REGIONAL

A severe hailstorm wreaked havoc in various south Kashmir area on Sunday evening, causing extensive damage to apple orchards and vegetable crops. Kaprin, and Kanjiullar areas of Shopian were among the hardest-hit areas. In Kulgam, several areas including Daderkoot, Behibag and several villages in Damhal belt suffered damage during the hailstorm. The hailstorm severely impacted the agricultural sector, resulting in significant losses for local farmers who heavily depend on apple orchards.

The Government Medical College (GMC) associated hospital in Baramulla is grappling with a severe shortage of staff, along with the unavailability of essential MRI and Cath Lab facilities. Official sources revealed to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that around 100 positions are vacant at GMC-associated Baramulla, significantly hindering the hospital's day-to-day operations. They said that out of the 228 sanctioned positions, only 131 are currently occupied, leaving 97 posts across gazetted, non-gazetted, and Class IV categories unoccupied. Among these vacancies, there are 23 gazetted posts, 62 non-gazetted posts, and 12 Class IV positions. The shortage of staff is adversely affecting the hospital’s ability to maintain daily operations, causing inconvenience for both pa...

Tragedy struck in South Kashmir's Pulwama district when a man lost his life after a repairing machine fell on him in a cold storage facility. An official told News Agency Kashmir Scroll that the unfortunate incident took place at the Go Fresh cold store, where Sheikh Muzaffar Ahmad, son of Sheikh Gh. Hassan a resident of Chakoora, was engaged in repairing a machine. He said Muzaffar suffered critical injuries as the machine toppled over him during the repair work. Immediate medical assistance was sought, and he was rushed to Pulwama Hospital without delay. Unfortunately, the doctors at the hospital had to declare him dead upon his arrival. An official told Kashmir Scroll that police have initiated inquest proceedings under section 174.(KS)

Two Kashmiri journalists have figured among the Finalists of Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism Awards 2023, in the best category of text reporting. The Human Rights & Religious Freedom Journalism Awards is a project of the Indian American Muslim Council. The Indian American Muslim Council, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, today announced the winners of the annual Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism Awards at the IAMC National Convention 2023 in Dallas, Texas. Extraordinary and in-depth reporting covering the systematic targeting of religious minorities, the Hijab ban, and the weaponization of technology against Muslim women were among the stories that earned top honors at the award cer...

Renowned author and poet, Ghulam Nabi Khayal, who was a recipient of the Sahitya Academy award, passed away on a Sunday. Khayal, celebrated for his work "Gashik Minaar," breathed his last in the morning, as reported. He was known for his extensive contributions to literature in English, Urdu, and Kashmiri, including a highly praised Kashmiri translation of Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat. People from diverse backgrounds have expressed their condolences over his demise.

Railway authorities have announced the launch of a special train service from Budgam to Banhal in the coming days. A railway official told News Agency Kashmir Scroll that this decision has been taken to facilitate the passengers travelling between these two destinations and to provide them with a comfortable and hassle-free travel experience. The official said, the train will stop at various stations along the route, including Srinagar, Awantipora, Anantnag, Qazigund and Banihal. He said the introduction of this special train service will not only help in reducing the travel time but will also benefit the commuters in terms of cost and convenience. What's more, the train will also have an AC chair car coach for the passengers he added. The officer said that this move is expe...

A man was injured after being stabbed in Jawahar Nagar area of Srinagar late Saturday evening, officials said here. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the man identified as Sahil Ahmad Dar of Solina was injured after being attacked by an unknown person near DAV School Jawahar Nagar. He said that the injured person was shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and started further investigation—(KNO)

A local court in Srinagar on Saturday granted interim bail to suspended DySP Adil Mushtaq Sheikh in a case registered against him in police station Nowgam. News Agency KDC reported that the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Srinagar granted an interim bail to suspended DySp Adil Mushtaq Sheikh who was arrested on charges of corruption, extortion, and fraud, from October 14 to October 21. Counsel for the accused, Advocate Farooq Ahmad Kathwari said that an interim bail has been granted on surety of 50 thousand rupees. “One DySP of 17th IRP namely Adil Mushtaq arrested in FIR no 149/2023 u/s 7, 7A of Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 167, 193, 201, 210, 218, 221 of IPC of Nowgam PS,” Srinagar police posted on X (Formerly Twitter). Earlier, the Government in an order ...

Two persons were killed after a truck they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge on Zojila Pass in cental Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Saturday. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the truck that was on way from Kargil to Sonamarg skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge near Mandir Mode on Zojila. He said that in the accident two persons died and their bodies were recovered by rescue teams. He added that police have taken cognisance of the incident—(KNO)

As the carbon emission continues to increase, the melting of glaciers has gained a pace in Jammu Kashmir while as the experts assert that the Union Territory has lost nearly “30 per cent of glaciers in the past 60 years and warned that 70 per cent of them will recee by the end of this century if the prevailing pace continues.” Reports have suggested that the melting of glaciers will lead to water scarcity in the near future. However, the experts stated that becoming carbon neutral was the only solution to preserve glaciers. “There are 18000 glaciers in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, but all of them are melting. The glaciers are melting in the entire Himalaya including J&K. In the past couple of years, the melting of glaciers has increased. The record melting of glaciers was witnessed...