News Dabba for 9 March 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 blackouts in Ukraine, US Intel on India's response to Pakistan's provocations under PM Modi, to ED raids in Kashmir.

BBC reports blackouts in Ukraine after wave of Russian strikes

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been left without an electricity supply following a Russian strike. BBC reports that more than 80 Russian missiles have been fired at cities across Ukraine in a sustained overnight barrage. Ukraine's military says eight drones were also involved. BBC live report on the same adds that emergency services in Kyiv are at the scenes of blasts in western and southern districts of the capital and much of the city has been left without electricity. Read the full report here.

US Intel says military response more likely to Pak provocations under PM Modi, NDTV

The American intelligence community has told lawmakers that it apprehends increased tension between India and Pakistan and India and China. NDTV reports that it has also expressed the possibility of conflict between them saying, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to "perceived or real" provocations from Pakistan. This evaluation on Wednesday forms part of the annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community, the report adds. It says relations between China and India have virtually frozen ever since the eastern Ladakh military standoff between the two countries in May 2020. According to the report, the crises between India and Pakistan are of particular concern because of the risk of an escalatory cycle between two nuclear-armed states. Read the full report here.

Malaysia’s ex-PM Muhyiddin will be charged, The Straits Times reports

Malaysia’s former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be charged with corruption-related offences on Friday, The Straits Times reports. He was summoned by the country’s graft buster over projects awarded under a government stimulus programme. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki said Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who is president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), will be charged in court on Friday. Calling them political slander, Muhyiddin has denied the allegations. Read the report here.

The Hindu: ED raids in connection with 'selling' of MBBS seats to Kashmiri students 

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9 carried out raids at three places in Jammu and Kashmir in a case linked to “selling” of MBBS seats in Pakistan to Kashmiri students. As per The Hindu's report, the raids were conducted at the houses of Qazi Yasir in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement chairman Zaffar Bhat in Bagh-e-Mehtab area in Srinagar and Mohammad Iqbal Khwaja in Mattan area of Anantnag. The officials said the personnel from the Central probe agency along with the Jammu and Kashmir police conducted simultaneous raids at the three locations. Read the full report here.

The Wire's report on Australian and Indian PM's visit to the Narendra Modi stadium

The Wire reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took a “lap of honour” around the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. This was before the start of the India-Australia cricket match on Thursday morning. He was also presented with a picture of himself by Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI and son of Union home minister Amit Shah. Commentators have pointed out, the event seemed more like a political rally than a cricket match, The Wire adds in its report. Four BJP MLAs from Gujarat confirmed as per the report that they have been instructed to buy tickets for the match. Read the full report here.