News Dabba for 21 February 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 a new 6.3 magnitude quake in Turkiye and Syria, urgent hearing in SC on Thackeray’s plea to stay EC order on Shiv Sena, to Japan aiming to raise age of consent from 13 to 16.

Al Jazeera's coverage of new 6.3 magnitude quake in Turkiye and Syria

Al Jazeera reports that a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Turkiye’s southern province of Hatay and northern Syria, killing three people. The epicentre was in the district of Samandag in Turkiye, according to Turkish monitor Kandilli. But it was felt in Syria, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, according to media reports. Reports say six people have been killed and hundreds injured. Al Jazeera says reports were coming that some buildings damaged in the February 6 earthquake have collapsed. A larger quake killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes across both countries. Read the full report here.

SC urgently lists Thackeray’s plea to stay EC order on Shiv Sena, The Hindu

The Supreme Court on February 21 listed former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s petition challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allot the party name ‘Shiv Sena’ and symbol ‘bow and arrow’ to the Eknath Shinde faction for hearing at 3.30 pm on February 22. The Hindu reports that in an oral mentioning before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Thackeray, sought the stay. Sibal said the rival faction was taking over the “bank accounts and properties”. Chandrachud said the case would be listed on February 22 after the Constitution Bench hearing in the Shinde-Thackeray dispute concerning the disqualification of the then “rebel” legislators. Read the full report here.

BBC reports Japan aims to raise age of consent from 13 to 16

A panel of the Japanese Justice Ministry has proposed raising the age of consent from 13 to 16, BBC reports. The report says it forms part of a wider overhaul of Japan's laws on sex crimes, after multiple rape acquittals in 2019 caused outcry. Additionally, the proposal also aims to criminalise the grooming of minors and expand the definition of rape. The statute of limitations for reporting rape will also be increased to 15 from 10 years. The report further mentions that currently, Japan has the lowest age of consent in developed countries and the lowest in the G7 group. Read the full report here.

Amit Shah expresses hope to remove AFSPA in Nagaland: Indian Express

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday said that he is hopeful that the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) will be removed across Nagaland in the next three-four years. Indian Express reported Shah speaking at an election rally in Tuensang, a town in the northeastern part of Nagaland. He said that there are some issues related to the development and rights of eastern Nagaland and they will be addressed after the polls. The Home Minister also claimed that there has been a 60 percent reduction in deaths of security forces, and an 83 percent dip in civilian deaths in the northeast region under the BJP rule, the report adds. Read the full report here.

NDTV on Muslim men's killing: Three accused had worked as Haryana Police informers

Three of the five cow vigilantes who allegedly killed two Muslim men in Haryana worked as police informers to crack down on cattle smuggling, NDTV reported as per  four first information reports, or FIRs, from previous cases. The five men are Anil, Srikant, Rinku Saini, Lokesh Singhla and Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar. In four FIRs of cow smuggling cases accessed by NDTV, the Haryana Police declared the three men who face murder cases as their "informers". The burnt bodies of the two Muslim men, Nasir and Junaid, were found in a Mahindra Bolero SUV last Thursday in Haryana's Bhiwani district. Read the full report here.