News Dabba for 03 July 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 row over Dalai Lama's successor, possibility of India-US trade deal, to ferry accident in Indonesia.

India Today: Interim trade deal with US likely in 48 hours, India firm on agriculture red line

An interim trade deal between India and the US is likely to be signed within the next 48 hours, India Today reports, days before the July 9 deadline on Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs is set to expire. The report says that the negotiations were in the final stages, with India digging in its heels on its stance of not opening the agriculture and dairy sectors completely to the US. On the other hand, India has sought greater access to labour-intensive industries, including textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, plastics and chemicals. Read the full report here.

India says successor to 14th Dalai Lama can be chosen only by established conventions, Indian Express

A day after the 14th Dalai Lama ended speculations on his successor, India on Thursday said that the next leader would be “chosen only by the present one and with the established conventions”, Indian Express reports. On Wednesday, the 14th Dalai Lama had said that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama would continue, and the Gaden Phodrang Trust – a non-profit organisation that his office set up in 2011 — would have the “sole authority” to recognise his reincarnation. New Delhi also said that Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajeev Ranjan Singh would be attending the 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on Sunday, the report says. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera reports, Israel kills more than 300 in Gaza in 48 hours as possible truce in balance

Al Jazeera reports that more than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the last 48 hours, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which says Israel has “committed 26 bloody massacres” in that period. At least 73 people have been killed by Israel since dawn on Thursday, including 33 desperate aid seekers at the controversial Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites. Thirteen people were killed when Israeli forces attacked a tent in al-Mawasi in the south, while 11 were killed and many wounded in an attack on Mustafa Hafez School, sheltering displaced people west of Gaza City, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Read the full report here.

India, Ghana plan to boost ties in defence cooperation, food security, vaccine: Hindustan Times

India and Ghana are set to bolster their cooperation in defence, food security and pharmaceuticals as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama elevated bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership, Hindustan Times reports. Modi arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on Wednesday as part of a five-nation tour and was received at the airport personally by Mahama and given a ceremonial welcome. This is the first visit to the West African nation by an Indian premier in three decades and Modi’s trip is part of India’s outreach to the Global South, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Five dead, dozens missing after ferry sinks off Bali, BBC reports

At least five people have died and dozens are missing after a ferry sank off Indonesia's tourist island of Bali, rescuers said. BBC reports that the boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members when it sank at 23:20 local time on Wednesday while on its way to Bali from Banyuwangi on the eastern coast of Java island, the Surabaya office of the National Search and Rescue Agency said. Thirty-one survivors have been rescued, the report says, as the search continues. Authorities are investigating the cause of the sinking. Read the full report here.