Evening news wrap: Israel claims Iran’s security chief killed; Centre calls LPG supply ‘matter of concern’ & more | India News

Here are the top 5 news of the day:

Israel claims Iran’s key military commander dead; fate of Mojtaba’s aide unclea

Israel’s defence minister Katz has claimed that Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani was killed in an overnight airstrike, but Iran has not confirmed the claim and his fate remains unclear. Reports said Iranian state media released a handwritten message attributed to Larijani for the funeral of sailors killed in a recent US strike. In the note, Larijani described the sailors’ deaths as part of the sacrifices of the Iranian nation. However, according to The Times of Israel, the message does not disprove Israel’s claim that Larijani was killed in an Israeli strike overnight. Follow live updates

‘Use LPG wisely’: Centre says supply ‘matter of concern’; advises consumers not to panic

The Centre has said that India’s energy situation remains a concern amid the ongoing Middle East conflict but assured that LPG supplies for domestic consumers are continuing without disruption and no distributor is facing a shortage. During an inter-ministerial briefing, petroleum ministry official Sujata Sharma advised judicious LPG use and consumers to not panic, while encouraging a shift to PNG, especially for commercial consumers. She also noted that petrol and diesel are sufficiently available. She said online LPG bookings have reached about 94% and delivery authentication has improved to 76%, with commercial LPG supplies partially restored after an initial halt. The government also warned against hoarding and black marketing, reporting thousands of raids across states, seizures of cylinders, and arrests to ensure smooth distribution. Read full story

‘Trying to dress up massacre as a military op’: India slams Pakistan’s airstrike on Afghanistan hospital that killed over 400

India strongly condemned Pakistan’s alleged airstrike on a Kabul hospital that Afghanistan says killed over 400 people and injured around 250, calling it a “massacre dressed as a military operation” and an unjustifiable attack on civilians. Afghanistan said the strike destroyed the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital and largely affected patients, while Pakistan denied the allegation, maintaining that its operations targeted only military and “terrorist” infrastructure. Afghan authorities termed the attack a violation of sovereignty and an inhumane act, as Pakistan rejected the claims as false and linked its actions to cross-border militant threats. Read full story

TMC releases candidate list ahead of West Bengal polls; stage set for Suvendu vs Mamata in Bhabanipur

The All India Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, announced its candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections, stating it will contest 291 of the 294 seats, while the remaining three in the Darjeeling hills will be fought by ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha led by Anit Thapa. Banerjee will contest from Bhabanipur against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, while the party has fielded Pabitra Kar against Adhikari in Nandigram. Other key candidates include Chandrima Bhattacharya, Madan Mitra, Firhad Hakim, Kunal Ghosh, and Shashi Panja. Read full story

SC rules adoptive mothers can’t be denied maternity leave if child is older than 3 months

The Supreme Court has ruled that Section 60(4) of the Code on Social Security, 2020, which limited 12 weeks of maternity leave for adoptive mothers to those adopting children under three months of age, is “contentious,” unconstitutional, and violates the Right to Equality. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan held that there is no rational basis for restricting leave based on the child’s age, describing the provision as contentious. The Apex court observed that maternity benefits are inherently linked to motherhood and that adoptive mothers, regardless of the child’s age, require time for bonding, caregiving, and adjustment. Read full story