Month: November 2015

6-magnitude earthquake hits Hindu Kush region, tremors felt in Delhi NCR and Kashmir valley

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A powerful earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale, with epicentre in Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, struck parts of North India late on Sunday night. According to the National Seismological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, the earthquake had its epicentre in Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and measured 6 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the quake was 86 kms deep and located somewhere in the border area of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and the national capital. There was no information…

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Back To Dark Ages

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Kashmir possesses huge capacity to harness hydro-electricity and does produce an impressive amount of electricity. But, inspite of these very facts the power situation deteriorates as soon as winter sets in, and most of the areas of Kashmir are thrown into darkness with never ending load shedding. As a matter of fact, the power generation in Kashmir, which is said to be capable of generating more than 20000 MW power, seems by and large a Delhi-controlled affair as State government has failed to bring back the ownership of several power…

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Er. Rashid calls all party meet on Nov 28 for IIT, IIM in Kashmir

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Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Saturday called for a united campaign to press the Centre for sanctioning an IIT and an IIM for Kashmir Valley at par with Jammu region of the state. “I am organising an all party round-table meeting on November 28, so that we all unite to pressurise New Delhi to sanction an IIT and an IIM for Kashmir in a similar way like both the institutions were sanctioned for Jammu,” Rashid told reporters here. He said he would invite all mainstream parties, trade bodies, bar…

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Three arrested for attempt to murder over attack on Kashmiri truck driver; says police

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Police on Sunday arrested three persons and booked them for attempt to murder in connection with an attack on Kashmir bound truck driver last evening. According to Srinagar based news gathering agency, GNS that a Kashmir bound oil tanker (JK01W-7638) driver Farooq Ahmad of Keegam, Shopian was injured after a group of goons attacked him near Nandini on Srinagar-Jammu highway on Saturday night. Shouting anti-Kashmiri slogans, the group beat up the driver to pulp before they left the spot, leaving Farooq in injured condition on the highway, reports had said.…

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Ahmad Naddaf, Kashmir Valley’s latest young and passionate innovator

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Ahmad Naddaf, a senior secondary student from Nawakadal in Jammu and Kashmir, is passionate about inventing machines. “My first innovation was when I was studying in fifth standard. I had made a fan that would help cure common cold. The fan helped to disperse the vapors of Vicks that provided relief to a blocked nose”, said the proud innovator. He added, “In the eighth standard, I built an inverter that could work for 30 hours after being charged for only 30 minutes. I believe that we can achieve anything that…

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Staff at Kupwara exam centre suspended for abetting copying

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Following complaints of copying at the exam centre at Government Higher Secondary School, Tikipora, the authorities today placed under suspension the examination staff, including the principal. The policemen deployed at the examination centre were placed under suspension, officials said. Kupwara residents, especially parents of Class XII students, hailed the authorities for taking action. Locals said action taken against the erring officials and policemen would serve as a deterrent to exam staff intending to resort to copying. “It is a good move to take action against the erring staff and policemen,”…

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Is al Qaeda recruiting Kashmiri youth? Report makes startling revelations

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A Kashmiri youth has died fighting for al Qaeda in a drone attack in Pakistan, raising serious concerns that the Himalayan state may have become a recruiting ground for the terror group, a media report revealed on Sunday. According to the report, the family of the al Qaeda operative in South Kashmir’s Anathnag district claimed that their son was killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s North Waziristan earlier this year. Muhammad Ashraf Dar’s family hails from Kokernag area in South Kashmir’s Anathnag district. He had gone missing from…

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Mob set ablaze truck near Jammu on suspicion of cattle smuggling

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In the backdrop of recent lynching incident in Uttar Pradesh over allegedly eating cow meat, in a fresh development on Sunday, a truck has been burnt near here on the suspicion that it was transporting cattle to the Kashmir Valley. The truck was set ablaze by a mob near the Ban Toll Plaza in Nagrota area which falls on the outskirts of Jammu, media reports quoted an official as saying. According to the police they had tried to stop the truck but the driver and his helper managed to escape under cover…

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Five years on, upgrade of Anantnag hospital incomplete

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Five years after missing the first deadline, the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) has managed to complete just one of the three blocks at the Anantnag District Hospital. The project to construct three additional blocks on the hospital premises was proposed in 2007 with an aim to upgrade the medical facility. The government had set 2010 deadline for the completion of the project. Despite drawing flak from successive governments for the delay, the JKPCC is yet to start work on the other two blocks. After missing several deadlines…

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Copter service to Gulmarg, Pahalgam launched

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The government today launched its first-ever helicopter service to Pahalgam and Gulmarg resorts with an aim to boost high-end tourism in the Valley. “Even though only a small fraction of travellers will take chopper rides initially, it is a big step towards positioning Kashmir as a high-end destination,” said Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed after launching the service from the Srinagar airport. Mufti said tourists could now directly travel to popular tourist spots Gulmarg and Pahalgam from the airport. “After alighting from the aircraft, visitors can hop on to choppers…

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