Quick Reads
News Dabba for 14 July 2025: Five stories for a balanced news diet
Here are the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites.
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 S. Jaishankar's visit to Beijing, Omar Abdullah scaling wall to reach Martyrs' Graveyard day, to Shubhanshu Shukla's journey back to Earth.
The Wire: Jaishankar urges ‘continued normalisation’ of India-China ties in first Beijing visit since border standoff
On his first visit to China in five years, external affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday called for the “continued normalisation” of India-China relations, The Wire reports, which have begun to thaw over the past nine months following the resolution of the protracted border standoff. Jaishankar arrived in Beijing to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the report says, with several bilateral meetings scheduled on the sidelines. His first engagement was a delegation-level discussion with Chinese vice-president Han Zheng, ahead of a formal meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Read the full report here.
Omar Abdullah scales wall to reach Martyrs' Graveyard day after 'house arrest': India Today
In a defiant move against the Centre, Ondia Today reports, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday climbed a railing along with his cabinet ministers to visit the Martyrs' Graveyard in Nowhatta and pay floral tributes. In the video, Abdullah can be seen marching toward the graveyard along with his cabinet ministers, surrounded by police and security personnel. As the gate appeared to be locked, Abdullah climbed over it and scaled the wall to enter the graveyard. Abdullah added another video showing that he was manhandled inside the cemetery, the report says. Read the full report here.
Hundreds march for judicial independence in Malaysia, The Straits Times
The Straits Times reports that hundreds of people gathered in Putrajaya on July 14 to voice concerns over the state of the judiciary, the delayed appointments of top judges and to defend the independence of the institution. “Bebas, Bebas. Bebas Kehakiman (Free, free. Free the judiciary)!” chanted the crowd as they began marching from the Palace of Justice, which houses the Malaysian Court of Appeal and Federal Court. The march started shortly after 2pm, heading towards the Prime Minister’s Office, located about 2.6km away. Concerns about the independence of Malaysian judges arose earlier in July when the top seats, including the spot of chief justice, were left vacant for weeks with no formally appointed successors, the report states. Read the full report here.
Hindustan Times: India's Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 crew begin journey back to Earth
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and the three other crew members of the Axiom-4 space mission started their journey back to Earth on Monday, around 4.50 pm IST, Hindustan Times reports, after 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon spacecraft's undocking from the ISS was scheduled for anytime after 4.15 pm. Some steps in the process were delayed by at least 10 minutes, NASA said. The spacecraft will bring back, along with the Ax-4 crew, over 550 pounds (250 kg) of cargo, including equipment and samples of dozens of experiments, the US space agency added. Read the full report here.
Former Israeli PMs slam Netanyahu's plans for ‘concentration camps’ in Gaza’s Rafah: Al Jazeera
Two prominent Israeli politicians have criticised plans by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set up what it calls a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza, saying the proposal would amount to interning Palestinians in a “concentration camp”. Al Jazeera reports that former Prime Ministers Yair Lapid and Ehud Olmert levelled the criticism on Sunday as Israeli forces continued to bombard Gaza, killing at least 95 Palestinians over the course of the day. Lapid, the leader of Israel’s biggest opposition party, told Israeli Army Radio that “nothing good” would come out of the plans to establish the “humanitarian city” on the ruins of the city of Rafah, the report says. Read the full report here.
