France

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified amendments to Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 to formally recognise E100 fuel alongside E85. The notification, issued on the 26th of October, establishes a regulatory and technical framework governing vehicle emission certification and testing for models designed to run on high ethanol concentrations. The revision does not permit regular petrol or internal combustion engine vehicles to run on E100. Currently, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR Flex Fuel remains the only passenger car model unveiled in India with E100 compatibility. Tracing India's ethanol journey from pilot blending in 2001 to reaching 20 percent blending levels in 2025-26, the report notes international precedents in Brazil, the United States, Thailand, and France. However, domestic motorists have expressed concerns over lack of fuel choice, potential engine damage, and diminished vehicle mileage.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravneet Singh Bittu arrived outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha premises carrying an expensive liquor bottle to target Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Bittu claimed that the bottle was the same one seized by authorities when Mann landed at Delhi Airport following his foreign trip to France. Mann had earlier claimed he was detained at the international airport by customs authorities for three hours. Waving the bottle outside the assembly, Bittu alleged that liquor had harmed Punjab and used the demonstration as political satire to attack the state government over governance and law and order ahead of the assembly elections.

Anti-government demonstrations have broken out across several European cities, including Paris, Rome, Brussels, and Tirana. In France, more than four lakh people took to the streets in Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux, resulting in police firing tear gas and water cannons following demonstrations, with over one thousand people arrested nationwide. In Italy, thousands marched against the right-wing administration and the rising cost of living, with demonstrators entering the Colosseum in Rome. Student-led demonstrations in Tirana and other Albanian cities were met with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets from police amid economic dissatisfaction. In Spain, demonstrators in Barcelona engaged in looting and arson.

A wave of mass unrest that began over education infrastructure and rising cost of living in France has escalated into violent riots and spread across Europe. In France, nationwide demonstrations drew over 5.5 lakh people, resulting in torched town halls, looted shops, over 2,000 arrests, and curfews in Paris and Marseille. French President Emmanuel Macron announced bans on spontaneous protests and rejected the interior minister's resignation, even as lawmakers challenged government budget cuts and US political figures attributed the violence to immigration. Economic grievances, housing crises, and educational discontent have triggered simultaneous clashes in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Albania. In response, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved tougher penalties and parental liability for riot damages, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned against violence on all sides. With multiple European nations heading into crucial elections, governments face severe pressure to restore order amid compounding economic fallout from global conflicts.

Tens of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets across France, leading to clashes with police in several cities including Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux. Demonstrators pulled boards from shops to build barricades to shield themselves, while police resorted to firing tear gas and deploying water cannons to disperse the crowds. In Lyon alone, around 10,000 people gathered for several unauthorised marches before being dispersed by security forces.

Violent protests across France have caused widespread unrest, with demonstrators clashing with police and damaging shops and public buildings over poor school conditions, soaring living costs, and declining public services. Addressing the situation, US President Donald Trump claimed the turmoil stems entirely from immigration rather than domestic issues, asserting that he had previously warned French President Emmanuel Macron to shut borders. The crisis unfolds against broader concerns over irregular migration, housing pressures, and political polarisation across Europe, where France alone hosts approximately 7.97 million immigrants.

A surge of public unrest has intensified across several European countries, with mass demonstrations and clashes breaking out in cities such as Paris, Brussels, Milan, and Lisbon. What began in France as student grievances over teacher shortages and deteriorating schools has broadened into wide-ranging anger over low wages, housing unaffordability, and strained public infrastructure. Similar economic frustrations are driving rallies across Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and Albania. According to Eurostat figures, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices across the European Union surged by roughly 34 percent between August 2021 and August 2026. While inflation may slow, accumulated price hikes leave households and younger generations struggling to achieve basic financial milestones or purchase homes. Demonstrations have at times devolved into property destruction, tear gas deployment, and clashes with law enforcement, drawing government condemnation. Authorities now face the dual challenge of preserving order while tackling core economic insecurity, rising housing costs, and decaying public services amid widespread electoral and political strain.

Two major cybersecurity scares within twenty-four hours have exposed alarming vulnerabilities in key global internet infrastructure. Artificial intelligence uncovered critical pre-authentication remote code execution flaws in PHP, the programming language that powers a vast majority of websites worldwide. The discovery prompted urgent global security warnings, precautionary shutdowns of government websites in France and Finland, and warnings from India's cybersecurity agency, CERT-In. Concurrently, an alarming security lapse was identified in digital certificates issued by Bengaluru-based eMudhra, where eight intermediate certificates had weak cryptographic keys easily recoverable by researchers. In response, technology giants Google and Mozilla moved to block the affected certificates across browsers. Although CERT-In confirmed no malicious exploitation of the compromised keys had been detected, cybersecurity experts urged immediate patch updates and enhanced firewall measures.

A spokesperson from the Bharatiya Janata Party addressed a press conference targeting the Congress leadership over alleged connections to foreign organizations and global unrest. Highlighting links to entities like Progressive International and Indian Alliance Paris, the speaker cited an April 2025 meeting between Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and delegates at 10 Janpath. The address linked international demonstrations and incidents of arson in France, Spain, and Albania to broader attempts at subverting constitutional institutions and instigating regime change. Criticizing Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut for his social media comments regarding unrest at Albania's Supreme Court, the speaker accused opposition figures of trying to weaken Indian democratic institutions. The spokesperson also questioned Rahul Gandhi's evening visit to the Supreme Court premises with a crowd, contrasting the opposition's actions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Vijayadashami address defending democratic resilience.

A debate has emerged over whether the fundamental democratic right to protest extends to violence, looting, and arson. European nations are enforcing stringent measures against escalating riots: France has instituted night curfews in Paris and Nice, while Italy has introduced laws penalising violent demonstrators with up to five years in prison and 20,000 euro fines, alongside parental liability for minors. While European governments crack down on civil unrest to restore public order, international scrutiny by the United Nations has drawn criticism for maintaining double standards regarding domestic policing in India versus Western nations.

A special bench of the High Court raised questions regarding the custody, motives, and intentions behind the protest led by CGP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Pulling up both leaders over their ages of 31 and 27, the bench questioned their association with protests labelled as Gen Z. The court highlighted the breaking of barricades at a denotified site, breach of signed peace bonds, and repeated calls for regime change. Citing student protests across European countries like France and Italy that escalated into violence and arson, the court underscored the necessity of taking police into confidence to control potential unrest during agitations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR issue. The leaders have now withdrawn their plea.

A debate has emerged over public agitations, dissent, and warnings that regime change does not resolve national problems. The annual Vijayadashami address drew parallels with international unrest seen in Bangladesh, Nepal, France, and Albania, noting that agitations in a democracy must function within constitutional boundaries and focus on solutions rather than division. The discussion follows claims that student-led movements in India were influenced by unrest abroad. In response, opposition leaders stated that leadership transitions in India occur only through elections, criticising the ruling establishment's stance towards democratic opposition and public demonstrations.

Addressing Dussehra celebrations in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for national unity against forces that harm the country's honour, divide society, and oppose Indian culture. The Prime Minister urged political parties to work collaboratively with national institutions in the larger interest of the nation and defeat threats facing India. Several leaders reiterated similar concerns during their respective addresses. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cautioned against forces frustrated by India's unity, while West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged attempts to create anarchy and weaken the nation. Meanwhile, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat warned against orchestrated efforts toward regime change, referencing political unrest in France, Albania, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and asserted that such attempts would not succeed in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Swayamsevaks on the organisation's Foundation Day, paying homage to those who nurtured the Sangh. Highlighting that the RSS has completed a century, the Prime Minister noted that countless Swayamsevaks have worked for society with a deep sense of duty and a nation-first spirit to strengthen national development. Meanwhile, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed Karyakartas on Vijaya Dashami, cautioning that forces seeking regime change could target India. Bhagwat warned that protests could become instruments of political interest and divide society, citing recent political upheavals in countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, and France.

This special news broadcast covers major national security, legal, and international developments.

This special broadcast of India First, hosted by Gaurav Sawant, covers unrest across France, Italy, Portugal, and Albania, analysing potential national security lessons for India.

A Delhi Special Executive Magistrate court extended the judicial custody of Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days following their arrest on 13 October for an unauthorised gathering and unfurling the tricolour at Jantar Mantar.

Speaking to India Today, Paris-based investigative journalist Phineas Rueckert shared insights on the nationwide unrest and protests across France. Rueckert explained that the demonstrations initially started a month ago with students protesting poor school conditions, cockroaches, and inadequate heating, before expanding into a broader civil movement involving healthcare workers and farmers demanding higher purchasing power amid the rising cost of living. Addressing the instances of vandalism and arson, Rueckert stated, "This was not the main part of the protest," emphasizing that hundreds of thousands demonstrated peacefully while violence erupted primarily on the sidelines. Rejecting claims attributing the disturbances to foreign interference or mass migration, he remarked, "I think that it's too simple to say that that this is, you know, outside agitators." He observed that deep-seated domestic discontent has simmered for years, driven by inflation and government policies, creating significant political ramifications for both the left and far-right parties.

A report cited from US media outlet Fox News claims a transnational far-left network backed by US-born businessman Neville Singham is driving student protests across France and India to push a wider communist agenda. Singham, who operates from Shanghai, is alleged to have funneled funds through non-profits and shell firms, collaborating with Marxist ideologue Vijay Prashad to promote pro-China narratives. In the broadcast, an interviewee from the Bharatiya Janata Party also dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations surrounding 'vote chori' and subversion of democratic institutions, asserting that the opposition is manufacturing false narratives after election defeats. Executive Editor Gaurav Sawant highlighted that investigations by foreign outlets draw parallels between international protests and domestic unrest, noting that government figures have previously pointed to external forces seeking regime change or disruption. The report underscores growing political scrutiny over foreign funding and organized activist syndicates operating across borders.

The Indian Air Force is hosting the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti in Rajasthan, bringing together air forces from Australia, the US, the UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, alongside over 30 observer nations.