In a major technological upgrade, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is introducing advanced drones to strengthen its operations in wildlife monitoring, forest fire control, and anti-poaching efforts.

The initiative, supported by the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR), will see the deployment of these drones across 13 territorial forest circles in the state.

I. Anwardeen, Chief Project Director of TBGPCCR, said the newly procured drones are equipped with cutting-edge features, including a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera, a thermal sensor with zoom capability, and GPS integration, making them highly effective for both daytime and night-time operations.

In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) have successfully restituted Rs 10.25 crore to victims of cyber fraud in the first five months of 2025.

Of this, over Rs 2 crore was returned in May alone, reflecting the department’s intensified efforts to combat the surge in online financial crimes.

In addition to these recoveries, the GCP cybercrime wing has approached courts and frozen Rs 36.27 crore in various bank accounts linked to cybercriminals.

Officials say these swift actions aim to disrupt the financial channels of fraudsters and deter future crimes.

Two prominent hotels in Jaipur, namely Holiday Inn and Raffles, received bomb threats on Saturday, prompting immediate evacuation. Notably, three Rajasthan ministers, including Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham, were attending a private event at the Holiday Inn when the threat was received.

The Holiday Inn, located at 22 Godown Circle, received a threatening email at 10:30 AM and during the programme, Ministers K.K. Vishnoi (Entrepreneurship) and Gautam Dak (Cooperation) were also present.

Upon being informed by police officials, Minister Bedham addressed the gathering and announced the evacuation. All three ministers safely exited the premises.

Shortly after, at 12:05 PM, the Raffles Hotel on Delhi Road also received a similar threat via email.

At least 22 coastal villages in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district have reported being affected by debris from the sunken Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, MSC ELSA-3, which went down off the Kerala coast on May 24.

The wreckage, including plastic pellets, wooden logs, and even a container, has been steadily washing ashore in the villages of Killiyoor and Kalkulam taluks over the past three days.

The vessel was reportedly carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide.

In addition, it had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil on board.

Normal life across Jammu and Kashmir was adversely affected on Saturday due to incessant rain as mountain passes were closed due to fresh snowfall/landslides.

Authorities shut all primary schools in Rajouri district due to incessant rain and thunderstorms.

Mountain passes to Gurez in Bandipora district and to Tangdhar and Karnah in Kupwara district were also closed.

Higher reaches have received fresh snowfall. Temperatures in Jammu and Kashmir have come down as people had to wear woollens due to chilly winds blowing here from snow-clad mountain peaks.

The MET department has said that there is the possibility of moderate to heavy rain/thunder/gusty winds at scattered places on Saturday.

"During the past 24 hours, light to moderate rain/thundershower occurred at most places. Poonch district recorded 39 mm, Baramulla 22 mm rain with Gusty winds, Samba 72 mm, Jammu 65 mm, and Kathua recorded 58 mm rain," the weather office said.

Two persons, including the driver of a vehicle carrying pilgrims to Kedarnath, were killed and four others injured in a tragic accident caused by a landslide on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway, officials said on Saturday.

The incident occurred near Kakragad on Friday late evening, approximately 30 km from the Rudraprayag district headquarters, when a large boulder fell from a hillside and struck the vehicle, which was on its way to the Kedarnath temple.

All occupants of the vehicle were from Chhattisgarh.

According to the district administration, the vehicle was carrying six people, including the driver, at the time of the accident. The driver, identified as 38-year-old Rajesh Rawat, son of Rai Singh and a resident of Nag Paniyala, Lambgaon, New Tehri, died on the spot.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 34.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, marking one of the warmer days of the season. However, despite the high morning temperature, this May has been unusual in many ways, including below-normal daytime temperatures, unprecedented frequent rains, and the absence of any heatwave conditions.

In terms of rainfall, May 2025 has been historic for Delhi, with the capital receiving 188.9 mm of rainfall, the highest-ever rainfall recorded in the month of May. This is over 202 per cent more than the normal monthly average of 62.6 mm. In contrast, May 2024 saw just 0.4 mm of rain, which was 99 per cent below average, with not a single rainy day recorded.

At least five people were killed and six others injured in a tragic road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district on Saturday morning, officials said.

The mishap occurred near Bhuppa Purva turn in the Majhila police station area when a speeding vehicle carrying wedding guests lost control and overturned.

According to officials, the victims were part of a wedding procession that had travelled from Patiyani village under Pali police station limits to Kusuma village in the Majhila area.

The accident took place while they were returning from the ceremony. The car, reportedly overloaded, lost control at a sharp turn and crashed.

Five people died in separate incidents on Friday as rains came down heavily across all the 14 districts of Kerala, officials said.

In Kottayam, two youths who ventured out for fishing in a flooded paddy field at Kollad got drowned when the canoe in which they were capsized.

At Vizhinjam in the state capital city, two fishermen who had ventured out for fishing were drowned after the boat was tossed upside down in the sea.

A migrant worker from West Bengal, identified as Ramakrishnan, 38, working in a fishing boat in Ernakulam, fell overboard.

Meanwhile, two people from Malappuram have been reported missing.

Madhya Pradesh is set to experience rainfall on the sixth day of Nautapa, bringing relief amid intense heat.

The Meteorological Department has issued an alert for 36 districts, including Bhopal, Gwalior, and Jabalpur. Wind speeds are expected to reach up to 60 kilometres per hour in six districts, including Narsinghpur.

On Thursday, heavy storms and rainfall were reported in more than ten districts. A similar pattern of inclement weather is expected in Chhattisgarh.

The weather is expected to follow a similar pattern for the next four to five days. Lightning claimed three lives in Bara village of Rewa district on Thursday afternoon. A trough currently passing over the state, along with two active cyclonic circulations, has significantly altered the weather conditions.