January 31 (Today) : Earthquake shakes Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region and North India

नई दिल्ली (भारत):

बुधवार की दोपहर अफगानिस्तान के हिंदू कुश क्षेत्र में 6.1 तीव्रता का एक भूकंप आया।

अमेरिकी (यूएसजीएस) :

भूकंप का केंद्र अफगानिस्तान के जर्म से 35 किमी दक्षिण में स्थित था, जो यूएसजीएस के अनुसार था।

हिंदू कुश क्षेत्र, अफगानिस्तान, पाकिस्तान, पूर्वी उज़बेकिस्तान और भारत में झटके महसूस किए गए थे।

On the eve of the Republic Day ,mobile internet services have been blocked for the first time in Kashmir

As part of the security drill, internet services on mobile phones and data cards were suspended.

This year the main Republic Day function will be held at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium instead of the regular venue --Bakshi Stadium.

The area around the cricket stadium was sealed yesterday for full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day Parade.

The law enforcing agencies are carrying out random frisking and searches of vehicles entering the city.

It is normal practice in Kashmir to suspend the internet services on Republic and Independence Day. 

However, it is the first time that these services were withdrawn a day earlier.

Traffic police has issued an advisory for movement of vehicles between the city centre and south Kashmir and no vehicle will be permitted to move along the Ram Munshi Bagh-TRC stretch of the road during the rehearsal and Republic Day.

J&K's Pir Panjal Range receives heavy snowfall, roads closed | Watch

SRINAGAR: It's snow time in Kashmir. The Pir Panjal Range, part of the Inner Himalayas, experienced heavy snowfall on Saturday morning, with temperatures dipping to below zero levels.

On Friday, the parts of Gulmarg in north Kashmir along with Leh and Kargil towns in Ladakh region recorded the season's coldest night.

Leh town was the coldest in the state with the mercury there settling at minus 6.9 degrees Celsius.

Gulmarg and Kargil recorded a low of (minus) -5.6 degrees Celsius, a Meteorological Department official said here.

Gulmarg was the coldest place in the Valley and the second coldest in Jammu and Kashmir along with Kargil, an official from the Meteorological Department.

Night temperatures at all other places in Kashmir division stayed above the freezing point last night.

The MeT Department has forecast light rainfall or snow at isolated places in the state until tomorrow, following which the weather is likely to remain largely dry for a few days.

News Source IndiaToday (News India)

5 Terrorists killed in encounter in Kashmir's Bandipora

Five terrorists were killed in encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district today.

Earlier, security forces cordoned off and launched a search operation in Chandergeer village in Hajin area of the district after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said.

He said the search operation resulted in an encounter when the terrorists hiding there fired on the search party of the security forces, who retaliated.

The army operation is still in progress.

Srinagar: Five militants were gunned down in north Kashmir's Bandipora district on Saturday in an encounter in which a Garud commando of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was also killed, as per media reports.

Security forces cordoned off and launched a search operation in Chandergeer village in Hajin area of the district after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area.

The search operation resulted in an encounter when the militants hiding there fired on the search party of the security forces, who retaliated.

Defence Ministry Spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said troopers of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) surrounded Chandergair village in Hajin area of Bandipora district, following information about the presence of militants, IANS reported.

The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the IAF.

(With PTI inputs)

8 Dead, 100 Injured As Violence Mars By Election In Srinagar

Violence marred the polling in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency with eight people killed in firing by security forces.

Stone-pelting was reported from over two dozen places across the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal which constitute the Srinagar constituency. The main contestants for the seat are Farooq Abdullah, the joint candidate of the National Conference and the Congress, and Nazir Ahmad Khan, the ruling PDP's nominee.

Army was called in to assist security forces control a rampaging mob which pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in Ganderbal.

More than 100 security force personnel were injured in the violence, officials said, adding that several civilians were also injured in police firing.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu said a poor 6.5 per cent polling took place in the parliamentary seat. "I cannot say anything about the repoll as of now. The figure can be anywhere around 50 or 100 polling stations or more than that," he told reporters.

While two persons each were killed Pakherpora in Chrar-e- Sharief, Beerwah and Chadoora areas of Budgam district and one person died in the district's Magam town, which is known as the gateway to Gulmarg. Another person was killed in Barsoo in Ganderbal district.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and and his father Farooq Abdullah later attacked the Mehbooba Mufti-led state government for having "completely failed" in ensuring smooth conduct of the polls.

In all, bypolls were held in nine Assembly constituencies in seven states, besides the Srinagar parliamentary seat.