News Dabba for 25 September 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 Hollywood writers in deal to end the US studio strike, a Dalit woman assaulted by creditors, to France withdrawing troops from Niger.

Dalit woman stripped, thrashed, urinated on by creditor in Bihar, The Hindu

The Hindu reports that a Dalit woman was allegedly stripped, assaulted and urinated on her mouth by a moneylender and his associates in Bihar’s Patna district. It is said that she was assaulted allegedly for complaining to the police about his “unjustified” demand for more money even after full repayment of the debt. The key accused, Pramod Singh and his son Anshu Singh, are absconding, a police officer said adding that a manhunt has been launched to arrest them. The eport adds that the injured victim, who is under treatment in a hospital, claimed that she had to bear this torture despite paying off the borrowed money with interest. The incident occurred in a village under the jurisdiction of Khusrupur police station in Patna on Saturday night. Read the full report here.

Hollywood writers in deal to end US studio strike, BBC reports

Screenwriters in the US say they have reached a tentative deal with studio bosses, BBC reports, that could see them end a strike that has lasted nearly five months. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) said it was "exceptional - with meaningful gains and protections for writers". As per the report, it is the longest strike to affect Hollywood in decades and has halted most film and TV production. A separate dispute involves actors, who are also on strike. As well as issues around pay, the writers fear the impact of artificial intelligence potentially supplanting their talents. Read the full report here.

Canada House speaker apologizes for recognition of Nazi veteran

The speaker of Canada's House of Commons on Sunday apologized for praising an individual at a parliamentary meeting who served in a Nazi unit during World War Two, Reuters reports. Two days earlier, Speaker Anthony Rota had recognized 98-year old Yaroslav Hunka as a "Ukrainian hero" before the Canadian Parliament. The report mentions that Hunka served in World War II as a member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Jewish human rights group that demanded an apology. Rota in a statement took responsibility for what was characterized as an oversight, calling the initiative "entirely my own," the report adds. Read the full report here.

NDTV: Supreme Court takes up the matter of Muslim boy slapped at UP school

The Supreme Court today ordered that a senior IPS officer be appointed to monitor the investigation in the case where a seven-year-old was slapped repeatedly by his classmates on the instruction of their teacher in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. NDTV reports the Court stated that if the allegations are true, it should shock the state's conscience. Calling it "serious and worrying", the court said it's a matter of right to life, the report adds.  The court also directed the UP government to conduct counselling of the victim, and other students involved in the incident, by professional counsellors. Read the full report here.

France to withdraw ambassador, troops from Niger: Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reports French President Emmanuel Macron has said that his country will withdraw its ambassador and troops from Niger in the wake of the July coup that overthrew democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum. “France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France,” Macron said in a televised interview on Sunday, as per the report. He added that military cooperation was “over” and that 1,500 French troops stationed in the country would withdraw in “the months and weeks to come” with a full pullout “by the end of the year”. Read the full report here.