News Dabba for 24 February 2023: 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 one year of the Ukraine-Russia War, SC pushing for policy on menstrual pain leave, to the winter storm causing disruptions in the US.

TeleSUR on one year of Ukraine-Russia War: Ukraine crisis accentuates calls for peace

Russia and Ukraine traded a fresh round of strikes as the world is set to mark the first anniversary of the armed conflict on Friday. TeleSUR reported that the crisis has caused many casualties, displaced numerous people, aggravated geopolitical confrontation in Europe, intensified global energy and food shortages and undermined regional and international security. While Russia and Ukraine appear to have reached a deadlock on the battlefield and at the negotiating table, the United States continues to agitate the conflict and profit from it. The report says the echoes of the conflict are heard far beyond Ukraine's borders. Read the full report here.

Supreme Court pushes for govt. to consider making policy on menstrual pain leave, The Hindu

The Supreme Court on Friday said there are different “dimensions” to menstrual pain leave. The Hindu reported the Court saying that though being a biological process, it may also act as a “disincentive” for employers from engaging women in their establishments. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the petitioner to approach the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development Ministry to frame a policy. The court was hearing a petition filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi seeking a direction to States to frame rules for granting menstrual pain leave for students and working women in workplaces, the report says. However, the court was also intrigued by a caveat filed by a law student who said that if employers are compelled to grant menstrual pain leave, it may operate as a de facto disincentive to engage women in their establishments. Read the full report here.

BBC reports, winter storm brings power outages and travel disruptions across the US

A massive winter storm that brought blizzards and subfreezing temperatures to much of the US has left nearly a million households without power. A BBC report says that the number of customers without electricity has grown to over 9,45,000 across five states on day two of the storm. Around 8,20,000 in Michigan alone, it adds. Further, over 6,000 US flights were cancelled or delayed on Thursday. Meanwhile, other parts of the US experienced unusually warm weather. Temperatures in Washington DC hit 27 degrees Celsius on Thursday, a February-high not seen since 1874. Read the full report here.

NDTV report on Air India's massive hiring plan

Air India announced today that it will hire over 900 pilots and 4,200 cabin crew trainees in 2023 as part of its big expansion plan, NDTV reports. Earlier this month, the Tata-owned airlines had announced that it has signed multi-billion dollar deals with France's Airbus and American plane-maker Boeing to buy 470 passenger aircraft. The price for the entire 470-aircraft deal would be between $70 and $80 billion. Now, the report adds, the cabin crew will be recruited from around the country and will undergo a 15-week training program. Between May 2022 and February 2023, Air India hired over 1,900 cabin crew. Read the full report here.

HT: ED attaches assets worth over Rs 305 crore of Joyalukkas

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth more than ₹305 crore of Joy Alukkas Verghese, the owner of prominent Kerala-based jewellery group Joyalukkas, in a FEMA case. Hindustan Times reported the case was linked to alleged transfer of "huge cash" to Dubai by the company through hawala channels. The federal probe agency had carried out searches at multiple premises of the Thrissur-headquartered group on February 22. The total value of these assets, attached under section 37A of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), is ₹305.84 crore, the report says. Read the full report here.