News Dabba for 12 August 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 Europe wildfires, Rahul Gandhi's statement on stray dogs order, to Bombay HC on citizenship documents.

Mumbai boy dies during Dahi Handi practice, NDTV reports

An 11-year-old member of a Govinda squad died on Monday after he fell during a practice session to form a human pyramid for the upcoming Dahi Handi festival in Dahisar area of Mumbai, NDTV reports, triggering concerns over the safety of young participants. Mahesh Jadhav suffered a head injury during practice on an open ground. He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said. They said said not using helmets, safety belts, and harnesses potentially increases the possibility of such incidents in the festive season. Read the full report here.

Bombay HC says, Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID don’t make one an Indian citizen: Hindustan Times

The Bombay high court on Tuesday said a person does not become a citizen of India merely by possessing documents such as Aadhaar card, PAN card or a voter ID. Hindustan Times reports that refusing bail to a man, allegedly from Bangladesh, for entering India illegally, a bench of Justice Amit Borkar said provisions of the Citizenship Act lay down who can be a citizen of India and how citizenship can be acquired, and documents such as the Aadhaar card, PAN card and voter ID are only meant for identification or availing services. The man, Babu Abdul Ruf Sardar, is accused of staying in India for more than a decade with forged and fabricated documents, the report adds. Read the full report here.

BBC reports, EU leaders say Ukraine's borders must not be changed by force

European leaders have warned against Ukrainian borders being redrawn by force, BBC reports, two days before a US-Russia summit on Ukraine is due to take place in Alaska. In a statement, European leaders said "the people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future." The report says, it added the principles of "territorial integrity" must be respected and "international borders must not be changed by force". The statement was signed by 26 of 27 leaders. Missing from the signatories was Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has repeatedly tried to block EU support for Ukraine, the report says. Read the full report here.

Rahul Gandhi slams Supreme Court's order on stray dogs, India Today reports

India Today reports that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the Supreme Court’s directive to immediately catch and permanently relocate all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, calling the move “a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy.” He said that blanket removals of stray dogs is “cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion”, the report adds. On Monday, the top court ordered civic authorities in Delhi, Noida and Gurugram to begin picking up 5,000 stray dogs from vulnerable areas within six weeks, sterilise them and keep them in shelters permanently. Read the full report here.

Wildfire near Spanish capital under control as one person dies, The Straits Times

Firefighters have contained a wildfire near the Spanish capital Madrid, in the Tres Cantos area, which killed one person and prompted the evacuation of 180 people, The Straits Times reports as per regional authorities. Favourable overnight conditions allowed for the fire to be contained, the Community of Madrid said in a statement. The report says that a man who had been taken by helicopter to the La Paz hospital after suffering burns on 98 percent of his body, later died, the Community of Madrid said. Read the full report here.