Israel logs high voter turnout In all, 74.3% voters cast their ballots by 8 pm (11.30 pm IST) in Israel’s general elections on Tuesday, up from 66.3% in 2022. Polling ends at 10 pm. Surveys predicted a tight race between PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. The poll panel rejected Bibi’s plea to extend voting hours. Locked in a tight race, Netanyahu made a desperate plea to right-wing voters to vote for Likud party visakhapatnam l wednesday l october 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION 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 at Kharge’s house on Fri Railway Minister reviews emergency preparedness Decision after police deny nod to hold it at two different locations P r e e t h a N a i r @ 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 rally at Ramlila Maidan against alleged ‘vote theft’ and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Earlier, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the bloc had sought to hold the event at Ramlila Maidan after permission was denied for Hotel Ashok. However, police stopped preparations at the ground despite the organisers having the requisite permissions, he alleged. “INDIA bloc had booked Ramlila 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 adding that the party had sought per, mission only for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan. They said the permission for Ashoka Hotel rests with the hotel as the premises are privately owned. Also, the permission for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan has not been withdrawn, sources added. We know everything, will examine all SIR allegations, says SC S UCHITRA K ALYAN 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 Form 6 had been amended. It said the declaration required under SIR is a separate document. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for lead petitioner Rakesh Kumar Singh, urged SC to issue directions to preserve ECI’s file notings to ascertain whether decisions were taken unanimously . The CJI said the court is cognizant of the issues raised and would consider all aspects. “We know everything. We will examine.” The petitioners, including 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 and to frame guidelines. 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 the ECI, refuted the allegations and maintained that the submissions were rhetoric. The ECI, however, admitted that the way the declaration was displayed on its online platform may have been confusing. The severely damaged Kakinada-Uppada Beach Road after being battered by high-tides | express Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reviewed emergency preparedness across South Coast Railway (SCoR) and East Coast Railway (ECoR) ahead of Cyclone Arnab. Around 600 km of railway track across vulnerable sections, including those under Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam divisions, is being closely monitored to ensure passenger safety, and enable the swift restoration of services in the event of disruptions Cyclone Arnab set Protecting every to make landfall, life is our foremost triggers heavy rain priority, asserts CM Us h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam The landfall process of Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab commenced near Yanam, in close proximity to Kakinada, late on Tuesday night, triggering heavy rainfall and gale-force winds across coastal districts.   Moving at a speed of 17 kmph over the past six hours, the cyclone lay centered 50 km off Narsapur, 70 km off Kakinada, 110 km off Machilipatnam, and 200 km off Visakhapatnam, maintaining its severe intensity along the coastal belt. Official updates from weather and disaster management authorities indicate that the landfall process, which began late Tuesday, will continue through the early hours of Wednesday, and is expected to reach completion between 2 and 4 am near Yanam. Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain urged people to utilise emergency helpline numbers for immediate relief, warning that extreme weather conditions—marked by torrential downpours and severe squalls—will persist even after the eye completes its landfall.  In light of the severe landfall impact, the State administration has issued a safety advisory directing people across vulnerable coastal districts to strictly remain indoors until 9 am on Wednesday .   Travel across coastal routes has been advised to be postponed immediately with emer, gency response teams and field machinery kept on high alert to handle post-landfall restoration and rescue operations. The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall and destructive winds, with maximum sustained speeds of 125-135 kmph as cyP4 clone approaches coast.  S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Stating that protecting every life is the foremost priority of the government during Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urged people to remain alert, and strictly follow the local advisories. Addressing a press conference at his Camp Office in Undavalli on Tuesday Naidu said the , government machinery was fully prepared to mitigate the impact of the cyclone and prevent loss of life and property . Despite being engaged in election-related work, the Chief Minister has been reviewing the cyclone preparedness of official machinery every hour with district collectors. Cyclone Arnab has been placed in the red category but , people need not panic. The cy- clone is likely to affect the region from Srikakulam to Bapatla. Arnab is likely to cross the coast near Yanam, he explained. Rainfall began in North Andhra this morning, and coastal areas are likely to receive rain tonight and tomorrow as well. Konaseema, Eluru, West Godavari, Manyam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Kakinada districts are likely to face a greater impact of cyclone, with extremely heavy rainfall expected in some places, he said. Rainfall of up to 30 cm is likely in Srikakulam, 28 cm in West Godavari and 23 cm in Visakhapatnam. Several areas are likely to receive more than 10 cm of rainfall. Seawater may enter low-lying areas along the coast. Residents of coastal villages are being urged to move to cyclone shelters, P4 Naidu said.  SC refuses to postpone Pakistan invited to first civilisational MPTC & ZPTC elections dialogue of SCO from Nov 20 in Delhi S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected YSRCP’s plea to postpone the MPTC and ZPTC elections, while hearing a petition related to Andhra Pradesh local body elections. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, refused to defer the MPTC and ZPTC elections, and said polls must be held as per schedule. Senior counsel appearing for the YSRCP argued that the ruling alliance was misusing the State machinery, police were preventing YSRCP candidates from filing nominations, and that there was a need for level playing field, seeking defer- ment of local body polls by at least three weeks. The bench rejected the plea, saying, “Elections once notified cannot be postponed on mere apprehensions and political allegations. It is for the State Election Commission to ensure free and fair polls. We trust the SEC will discharge its duty .” The SEC submitted that notification has been issued, nominations have started, and it is too late to postpone polls. It said security arrangements are in place, and observers have been appointed. The State government also assured the court that law and order will be maintained, and that strict action will be taken against anyone indulging in violence. j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi 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 subsequently 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. 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 SC notice to govt as digital publishers argue data law will force newsrooms to close down S UCHITRA K ALYAN 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 You are experts, suggest how to ensure no misuse: CJI During the hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the petitioners — digital news publishers — were in the best position to suggest safeguards to the government. “You are the domain experts. You are the best person to suggest to the Union and us how you will ensure there’s no misuse,” he said. Before issuing notice the Centre, the CJI clarified that there had to be balance in how to ensure that the rights of people are not abused. concept of news will be gone... News has to be new. What’s the point if I have to ask for permission and consent? Please stay the impugned provisions... how can we ask for your permission before reporting on you. We are regulated. The pro- visions will shut down the newsroom,” Divan contended. “We will never pass an exparte order without hearing the other side. You have to tell us how you will be regulating yourself,” said a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. “If there’s something inaccurate, we must face consequences... We are regulated by Press Council etc,” Divan submitted. The DNPA has also challenged the amendment, via the DPDP Act, of Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act by creating an exemption for “personal information”. The SC issued notice to the Union law and electronics and information technology ministries and listed the matter for November 17. The petition contends that the law trampled on investigative work of journalists and endangered sources. Earlier drafts of the law carved out an exemption for journalism but the final legislation has not exempted media outlets.