New Zealand MPs push ahead with tough anti-slavery rules

New Zealand’s new modern slavery bill has earned praise from Australia’s anti‑slavery commissioner for its tough criminal and civil penalties against companies that profit from human rights abuses.  In a rare …

New Zealand passes sweeping reforms after Uber ruling

New Zealand’s parliament has passed controversial new employment legislation, triggering celebration from the right-wing coalition government and fierce criticism from unions and opposition parties. The Employment Relations Amendment Bill cleared its final …

Amazon India Workers Union Submits Heat Safety Recommendations to Government, Cites Constitutional and Labour Law Gaps

Amazon India Workers Union (AIWU) submitted detailed recommendations to the Ministry of Labour and Employment calling for binding heat safety standards under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) …

Modern Slavery Bill, Member’s Bill 242—1

This Bill is jointly sponsored by two members in accordance with Standing Order 277(1). The Bill’s purpose is to implement a statutory framework to strengthen and coordinate actions to combat …

Kmart faces court over Australian Uyghur challenge

The legal challenge against retail giant Kmart filed by Australian Uyghurs will be heard in the Federal Court of Australia today.   The Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association (AUTWA) is seeking documents to determine whether Kmart engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct about the use …

South Korea apex court takes aim at workplace ageism

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has found that a provision criminally punishing employers which impose unreasonable age restrictions on job applicants is constitutional. The case stemmed from a long‑running hiring scandal …

Xinjiang cotton express train raises due diligence fears

A leading forced labour expert has warned that the launch of China’s first high-speed ‘express’ cotton train – linking the Xinjiang region with eastern textile hubs – raises sourcing fears …

The Taliban’s New Criminal Regulation Legalizes Slavery, Violence, and Repression of Women

On January 7, 2026, the Taliban’s emir issued a two-point decree formally endorsing a new Criminal Procedural Regulations for Courts (119 articles, 3 chapters, 10 sections) and announcing that it would take effect …

Everyone Gets A Cut, and Migrant Workers Pay the Price

The migrant worker — indebted, jobless and stranded in a foreign country — tried to keep it together as he picked up the phone to call his wife. His name …

Behind Oklahoma Cannabis Farms, New Yorkers With Ties to Beijing

The police found him in his bedroom in Edmond, Okla., facedown, dead from a gunshot wound and still gripping the bloody kitchen knife he had used to try to defend …