News Dabba for 24 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 Dalit man being beaten for allegedly stealing rice, Allu Arjun's questioning in stampede case, to Australia bracing for wildfire.

Hindustan Times on Pushpa actor being questioned by cops amid heavy security

Hindustan Times reports that Telugu actor Allu Arjun appeared before the Hyderabad Police on Tuesday as part of the summon he was issued on Monday. The probe was in connection with the Sandhya Theatre stampede of December 4, in which a woman had died, while her son was left injured during the premiere of actor's film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’. The December 4 incident has kept Allu Arjun mired in controversy, with his brief arrest on December 13, vandalism at his Jubilee Hills residence on Sunday and now the summons by Hyderabad Police amid a political slugfest. Read the full report here.

Dalit man tied to tree, beaten to death over suspicions of stealing rice: The Wire

Three people were arrested for allegedly beating a Dalit man to death in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Sunda, December 24. The Wire reports that the incident has sparked a controversy as activists claim that it was a case of mob lynching while the police has asserted that it does not come under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s (BNS) definition of such an offence. According to the Indian Express, Virendra Sidar, the prime suspect in the case, found the victim, Panchram Sarthi, sneaking into his home around 2 am to allegedly steal rice. Sidar then called his neighbours Ajay and Ashok Pradhan, and the three of them tied Sarthi to a tree. Read the full report here.

Blast at explosives factory in Turkiye kills 12, Al Jazeera reports

An explosion has ripped through an explosives factory in northwest Turkiye, killing 12 people and injuring four, Al Jazeera reports. The explosion occurred at the factory in the village of Kavakli in Balikesir province. “According to initial reports, 12 employees died and four were taken to hospital with injuries as a result of the explosion,” Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said, as per the report. Footage broadcast on local media showed shards of glass and metal scattered outside the plant, where ambulances stood by. Read the full report here.

NDTV reports Jagdeep Dhankhar's statement on No-Trust Motion

"Never use a vegetable-cutting knife for bypass surgery", NDTV reports Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar declaring on Tuesday. These were his first comments since the opposition's motion of no-confidence in his stewardship of the Upper House was junked for procedural irregularities. He also stressed the need for the right to expression, calling it "the definition of democracy", and held forth on the subject, saying "If expression is qualified, compromised, or made subject to coercion, democratic values are flawed. It is antithetical to democratic evolution." Read the full report here.

Australia braced for worsening bush fires as national park burns, The Straits Times

Fire restrictions are in place across the Australian state of Victoria as one of its most popular national parks burns and officials warn of potentially “catastrophic” conditions in some areas over Christmas, The Straits Times reports. A large bush fire near the scenic Grampians National Park, about 3 hours drive north-west of Melbourne, is still burning out of control and has destroyed about 43,000ha, the authorities said in a televised briefing on Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures in the region are forecast to rise in coming days. Read the full report here.