News Dabba for 20 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 Indian deportees stranded in Panama, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's oath ceremony, to Hamas handing over bodies of four Israeli captives.

Indian Express live updates on Delhi CM Rekha Gupta oath ceremony

Indian Express reports that BJP leader Rekha Gupta took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi at the Ramlila Maidan today, with senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others in attendance. Delhi cabinet ministers Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma, Ashish Soon and others were also sworn in as part of the state government. Rekha Gupta is the only female BJP leader currently elevated to the office of chief minister, the report mentions. Gupta, a first time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, had joined BJP in 2002, after spending nearly a decade as a member of the ABVP. Read the full report here.

Centre to OTT platforms amid 'India's Got Latent' row, NDTV reports

Social media channels and OTT websites were warned on Thursday to follow the Code of Ethics prescribed in the IT Rules (2021) and ensure critical self-regulation, as well as implement "access control for 'A' rated content" to avoid children consuming inappropriate content, NDTV reports. The notification from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry comes amid a row over 'obscene' remarks made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia during an episode of stand-up comedy show 'India's Got Latent'. The report adds that the episode in question was on YouTube till the government ordered its removal. Read the full report here.

The Straits Times: Trump says new China trade deal is ‘possible’ despite tensions

US President Donald Trump has said it is possible to reach a fresh trade deal with China, signalling he is open to heading off a brewing trade fight between Washington and Beijing. “It’s possible, it’s possible,” Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One, when asked if he will make a new agreement with China, The Straits Times says. Trump did not describe the parameters of a potential deal, and any agreement would face significant obstacles – some of the President’s own making. Read the full report here.

India Today on 'Help us' signs on windows of Panama hotel holding Indian deportees from US

Nearly 300 illegal immigrants, including Indians, deported from the US as part of President Donald Trump's massive crackdown against undocumented aliens, are currently being detained at a hotel in Panama, India Today reports, as officials are scrambling to send them back to their home countries. Images shared by major news networks showed desperate deportees holding up signs that said, "please help us" and "we are not safe" on the windows of Decapolis Hotel in Panama City, while police officers stood guard at the premises. The report says that a majority of the nearly 300 deportees belonged to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Vietnam and Iran. Panama is being used as a stop-over as the US faces difficulties in the deportation process to some of these nations. Read the full report here.

Hamas hands over four Israeli captives’ bodies in Gaza’s Khan Younis, Al Jazeera

Hamas has handed over the bodies of four Israeli captives, including members of the Bibas family, in Gaza’s Khan Younis as the fragile ceasefire between the two sides continues to hold. Al Jazeera reports that four men carried the four coffins from the stage to the Red Cross vehicles one at a time. Meanwhile, Al Quds Today, a Palestinian channel, has posted footage of bulldozers driving on the streets of Gaza. Read the full report today.