News Dabba for 23 February 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 Centre's notice to Google over an ‘illegal’ response, the US moon landing, to the apartment fire in Spain's Valencia.

Sharad Pawar faction of NCP gets 'man blowing turha' as party symbol, The Hindu

The Election Commission of India on Thursday allotted "man blowing turha (a traditional trumpet)" as the symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar. The Hindu reports that 'Man blowing turha' is the new symbol of NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar, the ECI said in its order. Also called 'tutari' in Marathi, the trumpet is sounded to mark the entry of important persons, ranging from kings earlier to political leaders now, says the report. The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government. Read the full report here.

Indian Express on Centre's notice to Google over ‘illegal’ response to question on PM Modi by its AI

Indian Express reported that the IT Ministry is in the process of issuing a notice to Google over “problematic and illegal” responses generated by its AI platform Gemini regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A senior government official said, as per the report, that the company’s generative AI platform Gemini (formerly Bard) had earlier also presented a user with an objectionable response to a user seeking a summary of an article from a conservative outlet, and the fresh responses on PM Modi have been the trigger for issuing the notice. According to a screenshot shared by a user on social media platform X, Gemini was asked whether PM Modi is a ‘fascist’, to which the platform responded that he has been “accused of implementing policies some experts have characterised as fascist,” which based on factors like the “BJP’s Hindu nationalist ideology, its crackdown on dissent, and its use of violence against religious minorities”. Read the full report here.

Deadly fire in Spain's Valencia devastates apartment block, BBC reports

At least four people are dead and 14 injured, after fire engulfed a high-rise apartment complex in the Spanish city of Valencia. BBC reports that firefighters were seen rescuing people from balconies, using cranes to reach those trapped on high floors. The city's mayor says there are between nine and 15 people who have not yet been located. There are fears that highly flammable cladding on the building's facade may have helped the fire spread - as in the 2017 tragedy at London's Grenfell Tower. Some 450 people are believed to live in the apartment blocks, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. Read the full report here.

Delhi HC dismisses Mahua Moitra’s plea against ED, Hindustan Times

The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra’s plea seeking to restrain Enforcement Directorate (ED) from leaking any confidential, sensitive or unconfirmed information to the print or electronic media in connection to a Foreign Exchange Maintenance Act (FEMA) contravention case, being probed by the agency. “Dismissed,” a bench of justice Subramonium Prasad said while pronouncing the order, Hindustan Times reports. The TMC leader in her petition had argued that ED instead of undertaking a fair, transparent and ethical investigation into the alleged violations of the FEMA had wilfully and maliciously leaked the details of the FEMA summons and her preliminary response submitted to the agency. Read the full report here.

US achieves first moon landing in over 50 years with private spacecraft: The Straits Times

The Straits Times reports that a spacecraft built and flown by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines landed near the south pole of the Moon on Thursday. The report says this is the first US touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first achieved entirely by the private sector. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with several research instruments aboard the vehicle, hailed the landing as a major achievement in its goal of sending a squad of commercially flown spacecraft on scientific scouting missions to the Moon ahead of a planned return of astronauts there later this decade. But initial communications problems following the landing raised questions about whether the vehicle may have been left impaired or obstructed in some way. Read the full report here.