Dense fog and low visibility on Thursday morning affected the flight schedule at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh.

One flight was cancelled, while three departures were delayed till 10 am.

The departure to Delhi (6:55 am) was cancelled while to Chennai (7:20 am), Mumbai (9 am) and Delhi (7:40 am) were delayed.

The Delhi flight (7 am) arrival here touched down at 8:35 am.

Meanwhile, temperatures plummeted across North India, with the people of Chandigarh and neighbouring regions woke up to light rain on Thursday.

On Thursday morning, the weather changed in Chandigarh and many districts of Punjab. A light rain in the morning has caused tremors. During the light rain, dense fog fell due to which the motorists faced inconvenience. In Rupnagar, light rain in the early hours left people shivering and motorists were disturbed due to the blanket of fog.

An alert has been issued regarding fog in Punjab. In the last 24 hours, the average maximum temperature has dropped by -0.5 degree and minimum temperature by 1 degree. However, the temperature in the state is close to normal. Two Western Disturbances (WD) are active near Punjab. Due to which the Meteorological Department has predicted the possibility of light rain in some areas today.

According to the weather center, a yellow alert was issued in Chandigarh due to fog. Apart from this, smoke alert has been issued in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala in Punjab. While yellow alert continues in other cities of Punjab.

Mercury continued its free fall in the valley on Wednesday as the Meteorological (MeT) office forecast cloudy weather with snowfall at isolated higher reaches in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.

The MeT office statement said, “On January 15 and 16, generally cloudy sky with light snow at isolated higher reaches during 16th early morning. From January 17 to 19, generally a cloudy sky, but no significant change is expected till January 19. On 20 and 21st of January, a generally cloudy sky with light snow at isolated to scattered places is likely to occur."

The department issued an advisory: "Tourists/travellers/Transporters are advised to follow Admin/Traffic advisory.”

Srinagar city recorded minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, Gulmarg minus 7.4 degrees and Pahalgam minus 8.4 as the minimum temperature. There was, however, an overall improvement in the weather in the plains of the Jammu division.

Yet another bus accident occurred in Uttarakhand on Tuesday morning when a bus carrying 30 passengers overturned near Uttarkashi's Jakhol village.

The accident took place near Sunkundi village, just 2 km ahead of Jakhol. Seven passengers sustained injuries, while the remaining passengers are reported to be safe.

The injured have been rushed to the Primary Health Center in Mori for treatment, according to the rescue officials.

The bus, operated by the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation, was on its way from Dehradun to Jakhol when it overturned on the outer edge of the road while making a turn.

60 new buses purchased by Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) are ready to ply on the roads of Chandigarh on Tuesday. The operation of these buses will pave the way for better connectivity to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other neighboring states. Many new routes will be started, which will directly benefit the people.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria flagged off these buses during a program organized at ISBT-17 on Tuesday. These 60 buses will run on 31 routes. Many of which are new and the number of buses has been increased on some old routes. Trial runs on these routes have been successful.

Six soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion near the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Rajouri district on Tuesday, officials said.

The explosion occurred in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri.

"The incident occurred around 10.45 a.m. when a soldier patrolling in the Nowshera sector of the LoC accidentally stepped on a landmine that went off injuring six soldiers. All the injured army soldiers have been shifted to hospital where attending doctors have described their condition as stable," an official said.

Areas close to the LoC on the Indian side are secured by planting landmines so that infiltration and terrorist activity on the Indian side of the LoC is prevented.

"Some of the landmines planted near the LoC on our side get shifted from their original place due to rain etc from the place where they are marked on the patrolling map. Tragedies like today are caused by these landmines called drift mines," a senior army officer said.

Braving cold, tens of thousands of devotees converged at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and other gurudwaras across Punjab to pay obeisance and for a holy dip in the 'sarovar' to mark Maghi or Makar Sankranti on Tuesday.

Makar Sankranti, a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of the country, also marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights.

Devotees in the Golden Temple started assembling much before sunrise and some preferred to stay overnight on the temple premises to take holy dip early in the morning.

"January 14 is the first day of the traditional Punjabi month of Maghi and devotees feel blessed to have started it by taking a dip in the holy sarovar," a temple priest told.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department on Monday warned of a new western disturbance which will reach Rajasthan on Tuesday, bringing a likelihood of rain and hailstorms in districts like Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, and Kota on January 14 and 15.

Rajasthan is set to experience rain and hailstorms again. A yellow alert has been issued for 18 districts across the Bikaner, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bharatpur, and Kota divisions, forecasting cloud cover, rain, and hail in some areas.

Additionally, a warning for dense fog has been issued for 15 districts for the day, said officials.

Two persons were killed while five others were injured on Saturday morning when an unidentified vehicle rammed into a Creta SUV in Bihar’s Nalanda district.

The accident took place near the Dhobi Bigha Bridge in the Chero Sahayak police station area on NH 30.

Poor visibility due to fog is believed to have been a contributing factor to this fatal accident that occurred at 8 a.m. The victims were en route to Rajgir for a picnic in a newly purchased Creta SUV when the accident occurred.

The deceased have been identified as Munni Devi (55), wife of Lal Babu alias Tuntun, a resident of Sakri Gali under Alamganj police station, Patna district, Anshi Kumari (10), daughter of the car owner Ranjit Kumar, a resident of Mahendrusudi Gali under Pirbahor police station, Patna district.

Security forces said on Saturday that a major anti-terror operation has started along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

“After reports of movement of three to four suspected terrorists in the Jogwan forest area of Akhnoor sector of the LoC in Jammu district, a massive anti-terrorist operation was started by the security forces. Some locals had reported to police having seen armed suspects moving in the area on Thursday. The area was cordoned off and anti-terrorist operation started there,” officials said.

Security forces have started an aggressive campaign against terrorists, their over ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers. Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha has directed the security forces to go all-out against the terror ecosystem to wipe it out completely from J&K.

An unabated cold wave continued in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Saturday as the MET department forecast light rain in the plains of Jammu division and snow in the higher reaches of the Union Territory (UT) during the next 24 hours.

A MET department statement said on Saturday, “On January 11, the weather would be generally cloudy with light rain in the plains of Jammu division and snow at isolated higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir divisions during the next 24 hours.”

Srinagar recorded minimum temperature of minus 3.6 degree celsius, Gulmarg minus 6.5 degree celsius and Pahalgam minus 7.1 degree celsius on Saturday.

Jammu city had 7.1 degree celsius, Katra town 6.1 degree celsius, Batote 4.2, Banihal 1.2 and Bhaderwah 0.9 degree celsius as the night’s lowest temperature.

A planned raid by the Excise Police Team in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh district turned violent when members of the liquor mafia attacked the officials.

The incident occurred in Birau village under the jurisdiction of Digaura Police Station, leaving four team members, including Sub-Inspector (SI) Vijay Singh, injured late on Friday evening.

The attackers, led by liquor mafia kingpin Santosh Yadav and his family, reportedly threw stones at the team and assaulted them with sticks. In the scuffle, Santosh Yadav allegedly snatched the service revolver of SI Vijay Singh. The injured officials were admitted to the district hospital for treatment.

According to police officials, the raid followed a covert operation where an excise constable, disguised in civilian attire, purchased a quarter of country liquor from the targeted premises.

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.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sarma said that the illegal coal mining was carried out at the site where the labourers got trapped and a case in relevant sections was registered.

Police have arrested one person in connection with the illegal coal mining.

A thick blanket of fog engulfed Chandigarh on Friday morning, as visibility dropped to zero in some areas, with the weather department predicting cloudy skies for the day.

Four flights were delayed due to fog and poor visibility conditions at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, on Friday morning.

The early morning arrival from Pune (7:55am) was delayed by more than two hours, while three departures to Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa were delayed till 10:30am today.

Bone-chilling cold continued across Kashmir on Friday as dense fog made pedestrian and traffic movement difficult in the morning in J&K’s Srinagar city.

A thick blanket of fog covered Srinagar city and suburban areas as the unabated cold continued.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department statement said, “On January 3, generally cloudy weather with Light Snow at isolated higher reaches is likely. On January 4-6, due to Moderate to Strong Western Disturbance (WD) cloudy with Light to moderate Rain Plains of Jammu and Snow at most places of J&K with peak activity from 4th (Night) to 5th (late Night)/6th morning & improvement from 6th afternoon."

It further said, "On January 7th-10th, Generally cloudy dry weather is expected while on January 11-12, Generally cloudy with Light Snow at isolated places is expected."

 A tanker lorry carrying 20 metric tons of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) overturned on the Avinashi flyover in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore during the early hours of Friday.

The tanker was transporting LPG from the Kochi Bharat Petroleum Plant to a storage facility in Coimbatore when the accident occurred. The driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries.

The overturning caused a gas leak, which has since been brought under control after several hours of operations.

Officials stated that the leak posed a significant risk to residents in the immediate vicinity. As a precaution, five schools in the neighbourhood were closed to ensure the safety of children, and residents within a one-kilometre radius of the accident site were evacuated.

Fresh snowfall occurred in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday as the cold wave continued unabated across J&K.

The Meteorological Department has forecast more rain/snow because of two back-to-back Western Disturbances (WDs) passing over J&K.

A MET department statement said, "Because of a feeble WD, generally cloudy weather with light snowfall at scattered places is likely to occur on January 2. On January 3, generally cloudy weather with light snow is expected at isolated higher reaches of J&K."

"On January 4-6th, due to moderate to strong WD, generally cloudy weather with light to moderate rain in plains of Jammu and snow at most places of J&K with peak activity during January 4th night to 5th late night with improvement from 6th late afternoon," it said.

 More than 24 people sustained injuries in a collision between a bus and a truck in Rajasthan's Dausa early on Thursday morning due to poor visibility as a result of a heavy fog in the area, according to the local police.

Among them, several critically injured passengers were rushed to Jaipur for advanced medical treatment.

The Volvo bus, carrying pilgrims from Ujjain to Delhi, was involved in an accident at around 6:00 a.m. near pillar number 198 on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Heavy fog is believed to have significantly reduced visibility, leading to the mishap.

A crime branch team of the Gurugram Police arrested a notorious criminal and his two companions after a gunfight on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, police said.

The suspects have been identified as Arif (28), Arif alias Mandal (27), a resident of Palwal and Rashid alias Yusuf alias Kake (33), a resident of Nuh.

According to the police, Rashid was involved in 49 cases, including gang-related activities, murder, attempt to murder, robbery, attack on police team and ATM thefts.

Meanwhile, two cases of attempt to murder and cow smuggling have been registered against Arif alias Mandal and one case of cow smuggling has been registered against accused Arif, the police said.

At least four people were killed and eight others injured in separate road accidents in areas surrounding Bengaluru during New Year celebrations, police said on Wednesday.

In one incident, two people died on the spot and six others were injured when the Innova car they were travelling in overturned near Janata Colony on Tavarekere Road, close to Magadi on Bengaluru's outskirts. The victims were returning to Bengaluru after enjoying an early morning coffee at 3 a.m. following New Year celebrations.

The deceased were identified as 31-year-old Manju and 30-year-old Kiran. They were travelling with six friends, all of whom sustained serious injuries and were taken to the hospital. Magadi police are investigating the case, and the cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

In another incident, two young men lost their lives when the car they were travelling in with friends collided with a parked canter vehicle near the Sathanur bus stop in Kanakapura taluk, close to Bengaluru.

In a bizarre incident in Andhra Pradesh's Parvathipuram Manyam district, a drunk youth climbed on an electric pole and lied-down on the wires.

However, a disaster was averted as alert villagers turned off the transformer in time.

The incident occurred in M. Singipuram village in Palakonda Mandal on Tuesday. The video of the youth went viral on social media.

The youth resorted to the act after his mother refused to give him her social security pension money.

His action sent the residents into a tizzy. After switching off the power, they appealed to him to get down. The locals spent some anxious moments as the youth was on the wires for some time. He later got down, much to the relief of everyone.

New Year's celebration turned tragic for the families of three youths killed in a road accident in Shimla.

The accident took place on Tuesday night near the petrol pump near Matiyana, near here, on the National Highway-5. Three youths from Kinnaur were travelling from Shimla to Rampur when their car went out of control and fell into a deep gorge. All three died on the spot in the accident.

Local people reached the spot after hearing the loud cries of the youths and informed the police and administration. However, by the time, the teams reached, all three youths had died.

The deceased have not been fully identified yet. However, the police have found out in the preliminary investigation that these three youths were residents of the Kinnaur district.

The Theog Police Station has registered a first information report (FIR) regarding the accident.

Cold wave tightened its grip on the Kashmir Valley as the Meteorological (MeT) office on Wednesday forecast light snowfall and rain in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.

A MeT department statement said, “Two western Disturbances (WD) are passing over J&K in quick succession from 1st January onwards. On 1-2nd Jan (Feeble WD): Generally cloudy with light snow at scattered places during 1st evening/night to 2nd morning. On 3-6th January (Moderate WD): Generally cloudy with light to moderate rain (plains of Jammu/snow at most places of J&K with peak activity on 4th to 6th January (a/n). On 7th-10th January: Generally cloudy with dry weather."

The MeT Department also issued an advisory, saying that in view of fresh snowfall, sub-freezing temperatures and icy conditions over roads (plains/higher reaches), tourists/travellers/transporters are advised to plan accordingly and follow administration and traffic advisory.

The 20 Indian fishermen, who were released from jails in Sri Lanka, reached Chennai by flight, said officials here on Wednesday.

The fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy a year ago. They are residents of the Tamil Nadu districts of Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, and Tuticorin, and were in Sri Lankan judicial custody.

After negotiations between the Indian and Sri Lankan governments, the latter released the 20 fishermen.

They were handed over to Indian embassy officials, who provided them with temporary citizenship certificates. The fishermen were then flown from Colombo to Chennai airport.

Upon arrival at Chennai airport, the fishermen underwent citizenship verification, customs checks, and other formalities before being released.

The Army claims that it was successful in seizing weapons, including a Light Machine Gun (LMG), explosives and other war-like stores from various parts of Manipur over the last week. The operations were carried out by the Army in coordination with the Manipur Police and other security agencies, a senior official of the Eastern Command, based in Kolkata, said.

"The seizures were made from both the hill and valley regions in the districts of Imphal East, Tengnoupal, Yangiangpokpi and Churcahandpur. Based on specific intelligence inputs, the Army and Manipur Police launched joint search operations around Ngariyan Hill, Imphal East, on December 23 and recovered an LMG, a 12 bore single barrel gun, a 9 mm pistol, two tube launchers, explosives, ammunition and war-like stores," the official said.

As dense fog engulfed the state of Rajasthan, visibility in different cities has gone down to less than 30 metres.

Cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Churu, Sriganganagar, Barmer, Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar witnessed heavy fog and mercury took a dip bringing in a spell of severe cold wave. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for fog and cold wave in 12 districts on Monday.

The minimum temperature was recorded in Sirohi in eastern Rajasthan at 5.2 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature of 5.5 degrees Celcius was recorded in Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan.

The minimum temperature in many cities was recorded between 5 to 9 degrees Celsius.

 A massive fire broke out at two chemical factories in Boisar-Tarapur MIDC in Palghar district of Maharashtra, officials said.

A senior police official of the Maharashtra Police confirmed the incident, saying that the fire erupted at the UK Aromatic and Chemicals located on Navapur Road in the Salwad Shivaji Nagar area of Palghar and quickly spread to the nearby Shree Chemicals.

Several fire tenders were rushed to the spot and efforts were made by the firefighters to control the fire.

Several fire engines and water tankers brought the blaze under control after almost five hours.

A major disaster was averted as workers rushed out of the premises of the fire-ravaged UK Aromatic and Chemicals Factory, officials added.

At least four persons including a TV Journalist and a security personnel were injured after suspected militants fired in Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi villages in Imphal East district on Saturday, officials said.

A police official said that the militants fired indiscriminately at Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi villages from the hilltop injuring a local TV Journalist, a security personnel and two civilians.

TV Journalist L. Kabichandra sustained bullet injuries on his left thigh.

All the injured were rushed to the hospital.

“The militants fired in the Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi villages on Friday night and Saturday morning. These villages are situated in Imphal East district adjoining tribal inhabited Kangpokpi district,” the official said.

Rain and hailstorm lashed different parts of Rajasthan since Friday bringing down the mercury and increasing the chill, a met official said on Saturday, issuing an alert for thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds, especially in the western parts of the state.

Around a dozen people were injured in various rain-related incidents across the state since Friday, officials said.

On Saturday, Jaipur recorded a minimum temperature of 13.2 degrees celsius, which was 4.4 degrees celsius above normal. A total of 11 mm rain was recorded from 8.30 am on Friday till 8.30 am on Saturday, the weatherman said.

Another victim of the Jaipur LPG tanker blast and fire succumbed to his burn injuries on Saturday, taking the death toll to 20 in the devastating accident that occurred around eight days ago.

Eight more victims remain in critical condition, battling severe burn injuries.

According to officials, Salim, a resident of Ajmer, passed away during treatment at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday.

Following a postmortem conducted by the medical board, his body will be handed over to his family.

Delhi and its neighbouring regions witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall along with a hailstorm on Saturday, causing temperatures in the region to drop sharply.

The rain, which started early in the morning, is expected to continue throughout the day, sending temperatures plummeting.

This includes areas like Palam, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, Mehrauli, Chhattarpur, Ayanagar, Deramandi, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Manesar. Noida and Manesar are also likely to witness moderate to heavy rainfall and lightning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert for Delhi, indicating that severe weather conditions are expected to persist.

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds led to the uprooting of trees in several areas of the national capital.

Heavy snowfall disrupted life across the Valley on Saturday as hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway between the Pir Panjal tunnel and Srinagar city.

Defying the forecast of light snowfall at isolated places, heavy snowfall started on Friday afternoon and continued till Saturday morning.

Due to highly slippery road conditions, hundreds of vehicles were stranded between the Pir Panjal tunnel and Srinagar city.

Vehicles remained stranded inside the tunnel for many hours as heavy snowfall coupled with sub-zero temperature froze accumulated snow on the highway.

Daily life in Rajasthan has been severely affected as rain and fog grip the state, leading to a sharp drop in temperatures and reduced visibility in several areas.

The inclement weather has intensified the chill, with dense fog blanketing many regions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for 15 districts and a yellow alert for six districts in the state, warning of persistent dense fog over the next three days. The weather disruption is attributed to a Western Disturbance, which has triggered rainfall and colder conditions across the state.

Heavy rain was reported in Pali and Jalore on Thursday night, while early Friday morning saw showers in regions such as Sikar, Ajmer, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, and Kotputli-Bahror. The highest rainfall in the state was recorded in Neem Ka Thana, Sikar, with 25 mm of precipitation. The rains have exacerbated the cold wave, pushing temperatures lower across many districts.

In a significant action against anti-national elements, properties of three terrorists involved in unlawful activities and operating from across the border have been attached under provisions of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said on Friday.

The properties attached include that of Khadim Hussain, resident of Kandi, Tehsil Kotranka, District Rajouri – 3 Kanals, 4 Marlas, and 31 Sq Feet.

Muneer Hussain, resident of Gakhrote, Tehsil Kotranka, District Rajouri – 2 Kanals and 8 Marlas.

Mohd Shabir, resident of Panjnara, Tehsil Kotranka, District Rajouri – 2 Kanals, 2 Marlas, and 253 Sq Feet.