News Dabba for 29 May 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 appointment of 3 SC judges, Elon Musk leaving Trump administration, to Israel announcing major expansion of settlements in occupied West Bank.

Rajasthan govt employee and former assistant to ex-minister detained on spying charges

The Rajasthan Police’s Crime Investigation Department has detained a former assistant to a senior Congress leader on allegations of spying for Pakistan, Indian Express reports. Sakur Khan Manganiyar, who was arrested in Jaisalmer Wednesday evening, is a government employee and an ex-assistant to a former minister of Congress. According to police sources, Khan travelled to Pakistan several times in the last couple of years and was in touch with some people over there. The report says that this comes at a time when security agencies in India have been making a spate of arrests over espionage allegations in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and the escalating border tensions between India and Pakistan. Read the full report here.

Hindustan Times: Govt notifies appointment of 3 SC judges day after president Murmu’s approval

Hindustan Times reports that the Union government on Thursday notified the appointment of three new judges to the Supreme Court, a day after the President gave her assent to the collegium’s recommendations. HT earlier on Thursday reported that the appointments were expected to come through during the day. Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments on X. Read the full report here.

Elon Musk leaving Trump administration, capping turbulent tenure: The Straits Times

Billionaire Tesla chief executive Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after a tumultuous period working to restructure the federal government, The Straits Times reports as per a White House official. A White House official told Reuters it was accurate Mr Musk is leaving the administration and his “off-boarding will begin tonight”. Musk earlier thanked US President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee as a part of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) draws to an end, he said in a post on social media platform X. Read the full report here.

Human smugglers responsible for Gujarat family's death jailed 3 years later: India Today

Two human smugglers, including one from India, were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in Minnesota for their role in an international human smuggling operation that resulted in the death of a family of four from Gujarat's Dingucha village, India Today reports. The four, including two children, died in January 2022 while attempting to cross the Canadian border into the US after being caught in a blizzard, the report says. A Minnesota court on Wednesday sentenced Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, an Indian national, who prosecutors said went by the alias "Dirty Harry", to 10 years and one month in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Read the full report here.

Israel announces major expansion of settlements in occupied West Bank, BBC reports

Israeli ministers say 22 new Jewish settlements have been approved in the occupied West Bank, BBC reports, the biggest expansion in decades. Several already exist as outposts, built without government authorisation, but will now be made legal under Israeli law, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The issue of settlements - which are widely seen as illegal under international law, the report says. It is one of the most contentious areas of dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Read the full report here.