News Dabba for 18 January 2024: 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 Pakistan's retaliation to Iran, fog cover in north India, to Congress slamming BJP over Chandigarh mayor polls.

Pakistan retaliates with strikes on "militant targets" in Iran, NDTV

Pakistan on Thursday carried out strikes against "terrorist hideouts" in Iran, a day after warning Tehran of "serious consequences" over its attack on the Balochi group Jaish al-Adl's headquarters in its territory. NDTV reports as per Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, "A number of terrorists" were killed during the intelligence-based operation codenamed "Marg Bar Sarmachar." Iranian media reported that nine people including four children were killed in the attack. The report adds the retaliatory strikes came days after Iran attacked "terrorist targets" in Pakistan, an attack that Islamabad claimed killed two children. Read the full report here.

Fog affects visibility, rail traffic in parts of north India: The Hindu

The Hindu reports that a layer of fog lowered visibility to zero metres on Thursday at several places in north and northeast India, affecting rail traffic. Satellite imagery showed some reduction in fog over Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, ‘dense’ to ‘very dense’ fog prevailed in parts of Punjab, Haryana, west Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Assam, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera: Ecuador prosecutor investigating gang attack on TV studio shot dead

A prosecutor investigating an on-air attack on a public television station last week has been shot dead in Guayaquil, Al Jazeera reports. Prosecutor Cesar Suarez, who earlier investigated some other high-profile cases, was shot on Wednesday while driving, according to Attorney General Diana Salazar. The assault on TC Television was broadcast live and led President Daniel Noboa to declare that the Andean country was in a state of “internal armed conflict” amid a spate of violent crimes tied to drug trafficking. Read the full report here.

Congress slams BJP over Chandigarh mayor polls, Hindustan Times

The Congress on Thursday alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) postponed the Chandigarh mayoral elections because its “Operation Lotus failed”, Hindustan Times reports. The party also claimed the move shows the BJP can't accept their defeat. 'Operation Lotus' is the moniker used by the Opposition to describe alleged attempts by the BJP to topple governments by engineering defections. The mayoral elections, scheduled to be held today, the report adds, were postponed till further notice on account of the illness of the presiding officer. Read the full report here.

El Salvador woman freed after abortion conviction, BBC reports

A Salvadoran woman has been freed from prison more than seven years after she was convicted for having an abortion, BBC report. The 28-year-old, identified only as Lilian, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015. She gave birth to a girl in a public hospital in 2015, but the baby suffered health complications and died there three days later, the report mentions. There is a total ban on abortion in El Salvador, which has one of the world's strictest anti-abortion laws. Prosecutors had accused Lilian of not taking care of the foetus during her pregnancy and she was charged with negligence and aggravated murder. Lilian, who has a 10-year-old daughter, has always maintained her innocence and said she never intended to terminate her pregnancy. Read the full report here.