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Mehbooba seeks withdrawal of travel advisory against visiting Kashmir ahead of US envoy’s valley visit

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Mehbooba seeks withdrawal of travel advisory against visiting Kashmir ahead of US envoy’s valley visit

Srinagar, Aug 19: Ahead of the scheduled visit of US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor to the Valley, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday flagged the highest-level travel advisory against visiting Kashmir, saying the least the Ambassador can do is review and withdraw the advisory, which is adversely affecting the region’s tourism-dependent families.

“For Kashmir, where thousands of families depend on tourism, the travel advisory  on Kashmir is more than a warning , it is a wall between Kashmir and the world,” the former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said.

Mehbooba said the withdrawal of the policy would send a powerful message of confidence, help bring back international tourists and give much needed relief to countless families whose livelihoods depend on tourism.

In a post on X, Mehbooba wrote, “The least the US Ambassador Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia can do is review and withdraw the highest level travel advisory against visiting Kashmir. For Kashmir, where thousands of families depend on tourism, the travel advisory  on Kashmir is more than a warning , it is a wall between Kashmir and the world.”

“Lifting it would send a powerful message of confidence, help bring back international tourists and give much needed relief to countless families whose livelihoods depend on tourism,” she concluded.

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Vehicle falls into gorge in J-K’s Reasi; three killed

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Vehicle falls into gorge in J-K’s Reasi; three killed

Jammu, Aug 19: Three members of a family were killed, and two others injured after a vehicle skidded off a hilly road and plunged into a gorge in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred near Panasa village late Tuesday night when the driver of a an SUV lost control while negotiating a curve en route from Thanole to Thub village.

They said Prem Singh (50), his wife Turi Devi (45), and mother-in-law Durgi Devi (70) were found dead by rescuers, who retrieved their bodies from the wreckage.

Two other passengers travelling in the vehicle managed to jump out before it plunged into the gorge and sustained injuries, the officials said, adding the injured were shifted to a hospital where their condition was stated to be stable.

In another accident, six persons were injured late Tuesday night when a cab veered off the road and landed in roadside fields at Gundha village in the Khawas area of Rajouri district.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital, the officials said.

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CM Omar ahead of meeting US Envoy

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CM Omar ahead of meeting US Envoy

Srinagar, Aug 19: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir have to be resolved by the Centre and not by Washington, as he ruled out raising any grievances with the US Ambassador during their scheduled meeting.

US Envoy Sergio Gor is set to arrive today on his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir. He is scheduled to meet Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. 

Speaking with reporters CM Omar said he would discuss Jammu and Kashmir and the situation in the region with the US envoy but would neither complain nor seek solutions to the issues from him.

He said the meeting with the ambassador will be taking place after a long gap and that he looked forward to the interaction.

“I would prefer to listen to him more, but he is also coming to listen. Let us see what kind of discussion takes place,” he said.

The Chief Minister conducted an early-morning tour of Srinagar, during which he reviewed several developmental projects.

He said most of the projects reviewed during the tour were progressing satisfactorily, while some required an additional push from the administration.

Meanwhile, responding to a query on allegations of corruption in appointments by the BJP, Omar said the police, Crime Branch and Anti-Corruption Bureau were not under his control.

“If corruption has actually taken place, an investigation should be conducted, a case registered and action taken against those responsible,” he said. —(KNO)

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Govt takedowns of online content surge

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Govt takedowns of online content surge

Government directions to restrict online content witnessed a dramatic surge between March and July this year, with nearly 1.95 lakh blocking orders sent to Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, according to data accessed by The Indian Express.

The figures mean that, on average, one blocking order was issued every 68 seconds, or nearly 1,275 orders every day. The sharp rise assumes significance as the period coincided with the students’ protests against examination leaks at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which began in June and continued until July 25.

Instagram received the largest share, with nearly one lakh blocking orders, accounting for more than half of the total. Facebook received around 80,000 orders, while YouTube received nearly 15,000, reports Indian Express. 

Together, the two Meta-owned platforms: Instagram and Facebook accounted for roughly nine out of every 10 orders issued to the three companies. The orders, many of which were issued through the Home Ministry’s Sahyog portal, can cover hundreds of individual posts, pieces of content or accounts.

The scale of the increase becomes clearer when compared with the previous year. RTI records obtained by The Indian Express showed that between October 2024 and October 2025, only 2,312 blocking orders were sent to 19 online platforms through Sahyog, an average of about six orders a day.

A senior government official told the Indian Express newspaper that a “considerable share” of the latest orders were issued during the student protests as they gathered momentum, particularly on Instagram.

The report said Meta has integrated its API (Application Programming Interface) with the Sahyog portal to meet the government’s requirement of removing flagged content within three hours.

Under the system, content identified through government directions uploaded on the portal can be automatically removed from Meta platforms without a separate human review by the company.

Digital rights activists have raised concerns over the arrangement, arguing that automated takedowns could leave little room for platforms to examine whether a particular government direction meets legal requirements.

Apar Gupta, advocate and founder-director of the Delhi-based Internet Freedom Foundation, said an automated system could turn a conditional legal obligation into automatic compliance. He questioned whether anyone at the platform checks the authority issuing an order, its legal basis or the reasons cited for the takedown.

According to information shared by users on social media, the restrictions appeared to affect several posts supporting the students’ protests, criticism of the government’s ethanol fuel-blending policy and content relating to the West Bengal Assembly elections, besides deepfakes and other material.

The surge in takedown orders also comes against the backdrop of tighter government rules. In February, the IT Ministry amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, reducing the compliance window for certain government-directed takedowns from the earlier 24-36 hours to just 2-3 hours. With India having more than 600 million social media users, the growing scale of government takedown requests has opened a wider debate over online regulation, freedom of expression and the safeguards needed before content is removed.

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Shares fall in Asia, with Kospi down 5.2%; oil prices jump

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Shares fall in Asia, with Kospi down 5.2%; oil prices jump

Bangkok, Aug 19: Shares slipped Wednesday in Asia after Wall Street pulled further from its all-time high as artificial-intelligence stocks resumed their decline.

South Korea’s Kospi led the regional retreat, dropping 5.2 per cent to 6,515.97. The two biggest companies benefiting from the AI boom tracked losses for their US rivals. Samsung Electronics shed 6.9 per cent, while memory chipmaker SK Hynix tumbled 7.9 per cent.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 sank 2.6 per cent to 65,703.78. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.4 per cent to 25,382.66, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 1.5 per cent to 3,927.70. Taiwan’s Taiex fell 1.4 per cent, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4 per cent to 9,083.70.

Apart from renewed jitters over criticism that AI-related stocks have shot too high, rising oil prices also were clouding market sentiment.

Crude prices have been swinging sharply due to uncertainty about when and whether the United States and Iran can reach a deal to allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf freely again. Brent was going for USD 72.87 per barrel just before the start of the war.

Brent crude, the international standard, surged 0.9 per cent to USD 91.83 per barrel. US benchmark crude oil gained 1 per cent to USD 84.88 per barrel

On Tuesday, Wall Street pulled further from its all-time high. The S&P 500 fell 0.7 per cent for a third straight modest loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.3 per cent.

Stocks that have been big winners in the boom around AI technology led the decline. They’ve been veering up and down this summer on worries that their prices have shot too high and that the strong demand for memory, processors and other building blocks of data centres may fizzle if AI proves less profitable than promised.

Micron Technology dropped 7 per cent, and the seller of computer memory was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500. So were chip companies Nvidia, which fell 2.3 per cent, and Broadcom, which sank 3.2 per cent.

Even with their recent swings, such stocks remain big winners, and Micron has more than tripled this year.

Bond yields have been another concern. They have jumped since the war began because high oil prices are pushing inflation higher. That adds to worries over huge debt loads for governments, while surging borrowing keeps yields high.

The yield on the 10-year US Treasury edged down to 4.70 per cent from 4.72 per cent late Monday but remains well above its 3.97 per cent level from just before the war with Iran began. The 30-year Treasury yield also ticked lower but is still near its highest level since 2007.

When bond yields are high, investors are less willing to pay high prices for stocks and other kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive.

High yields have already sent the average long-term US mortgage rate near its highest level in a year, which has hurt the housing industry. A report on Tuesday said homebuilders broke ground on fewer new houses last month than economists expected.

High yields could also slow borrowing by Big Tech companies to pay for data centres, threatening a big source of growth for the US economy.

In other dealings early Wednesday, the US dollar fell to 159.37 Japanese yen from 159.59 yen. The euro rose to USD 1.1582 from USD 1.1574.

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At least nine dead in massive Kolkata hotel fire

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At least nine dead in massive Kolkata hotel fire

Kolkata, Aug 19: At least nine people died, and six were injured in a fire at a hotel on Mirza Galib Street in central Kolkata early on Wednesday night, police said.

Five fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze that erupted around 1.45 am. Police and Disaster Management Department personnel reached the spot for the rescue operation.

The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital.

“The dense smoke made it difficult for firefighters to climb the staircase and reach the upper floors. While nine people have died, more deaths are feared,” a police officer told PTI.

“Our priority is to rescue those trapped and determine the reasons for the fire. The flames have been doused, and the cooling process is underway,” he added.

West Bengal Fire Department headquarters is located close to the hotel building.

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PHDCCI urges FSSAI to prioritise training, awareness before punitive action

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PHDCCI urges FSSAI to prioritise training, awareness before punitive action

Chairman PHDCCI Kashmir Vicky Shaw and Executive Committee member Shahejehan Khan participated in an interactive meeting with Rajit Punhani, Secretary to the Government of India and Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The meeting was organised by Khalid Jahangir, Commissioner, Food & Drugs Administration, Jammu & Kashmir, and was also attended by Devesh Kumar Mahla, IPS, Director, FSSAI Northern Region.

During the interaction, Shaw said PHDCCI supports both consumer safety and ease of doing business. While welcoming regulatory reforms, he stressed the need to first equip the business community with adequate knowledge of food safety standards through scientific awareness, training and capacity building rather than relying primarily on punitive measures.

Supporting the views expressed by Commissioner Khalid Jahangir, Shaw strongly advocated bringing restaurants and eateries in Jammu & Kashmir in line with global food safety and service standards.

He called for clear, accurate and trustworthy declarations on menus, including whether food is fresh or frozen and the specific type of meat being served, such as lamb or beef, in accordance with FSSAI norms.

Shaw said greater transparency in food declarations would help strengthen consumer confidence and could also contribute to increased footfall at restaurants and eateries among both tourists and local residents.

Reaffirming PHDCCI’s commitment to responsible business practices, Shaw said there could be no compromise on food safety, hygiene, consumer trust and transparent declaration of products served to the public.

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Srinagar Premier Division | SWFC Kashmir secures 3–1 victory over ARCO FC

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Srinagar Premier Division | SWFC Kashmir secures 3–1 victory over ARCO FC

SWFC Kashmir registered a convincing 3–1 victory over ARCO FC in the ongoing Srinagar Premier Division Football League at the TRC Synthetic Turf, Srinagar.

SWFC Kashmir, as per a DFA statement, displayed a strong and composed performance throughout the match, scoring three goals to secure all three points. ARCO FC managed to find the net once, but SWFC Kashmir maintained control and completed the match with a well-deserved 3–1 win.

The victory will further boost SWFC Kashmir’s confidence as they continue their campaign in the league.

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Police DDRC Jammu to introduce new skilling cum training centre for inmates

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Police DDRC Jammu to introduce new skilling cum training centre for inmates

Police Drug De-addiction Rehabilitation and Mental Health Care Centre (DDRC), Jammu will introduce a new skilling cum training centre for inmates to ensure their meaningful employment post recovery.

Besides, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mission Yuva and Skill India for provision of loans to those patients who have remained off drugs for six months or so is also in offing.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Headquarters Jammu Anna Sinha, while pointing out that the Centre has treated 18000 patients till date, has stated that the vision is to “make the Police DDRC a hub for 360 degrees rehabilitation process for addicts.”

“For this, we have developed a Skilling cum Training Centre for addicts which will give them vocational skills to get meaningfully employed, soon to be inaugurated. Drug De-addiction is as important as catching drug peddlers. Next in line is a Yoga cum Meditation Centre for building spiritual and mental resilience in patients. This will ensure Nasha Mukti reaches its rightful conclusion,” she asserts.

The Centre, SP Sinha- who is also in-charge DDRC Student Intern, informed also provided research internship for Post graduate students of Psychology and Criminology. 10 selected students from Delhi University and Jammu University undertook the internship.

“My visit to the De-Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre was insightful and educational. I learned about addiction, counselling, empathy, and rehabilitation. The experience improved my practical understanding of mental health and recovery,” shares Ayushi Jasrotia, a student of Psychology Department, University of Jammu, who interned at the Centre as a part of her research.

Another student of Psychology Department, University of Jammu, Mansha Mahajan, who too undertook research internship, described her experience at the Centre as “truly insightful and enriching”, adding that it (Centre) provided a safe, structured, and supportive environment that focused not only on overcoming substance dependence but also on the overall psychological and emotional well-being of the individuals.

“The staff were compassionate, approachable and dedicated towards helping the patients through their recovery journey. As a psychology student, the experience gave me an opportunity to understand addiction beyond textbooks and observe the importance of counselling, empathy, motivation, family support and relapse prevention in rehabilitation,” Mansha Mahajan stated.

She stated that interacting with the patients and learning from the professionals was a valuable experience that enhanced her practical understanding of addiction and strengthened her perspective towards mental health and rehabilitation.

“Overall, the experience was meaningful, educational, and personally enriching,” she asserted.

With regard to Centre’s current status in terms of facilities, SP Sinha shares that with 25 In-Patient Department (IPD) beds, it has a 12-hour OPD (Out-Patient Department) treating 500 persons per month. Centre is well-equipped with food and lodging facilities.

With the objective of further strengthening the DDRC Jammu in terms of infrastructure and other facilities, according to her, a skilling cum training centre for short term vocational training of staff. 

It will introduce a new skilling cum training centre offering short term courses i.e., plumbing, electrician, mobile repairing, basic computer courses, solar technician and AC or refrigerator repairing.

SP Sinha points out that the Centre has a digitisation record of 10500 patients admitted in it (DDRC) from time to time.

Focus, according to her, is also on recreational and educational activities for inmates.

Recently, Centre organised a debate competition between inmates, under the supervision of SP Headquarter Jammu and arranged motivational lectures on “Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan” at Jammu as well as Government Middle School Qasim Nagar during the anti-drug campaign.

The doctors of DDRC also delivered a lecture during Principals’ conference 2026-27 on prevention of drug abuse.

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Two Baramulla youth clear way for ambulance through Army convoy, win hearts

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Two Baramulla youth clear way for ambulance through Army convoy, win hearts

A video showing two young men going out of their way to clear obstacles for an ambulance carrying a patient to Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla has drawn widespread appreciation on social media.

The ambulance, carrying a patient from Uri, was on its way to GMC Baramulla on Tuesday when it reached the town and encountered an army convoy approaching from the other side, leaving the one side of the road blocked.

Following the traffic jam, the ambulance moved onto the other side of the road in which an army convoy was coming in the opposite direction as the lane through which it was supposed to proceed was blocked by the traffic jam.

With the ambulance struggling to make its way through the congested stretch, two youths in their 20s stepped forward to help.

The youngsters began running ahead of the ambulance, removing obstacles from its path and ensuring that the vehicle could pass without further delay. They were also seen signalling to the drivers of the army convoy to make way for the emergency vehicle.

The convoy personnel, apparently realising that the ambulance was carrying a patient and needed to reach the hospital urgently, also cooperated and allowed it to proceed. The video was recorded by an attendant travelling inside the ambulance. The attendant can be heard praising the two youths for their spontaneous act and for taking responsibility at a time when every minute mattered for the patient.

The gesture has since attracted considerable appreciation on social media, with many users describing the youths’ act as an example of civic responsibility and compassion. “This is indeed great to see, two youngsters sharing their responsibility. If youths realise their responsibility, society will certainly become a better place,” the attendant says in the video.

The incident has also prompted people to underline the importance of giving priority to ambulances and other emergency vehicles on busy roads, particularly when they are transporting patients requiring urgent medical attention. For many who watched the video, the act of the two youngsters stood out not merely as a gesture of kindness but as a reminder that ordinary citizens can play an important role in helping emergency services reach their destinations without unnecessary delay.

Greater Kashmir

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