News Dabba for 06 June 2025: 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 the inauguration of Vande Bharat between Katra, Srinagar, Kamal Hassan's nomination to Rajya Sabha, to Covid cases crossing the 5,000 mark in India.

PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat between Katra, Srinagar, Indian Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the Vande Bharat train service between Katra in the Jammu region and Srinagar in Kashmir, Indian Express reports, cutting down travel time between the two places by several hours and ensuring all-weather surface connectivity for the Valley. Also present at the flagging off ceremony were Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. According to Northern Railway, the train has two classes — Chair Car (CC) and Executive Class (EC) — with tickets costing Rs 715 and Rs 1,320, respectively, the report says. Read the full report here.

Kamal Haasan files nomination for Rajya Sabha election from Tamil Nadu

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president and actor Kamal Haasan filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai on Friday, in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. DMK allies — VCK leader Thirumavalavan, MDMK leader Vaiko and Tamil Nadu Congress president K. Selvaperundagai — were also present. Actor Kamal Haasan launched his party in Madurai in 2018, the report mentions. Read the full report here.

Israel strikes southern Beirut on eve of religious holiday, BBC reports

Israel has carried out air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, saying it was targeting Hezbollah's drone production. BBC reports that the attack on Thursday night, the eve of Eid Al Adha, one of the most important celebrations in Islam, followed evacuation warnings for several buildings in the area, where Hezbollah is based in the capital. There were no initial reports of injuries, the report says. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had identified a Hezbollah unit producing "thousands" of drones underground, funded by "Iranian terrorists". Read the full report here.

Trump administration sanctions International Criminal Court judges: Al Jazeera

The administration of President Donald Trump has followed through with a threat to sanction officials on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Al Jazeera reports, naming four judges whom it accuses of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the United States and its allies. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions in a sharply worded written statement. The four sanctioned judges include Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia, the report mentions. Read the full report here.

Over 5,000 active Covid cases in India, Hindustan Times reports

Hindustan Times reports that India's active Covid case count crossed the 5,000 mark with Kerala being the most affected state followed by Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi. this is as per the data released by the Union Health Ministry. Kerala saw 192 new Covid-19 cases, Gujarat 107, West Bengal 58 and Delhi 30 that significantly contributed to a spike of 498 new cases of the infection in the country in the last 24 hours, the report adds. There are currently 5,364 active reported Covid cases in India with four fresh deaths that have been reported in the last 24 hours. Read the full report here.