News Dabba for 7 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 a train catching fire in Telangana, a setback for Rahul Gandhi in the Modi surname case, to Israeli forces killing two Palestinians in occupied West Bank raid.

3 coaches of Falaknuma Express catch fire in Telangana’s Yadadri, Indian Express

At least three coaches of the Falaknuma Express caught fire while the train was crossing Yadadri district in Telangana today, Indian Express reports. The train was stopped as soon as the fire started and passengers had a narrow escape as they were able to jump out before the flames spread. Thick black smoke engulfed coaches S3, S4 and S5. The report adds that the train, which had been coming from Howrah to Secunderabad, has stopped near Bommaialli village. Fire and rescue officials are on their way to the spot. Read the full report here.

NDTV on High Court setback for Rahul Gandhi in Modi surname case

NDTV reports Rahul Gandhi will remain disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP after a Gujarat High Court today rejected his request to put on hold his conviction in a defamation case. The conviction is "just, proper and legal", the High Court said. The Congress leader will now approach the Supreme Court, the report adds. He is thus not likely to make it back into parliament in the monsoon session beginning July 20. Read the full report here.

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in occupied West Bank raid: Al Jazeera

Two Palestinian youth have been killed after Israeli forces raided the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, officials said. Al Jazeera reports that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society on Friday said in a statement that its crews “transferred the bodies of two martyrs from the Old City of Nablus”. The report says the two young men killed were Hamza Maqbool and Khairi Shaheen. Israeli forces cordoned off a house before fatally shooting the men, as per Palestinian news agency Wafa. Read the full report here. 

Congress worker killed in Bengal ahead of panchayat polls, The Hindu

A Congress worker was allegedly beaten to death by unidentified people in West Bengal's Murshidabad district ahead of the panchayat polls in the State, The Hindu reports. The incident took place in the Raninagar area, hours before Governor CV Ananda Bose reached the district to visit violence-hit areas there, a senior officer said. Arabindo Mondal, who was a Congress member, died after he was beaten up by unidentified people, the officer said. Read the full report here.

Amazon deforestation down by a third in 2023: BBC

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell by 33.6 percent in the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's term compared with the same period in 2022, the government says. BBC reports that this suggests the rainforest shrank by 2,649 sq km this January-June, down from 3,988 sq km in those six months last year under President Bolsonaro. The released government satellite data has not been independently verified, the report adds. Lula has pledged to end deforestation, or forest clearance, by 2030. Read the full report here.