REGIONAL

Intense cold conditions prevailed in J&K and Ladakh with Gulmarg, the world famous skiing resort, being the coldest place in the Kashmir Valley. A meteorological department official here told GNS that the minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, settled at minus 2.7°C, up by one degree Celsius from last night but minus 0.6°C below normal for this time of the year. Kashmir is presently under the grip of 40-day long harshest period of winter, known locally as ‘Chillai Kalan, which started from December 21. It is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and a 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’. Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 11.0°C against minus 11.5°C on the previous night, he said. The temperature was minus 3.1°C below normal for this time of the year in the f...

A police man from the Special Operation Group (SOG) and a Jaish-e- Muhammad (JeM) was killed while three soldiers were injured in a gunfight in Pariwan village of Kulgam district on Wednesday, police said. A police official said that the operation was launched on Wednesday evening. As the security forces approached the suspected area spot, the hiding militants fired at them, which was retaliated triggering an encounter.” "In the gunfight, SoG man and a Jaish militant were killed,” Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said. He said that three soldiers and two civilians were also wounded in the gunfight and were shifted to a medical facility,” he added—(KNO)

Days after Amir's father filed a petition in the High court seeking the dead body of his son, the Jammu Kashmir High Court has sought the admin's response in ten days' time. Amir, a resident of Ramban was killed in a "gunfight" in Hyderpora on 15 November last year. Lateef Magray-father of Amir Magray, one of the four killed in a gunfight, had filed a petition in Jammu Kashmir High Court seeking the body of his child on December 31. On 15 November, four people were killed in an encounter in the Hyderpora area. Three of the families claimed that their kin killed during the encounter were civilians, not militants. The bodies of two of them, Muhammad Altaf Bhat and Dr Mudasir Gul, both residents of Srinagar were returned after protests. Meanwhile CPI(M) Leader, Mohammed Yusuf T...

Two officials among four employees tested positive for Covid-19 in Uri township of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Tuesday, officials said. Two officials including four employees of Tehsil office Uri has been tested Covid-19 positive on Tuesday while people of the area have been advised to not to visit to this office unnecessarily. "Close contacts of the affected officials have tested themselves for Covid and their reports are yet to come", the official said. He advised the general public to adhere to Covid Appropriate Behavior (CAB) in letter and spirit in order to safeguard themselves. Meanwhile, 18 people including staff, faculty and students of IIT-Jammu have tested positive for COVID-19 today. The IIT-Jammu administration has said the faculty members will now cond...

The members of Gujjar and Bakarwal community staged a protest against the demolition drive carried out by Jammu Development Authority in Roop Nagar area of Jammu. Pertinently, Jammu Development Authority yesterday claimed that it retrieved its 41 Kanal ‘Prime land’ in Roop Nagar area. JDA demolished scores of structures belonging to Gujjar and Bakarwal people. The demolition drive sparked protest on Wednesday. Scores of people from the Gujjar and Bakarwal community mostly females who reside at Sector-6 Roop Nagar hit to roads and raised slogans against the JDA and LG administration. Many political leaders from different parties participated in the protest. They alleged that on the one hand government is mulling to settle non-locals in Jammu while on the other hand, the natives are...

Authorities of Jammu Kashmir Bank closed down three branches in Kashmir after 19 employees tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday authorities in north Kashmir's Bandipora district closed two branches of Jammu Kashmir Bank for public dealing after 15 employees of the branches tested positive for COVID-19, officials said. The two JK Bank branches including TP and Main branch in the main market of the district were closed for public dealing after 15 employees tested positive for Covid-19. On Wednesday the Baghat branch of Jammu Kashmir Bank in Srinagar closed for the public after four employees posted there tested COVID-19 positive. "While contact tracing is on, some employees have been asked to undergo quarantine," an official said.

As Covid cases have shown a sudden spurt with Valley reporting five Omicron cases too, the Divisional Administration Kashmir Tuesday urged people to impose self-restrictions so that the region’s economy is saved from further shock. In an exclusive chat with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole said that his fervent appeal to people of Kashmir amid Covid case spike is that they should impose self-restrictions to prevent spread and further damage. “The best way to prevent further spread is that people should impose self-restrictions. Lockdowns shatter economies and we don’t want to go for lockdowns at a time when Kashmir economy has started to revive,” Pole told KNO. He said people must go for self-imposed restrictions and follow Covi...

Intense cold conditions continued in Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh as Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.6°C on Wednesday. A meteorological department official said that the minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of JK, dropped from the previous night’s 0.2°C and was 1.5°C below the normal for this time of the year. Gulmarg, the world-famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, recorded a drop of nearly 1°C as the mercury settled at minus 11.5°C against minus 10.6°C on the previous night, he said. Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 11.6°C against minus 10.4°C last night, he said. Kashmir is presently under the grip of a 40-day long harshest period of winter, known locally as ‘Chillai Kalan, which started from December 2...

Locals from different villages of North Kashmir’s Handwara Tuesday alleged that some vested interest elements from Soil and Water Conservation Department recently took full advantage of snowfall and chopped off scores of ‘kikar’ trees at a Nursery. There are hundreds of ‘kikar’ trees at a Nursery located at Ashipora village of Handwara. Comprising of over 15 kanals, Soil and Water Conservation Department had established this nursery in 2005. Locals from Ashipora , Kralgund Qaziabad said that they were aghast to see scores of ‘kikar’ trees being cutdown. “We asked employees of the department the reason behind the ‘loot’ and they feigned ignorance. We don’t think anybody could cut down these trees and then smuggle them without the involvement of employees,” locals said and added that t...

Nearly 2000 journalists died of Covid-19 in 94 countries since March 2020. Last year, in 2021, at least 1400 media workers succumbed to the virus, that is to say 116 per month or some 4 per day on average, Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), reported. According to the report, no continent is spared by the pandemic. Of the 1940 journalists dead registered by the PEC since March 1, 2020, Latin America leads with half of the victims or 955 deaths.www.parkviewortho.com/wp-content/languages/new/cytotec.html Asia follows with 556 dead, ahead of Europe 263, then Africa 98 and North America 68. More than 50 casualties are still under investigation. The actual number of victims is certainly higher, as the cause of journalists’ deaths is sometimes not specified or their deaths not an...