Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The new homes vary in size and cater to a wide range of needs.
A new 30-unit public housing development has opened in Tuggeranong and is ready to welcome tenants.
The unit complex is one of the largest public housing developments delivered under the ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing program.
The program, launched in 2019, aims to deliver 1,400 renewed or new public homes by mid-2027, which will increase the total number of public housing in the ACT by 400.
The new homes cater to a wide range of needs and are Class C Adaptable, making them suitable for people with disability and people as they grow older.
The development features an onsite playground and a range of unit sizes, from one-bedroom to four-bedroom.
They have each been completed with above-standard energy efficiency ratings, to provide tenants greater comfort and increased affordability.
The development is located close to shops, services and transport, as well Lake Tuggeranong and surrounding parks, allowing residents easy access to Tuggeranong’s outdoor spaces.
The ACT has the second-highest proportion of public housing out of any jurisdiction in the country.
The ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing program is on track to meet its targets.
More than 640 homes have already been built or bought, and another 577 are in the construction pipeline.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Katie Pike will no longer need to travel interstate to train for skating competitions.
The new competition-standard half-pipe at Belconnen skatepark is another step closer.
With off-site fabrication underway, construction has now started on site to expand the skatepark alongside the legendary ‘Belco Bowl’.
Fencing of the site has been completed with works over the coming weeks to include demolition activities to provide access to site and earthworks to start preparing the area for the future half-pipe.
The concrete slab is in place and the on-site assembly of the prefabricated metal and wooden ramps is underway.
The new half-pipe is expected to open to the public early in the second half of 2024.
The Canberra Skateboarding Association and Canberra BMX Club have called for improvements to Canberra skate parks.
The city’s skate culture is already strong, and the sport is growing in popularity.
Belconnen is Canberra’s best-known skatepark and already considered world-class by many enthusiasts.
Also known as a vertical or vert ramp, the new half-pipe will take ACT skating to another level, growing the city’s appeal to both national and international skaters.
Young Canberra skater and international competitor Katie Pike is excited about the development.
“I’m really looking forward to having a competition vert ramp in my home skatepark,” she said.
“That will help me out a lot because obviously I have to travel to Sydney to skate competition vert ramps and now that we have one in Canberra it will be a lot easier. Instead of having to travel most weeks I can just train five minutes away from home.”
Joel Bliss, another local skater, is also enthusiastic.
“I’ve been waiting, I think, my whole Canberra skating life for this moment,” he said.
“The first sessions are going to be amazing. I’ll probably just drop in and roll around for a while to get used to it. Because these ramps are big! The vert ramps we are used to around here are like mini ramps in comparison to this actual proper-sized ramp, so the speed you get on these things is just a thing in itself.
“It’s going to be unreal and there will be skaters from all over Australia that will come when they hear about it. It’s going to be a good thing. I can’t wait,” Joel said.
The ACT Government manages seven skateparks and another 12 parks that feature skating facilities across Canberra.
These cater not only to skateboarders but also cyclists, scooters, rollerbladers and rollerskaters.
“I think it’s really good and I think it will help with the progression of skating in Canberra,” Katie said.
The competition-standard half-pipe is funded by both the ACT Government and the Australian Government under the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
Joel Bliss can’t wait for the new half-pipe to be completed.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Canberrans are keen for spaces where their dogs can run free.
Work has begun on the new Franklin Dog Park, located in the open space bound by Nullarbor Avenue and Oodgeroo Avenue.
Major works are expected to take approximately nine months to complete (weather permitting), meaning Gungahlin dog owners should be able to use it next summer.
The new fully fenced dog park will be the third in Gungahlin and the eighth in Canberra.
Its design follows community consultation in 2022.
Key features include:
2,870m2 fenced recreational area
Accessible loop path within the perimeter of the dog park
Gravel car park with seven car spaces, including two accessible spaces and four bike rails
Picnic shelter, seating and drinking fountain
Dog agility area with some play elements including low and tall bar jumps, weave poles, pyramid ramp, hoop tunnels and log balance beams
Irrigated grass area for ball and frisbee play
Dog poo bag dispensers and bins.
There will also be 48 new trees planted for canopy cover, and additional shade once matured.
The ACT has one of Australia’s highest rates of pet ownership. Community feedback revealed Canberrans want space for their dogs to run free and a variety of terrains for dogs to explore and use their sense of smell.
Fenced dog exercise areas contribute to the effective management of dogs in public spaces by providing a controlled space where dogs can freely exercise and play. They also assist in alleviating the pressure on shared recreational areas.
There are several other projects currently underway across Canberra to provide more recreational opportunities for people and their dogs.
The new fenced dog park planned for the Lanyon Valley will provide more spaces for southsiders to socialise and exercise their dogs.
The Lanyon Valley dog park will include many of the same features as Franklin, including a grass play and agility areas, shade structures and seating.
A construction tender for that park will be released around the middle of the year.
Improvements to public open spaces present additional opportunities for on-leash dog walks.
These include improvements to the Tuggeranong foreshore, which are nearly complete, and upgrades to the Lake Ginninderra path circuit and Yerrabi Pond District Park.
Stay up to date on the suburban infrastructure projects being delivered, including playgrounds, local shopping centres and dog parks, at cityservices.act.gov.au/bettersuburbs.
The park will be located in the open space bound by Nullarbor Avenue and Oodgeroo Avenue.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Tuggeranong has over 30 dog off-leash areas and one dog park, with another on the way.
Tuggeranong is a dog friendly region of Canberra, with plenty of on-leash and off-leash open spaces for you and your four-legged friend to explore together.
Here are some of our favourite spots:
Dog parks
There is one dog park in Tuggeranong, with another one on its way.
Greenway – Mortimer Lewis Drive, Lake Tuggeranong
Located next to the picturesque Lake Tuggeranong, this scenic dog park is an ideal spot for your dog to socialise and play.
Large eucalyptus trees provide shade and there are large grassy areas. There are also benches so you can take a seat while your dog plays nearby.
There are two separate play areas: one for smaller dogs, and one for larger dogs.
Lanyon dog park – corner of Jim Pike Avenue and Woodcock Avenue, Gordon
Design work is progressing for a new fenced dog park near Point Hut Pond. Construction is expected to begin later in 2024.
There are over 30 areas that are dog off-leash in the Tuggeranong region.
Point Hut Pond
On hot days, take your dog to the western riverbank of Point Hut Crossing and Point Hut Bond. There are dog swimming spaces where your pooch can have a paddle before running themselves dry on the riverbank.
Calwell Playing Fields
With plenty of open space, Calwell Playing Fields is the perfect spot for zoomies or a game of fetch.
It’s important to know that ovals or sportsgrounds are conditional spaces. This means that if the oval is in use (i.e. when it is booked for formal sport, including training sessions), you and your dog will need to come back later.
Fadden Pines District Park
The side of this park closest to the Futsal Centre (the opposite side to the playground and skate park) is a dog off-leash area. There’s a large grassy area perfect for playing, and shady trees throughout the area.
There are public toilets on the other side of the park near the barbecue area. However, remember that when in use, all playgrounds, picnic areas and barbecue areas (as well as sportsgrounds) become dog prohibited areas. If they’re not in use, you’re able to venture into this area with your dog on their lead.
Simpsons Hill, Chisholm
This area is perfect for active dogs. There’s a grassy hill with lots of trees and space to run around.
On-leash areas
All streets, verges, footpaths and cycle paths are on-leash areas. You’ll also need to keep your dog on-leash if you’re within 10 metres either side of the path.
Lakes are also dog on-leash areas unless otherwise signposted.
Remember that regardless of where you are, it’s an offence not to pick up your dog droppings. You can receive a $150 fine for not picking up your dog’s droppings, and a $75 fine for not carrying appropriate equipment to collect your dog’s droppings. Keeping poo bags on hand near your leash (and using them to clean up after your dog) is an easy way to avoid copping a fine!
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
There are nine new units complete.
Nine new public housing units in West Belconnen are now complete and ready to welcome tenants.
The homes have been developed under the ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program, which has seen more than 475 homes built and a further 577 under design or construction since the launch of the program in July 2019.
The new homes add to the category of public housing in highest demand: approximately 80 per cent of all housing applicants can be housed in a two-bedroom dwelling.
Each of the homes is equipped with Class C adaptable features, suitable for people with different mobility and accessibility needs, and support tenants to age in place.
They are located close to a school, shops, and transport and feature a 7-star energy rating, offering greater comfort and increased affordability for tenants.
The program demonstrates the ACT Government’s commitment to providing high-quality public housing that caters to tenants’ needs.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Both Thor’s Hammer and Women’s Shed Canberra are grant recipients.
Fourteen social enterprises have been successful in the ACT Government’s new social enterprise grants program.
The ACT Social Enterprise Grant Program aims to support new social enterprises to start up, and help existing social enterprises to take the next step in their business journey.
The 14 enterprises will share in $340,000, to help get their ideas off the ground with the support of The Mill House Ventures.
The Mill House Ventures is delivering the grant program on behalf of the ACT Government, and will work with the recipients to help them achieve their purpose.
“As the key organisation supporting social enterprises in the ACT, The Mill House Ventures is thrilled that these grants will provide so much practical assistance to our region’s early stage and start up social enterprises,” CEO at The Mill House Ventures Craig Fairweather said.
“The independent assessment panel had a very difficult, but rewarding, task in determining the final list of successful grant recipients.”
The recipients are highly motivated and committed to supporting the local Canberra community, providing solutions to challenges and building resilience.
Grant recipients include:
Women’s Shed Canberra, which offers women of all backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, an ability to meet and to learn skills in building trades within a safe and supportive community.
GetAboutAble, a leading Australian accessibility consultancy that supports businesses and other organisations to improve their access and inclusion.
The Climate Factory, an organisation facilitating the creation of climate-cooling microforests in suburban locations, promoting biodiversity and fostering community engagement in environmental initiatives.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today held a seminar to enable participants to have a deeper understanding of the essence of the “two sessions” and its significance to Hong Kong.
The third session of the 14th National People’s Congress and the third session of the 14th National Committee (NPC) of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were concluded successfully in March.
Hosted by Chief Executive John Lee, the seminar was attended by more than 320 participants including principal officials, Hong Kong SAR deputies to the NPC and members of the National Committee of the CPPCC as well as Executive Council and Legislative Council members.
Sharing his views at the event, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Zheng Yanxiong said that Hong Kong has to grasp the spirit of the “two sessions” focusing on seven aspects.
They are: grasping deeply the spirit of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping in the “two sessions”; significant achievements of the country on all fronts over the past year; bright prospects in national economic and social development; overall requirements and major tasks for economic and social development this year; key initiatives in the government work report; significance of amending the Law on Deputies; and key plans for Hong Kong as highlighted by the “two sessions”.
The government work report pointed out boosting innovation and the radiating effect of the Greater Bay Area, striving for solid progress in high-quality Belt & Road co-operation, and speeding up the process to join the Comprehensive & Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
These plans are closely related to Hong Kong and deserve a high degree of attention, in particular the emphasis on “deepening international exchanges and co-operation and better integration into the national development”, highlighting the importance for Hong Kong to capitalise on its advantages as an international city and integrate into the overall national development, Mr Cheng said.
It also highlights the dialectical relationship between Hong Kong’s connection to the Mainland and to the world, he added.
Expressing gratitude to Mr Zheng for his sharing that deepened the participants’ understanding of the spirit of the “two sessions”, the Chief Executive said the central government firmly supports Hong Kong’s development.
“The Hong Kong SAR Government will fully implement the spirit of the ‘two sessions’ to unite society to deepen reforms comprehensively, proactively identify, adapt to, and drive change, pursue economic development and improve people’s livelihood, fully leverage the institutional strengths of ‘one country, two systems’ and align with national development strategies, deepen international collaboration and capitalise on Hong Kong’s role to link with the Mainland and the world.
“Hong Kong will vigorously develop new quality productive forces, accelerate its development into an international innovation and technology centre, consolidate and enhance its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, actively build an international hub for high-calibre talent, and take forward the Northern Metropolis and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone,” Mr Lee said.
“Apart from strengthening economic and trade ties with traditional markets, Hong Kong will deepen exchanges and co-operation with new markets such as the Middle East, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Central Asia, contribute to the Belt & Road Initiative, and tell the good stories of China and Hong Kong,” he added.
The Chief Executive encouraged government officials and the community to work hard and stay united to contribute to the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and the well-being of its people, and meet the challenges ahead with greater confidence and determination to build a better future.
Join us on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 2:00 pm EDT for our next foreign, comparative, and international law webinar, “The More the Merrier: The Form and Function of Coalition Governments Around the World.”
Within the last two years, several jurisdictions have formed or are in the process of forming new coalition governments, including Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, France, South Africa, and New Zealand. In some instances, these new governments have occurred due to snap elections; taken a great deal of time to form; led to new parties coming into power or certain parties being excluded from power; indicated a change in national political practice; or a shift from one side of the political spectrum to the other. With these changes, we can observe how coalitions form, operate, and collapse in different global locations.
In our April entry of our Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series, we will look at coalition governments, focusing on how they are formed, how they function, and how they are dissolved. We will use examples from various jurisdictions around the world to illustrate different means of creating and ending coalition governments, as well as the contrasting functions of those governments.
Please register here.
This webinar will be presented by Heather Casey, a writer-editor in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. Heather has a J.D. from William & Mary Law School, an M.L.I.S. from Drexel University, and a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati.
Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
WASHINGTON – Trevon Timothy Vines, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on a federal gun charge in the latest case to be federally adopted as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Sean T. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Vines was indicted on one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment for a Term Exceeding One Year.
According to court documents, on March 15, 2025, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the vicinity of 1820 7th Street NW after observing a traffic infraction. It is alleged that during the course of the stop, officers observed several open containers of alcohol and requested that all occupants exit the vehicle.
It is alleged that one of the occupants, defendant Vines, was seated in the front passenger seat and holding a cup consistent with the others observed. As officers attempted to place Vines in handcuffs, they felt what they immediately recognized to be a handgun on his person in a front left jacket pocket. Vines then began physically resisting, grabbing one officer’s vest and attempting to move him while repeatedly reaching for the weapon forcibly.
Officers eventually recovered the firearm and discovered that it had been reported stolen from a gun dealer in White Plains, Maryland.
An investigation revealed that Vines is a convicted felon with multiple prior convictions. At the time of the incident, Vines was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal and D.C. law. He did not have a license to carry or own a firearm in the District of Columbia.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, ATF Baltimore Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
This case is part of Make D.C. Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In mid-March, 2025, a Cuban National attempted to enter Canada from the US by running across the Fort Erie International Railway Bridge. Members of the RCMP Niagara-on-the-Lake Border Integrity Unit, with the assistance of members of the OPP contributing to Ontario’s Operation Deterrence, were able to locate and arrest the individual under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The individual was transported to the CBSA at the Peace Bridge port of entry in Fort Erie. After being assessed, the individual was found to be ineligible for entry to Canada and was returned to the United States on the same day.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake RCMP Border Integrity Unit currently maintains a 24/7 presence at the railway bridge. The RCMP have recently arrested several people attempting to make illegal entry into Canada at the railway bridge. All individuals who have been arrested were eventually returned to the U.S.
Members of the Niagara-on-the-Lake RCMP are actively conducting patrols along the border in this area on the land, on the water and in the air to disrupt cross-border criminal activity.
The RCMP is committed to working with our partners to protect the residents and communities of Canada. Our collaboration with both the CBSA and OPP continues to provide positive results for Canada. The RCMP also acknowledges the assistance of CN rail.
“The RCMP continues to see positive operational impact from new investments in law enforcement between ports of entry and collaborative efforts with CN Police, OPP and CBSA in maintaining the security and integrity of Canadian borders.” Sgt. Lepa Jankovic, Border Integrity Unit, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Central Region RCMP
“The CBSA and RCMP work in close partnership to maintain the security of our borders. This is yet another example of how our collaboration contributes to protecting the integrity of our border and the safety of our communities.” – Michael Prosia, A/Regional Director General, Southern Ontario Region, Canada Border Services Agency
Fast Facts
In Canada, border security and integrity is a shared mandate between the CBSA and the RCMP. The CBSA is responsible for enforcement at 1,200 ports of entry across the country, while the RCMP is responsible for enforcement between ports of entry.
The RCMP Niagara-on-the-Lake Border Integrity Unit is tasked with the prevention and detection of cross-border smuggling both to and from Canada. This unit supports four CBSA ports of entry by conducting larger criminal investigations that start at the port. The unit is also tasked with protecting the border area between the ports from Cobourg on Lake Ontario to Port Burwell on Lake Erie. The members of the unit will often be found in boats ensuring vessels are complying with reporting requirements when entering Canada.
If you have any information related to smuggling, drug importation, trafficking, or possession, or wish to report other criminality, you can contact the Ontario RCMP at 1-800-387-0020, the confidential CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), at any time.
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Cristian Javier Vente Ocoro (39, Colombia), a/k/a “Shrek,” “Happy,” and “Teletubis,” has pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic cocaine on vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Vente Ocoro faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. He was arrested in Colombia in September 2023 at the request of the United States and extradited to the United States a year later. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Vente Ocoro was part of an organization that smuggled cocaine from South America to Central America and Mexico, a substantial portion of which passed through points of entry on the United States/Mexico border. Vente Ocoro handled the organization, logistics, and planning of smuggling ventures, as well as recruited and paid crewmembers. As part of the investigation, investigators associated Vente Ocoro with two failed smuggling ventures – the first on June 25, 2019, that involved 1,090 kilograms of cocaine; the second on July 31, 2019, that involved 2,125 kilograms of cocaine.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. The Colombian National Police provided critical investigative support. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
Residents of an informal Port Moresby settlement that was razed following the gang rape and murder of a woman by 20 men say they are being unfairly punished by Papua New Guinea authorities over alleged links to the crime.
Human rights advocates and the UN have condemned the killing but warned the eviction by police has raised serious concerns about collective punishment, violations of national law, police misconduct and governance failures.
A community spokesman said more than 500 people living at the settlement at the capital’s Baruni rubbish dump were forcibly evicted by the police in response to the killing of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel on February 15.
Port Moresby newspapers reported the gang rape and murder by 20 men of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel . . . “Barbaric”, said the Post-Courier in a banner headline. Image: BenarNews
Authorities accuse the settlement residents, who are primarily migrants from the Goilala district in Central Province, of harboring some of the men involved in her murder.
Prime Minister James Marape condemned Gabriel’s death as “inhuman, barbaric” and a “defining moment for our nation to unite against crime, to take a stand against violence”, the day after the attack.
He assured every effort would be made to prosecute those responsible and his “unwavering support” for the removal of settlements like Baruni, calling them “breeding grounds for criminal elements who terrorise innocent people.”
Gabriel was one of three women killed in the capital that week.
Charged with rape, murder Four men from Goilala district and two from Enga province, all aged between 18 and 29, appeared in a Port Moresby court on Monday on charges of her rape and murder.
The case has again put a spotlight again on gender-based violence in PNG and renewed calls for the government to find a long-term solution to Port Moresby’s impoverished settlements.
Dozens of families, some of whom have lived in the Baruni settlement for more than 40 years, were forced out of their homes on February 22 and are now sleeping under blue tarpaulins at a school sports oval on the outskirts of the capital.
Spokesman for the evicted Baruni residents, Peter Laiam . . . “My people are innocent.” Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News
“My people are innocent,” Peter Laiam, a community spokesman and school caretaker, told BenarNews, adding that police continued to harass the community at their new location.
“They told me I had to move these people out in two weeks’ time or they will shoot us.”
Laiam said a further six men from the settlement were suspected of involvement in Gabriel’s death, but had not been charged, and the community has fully cooperated with police on the matter, including naming the suspects.
Authorities however were treating the entire population as “trouble makers,” Laiam added.
“They also took cash and building materials like corrugated iron roofing for themselves” he said.
No police response Senior police in Port Moresby did not respond to ongoing requests from BenarNews for reaction to the allegations.
Assistant Commissioner Benjamin Turi last week thanked the evicted settlers for information that led to the arrest of six suspects, The National newspaper reported.
Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Junior defended the eviction at Baruni last month, telling EMTV News it was lawful and the settlement was on state-owned land.
Bare land left after homes in the Baruni settlement village were flattened by bulldozers at Port Moresby, PNG. Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News
Police used excavators and other heavy machinery to tear down houses at the Baruni settlement, with images showing some buildings on fire.
Residents say the resettlement site in Laloki lacks adequate water, sanitation and other facilities.
“They are running out of food,” Laiam said. “Last weekend they were washed out by the rain and their food supplies were finished.”
Separated from their gardens and unable to sell firewood, the families are surviving on food donations from local authorities, he said.
Human rights critics The evictions have been criticised by human rights advocates, including Peterson Magoola, the UN Women Representative for PNG.
“We strongly condemn all acts of sexual and gender-based violence and call for justice for the victim,” he said in a statement last month.
“At the same time, collective punishment, forced evictions, and destruction of homes violate fundamental human rights and disproportionately harm vulnerable members of the community.”
The evicted families living in tents at Laloki St Paul’s Primary School, on the outskirts of Port Moresby, PNG. Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News
Melanesian Solidarity, a local nonprofit, called on the government to ensure justice for both the murder victim and displaced families.
It said the evictions might have contravened international treaties and domestic laws that protect against unlawful property deprivation and mandate proper legal procedures for relocation.
The Baruni settlement, which is home primarily to migrants from Goilala district, was established with consent on the customary land of the Baruni people during the colonial era, according to Laiam.
Central Province Governor Rufina Peter defended the evicted settlers on national broadcaster NBC on February 20, and their contribution to the national capital.
“The Goilala people were here during pre-independence time. They are the ones who were the bucket carriers,” she said.
‘Knee jerk’ response She also criticised the eviction by police as “knee jerk” and raised human rights concerns.
The Goilala community in Central Province, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital, was the center of controversy in January when a trophy video of butchered body parts being displayed by a gang went viral, attracted erroneous ‘cannibalism’ reportage by the local media and sparked national and international condemnation.
The evictions at Baruni have touched off again a complex debate about crime and housing in PNG, the Pacific’s most populous nation.
Informal settlements have mushroomed in Port Moresby as thousands of people from the countryside migrate to the city in search of employment.
Critics say the impoverished settlements are unfit for habitation, contribute to the city’s frequent utility shortages, and harbour criminals.
Mass evictions have been ordered before, but the government has failed to enact any meaningful policies to address their rapid growth across the city.
While accurate population data is hard to find in PNG, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that the number of people living in Port Moresby is about 513,000.
Lack basic infrastructure At least half of them are thought to live in informal settlements, which lack basic infrastructure like water, electricity and sewerage, according to 2022 research by the PNG National Research Institute.
A shortage of affordable housing and high rental prices have caused a mismatch between demand and supply.
Melanesian Solidarity said the government needed to develop a national housing strategy to prevent the rise of informal settlements.
“This eviction is a wake-up call for the government to implement sustainable urban planning and housing reforms rather than resorting to forced removals,” it said in a statement.
“We stand with the affected families and demand justice, accountability, and humane solutions for all Papua New Guineans.”
Stefan Armbruster, Sue Ahearn and Harry Pearl contributed to this story. Republished from BenarNews with permission. However, it is the last report from BenarNews as the editors have announced a “pause” in publication due to the US administration withholding funds.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Landmark anti-terror legislation gains Royal Assent
Martyn’s Law will deliver increased protection by ensuring public premises and events are better prepared in the event of a terrorist attack.
Premises and events will be better prepared to respond to attacks as landmark legislation known as Martyn’s Law gained Royal Assent and became law today (Thursday 3 April).
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 will require public premises where 200 or more individuals may be present, to be better prepared and have plans in place to keep people safe in the event of an attack.
Larger premises and events where 800 or more people will be present will be required to take further steps to reduce their vulnerability to acts of terrorism – such as having CCTV, bag search policies or vehicle checks where appropriate.
‘Martyn’s Law’ is named in tribute to Martyn Hett who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017.
It delivers on the Prime Minister’s personal promise to Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray, who has been the driving force in campaigning for this legislation in her son’s memory, that he would bring in this law.
The Prime Minister invited Figen Murray into Downing Street today to mark this landmark moment and to express the debt of gratitude the nation has for her selfless work to turn such unimaginable pain into a lasting legacy for son Martyn.
The government is securing Britain’s future through the Plan for Change and this Act delivers a manifesto commitment to strengthen the security of public events and venues.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said:
Today is a landmark moment for our security as my government delivers on its promise to introduce Martyn’s Law and better protect the public from terrorism.
Figen’s courage and determination in the face of such unimaginable loss is truly humbling and it is thanks to her campaigning that Martyn’s Law means her son’s legacy will live on forever.
Security is the foundation of our Plan for Change and the first duty of any government. Martyn’s Law will ensure everyone can enjoy public events more safely and ensure venues across the country have clear, practical measures in place to protect people.
Figen Murray, mother of Martyn Hett said:
My son Martyn Hett was murdered alongside 21 innocent victims in the Manchester Arena terror attack on 22 May 2017, and whilst nothing will bring Martyn back, I am determined to ensure nobody endures what my family has experienced.
For the last 6 years I have campaigned to introduce measures that will improve security at public venues and how they respond to a terror attack – Martyn’s Law.
I am grateful to the Prime Minister, the Security Minister and Lord Hanson for how quickly they’ve progressed Martyn’s Law through parliament. But this would not have happened without the tireless support of my co-campaigners Nick Aldworth, Brendan Cox, Nathan Emmerich, my husband Stuart, and my children.
Over the implementation period it is vital that the government and Security Industry Authority provide all that is necessary for publicly accessible locations to implement Martyn’s Law.
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said:
Martyn’s Law will significantly strengthen public safety across our country, I’d like to thank Figen Murray for her tireless work to make this law a reality.
This government is securing Britain’s future through the Plan for Change and, as the eighth anniversary of the attack approaches, this new law delivers upon the lessons from the Manchester Arena Inquiry to keep people safe.
CTP Senior National Coordinator for Protect and Prepare, Jon Savell, said:
Martyn’s Law will ensure that the public have additional protection from terrorist attacks while at events and public venues. We will continue to work with businesses and with the government to make sure premises have the support they need to prepare for the implementation of the act.
Figen Murray has campaigned tirelessly for the introduction of this legislation and it’s thanks to her unwavering determination that it has achieved Royal Assent.
Mike Kill CEO of the Night Time Industries Association
The passing of Martyn’s Law into legislation is a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to public safety. This law will ensure that venues and events across the UK take appropriate and proportionate steps to protect the public from the evolving threat of terrorism. The NTIA has long supported measures that enhance security while remaining practical for businesses to implement.
We appreciate the government’s recognition of the challenges businesses face and the commitment to a 24-month implementation period, allowing time for preparation and adaptation. As an industry we will continue working closely with the Home Office, the SIA, and key stakeholders to provide clear guidance and support. Ensuring the safety of our night-time economy and public spaces remains our priority, and we fully support this crucial legislation.
Security Minster, Dan Jarvis, said:
I am proud that we have delivered Martyn’s Law as part of our commitment to strengthen the security at public events and venues.
I would like to pay tribute to Figen Murray, who has been nothing short of inspirational in her campaign for this legislation and a driving force in making it happen.
Giles Smith, Chief Executive of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) said:
The SGSA welcomes the passing of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) 2025 legislation.
Providing a safe, welcoming environment for fans is the SGSA’s top priority and we support the objectives of Martyn’s Law.
Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – “This year, the Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year with the theme: Pilgrims of Hope. As a falculty, can we not go to our prisons and help liberate those who do not belong there?” asked Father Wilfred Sumani, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic University of Malawi, in a speech to law faculty students preparing for the “Moot Court” competition (in which teams of law students compete in a mock criminal trial). Father Sumani urged the students to participate in the free defense of prisoners who cannot afford legal representation.Lawyer Noel Chalamanda, the facilitator of the training, expressed his commitment to join the challenge of helping prisoners on pro bono: “I will take on ten cases in this challenge and only require assistance from the students with the paperwork”.In Malawi, there are several cases of arrests based on inadequate investigations, often targeting poor individuals. This contributes to overcrowding in police cells and prisons. Despite legal reforms and the constitutional right of the poor to legal representation, this is rarely guaranteed in practice in Malawi. In addition to legal fees, those involved in a legal dispute also face other logistical costs. A large portion of the population still lives in rural areas. The inaccessibility and lack of functioning and effective legal institutions in rural areas is one of the main reasons why the poor have difficulty accessing the courts. For villagers, the nearest district court can be 25-40 kilometers away. Most villagers cannot afford a personal vehicle, and public transportation is non-existent in rural areas. The only means of transportation available to villagers are walking, cycling, or hitchhiking to court. Furthermore, they must arrive at the courthouse several days before the start of the trial, incurring costs for food and accommodation. The government provides insufficient funding for legal assistance to poor citizens, making it virtually impossible for most defendants. Furthermore, the Malawi Bar Association does not appear to particularly support the practice of pro bono defense. The initiative proposed by the Catholic University of Malawi for the Jubilee Year is therefore intended as a signal to try to change this situation. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 3/4/2025)
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Detectives investigating the murder of 16-year-old Hani Hicham Abou El Kheir are continuing their efforts to secure justice for his family.
Hani was fatally stabbed in Pimlico on 27 January 2013. Subsequently, five men were convicted of his murder and sentenced to a total of 131 years imprisonment following a trial at the Old Bailey in January 2014.
One suspect remains outstanding. He is Dilawar Hussain, 33, (24.09.91) who was born in Paddington and raised in London.
Hussain’s then home in Rampayne Street, SW1 was searched four days after the murder, but he was not present. An arrest warrant was obtained on 21 March 2013 at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court and officers established that Hussain, who was 21 years old at the time, had travelled to Bangladesh.
Efforts continue to be made to ensure Hussain faces justice for Hani’s murder. Met detectives and Hani’s mother, Pauline Hickey, are appealing for information in relation Dilawar Hussain’s whereabouts.
An arrest warrant remains in place for Hussain.
Hani’s mother Pauline said: “It is now 12 years since my only son, Hani, was hunted down and attacked in a busy street by a group of feral men. While several people have been jailed for his murder, one suspect remains free.
“Hani was only a boy when he was killed – he had his whole life to live and this was brutally taken away. The pain of his loss does not diminish with the passing of time and it only feels greater knowing Dilawar Hussain has evaded justice so far. If you can help, I would plead with you to get in contact with the police.”
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers who leads the investigation said:
“I am appealing for information as to the whereabouts of Dilawar Hussain. In 2014 we released a statement confirming he had fled to Bangladesh soon after the murder and we’ve heard nothing to believe that this situation has changed.
“Hani’s mother Pauline continues to fight for justice and to ensure those responsible for her son’s murder are held to account and we will not rest until we’ve helped achieve this for her.”
If you know where Hussain is or who is harbouring him please share this information with the Met Police via 101 or through our website and quote Op Jabalpur, or notify your local law enforcement agency.
I am a law professor at Villanova University outside Philadelphia, and my research focuses on the work of the administrative agencies that compose the federal government.
I believe that understanding the federal government’s presence in the Philly metro area can highlight some of the potential consequences in our region for the rapid changes currently underway.
Here are some examples of the broad variety of services that federal employees in the Philadelphia region provide to the public.
Services to businesses
Several federal agencies in the Philadelphia area provide expertise, advice and resources for businesses.
For example, the U.S. Commercial Service, part of the Commerce Department, has an office in Philadelphia and assists U.S. businesses with exporting their products for international markets.
The Small Business Administration, which has a district office in King of Prussia, provides resources and support for small businesses.
And the Economic Development Administration operates a regional office in Philadelphia that distributes federal funds for construction, workforce training, manufacturing, disaster relief and other purposes.
Benefits for retirees and veterans
Other federal agencies administer government benefits programs. The Social Security Administration disburses benefits for retirees and the disabled, providing more than US$13 billion in benefits to almost 8 million people in the Philadelphia region each month.
About 3,800 Pennsylvanians work for the Social Security Administration in offices located around the state.
The Department of Veterans Affairs operates the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Medical Center in West Philadelphia. The center provides primary and specialty health care for veterans.
Statewide in Pennsylvania, about 17,000 federal employees work for the Veterans Health Administration. Another 1,500 work for the Veterans Benefits Administration, which provides veterans with education and training, home loans, life insurance and pensions.
Census data collection
The Census Bureau operates an office in Philadelphia to collect and disseminate data in a region that stretches from Tennessee to Pennsylvania.
The Census Bureau conducts the constitutionally mandated census of the U.S. population every 10 years, as well as an economic census of businesses every five years, and numerous surveys about communities, health, housing, crime, education and more.
In addition, regional census employees answer questions from local media, work with local organizations to encourage participation in censuses and surveys, and educate the public about census data. This work is of particular importance because census data determines how federal funding is allocated.
Military logistics
The Defense Logistics Agency’s Troop Support Command is headquartered in Northeast Philadelphia. Troop Support is responsible for creating and maintaining military supply chains. This includes securing food, clothing, equipment and medical supplies.
In addition to its role in supporting the military, the Corps of Engineers also constructs and maintains civil works projects. Its first civil works project in the Philadelphia region was the construction of a breakwater near Cape Henlopen, Delaware, in 1829.
The Environmental Protection Agency is perhaps best known as an environmental regulator, enforcing limits on air and water pollution and toxic substances. But it also is active in other areas, such as cleaning up contaminated sites in the Philadelphia area through the Superfund program.
EPA’s National Priorities List includes almost 40 contaminated sites in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. For example, EPA manages the cleanup of the Philadelphia Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, where part of the Navy Yard had historically been used to dispose of waste from ships. EPA’s cleanup has remediated the onsite landfill and prevents contamination from seeping into the Delaware River.
EPA also supervises the cleanup in Havertown of the site of a former wood treatment operation that contaminated the soil and groundwater with the highly toxic chemical pentachlorophenol, or PCP. Because of the cleanup, part of the contaminated site is now a widely used YMCA that serves the recreational and fitness needs of the community.
Tax help
The Internal Revenue Service, another agency known for its enforcement activities, also provides services in the Philadelphia area to support taxpayers. These include, for example, taxpayer assistance centers in Horsham, King of Prussia, Media and Philadelphia.
Todd Aagaard is a visiting fellow at Resources for the Future in addition to his faculty position at Villanova University. From 1999 to 2007, he served as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Johnny Leung will succeed Yang Joe-tsi as Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force Commandant from April 7, the Government announced today.
Mr Leung, 57, is the Chief Operating Officer of a multinational engineering corporation.
He joined the Auxiliary Police Force as a constable in 1989 and was promoted to Chief Superintendent (Auxiliary) in 2017. He became deputy commandant in 2021.
Mr Yang has a wide range of operational and management experience. He was awarded the Long Service Medal for Auxiliary Police in 2004, the First Clasp in 2014, and a TIDERIDER medal in 2021.
Holyrood RCMP is looking to arrest wanted man, 34-year-old Simon Dobbin of St. Joseph’s. Dobbin is wanted for charges of assault and two counts of breaching a release order.
An image of Dobbin is attached.
Anyone having information about Dobbin’s current location is asked to contact Holyrood RCMP at 709-229-3892. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visitwww.nlcrimestoppers.comor use the P3Tips app.
Tattoos of crowns and roses are popular among everyone – not just members of Tren de Aragua, as law enforcement has claimed. Marc Atkins/Getty Images
The United States deported 238 Venezuelan men on three flights to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, claiming that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang that originated in Venezuela.
A lawyer for Jerce Reyes Barrios, a professional soccer player who is among the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador, says the government detained and deported her client because he has a tattoo of a soccer ball with a crown on top, which resembles the logo of his favorite soccer team, Real Madrid. The tattoo and a photograph of Barrios making a hand sign that means “I love you” in sign language are the only two pieces of evidence the government has presented of his gang ties, according to the lawyer.
Meanwhile, deported Venezuelan makeup artist Andry José Hernández Romero has a tattoo of a crown on each wrist, one with “Dad” and one with “Mom” written next to each crown. Immigration authorities indicated in his file that these tattoos were “determining factors to conclude reasonable suspicion” of his membership in the Tren de Aragua gang. Some government sources list crowns as a tattoo common for Tren de Aragua members, but other government sources cast doubt on that claim.
The tattoos on the wrists of Andry José Hernández Romero, who says he was wrongly identified as a gang member by the Trump administration. David Alandete/X
Whether or not the Trump administration used tattoos as a sole criteria for deportation, I’ve found in my own research that simply using tattoos as any sort of criteria can lead law enforcement astray.
In 2023, I analyzed the reliability of tattoos as markers of gang membership in the Washington Law Review.
The bottom line: While many people in gangs have tattoos that demonstrate their membership, many people who have absolutely no gang ties also get similar tattoos.
There are some types of tattoos that can be especially misleading.
Geographic origins
In 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Daniel Ramirez Medina, who was lawfully in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The government attempted to strip his status and deport him, claiming he was a gang member due to a tattoo that read “La Paz BCS.” La Paz is the capital of the Mexican state Baja California Sur, which is abbreviated “BCS.” The only evidence of gang membership that ICE agents presented in immigration court was this tattoo.
But they overlooked the fact that tattoos depicting the names or area codes of hometowns or countries of origin are a common way for people to honor where they came from.
This is particularly the case for people who migrate or move away from their homelands. For example, tattoos of “503” and “504” – the country codes used to dial El Salvador and Honduras, respectively – have been relied upon to allege gang membership, even as many people who have these tattoos deny any gang ties and have no criminal records. Law enforcement has also relied on tattoos of the words “Mexican,” “Chicano” or “Brown Pride” as evidence of gang membership.
Some gangs, such as the Mexican Mafia, include a reference to nationality in the name of the gang. And in the U.S., street gangs are often based in specific neighborhoods, with many gangs incorporating the city or street where they’re based into gang names and associated tattoos. For this reason, tattoos celebrating a city or country can only lead to confusion.
Tattoos of Mayan or Aztec images have also been used to designate people as gang members, even though these tattoos are clear expressions of cultural identity and do not necessarily have any nexus to gang membership. While some gangs do use specific Aztec symbols to identify members, it’s virtually impossible to distinguish a tattoo of cultural or geographic significance from a tattoo indicating gang association.
In the case of Medina, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez, a George W. Bush appointee, ordered that his DACA status remain in place and that he be protected from deportation because ICE’s “conclusory findings” that he was a gang member were “contradicted by experts and other evidence.” Furthermore, an immigration judge who reviewed all the evidence had already concluded that he was not in a gang.
Martinez was clearly disturbed by ICE’s claims, writing, “Most troubling to the Court is the continued assertion that Mr. Ramirez is gang-affiliated, despite providing no evidence specific to Mr. Ramirez to the Immigration Court in connection with his administrative proceedings, and offering no evidence to this Court to support its assertions four months later.”
Religious imagery and pop culture
Tattoos of popular Catholic religious images, such as the Virgin of Guadalupe, praying hands and rosaries, have also been used to label people as gang members, a move that would seem to be clearly overbroad.
While some gang members may be Catholic, no one would even try to allege that all Catholics are gang members. At least one of the deported Venezuelan men had a tattoo of a rosary, along with tattoos of a clock and the names of his mother and niece with crowns atop the text.
Tattoos have also become an important way for people to celebrate popular culture. Tattoos of a woman’s lips, for example, have become popular among gang members and non-gang members alike. A number of professional athletes, including soccer phenom Lionel Messi, have tattoos of their partner’s lips. However, this is also a tattoo law enforcement uses to categorize people as gang members.
The issue, of course, is that these symbols are also popular among people with no connection to the gang.
Imprecise methodology
Understanding the problem really comes down to math. While it may be true that many gang members have tattoos of the images listed above, it is also true that many non-gang members have similar tattoos.
The Bayesian mathematical approach involves making inferences about probabilities based on available information. The probability that a gang member has a certain tattoo isn’t the same as the probability that an individual who has a certain tattoo is a gang member.
The U.S. government seems to be wrongfully equating the two.
Writing about the broader problems of discerning gang membership in 2009, sociologist David Kennedy argued that the law’s inability to devise rules “that clearly distinguish a gang and a football team, or a gang member and his mother” suggests that taking “legal action, based on imprecise language [is] something of a problem.”
This problem becomes magnified when there’s no due process for the accused – which is exactly what happened to the Venezuelan men whisked off to El Salvador.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Serious Fraud Office sets out next steps in ambitious plan
The SFO has published its plan for the year ahead focusing on using new tools, enhancing its intelligence capacity and with domestic and international partners.
The SFO today published its plan for the year ahead focusing on using new tools, enhancing its intelligence capacity and working ‘more vigorously’ with domestic and international partners.
The Business Plan 2025-26 is the next step in the SFO’s ambition to be bolder and more pragmatic as an organisation.
This approach has already delivered faster progression of cases with stricter case discipline creating capacity to open eight new investigations and charge a case within 15 months of opening.
This year, the SFO aims to use the new “failure to prevent fraud” offence, part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, which comes into force in September. The plan also includes delivery of refreshed corporate guidance for engaging with the SFO and advancing plans for a whistleblower incentivisation scheme.
Operational divisions will also begin rolling out Technology Assisted Review (TAR), which has been found during a pilot to review documents for disclosure up to 40 per cent faster than our standard method.
The SFO will continue to invest in its covert operational capacity and work more closely with key law enforcement and regulatory partners. The SFO recently created a new taskforce to tackle international bribery and corruption, with key partners Switzerland and France
Read the full SFO 2025-26 Business Plan (PDF, 2.8 MB, 9 pages), including a message from Nick Ephgrave QPM, Director of the Serious Fraud Office.
Teams from the council worked with Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and other key agencies in a series of days of action in town centres from 20-28 March.
The city council joined forces with police and other partners to clean up neighbourhoods and tackle anti-social behaviour across Stoke-on-Trent.
Teams from the council worked with Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and other key agencies in a series of days of action in town centres from 20-28 March.
The teams – who were active in Burslem, Longton, Stoke, Tunstall, and Hanley – tackled a wide range of community concerns.
Police took action against a number of criminal activities, including issues relating to drugs.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue inspected hazardous buildings and conducted hydrant checks.
Action led by city council teams included:
Supporting rough sleepers to access essential services
Inspecting empty homes to ensure they were safe
Clearing illegal rubbish dumping
Enforcing parking rules and issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)
Issuing fines and warning letters for untidy properties
Licensing and Trading Standards checks on local businesses
The days of action had positive impacts across the city.
In Broomhill Street in Tunstall, four vehicles were seized by the DVLA for having no insurance, while Environmental Crime officers cleared seven wagons of waste from the area.
They also took down fencing which had been used to create extra garden space without planning permission. The householder at the address had also wired his property to a nearby lamppost and was illegally taking electricity, which was made safe by National Grid.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “It’s great to see so many partners out and about with us, sharing the same vision and helping people get the support they need.
“We are committed to making Stoke-on-Trent a cleaner, greener and safer place for all who live, work and visit here.
“We are acting on residents’ concerns, and all reports are taken seriously.”
Councillor Majid Khan, cabinet member for safe and resilient communities at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Activity doesn’t just happen during these days of action.
“Our Trading Standards, Anti-Social Behaviour, Parking and Environmental Crime teams are out across the city every day.”
Stoke North Inspector Victoria Ison, of Staffordshire Police, said: “This activity follows months of successful enforcement operations with our partners at the city council to target those blighting local people across Stoke-on-Trent.
“More than 260 people have been arrested since we launched our Making Great Places initiative with local partners.
“We’re working in partnership with the council to continue addressing the concerns of local communities and to take robust action against those responsible for harm across the city.
To report any concerns please call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you are concerned about anyone sleeping rough, contact the Outreach Team on 0800 970 2304 or via the Streetlink website.
Illegal dumping can be reported to Environmental Crime on 01782 234234 or via email at environmental.crime@stoke.gov.uk and the Drug and Alcohol Service can be contacted on 01782 283113.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has made multiple arrests in relation to a large disturbance that occurred in Alice Springs earlier today.
Just after 12pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received multiple reports of a violent disturbance involving up to 50 people occurring in Sadadeen.
Upon police arrival, the group allegedly armed themselves with various weapons and threw rocks at police. OC spray was deployed to disperse the group, and one adult female and four adult males were subsequently arrested.
One adult male remains outstanding after allegedly attempting to set his dogs upon one of the police officers.
All offenders remain in custody and are expected to be charged for various offences, including Disorderly behaviour and Assault police.
One adult female was conveyed to Alice Springs Hospital for assessment.
No police member was injured during the incident.
Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444. Please quote reference P25090654. Anonymous reports can also be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Special traffic and transport arrangements for triathlon event in Central and Wan Chai districts from this Friday to Sunday 1. Road closures 2. Public transport arrangements
To tie in with the road closure arrangements in the vicinity of Central Harbourfront, the departures of cross-harbour bus route nos. H1S and H2 heading to Central will be temporarily diverted to operate via Connaught Road Central in the following time periods until the closed road is reopened to traffic: During the road closure in Central Harbourfront, the bus stop on Man Yiu Street near Two International Finance Centre will be temporarily suspended.
Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. During the event, the TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. Members of the public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or the “HKeMobility” mobile application.
For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD website (www.td.gov.hkIssued at HKT 12:45
Many networks have a gap in their defenses for detecting and blocking a malicious technique known as “fast flux.” This technique poses a significant threat to national security, enabling malicious cyber actors to consistently evade detection. Malicious cyber actors, including cybercriminals and nation-state actors, use fast flux to obfuscate the locations of malicious servers by rapidly changing Domain Name System (DNS) records. Additionally, they can create resilient, highly available command and control (C2) infrastructure, concealing their subsequent malicious operations. This resilient and fast changing infrastructure makes tracking and blocking malicious activities that use fast flux more difficult.
The National Security Agency (NSA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC), Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), and New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ) are releasing this joint cybersecurity advisory (CSA) to warn organizations, Internet service providers (ISPs), and cybersecurity service providers of the ongoing threat of fast flux enabled malicious activities as a defensive gap in many networks. This advisory is meant to encourage service providers, especially Protective DNS (PDNS) providers, to help mitigate this threat by taking proactive steps to develop accurate, reliable, and timely fast flux detection analytics and blocking capabilities for their customers. This CSA also provides guidance on detecting and mitigating elements of malicious fast flux by adopting a multi-layered approach that combines DNS analysis, network monitoring, and threat intelligence.
The authoring agencies recommend all stakeholders—government and providers—collaborate to develop and implement scalable solutions to close this ongoing gap in network defenses against malicious fast flux activity.
When malicious cyber actors compromise devices and networks, the malware they use needs to “call home” to send status updates and receive further instructions. To decrease the risk of detection by network defenders, malicious cyber actors use dynamic resolution techniques, such as fast flux, so their communications are less likely to be detected as malicious and blocked.
Fast flux refers to a domain-based technique that is characterized by rapidly changing the DNS records (e.g., IP addresses) associated with a single domain [T1568.001].
Single and double flux
Malicious cyber actors use two common variants of fast flux to perform operations:
1. Single flux: A single domain name is linked to numerous IP addresses, which are frequently rotated in DNS responses. This setup ensures that if one IP address is blocked or taken down, the domain remains accessible through the other IP addresses. See Figure 1 as an example to illustrate this technique.
Figure 1: Single flux technique.
Note: This behavior can also be used for legitimate purposes for performance reasons in dynamic hosting environments, such as in content delivery networks and load balancers.
2. Double flux: In addition to rapidly changing the IP addresses as in single flux, the DNS name servers responsible for resolving the domain also change frequently. This provides an additional layer of redundancy and anonymity for malicious domains. Double flux techniques have been observed using both Name Server (NS) and Canonical Name (CNAME) DNS records. See Figure 2 as an example to illustrate this technique.
Figure 2: Double flux technique.
Both techniques leverage a large number of compromised hosts, usually as a botnet from across the Internet that acts as proxies or relay points, making it difficult for network defenders to identify the malicious traffic and block or perform legal enforcement takedowns of the malicious infrastructure. Numerous malicious cyber actors have been reported using the fast flux technique to hide C2 channels and remain operational. Examples include:
Bulletproof hosting (BPH) services offer Internet hosting that disregards or evades law enforcement requests and abuse notices. These providers host malicious content and activities while providing anonymity for malicious cyber actors. Some BPH companies also provide fast flux services, which help malicious cyber actors maintain connectivity and improve the reliability of their malicious infrastructure. [1]
Fast flux has been used in Hive and Nefilim ransomware attacks. [3], [4]
Gamaredon uses fast flux to limit the effectiveness of IP blocking. [5], [6], [7]
The key advantages of fast flux networks for malicious cyber actors include:
Increased resilience. As a fast flux network rapidly rotates through botnet devices, it is difficult for law enforcement or abuse notifications to process the changes quickly and disrupt their services.
Render IP blocking ineffective. The rapid turnover of IP addresses renders IP blocking irrelevant since each IP address is no longer in use by the time it is blocked. This allows criminals to maintain resilient operations.
Anonymity. Investigators face challenges in tracing malicious content back to the source through fast flux networks. This is because malicious cyber actors’ C2 botnets are constantly changing the associated IP addresses throughout the investigation.
Additional malicious uses
Fast flux is not only used for maintaining C2 communications, it also can play a significant role in phishing campaigns to make social engineering websites harder to block or take down. Phishing is often the first step in a larger and more complex cyber compromise. Phishing is typically used to trick victims into revealing sensitive information (such as login passwords, credit card numbers, and personal data), but can also be used to distribute malware or exploit system vulnerabilities. Similarly, fast flux is used for maintaining high availability for cybercriminal forums and marketplaces, making them resilient against law enforcement takedown efforts.
Some BPH providers promote fast flux as a service differentiator that increases the effectiveness of their clients’ malicious activities. For example, one BPH provider posted on a dark web forum that it protects clients from being added to Spamhaus blocklists by easily enabling the fast flux capability through the service management panel (See Figure 3). A customer just needs to add a “dummy server interface,” which redirects incoming queries to the host server automatically. By doing so, only the dummy server interfaces are reported for abuse and added to the Spamhaus blocklist, while the servers of the BPH customers remain “clean” and unblocked.
Figure 3: Example dark web fast flux advertisement.
The BPH provider further explained that numerous malicious activities beyond C2, including botnet managers, fake shops, credential stealers, viruses, spam mailers, and others, could use fast flux to avoid identification and blocking.
As another example, a BPH provider that offers fast flux as a service advertised that it automatically updates name servers to prevent the blocking of customer domains. Additionally, this provider further promoted its use of separate pools of IP addresses for each customer, offering globally dispersed domain registrations for increased reliability.
Detection techniques
The authoring agencies recommend that ISPs and cybersecurity service providers, especially PDNS providers, implement a multi-layered approach, in coordination with customers, using the following techniques to aid in detecting fast flux activity [CISA CPG 3.A]. However, quickly detecting malicious fast flux activity and differentiating it from legitimate activity remains an ongoing challenge to developing accurate, reliable, and timely fast flux detection analytics.
1. Leverage threat intelligence feeds and reputation services to identify known fast flux domains and associated IP addresses, such as in boundary firewalls, DNS resolvers, and/or SIEM solutions.
2. Implement anomaly detection systems for DNS query logs to identify domains exhibiting high entropy or IP diversity in DNS responses and frequent IP address rotations. Fast flux domains will frequently cycle though tens or hundreds of IP addresses per day.
3. Analyze the time-to-live (TTL) values in DNS records. Fast flux domains often have unusually low TTL values. A typical fast flux domain may change its IP address every 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Review DNS resolution for inconsistent geolocation. Malicious domains associated with fast flux typically generate high volumes of traffic with inconsistent IP-geolocation information.
5. Use flow data to identify large-scale communications with numerous different IP addresses over short periods.
6. Develop fast flux detection algorithms to identify anomalous traffic patterns that deviate from usual network DNS behavior.
7. Monitor for signs of phishing activities, such as suspicious emails, websites, or links, and correlate these with fast flux activity. Fast flux may be used to rapidly spread phishing campaigns and to keep phishing websites online despite blocking attempts.
8. Implement customer transparency and share information about detected fast flux activity, ensuring to alert customers promptly after confirmed presence of malicious activity.
Mitigations
All organizations
To defend against fast flux, government and critical infrastructure organizations should coordinate with their Internet service providers, cybersecurity service providers, and/or their Protective DNS services to implement the following mitigations utilizing accurate, reliable, and timely fast flux detection analytics.
Note: Some legitimate activity, such as common content delivery network (CDN) behaviors, may look like malicious fast flux activity. Protective DNS services, service providers, and network defenders should make reasonable efforts, such as allowlisting expected CDN services, to avoid blocking or impeding legitimate content.
1. DNS and IP blocking and sinkholing of malicious fast flux domains and IP addresses
Block access to domains identified as using fast flux through non-routable DNS responses or firewall rules.
Consider sinkholing the malicious domains, redirecting traffic from those domains to a controlled server to capture and analyze the traffic, helping to identify compromised hosts within the network.
Block IP addresses known to be associated with malicious fast flux networks.
2. Reputational filtering of fast flux enabled malicious activity
Block traffic to and from domains or IP addresses with poor reputations, especially ones identified as participating in malicious fast flux activity.
3. Enhanced monitoring and logging
Increase logging and monitoring of DNS traffic and network communications to identify new or ongoing fast flux activities.
Implement automated alerting mechanisms to respond swiftly to detected fast flux patterns.
Share detected fast flux indicators (e.g., domains, IP addresses) with trusted partners and threat intelligence communities to enhance collective defense efforts. Examples of indicator sharing initiatives include CISA’s Automated Indicator Sharing or sector-based Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) and ASD’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing Platform (CTIS) in Australia.
Participate in public and private information-sharing programs to stay informed about emerging fast flux tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Regular collaboration is particularly important because most malicious activity by these domains occurs within just a few days of their initial use; therefore, early discovery and information sharing by the cybersecurity community is crucial to minimizing such malicious activity. [8]
5. Phishing awareness and training
Implement employee awareness and training programs to help personnel identify and respond appropriately to phishing attempts.
Develop policies and procedures to manage and contain phishing incidents, particularly those facilitated by fast flux networks.
The authoring agencies encourage organizations to use cybersecurity and PDNS services that detect and block fast flux. By leveraging providers that detect fast flux and implement capabilities for DNS and IP blocking, sinkholing, reputational filtering, enhanced monitoring, logging, and collaborative defense of malicious fast flux domains and IP addresses, organizations can mitigate many risks associated with fast flux and maintain a more secure environment.
However, some PDNS providers may not detect and block malicious fast flux activities. Organizations should not assume that their PDNS providers block malicious fast flux activity automatically and should contact their PDNS providers to validate coverage of this specific cyber threat.
For more information on PDNS services, see the 2021 joint cybersecurity information sheet from NSA and CISA about Selecting a Protective DNS Service. [9] In addition, NSA offers no-cost cybersecurity services to Defense Industrial Base (DIB) companies, including a PDNS service. For more information, see NSA’s DIB Cybersecurity Services and factsheet. CISA also offers a Protective DNS service for federal civilian executive branch (FCEB) agencies. See CISA’s Protective Domain Name System Resolver page and factsheet for more information.
Conclusion
Fast flux represents a persistent threat to network security, leveraging rapidly changing infrastructure to obfuscate malicious activity. By implementing robust detection and mitigation strategies, organizations can significantly reduce their risk of compromise by fast flux-enabled threats.
The authoring agencies strongly recommend organizations engage their cybersecurity providers on developing a multi-layered approach to detect and mitigate malicious fast flux operations. Utilizing services that detect and block fast flux enabled malicious cyber activity can significantly bolster an organization’s cyber defenses.
The information and opinions contained in this document are provided “as is” and without any warranties or guarantees. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, and this guidance shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Purpose
This document was developed in furtherance of the authoring cybersecurity agencies’ missions, including their responsibilities to identify and disseminate threats, and develop and issue cybersecurity specifications and mitigations. This information may be shared broadly to reach all appropriate stakeholders.
Contact
National Security Agency (NSA):
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):
All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA via the agency’s Incident Reporting System, its 24/7 Operations Center at report@cisa.gov, or by calling 1-844-Say-CISA (1-844-729-2472). When available, please include the following information regarding the incident: date, time, and location of the incident; type of activity; number of people affected; type of equipment user for the activity; the name of the submitting company or organization; and a designated point of contact.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
To report suspicious or criminal activity related to information found in this advisory, contact your local FBI field office or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). When available, please include the following information regarding the incident: date, time, and location of the incident; type of activity; number of people affected; type of equipment used for the activity; the name of the submitting company or organization; and a designated point of contact.
Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC):
For inquiries, visit ASD’s website at www.cyber.gov.au or call the Australian Cyber Security Hotline at 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371).
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS):
New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ):
Use of e-governance and e-courts in Income Tax Appellate Tribunal
Over 26,000 appeals and applications were filed electronically through e-filing portal up to 28.02.2025
Court rooms at new office premises of ITAT, Delhi and Lucknow benches have also been equipped with the state-of-the-art video conferencing infrastructure
State-of-the-art video conferencing infrastructure facilitating uninterrupted virtual/hybrid hearings
Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:06PM by PIB Delhi
The e-filing portal has been launched in the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) for facilitating electronic filing of appeals, applications, petitions and documents, by the stakeholders. The e-filing portal continues to gain the acceptance of the stakeholders. Over 26,000 appeals and applications were filed electronically through e-filing portal before various benches of ITAT during the year, up to 28.02.2025. The provision of free and high-speed internet at various benches has been provided through Optical Fiber Cable (OFC), for access by all stakeholders. The Court rooms at new office premises of ITAT, Delhi and Lucknow benches have also been equipped with the state-of-the-art video conferencing infrastructure to provide better hybrid/virtual hearing experience to the stakeholders. The upgradation of infrastructure including installation of latest equipment is also being enabled continuously for facilitating uninterrupted virtual/hybrid hearings.
In compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, ITAT has implemented hybrid / virtual hearings at all Benches, in letter and spirit, which facilitates litigants to attend hearing of their cases virtually. The benches of ITAT are not declining the requests of the parties for virtual hearings. For the period from July 2023 to December 2024, a total 1,22,302 hearings of appeals have been conducted through video conferencing before various Benches of ITAT.
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
12,49,496 and 1,26,966 legal awareness camps and programs organized by Legal Service Authorities during the year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (upto December 2024) Legal awareness camps and programs organized by Legal Service Authorities attended by around 13.93 crore and 3.06 crore persons respectively
Legal Aid System
Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:05PM by PIB Delhi
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the LSA Act, 1987. This Act ensures that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes. In addition, NALSA has also formulated various schemes for the implementation of preventive and strategic legal service programmes, which are implemented by the Legal Services Authorities at various levels i.e. State, District and Taluka level. During last three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (upto December 2024), 39.44 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services.
Government is also implementing a Central Sector Scheme named “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India” (DISHA) for a period of five years (2021-2026), at an outlay of Rs. 250 crores. The DISHA scheme aims to provide easy, accessible, affordable and citizen-centric delivery of legal services through the Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) and Legal Literacy and Legal awareness programme. Under the DISHA scheme, Tele- Law connects citizens with the lawyers through mobile app “Tele- Law” and Toll-Free number for rendering pre-litigation advice; Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono services) facilitates registered beneficiaries to avail pro bono legal representation in courts and under the Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme, citizens are empowered to know, understand and avail their legal rights, duties and entitlements. Till 28th February 2025, DISHA scheme through its various programmes has covered approximately 2.10 crore beneficiaries in the country.
The Government of India is implementing another Central Sector Scheme namely; Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through NALSA. LADCS Scheme aims to provide legal aid with regard to criminal cases only to the beneficiaries eligible for legal aid under Section 12 of the LSA Act, 1987. The approved financial outlay of LADCS scheme is Rs. 998.43 crore for 3 years (F.Y. 2023-24 to F.Y. 2025-26). As on 30th December 2024, LADC offices are functional in 654 districts across the country and has engaged 5251 staff including 3448 Defense Counsels. During the year 2024-25 (upto December, 2024), LADCS offices dealt more than 3.95 lakh criminal cases.
Legal awareness programmes are held across the country by Legal Service Authorities on various laws and schemes relating to children, labourers, victims of disaster, SC and ST, persons suffering from disability, etc. Legal Services Authorities also prepare booklets and pamphlets in simple language on various laws and are distributed amongst the people. 12,49,496 and 1,26,966 legal awareness camps and programs organized by Legal Service Authorities during the year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (upto December 2024) which were attended by around 13.93 crore and 3.06 crore persons respectively.
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
The Supreme Court is collaborating with the High Courts in translation of e-SCR Judgements in 18 vernacular languages. The Chief Justice of India has constituted the Artificial Intelligence Assisted Legal Translation Advisory Committee, headed by a Judge of the Supreme Court of India to monitor the translation of Supreme Court Reportable Judgements (e-SCR) into vernacular languages by using Artificial Intelligence Tools. A similar Committee has been constituted in all the High Courts, headed by a Judge of the respective High Courts.
The Artificial Intelligence Committee of the Supreme Court has been convening frequent meetings with the Artificial Intelligence Committee of the High Courts and giving directions/ suggestions for translation of Supreme Court and High Court Judgements in vernacular language by using Artificial Intelligence Tools. The Artificial Intelligence Committee of the High Courts, Law Secretary, Advocate General, the Secretary in-charge of translation department in the State have been requested to take steps for appointment of translators in every High Court for translation of Supreme Court Reportable Judgements (e-SCR) as well as the High Court judgements into vernacular/ local language of that state.
As on 28.03.2025, 36344 Supreme Court Judgments have been translated
During last three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (upto December 2024), 39.44 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services Government implementing a Central Sector Scheme named “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India” (DISHA) for a period of five years (2021-2026) for Rs. 250 crores
Government of India is implementing Central Sector Scheme Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through National Legal Services Authority
Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:02PM by PIB Delhi
The Legislative Department is mandated with drafting of laws on the basis of the policy decision taken by the concerned administrative Ministries/Department of the Government of India and as per the procedure prescribed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in the Manual of Parliamentary Procedure in the Government of India. The Legislative Department has been taking necessary steps to ensure that legislative drafting is simple, plain, precise and unambiguous. The Institute of Legislative Drafting and Research offers training in legislative drafting with the focus on drafting the legislations in simple/plain language to make it accessible for the general public.
As part of the resolve of the Government of India to reduce such compliance burden, bring reforms in the legal system and make it more accessible to the common man, so far, a total number of 1562 obsolete and redundant laws have been repealed through various Repealing and Amending Acts.
The Law Commission of India has also been mandated to review and suggest reforms in the laws of the country. As per notification dated 02.09.2024 the Twenty-third Law Commission of India was constituted with the mandate, inter-alia to identify laws which are no longer needed or relevant and can be immediately repealed, examine the existing laws for promoting gender equality and suggesting amendments thereto and revise the Central Acts of general importance so as to simplify them and to remove anomalies, ambiguities and inequities.
The National Legal Services Authoritywas constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. This Act ensures that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes. In addition, National Legal Services Authority has also formulated various schemes for the implementation of preventive and strategic legal service programmes, which are implemented by the Legal Services Authorities at various levels i.e. State, District and Taluka level. During last three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (upto December 2024), 39.44 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services.
Government is also implementing a Central Sector Scheme named “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India” (DISHA) for a period of five years (2021-2026), at an outlay of Rs. 250 crores.
The DISHA scheme aims to provide easy, accessible, affordable and citizen-centric delivery of legal services through the Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) and Legal Literacy and Legal awareness programme. Under the DISHA scheme, Tele-Law connects citizens with the lawyers through mobile app “Tele-Law” and Toll-Free number for rendering pre-litigation advice; Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono services) facilitates registered beneficiaries to avail pro bono legal representation in courts and under the Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme, citizens are empowered to know, understand and avail their legal rights, duties and entitlements. Till 28th February 2025, DISHA scheme through its various programmes has covered approximately 2.10 crore beneficiaries in the country.
The Government of India is implementing another Central Sector Scheme that is the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through National Legal Services Authority. LADCS Scheme aims to provide legal aid with regard to criminal cases only to the beneficiaries eligible for legal aid under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. The approved financial outlay of LADCS scheme is Rs. 998.43 crore for 3 years (F.Y. 2023-24 to F.Y. 2025-26). As on 30th December 2024, LADC offices are functional in 654 districts across the country and has engaged 5251 staff including 3448 Defense Counsels. During the year 2024-25 (upto December, 2024), LADCS offices dealt more than 3.95 lakh criminal cases.
Lok Adalats are organised by Legal Services Institutions at such intervals as it deems fit, in order to reduce the pendency of cases in courts and also to settle the disputes at pre-litigation stage. Lok Adalats are one of the effective modes of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism in reducing the burden on the courts, which have received positive response from the public.
There are three types of Lok Adalats namely State Lok Adalats, National Lok Adalats and Permanent Lok Adalats.
State Lok Adalats are organized by the Legal Services Authorities/Committees as per the local conditions and needs, for settlement of both pre-litigation and post-litigation cases.
National Lok Adalats are conducted quarterly for settlement of cases (both pre-litigation and post-litigation) in all the courts from the Supreme Court of India to the Taluk Courts on a single day. Every year, National Legal Services Authority issues calendar for organising National Lok Adalats. During the year 2025, National Lok Adalats are scheduled to be held on 8th March, 10th May, 13th September and 13th December.
Permanent Lok Adalats are permanent establishments set up in most of the districts to provide compulsory pre-litigative mechanism for settlement of disputes related to Public Utility Services.
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Police will implement special traffic arrangements in Central and Wan Chai from this Friday to Sunday (April 4 to 6) to facilitate the holding of a triathlon event.
A. Road closure
The following roads will be closed:
(1) From 10am on April 4 to 6pm on April 6:
Expo Drive between Legislative Council Road and Expo Drive Central.
(2) From 1am to 2pm on April 5 and from 1am to 6pm on April 6:
– Yiu Sing Street; – Eastbound Lung Wo Road between Man Yiu Street and Fleming Road, including the slip road of eastbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass tunnel from Wan Chai to North Point; – Westbound Lung Wo Road between southbound Lung Tat Path and southbound Tim Wa Avenue; – Northbound Lung Tat Path; – Lung Hop Street; – Legislative Council Road between Legislative Council Complex Car Park exit and Lung Wo Road; – Part of the traffic lanes of the slip road of westbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel heading to Central District; – Part of the traffic lanes of eastbound Man Po Street near Man Yiu Street; – Part of the traffic lanes of eastbound Man Po Street near Finance Street; – Part of the traffic lanes of southbound Man Yiu Street between Man Kwong Street and westbound Yiu Sing Street; – Part of the traffic lane of southbound Man Yiu Street near Lung Wo Road; – Part of the traffic lanes of westbound Lung Wo Road between Tim Wa Avenue and Man Yiu Street; – Part of the traffic lanes of northbound Fleming Road between westbound Convention Avenue and eastbound Lung Wo Road; – Part of the traffic lanes of westbound Hung Hing Road near Fleming Road; – The slip road of westbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel leading to the exit of Lung Wo Road; and – Part of the traffic lanes of westbound Convention Avenue near northbound Fleming Road.
B. Traffic diversions
In connection with the road closure as mentioned above, the following traffic diversions will be implemented:
(1) From 10am on April 4 to 0.59am on April 5 and 2.01pm on April 5 to 0.59am on April 6:
Traffic along eastbound Expo Drive heading to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre will be diverted via eastbound Lung Wo Road and northbound Expo Drive East.
(2) From 1am to 2pm on April 5 and from 1am to 6pm on April 6:
– Traffic along westbound Man Kwong Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road via southbound Man Yiu Street will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road; – Traffic along eastbound Man Po Street heading to Admiralty or Mid-levels via eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via the slip road of eastbound Man Po Street heading to westbound Finance Street, westbound Finance Street, temporary exit connecting Finance Street and Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel, the slip road of westbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel heading to eastbound Man Kat Street, eastbound Man Kat Street, eastbound Connaught Road Central and eastbound Harcourt Road; – Traffic along eastbound Man Po Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road via eastbound Yiu Sing Street will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road; – Traffic along eastbound Man Po Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road; – Traffic along southbound Man Yiu Street cannot turn left to eastbound Lung Wo Road and eastbound Yiu Sing Street. Vehicles will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road; – Traffic along eastbound Man Cheung Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road; – Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road cannot turn right to northbound Yiu Sing Street. Vehicles will be diverted via westbound Lung Wo Road and northbound Man Yiu Street; – Traffic along eastbound Yiu Sing Street and southbound Yiu Sing Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road; – Traffic along northbound Legislative Council Road cannot turn left to westbound Lung Wo Road, vehicles will be diverted via southbound Legislative Council Road, eastbound Lung Wui Road, eastbound Fenwick Pier Street, roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place; – Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road heading to Chief Executive’s Office via southbound Tim Wa Avenue will be diverted via southbound Lung Tat Path, Convention Avenue, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central, u-turn, eastbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Tim Wa Avenue; – Traffic along eastbound Lung Wui Road cannot turn left to northbound Lung Hop Street; – Traffic along westbound Fenwick Pier Street cannot turn right to northbound Lung Hop Street. Vehicles will be diverted via Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place; – Traffic along westbound Convention Avenue heading to westbound Lung Wo Road via northbound Lung Tat Path will be diverted via Convention Avenue, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place; – Traffic along southbound Expo Drive East heading to westbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Lung Tat Path, Convention Avenue, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place; – Traffic along westbound Hung Hing Road heading to westbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted to southbound Lung Tat Path, Convention Avenue, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place; and – Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road heading to Central Pier or Finance Street via Yiu Sing Street will be diverted via westbound Lung Wo Road and northbound Man Yiu Street.
C. Suspension of parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas
All parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas on the following roads will be suspended:
(1) From 10am on April 4 to 6pm on April 6:
All metered parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas on Expo Drive.
(2) From 10pm on April 4 to 2pm on April 5 and from 10pm on April 5 to 6pm on April 6:
– All metered parking spaces on Yiu Sing Street and Lung Hop Street; – Lay-bys on westbound Lung Wo Road near City Hall and near Central Barracks; and – Lay-by on Edinburgh Place near City Hall.
All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.
The Police will implement the special arrangements depending on the prevailing traffic and crowd conditions. Motorists should exercise patience, and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
New Commandant of HKAPF appointed (with photo) The appointment was made by the Chief Executive to succeed the retiring Commandant, Mr Yang Joe-tsi, PDSM.
Mr Leung, aged 57, is the Chief Operating Officer of a multinational engineering corporation. He joined the HKAPF as a Constable in August 1989 and was promoted to Superintendent (Auxiliary) in February 2014, Senior Superintendent (Auxiliary) in November 2016 and Chief Superintendent (Auxiliary) in October 2017. Mr Leung was appointed as the Deputy Commandant of HKAPF by the Chief Executive on October 11, 2021.
Mr Leung has a wide range of operational and management experience. He was awarded the Long Service Medal for Auxiliary Police in 2004, the First Clasp in 2014 and a TIDERIDER medal in 2021. Issued at HKT 18:08
