News Dabba for 14 January 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 landmine explosion in Rajouri, parliament panel summoning Mark Zuckerberg, to the MVA rift ahead of civic polls.

6 soldiers injured in landmine explosion in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri: Hindustan Times

At least six army personnel sustained injuries on Tuesday following a landmine explosion in a forward village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. Hindustan Times reports that the incident took place at 10.45 am near Khamba Fort in the Nowshera sector when troops on patrol duty accidentally triggered a landmine as one of the soldiers stepped on it. The injured soldiers were immediately rushed to a hospital, and their condition is said to be stable. Read the full report here.

NDTV: Meta to get Parliamentary Panel summons over Zuckerberg's India poll remark

Social media giant Meta is set to get a summons from a Parliamentary Standing Committee over its boss Mark Zuckerberg's remark on the 2024 Indian general election, NDTV reports. Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP and chairman of the House panel on Communication and Information Technology, said Meta would be summoned on grounds of spreading misinformation. In a podcast on January 10, the 40-year-old Facebook co-founder said the Covid pandemic had led to an erosion of trust in incumbent governments the world over, the report mentions. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera reports, Los Angeles fire officials brace for more strong winds

Firefighters are battling several blazes in the Los Angeles area as US officials urged residents to prepare for the return of strong winds that could “potentially cause explosive fire growth”, Al Jazeera reports. Authorities say progress is being made to contain the major Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, which have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes. The containment efforts come as the National Weather Service issues a “red flag warning” for much of southern California, the report says, and warns that the Ventura and Los Angeles counties are facing “the extreme of extreme fire weather scenarios”. Read the full report here.

Sharad Pawar fuels MVA rift talk ahead of civic polls, India Today

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday hinted that the party was likely to follow in the footsteps of Uddhav Sena and contest the Mumbai civic polls alone, India Today reports, adding grist to the rumour mill of a rift in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Addressing the media in Mumbai, Pawar said the INDIA bloc was formed only for national-level elections and nothing was discussed about contesting municipal or state polls together. The report adds that the veteran leader said a meeting would be held among the MVA constituents to decide if the parties would contest the civic polls together or alone. Read the full report here.

Gaza ceasefire talks resuming in Qatar with signs deal is close, BBC reports

Negotiators are set to reconvene in Qatar to try to finalise a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for the release of hostages, BBC reports, with signs that Israel and Hamas are on the brink of an agreement. A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations has told the BBC that, for the first time in the war, delegations from Israel and Hamas are conducting indirect talks in the same building. Hamas is also said to have dropped its condition for Israeli troops to leave the Strip. Read the full report here.