Srinagar, Kashmir  - Police in India-administered Kashmir Thursday defused a large bomb planted on a road in a high-security area in the state capital Srinagar, officials said.

The bomb was placed in a garbage bin near the road to the airport in the Hyderpora area which is used by civilians, senior officials and the military.

"It was a powerful bomb weighing 80 kilograms which was programmed to be detonated by a cellular phone," a local police spokesman said.

Srinagar, Aug 7 : Security forces this morning recovered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED), weighing 80 kg, on the airport road in Haidarpura during a search operation in Srinagar.

Srinagar, Aug 6 : The violent protests in the Kashmir Valley over the Amarnath land row were flared up when protesters defied curfew and took to the streets here today. There were reports of clashes between pro-Amarnath demonstrators and CRPF men in some areas of Srinagar.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Traders Federation (KTF) has said that it will snap all business ties with traders in Jammu region and instead buy products directly from other cities like Amritsar and Delhi.

Srinagar, Aug. 4 : Over 20 children from the tribal community of Bakarwal Gujjars will soon meet President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital as part of their educational tour. 

The Indian Army has selected these children for the 18-day Sadbhavna Yatra (goodwill- cum-educational tour), which will enable them to venture outside the Jammu and Kashmir state for the first time.

Bakarwals are nomads of Jammu and Kashmir whose sole means of livelihood is rearing livestock of sheep.

The group started off its tour from Srinagar on Friday (Aug. 1). This tour includes visiting different states in north India and experiencing the diverse colourful culture of India.

Srinagar, Aug 4 : Though good rainfall coupled with moderate temperatures this year yielded a bumper crop, the fruit industry of Kashmir worried as they are not able to send the fruits to markets as agitators are blocking the Srinagar-Jammu Highway in Jammu in a protest against the revocation of land allotted to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

Horticulture is the second biggest industry in the valley and most of the produce is marketed outside the valley. The shutdown has lead to a major loss in fruit industry.

According to the growers, they have incurred losses in millions due to the ongoing protests in the valley.

Srinagar/Jammu, Aug 4 : Five towns in Jammu region are now under curfew, even as security forces brace for strike on Monday called by a breakaway faction of the Hurriyat Conference.

Curfew was extended in Jammu and Samba Districts for the third consecutive day on Monday with the army patrolling the streets and staging a flag march at different places as the unrest over the Amarnath lland transfer row spread to Srinagar.

Curfew has also been imposed in Badarwah town of Doda District following tension in the area. Udhampur town also remains under curfew.

In Jammu, the curfew was relaxed for three hours from 5 a. m. to 8 a. m. on Mondy.