Foreign News
More than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir
At least two dozen people have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of domestic tourists visiting a popular beauty spot in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities have told the BBC.
The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the “Switzerland of India”.
The region’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said the attack was “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”. Reports suggest that there are a large number of wounded, with some in critical condition.
US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen were among world leaders who condemned the attacks.
“Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Von der Leyen called the Kashmir deaths a “vile terrorist attack”, while Putin expressed “sincere condolences” for the consequences of a “brutal crime”.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the attack – said the perpetrators would “be brought to justice”.
“Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger,” Modi wrote in a statement on X.
Tuesday’s attack is unusual in that, in three and a half decades of conflict, tourists have rarely been targeted – especially on such a scale.
Home Minister Amit Shah travelled to Srinagar, Kashmir’s largest city, on Tuesday to hold an emergency security meeting.
The region’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, said the army and police had been deployed to the scene.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. There has been a long-running insurgency in the Muslim-majority region since 1989, although violence has waned in recent years.
The attack took place in Baisaran, a mountain-top meadow three miles (5km) from Pahalgam.
Vehicles are unable to reach the area where the shooting occurred, Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Vidi Kumar Birdi told BBC Hindi.
A tourist from Gujarat, who was part of a group that was fired upon, said that chaos broke out after the sudden attack, and everybody started running, crying and shouting.
Video footage shared by Indian media outlets appears to show Indian troops running towards the scene of the attack, while in other footage victims can be heard saying that the gunmen had singled out non-Muslims.
Footage on social media, which has not been verified by the BBC, appears to show bodies lying on a meadow with people crying and pleading for help.
Police said multiple tourists had been taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. The area has been cordoned off and soldiers are stopping vehicles at checkpoints. A joint search operation by the Indian army and Jammu and Kashmir police is ongoing.
Several protests have been organised for Wednesday, according to Indian media.
Since the 1990s, an armed separatist insurgency against Indian rule in the region has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including those of civilians and security forces.
The Himalayan region was divided following India’s independence from Britain, partition and the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
The two uclear armed states both claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars and a limited conflict over it in the decades since.
Some 500,000 Indian soldiers are permanently deployed in the territory. The government claims the security situation has improved and violence has come down since Modi revoked Kashmir’s partial autonomy in 2019, although there are still incidents of violence.
The last major attack on civilians occurred in June 2024 when nine people were killed and 33 injured after militants opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims. In 2019, a suicide bombing in Indian administered Kashmir killed at least 46 soldiers and prompted Indian airstrikes on targets in Pakistan.
Pahalgam is a popular tourist destination, both domestically and internationally, and in recent years the government has attempted to encourage further tourism to the region.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures.
[BBC]
Prominent music agent Dave Shapiro is among those who were killed after a small plane crashed into a residential street in San Diego, according to his talent company.
Shapiro was the co-founder of Sound Talent Group, whose clients include rock bands like Sum 41, Story of the Year and Pierce the Veil.
Daniel Williams, former drummer for the metal band The Devil Wears Prada, is also feared to have been involved in the crash. Media reports indicate he posted on social media from the plane.
The crash destroyed one home and damaged 10 other buildings in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, leaving charred cars and debris in the street. Eight people on the ground were injured.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” a spokesman for Sound Talent Group said in a statement to the BBC. “Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”
The company said it lost “three employees in the plane crash” including Shapiro. It did not identify the others.
San Diego authorities confirmed at least two people were killed in the crash, though the National Transportation Safety Board – which is investigating the incident – said the total death toll is still unclear. Authorities have not released the names of any of those killed.
The plane, a Cessna 550 aircraft, veered into the neighbourhood around 3:45 local time (10:45 GMT). Such planes can carry up to 10 people, including a pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
In addition to his music career, Shapiro was an avid pilot and a certified flight instructor with 15 years of experience, according to his aviation company Velocity Aviation.
Daniel Williams, who is thought to have also been on the plane, posted several Instagram stories in the hours before the crash. The posts showed him with Mr Shapiro and him sitting in the co-pilot seat next to the music executive, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The post showed the flight number, which matched the one that crashed, the newspaper reported.
[BBC]
Four people have died and several were missing as major flooding in New South Wales (NSW) left about 50,000 people isolated by floodwaters.
The record rainfall, now declared a natural disaster, has been caused by a slow-moving area of low pressure and is greater than any in living memory for some residents, according to local authorities.
Heavy rains moved south overnight affecting Sydney and Newcastle, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing weather warnings for southern parts of the state.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to visit the flood-affected areas on Friday morning with NSW Premier Chris Minns, who earlier said the state was “far from out of the woods”.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said it had responded to more than 535 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 05:00 local time (19:00 GMT) – and more than 670 rescues since the flooding began.
There are more than 150 flood warnings in place with 40 of those at emergency level and authorities have re-issued earlier advice for people not to drive or enter floodwaters.
More than 100 schools have been closed because of the floods, which have left thousands of homes and businesses without power. Evacuation centres have been opened for those fleeing the flooding.
Taree, a city on the Mid North Coast, has been among the worst affected. On Wednesday, flooding at a major river in the area surpassed 6.3m (20.6ft), beating an almost century old record for its highest level.
Authorities have confirmed the fourth death due to the floods after they recovered the body of a man in his late 70s in the early hours of Friday after it appeared he drove into floodwaters near Coffs Harbour.
Earlier, the body of a 63-year-old man was recovered on Wednesday afternoon at a property in Moto, near Taree. The fatality was later identified in an ABC News report as David Knowles. Local police have started an investigation into the incident.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sent his condolences to the man’s family in a post in X, calling his death “devastating”.
On Thursday morning, the body of a man in his 30s was found in floodwaters near Rosewood on the Mid North Coast. It followed earlier reports of a man stuck in floodwaters while driving in the area.
On Thursday afternoon, NSW police said its officers had recovered the body of a 60-year-old woman who got into trouble in her car in floodwaters at Brooklana, about 30km (18 miles) from the city of Coffs Harbour.
Police said there were a number of people missing with searches continuing for a 49-year-old man from Nymbodia who did not return home several nights ago and was last seen crossing a flooded area.
[BBC]
Two staff members of Israel’s embassy in the United States have been shot and killed in an attack outside a Jewish museum in the capital.
The deadly shooting occurred at about 9pm on Wednesday (01:00 GMT, Thursday) near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, according to authorities.
The Israeli foreign ministry named the two victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
Pamela A Smith, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said authorities had detained a single suspect over the shooting, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, Illinois.
“Prior to the shooting, the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum. He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire, striking both of our decedents,” Smith said at a news conference.
Smith said Rodriguez chanted, “Free, free, Palestine,” while in custody.
Smith did not elaborate on a suspected motive for the attack.
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters her administration would not tolerate “violence or hate in our city”. “We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism,” Bowser said.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro said while Bowser reported that the suspect has been detained, she acknowledged that “this will likely frighten a lot of people”, who are concerned about the “growing anti-Semitism in the US”.
Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said the deceased were a “beautiful couple” that had been planning to get married. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” Leiter said.
A German diplomatic source told AFP news agency that the male victim of the attack also held a German passport.
In a separate statement, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the shooting as a “heinous act”, while Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed his “shock”, describing the shooting as “treacherous” on his X account.
The American Jewish Committee, which had hosted an event at the museum, said it was “devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue”.
US President Donald Trump expressed condolences to the families of the victims and said the killings were “based obviously on antisemitism”. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”
[Aljazeera]
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