Greeces Parliament approved legislation on 23 October 2026 prohibiting children under 15 from using social media platforms. The ban is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027. It covers platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and applies to existing accounts as well as new users.
India has recorded an estimated 718 snow leopards across the Indian Himalayas, including 477 in Ladakh, according to the countrys first Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI), Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said on 23 October 2026.
India has emerged as the third-largest arms exporter to Europe, driven by the rising demand for defence goods under the “Rearm Europe” initiative and backed by an expanding domestic manufacturing sector, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on 23 October 2026.
The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has seen 18,093 villages declared Adarsh Grams as of September 8, 2026, reflecting efforts to improve infrastructure, basic services and quality of life in Scheduled Caste-majority villages.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan commissioned INS Samarthak, the Indian Navys first indigenous multi-purpose vessel built by a private shipyard, at the naval base in Karwar, Karnataka on 16 October 2026. Built by Larsen and Toubro (L& T) at its Kattupalli shipyard in Tamil Nadu
Indian researchers have identified geological sites in Tamil Nadu and Chiles Atacama Desert that share mineralogical and environmental characteristics with Mars, offering new insights into the planets history of water activity and potential habitability.
Indias infrastructure sector has recorded growth across highways, aviation, telecommunications, ports and power, according to the latest quarterly update of the PAIMANA Performance Monitoring Dashboard released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The Home Ministry on Friday notified the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026, expanding the eligibility for enumerators to include teachers, government officials, local authority staff, and any other person considered suitable by the administration of the respective state governments or Union Territories.
14-year-old British photographer Oscar Whitfield was named Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. He lives in Zimbabwe and won with a black-and-white photograph titled “Labour of Love”, which captures a dung beetle pushing a ball of dung.
Global oil demand is expected to decline by 2.6 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2026, with diesel accounting for 25 percent of the dip, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its latest report, the IEA noted that the Iran war is weighing on global oil demand amid fuel shortages, soaring prices and deteriorating economic conditions.
Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari declared an emergency and imposed governors rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October 2026. The provincial government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was suspended after a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The reintroduced population of hard-ground Barasingha in Satpura Tiger Reserve reached approximately 303 individuals by 10 October 2026. The animals were brought from Kanha National Park under a reintroduction programme initiated by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department in 2015.
The Living Planet Report 2026 was released by WWF in partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). It records a 73 decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations worldwide between 1970 and 2022, based on nearly 35,803 population trends across 5,790 vertebrate species.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Canadian author Anne Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature”, the Swedish Academy announced on 8 October 2026.
Scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) developed an India-specific disease severity score for sickle cell anaemia. The tool was built from clinical data of 171 Indian children aged up to 18 years treated at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur.
The Group of Seven (G7) agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products from emergency reserves. The coordinated release involves Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, and it is managed through the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The Asian Games 2026 have officially concluded at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya on 4 October 2026. The ceremonial torch and flag from the inaugural Asian Games were handed over to representatives of Qatar, which will host the next edition in Doha in 2030.
US President Donald Trump has appointed Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the administrations AI czar. Clayton was appointed intelligence chief in August 2026, will lead a new White House panel tasked with reporting within 120 days on the risks and opportunities posed by AI.
Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil released the report of the Second Census of Water Bodies (Volume II, Part II). Maharashtra has recorded 4.74 lakh water bodies in the second Census of Water Bodies, nearly five times the number recorded in the first census, while Uttar Pradesh has 2.86 lakh, with Karnataka, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir also registering increases.
India won five gold medals in the Asian Games 2026 on October 3. Indias Mens cricket team successfully defended their Asian Games cricket title, beating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final. After posting 211/6, India restricted Pakistan to 192/6 despite Hasan Nawaz scoring 96 off 51 balls.
Every year, October 2 is observed as the International Day of Non-Violence across the world. The date holds a special connection with India as it marks the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, whose philosophy of non-violence, or Ahimsa, became central to his approach to social and political change.
Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has been named to TIMEs 2026 TIME100 Next list, which features 100 emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the next generation of leadership. The recognition comes months after Skyroot achieved a major milestone in Indias private space sector with the successful launch of Vikram-1, the countrys first privately developed orbital rocket.
President Droupadi Murmu has given her formal assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026, paving the way for the legislation to take effect in the state. In March 2025, the Gujarat State Assembly passed the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill 2026, aiming to provide stronger legal protection and equality for women across communities.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on 1 October 2026 launched National PNG Drive 3.0 to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) and support the governments goal of increasing natural gass share in Indias primary energy mix from around 6 percent, while promoting cleaner, reliable and affordable energy.
