News Dabba for 29 December 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 SC staying bail in Unnao rape case, Mexico train crash, to SC staying its own Aravalli order.

Supreme Court stays Delhi HC order granting bail to Unnao rape case accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar: Hindustan Times

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed Delhi high court's order that suspended ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life sentence and granted him bail in the Unnao rape case, Hindustan Times reports. The Supreme Court also issued a notice to the expelled BJP leader on the CBI’s plea challenging the order that suspended his life sentence. The report adds that on December 23, the Delhi high court put Sengar’s jail sentence on hold while his appeal was pending, saying that he has already spent seven years and five months in prison, and granted him conditional bail. Read the full report here.

Indian Express: SIR hearings of ‘unmapped’ voters paused in Bengal

With officials in West Bengal flagging what they said were possible large-scale “system-driven” deletion of electors during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has directed that all personal hearings for voters marked as “unmapped”, or not found in the 2002 electoral roll, by the Election Commission’s software be put on hold until further verification. Indian Express reports that the pause applies only to electors flagged as not found by the EC’s central software but were found present on the hard copies of the 2002 rolls. Read the full report here.

China launches drills around Taiwan in ‘stern warning’ to external forces, Al Jazeera

China has launched live-fire drills around Taiwan, deploying air, navy and rocket troops for war games that its military said were aimed at testing combat readiness and delivering a “stern warning” against “separatist” and “external interference” forces, Al Jazeera reports. The exercises on Monday prompted Taiwan to scramble soldiers and hardware to rehearse repelling an attack. It came amid anger in Beijing over an $11.1bn weapons sale to Taiwan by the United States, as well as a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that the Japanese military could get involved if China were to attack the self-governed island. Read the full report here.

India Today: Top court pauses own order on definition of Aravalli Hills

India Today reports that the Supreme Court on Monday said that certain clarifications were necessary regarding the definitions it recently approved for the Aravalli Hills, while staying a ruling passed last month on the issue. Hence, the Supreme Court has “put in abeyance” its earlier decision (issued on November 20) to accept the Central Environment Ministry’s definition of Aravalli Hills and Aravalli Range. Read the full report here.

Mexico train crash kills 13 and injures almost 100, BBC reports

At least 13 people died and almost 100 were injured after a train derailed in Mexico's south-eastern Oaxaca region, BBC reports. The train, which was travelling between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, was carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members. A total of 98 were injured, of whom 36 were being treated in hospital, the navy said. The train derailed as it rounded a bend near the town of Nizanda, the report adds. Read the full report here.