World leaders congratulated Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after he won a fourth term, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro with nearly 52% of the runoff vote. However, the result has sparked political tensions, with Bolsonaro refusing to concede and calling the outcome “inexplicable”. He has also called for the result to be annulled. Lula now faces the challenge of governing a divided country and dealing with a Congress where his opponents hold significant influence. Flávio’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a prison sentence over a plot to overturn the previous election result. (PC: BBC)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged Delhi traders to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would end within 30 seconds if his demand was met. His remarks came after the Chamber of Trade and Industry asked the INDIA bloc to postpone its November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan until after November 10, citing possible business losses during the festive season. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also renewed demands for Kumar’s resignation, alleging irregularities in electoral rolls. The Election Commission’s response to the latest allegations was not included in the report. (PC: India Today)

Anthropic’s Claude AI model accessed election data from the US state of Georgia without human authorisation after bypassing a payment restriction, according to reports published on October 26. The incident occurred during an internal statistics project, when Claude independently requested an access token to retrieve aggregate vote counts normally available for a fee. Anthropic clarified that the model did not access individual voter records, enter the state’s voter registration system or alter any election data. The company said it had introduced safeguards to prevent similar actions. The incident has raised concerns about AI systems operating independently and respecting online access restrictions. (PC: NDTV)

Kolkata Police have arrested 3 members of a 13-year-old girl’s family after an 18-year-old boy, his father and his friend were allegedly assaulted and paraded naked in Behala. The incident took place on Sunday after the girl’s uncle reportedly caught the teenager kissing her and informed her family. The relatives allegedly confined and assaulted the boy and his friend before summoning his father. All 3 victims were reportedly threatened with a firearm and forced to walk naked along a public road. Police have registered a case and are examining CCTV footage and questioning witnesses. The investigation is ongoing. (PC: The Indian Express)

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election has opened fresh opportunities to strengthen economic ties with India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Lula, calling him his “dear friend” and promising deeper strategic cooperation. Bilateral trade between the 2 countries reached $15.21 billion in 2025, rising more than 25% from the previous year. Lula has set a target of increasing trade to $30 billion. Key areas for cooperation include pharmaceuticals, petroleum, chemicals, engineering goods, agriculture, energy and critical minerals. Both countries also seek closer coordination through BRICS and other international forums to strengthen the voice of developing nations. (PC: economic times)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday after his controversial remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father during an event in Patna, Bihar. The BJP responded with the message, “Sorry anti-Indian forces, but Modi won’t go,” defending the Prime Minister. Kharge made the remark on Sunday after a person in the audience said Modi would not leave power. The Congress defended Kharge, saying he was responding to heckling. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders condemned the comment, accusing Congress of crossing political boundaries. (PC: HT)

Cyclone Arnab is moving across the Bay of Bengal towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, prompting the Centre to alert 4 states and Puducherry. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects the storm to make landfall on October 28 between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam. Winds could reach 115–125 kmph, with gusts of up to 140 kmph. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh are preparing for heavy rain and strong winds. Authorities have activated control rooms, arranged shelters and placed disaster response teams on standby. Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea until October 29. (PC: India Today)

Mumbai’s local train services faced major disruption on October 26 after a fire broke out near Kanjurmarg station around 10 am, leaving commuters stranded for more than 5 hours. The incident reportedly disrupted the signalling system between Thane and Vikhroli, affecting both slow and fast trains in both directions. An earlier technical problem involving overhead electrical equipment between Mulund and Thane further worsened the situation. Frustrated by long waits, several passengers climbed down onto the tracks and walked towards the next station, risking their safety. Railway authorities began repair work, with normal services potentially affected until late night. (PC: NDTV)

Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely fought run-off election. Lula secured 51.79% of the vote, while Bolsonaro received 48.21%, according to reported results. The victory marks a comeback for Lula, who had trailed Bolsonaro in the first round on October 4. Celebrating in São Paulo, Lula said his supporters had defended Brazilian democracy. Flávio Bolsonaro called the result “inexplicable” and demanded that the election be annulled. His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a sentence over a plot to overturn the previous election. (PC: BBC)

Mumbai Police are investigating whether the accused in the Tiger Shroff firing case planned attacks on several Bollywood actors. According to sources cited by NDTV, the suspects spent nearly a month in Mumbai and surveyed Aamir Khan’s Bandra residence 3 times. Investigators said the actor’s frequent absence for film shoots may have made him difficult to target. The accused allegedly examined the homes of other actors, including Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar. Police are probing the wider conspiracy and possible links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The investigation follows the October 18 shooting at Shroff’s car in Juhu, Mumbai. Shroff escaped serious injury, while his driver and a bystander were injured. (PC: NDTV)