News Dabba for 31 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 Economic Survey projections, Adani no longer being in the world's top 10 richest, to New Zealand’s Auckland bracing itself for more flooding.

The Indian Express: Economy to grow 6.5 pc next year as per the Economic Survey

The Economic Survey of India is learnt to have projected that higher domestic demand and a pick-up in capital investment is expected to help the Indian economy grow 6.5 per cent in real terms in FY24 or 2023-24. An Indian Express report on the same says that in nominal terms, the GDP growth rate is expected to be around 11 per cent, suggesting average annual inflation during the next financial year to be 4.5 per cent. The Economic Survey 2022-23, scheduled to be tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday morning, has also likely projected the growth rate for the current financial year, i.e., 2022-23, at 7 per cent. The Survey, however, cautioned about the persisting challenge of the depreciating rupee due to further rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve, as per the report. Read the full report here.

Gautam Adani no longer among world’s top 10 richest people, The Hindu reports

Indian tycoon Gautam Adani has slipped out of the list of the world’s top 10 richest people following a rout in company share prices, The Hindu reports. This happened in the aftermath of the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research’s report. With a current fortune of $84.4 billion, Adani’s ranking has fallen from fourth place to 11th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with a personal wealth wipeout of $34 billion in just three trading days. The report adds Adani Group stocks have taken a beating on the bourses after Hindenburg in a report made a litany of allegations. Read the full report here.

Vistara passenger arrested for unruly behaviour, NDTV

NDTV reported that a 45-year-old Italian woman was arrested on Monday for assaulting crew members on board a Vistara Abu Dhabi-Mumbai flight. The airlines said Paola Perruccio, who had an economy class ticket, insisted on sitting in business class and assaulted a crew member when stopped. She allegedly punched a cabin crew member, spat on another and walked partially naked in the flight. The report further says that she was arrested by the Mumbai police based on a complaint by the cabin crew, but was later given bail by a Mumbai court. Perruccio had to be restrained in the aircraft mid-air for "unruly and violent behaviour". Read the full report here.

BBC report on record level of rhino poaching in Namibia

The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia last year was the highest on record and almost twice as many as the year before, officials say as per a BBC report. Official government data shows that a total of 87 rhinos were killed compared with 45 in 2021. Most were poached in Etosha, Namibia's biggest national park, officials say. Rhino numbers in Africa have dropped significantly in recent decades to feed the demand for rhino horns in China and Vietnam. The report adds poachers killed 61 black and 26 white rhinos mainly in Etosha, where 46 rhinos were found dead. Read the full report here.

New Zealand’s Auckland braces itself for more flooding: TST

New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland is bracing itself for another rain deluge later on Tuesday, the Straits Times reports. It threatens more surface flooding and land slips on ground already sodden after a record downpour. As per the report, New Zealand’s MetService is forecasting that a new weather system will strike the nation’s largest city from late afternoon and persist into Wednesday morning.  It issued a red-category heavy rain warning, predicting thunder, gales and localised downpours of as much as 40mm an hour. Read the full report here.