News Dabba for 20 December 2022: 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 Chaos in Parliament over Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments, EU states agreeing 180-Euro gas price cap, to Indian Express analysis on China's Zero-Covid policy.

BBC reports Weinstein found guilty in second sex crimes trial

Former Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of raping a woman. BBC reported that the two-month trial heard how Weinstein used his influence to lure women into private meetings before attacking them. The 70-year-old Oscar winner is facing up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced. He is already serving 23 years in jail, the report adds, after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault at his first trial in New York two years ago. Weinstein was found guilty on Monday of rape and two sexual assault charges involving an accuser, known as Jane Doe 1 to protect her anonymity. Read the full report here.

Chaos in Parliament over Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘dog, mouse’ comments, ThePrint reports

ThePrint's report on the proceedings of Parliament's Winter Session talked about the BJP demanding an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament on Tuesday for ridiculing its contribution to the freedom struggle and for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “mouse”. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also strongly condemned Kharge’s comments made on Monday. Kharge’s statement was made at a Mahasabha of the Congress in Alwar, Rajasthan on Monday, on the sidelines of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the report states. He had said, “He (the PM) talks like a lion on the outside, but in reality, he acts like a mouse within." Read the full report here.

TeleSUR report on EU states agreeing 180-Euro gas price cap to contain energy crisis

The European Union (EU) member states have agreed to cap natural gas prices in the bloc at 180 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) in an effort to ensure the security of energy supply, EU officials said here on Monday. Europe will thus have a package of measures to help it prepare for next winter and protect citizens and businesses from extreme price fluctuations. "Ministers took another very bold step to respond to the energy crisis by reaching an agreement on the (European) Commission's proposal on a market correction mechanism," Kadri Simson, European commissioner for energy, commented, TeleSUR reports. A suspension mechanism is put in place to ensure that the EU remains attractive to gas suppliers and that enough gas is supplied to the EU states. Read the full report here.

Gujarat govt refuses to share file notings of remission panel in Bilkis Bano case, HT

The Gujarat government in response to a right to information (RTI) query refused to reveal the file notings of the recommendations by the remission committee for the premature release of 11 prisoners facing life in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang rape case. Hindustan Times reports that Pankti Jog, an Ahmedabad-based RTI activist sought details from the state of the early release of the convicts serving sentences in Gujarat jails on four counts. They were the terms of reference for the remission committees in the last five years, minutes of the meetings of these committees, names of prisoners recommended for release along with reasons, and file noting along with criteria for selection of members of the remission committee. The report adds that Jog said that the department refused to give file notings which would have revealed the process of selection of names and cross-checking with the criterion. Read the full report here.

Indian Express analysis on why China's Zero-Covid policy is turning out to be a weakness

The Indian Express report today analyses China's Zero Covid policy as China’s health authorities on Monday (December 19) announced two Covid-19 deaths — the country’s first reported fatalities in weeks. The country is experiencing an expected surge of illnesses after it eased its strict “zero-COVID” approach. The report says the very success of China's zero-Covid policy is now turning out to be a weakness, with reports of a surge in cases. The vast majority of its population has not been infected by the virus and hence has no immunity. It adds scary pictures and videos of crowded hospital beds and piled-up bodies have appeared on social media, even though they remain unverified so far. Read the full report here.