A wall of water and mud crashed through a popular trekking and pilgrimage region in Nepal and across the border into Tibet, killing at least 100 people and leaving hundreds more missing, officials said Monday. The devastating flash floods and mudslides swept away buildings, roads and bridges in the mountainous region. Among the missing are more than 100 tourists from India, 54 from the United States, 33 from the United Kingdom and over 100 Nepali nationals, according to the Nepal Tourist Board. “My family was swept away in front of me,” a woman told local media, saying she and her…
Author: KO Web Desk
At least six people, among them two women, lost their lives, and three others sustained injuries after a vehicle skidded off the roadway and plunged into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Wednesday, according to official sources. The tragic incident occurred in the Sheldhar locality of Surankote. Authorities reported that a child is among the wounded and is said to be in critical condition. Poonch Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma confirmed the mishap, stating, “A tragic accident took place this evening, leading to the immediate death of six individuals and leaving three others hurt.” He added that…
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari has warned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to roll back a recent power tariff hike, invoking the departure of Omar’s father, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, from the region during the insurgency of the 1990s. Speaking at a rally in Srinagar’s Nishat area, Bukhari demanded that the government revoke the 6.83% increase in electricity tariffs and warned of public backlash if the decision was not reversed. “Take this order back. I am speaking decently. If we rise, even India cannot save you. Ask your father. Was India able to save him in 1990?”…
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah hit back at party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi over his recent statements, asking him to resign from the Lok Sabha and return to the electorate if he believes his victory was secured on the strength of his personal support. Reacting to Ruhullah’s public positions, Abdullah said the Srinagar MP was free to raise issues such as restoration of Article 370 in Parliament, but questioned his approach to the matter. “If he thinks Article 370 can be restored, he should take up the issue in Parliament,” Abdullah said. The NC chief also challenged Ruhullah to…
Jammu and Kashmir’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has reopened its investigation into the 1998 killing of 23 Kashmiri Pandits in the village of Wandhama, as authorities revisit a series of unresolved militant-era attacks, officials familiar with the development said. Heavily armed gunmen entered homes in Wandhama in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Jan. 25, 1998, and shot dead 23 Kashmiri Pandits, including nine women and four children. The case remained unresolved for nearly three decades. Investigators have recently carried out searches at multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley and are pursuing fresh leads to identify militants and people suspected of…
India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, who also holds the position of India’s Special Representative on the border issue, landed in Beijing on Monday for a two-day official trip. His visit, made at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, is primarily aimed at participating in the 25th round of the Special Representatives’ dialogue focused on the India-China boundary dispute. As per a release from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Doval and Wang Yi—who serves as China’s Special Representative, are set to conduct this latest round of boundary talks on Tuesday. During his time in the Chinese capital,…
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party on Monday held separate protests in Srinagar against the recently approved increase in electricity tariff in Jammu and Kashmir. The PDP staged a protest at its party headquarters in Srinagar, where party workers and leaders carrying banners and placards raised slogans against the National Conference-led government over the tariff hike. The protesters accused the government of burdening consumers with higher electricity charges and questioned the decision to increase tariffs despite the National Conference having made promises regarding free electricity during the election campaign. At the Press Enclave in Srinagar,…
A new threat letter targeting Kashmiri Pandits working in the Kashmir Valley has surfaced, naming several members of the community and revealing detailed information about their residences, raising fresh security concerns, officials and media reports said on Monday. The communication, which emerged nearly two weeks after a similar warning was circulated online, names around six Kashmiri Pandits and includes details such as their house numbers and street names in different parts of Jammu, according to The Indian Express. The individuals were described in the letter as “white collar terrorists” and “traitors” allegedly working for their “masters” in Delhi. Security agencies…
Enforcement Directorate has booked suspended Jammu and Kashmir police inspector Vijay Choudhary, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, in a money laundering case linked to allegations that he amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The action follows an earlier case registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau against Vijay Choudhary over allegations of possessing assets beyond his known income. The Enforcement Directorate booked him on Friday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, alleging that he possessed several benami assets. Vijay Choudhary is currently under suspension from the police service. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder…
Electricity consumers in Jammu and Kashmir will pay higher tariffs from September 1 after the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) approved an average 6.83% increase for the 2026-27 financial year, adding to political pressure on the regional government over its unfulfilled promise of 200 units of free electricity. The revised tariffs will apply to bills for electricity consumed from September 1, according to an order issued by the regulator. The commission said the tariff increase was necessary to partially address a revenue gap faced by Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) and Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (KPDCL), but limited…