Air India patrioatic push: Jai Hind chants on flight

Cyclone Arnab has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal and is heading northwestwards towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, with landfall expected on 28th October between Yanam and Visakhapatnam. Wind speeds are forecast to reach between 120 and 150 kilometres per hour, prompting the India Meteorological Department to issue a red alert for coastal districts including Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Yanam, Visakhapatnam, and Srikakulam, as well as parts of Odisha. The Andhra Pradesh government has declared holidays for schools and colleges across vulnerable districts and released 27 crore rupees for emergency response. Authorities are undertaking large-scale evacuations of low-lying and flood-prone areas, prioritising elderly residents and pregnant women. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been deployed, while the Armed Forces, Navy, and Coast Guard remain on standby. Precautionary flood-prevention measures are also underway in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to ensure zero casualties.

Voting is underway across Israel, with voter turnout crossing 16 per cent in the initial hours, marking the highest rate recorded at this stage since 1981. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, cast their votes at a polling station in Jerusalem. Netanyahu hailed the voter turnout while calling on right-wing voters to head to the ballots. In a ground report from a polling station in Jerusalem, voters were seen lining up to cast ballots using party-marked slips placed inside envelopes. A local voter spoke on youth perspectives, citing national unity, employment, and technology as key considerations over political division.

A major security scare hit Tamil Nadu after 17 inmates staged a jailbreak at a prison in Theni. The prisoners feigned illness, overpowered the guards when they entered the cell, and snatched their keys before escaping. While five inmates have been recaptured, 12 remain absconding. Multiple search teams have launched an extensive manhunt across neighbouring areas and border checkpoints. Following the breach, nine prison staffers have been suspended. The incident has raised serious questions over prison administration, with reports highlighting overcrowding, as the facility housed 334 inmates against a capacity of 200, alongside questions regarding protocol adherence during security emergencies.

Congress leader K.C. Venugopal accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of blocking permissions for the INDIA bloc's planned events. According to Venugopal, twenty-one opposition parties organized a public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar leading up to a November 1 mega rally and march. He stated that permission was first refused at Hotel Ashoka and later disrupted by Delhi Police at Ramlila Maidan, despite the party having prior clearances. Venugopal alleged that the administration is attempting to protect Gyanesh Kumar and silence those fighting for democracy, warning that opposition leaders will stage a dharna outside the residences of the Prime Minister and Home Minister if obstructed.