J&K

Jammu, Dec 30 (PTI) Questioning the Jammu and Kashmir High Court's decision to throw open vacancies in the district courts of the Union territories of J&K and Ladakh to candidates from all over the country, the opposition parties here on Monday demanded reservation of government jobs for locals.

National Conference provincial president Devender Singh Rana demanded reservation of the J&K government jobs for locals, saying unemployment has alarmingly grown during the recent years.

New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) Four medium intensity tremors with magnitudes ranging between 4.7 and 5.5 hit Jammu and Kashmir in a span of less than two hours on Monday night, the National Centre for Seismology said.

The first quake with a magnitude of 4.7 hit at 10:42 pm, followed by one measuring 5.5 six minutes later.

The two occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Srinagar, Dec 29 (PTI) The fringes of the famous Dal Lake froze on Sunday as the mercury continued its freefall in Srinagar which experienced the coldest night of the season at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, the MET Office said.

The minimum temperature across the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh Union Territory stayed several degrees below the freezing point, intensifying the cold wave in some areas in the region, an official of the Meteorological Department here said.

Jammu, Dec 28 (PTI) Senior IPS officer Vijay Kumar will be the new Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, replacing Swayam Prakash Pani, according to an official order issued on Saturday evening.

The order to this effect was issued by the Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra here.

Kumar is a 1997-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who is presently posted as IGP (Armed). He will replace Pani who took over as the youngest IGP at the age of 41 years in February 2018.

Bhaderwah/Jammu, Dec 26 (PTI) A total of 18 shops were gutted in a mysterious fire in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, officials said on Thursday.

A fire broke out in a shop and spread to other shops in Gandoh belt of district last night, they said.

The fire was brought under control, but 18 shops were gutted in the fire, they said.

People of the area demanded a probe into incident.

Jammu, Dec 26 (PTI) Hundreds of Kashmiri migrants, including Muslims, took out a rally in support of the amended Citizenship Act and the NRC here on Thursday.

Led by Jagti migrant camp president P N Bhat, they asked Muslims not to "fall into the trap of political parties" and raised pro-CAA and NRC slogans.

Carrying Tricolours and placards, they demanded the implementation of the new citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens in the country.

Jammu, Dec 26 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir will setup a National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to give impetus to laboratory diagnosis of emerging diseases of public health importance in the Union Territory, officials said on Thursday.

The centre will come up in Jammu region and the process in this regard has been started, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo said.

After taking into consideration the feasibility and advantageous aspects, the authorities have shortlisted two locations-- Vijaypur or Chowadi-- for the NCDC, he said.

Srinagar, Dec 23 (PTI) The National Conference (NC) held its provincial-level meeting here on Monday and passed two resolutions condemning the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and demanding immediate release of the detained political leaders and civil society members in Kashmir.

The meeting was held at the NC headquarters, Nawa-i-Subah, and the party's provincial body of Kashmir and the youth and women's wing attended it, NC spokesperson Imran Dar told PTI.

He said the meeting was chaired by NC provincial secretary, Kashmir, Showkat Ahmad.

Jammu, Dec 23 (PTI) A mentally challenged Pakistani prisoner, who was arrested near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district about six years ago, died after a prolonged illness here, officials said on Monday.

Aziz-ur-Rehman (50), who was under detention at district jail Amphalla, complained of breathlessness and was rushed to Government Medical College Hospital, where he was declared brought dead, they said.

The officials said he was arrested in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district in 2013 shortly after crossing into this side from across the LoC.

Srinagar, Dec 14 (PTI) The detention of Farooq Abdullah, a three-term chief minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was extended on Saturday by three months and he would continue to remain at his residence that has been declared a sub-jail, officials said here.

The case of Abdullah, also a five-term parliamentarian, was reviewed by the advisory board of the Home Department of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which recommended extension of his detention under the PSA, they said.