
War began:
15 April 2023
Combatants:
Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces
Khartoum retaken:
March 2025
El Fasher besieged:
October 2025
Why it matters for exams: The date the Sudan war began, the two warring forces and the siege of El Fasher are frequently asked facts.
UPSC
In plain words
RSF Rapid Support Forces — A Sudanese paramilitary force fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023.
UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — The UN's gender equality agency, created by the General Assembly from four earlier bodies.
24 October 2026
The World Health Organization has announced the beginning of the first clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine in the outbreak that started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a social media post on Friday, 23 October 2026, that participants in the trial were vaccinated with the Ervebo vaccine in Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri province, which is the epicentre of the outbreak. Ervebo is approved for use against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola and will now be put through a full-scale human trial to see whether it offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the current epidemic. Tedros said the trial will help establish whether any of the vaccine candidates designed for Bundibugyo virus work, and that WHO is supporting a Congo-led effort.
Vaccine:
Ervebo
Trial site:
Bunia, capital of Ituri province
Ebola species in the outbreak:
Bundibugyo
Strain Ervebo is approved for:
Zaire
Why it matters for exams: Ebola species, the Ervebo vaccine and the WHO Director-General are regular health and science questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Ervebo Ervebo — A vaccine approved for use against the Zaire strain of Ebola virus.
Cross-protection Cross-protection — Protection a vaccine designed for one strain may give against a related strain.
24 October 2026
Spain's conservative People's party launched a video across its social media channels in the week to 24 October 2026 that used artificial intelligence to manipulate the likenesses of people linked to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party. An AI-generated version of Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez, speaks about receiving a university post, and a deepfake of former Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero speaks about hiding jewellery in a safe. Both Gomez and Zapatero have denied any wrongdoing in the investigations the lines refer to. The video had recorded nearly two million views by Friday. Spain's digital transformation minister Oscar Lopez told the broadcaster TVE that it was telling people a colossal lie and that it is very easy for anyone not used to AI to confuse the video with reality. The video carried a note at the bottom stating it had been created with AI. A majority of nine legal experts consulted by the newspaper El Pais held that what the party had done was not illegal, given the AI label and the satirical tone.
Party that published the video:
the People's party (PP)
Views by Friday:
nearly 2m
Minister who responded:
Oscar Lopez, digital transformation minister
Legal experts consulted by El Pais:
nine
Why it matters for exams: Synthetic media in election campaigns and the labelling question are an emerging technology-and-governance theme.
UPSCBank
In plain words
Deepfake Deepfake — Synthetic audio or video that makes a real person appear to say or do something they did not.
Background
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) states that its mission is to support central banks' pursuit of monetary and financial stability through international cooperation, and to act as a bank for central banks.
Established in 1930, the BIS is owned by 63 central banks, representing countries from around the world that together account for about 95% of world GDP.
The BIS describes itself as the world's oldest international financial institution and says it has been headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, since 1930.
To pursue its mission it provides central banks with a forum for dialogue and broad international cooperation, a platform for responsible innovation and knowledge-sharing, in-depth analysis and insights on core policy issues, and sound and competitive financial services.
The BIS hosts committees engaged in standard setting and the pursuit of financial stability through the Basel Process. Among them are the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures and the Markets Committee.
Its Tower headquarters building on Centralbahnplatz has 24 floors, 20 above ground and four below; the BIS opened for business in the Tower in March 1977.
Owner central banks:
63
Share of world GDP represented:
about 95%
Headquarters:
Basel, Switzerland
Why it matters for exams: The BIS, the Basel Process and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision are standard banking-awareness and international-economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
BIS Bank for International Settlements — an institution owned by 63 central banks that acts as a bank for central banks.
Basel Process Basel Process — the arrangement through which the BIS hosts committees engaged in standard setting and the pursuit of financial stability.
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision Basel Committee on Banking Supervision — one of the committees hosted by the BIS under the Basel Process.