Two sanitation workers, including a minor, died of suffocation in a tragic incident on Saturday in Khedli town of Alwar district in Rajasthan, due to suffocation while cleaning a sewer line at a paper mill located in Navkar Vatika.

An official identified the deceased as Lacchi (50), son of Mangtu, and Hemraj (13) alias Akash, son of Sagar Valmiki.

He said that both entered the sewer line for cleaning, adding that when Lacchi failed to return for a long time, Hemraj went down to check on him and also fell unconscious.

“Both were later pulled out and rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared them dead,” he said.

Two persons, including a woman, were killed in a road accident at National Highway 27 (NH-27) on Kanti flyover in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Saturday.

One person was also injured in this mishap.

The incident, which involved a head-on collision between two bikes, a car, and two heavy trucks, took place around noon.

According to officials, the crash was triggered due to the ongoing construction of an elevated road, which has resulted in one lane being closed, forcing traffic from both directions onto a single, narrow lane.

Residents and local authorities have long voiced concerns about the high risk of accidents under such conditions.

J&K Police said on Saturday that they have arrested seven hardcore criminals in Samba district, asserting that four sharp-edged weapons were recovered from their possession.

An official said that the arrests were made in the jurisdiction of the Vijaypur police station after information was received through reliable sources.

He identified the seven accused as Yaqoob Ali alias Yuka son of Bashir Ali resident of Sarore Bari Brahmana, Ismail alias Bachu son of Lal Hussian of Rakh Barotian Vijaypur, Muhammad Sain son of Lal Hussian of Beli Charana district Jammu, Gazanfar son of Anayat Ullah of Doda, Murad Ali son of Feroz Din of Malani at present Beli Charana district Jammu, Muhammad Iqbal son of Lal Hussian of Manohar Gopalla Samba and Muhammad Irfan son of Mohd Hussian of Bathandi district Jammu.

“Information revealed that the criminals having illegal sharp-edged weapons/tokas are planning to eliminate the rival gang and are at present roaming in a vehicle, the Scorpio bearing registration No. JK02CV-1312 at/around the link road near AIIMS Vijaypur. The said criminals are planning to commit some heinous offences and are running an organised syndicate,” he said.

The Manipur government has launched a drive to verify the licensed arms and asked all the district administrations to examine the papers of the arms license holders and arms dealers, officials said on Saturday.

A senior official said that the Commissioner (Home) has, in an urgent circular, asked the Deputy Commissioners of all 16 districts to take steps to verify the papers of arms license holders and arms dealers in their respective districts.

Accordingly, all the Deputy Commissioners directed the arms license holders and arms dealers to submit their papers in their nearest or respective police stations on or before April 25.

A powerful earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan on Saturday afternoon at 12:17 pm IST, as reported by the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

The quake’s epicentre was located at 36.10 degrees North latitude and 71.20 degrees East longitude, with a depth of 130 kilometres. Tremors from the earthquake were felt across several northern regions of India, including Jammu & Kashmir and the Delhi-NCR area.

While there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries, authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation.

The NCS confirmed the seismic activity via a post on social media platform X.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a seven-day weather alert for Gujarat, Diu, Daman and, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, warning of intense heat and dusty conditions across the region.

According to the forecast, isolated areas in Rajkot and Kutch are likely to experience heat wave conditions and dust-raising winds over Saurashtra-Kutch and North Gujarat on April 19 and 20, with wind speeds expected to reach 20–30 kmph. Throughout the week, dry weather will persist across the state.

Between April 22 and 24, coastal areas are likely to face discomfort due to hot and humid conditions. Ahmedabad is expected to see maximum temperatures hovering around 43 degrees Celsius under clear skies, with no immediate relief in sight. In the last 24 hours, parts of Kutch experienced heatwave conditions, with Kandla Airport recording the highest temperature in Gujarat at a scorching 44.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Surendranagar followed closely with 43.3 degrees, while Rajkot recorded 42.9 and Amreli 42.5. Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar also remained in the extreme heat zone, registering 41.8 degrees and 41.0 degrees, respectively.

The army on Friday said it has ordered an enquiry into the alleged manhandling of a civilian in J&K's Rajouri district.

An incident has come to light wherein certain individuals were allegedly manhandled by army personnel in Rajouri district, a Defence Ministry statement said.

It said the army had an input on the likely movement of terrorists in a vehicle in this sensitive area, and "accordingly, search operations were being conducted. Preliminary information suggests that on being stopped, the individual tried to snatch the weapon of the soldiers on duty and initiated a scuffle with them".

“However, an enquiry has been initiated. Should any personnel be found guilty of misconduct, strict action will be taken in accordance with the existing law," the army said in the statement.

Four people were killed and two others injured in a road accident near Amarpura in Karnataka's Raichur district on Friday.

The deceased have been identified as 28-year-old Nagaraj, 38-year-old Somu, 36-year-old Nagabhushan and 38-year-old Murali, residents of Hindupur in Telangana.

According to police, "The victims were travelling in a goods vehicle and proceeding towards Shahapura town in Yadgir district for the sheep fair."

Due to overspeeding, the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with the bridge's parapet.

Due to the impact of the crash, four people travelling on the front side of the goods vehicle died on the spot.

The Bengaluru Police arrested an auto-rickshaw driver on Friday for harassing a woman at a public place, demanding her contact number and pestering her to allow him to take a selfie with him.

The incident took place in the Pulakeshinagar police station limits. The arrested person was identified as Mani.

According to police, the woman was standing with her male friend near a shop when the accused auto-rickshaw driver approached her and asked her to share her contact number with him.

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi has issued a public advisory cautioning passengers about possible flight delays on Friday afternoon due to shifting wind patterns in its surrounding areas.

In an update posted on X, the Delhi Airport stated, “Due to shifting wind patterns in the vicinity of the airport, certain airline operations may experience delays.”

To manage the situation, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) has implemented air traffic flow management (ATFM) measures for incoming flights from 12.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. IST, aimed at ensuring safe operations.

“These protocols are being carried out in line with international aviation standards and regulatory guidelines, with passenger safety cited as the top priority,” it said.