News Dabba for 20 June 2023: 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 Assam floods, 7 India-made syrups getting flagged by WHO, to the search for the Titanic submersible.

7 India-made syrups on list of 20 products flagged by WHO probe: NDTV

NDTV reports that the World Health Organisation today flagged seven India-made syrups during a probe on contaminated medicines and syrups linked to over 300 deaths globally. As per this report, 20 syrups, manufactured by pharmaceuticals from India and Indonesia, have been flagged by the WHO. These medicines include cough syrups and vitamins manufactured by various pharmaceuticals. A few countries, including Uzbekistan, Gambia, and Nigeria, have recently linked India-made medicines with deaths. The report adds that WHO also raised medical product alerts on India-made cough syrups that were linked to deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan earlier. Read the full report here.

Assam flood situation still grim, Times of India reports

The number of districts and subdivisions affected in the first wave of floods rose to 18 on Monday evening from 14 the previous day. Times of India reports that however, the number of flood-hit people in the state has come down by about 3,000 in the last 24 hours, as per the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin. As of Monday evening, 15 districts are directly impacted by floods. The report adds that the India Meteorological Department's (IMD's) 'orange warning' for the northeast is still active, as the monsoon remains active over the northeastern region. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera: UN chief tells Israel to halt illegal settlements in Palestine

Al Jazeera reports that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to immediately “cease all settlement activities” in occupied Palestinian territory. He has described Israel’s plans to advance the building of Israeli settlements as driving “tensions and violence” and being a major obstacle to lasting peace. The UN chief’s comments come after five Palestinians were killed – including a 15-year-old boy – and more than 90 were wounded when Israeli forces raided the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Monday. In the first such instance in almost 20 years, Israel sent helicopter gunships that fired rockets at targets in the Jenin camp while Palestinian fighters fought for hours with small arms and explosive devices. Read the full report here.

The Hindu on arrested TN Minister Senthilbalaji's surgery

Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V. Senthilbalaji will undergo surgery for heart-related ailment at a private hospital here on June 21, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Tuesday as per The Hindu. Senthilbalaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a cash-for-jobs scam last week. He was initially admitted to a government hospital and later shifted to a private facility following a court order. Subramanian said the Minister was not aware of the "critical blocks" before they were diagnosed last week by the government doctors. Read the full report here.

BBC reports rescuers scan ocean for Titanic submersible as clock ticks

Search teams are racing against time to find a tourist submersible that went missing during a dive to the Titanic's wreck on Sunday, BBC reports. Five people were onboard when contact with the small sub was lost about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive. The rescue operation is continuing overnight in the mid-Atlantic but the report says there has been no sign so far of the vessel. US and Canadian agencies, navies and commercial deep-sea firms are all helping the rescue operation. As of Monday afternoon, as per the report, it was thought the crew members had roughly four days of oxygen left at most. Read the full report here.