Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that all homes and villages near the border in southern Lebanon will be destroyed. He said over 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon have been evacuated but will not be able to return until the safety of residents in northern Israel is guaranteed. The minister emphasised that evacuations have taken place from the border regions connecting south Lebanon and northern Israel. India Today's Ashraf Ghani, reporting from Lebanon, described the devastation across southern Lebanon, where more than 5,000 aerial strikes have been carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces during the last month. The civilian casualty figure has already crossed 1,150 in Lebanon during one month of conflict. Around 20 percent of the population in southern Lebanon remains, as they have no alternative place to reside. The south suburb of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, has been completely evacuated due to regular aerial strikes without warning.
Global energy markets face a significant shift as the United Arab Emirates announces its departure from OPEC and OPEC+ amid severe energy disruptions and a blockade at the Strait of Hormuz, challenging traditional oil production monopolies.
West Bengal enters the second and final phase of elections with 142 seats across seven districts, including Kolkata, Howrah, and South 24 Parganas.
Ahead of the Tamil Nadu election results, TVK chief Vijay visited the Tiruchendur Murugan and Shirdi Saibaba temples.
In Odisha’s Keonjhar district, a daily wage labourer carried his sister's skeletal remains to a rural bank to claim her savings after being denied access without a death certificate.
