News Dabba for 12 March 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 Haryana local polls, Immigration Bill in LS, to an update on deadly Pakistan train hijack.

BJP sweeps Haryana local polls, wins 9 of 10, NDTV reports

The Congress slumped to a second successive election defeat in Haryana after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won polls for nine of 10 mayoral positions, NDTV reports. This included the seats in Gurugram and Rohtak, the stronghold of Bhupinder Hooda, one of the opposition party's senior-most state leaders. An independent candidate - Dr Inderjit Yadav, a rebel BJP leader - won the tenth, Manesar. The report adds that the Congress has only fought local polls under its own symbol only once before. Read the full report here.

Immigration Bill introduced in LS; Indian Express

The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, seeking to streamline various services related to immigration and foreigners, including their entry, exit and stay in the country, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Indian Express reports. The Opposition called it a “violation” of constitutional provisions and demanded the Bill to be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Introducing the Bill in the House, the report adds that MoS for Home Nityanand Rai rejected the Opposition’s view that Parliament lacked the legislative competence to introduce it. Read the full report here.

US set to present 30-day ceasefire offer to Russia, BBC reports

Ukraine has said it is ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia proposed by the US, BBC reports, after a day of US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would present the offer to Russia and that "the ball is in their court" - Moscow is yet to publicly comment on the issue. The report adds that Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky said it was now up to the US to convince Russia to agree to the "positive" proposal. Tuesday's talks in Jeddah were the first official meeting between the two countries since the extraordinary clash between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on 28 February. Read the full report here.

India Today: Over 500 Indians, lured into illegal jobs in Myanmar and Thailand, rescued

As many as 266 Indians, who have been victims of fake job offers in Myanmar and Thailand, were repatriated on Tuesday, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Al Jazeera reports that this was in addition to 283 Indian nationals who were repatriated on Monday. In a statement on Monday, the government said that these Indian nationals were lured with fake job offers and subsequently made to partake in "cybercrime and engage in other fraudulent activities in scam centres operating in regions along the Myanmar-Thailand border". Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera's report on deadly Pakistan train hijack

Al Jazeera reports that Pakistan’s security forces say they have rescued 155 passengers from a train that was hijacked by a group of separatists as it was travelling on Tuesday from Quetta to Peshawar. Fighters belonging to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan, have claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani officials have described their continuing efforts as a “complex operation” against the group, which targeted the Jaffar Express train as it was passing through tunnels near Sibi city. Read the full report here.