NATO split Trump’s demand is splitting the alliance’s European nations into three groupings, said Camille Grand, a former NATO assistant secretary-general who’s now a distinguished policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. A “relatively small group” that includes the Baltic nations and Poland is already spending nearly 5 percent of GDP on defense…
Pets provided their owners with much-needed companionship during the pandemic, when ownership in Hong Kong grew along with spending on food and medical care for the animals. But ownership comes with responsibilities. And there has long been a recognition that the welfare of animals in the city needs to be better protected. The Society for…
{KXLG – Watertown, SD} Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton announced the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation will receive $690,327 in funding to expand its transit operations, including the addition of vehicles for new routes and weekend hours to ensure continued transit services for tribal members in northeastern South Dakota. This expansion project will help…
Welfare recipients taking part in a new pilot scheme in Hong Kong that requires them to put in volunteer hours can make use of the unpaid work to enhance social connections and increase their employability, a minister has said. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Saturday dismissed concerns that mandated voluntary work…
{KXLG – Watertown, SD} The Boys & Girls Club of Watertown has announced in a notice sent to parents changes to its membership fee structure for 2025, effective from the next enrollment period. The increase would be the first increase in eight years for the club. According to the notice, the fee increase is necessitated…
A Hong Kong charity group has logged more than double the number of hotline calls from professionals working with minors, after the passage of a mandatory reporting bill on suspected child abuse. NGO Against Child Abuse on Thursday released data showing it received a total of 1,059 calls to its hotline handling suspected abuse reports…
Hong Kong’s leader has condemned the alleged sexual assaults of two residents of a care home serving people with disabilities as “despicable”, urging welfare authorities to ensure effective supervision at such institutions to prevent further transgressions. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also said a thorough police investigation should be launched into the case…
The government does not need to draw the public’s attention to every violation of codes of practice at care homes, Hong Kong’s welfare minister has said, arguing the decision to flag up a case should largely depend on the severity of the transgression. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han defended the government’s position…
Trade unions have urged Hong Kong authorities to halt or review a scheme to bring in transport, retail and aviation workers from outside the city, following the suspension of such arrangements for the construction industry amid claims of exploitation of migrant labourers. Calls from the unions to either withdraw the scheme or bring forward a…