News Dabba for 22 January 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 Calcutta high court on RG Kar rape case verdict, S Jaishankar's meeting with the US Secretary of State, to Trump stirring tariff pot.

Calcutta High Court to hear victim’s family: The Hindu on RG Kar rape case

The Hindu reports that on Wednesday the Calcutta High Court said it would hear the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the victim’s family and the convict before deciding on the admission of an appeal claiming inadequacy of sentence given by a trial court in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case which was filed by the West Bengal Government. The matter will be heard on Monday January 27. The Sealdah court on Monday sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment till death for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor, the report mentions. However, the CBI opposed the State’s right to file an appeal in the case, claiming that it was the prosecuting agency and had the right to prefer the appeal on the grounds of inadequacy of the sentence. Read the full report here.

Indian Express on US Secretary of State Rubio flagging ‘irregular immigration’ in first meeting with MEA Jaishankar

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the issue of “irregular immigration” in his first meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington DC on Wednesday, a report by the Indian Express highlights. The two ministers affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the India-US partnership, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout after the meeting. In a post on X after the meeting, Jaishankar said he was delighted to meet Rubio for his first bilateral meeting after the latter assumed charge as Secretary of State, the report says. Earlier, Rubio held talks with Jaishankar and his Australian and Japanese counterparts Penny Wong and Takeshi Iwaya. Read the full report here.

Xi and Putin hold a video call after Trump's inauguration, BBC reports

Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a video call, says a report by the BBC. Both plegded to bring bilateral ties to "greater heights", according to state media on both sides, the report further says. Xi called on Putin to "continue deepening strategic coordination, firming up mutual support and safeguarding legitimate interests". While calling Xi a "dear friend", Putin said Russia and China were building ties "on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and support" despite external pressure. The development comes after Trump on Tuesday threatened tariffs on Beijing, calling it "an abuser", and warned that "big trouble" will come for Moscow if it does not strike a deal to end war in Ukraine, the report underlines. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera live updates: Israel kills 10 in West Bank

Al Jazeera reports that at least 10 Palestinians have been killed and many wounded in an Israeli military raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The Israeli army said earlier on Tuesday that soldiers, police and intelligence services launched a “counterterrorism action”, but gave no further details. The attack in Jenin comes days after a ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip and underscores the threat of more violence in the West Bank, says the report. The report also speculates on whether Israel is escalating in the West Bank to ‘overcompensate’ for the Gaza ceasefire. While on the other side of Palestine Gaza survivors are searching for what remains of dead loved ones. Relentless shelling for 15 months has driven nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza into displacement, many without the chance to properly reclaim the bodies of loved ones who perished beneath bombing and rubble. Read the full report here.

Trump stirs tariff pot with fresh threats on EU, Feb 1 China deadline, Reuters

Newly sworn US President Donald Trump vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs and said his administration was discussing a 10 percent punitive duty on Chinese imports because fentanyl is being sent from China to the US via Mexico and Canada, Reuters reports. Trump, while speaking to reporters at the White House a day after taking office, voiced his latest tariff threats without immediately imposing tariffs as he had promised during his campaign. Trump said the EU and other countries also had troubling trade surpluses with the United States. As per the report, financial markets and trade groups exhaled briefly  but his latest comments underscored Trump's long standing desire for broader duties and a new February 1 deadline for 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, as well as duties on China and the EU. Trump had previously threatened a 10 percent duty on Chinese imports because of the trade, but realigned that with the deadline, the report says. Read the full report here.