Quicktakes

Rains kill 8 more

NEW DELHI: Eight people were killed as heavy rains continued in various parts of the country on Wednesday worsening the situation in the flood-hit areas ofAssam where the swelling rivers inundated over 800 villages. With five deaths reported from Gujarat and three from Karnataka, the toll in the rains and floods in the current spell of monsoons crossed 200.

Jamp;K blast kills 2

SRINAGAR: Two persons were killed and 16 others, including two security personnel, wounded in a powerful explosion which sparked panic in Baramulla district of north Kashmir on Wednesday. The blast was caused by militants who lobbed a hand grenade aimed at a security patrol in the busy Sabzi Mandi area at around 1115 hours, an official spokesman said.

Jayalalitha case

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha and three others on Wednesday appeared before a magistrate here in connection with a case relating to the attack on her former auditor, R Rajasekharan, on March 13 last.