News Dabba for 24 January 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 another mass shooting in the US state of California, Rahul Gandhi disagreeing with Digvijaya Singh's surgical strikes remark, to record freezing weather in Northeast Asia.

BBC reports suspect held after another California mass shooting

The US state of California is reeling from its second mass shooting in days after a man shot dead seven former co-workers south of San Francisco. BBC reported that the attacks took place in the coastal city of Half Moon Bay. The victims were all Chinese-American farm workers. Suspect Zhao Chunli (67), the report adds, was arrested after driving to a police station. It comes as the state mourns the death of 11 at Monterey Park - about six hours southeast of Half Moon Bay - during Lunar New Year celebrations. The latest bloodshed to hit the state took place at two farms around the Half Moon Bay community. Read the full report here.

NDTV: Rahul Gandhi says disagree with Digvijaya Singh's surgical strikes remark

Rahul Gandhi today said the Congress disagrees with senior leader Digvijaya Singh's comments yesterday raising questions on India's surgical strikes, NDTV reported. "We disagree with Digvijaya Singh's views. The views of the party are above Digvijaya Singh's views," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying at a press conference in Jammu. Rahul Gandhi's clarification comes as the Congress faced massive criticism over Digvijaya Singh's comments at a Bharat Jodo Yatra rally. "We are absolutely crystal clear - the armed forces do a job and they do the job exceptionally well. They don't need to be providing proof," the Congress leader said, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Israeli army admits Palestinian man killed ‘for no reason’, Arab News reports

A Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli soldiers last week posed no threat or danger and should not have lost his life, the Israeli army admitted on Monday. An Arab News report says that Ahmed Kahla, 46, from Ramon, near Silwad in the occupied West Bank, was shot in the neck from close range at a military checkpoint on January 15. The Israeli army initially claimed that Kahla had been shot because he got out of his car with a knife in his hand and ran toward soldiers with the intention of stabbing them. Kahla’s son Qusai, 20, who was with his father at the time, said their car was stopped at the checkpoint and a soldier fired a stun grenade that hit the roof of the vehicle. Read the full report here.

India successfully pushes for inclusion of women political representation at grassroots

India has successfully pushed for including women’s participation in local government bodies as a parameter for the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report. The Hindu reported that India has traditionally not fared well in this category. The report states the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked India at 135 out of 146 countries in its Global Gender Gap (GGG) Index for 2022. In 2021, India was ranked 140 out of 156 countries. Read the full report here.

Freezing weather in North-east Asia sets record low temperatures: TST

Freezing weather in North-east Asia has seen temperatures in China drop to unseen levels and left Japan bracing for blizzards. The Straits Times reported that the temperature in Mohe, northern China, dropped to a record -53 degrees Celsius on Sunday in a cold snap that is expected to continue into this week. Meanwhile, northern and western Japan may see heavy snowfall through Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Colder-than-usual weather is set to prevail in the region until the end of this month. This, the report adds, may boost heating demand in major energy importers China and Japan. Read the full report here.