Overview
- The Election Commission reported confiscating alleged inducements worth over Rs 1,000 crore in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, with both states also seeing exceptionally high voter turnout in recent rounds of polling.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two vessels and fired on additional commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, heightening danger at a shipping chokepoint vital to global oil flows.
- The United States urged its citizens to leave Lebanon after reports of a ceasefire breakdown and disrupted routes, reflecting concern that regional fighting could complicate evacuations.
- The Archaeological Survey of India began drilling at the Konark Sun Temple to extract century‑old sand placed during British rule, a step meant to ease pressure inside the structure and improve its stability.
- Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal quit the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the BJP, marking a high‑profile defection during an active election season.