kochi l wednesday l October 28, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Israel logs high voter turnout as Netanyahu faces tough fight Nearly 66 per cent voters cast their ballots by 6 pm (9.30 pm IST) in Israel’s crucial general elections on Tuesday, the highest since 1973 polls bibi falls back to tested playbook of 2015 several parties allege irregularities Surveys predicted a tight race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. Locked in a tight race, Netanyahu made a desperate plea to right-wing voters to “wake up” and go vote for his Likud party to avoid formation of a ‘government of Arab parties’, in a repeat of his tested playbook of 2015 ■ ■ Several parties, including Eisenkot’s Yashar and Bennett’s B’Yachad, alleged irregularities, including missing or defaced ballot slips and suspected attempts to interfere with voting | P9 Arab citizens, who make up about 21 per cent of Israel’s population, could play a significant role in the post-election arithmetic Nov 4 is when the results will be announced CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI CEC mock impeachment Chennithala condemns Juvenile Justice at Kharge’s house on Fri Board granting bail to accused teenager Decision after police deny nod to hold it at two different locations Pr e e t h a N a ir @ New Delhi as the confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the government escalated on Tuesday over denial of venues for the mock ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Congress said the programme will be held at the official residence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday . The decision came after the Congress claimed the Delhi Police denied permission for the event at two venues. The party said permission was first denied for government-owned Hotel Ashok, where the event was originally planned, and subsequently for Ramlila Maidan. In a letter to INDIA bloc leaders, Kharge said, “I request you to kindly assemble on 30 October 2026 at 3.30 pm at 10 Rajaj Marg, in connection with the public impeachment of the CEC. Kindly make it convenient to attend.” The proposed event comes ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 KPCC rally at Ramlila Maidan apologises against alleged ‘vote theft’ and the ongoing Special The Kerala Pradesh Intensive Revision (SIR) Congress Committee (KPCC) has tendered of electoral rolls. an unconditional Earlier, Congress genapology to Chief eral secretary (organisaJustice of India tion) K C Venugopal said Surya Kant for a the bloc had sought to hold disrespectful post on the event at Ramlila Maidits official X account. an after permission was KPCC said it was denied for Hotel Ashok. posted without However, police stopped authorisation preparations at the ground and the person despite the organisers havresponsible ing the requisite permisfor the post sions, he alleged. “INDIA has been bloc had booked Ramlila removed Maidan from October 25 to November 3. So there is no reason to deny us permission to hold our event there on October 30.” Asserting that the Opposition would continue its campaign for Kumar’s removal, Venugopal said: “If they stop us here, we will go to Amit Shah’s house, PM Modi’s house, and stage a massive dharna there.” Police sources told the media that the Congress had not submitted a separate request for permission to hold the ‘public impeachment’ on Friday add, ing that the party had sought permission only for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan. SC notice to Centre on data protection law S U CH I T R A K A LYAN M OHANTY @New Delhi Newsrooms will shut down if journalists are forced to seek permission before reporting on a person, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday while challenging the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and DPDP Rules. The court, which refused to stay the Act, issued notice to the Centre on the plea that contends the law infringes on press freedom and right to information. Senior advocate Madhavi Divan, appearing for DNPA, informed the SC that this was the first comprehensive challenge of the law by ‘legacy’ media. The DNPA comprises 21 media outlets, including NDTV Net, work 18 and TNIE. “If I am left to the mercy of the data principal on whether he or she will give consent, the concept of news will be gone...,” ● More on P8 Divan said. We know everything, will examine all SIR allegations, says SC S U CH I T R A K A LYAN M OHANTY @ New Delhi THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that all its decisions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were unanimously approved by the full poll panel, rejecting allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ignored the opinions of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. In its joint affidavit filed by the CEC and the two ECs, the poll panel rejected allegations that Fresh plea on Form 6 had been amended. Bihar SIR It said the declaration required under SIR is a sepaThe Supreme Court rate document. on Tuesday sought Senior advocate Vikas response of the Election Commission Singh, appearing for lead on a fresh plea petitioner Rakesh Kumar by TMC’s Rajya Singh, urged SC to issue diSabha MP Dola rections to preserve ECI’s Sen alleging that file notings to ascertain changes were made whether decisions were to Form 6 during the taken unanimously. The Special Intensive CJI said the court is cogniRevision (SIR) zant of the issues raised of electoral and would consider all asrolls in Bihar pects. “We know everywithout the thing. We will examine.” top court’s The petitioners, includapproval ing opposition parties, alleged SIR was being carried out in a hurried manner, risking mass deletion of voters. They sought the court’s direction to put on hold the exercise. The bench asked the petitioners to file a rejoinder within 10 days and listed the matter on November 17. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders, and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for TMC MP Dola Sen, raised concerns regarding Form 6. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for ECI, refuted the allegations. EXPRESS READ Theni jailbreak: 13 of 17 escapees arrested Virtual queue booking to begin tomorrow Theni: Police on Tuesday arrested 13 of the 17 prisoners who escaped from the Theni district jail at Thekkampatti after allegedly assaulting prison staff and fleeing with a gold chain on Monday night | P5 P’thitta: Virtual queue booking for the Sabarimala pilgrimage season will begin at 10am on Thursday. According to TDB, pilgrims can book darshan slots through the website www. sabarimalaonline.org | P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Child steers car at 80 kmph; MVD steps in E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @T’Puram In an unusual rebuke, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday criticised the Juvenile Justice Board for granting bail to the 17-year-old who fatally mowed down a scooterist at Cheranalloor in the early hours of Sunday . “Bail should not have been granted to the accused, who fatally mowed down a poor man midnight. When the police wanted to produce the accused before the board, they were told to present him the next day. However, the police pressed on and they produced him the same day. But he was granted bail,” Chennithala told the assembly . The home minister was replying to a notice moved by A C Moideen of CPM, seeking an adjournment motion on alleged police highhandedness in the state. The home minister said he had spoken to the family members of the victim, Jayabalakrishnan, on Binoy Viswam’s phone. He said they raised three demands: take action against the police officers who deleted the evidence recorded on their mo- E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @T’Puram ADGP P Vijayan with relatives of Jayabalakrishnan, who was killed in an accident in Cheranalloor, after visiting his house on Tuesday | A Sanesh Cheranalloor accident: 4 cops suspended Kochi: Amid mounting criticism over alleged police lapses in the Cheranalloor accident, four police officers — including the SHO and CI — were suspended on Tuesday. ADGP (Law and Order) P Vijayan said the probe would examine whether the police had failed in their duties. P4 bile phone, get the bail granted to the accused cancelled, and take action against the judge, who is the father of the accused. Chennithala said he told them that action would also be taken against the cops for not invoking serious sections against the accused in the FIR. The government has already started measures to challenge the bail in the higher court and a case has been registered against the judge under the Motor Vehicles Act since he is the owner of the car involved ● More on P4 in the accident.  Even as the state reels from the deaths of four people in two separate accidents in Nedumbassery and Cheranallur involving young drivers, one of them a minor, a video surfaced on Tuesday morning showing a child steeering a car from the driver’s lap at Kazhakootam in Thiruvananthapuram. It was around 7.30am that Sujith, a Kollam native, spotted a car travelling at around 80 kmph on the Kazhakootam-Airport road, with a three- to fouryear-old child at the wheel. He immediately filmed the incident. After the video made rounds, the Child Rights Commission registered a case suo motu and sought reports from the district police chief and the regional transport officer. Kazhakootam police also registered a case for rash driving on ● More on P4 a public road.  Pak invited to 1st civilisational dialogue of SCO in New Delhi j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi the sharma show Abhishek Sharma celebrates his 35-ball ton, the joint-second fastest T20I hundred by an Indian. He scored a 38-ball 113 (9X4, 11X6) as visitors chased down 199 in 13.2 overs against New Zealand. India secured the 5-match series 3-0 on Tuesday | bcci cyclone Arnab likely to make landfall in AP today Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have stepped up preparations as “very severe” cyclonic storm Arnab, hurtling towards east coast, is expected to make landfall early Wednesday INDIA will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) first Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi between November 20 and November 22, with Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, among those invited to attend, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday . Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the forum, which will bring together representatives from more than 25 countries at Purana Quila, a 16th-century fort in the national capital. The Ministry of Culture will partner with the Ministry of External Affairs in organising the event. The initiative was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in 2025 and sub- sequently adopted by the grouping. Culture ministers from all 10 member states, including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Belarus, have been invited, along with representatives from observer and dialogue partner countries, sources said. Pakistan is yet to confirm who will attend the event from its side. If Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in 2023 which was attended by Bilawal Bhutto. Despite strained bilateral relations, India has continued to participate in SCO engagements involving Pakistan. In September 2026, India sent SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad for a meeting ahead of Pakistan’s presidency of the grouping. s t a t e S c h o o l S p o r t s M ee t YouTube for coach, farmland for practice! Moses wins 3rd hammer gold P o o j a N a ir @Kozhikode With no formal coach to teach him the finer points of hammer throw, Moses Binu Varghese turned to YouTube for guidance. Watching videos of Olympic champions, studying their techniques and practising relentlessly the , young athlete carved out a winning formula of his own. On Tuesday he reaped the rewards , yet again, clinching gold in the senior boys hammer throw at the 68th Kerala State School Sports Meet in Kozhikode for a third consecutive year. Representing SM HSS Patharam, in Kollam district, the Plus-II computer science student registered an impressive throw of 56.32 metres to secure the gold medal, extending his remarkable run in the event. For Moses, the victory is the culmination of years of self-learning, determination and the unwavering support of his family . “Since hammer throw was not a familiar sport in my school, I had no access to proper guidance initially. I watched videos of Olympic athletes and champions, trying to understand their techniques. Yuriy Sedykh, the Moses Binu Varghese of SMHSS Patharam, Kollam, receives a kiss from his father after winning gold in the senior boys hammer throw at state school sports meet | Vincent Pulickal world and Olympic champion who holds the world record of 86.74 metres set in 1986, has been my biggest inspiration. I have never missed watching his videos,” Moses, 18, told TNIE. The youngster chose the demanding event because he felt he could learn the technique by keenly observing these videos. “I began practising the rotations I saw, and they started working for me. However, learning only through YouTube meant I sometimes missed the finer technical details that a trained coach could have corrected,” ● More on P4 said Moses.