Severe abuse can leave lasting mental scars and behavioural problems in children, psychologists have warned after two toddlers in Hong Kong were allegedly confined in a dog cage, a case that sparked public outrage and renewed calls for earlier reporting and intervention. The calls for action came as the latest official statistics showed that more than 100 reports had been made since a mandatory reporting requirement for suspected child abuse came into effect in January. Professor Hou Wai-kai,...
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai tabled the resolution and said that for the dignity, overall development and empowerment of women, one-third reservation for them in the Lok Sabha and all Legislative Assemblies should be enforced immediately following the delimitation exercise
The Hong Kong government has planned for legislation allowing terminally ill patients to refuse life-sustaining treatment to start on July 31. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council, authorities said that the Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance, passed in November 2024, would provide legal status to patients’ advance care planning while offering protection to healthcare and rescue personnel. The two instruments covered under advance care planning – advance medical...
Homeowners of the only block undamaged in the deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno who decline the government’s buy-back offer will face significant challenges in the management and maintenance of their properties in the long run, Hong Kong authorities have warned. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Wednesday that while the government respected homeowners’ decisions, the possibility for authorities to invoke legislation to acquire all property titles in Wang Chi House “absolutely...
As the race with China over artificial intelligence intensifies, US lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a draft bill that would, for the first time, require the State Department to deliver a detailed assessment of Beijing’s artificial intelligence ambitions, including identifying “specific AI leaders”. The State Department should provide Congress with a comprehensive report on China’s AI development, including its “progress using independent, publicly available benchmarks to achieve autonomous...
As per rules, a merger is valid only if the original political party merges with another
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Haryana Cabinet held on April 22, in Gurugram under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini
Hong Kong authorities have proposed new offences with tougher punishments for fire installation contractors who fail to obtain prior approval before deactivating firefighting systems or do not report malfunctions within 24 hours, in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, the South China Morning Post has learned. Other proposed changes included drastically increasing the maximum penalty for existing offences related to the unauthorised handling of fire equipment and the issuance of...
The country is home to some 4.2 million domestic workers - of which almost 90% are women.
The committee is tasked with recommending legislative measures to curb harmful practices carried out in the name of superstition
The letter said it was in the context of this ambitious and time-bound framework that the L-G was writing to the legislators and leaders “to earnestly request personal participation and cooperation in the Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan”
As divorce rates continue to rise in Indonesia, more single mothers are bearing the brunt of financial hardship due to the challenges of collecting money for child support from their former spouses. For some women, they can get help from an initiative unique in the country – the East Java city of Surabaya bans men from accessing public services if they fail to pay court-ordered child support payments. First introduced in 2023, the initiative has been used to block administrative access to over...
An official has earlier explained that bringing the law into force was essential as its proposed amendment will not have come into effect without that
It is not immediately known why the act was notified in the midst of the debate in Parliament to amend the same law; Congress terms the move “absolutely bizarre”
The Bill lists out about 30 ways in which atrocities may be committed against an SC/ST student in a higher education institution
TDP wanted necessary amendments to clear the ambiguity, but with Home Minister Shah’s assurance in Lok Sabha on the issue, the party unlikely to press the issue further
Bills seek to start the reallocation of seats and delimitation immediately, without 2026 sunset proviso
Why will the implementation be delayed by several years? When will the Census and delimitation exercise take place? Is there a timeline? Why are some parties demanding a sub-quota for women from Other Backward Classes?
An extended Budget session of Parliament has been scheduled from April 16 to 18 for the consideration and passage of the amendments for the implementation of the law before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Paris to oppose a proposed law aimed at combating ‘renewed forms’ of anti-Semitism.
This is not about politics. This is about keeping our promise to the daughters of India. Let us rise above hesitation & move forward, together, for 'Nari Shakti’, says Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in a letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
Hong Kong authorities have been urged to toughen penalties for child abuse as a proposal to review protection laws for minors, which were last updated in 1995, has remained stalled for seven years. A check by the South China Morning Post found that over more than 20 years, only one of 13 serious child abuse cases involving ill-treatment or neglect of a child or young person resulted in a jail term close to the maximum of 10 years. Lawmakers earlier this month called for increasing the 10-year...
A controversial law to remove protections for the country's glaciers has passed, opening the doors for mining.
The new bill will make it easier for provincial governments to allow mining projects in glacier regions.
Thousands of people have demonstrated against the bill, which scientists and activists say threatens water resources.
Cambodia’s first law targeting scam centres, passed after mounting international pressure over the country’s massive fraud and trafficking economy, may do little to curb it unless authorities go after the officials and networks that have long enabled it, analysts have warned. Approved by parliament on Friday, the law takes aim at an industry estimated to generate up to US$19 billion annually and to have trafficked as many as 200,000 workers into compounds across the country. Justice Minister...
A Hong Kong coach operator’s failed attempt to reduce its services was only the “tip of the iceberg” of cuts in bus rides amid rising fuel costs, lawmakers have warned, as they urged the government to quickly address soaring oil prices. Legislators on Tuesday also called on authorities to approve applications by non-franchised bus companies to increase fares, and to provide subsidies to cushion the effects of higher fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East. Their appeals came after the...
How does the Home Ministry regulate foreign donations to NGOs in India? What are the key changes proposed to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026? Why has the Opposition objected to the Bill and why was the Bill deferred? What is its current status?
Why has Amaravati been declared the sole capital of A.P.? Why did the A.P. Reorganisation Act need to be amended?
Canada recently banned 2,500 models of "assault-style" firearms - but a plan to buy-back tens of thousands of guns fell short by half.
Out of 784, 717 provisions are being amended for decriminalising minor offences and 67 to facilitate ease of living