Lula makes dramatic comeback in brazil Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was re-elected against all expectations on Sunday, beating his rival Flavio Bolsonarol.Lula’s dramatic comeback meant Brazil had not followed Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, all backed by US President Donald Trump, in swinging to the right. Official data showed he won 51.8 per cent of the votes. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed it as a ‘victory of democracy’ I P9 visakhapatnam l tuesday l october 27, 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 All SIR decisions Digital publishers challenge privacy law in SC unanimous, says EC affidavit in SC S U C H I TRA KA LYAN M O HANTY @ New Delhi Poll commission reiterates Form 6 was not amended, declaration is separate document S U C H I TRA KA LYAN M O HANTY @ New Delhi Days ahead of the INDIA bloc’s rally against alleged poll irregularities, the Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that all its orders on the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were unanimous decisions of the full commission. In its counter affidavit, the ECI said the plea against the Chief Election Commissioner based on a single news report is not maintainable. It also told the bench that Form 6 had not been amended, adding unmapped voters need not attend hearings. The court is expected to hear the batch of pleas on Tuesday . The ECI asserted that all three SIR orders — issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026 — were unanimous. “The notes, queries or suggestions recorded by the CEC or Election Commissioners while a file is under process do not constitute decisions of the Commission,” it said. The EC said files move from one Election Commissioner to the other and then to the CEC. In urgent cases, electronic approvals are obtained and later recorded on physical files, it said. The EC said a July 28 work allocation order was issued by an additional secretary on deputation and both poll commissioners wrote to the Cabinet Secretary about it the next day On their . joint direction on July 30, the order was not implemented. On the charge that Form 6 was altered without statutory approval, the EC claimed it was not amended as the declaration required under SIR was a separate document. While admitting the online display could be read as an amendment, the ECI said, from October 21, the online application would be split into Form 6 and separate declaration, mirroring the physical form. Unmapped voters need not attend hearings, the ECI said, stating that Booth Level Officers will collect documents from their homes, with hearings restricted to exceptional cases and preferably held online. On ECINet centralisation, it said no name can be added/deleted except by an order of the Electoral Registration Officer. Response to Goa case ECI said that of the 97 voters described by media as “left out” in Goa, 88 had already been enrolled, six were abroad, and three had Portuguese passports twenty-one digital news publishers—including NDTV and Network18— have knocked the doors of the Supreme Court to challenge the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act), arguing that the law would cripple investigative journalism and expose sources. The petitioner, Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), has challenged sever- al provisions of the Act, citing their potential impact on journalism. The New Indian Express is a member of DNPA. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant will hear the matter on Tuesday, the cause list on the Supreme Court website showed. According to Reuters, the 698-page plea was filed on October 6. The DPDP Act, also known as the privacy law, was enacted in 2023 while the rules to implement it (DPDP Rules, 2025) India on Monday cleared procurement of a range of military platforms and weapon systems including light multi-role helicopters, long-range Kamikaze drones and radars | P7 U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam Notes, queries or suggestions recorded by the CEC or Election Commissioners while file is under process do not constitute ECI’s decisions EC’s affidavit On Bengal appeals In West Bengal, appeals against inclusion of voters were filed by officers under the CEO based on earlier SC orders and weren’t brought to ECI’s notice, it claimed A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered at Chadalawada village in Naguluppalapadu mandal of Prakasam district on Sunday night, triggering public outrage and protests demanding justice for the victim. According to police, the accused, Ajjam Ananda Rao alias Anand Babu alias Anand (25), allegedly took the girl, who was sleeping outside her house, after midnight on Sunday, sexually assaulted her and killed her. He reportedly placed her body on a chair outside the S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada patient relationship. Addressing the Ruby Jubilee Anniversary celebrations of because media outlets are not explicitly exempt from the law. They point out that the legislation, which seeks to protect individuals’ digital personal information, does not provide specific exemptions for journalistic activities. Pa r v e z S ulta n @ New Delhi CYCLONE Arnab is inching closer to the AP coast, bringing the threat of strong winds and heavy rainfall. The system is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday before crossing the AP and Yanam coasts on Wednesday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a redmessage cyclone warning for the Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts, cautioning that the storm is likely to intensify further and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts on October 28. As the cyclone approaches, the State government has released `27 crore to 20 districts to undertake relief and emergency response measures. Educational institutions in Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts have also been declared closed on October 27 and 28 as a precautionary measure. Fishing boats return to Visakhapatnam Harbour on Monday as Cyclone Arnab brings rough sea conditions to the coast | G Satyanarayana According to the IMD, the cyclonic storm over westcentral and adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal moved westnorthwestwards, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centred at 5:30 pm on Monday over westcentral Bay , of Bengal. It lay about 490 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha), 490 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 560 km east-southeast of Kakinada, 660 km east of Machilipatnam and 730 km east of P4 Bapatla.  Victim’s relatives stage protest The victim’s family members and relatives staged a road blockade on NH-213, demanding justice. Ongole DSP R Srinivasa Rao and other officials brought the situation under control house in the early hours of Monday and fled. The girl was staying with her grandmother while her parents worked as daily wa g e labourers in Hyderabad. Angry villagers later traced the accused, thrashed him and handed him over to the police. The victim’s family members and relatives staged a road blockade on NH-213, demanding justice. Ongole DSP R Srinivasa Rao and other police officials intervened, pacified the protesters and brought the situation under control. District SP Harshavardhan Raju and Collector P Rajababu visited the Ongole Government General Hospital mortuary on Monday and examined the girl’s body. They also spoke to doctors and officials to gather details about the incident. P4 Tech can’t replace human touch in healthcare: VP Asserting that technological progress must be strictly guided by scientific validation, patient safety data privacy and , ethical responsibility, VicePresident CP Radhakrishnan on Monday stressed that technology can never replace the compassion and human connection central to the doctor- were notified in November last year. The Act seeks to protect the digital personal data of users, raising compliance requirements for IT behemoths such as Meta and Google. The publishers argue the law will affect press freedom Govt green light to pure AP on high alert as Cyclone Arnab ethanol flex-fuel cars nears coast, threatens heavy rain E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v ice @ Ongole clears defence buy worth `2.12 lakh cr According to a Reuters report, media companies received assurances in an August meeting with the government that the law would protect press freedom; but not having a written carve-out for journalists like in the European Union, Singapore and the UK is alarming, the DNPA said in its petition A big concern for publishers is the need to obtain consent from those whose data will be part of a story. According to the petitioners, ​ ocial media s outlets can seek ​ onsent from c users when they sign up, but requiring a journalist to notify the subject of an investigation and seek consent “would allow that subject to destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses”. The law also lets people withdraw consent and demand that their data be erased. This could force publishers to withdraw news reports. storm surge Six-year-old girl raped, murdered in Prakasam; villagers thrash accused centre DNPA seeks safeguards for journalists Dr NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada, the Vice-President urged premier medical institutions to balance cutting-edge digital innovations with core human-centred care, while calling upon young scholars to lead the next frontier of global medical research. Highlighting the historic milestone, the Vice-President commended the institution for completing four decades of stellar service to medical education and public welfare. He noted that the university stands as a monumental embodiment of the visionary ideals of legendary former CM N T Rama Rao, whose public service and leadership extended far beyond regional frontiers to serve the national interest. P4 Two-day holiday for schools and colleges In view of the cyclone warning and to ensure students’ safety, collectors in almost all coastal districts have declared holidays for educational institutions. The holidays apply on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th to all government and private schools and colleges as well as Anganwadi centres Microsoft is offering voluntary exit packages to over a quarter of its workforce in four countries, including India, to cut cost and fund AI spend Who is eligible The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways on Monday notified amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, allowing flex-fuel vehicles that can run on up to E100 — nearly 100% ethanol. According to the ministry officials, fuel beyond E20 (20% ethanol-blended petrol) and up to E100 is intended only for vehicles designed and certified to use and will not be applicable for other vehicles. Vehicles that use E20 or normal fuel can’t use E85 or E100 fuel. The ministry also changed certain vehicle classification thresholds, fuel specifications, and technical references used in emission-related tables and testing provisions. Additionally, it raised the vehicle weight limit to 3,500 kg from the previous threshold of 3,000 kg for light petrol and diesel vehicles affected by these changes. E100 usually contains around 93-95% ethanol, 5-7% petrol, and additives. “A vehicle’s compatibility with E10 or E20 alone does not establish suitability for E85. This notification does not require owners of existing vehicles to switch to E85 or modify their vehicles either at Microsoft offers 60K employees ‘VRS’ option Staff on select teams in the US, Canada, India and Britain at V-P level and below are eligible. In all, around 27% of Microsoft’s workforce can take the new buyout offer In June, Maruti Suzuki India launched Wagon R Flex Fuel capable of running on ethanolpetrol blends from E20 to E100. Others, including Toyota Motor, Tata Motors, and Hyundai Motor, are also developing flex-fuel vehicles for the Indian market present or in the future. Motorists should check the fuel compatibility sticker on their vehicle and follow the manufacturer’s guidance in the owner’s manual while opting for the fuel choice at the fuel station,” said ministry officials. In Brazil, vehicles are optimised to run on any blend from E20–E25 up to E100. Nearly all new light vehicles and several bikes there have flex-fuel engines. Other countries with flex-fuel vehicles are the US, Canada and some in Europe. Rahul acquitted in defamation case related to Amit Shah n a m i ta b a j pa i @ Lucknow Not the first time It’s the second voluntary buyout offer that Microsoft has announced this year. In April, the company offered around 7% of its US workforce the same option Quarterly results this week The company is expected to report quarterly earnings later this week The Voluntary Exit Offer is an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: flexibility and ways for employees to shape their next chapter Amy Coleman, executive V-P & chief people officer Maruti first off the block Headcount Microsoft had 223,000 employees globally in June 2026, down from 228,000 in 2025, according to regulatory filings E x p r e s s Re a d ‘Tired of this’: SC on TN govt’s delay in riot aid case New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday criticised the Tamil Nadu government for dragging its feet on paying compensation for property and business losses suffered during a communal riot in 1996 in Thoothukudi. “So tired of this matter, I think I will carry this through my demitting the office,” Justice Bhatti remarked A special MP/MLA court in UP’s Sultanpur on Monday acquitted Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of all charges in a criminal defamation case of 2018 related to his alleged remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Rahul appeared in person before the court of Additional C iv i l Ju d g e Shubham Verma for the pron oun c em en t of the verdict. Defence counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla confirmed the acquittal. The case dates back to May 8, 2018, when Rahul allegedly made objectionable remarks against Shah at a political rally in Bengaluru. He allegedly referred to Shah as a “murder accused”. Vijay Mishra, then BJP district vice-president and exchairman of Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed the defamation complaint.