News Dabba for 10 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 Centre caps MGNREGS spend, Karnataka HCon Bengaluru stampede case, to Austria school shooting.

Railway Ministry permanently closes Mathura-Vrindavan rail conversion project, Hindustan Times

The Railway Ministry has permanently closed its ambitious project for the conversion of the Mathura-Vrindavan railway line from metre gauge to broad gauge at an estimated cost of ₹402 crore, terming it "uneconomical". Hindustan Times reports that the North Central Railway zone, which has jurisdiction over the Mathura-Virndavan section, had mooted a proposal a few months ago to terminate it permanently due to opposition from locals. It further said the decision has been taken with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways and asked the zone to initiate necessary action. Read the full report here.

Centre caps MGNREGS spend at 60% for first six months of FY 2025-26: Indian Express

Indian Express reports that for the first time, the government has capped spending under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at 60 percent of its annual allocation for the first half of the financial year 2025–26. Until now, the rural jobs guarantee scheme has operated as a demand-driven programme with no such spending limit. It is learnt that the Ministry of Finance has informed the Ministry of Rural Development that it will now be brought under the Monthly/Quarterly Expenditure Plan (MEP/QEP), a spending control mechanism from which it had been exempt so far. The Finance Ministry introduced the MEP/QEP in 2017 to help ministries manage cash flow and avoid unnecessary borrowing. MGNREGS remained outside its scope until now, with the Rural Development Ministry arguing that the scheme’s demand-driven nature made fixed spending caps unworkable. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera: Israel strikes Yemen’s Hodeidah port, threatens blockade

Israel’s military has launched overnight strikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, Al Jazeera reports, which it claims is used by Houthi rebels to transport weapons. The Israeli army and Houthi-controlled media reported the strikes on Hodeidah, a key port for humanitarian aid imports, on Tuesday. The report says an Israeli official said an “aerial and naval blockade” could follow unless Houthi rebels halt attacks on Israel. The strike hit two piers at the port, according to the Houthi reports. Read the full report here.

India Today on Karnataka HC's 9 big questions to state in Bengaluru stampede case

The Karnataka High Court, while hearing a suo motu petition in the Bengaluru stampede case, came down heavily on the state government, India Today reports. The court pressed for accountability and raised serious questions about the government’s handling of the event and its aftermath. A day after the stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in which 11 poeple died, and over 50 were injured, the report says that the High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident on June 5. The court had issued notice to the Karnataka Government to determine what caused the tragedy and how to prevent future incidents. Read the full report here.

At least nine dead in Austria school shooting, BBC reports

Ten people have been killed in a shooting at a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz, the local mayor said. BBC reports as per Graz Mayor Elke Kahr that students, at least one adult and the suspected gunman are among the dead. The shooting happened at the Dreierschützengasse high school in Austria's second-largest city at about 10:00 local time. Police have not detailed the number of casualties but say several people have been killed and the school has been secured, the report adds. Read the full report here.