Latest news with #fairness
South China Morning Post
21 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
HKEX success in putting women on boards a boon to Hong Kong
Inclusion and fairness are fundamental human values, yet many societies struggle to strike a balance between removing barriers and holding everyone to high performance standards. One recent example is the controversial US rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion rules . So, it was encouraging to see Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) claim success in its push to eliminate all-male boards from companies listed on the region's third-largest bourse. HKEX said fewer than 10 of Hong Kong's roughly 2,600 listed companies had all-male boards as of the end of June. The exceptions were firms suspended from trading or temporarily out of compliance because of a resignation. At the start of the year, when an HKEX ban on single-gender boards went into effect, there were still 85 companies with all-male boards. When the policy was announced in 2022, more than 800 firms – or 40 per cent of listed companies – had no female directors. More than 21 per cent of the directors today are women. While that lags behind the global average of 27 per cent of board seats held by women as of 2024, the city is in good company with a sizeable number of markets around the world now using mandates and deadlines to push for change. The shift seems good for business. Hong Kong's Financial Services Development Council called it 'confidence-building' for investors to see HKEX taking firm steps. The move was credited with the main board's return to global leadership in initial public offerings. Katherine Ng, head of listing at HKEX, said the requirement had 'enhanced governance in our markets'. Bonnie Chan Yiting, HKEX's first female chief executive officer, said diversity 'brings more ideas, more perspectives into boardroom discussions'.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas attorney general sues adult swimming group for allowing transgender competitors
The Texas attorney general has sued an adult swimming program after two transgender women were allowed to compete at a meet this spring in San Antonio, with one placing first in several events. The suit alleged that U.S. Masters Swimming undermined the trust of consumers through 'false, deceptive, and misleading practices" because it said the other swimmers faced what it described as an unfair disadvantage in the Spring Nationals competition in April. U.S. Masters Swimming said in a statement that it has been cooperating fully with Attorney General Ken Paxton's investigation, which comes as a nationwide battle over the participation of transgender athletes has played out at both the state and federal levels. 'It is deeply disappointing to see our organization and individual members publicly targeted in a lawsuit that appears to be more about generating headlines than seeking justice,' the statement said. Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls. Paxton said in a news release Thursday that U.S. Masters Swimming "has deprived female participants of the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels by letting men win countless events.' The suit said Ana Caldas placed first in the five events in the 45-49 age group, and Jennifer Rines finished ahead of dozens of women. Rines wrote in a guest editorial in Swimming World in May that creating a separate category for transgender athletes might be the equitable solution for national-level events. But she said coming out as transgender carries the risk of losing jobs and friends. 'At what point does the level of competition justify forcing someone to out themselves or barring them from participation altogether?' she asked. Even before the suit was filed, U.S. Masters Swimming revised its policy to bar transgender women from receiving recognition for placing in women's events, but still allowing them to compete. But the suit said, 'This is all too little, too late.' ___ AP sports: Heather Hollingsworth, The Associated Press
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Texas attorney general sues adult swimming group for allowing transgender competitors
The Texas attorney general has sued an adult swimming program after two transgender women were allowed to compete at a meet this spring in San Antonio, with one placing first in several events. The suit alleged that U.S. Masters Swimming undermined the trust of consumers through 'false, deceptive, and misleading practices' because it said the other swimmers faced what it described as an unfair disadvantage in the Spring Nationals competition in April. U.S. Masters Swimming said in a statement that it has been cooperating fully with Attorney General Ken Paxton's investigation, which comes as a nationwide battle over the participation of transgender athletes has played out at both the state and federal levels. 'It is deeply disappointing to see our organization and individual members publicly targeted in a lawsuit that appears to be more about generating headlines than seeking justice,' the statement said. Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls. Paxton said in a news release Thursday that U.S. Masters Swimming 'has deprived female participants of the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels by letting men win countless events.' The suit said Ana Caldas placed first in the five events in the 45-49 age group, and Jennifer Rines finished ahead of dozens of women. Rines wrote in a guest editorial in Swimming World in May that creating a separate category for transgender athletes might be the equitable solution for national-level events. But she said coming out as transgender carries the risk of losing jobs and friends. 'At what point does the level of competition justify forcing someone to out themselves or barring them from participation altogether?' she asked. Even before the suit was filed, U.S. Masters Swimming revised its policy to bar transgender women from receiving recognition for placing in women's events, but still allowing them to compete. But the suit said, 'This is all too little, too late.' ___ AP sports:
Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Angela Rayner: We're giving young people a stake in the future
Nobody expected much of me when I become a young mum at 16. I was suddenly faced with serious responsibilities for putting food on the table, paying my bills and giving my son Ryan the best possible start in life. With support, I rose to the challenge. I got a job, I paid taxes, I supported my son. But my story isn't unique. There are many other 16-year-olds across this country who are working hard every day, paying their taxes, caring for relatives and contributing to our society. By law, they can get married and serve our country in the armed forces — but, unlike their peers in Scotland and Wales, 16-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland can't vote. Why not? Unlike our opponents, this Labour government is not running scared of a generation that's hungry for change. That's why we are giving all of the roughly 1.6 million 16 and 17-year-olds who are eligible the right to have their say at the ballot box for the first time. This is about fairness and transparency and giving the young a stake in our country's future, bringing them into our communities, not excluding them. It's about delivering on our manifesto to commitment to secure votes at 16. But it's also about strengthening our electoral system so that it is fit for the 21st century — because we cannot take our democracy for granted. We face growing threats to our freedoms at home and abroad and it is too easy for malign actors to meddle in our electoral system. Dodgy shell companies owned by anyone, funded from anywhere, and without even a single day of trading, are allowed to finance our political parties. This is while individual people must be on the electoral register to donate. This is a dangerous loophole that's clearly unfair and open to abuse. It must change. At the same time, we are making those receiving political donations responsible for checking that there is no foreign interference involved in the money they are offered. We're also giving the Electoral Commission powers to fine those who break the rules up to £500,000. • 16-year-olds can vote in next UK general election We have a collective responsibility to keep our democracy and those who represent us safe. The shocking abuse and intimidation we witnessed during last year's general election shows the scale of the challenges we face. Candidates from across the political spectrum faced appalling treatment, including death threats, and women and ethnic minorities suffered the most. Among those targeted were my friend and colleague, Rushanara Ali, our brave and brilliant minister for homelessness and democracy. Quite apart from the terrible toll on individuals, this victimisation is likely to deter many good people from standing for public office and deprive our country of their contribution. It's an attack on our freedoms and our way of life — and we won't stand for it. So, we're introducing tougher sentences for those responsible for threatening behaviour and removing requirements for candidates' addresses to be published. We are also taking steps to boost participation by removing barriers to make it easier and safer for people to cast their vote. Changes made by the last government went too far by effectively excluding those who didn't have access to the right documentation. This Labour government is committed to removing barriers to democracy while keeping safeguards in place so that more legitimate voters can have their say at the ballot box. That's why we are allowing the use of UK-issued bank cards as ID at polling stations for the first time, building on last year's change to add the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card to the list of accepted ID. These are common-sense reforms to get our democracy back on track in changing times and ensure that everyone has a say in its future. This should include younger generations who have been failed for too long by 14 years of chaos, neglect and decline. In stark contrast to those who oppose these plans, this Labour government has something to offer them. The biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, our mission to Make Work Pay, including thousands of young people getting a big raise in April following increases in the national minimum wage and living wage, a fairer deal for people renting and much more. This is our Plan for Change in action, a plan to grow the economy, put more money in people's pockets and unleash opportunity. This is democracy in action, led by a government that is building a country that works for all.
CNA
6 days ago
- Business
- CNA
No easy way to distribute COEs fairly and cheaply: SM Lee Hsien Loong
Scroll up for the next video X No easy way to distribute COEs fairly and cheaply: SM Lee Hsien Loong
