News Dabba for 16 October 2023: 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 the electoral bonds case referred to a 5-judge Constitution Bench, American landlord charged with hate crimes after killing Muslim boy, to the acquittal of both Nithari accused.

Landlord charged with hate crimes after Muslim boy killed in US, BBC reports

BBC reports that a man has been charged with murder and hate crimes after allegedly stabbing a six-year-old boy to death because he was Muslim. Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of killing Wadea Al-Fayoume and seriously wounding his mother in Plainfield, Illinois. The report says that the landlord allegedly targeted the pair, who were his tenants, because of their religion and the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. US President Joe Biden said he was "sickened" by Saturday's attack. The victims, who were Palestinian-Americans, were found in a bedroom. Read the full report here.

Supreme Court refers electoral bonds case to 5-judge Constitution Bench, The Hindu

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday referred the challenge to the validity of the electoral bonds scheme, which facilitates anonymous donations to political parties, to a Constitution Bench of five judges. The Hindu reports that during the oral mentioning hour, the Chief Justice said the court had received a plea to refer the case from the current three-judge Bench to a larger Bench of at least five judges. He said the case would now go before a five-judge Bench due to “importance of the issue”. The report adds that Advocate Prashant Bhushan, for petitioner NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, had pressed the court to hear and decide the electoral bonds issue before the Lok Sabha election in 2024. Read the full report here.

NDTV report on the acquittal of both Nithari accused

NDTV reports that the main accused in the 17-year-old case of Nithari Murder- Surinder Koli - has been cleared of all charges. He was acquitted in 12 cases by the Allahabad High Court today. This comes 17 years after the killing of women and children in Noida's Nithari stunned the nation, with the discovery of bones and other human remains around what was described as a "house of horrors", the report says. His employer Moninder Singh Pandher, co-accused in the case, was also acquitted in two cases. The report adds that their death sentences stand cancelled. Surinder Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher, who were convicted of rape and murder, were acquitted over lack of evidence. Read the full report here.

Daniel Noboa wins Ecuador’s extraordinary elections: TeleSUR

With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted, TeleSUR reports Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Daniel Noboa the winner in Sunday's extraordinary elections. The elected president will be in office until May 13, 2025, when former president Guillermo Lasso's term was to end. Noboa, 35 years old, thus becomes the youngest president in the history of Ecuador, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Hindustan Times reports rainfall, thunderstorm to continue in north India till tomorrow

The India Meteorological Department on Monday said due to an active western disturbance over northwest India, there are chances of rainfall along with light thunderstorm over the region, Hindustan Times reports. Delhi may also receive light showers and thunderstorms till tomorrow. Conditions for further withdrawal of southwest monsoon seem favourable in the next 48 hours including the areas over Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Northeast India, isolated areas in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, as per the report. .