The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here has predicted heavy rains in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Pudukkottai districts of Tamil Nadu on Saturday,

According to the Weather Department, the rainfall will be triggered by a cyclonic circulation prevailing over north Tamil Nadu and neighbouring areas at 3.1 km above mean sea level.

Another circulation over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining equatorial Indian Ocean is also expected to contribute to the rains.

Thunderstorms and lightning are likely to occur in isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal on January 11 and 12.

A major drug racket was busted by the J&K Police, said officials here on Wednesday, adding that two peddlers were arrested and a consignment of eight kg heroin was recovered.

A police statement said that in a successful anti-narcotic operation, police in Srinagar district arrested two drug peddlers from whom eight kg of heroin was recovered.

“A ‘Naka’ (Checkpost) was established by police station Qamarwari in Srinagar after receiving specific information about the movement of a consignment of narcotics. At Barthana a vehicle was stopped for checking. Six kg of heroin was recovered from under the driver’s seat and two kg was recovered from other two persons in the vehicle," read the statement.

The Indian Navy has mobilized a specialised team to assist in the rescue of miners trapped in Umrangso, a remote industrial town in the Dima Hasao district of Assam. So far the body of one of the trapped labourers has been recovered by the para divers.

The Navy took the initiative in response to an urgent request for assistance.

According to the Ministry of Defence this special team, comprising one officer and eleven sailors, includes highly trained Clearance Divers skilled in deep-depth diving and recovery operations and is on site.

“The rescue operation is in full swing with Army and NDRF divers having already entered the well. Navy personnel are on-site, making final preparations to dive in after them. Meanwhile, SDRF de-watering pumps have departed from Umrangshu for the location. Additionally, the ONGC de-watering pump has been loaded onto an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram, awaiting weather clearance for deployment,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

At least four people, including three school children, tragically lost their lives, and eight others were injured in a tragic road accident near Tirla Chowk in the Gola police station area of Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on Wednesday morning.

The accident occurred when a truck loaded with potatoes overturned and fell on an auto-rickshaw carrying students of the Goodwill Mission School.

The children, aged between five and eight years, were buried under the truck. Despite the efforts of passers-by, who rushed to the scene to rescue them, three children and the auto driver died on the spot.

The injured were promptly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police and administrative officials have arrived at the scene to manage the situation and investigate the incident.

The body of one of the trapped labourers in a coal mine in Umrangso locality in Assam’s Dima Hasao district was recovered by the para divers, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday.

Taking to X, CM Sarma said, “21 Para divers have just recovered a lifeless body from the bottom of the well. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family.”

The CM also said that the rescue operation is in full swing with Army and NDRF personnel entering the well.

“The rescue operation is in full swing with Army and NDRF divers having already entered the well. Navy personnel are on-site, making final preparations to dive in after them. Meanwhile, SDRF de-watering pumps have departed from Umrangshu for the location. Additionally, the ONGC de-watering pump has been loaded onto an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram, awaiting weather clearance for deployment,” CM Sarma added.

Jammu and Kashmir Police in South Kashmir's Awantipora have attached an immovable property (4 Marlas of land) situated at Syedabad Pastoona Tral worth lakhs of rupees belonging to a terror handler based in Pakistan, officials said on Tuesday.

The terror handler has been identified as Mubashir Ahmad, a resident of Syedabad Pastuna Tral.

The action was taken under section 25 of the UAPA Act.

"The property was identified as belonging to a terror handler during an investigation/enquiry conducted by Awantipora Police," the police said.

"Pertinently, the Pak-based terrorist handler Mubashir Ahmad is involved in promoting and reviving terrorist activities by pushing in arms and ammunition for activating local terror networks. The operation reaffirms the commitment of J&K Police to combat the terror activities," the police added.

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer allegedly shot himself dead on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.

Officials said that Rajnath Prasad (55), CRPF assistant sub-inspector (ASI), a resident of Bihar, allegedly shot himself in the chest inside a makeshift CRPF picket along the Tarakote route leading to Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine in the Katra area of Reasi district.

Prasad's colleagues rushed to the scene on hearing the gunshot and found him lying dead.

Police have launched inquest proceedings. The exact motive behind Prasad taking his life is yet to be ascertained, officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed at a special court in Kolkata its third supplementary charge sheet in connection with the multi-crore cash for school jobs case in West Bengal.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe into the school job case, has already filed a total of five charge sheets in the matter.

However, at a special PMLA court in Kolkata, the process of framing charges in the ED-registered case had been postponed repeatedly as the prime accused in the case, Sujay Krishna Bhadra, failed to appear physically in the court, reportedly because of his hospitalisation.

Four army soldiers died and and one injured in a road accident in J&K’s Bandipora district on Saturday. Initial reports said that Army vehicle veered off the road suddenly and dropped into a deep gorge in Saderkoot Payeen area.

Five army soldiers were injured in this accident. They were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital where attending doctors said two soldiers were dead on arrival.

Three critically injured soldiers were bring shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment.

Wanted criminal Sushil Mochi, with a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on him, was killed in an encounter with police in the Tarabari area in Bihar's Purnea district.

Mochi, wanted in multiple cases of robbery and violations under the Arms Act, was killed in the encounter on Friday night after a joint raid by the Special Task Force (STF) and local police.

Mochi, wanted in criminal cases in Jharkhand and Bengal, was recently released from Purnea Central Jail.

According to Purnea Superintendent of Police (SP) Kartikeya Sharma, acting on information about Mochi's presence in Tarabari village, the police and STF launched a raid.