Greater Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 26:The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK), Valleys apex industrial chamber, has filed a comprehensive review petition before the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) against Order No 06 of 2026 dated August 20, seeking reconsideration of the enhanced power tariff imposed on existing industrial consumers and interim protection pending disposal of the petition. In a 17-page detailed petition, FCIK has challenged what it described as the central anomaly in t

Srinagar, Aug 26:The Jammu and Kashmir government is considering a new framework to identify government-owned land and buildings in urban areas, assess their utilisation and explore ways to generate revenue from unused or underused properties. The proposal is contained in the draft Urban Asset Mapping and Monetisation Policy prepared by the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD). The government has invited suggestions and feedback before finalising the policy. Under the proposed framewo

Srinagar, Aug 26:Jammu and Kashmirs growing competition for government employment is reflected in the latest recruitment figures of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC), which received 94,546 applications against 960 posts advertised during 2025-26. The figures mean that, on a simple application-to-post calculation, the Commission received an average of 98.5 applications for every post advertised during the year, or nearly 99 applications for one post. The scale of competition

Srinagar, Aug 26:Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said advanced care must become a right, not a privilege. Addressing the Quaternary Healthcare and Research Summit in Srinagar, LG Sinha emphasised that the summit marks a turning point in Jammu and Kashmir and Indias healthcare journey, where J&K and the nation must move beyond tertiary care and embrace quaternary-level treatment and research to ensure equal access for all citizens. Recalling his visit to Akhnoor during the 'Back to V

Shopian, Aug 26:The Mughal Road, touted as an alternative link between Kashmir and the Jammu region, has faced repeated disruptions this summer due to cloudbursts and landslides, raising questions over its reliability as an all-weather route. On August 5, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah travelled to Rajouri and Poonch through the historic road and later described its condition as worse than the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which had itself been battered by torrential rain and landslides. The Mu

Srinagar, Aug 26:Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in Surankote, Poonch accident. In a post on X, the Lieutenant Governor wrote: Pained by the loss of lives in a tragic road accident in Poonch. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Have directed the District Administration to ensure immediate assistance is provided to those affected. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also expre

Srinagar, Aug 26: Several houses were damaged in a massive fire incident in the Watal Kadal area of the summer capital on Wednesday, officials said. The blaze engulfed at least seven houses in the congested locality, they said. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control. Seven houses were directly involved in the fire and suffered damage, while two houses received minor damage due to heat, smoke and water. The cause of the fire is being ascertained, the official

Srinagar, Aug 26: A NITI Aayog delegation led by its member M Srinivas on Wednesday stressed the need to improve educational outcomes and infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. The delegation made the observation during a meeting with J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha here. The delegation highlighted the need to further improve educational outcomes and infrastructure, strengthen industry-academia linkages and employment opportunities, address human-resource and infrastructure gaps in the health

New Delhi, Aug 26: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday said the judiciarys governing principle is that artificial intelligence may augment judicial reasoning, but it cannot substitute judicial conscience, and that a permanent apex body has been proposed to supervise the adoption and accountability of the new technology. Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Ulrich Herrmann, the presiding judge of the Federal Court of Justice at Karlsruhe in Germany, CJI Kant said that artificial intell

Kathmandu, Aug 26: At least 105 Indians are among the nearly 400 persons missing after the devastating flash floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district bordering Tibet on Wednesday. A sudden, massive flood swept through two central Nepal districts bordering Tibet killing four people, causing extensive devastation at settlements along the river and damaging at least a dozen hydropower projects early Wednesday. The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9 am (local time) coming from the Tibet

Srinagar, Aug 26: Police have achieved a major breakthrough in a series of gold ornament theft and snatching cases reported in and around Sopore town, arresting two persons, including an alleged receiver of stolen property, and recovering seven pairs of gold earrings, officials said on Wednesday. In a press statement, an official spokesperson said that during investigation of case FIR No. 192/2026 under Section 309(4) BNS, registered at Police Station Sopore after a woman from Seelo reported tha

Srinagar, Aug 26: Police on Wednesday attached a two-storey residential house in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The action was taken against Noor Mohd Dar, son of Mohammad Ismail Dar and a resident of Hapatnar in Charar-i-Shareif, under Section 68-F(1) of the NDPS Act, a police spokesperson said. The attachment is linked to a case registered under Section 8/15 of the NDPS Act at Charar-i-Shareif Police Stati

Srinagar, Aug 26: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday called for making advanced healthcare accessible beyond major cities and specialised institutions, saying the country must bridge the gap between what modern medicine can provide and what is actually available to people in smaller districts and remote areas. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the National Summit on Quaternary Healthcare: A National Strategy for Advanced Care at SKICC Srinagar, Sinha said the challenge of providing

Srinagar, Aug 26: Two persons accused in separate POCSO cases, who had escaped from Srinagars Central Jail, were arrested by police after three days, officials said on Wednesday. A senior police official told the news agencyKashmir News Observer (KNO) that the accused had escaped from the jail on August 23, with police soon launching an operation to arrest them. The accused have been identified as Mukhtar Ahmad Gujjar, son of Mohammad Rafiq Gujjar, a resident of Sanglan Chittergul, Anantnag, and

Islamabad, Aug 26: At least 15 infants were killed on Wednesday after a fire broke out in a gynaecology ward of a major hospital in Pakistan's capital Islamabad. The fire incident occurred at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the largest and well-equipped public hospital in the capital. Geo News reported that 15 babies died in the inferno. However, there was no official confirmation of the casualties. PIMS Spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil told the Dawn newspaper that 15 babies were

United Nations, Aug 26: India has called on the international community to work collectively to safeguard critical sea lanes, emphasising that secure and predictable maritime trade routes are indispensable for uninterrupted movement of food, fertilisers and fuel. Food insecurity remains one of the gravest humanitarian consequences of armed conflict. Todays conflicts increasingly generate ripple effects far beyond the immediate theatre of hostilities, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Amb

Imran Khan is back in the pavilion. But this time, the pavilion is not the cricket ground where he once scored fours, sixes and centuries before lifting the World Cup for Pakistan and becoming a national hero. It is Adiala Jail, where Pakistans former Prime Minister was returned after being taken out for what has become a deeply questionable medical episode. On August 18, Pakistans Supreme Court ordered that Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated since 2023, be transferred to Shifa Hospital for m

Every year, thousands of people travel on the highways of Jammu and Kashmir. Students travel to colleges, patients go to hospitals, tourists visit the beautiful valleys, and trucks carry food, medicines, fuel, and other essential supplies. These highways are the lifelines of the Union Territory. But during the rainy season, a single landslide can bring everything to a halt. Hundreds of vehicles remain stranded for hours or even days, people suffer, businesses lose money, and sometimes innocent l

New Delhi, Aug 24: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said three fugitive gangsters linked to the Bambiha Gang, wanted for multiple crimes including cross-border arms and narco-trafficking, have been deported from Malaysia. Indian agencies have facilitated the deportation of 51 hardened criminals in 2026 alone. In a message on 'X', his office posted, Indian agencies got three absconding Indian gangsters apprehended in Malaysia, deported them to India, and sent them to police custody. The fu

Srinagar, Aug 24: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of the Crime Branch J&K has arrested a man accused of allegedly cheating several people of around Rs 2 crore through a fraudulent investment scheme, officials said today. The accused, identified as Junaid Ul Islam, son of Nazir Ahmad Baba, a resident of Alamdar Colony, Phase 1, Charar-e-Sharief, Budgam, was arrested from Mangammanapalya in Bengaluru, they said. The arrest was carried out in compliance with the orders of the Court of the

Dubai, Aug 24: Iran's currency hit a new record low Monday, with the rial dropping to 2.02 million to the US dollar as markets opened, as the economy has been battered by ongoing sanctions and an American naval blockade. The drop on Iran's informal currency markets came as Washington prepared to announce even more extensive sanctions that it said would be an economic D-Day and would add further pressure. The currency had already been under pressure before the US and Israel attacked Iran on Febru

Kashmiri public policy scholar Arhan Bagati has been appointed a Research Fellow at the Harvard Center for International Development (CID), from August, 2026. Bagati, a Master in Public Policy graduate from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, will undertake development-focused research at CID, particularly on Kashmir and its unique development challenges. The appointment places a Kashmiri researcher within one of Harvards leading centres concentrating on advancing resea

Ramban, Aug 24: Three families comprising 10 members were evacuated as a precautionary measure after land subsidence and cracks in residential houses were reported in a village in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday. The land subsidence at Kulthi Chakka Kundi in Tehsil Rajgarh, along the banks of the Chenab River, triggered panic among the local villagers, particularly in the wake of recent heavy rains that have affected several areas of the district, they said. Admini

New Delhi, Aug 24: Delhi Police has busted a fake airline job racket with the arrest of six people, an official said on Monday. The accused were involved in allegedly duping job seekers on the pretext of providing them employment in airlines, he said, adding that the police are probing the network and the extent of the fraud. Further details will be shared in a press conference awaited.

Islamabad, Aug 24: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party has condemned what it called the continued failure of authorities at a state-run hospital after the CT Coronary Angiography (CTA) was not conducted on him despite cardiologists complaining about potential risks of cardiac complications. In a statement on Sunday, Central Secretary Information of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Sheikh Waqas Akram, said the authorities had failed to provide 73-year-old Khan with a medically re

Kangan, Aug 24: The body of an 11- year-old boy was retrieved from Nallah Sindh in Ganderbal following an intensive two-day joint search and rescue operation. The deceased has been identified as Mohsin Ahmad a resident of Bamloora area of Ganderbal. The incident occurred when Mohsin reportedly slipped and was swept away by fast-flowing currents while taking a bath in Nallah Sindh near Qamaria park Ganderbal on Sunday. Alarmed onlookers immediately alerted local authorities after he failed to su

New Delhi, Aug 22: For Delhiites, the health cost of breathing polluted air may go beyond coughing, breathlessness and heart problems, with a Delhi University review suggesting that prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) could also affect the brain. Studies reviewed by DU professors have linked long-term exposure to particulate matter with changes in brain structure, memory, attention and other cognitive functions. Researchers said PM2.5 can trigger inflammation and oxidative stre

Srinagar, Aug 24: A fresh threat letter purportedly targeting Kashmiri Pandit families has raised security concerns, with the communication naming individuals, listing personal details and warning those associated with the return and rehabilitation of displaced families in Jammu and Kashmir. The contents of the letter suggest an attempt to intimidate families who have rebuilt their lives outside the Valley, reported News 18. Personal details published in threat What has particularly alarmed secu

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Monday to take part in the India-China Special Representatives (SR) talks on the boundary issue with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Doval and Wang are scheduled to hold the 25th round of SR talks on Tuesday, according to official sources. Both Doval and Wang are the designated SRs for the boundary talks mechanism, which was established in 2003 to comprehensively address the vexed boundary dispute of the India-China borde

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised Indias growing space startup ecosystem, saying consistent government policies had helped create confidence among entrepreneurs and investors and urging the country to attract talent from across the world. Interacting with CEOs of space startups, PM Modi said the governments effort had been to build trust by ensuring that policy decisions remained consistent. You have shown courage in a new field. The most important thing is that you trusted the gove

The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Kashmir, has appointed Hardeep Singh Dutta as its District Convenor for Baramulla as part of its efforts to strengthen its grassroots presence and expand its engagement with the business community across the Kashmir Valley. The appointment was announced by PHDCCI Kashmir Chairman A.P. Vicky Shaw in the presence of Co-Chair Javaid Anim. In his new role, Dutta will lead the Chambers outreach and membership initiatives in Baramulla and facilitate g

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has expressed serious concern and strong resentment over the recently announced 6.83 per cent hike in power tariffs by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), terming the decision insensitive and ill-timed given the prevailing economic situation in Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement, the Chamber said the economy of Jammu and Kashmir is already passing through a challenging phase, with businesses across sectors facing weak demand, ris

The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha graced the valedictory function of the Induction & Orientation Programme at IIM Rohtak and addressed the 8th batch of the Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) and the 6th batch of the Integrated Programme in Law (IPL). The Lieutenant Governor highlighted the institutes pioneering initiatives in sports management, its commitment to gender diversity, 100% placements, and outreach programmes such as skill development for the daughters of UT of Jammu Kashmir

For Muhammad Ramzan Kumar and his wife, both in their 80s, a clay pot still finds its way out of a small workshop in Baramulla district. While the clay wheel has outlasted markets, modernisation has taken over houses, Kumar and his wife are carrying forward the age-old tradition. For decades together, Muhammad Ramzan Kumar, a resident of Wagoora village, moulded clay with his hands while his wife walked almost every street and village not only for the survival but to keep the tradition alive. At

Sagam (Anantnag), Aug 23: When Kashmirs famed aromatic rice MushkBudji fetched Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 a quintal, Jalaluddin Sheikh kept expanding his fields. The 59-year-old farmer from Danwethpora started with 2 kanal in 2017 and expanded to 7 kanal by 2024.This year, he planted conventional rice instead. I am unable to sell even last years stock, so I decided not to cultivate MushkBudji this year. I will stick to conventional rice instead, Sheikh said. His decision is being repeated across Sag

Ramban, Aug 23:The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open for regulated two-way traffic on Sunday, even as fresh rainfall triggered a mudslide on the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway and slowed vehicular movement at several vulnerable stretches in Udhampur and Ramban districts. Traffic movement on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained slow at Dewal in Udhampur and along the Maroog-Kishtwari Pather stretch in Ramban amid ongoing restoration, construction and road improvement works. At D

Srinagar, Aug 23:Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, on Sunday said the youth of Jammu and Kashmir are highly aspirational and keen to become part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led India's growth story, calling for stronger grassroots engagement with people across Kashmir. Addressing the BJP J&K office bearers meeting at Nowgam, Srinagar, Singh said J&K was witnessing a changing environment, with normal life being restored

Srinagar, Aug 23:Nearly eight years after it was first announced, the completion of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Awantipora Pulwama remains mired by mysterious deadlines. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently had his fingers crossed over a single operational block by the end of 2026, while the Centre told the Parliament that the project is 78 percent complete. CM, while speaking to reporters on Thursday, on the sidelines of the inauguration of a new abattoir project in Aluc

Srinagar, Aug 23:The latest revision in electricity tariffs is set to raise the principal energy charges for industrial consumers in Jammu and Kashmir by nearly 10 percent, adding to the cost pressures confronting manufacturers at a time when the government is working on measures to revive existing industrial units. The increase is significantly higher than the 6.83 percent average tariff revision announced by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC). The revised tariff, approved throu

Srinagar, Aug 23:The Jammu and Kashmir power distribution utilities are staring at a combined revenue gap of Rs 2922.85 crore for 2026-27 under the existing tariff structure, with the government subsidy accounting for the bulk of the shortfall, according to the latest tariff order of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC). The Commission has approved a combined Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR) of Rs 10,275.72 crore for Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) and Kashm

Conakry (Guinea), Aug 23: Amountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea's capital Conakry early Sunday killing 30 people, according to an updated toll released by the central government. Authorities said heavy rains, which started at around 2 am washed over the refuse at Dar Es Salam, triggering a landslide that buried nearby shacks. A search and rescue operation was underway to find survivors. Six people were seriously injured and several homes were destroyed. The site

New Delhi, Aug 23: Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar are among 21 former international captains who have appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for proper medical treatment and welfare of jailed former Prime Minister and World Cup winning captain Imran Khan. The move has been initiated by former Australia captain Greg Chappell and marks the second letter by former international captains seeking humane treatment and proper medical care for the 73-yea

Ganderbal, Aug 23: A young boy is feared drowned in the Nallah Sindh in central Kashmirs Ganderbal district on Sunday. Locals said that a young boy from Bamloora area of Ganderbal is feared drowned in nallah Sindh opposite to Qamaria park after he reportedly was taking a bath. Soon after the Police received the information a search and rescue operation has been launched by Police, SDRF and locals. Meanwhile, police has initiated an investigation to know actual, circumstances leading to the incid

Srinagar, Aug 23: Two undertrial prisoners facing charges under POCSO Act have escaped from Central Jail Srinagar, prompting police to issue lookout notices. Kashmir Zone Police, in a post on X, as per GNS identified the escapees as Mukhtar Ahmad Gujjar and Farman Khan. As per police, Mukhtar Ahmad Gujjar, S/o Mohammad Rafiq Gujjar, R/o Sanglan Chittergul, Anantnag, is accused in FIR No. 20/2026 U/S 137(2), 65(1) BNS and 3/4 POCSO Act registered at Police Station Soura. The second accused, Farma

Sopore, Aug 23: Panic and concern have gripped residents of Upper Ashpir in Sopore following reported sightings of a leopard in the vicinity of the Open Air Gym Park. According to a public notice issued by the Municipal Council Sopore, residents have reported observing leopard movement around the park since yesterday. Taking the reports seriously, the Wildlife Department has initiated an investigation to ascertain the presence and movement of the wild animal in the area. Authorities are monitori

Srinagar, Aug 23: Senior National Conference leader and Member of Parliament, Mian Altaf Ahmed, has expressed deep anguish and outrage over the tragic death of a minor school girl in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district. Demanding immediate intervention from the administration, Mian Altaf called for a comprehensive, time-bound investigation and a fast-track trial to ensure swift justice for the victims family. Terming the incident horrifying and an unpardonable violation of human trust, Mian Al