Saudi Arabia to enforce 'decency' amid tourism push

Yahoo – AFP, September 28, 2019

Saudi Arabia on Friday said citizens from 49 countries are eligible for online
e-visas or visas on arrival (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine)

Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it would impose fines for violations of "public decency", including immodest clothing and public displays of affection, a day after the austere kingdom opened up to foreign tourists.

The interior ministry said it had identified 19 such "offences" but did not specify the penalties, as the ultra-conservative Islamic country begins issuing tourist visas for the first time as part of a push to diversify its oil-reliant economy.

"The new regulations require men and women to dress modestly and to refrain from public displays of affection. Women are free to choose modest clothing," a statement said.

"The regulations are meant to ensure that visitors and tourists in the kingdom are aware of the law relating to public behaviour so that they comply with it."

Saudi Arabia on Friday said citizens from 49 countries are now eligible for online e-visas or visas on arrival, including the United States, Australia and several European nations.

Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.

But the conservative country, which forbids alcohol and is notorious for sex segregation, is seen as an unlikely destination for global tourists aside from Muslim pilgrims visiting holy sites in Mecca and Medina.

Men and women must avoid "tight fitting clothing" or clothes with "profane language or images", read an instruction on an English language website launched by the tourism authority.

"Women should cover shoulders and knees in public," it added.

But tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb said foreign women were not obligated to wear the body-shrouding abaya robe that is still mandatory public wear for Saudi women.

Prince Mohammed has sought to shake off his country's ultra-conservative image -- lifting a ban on cinemas and women drivers while allowing gender-mixed concerts and sporting extravaganzas.

The relaxed social norms in a kingdom have been welcomed by many Saudis, two-thirds of whom are under 30.

But new public decency guidelines, first approved by cabinet in April, are widely perceived to be vague and have sparked public concern that they would be open to interpretation.

They have also stoked fears of a revival of morality policing.

Saudi Arabia's religious police once elicited widespread fear, chasing men and women out of malls to pray and berating anyone seen mingling with the opposite sex.

But the bearded enforcers of public morality, whose powers have been clipped in recent years, are now largely out of sight.

Saudi Arabia is attempting a comeback on the global stage one year after journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder, but the crisis has weakened it and undermined its de facto leader's ambitious reforms, analysts say https://t.co/em7O5M25Ec pic.twitter.com/ZKdK9Nqwa6

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 29 september 2019

A personal bodyguard of Saudi Arabia's King Salman has been shot dead and seven others wounded, including security forces, during an altercation at a friend's home, authorities said https://t.co/25K67KmJ0d pic.twitter.com/SKz9nsf8dB

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 29 september 2019

Yahoo – AFP, Denji Sari, September 26, 2019

The death appeared to mark the first fatality in days of street battles across
Indonesia (AFP Photo/STR)

An Indonesian student died Thursday as thousands hit the streets nationwide in a wave of opposition to a major overhaul of the country's criminal code and a bid to weaken its anti-corruption agency, police said.

The death appeared to mark the first fatality in days of street battles across the Southeast Asian country, which have left hundreds injured and sparked a call from Amnesty International to probe what it described as "massive police violence" against protesters.

The 21-year-old victim was rushed to hospital suffering from a chest wound and later died as riots erupted in Kendari city on Sulawesi island, where the local parliament was torched, authorities said.

But police denied playing a role in the death, amid social media claims that the engineering student was shot.

"There was an injured student among the crowd. He was taken to the hospital and declared dead as doctors tried to save him. He had a wound on his right chest, but I cannot confirm what kind of injury it was," Southeast Sulawesi police spokesman Harry Golden Hart told Metro TV.

Hundreds have been injured in the protests against a major overhaul of 

the country's criminal code (AFP Photo/Juni Kriswanto)

"None of our officers carried live bullets... or even rubber bullets," he added.

The unrest was sparked by a proposed bill that includes dozens of law changes -- from criminalising pre-marital sex and restricting sales of contraceptives, to making it illegal to insult the president.

There has also been a backlash against a separate bill that critics fear would dilute the powers of Indonesia's corruption-fighting agency -- known as the KPK -- including its ability to wire-tap graft suspects.

The demonstrations across the archipelago are among the biggest since mass street protests in 1998 brought down the three-decade Suharto dictatorship.

'Feedback'

Passage of the controversial changes has now been delayed.

The demonstrations across the archipelago are among the biggest since mass 

street protests in 1998 brought down the three-decade Suharto dictatorship

(AFP Photo/CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN)

And, on Thursday, President Joko Widodo appeared to backtrack on plans to press ahead with the anti-corruption agency law, saying he would consider revising it.

"There was a lot of feedback given to me" about the law, Widodo said during a televised press conference.

"Of course I'll consider (a revision) and after making a decision, I will announce it."

Earlier Thursday, officials said more than 500 students had been arrested after a night of street battles in downtown Jakarta between molotov-cocktail throwing protesters and riot police who shot tear gas into the crowds.

Meanwhile, a mass of students stormed and occupied the local parliament building in Sumatra's Padang city Wednesday.

Most of the Jakarta students were set free, but some were still being held after police found knives and other sharp weapons in their possession, police said.

Students have issued a list of demands including scrapping some of the 

criminal-code changes (AFP Photo/Bahauddin Raja BASO)

Students have issued a list of demands including scrapping some of the criminal-code changes, withdrawing troops from Indonesia's restive Papua region, and halting forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo that have unleashed toxic haze across Southeast Asia.

A vote on the criminal-code bill was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but Widodo has called for a delay in passing the controversial changes that could affect millions of Indonesians, including gay and heterosexual couples who might face jail for having sex outside wedlock, or having an affair.

Updating Indonesia's Dutch colonial-era criminal code has been debated for decades and appeared set to pass in 2018 before momentum fizzled out.

A renewed push this year, backed by Islamic groups, was met with a wave of criticism over what many saw as a draconian law that invaded the bedrooms of a nation with some 260 million people -- the fourth most populous on Earth.

Juul CEO steps down, Altria, Philip Morris end merger talks

Yahoo – AFP, Douglas Gillison, September 25, 2019

Top US e-cigarette manufacturer Juul is replacing its CEO and suspending all
lobying and advertising amid a backlash against its products (AFP Photo/Robyn Beck)

Washington (AFP) - Crisis-stricken e-cigarette maker Juul announced a corporate shakeup on Wednesday, swapping out its CEO for a tobacco industry veteran as the US legal environment rapidly darkened for the company's main products.

The company is also suspending all advertising and government lobbying as it responds to a mounting public backlash over the risks of vaping.

At the same time, a potential $200 billion merger between Altria, a major Juul stakeholder, and Philip Morris International collapsed, with the two companies saying Wednesday that efforts to reach a deal had failed.

The transition to e-cigarettes and other devices offered a ray of hope to old-guard tobacco merchants facing a long sales decline and falling smoking rates.

But, with at least nine dead and hundreds sickened from causes potentially tied to some vaping products, and soaring use among teenagers, the regulatory landscape for e-cigarettes has deteriorated this year.

State and federal authorities have brought litigation and reportedly at least one criminal investigation. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's administration is considering an outright ban on flavored vaping products, which authorities say target teen users.

PM increasingly uneasy

Kevin Burns, co-founder of the San Francisco-based Juul, which had seen a meteoric rise in recent years, will be replaced by KC Crosthwaite, himself a top Altria executive.

In a statement, Crosthwaite said he envisioned a future in line with Juul's founding mission to allow adult smokers to choose alternatives to smoking tobacco.

"Unfortunately, today that future is at risk due to unacceptable levels of youth usage and eroding public confidence in our industry," he said.

Under Burns, Juul expanded to 20 countries, forging a global business out of a start-up, the company said.

Juul says it has stopped store sales of products with flavors other than tobacco and menthol, ended promotions on Facebook and Instagram and enhanced online age verification while pushing for stronger rules to keep its products out of children's hands.

A month ago, Altria and Philip Morris International announced merger talks, potentially allowing the two companies to diversify into the shifting consumer market.

But on Wednesday the two companies said efforts to reach an agreement to forge a $200 billion combined entity had failed.

"While we believed the creation of a new merged company had the potential to create incremental revenue and cost synergies, we could not reach agreement," Altria Chairman Howard Willard said in a statement.

As clouds gathered on the horizon for Juul, the Philip Morris board became increasingly uneasy about the merger with Altria, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter.

Altria purchased a $12.8 billion stake in Juul last year.

Meanwhile, Philip Morris International said it would focus on the roll-out of its IQOS device, which heats and does not burn tobacco.

IQOS has been received "premarket authorization" from the US Food and Drug Administration following a "rigorous science-based review" by the agency, according to Philip Morris.

"IQOS is not an e-vapor product," Philip Morris said.

On Wall Street, shares in Altria were little changed but Philip Morris had surged nearly 5.9 percent around 1400 GMT.

Related Articles:

New York state bans flavored e-cigarettes over vaping concerns

Vaping-related illness sickens over 500 in US

US says vaping market-leader JUUL's advertising was unlawful

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“…  The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. ...”

Two priests should be tried in altar boys abuse case: Vatican

Yahoo – AFP, September 17, 2019

Pope Francis has apologised for predatory priests but cover-ups in the
Vatican have severely damaged trust (AFP Photo/Alberto PIZZOLI)

Vatican City (AFP) - An Italian priest accused of sexually abusing altar boys in a seminary and another priest who allegedly facilitated that abuse have been referred to Italian justice, the Vatican said Tuesday.

A statement said the Vatican’s Promoter of Justice has recommended that Father Gabriele Martinelli stand trial over charges of sexual abuse, and that Father Enrico Radice also be tried over charges of covering it up.

The alleged abuse took place at the pre-seminary of St Pius X, an institution located on Vatican grounds that trains altar boys and is very close to Pope Francis's residence.

"The investigation was launched in 2017 following press reports," the Vatican said.

Martinelli was a seminarian and aged 21 when the alleged abuse took place and was in charge of training the boys.

A Polish roommate of one of the victims said he had witnessed repeated sexual assaults, according to Italian media.

He along with two other seminarians denounced Martinelli to superiors and also in a letter written to cardinals.

The alleged abuse was the subject of 2017 book called "Original Sin" by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi.

Nuzzi said the young seminarian, who lived there between the ages of 13 and 18, was sent back in 2014 after sounding the alarm on the alleged abuse.

The seminarian claimed that Martinelli came to his room to have sexual relations with his roommate -- who was then aged 17.

He claimed he had witnessed such acts up to 140 times and that Martinelli used "power and intimidation" to impose his will on young seminarians.

The Polish man, who says he is gay, accused the priests of double standards, saying: "During the day, they are homophobes and at night they unwind in gay discos."

Pope Francis has apologised for predatory priests but cover-ups in the Vatican have severely damaged trust in the centuries-old institution, and there is still much to be done to protect minors from clerical paedophiles.

In May, the pontiff passed a landmark new measure to oblige those who know about sex abuse in the Catholic Church to report it to their superiors, in a move which could bring countless new cases to light.

Related Article:

Science & Spiritually Conference 2018, BC – Canada (4), June 16-17, 2018 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Text version “Predictions”)

".... Let me tell you what else is in the field. Two things: These are going to be things that exist now in the field and they are upcoming potentials. The reason I give you these potentials is so if they happen, just like the handshake, you might believe a little more in this process.

There will come a time when Big Pharma will fall over because of a growing higher consciousness of the public. [Applause in the audience] There is a consciousness growing here that begins to have a new respect for each other, so that abuse of women will no longer be tolerated. Things that never happened before will begin happening, like bishops and cardinals resigning. [All 34 bishops in the Catholic Church resigned May 2018 after the new wild card pope called them on their reaction to child abuse for years by their colleagues.] All the things my partner brought today [in the seminar] are actually happening now. Why should some of these drug companies fail? Because there will be a strong reaction from your general public when they realize there are companies that have policies that would keep a Human sick or let him die for money. [Applause in the audience] It would be unconscionable, and the potential grows stronger daily that it's going to happen. The trigger? It's coming. When it does, that industry will be in trouble. Not all pharma is this way, dear ones - understand this - but the ones who are will fall. ..."

Russian celebrities line up behind jailed actor

Yahoo – AFP, 17 September 2019

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Moscow after authorities refused to allow
prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament in September 8 elections

Russian celebrities have launched a solidarity campaign in support of a young actor who they say was wrongfully jailed for a crime amid a crackdown on the opposition.

On Monday, a Moscow court sentenced 23-year-old actor Pavel Ustinov to three and a half years in prison for violence against police at an opposition protest even though he claimed he was simply a bystander.

His sentencing sparked particular outrage because the court refused to consider video footage that showed police in an apparently unprovoked attack on the actor.

"I think that this is a completely trumped-up case," film actor Alexander Pal said in a video posted on Instagram.

Pal, one of the figures who kickstarted the social media campaign, said the video proved his innocence.

Footage from the scene showed several police in full riot gear lunging at Ustinov -- who was standing with a phone in his hand near a metro station -- and beating him with batons.

"We have to stop this, this is against all laws," actress Yulia Peresild said.

The stars, most of whom steer clear of politics, compared Ustinov's case with the case against journalist Ivan Golunov detained in June on trumped-up drug charges.

He was freed after an unprecedented campaign of solidarity which saw three major newspapers publish the same front page with the headline "I am/we are Ivan Golunov".

In a similar vein, dozens of celebrities and lesser known figures posted "I am/we Pavel Ustinov" on their Instagram accounts.

Supporters included actor Alexander Petrov, who has 2.1 million followers on Instagram, Maksim Vitorgan, Nikita Yefremov and others.

Sergei Lazarev, a pop star who has twice represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest, also posted in support of the campaign.

In a video, Maxim Galkin, a Kremlin-friendly impersonator and comedian, called the case against Ustinov a "colossal overkill" that deals a major blow to the reputation of courts, law enforcement agencies and authorities.

Investigators said Ustinov violated public order during an unauthorised rally on August 3 and put up resistance during his arrest. As a result, a policeman sprained his shoulder.

Ustinov has insisted on his innocence, saying he was simply a passerby.

His sentencing brought to six the number of people jailed for taking part in a recent wave of anti-government demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow after authorities refused to allow prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament in September 8 elections.

Actress Huffman gets two weeks jail in US college admissions scandal

Yahoo – AFP, Joseph Prezioso with Peter Hutchison in New York, September 14, 2019

Fans wait for actress Felicity Huffman to leave the John Joseph Moakley
United States Courthouse in Boston, where she was sentenced for her role
in the college admissions scandal (AFP Photo/Joseph Prezioso)

Boston (AFP) - Actress Felicity Huffman was given two weeks jail time Friday for paying bribes to help her daughter gain admission to a prestigious American university, the first high-profile figure to be sentenced in a cheating scandal that rocked America.

The "Desperate Housewives" actress, wearing a navy blue dress and cardigan, looked ashen-faced as she left the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, clutching the hand of her husband, actor William H. Macy.

Huffman, 56, was the first parent to be sentenced among 50 people indicted in an elaborate and wide-ranging scam to help children of the elite secure places in top US colleges.

The Oscar nominee pleaded guilty in May during a tearful court appearance to paying $15,000 to boost her daughter's SAT college entrance exam score.

Judge Indira Talwani told Huffman it was important to send a message to other parents that they can't use their wealth to cheat more deserving students.

"I think without this sentence you would be looking at a future with the community around you asking why you had gotten away with this," she said, according to media outlets in the courtroom.

The judge said Huffman can rebuild her life after serving the sentence, which also includes a fine of $30,000 and 250 hours of community service.

"After this, you've paid your dues," she said.

Huffman must report for prison on October 25.

The actress apologized to students and parents and said she accepted the judge's decision.

"I broke the law. There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period," the actress said in a statement.

"My hope now is that my family, my friends and my community will forgive me for my actions," Huffman added.

Federal prosecutors had asked that Huffman be given a month in jail.

Her defense team recommended a sentence of a year's probation and a $20,000 fine.

Her guilty plea avoided what would have been a well-publicized trial and potentially lengthier jail sentence.

The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000.

Huffman announced her intention to plead guilty in April, saying she was "ashamed" of what she had done.

Lori Loughlin

The scandal erupted in March when the ringleader behind the scam, William "Rick" Singer, admitted running the elaborate system which ranged from cheating in entrance exams to bribing coaches to help non-athletic students get scholarships.

Authorities say he was paid about $25 million to bribe coaches and university administrators. He has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with authorities.

His sentencing will take place on September 19.

In June, a former Stanford University sailing coach was the first to be sentenced, receiving two years of supervised release.

John Vandemoer, 41, had pleaded guilty in March for accepting payments to the program totaling $610,000 "in exchange for corrupting the admissions process of a major university," prosecutors said.

A Chinese family admitted to paying Singer $6.5 million to guarantee their daughter admission to Stanford, with Vandemoer's help, though the mother said she was duped into believing the sum was a charitable donation.

Besides Stanford, some of the universities targeted in the elaborate cheating scam include University of Southern California, Yale, Georgetown and UCLA. None of the schools or the students have been charged in the case.

Actress Lori Loughlin from 1980s-90s sitcom "Full House" has also been accused. She and her husband have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

Iran says 'blue girl' football fan admitted 'mistake'

Yahoo – AFP, 14 September 2019

Iran has come under increasing pressure to lift a ban on women entering
stadidums (AFP Photo/JONATHAN NACKSTRAND)

Tehran (AFP) - An Iranian football fan who set herself ablaze and died after being arrested for trying to enter a stadium had "confessed her mistake" when she was questioned, the judiciary said Saturday.

Sahar Khodayari, dubbed "blue girl" because of the colours of the team she supported, Esteghlal FC, was reportedly detained when she tried to enter a stadium dressed as a man to watch them last year.

She died of her injuries in a Tehran hospital after setting herself on fire outside a court last week.

Her death sparked outrage online, with celebrities and activists using the hashtag #blue_girl to urge the sport's world governing body FIFA to ban Iran from competitions and fans to boycott matches.

Iranian women spectators have been barred from football and other stadiums in the Islamic republic since 1981, despite international pressure to let them attend.

Iran's Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar on Tuesday asked the judiciary to investigate her death.

The judiciary said, without naming anyone, that a young woman had been arrested when trying to enter a stadium and faced charges of offending "public chastity and insulting" law enforcement officers.

On Saturday, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Khodayari "had clearly confessed her mistake during questioning, accepted it and expressed regret". He did not give further details.

Esmaili, who was quoted by the judiciary's Mizan Online website, said no sentence had been issued against her since there had been no trial to begin with.

The spokesman also dismissed reports she had been told she would be jailed for six months as "fabricated rumours and hearsay".

Esmaili said such reports "stirred public opinion" and provided material for "foreigners and enemies" of Iran.

Despite the boycott calls following her death, Khodayari's father told Mehr news agency that she did not "sacrifice" herself for any cause.

Iran has come under pressure from FIFA to allow women to attend qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, and was reportedly given a deadline of August 31 to comply.

The sports ministry said last month that women fans would be allowed into the stadium when Team Melli -- as the national team are known -- play their next home qualifier on October 10.

Clerics argue that Iran's ban on women attending sports events is to protect them from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.

Related Article:

Saudi to allow women into stadium for national day

Nearly 150 US business chiefs press Congress for action on guns

Yahoo – AFP, September 12, 2019

Protestors take part in a rally against gun violence calling for background
checks on gun sales in August 2019 (AFP Photo/Johannes EISELE)

Washington (AFP) - Leaders of 145 top US corporations have called for passage of a law requiring background checks on all gun sales and allowing courts to take guns from "extreme risk" individuals.

The CEOs laid out their concerns in a letter Wednesday to leaders of the US Senate, publicly taking sides on a highly charged issue in the wake of last month's mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.

"Doing nothing about America's gun violence crisis is simply unacceptable and it is time to stand with the American public on gun safety," they wrote.

The letter, which was published by The New York Times, was signed by the chiefs of businesses including Levi Strauss, Uber, Twitter, Bloomberg and Airbnb.

Noticeably absent, however, were some of the biggest US financial and tech companies, including JPMorgan, Google and Facebook.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will only bring a gun bill to the floor if it has presidential backing, but Trump has given no clear preference.

Noting that 100 Americans are shot and killed every day, the CEOs called the situation a "public health crisis that demands urgent action."

They argued that gun violence is preventable and "there are steps Congress can, and must, take to prevent and reduce gun violence."

"That's why we urge the Senate to stand with the American public and take action on gun safety by passing a bill to require background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag law that would allow courts to issue life-saving extreme risk protection orders," it said.

Such a bill has passed the House of Representatives but remains stalled in the Senate.

The gun control debate reignited after the massacre of 22 people at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas August 3, followed a day later by the killings of nine more by a gunman in Dayton, Ohio.

The month closed with a shooting rampage in Odessa, Texas that left another seven people dead.

Sex assault claims rock Ardern's New Zealand government

Yahoo – AFP, September 11, 2019

The New Zealand Labour Party's handling of an alleged sexual assault has left
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern facing the most serious scandal since she took
office (AFP Photo/YOAN VALAT)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologised Wednesday for her party's handling of an alleged sexual assault, as a top ally was forced to resign.

In the most serious scandal Ardern has faced since she took office in late 2017, the centre-left leader admitted "mistakes were made" after a Labour Party volunteer accused a senior party staffer of assault last year.

"Raising an allegation of sexual assault is an incredibly difficult thing to do -- for additional distress to be caused through the way these allegations are handled is incredibly distressing," Ardern said in a statement.

The 19-year-old woman alleges the staffer sexually assaulted her at his home in February last year and she reported it to Labour Party president Nigel Haworth in October that year.

An internal party investigation recommended no action against the man and Haworth argued as recently as Tuesday that the complainant did not inform him about the seriousness of the allegations.

The woman, who has not been publicly named, disputed this, providing media with emails and documents she said supported her version of events.

Other volunteers also backed the woman and said their complaints to the party were not taken seriously.

Ardern said she discussed the woman's documents with Haworth on Wednesday morning, as she tried to address the scandal.

"Whilst he stands by the statements he made on this matter, I believe mistakes were made," she said.

Ardern added: "On behalf of the Labour Party, I apologise to the complainants for the way this matter has been dealt with."

In a separate statement, Labour said that Haworth -- who has been credited as an unsung hero of Ardern's electoral victory -- had resigned.

Ardern said she never knew about the nature of the allegations.

"I was informed in the very beginning that the allegations made were not sexual in nature," she said. "That is obviously directly counter to what is now being reported."

A barrister, Maria Dew, has been appointed to review the Labour Party's handling of the case and is due to report directly to Ardern next month.

Ardern said she was willing to meet with the complainants and would ensure they were receiving appropriate support.

"I want a justice system in New Zealand where people feel comfortable coming forward and are listened to," she said.

"But I also need to ensure the Labour Party lives up to that expectation too."

New Zealand's next general election is scheduled for late 2020.

'Protecting rapists': Protesters accuse Japan of failing women

Yahoo – AFP, Harumi OZAWA, September 11, 2019

While the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse has stormed through
 everything from Hollywood to the Italian opera, it has struggled to take off in
Japan (AFP Photo/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)

Tokyo (AFP) - Women's rights protesters are taking to the streets for the sixth time in as many months as anger mounts in Japan over 'outdated' rape laws, after a man was allowed to walk free despite sexually assaulting his daughter for years.

A court ruled the father had sexually abused his child from around the age 13 to 19 and even acknowledged he was violent when she resisted, but he was acquitted because the law requires prosecutors to prove there was overwhelming force, a threat, or that the victim was completely incapacitated.

The verdict is being appealed, but it has sparked outrage with hundreds again expected to demonstrate in cities across the nation Wednesday, while an online petition demanding that any sex without consent be defined as rape -- signed by more than 47,000 people -- has been submitted to the justice ministry.

For Jun Yamamoto, who was abused by her father between the ages of 13 and 20, the story is sickeningly familiar.

"Again!... That was what I thought," the 45-year-old said, adding: "Japanese justice does not recognise sexual offences like this as a crime. I cannot tolerate it anymore."

The court acknowledged in the latest incest case that the girl had been forced to have intercourse "against her will" and was psychologically subjugated by her father because of the repeated abuse.

But it said it was unclear whether she was "incapable of resisting", so her father was acquitted of rape.

An online petition demanding that any sex without consent be defined as rape

 -- signed by more than 47,000 people -- has been submitted to the justice

ministry in Japan (AFP Photo/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)

No protection

Yamamoto, a nurse who also works for the rights of sexual abuse victims, is demanding reforms to the Japanese criminal code.

"When caught off guard or attacked by somebody who should be someone you can trust, you freeze in shock and cannot fight back," Yamamoto told AFP.

"Even in a case where a father raped his daughter, the court says she could have resisted and lets him go. This legal situation is really a serious problem," she said, her voice quivering with barely suppressed anger.

While the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse has stormed through everything from Hollywood to the Italian opera, it has struggled to take off in Japan.

But calls to protect sex abuse victims seem to be winning support, with hundreds expected to rally holding symbolic flowers in 20 cities nationwide on Wednesday.

In one past "Flower Demo" in Tokyo, advocates held banners reading: "Law MUST protect victims, NOT perpetrators"

"Why do we have to ask for this over and over again?" said a tearful protester on mic. "Are we asking for something so inconceivable?"

Activists and lawyers warn that Japan's criminal code, which dates back over a century, is incapable of protecting sexual abuse victims.

"When the criminal code was created in 1907, Japan was purely patriarchal," lawyer Yukiko Tsunoda explained.

"The purpose of criminalising rape was to assure a wife would bear a child only by her husband and never be accessed by other men... It was a law of chastity which would only benefit a husband or the father of a family," she added.

"Who wants to protect a woman who so easily lets a rapist do his thing just after a few punches? That was the thinking."

Many activists see the law as part of a broader gender problem in Japan, which, despite relatively high rates of female education and workplace participation, remains unequal in many ways.

While the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse has stormed through 

everything from Hollywood to the Italian opera, it has struggled to take off 

in Japan (AFP Photo/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)

Tsunoda said that sexist norms remain embedded in the legal system and systematically undermine women's rights, which according to her explains why Japan is ranked 110th out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum's latest gender gap report.

Unsafe for women?

In 2017, Japan revised the criminal code on sexual offences for the first time in 110 years, recognising male victims, and increasing the punishment for rape from a minimum of three years to five.

But the requirement that a victim be able to prove they could not resist assault remained unchanged.

Tsunoda served on a justice ministry panel considering the reforms and urged the requirement be changed, but a majority disagreed, arguing that it could lead to innocent victims being convicted based on the "subjective" views of alleged victims.

A review will happen next year, but it is unclear whether the controversial rule will be up for discussion.

Yamamoto and fellow rights campaigners are hopeful the voices of tens of thousands of citizens who signed the petition will force legislators to reconsider.

"The petition to remove the requirements seems to be the most supported among the opinions we've received," a justice ministry official told AFP, adding: "We take it very seriously."

But until changes are made protestors say they will continue to rally across the country on the 11th of each month.

Demonstrator Wakana Goto, 28, told protestors at one rally: "In Japan, with its reputation as one of the world's safest countries, I have been exposed to sexual harassment since the age of three, forced to get used to it and to learn to deal with it."