The ‘Islamic NATO’ Is Not NATO 
The Northern Sea Route: China’s Emerging Alternative to Suez 
Southeast Asia’s Fragmented Environmental Governance 
Hong Kong authorities have proposed a major overhaul of outdated sexual offences laws, including criminalising same-sex rape, introducing new offences and establishing a uniform age of consent at 16 while removing gender-specific provisions and increasing penalties.
The government said the review was necessary to modernise sexual offence laws, two decades after the Law Reform Commission (LRC) set up a subcommittee in 2006 to examine the issue.
Eight proposed new crimes involving minors under 16 would target non-consensual sexual offences, abuse of vulnerable groups such as children, and offences of a preparatory nature aimed at early prevention of sexual exploitation.
In the document, the bureau proposed creating a new offence of having sex with a child under 16, regardless of gender, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Under existing law, sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment but if the victim is under 16, the maximum jail term is five years.
Don't Miss:
-
No immunity: how Xi’s anti-corruption fighters are zeroing in on fresh targets
-
Book about Putin’s private life which ‘reads like a spy novel’ wins French literary prize
-
Africa knows who its true friends are – and they’re not in Washington
-
Trump says China is driving anger at US data centres. These residents disagree
-
US Secret Service aware of Iranian video threat to assassinate Barron Trump