News Dabba for 19 February 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 the SC verdict against the Chandigarh poll officer, Israel's March deadline for the Rafah ground offensive, to the ED case against Arvind Kejriwal.

Israel indicates March deadline for Gaza ground offensive in Rafah, BBC

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has warned that unless Hamas frees all hostages held in Gaza by March 10, an offensive will be launched in Rafah. BBC reports that it is the first time Israel has said when its troops might enter Gaza's overcrowded southern city. Global opposition is growing to such an attack in Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering. The report adds that earlier, the UN public health agency said a key Gaza hospital had ceased to function following an Israeli raid. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had not been allowed to enter Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, north of Rafah, to assess the situation. Read the full report here.

SC says Chandigarh poll officer must be prosecuted, NDTV reports

Taking a strict view of the alleged defacement of ballot papers during the Chandigarh mayoral election, the Supreme Court has said that the returning officer, Anil Masih, should be prosecuted. NDTV reports that the court conducted a hearing on a petition on the alleged irregularities in the election on Monday, a day after three AAP councillors switched over to the BJP. It said that the "horestrading" that is going on is a serious matter, as per the report. Read the full report here.

Lightning bolt knocks out 4 people near Sydney Opera House, The Straits Times

A lightning bolt scorched and knocked out four people near the Sydney Opera House on Feb 18 as they sheltered under a tree during a violent electrical storm, rescue officials said. The Straits Times reported that the four were struck beneath the tree in the Botanic Gardens, ambulance workers said, just a stone’s throw from the harbourside architectural masterpiece. “They all had a brief loss of consciousness,” said the New South Wales ambulance service’s Dominic Wong, as per the report. They also suffered burns and presented cardiac symptoms, he told reporters. Read the full report here.

Kamal Haasan to make announcement on alliance ahead of upcoming polls

Hindustan Times reports that actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Monday said an alliance annoucement would be made within the next two days. Interacting with reporters at Chennai airport, the Makkal Needhi Maiam leader discussed the preparations for the upcoming polls and expressed optimism about the ‘good opportunity’, the report says. Last week, Haasan's party was allotted the symbol of ‘battery torch'. Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha election too Hassan's party contested the elections under the ‘battery torch' symbol. The report mentions that in September last year, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin suggested the possibility of his party forming an alliance with Haasan's MNM in anticipation of the parliamentary elections. Read the full report here.

ED files case against Delhi CM for skipping summons: Indian Express

The Directorate of Enforcement on Monday filed a complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under section 174 of IPC after he skipped multiple summons by the central agency in the excise policy case, Indian Express reports. It states as per its sources in the ED claimed that Arvind Kejriwal “intentionally disobeyed” the first three summons issued to him. ED said, “The question in front of the court is not about the validity of the summons but rather the illegal act on the part of Kejriwal of intentionally disobeying three summons.” On Monday, the report mentions, Kejriwal declined to appear before the federal agency for the sixth time. Read the full report here.