News Dabba for 16 February 2024: 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 freezing and unfreezing of Congress accounts, Grameen Bharat Bandh by farmers and workers, to Greece legalising same-sex marriage.

Hero pastor jailed for sexually abusing North Korea teenage escapees, BBC

A South Korean pastor once hailed as a hero for smuggling out hundreds of North Koreans has been jailed for sexually abusing teenage defectors. BBC reported that Chun Ki-won, 67, has been sentenced to five years for molesting minors at his boarding school in Seoul. The pastor had been viewed as a saviour figure for decades with people calling him an "Asian Schindler" and his operations an "Underground Railroad" for those fleeing the North's regime. He was arrested in Seoul in September, the report adds. Police accused him of molesting six North Korean teenagers, including defectors sleeping in the dormitories of the alternative school he had founded at his Durihana mission. Read the full report here.

The Hindu: I-T department freezes bank accounts of Congress, Youth Congress

Barely an hour after the Congress party announced on February 16 that four of its bank accounts had been frozen by the income tax (I-T) department, The Hindu reports, the income tax appellate tribunal (ITAT) allowed the party to operate its bank accounts for now. The party’s prayer for an interim relief would be heard next Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Congress Treasurer Ajay Maken told the media that four bank accounts of the Indian National Congress and the bank account of the Indian Youth Congress had been frozen by the I-T department. Maken said the action was allegedly due to a 45-day delay in filing I-T returns for the year 2018-19, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Reuters on Britain's Labour Party's double blow to PM Sunak's Conservatives

Britain's Labour Party dealt a crushing blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives on Friday, Reuters reports, winning contests for two new lawmakers in votes that indicated the opposition party was on track to win a national election later this year. The double defeat underlined the flagging fortunes of the governing party. With the Labour Party ahead in the polls, Sunak might feel the need to bend to the demands of some in his party to offer an increasingly disaffected electorate a more right-wing conservative agenda before the election. Read the full report here.

Hindustan Times reports on Grameen Bhaat Bandh by farmers and workers today

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), which is part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), has called for a Gramin Bharat Bandh on Friday citing a host of unmet demands of farmers, Hindustan Times reports. Tens of thousands of farmers across the country are protesting for guaranteed crop prices, renewing a movement that succeeded in getting the Centre's three contentious agricultural laws repealed in 2021. BKU leader Pawan Khatana said during the "Bharat bandh" called by his union, farmers had been asked to suspend work for a day to press the government for demands. Traders and transporters have also been exhorted to join the strike, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Greece first Orthodox Christian country to legalise same-sex marriage: Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reports that Greece has become the first Orthodox Christian country to legalise same-sex marriage despite opposition from the church and some politicians. The measure was passed by parliament late on Thursday with 176 lawmakers from across the political spectrum voting in favour, and 76 against. Two abstained and 46 were not present, the report adds. The bill required a simple majority to pass in the 300-member parliament. Read the full report here.