REGIONAL

Kashmiri journalist and editor of The Kashmir Walla, Fahad Shah, has been released after nearly two years of detention. The 31-year-old journalist reached his residence in Srinagar on Thursday after being released from Kot Bhalwal in Jammu. A family member confirmed to The Kashmiriyat that the award winning journalist reached his home on Thursday. Fahad Shah was summoned on 4th February 2022, related to The Kashmir Walla's reporting on an encounter in Pulwama. He was arrested and accused of disseminating anti-national content to create fear among the public. Despite securing bail in three cases, Fahad was booked under the Public Safety Act which allows the authorities to detain a person for a period upto two years.

With the arrest of two accused brothers, the Jammu, and Kashmir Police on Thursday busted a marriage scam involved in solemnising fake marriages in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. A police spokesperson in a statement said, that the duo identified as Mohd Qasim Bhat and Nisar Ahmad Bhat, lured a man of Rs 1 Lakh 50 thousand under the guise of getting him married. “The police post-Mirgund received an application from one Gh Mohammad Bhat son of Mohammad Shareef Bhat resident of Srinagar, stating therein that, he has been fraudulently cheated by Mohd Qasim Bhat son of Gh Mohammad Bhat resident of Gund Ibrahim, Trikolbal Pattan, on the pretext of marriage and has paid an amount of about Rs 1,50,000/- to the said fraudster, and on the claim of recovery the said accused person has inti...

Two army officers were among five killed in an ongoing encounter in the woods of Rajouri district. Reliable sources told News Agency Kashmir Scroll that one more trooper succumbed today morning taking the toll to 5 including two officers in an ongoing encounter with militants in the Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir. They said troops, including special forces, are deployed in the area after inputs were received about the movement of a group of terrorists in the area. The 16 Corps Commander and Rashtriya Rifles commander are monitoring the operations closely They added. Pertinently, the encounter entered into second day on Thursday in the woods of Rajouri where two militants are believed to be trapped. (KS)

Danishwar Hameed A residential house was damaged in a fire incident in Ziyarat Mohalla in north Kashmir's Kulgam district on Monday. Locals told The Kashmiriyat that the three-story house was gutted in a fire incident in Kulgam on Monday morning. "The house belongs to Fayaz Ahmad Shah, son of  Ghulam Hassan Shah resident of Ziyarat Mohalla Kulgam. However, no reports of any loss of human life in any of the incidents.

The Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) has asked the government to announce the winter vacation for schools, especially for lower classes on a priority basis, due to minus temperatures and foggy conditions. The Association said that they have been receiving representations from a number of parents and even schools about the inclement weather conditions. "For a 4-year-old kid, it is extremely difficult to get up early and get ready for school during this weather. We are not a developed nation where houses, buses, and schools are all centrally heated. We have to adjust according to the weather," said a spokesperson of PSAJK. "Even for parents, it is a difficult task to prepare their wards for schools." The Association, in its statement issued to GNS, said that ...

The body of a medical shop owner was found under mysterious circumstances at Kakora Manjakote in Rajouri district. An official told Kashmir Scroll that body of one Nasir Khan, son of Munshi Khan, Rajdhani Thana Mandi was recovered from his rented room at Kakora Manjakote. "Soon after the Police arrived at the spot and took the body under its possession", the official said adding the nature of the death is being ascertained. (KS)

With fog engulfing several areas, cold conditions prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir as Srinagar, the summer capital of J-K, recorded season’s lowest temperature on Monday. A meteorological department official told GNS that Srinagar recorded a fall of nearly 2°C, recording a low of minus 0.8°C against 0.9°C on the previous night. The temperature was 1.0°C below normal for this time of the year for the capital city, he said. Most parts of the city also saw a thick blanket of fog, reducing visibility and causing inconvenience to commuters during morning. Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded a minimum of 0.4°C, he said. The minimum temperature was minus 1.0°C below normal for the place, the official said. Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus...

Over 6000 cases of dengue were reported this year while eight persons have died due to the disease so far in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said. The official of State Epidemiology told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the majority of the cases (3841) were reported from Jammu district. It was followed by Udhampur district (881 cases) followed by Kathua (549 cases) and Samba (349 cases), he said. “There were 97 cases in Rajouri, 66 in Reasi, 65 in Doda, 62 in Ramban, 36 in Poonch, 9 in Kishtwar, 26 in Kashmir and 40 from other areas,” he said. This year’s count is seen to be less than last year when a record 8,269 dengue cases along with 18 fatalities were registered. According to data for more than a decade, 1,709 cases were reported in 2021, 439 in 2019, 53 in 202...

Sub-zero temperatures were recorded at multiple places in Kashmir while a weak western disturbance has affected Jammu & Kashmir from Saturday, increasing the chances of light snowfall or rainfall at isolated places of the Union Territory. As per the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), five stations of Kashmir including Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Budgam and Bandipora recorded minus temperature. In Anantnag, a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degree Celsius was recorded while in Pulwama, minus 2.0 degree Celsius was recorded, the data said, adding that the lowest minimum temperature was recorded in Shopian at minus 3.6 degree Celsius. According to the data, Budgam has recorded a low of minus 1.0 degree Celsius while Bandipora in north Kashmir has...

As the winter chill returns to Kashmir, a couple of delicacies are in the good demand in the markets. Similarly, smoked fish—known as ‘Phari’ are in huge demand as the delicacy always attracts the people in the chilly weather conditions. A reddish-brown smoked fish is believed to provide great resistance against diseases related to cold. With the drop in temperatures, vendors in bustling markets are gearing up for heightened demand, showcasing fresh batches of smoked fish at their stalls. “Phari is more than just food; it's a celebration of Kashmir's culinary heritage, as the demand during winter is incredible. People value the authenticity and warmth it brings to their meals,” says a local vendor Bashir Ahmed at Srinagar's Fateh Kadal, while speaking to the news agency—Kashmir Ne...