News Dabba for 03 February 2025: Five stories for a balanced news diet

Indie Journal brings you the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites. Here's a glance through some of the National and International news updates, from Supreme Court refusing to hear PIL on Maha Kumbh stampede, Rupee hitting an all time low, to Israel destroying buildings in West Bank’s Jenin.

Supreme Court refuses to hear PIL on Maha Kumbh stampede, Indian Express

Calling the stampede in Maha Kumbh an “unfortunate incident”, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a lawyer seeking safety guidelines and measures to be put into place for pilgrims at the event venue. Indian Express reports that the apex court however directed the petitioner to move the Allahabad High Court with his plea. “It’s an unfortunate incident, something which is of concern. But go to the High Court,” the court said. The report says that the PIL was submitted in front of a Supreme Court bench by advocate Vishal Tiwari in wake of a stampede in the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, which claimed the lives of 30 people, leaving 60 others injured. Read the full report here.

India Today on why rupee hit an all-time low to go past Rs 87 against US dollar

The rupee fell to a record low of Rs 87.07 against the US dollar on Monday, as global currency markets reacted to fresh trade tensions, India Today reports. The decline came after US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on key trading partners, strengthening the US dollar and putting pressure on Asian currencies. The rupee dropped 0.5 percent in early trade, and traders expect further weakness throughout the day. The sharp fall in the rupee was mainly triggered by three executive orders signed by Trump over the weekend, the report explains. Read the full report here.

Car bomb blast in northern Syria kills 15 agricultural workers, BBC reports

BBC reports that 15 people, including 14 women, have been killed in a car bomb attack on a vehicle transporting agricultural workers in northern Syria. Another 15 women were wounded by the blast on the outskirts of the city of Manbij, east of Aleppo, according to the Syria Civil Defence. The agency, which is also known as the White Helmets, said some of the wounded were in a critical condition and warned that the death toll might rise, the report adds. There was no immediate claim from any armed groups. Read the full report here.

Silent human chain calls for protection of Nerul’s flamingo wetlands: Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times reports that the city of Navi Mumbai witnessed a peaceful demonstration on Sunday as environmentalists and nature lovers formed a ‘silent human chain’ to urge the Maharashtra government to declare the 30-acre wetlands near Nerul, frequented by flamingos, as a conservation reserve. The event, organised on the occasion of World Wetlands Day, took place near the DPS Flamingo Lake, drawing attention to the urgent need for wetland preservation. The silent protest comes in the wake of a December RTI revelation that a nine-member committee, appointed by the state’s mangrove cell, had recommended that the lake be designated as a conservation reserve. Read the full report here.

Israel destroys buildings in West Bank’s Jenin after killing elderly man, Al Jazeera

Israel has destroyed multiple buildings in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp, Al Jazeera reports, hours after its forces killed a 73-year-old man, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. A spokesperson for the Israeli army said 23 buildings were destroyed on Sunday in Jenin “to prevent terrorist infrastructure from being established there”. The military also said it had killed 50 Palestinian fighters in the West Bank since mid-January. The Israeli military launched a major offensive in the occupied West Bank last month, dubbed “Iron Wall”, focused primarily on attacking Palestinian armed groups from the Jenin area, just after it began a ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza on January 19, the report adds. Read the full report here.