Year: 2026

Kashmir Women Safety Crisis: Rape Cases Raise Questions on Justice & Society

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Kashmir Women Safety Crisis: Rape Cases Raise Questions on Justice & Society

Kashmir’s Women Safety Crisis: Two Rape Cases Raise Hard Questions About Justice, Society and Youth By: Javid Amin | 13 Aug 2026 Srinagar: Two disturbing sexual-violence cases in Kashmir have once again forced a difficult question into public conversation: how effectively is society protecting women and children, and what happens after a crime is committed? The question is not only about the accused or the police investigation. It is also about the environment in which sexual violence occurs, the support available to survivors, the speed with which institutions respond, the…

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5.5-Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Leh: Ladakh Gets Another Reminder of Its Seismic Vulnerability

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5.5-Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Leh - Ladakh Gets Another Reminder of Its Seismic Vulnerability

5.5-Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Leh, Ladakh: No Major Damage Reported By: News Desk | 13 Aug 2026 A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Leh in Ladakh early Thursday morning, August 13, sending residents rushing out of homes and buildings. No casualties or major structural damage were reported in the immediate aftermath, but the shallow earthquake has once again highlighted the seismic vulnerability of the fragile Himalayan region. According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred at 6:05:15 am IST at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres. The recorded coordinates were…

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BJP Suspends Pulwama Chief After Extortion FIR: ₹5 Lakh Demand, PSA Threat Alleged

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BJP Suspends Pulwama Chief After Extortion FIR: ₹5 Lakh Demand, PSA Threat Alleged

BJP Suspends Pulwama District President After Extortion FIR: What the Complaint Alleges By: News Desk | 11 Aug 2026 Srinagar, August 12, 2026: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has suspended its Pulwama district president, Er. Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi, after Jammu and Kashmir Police registered an FIR against him in connection with allegations of extortion, criminal intimidation and obstruction of work. The BJP’s action came shortly after the police case was registered, placing Andrabi under suspension from all organisational posts and responsibilities, including his position…

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Jharkhand Exam Row Explodes: Students Clash With Police Outside Assembly as Recruitment Crisis Deepens

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Jharkhand Exam Row Explodes: Students Clash With Police Outside Assembly as Recruitment Crisis Deepens

Jharkhand Exam Protest Turns Violent in Ranchi as Job Aspirants Clash With Police By: News Desk | 11 Aug 2026 Ranchi: A prolonged student agitation over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations reached a dramatic flashpoint this week when thousands of job aspirants marched towards the state Assembly in Ranchi and police used water cannons, tear gas and baton action to stop them from crossing security barricades. The confrontation on August 10 came as the agitation entered its 17th day, turning what began as a recruitment-exam dispute into a major…

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Kashmir’s Tourism Boom Looks Record-Breaking. So Why Are Locals Falling Behind?

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Kashmir's Tourism Boom Looks Record-Breaking. So Why Are Locals Falling Behind?

Kashmir’s Tourism Rollercoaster: A Record Boom, a Devastating Crash, and a Recovery That Still Isn’t Reaching Locals By: Javid Amin | 12 Aug 2026 In 2024, Kashmir logged more tourists than ever before. In 2025, that number collapsed by nearly a quarter after the Pahalgam attack. In 2026, arrivals are slowly climbing back — but ask a houseboat owner or a local travel agent, and the boom-bust-rebound cycle looks less like a rollercoaster and more like proof of exactly who the system was never built to protect. Srinagar — Two…

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Omar Abdullah Puts J&K Cabinet Expansion on Hold Until August 15: What the Delay Means for NC Government

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Omar Abdullah Puts J&K Cabinet Expansion on Hold Until August 15: What the Delay Means for NC Government

Omar Abdullah Draws a Line at August 15 as Cabinet Expansion Speculation Intensifies By: News Desk | 10 Aug 2026 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has ruled out a cabinet expansion before Independence Day, effectively putting an immediate pause on months of political speculation over the induction of new ministers and a possible reshuffle of portfolios. The decision comes at a politically sensitive moment for the National Conference-led government. For months, the question of cabinet expansion has remained one of the most closely watched internal issues within the…

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‘Political Orphans’: Kashmiri Pandits Demand Representation, Return Roadmap and an End to Electoral Neglect

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‘Political Orphans’: Kashmiri Pandits Demand Representation, Return Roadmap and an End to Electoral Neglect

  ‘Used by Everyone, Represented by None’: Why Kashmiri Pandits Say They Have Become Political Orphans By: News Desk | 10 Aug 2026 Jammu: For a community that has spent more than three decades away from its ancestral homes, the question is no longer simply whether Kashmiri Pandits will return to the Valley. Increasingly, community leaders are asking a second, equally consequential question: Who speaks for them politically? At Jagti township and other migrant settlements, Kashmiri Pandit representatives have revived a familiar but increasingly pointed description of their political condition:…

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Dalai Lama Returns to Ladakh’s Devachan Campus After 32 Years, Completing a Spiritual Circle in Leh

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Dalai Lama Returns to Ladakh’s Devachan Campus After 32 Years, Completing a Spiritual Circle in Leh

Dalai Lama’s 32-Year Return to Devachan: Why His Leh Visit Matters By: News Desk | 09 Aug 2026 Leh, Ladakh: Some journeys are measured not only by distance, but by the years between two moments. For the 14th Dalai Lama, his return to the Devachan Campus of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC) in Leh on August 9, 2026, carried precisely that sense of history. Thirty-two years after he first visited the campus in 1994 and inaugurated and blessed it when the institution was still in its formative stage, the…

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Parade Sabzi Mandi Demolition: Jammu’s Old Market Faces a New Future, But Traders Fear Losing Their Livelihoods

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Parade Sabzi Mandi Demolition: Jammu’s Old Market Faces a New Future, But Traders Fear Losing Their Livelihoods

Jammu’s Parade Sabzi Mandi Demolition Sparks Trader Anger Over ₹5.88 Crore Redevelopment By: News Desk | 09 Aug 2026 JAMMU: The demolition of shops at the historic Parade Sabzi Mandi has brought an old question back into sharp focus: when a city modernises its markets, what happens to the people whose livelihoods are built around them? A demolition drive at the Jammu market has triggered anger among traders, who allege that shops were removed without adequate prior notice, rehabilitation arrangements or clarity over their future vending space. The action comes…

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Manasbal Lake Pollution Crisis: Sewage, Faecal Contamination and a Growing Threat to Kashmir’s Wetland

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Manasbal Lake Pollution Crisis: Sewage, Faecal Contamination and a Growing Threat to Kashmir’s Wetland

Manasbal Lake Pollution Crisis: Kashmir’s “Lake of Lotus” Faces a Troubling Future By: Javid Amin | 08 Aug 2026 Manasbal Lake, one of Kashmir’s most distinctive freshwater wetlands, is facing renewed scrutiny over sewage, waste and declining water quality. The concern has now reached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which in January 2026 directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (J&KPCC) to assess the current condition of the Manasbal wetland and identify the sources of pollutants entering it. The tribunal’s intervention followed…

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