Heavy rains lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, triggering flash floods and landslides that blocked the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway with hundreds of vehicles stranded, and prompted authorities to shut schools in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts.
The two people arrested in Udaipur were alleged by the Congress to have links with the Saffron party.
Reasi district of Jammu region recorded 75.20 per cent voting, the highest in the union territory, State Election Commissioner (SEC) K K Sharma said, adding that 50.53 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the third phase of the maiden DDC polls in J-K.
Metropolitan Magistrate R R Khan had on Tuesday rejected Ranaut's application seeking permanent exemption from appearance in which she had cited her professional commitments. The detailed order was made available Thursday.
The DDC election is being seen as a triangular contest among the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, the BJP and the Apni Party floated by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reached out to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, saying he and his family belong to this community, and promised them all help.
Following the massive fire that spread to several areas, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board requested the Air Force to help douse the fire.
Seven persons, including the pilot, were injured when a Pawan Hans helicopter carrying Vaishnodevi pilgrims, made an emergency landing in Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir following a technical fault detected soon after take-off.
An army jawan committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said in Jammu on Saturday. The jawan, identified as Immanuel Hmar, died immediately after he shot himself with his service weapon at his quarters at Deolmarg in Reasi district on Thursday night, the spokesman said.
A tormenting heatwave swept through North India on Sunday with the mercury crossing 49 degrees Celsius in pockets of Delhi, while the weather office forecast some relief Monday onwards.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to set up India's best mythological theme park near the famous Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district and has sought investors for the project, officials said.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, however, denied the charge, saying all necessary arrangements were made in view of the expected rush, while Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh blamed a minor altercation for the 'unfortunate' incident.
Ganderbal district recorded the highest of 56.40 per cent polling in the Valley, while Poonch district of Jammu region polled the highest of 71.62 per cent votes across J-K.
The Rashtriya Rifles has embarked upon a project to impart basic vocational training to youths in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir to wean them away from terrorism, a defence spokesman said in Jammu on Wednesday.
The report published in the gazettes of India appeared in local newspapers on Monday and showed that Habba Kadal seat in Kashmir division and Suchetgarh seat in Jammu province had been restored.
19 wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, having an electorate of 1.78 lakh, witnessed a turnout of just 2.3 per cent, officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir can boast of having the world's tallest bridge after the construction of the Chenab bridge in Reasi district by Indian Railways. "The Chenab Bridge, linking Kauri and Bakkal hamlets in Reasi district. will have a height of 359 m above the bed of Chenab," deputy chief engineer (DCE) Konkan Railways, Ishwar Chand said.
Kher reportedly had earlier said that all the issues in the valley will be resolved if Article 370, which provides special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir is abolished.
The train will traverse through seven tunnels and over 30 small and large bridges.
In a statement, the ministry of home affairs said the UT of Ladakh consists of two districts of Kargil and Leh while the rest of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Poonch district of Jammu region recorded the highest turnout at 75.42 per cent. Ganderbal district recorded the highest polling in Kashmir valley at 56.28 per cent.
All the market places and shops reopened and traffic has resumed as normal in all these districts bringing much relief to the people.
36 Union ministers will visit different districts in both the divisions of the Union Territory starting from January 18 to January 24 and the home ministry is coordinating it, the sources said.
When completed in 2016, the 1.3-km railway bridge over the Chenab will soar 359 meters above the river bed, 19 meters higher than France's Tarn River bridge.
In the first week, there shall be a cap of 2,000 pilgrims each day, of which 1,900 would be from Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining 100 from outside.
Delegations of Kashmiri Pandit organisations on Friday met Union Minister Jitendra Singh seeking the Centre's intervention in allowing a pilgrimage to Kounsarnag Lak in South Kashmir, a day after locals had protested against the event.
The 1.3-kilometre-long bridge aims to boost connectivity to the Kashmir Valley and it is being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link project
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told PTI that preliminary information from the scene suggests there was a minor altercation among some young boys, and within seconds, there was a stampede situation.
The order comes days after the Supreme Court had made harsh observation on the JK administration for snapping Internet services, which the apex court said was a fundamental right of the people.
Out of the 280 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, 43 are going to polls in the second phase with 25 in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu division.
The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) swept the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls by winning 110 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party by getting 75 seats after securing the largest vote share in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
The national capital received heavy precipitation resulting in waterlogging on several roads and traffic jams at various intersections.
Two Hizbul Mujaheedin militants including a top commander were killed in an encounter in the Mahore area of Reasi district in Jammu region on Wednesday morning.
"Two Hizbul Mujahiden terrorists identified as Mustaq Ahmad alias Irfan and Shabir Ahmad alias Hamza were killed in this encounter. Mushtaq alias Irfan was active since 1999 and was functioning as a divisional commander of the outfit," the spokesman added.
A villager was washed away in flash floods while 19 others were rescued from the swirling waters in Jammu and Poonch districts early on Friday morning.
Eleven more people died in Uttar Pradesh as the intense cold wave sweeping north India maintained its firm grip over the region with Kargil town in Jammu and Kashmir freezing at minus 16.4 degrees Celsius.
At least five soldiers were trapped when a series of avalanches hit the Batalik sector in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir clamping down an army post on Thursday.
With relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, temples across the country are all set to reopen from Monday in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by Union home ministry to prevent coronavirus spread.
"The terrorists entered a local mosque, which was surrounded. When asked to surrender, they hurled two grenades at the security forces who, however, maintained restraint where upon the terrorists moved out of the mosque and took shelter in a hutment," Lt Col Viplav Nath, army spokesman, told rediff.com.
Fifteen people have been reported killed after a passenger bus fell into a gorge in Reasi area of Jammu district
