News Dabba for 17 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 Delhi earthquake, new crown management plan for Delhi railway stations, to US floods.

NDTV on the loud "boom" reported by Delhi residents during earthquake

A strong earthquake of magnitude 4.0 hit Delhi this morning and the tremors were felt in several adjoining areas of the national capital, NDTV reports. According to the National Centre of Seismology, the quake hit at a depth of about 5 km. While there have been no casualties or injuries, residents reported a loud sound for a few seconds when the earthquake hit Delhi. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), high-frequency vibrations from shallow earthquakes generate a booming sound as the ground vibrates and creates a short-period seismic wave motion that reaches the air and becomes sound waves, the report mentions. Read the full report here.

New crowd control plan after Delhi stampede: India Today

The central government will build permanent holding zones to handle the extra rush of passengers at 60 high-traffic railway stations and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for crowd and crisis management, India Today TV reported as per its sources. This comes after 18 people died in a stampede at the New Delhi railway station that was triggered due to a sudden rush of Maha Kumbh devotees catching trains towards Prayagraj. Local officials will receive training in situational awareness and crisis management, the report adds. Read the full report here.

At least nine dead in US floods and heavy rain, BBC reports

BBC reports that at least nine people have died over the weekend, as torrential downpours drenched parts of the south-eastern US, submerging roads and houses. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said eight people had died in his state and suggested at a news conference on Sunday that the total could go up. The report said that hundreds of people stranded in flood waters, many stuck in their cars, had been rescued. Beshear warned residents to "stay off the roads right now and stay alive". In Georgia, the ninth death was recorded after a man lying in his bed was struck by an uprooted tree that crashed into his home. Read the full report here.

CBSE says board exam paper leak claims false, Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times reports that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday rejected claims about 2025 board exam paper leaks as “baseless and are intended to create unnecessary panic among students and parents.” The board is conducting Class 10 and 12 final exams for around 44 lakh students from 8,000 schools in India and abroad. The report adds that the exams stared on February 15 and will continue till April 4. The board said it is actively monitoring and taking action against those who are spreading false information. Read the full report here.

Palestinian prisoners report aassault on their cells in Israeli prison, TeleSUR reports

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club and the Committee on Detainees and Former Detainees the two main organisations that protect the rights of these prisoners, reported on Sunday a “large-scale assault” against detainees in Israeli prison of Ofer. “These raids are known to be violent, oppressive and humiliating for detainees,” prisoners’ associations denounced in a joint statement, as per a report by TeleSUR. The two organisations appealed to the mediators of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza (Egypt, Qatar and the US), which involves weekly release of hostages in the Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, to put “on the table of negotiations” the treatment they receive. Read the full report here.