News Dabba for 21 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 PM Modi's meeting with Elon Musk, the Hyderabad flyover collapse, to Zelensky on Ukraine's slow counteroffensive.

Zelensky admits slow progress in Ukrainian counteroffensive: BBC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged battlefield progress has been "slower than desired", weeks into Ukraine's military offensive to recapture areas occupied by Russia. "Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not," he said in a BBC report. Ukraine says its counter-offensive has reclaimed eight villages so far in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk to the east. The report adds that Zelensky said the military push was not going easily because 200,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory had been mined by Russian forces. Read the full report here.

Elon Musk meets PM Modi, NDTV reports

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk today as he began his landmark three-day state visit to the US. NDTV writes Musk told reporters after the meeting that he is a fan of Modi. The Prime Minister earlier met Musk in 2015 during a visit to Tesla Motors factory in California. On Tesla coming to India, Musk reportedly said "I am confident Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible." The Prime Minister left for the US on Tuesday morning for a prestigious State Visit. Read the full report here.

The Straits Times: New Zealand to ease migration rules to lure more skilled workers

New Zealand said on Wednesday it would free up its annual intake of highly skilled migrants and chart a faster route to giving them permanent residency, The Straits Times reports. It adds that several developed economies have boosted annual migration numbers or eased visa rules to help key businesses recruit staff to fill shortages after the Covid-19 pandemic brought tighter border controls and kept foreign workers out. From October, the government will also simplify its points-based system used to select skilled migrants. New Zealand does not have a formal limit on the annual number of skilled resident visas, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Eight injured after slab of under-construction flyover collapses in Hyderabad

Hindustan Times reports at least eight persons were injured when the slab of an under-construction flyover caved in at Bairamalguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday. LB Nagar police inspector B Anji Reddy said the incident took place around 3:30am when about ten workers were laying the slab between two pillars of the flyover. The report adds officials said the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. Hyderabad mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi met the injured workers and assured them of assistance. Read the full report here.

Three delegations from violence-struck Manipur have failed to meet PM Modi: The Wire

At least three delegations of politicians from conflict-ridden Manipur have failed to have an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi so far. The Wire reports that two of the delegations are from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and one from the state Congress. While Manipur has seen a series of violent incidents since early May, PM Modi has not spoken a word about the issue. The report also adds that PM’s continued silence on a state governed by his own party, the BJP, is being questioned by political opponents, civil society groups and locals. As per local news reports, two sets of BJP MLAs from Manipur have been camping in New Delhi since June 15 to meet the PM. Read the full report here.