News Dabba for 26 July 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 no-trust motion against Modi govt, deadly Mediterranean wildfires, to heavy rain alerts for several Indian states.

Deadly Mediterranean wildfires kill more than 40, BBC reports

BBC reports that more than 40 people have died in Algeria, Italy and Greece as Mediterranean wildfires threaten villages and holiday resorts. Thousands have been evacuated. Greece is preparing for more evacuation flights from Rhodes. The report says that the current long heatwave shows no let-up - temperatures are expected to rise above 44 degree C in parts of Greece. Fires in Sicily and Puglia have forced thousands of people to flee. The heaviest death toll so far is in Algeria. Read the full report here.

Congress’s no-trust motion against Modi govt accepted, Indian Express

A no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government moved by the Congress — to mount pressure on the BJP over the Manipur issue — was accepted by the Lower House. Indian Express reports that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he would discuss the matter with floor leaders and assign a date and time for taking up the motion. The notice for the motion, moved by Congress deputy leader of the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, was taken up for a vote. The report says it was backed by Congress, DMK, TMC, BRS, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JD(U) and Left parties. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)’s Nama Nageswar Rao had also moved a no-confidence motion against the Centre. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera on Turkiye's concern over Israel settler attacks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed concern about Israeli settler violence against Palestinians. Al Jazeera reports that he expressed the same in a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas. Violence has rocked the occupied West Bank in recent months as Israeli forces ramp up their raids. The report adds that Erdogan also addressed the issue of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Read the full report here.

Heavy rain likely in several states: Hindustan Times

Konkan region of Goa and Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall during the next two days, Hindustan Times reports as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The weather forecasting agency also predicted heavy to heavy rainfall in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh during the next three days. Mumbai's regional meteorological centre has issued an ‘orange’ alert for Mumbai Metropolitan Area and a ‘red’ alert for Ratnagiri and Raigad tomorrow, the report adds. Read the full report here.

The Straits Times: US probe opened over Harvard’s ‘legacy’ admissions policy

The United States’ Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into Harvard University’s policy of giving family members of former students and donors preference in admissions decisions, documents showed on Tuesday. The Straits Times reports that the probe into the so-called “legacy admissions” policy, a practice in many colleges across the US, comes less than a month after a major Supreme Court decision banned the use of race in college application decisions. That decision prompted fresh debate over the fairness of admissions policies at America’s top universities. The report adds that groups argue that nearly 70 percent of Harvard applicants with family connections or links to donors are white. Read the full report here.