News Dabba for 23 December 2024: 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 3 suspected Khalistani terrorists being killed, Mumbai Ferry crash update, to Trump threatening to take control of Panama Canal.

Hindustan times on 3 suspected Khalistan Zindabad Force members killed after encounter with UP STF in Pilibhit

Hindustan Times reports that a joint team of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab police killed three suspected Khalistani terrorists allegedly involved in a grenade attack in Gurdaspur in an encounter in Pilibhit early Monday. The accused were identified as Gurvinder Singh (25), Virender Singh alias Ravi (23), and Jaspreet Singh alias Pratap Singh (18), all residents of Gurdaspur, says the report, quoting police. The trio was involved in a grenade attack on a police checkpoint in Gurdaspur, Punjab. Two AK-47 rifles, two Glock pistols, and a huge cache of ammunition were seized from them, says Amitabh Yash, Director General (Law and Order) of the Uttar Pradesh Police. As per the report, the encounter took place in the Puranpur area of the Pilibhit district. Read the full report here.

NDTV: Steering, throttle fault may be behind Mumbai Ferry crash, sources claim crew knew : Sources

The collision between a Navy boat and a passenger ferry off the coast of Mumbai on December 18, was likely caused by a technical malfunction in the steering assembly and in the throttle quadrant which governs the speed of the boat, says a report by NDTV citing sources in the Navy. A survivor on board the Navy vessel has indicated that the crew was aware of the malfunction when the collision took place. Survivor belonged to the manufacturer of the boat which was being tested before induction, says the report. The Navy craft, a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB), was undergoing engine trials at high speed, lost control and collided with the passenger ferry Neel Kamal, the report mentions. The collision caused the ferry to sink in the Arabian Sea, making it one of the deadliest maritime accidents in the city's harbour. Read the full report here.

BBC finds a dam ignited rare Tibetan protests

As per what BBC has learnt from its sources and verified footage, hundreds of Tibetans protesting against a Chinese dam were rounded up in a harsh crackdown earlier this year, with some beaten and seriously injured. The report highlights the fact that such protests are extremely rare in Tibet, which China has tightly controlled since it annexed the region in the 1950s. BBC has spent months tracking down Tibetan sources whose family and friends were detained and beaten. The protests took place in a territory home to Tibetans in Sichuan province. Chinese authorities have been planning to build the massive Gangtuo dam and hydropower plant in the valley straddling the Dege (Derge) and Jiangda (Jomda) counties. The dam's reservoir would submerge an area that is culturally and religiously significant to Tibetans, and home to several villages and ancient monasteries containing sacred relics, the report highlights. Read the full report here.

Trump threatens to retake control of Panama Canal, a report by Reuters

On Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage, says the report by Reuters. Trump was speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, he also said he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage. Trump went ahead and posted an image on Truth Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: "Welcome to the United States Canal!" The report says that Trump's comments were an exceedingly rare example of a US leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory, underlining shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts. Trump's comments ended up drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino. Read the full report here.

Turkiye FM meets Syria’s new leader, calls for lifting of global sanctions, Al Jazeera

As reported by Al Jazeera, Turkiye’s foreign minister has met with the head of Syria’s new administration and promised them to help with the political transition and rebuilding the war-torn country after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Turkiye’s Hakan Fidan and Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa stressed the need for unity and stability in Syria, in their meeting in Damascus on Sunday. Both of them also called for the lifting of all international sanctions against the war-ravaged country, the report mentions. This meeting comes two days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Fidan would be going to Damascus to discuss the new structure in Syria. The two officials discussed the necessity of drafting a new Syrian constitution that protects the country’s minorities. Read the full report here.