Uber lost an appeal on Friday to overturn a decision by a tribunal which said its drivers deserved workers&#39; rights such as the minimum wage, in a blow to the taxi app as it also battles to keep its licence in London.

Uber&#39;s case was rejected at the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in central London.

The US&nbsp;ride-hailing service has faced regulatory and legal setbacks around the world amid opposition from traditional taxi services and concern among some regulators. It has been forced to quit several countries, such as Denmark and Hungary.

Last year, two drivers successfully argued at a tribunal that Uber exerted significant control over them to provide an on-demand taxi service and should grant them workers&#39; rights such as holiday entitlement and rest breaks.

The decision will not automatically apply to the app&#39;s 50,000 drivers in Britain, but is likely to prompt further claims.

Uber is likely to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal or seek the right to go straight to the Supreme Court.

Uber says its drivers enjoy the flexibility of their work and are self-employed, entitling them in British law to only basic entitlements such as health and safety.

The firm argued in September that its drivers operate in the same way as minicabs, or private hire vehicles, which sprung up in Britain more than 50 years ago.

The verdict could benefit workers at thousands of companies including firms in the &#39;gig economy&#39;, where individuals work for multiple employers day-to-day without a fixed contract, such as food courier Deliveroo.

The Silicon Valley firm, which is valued at around $70 billion with backers including Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, will be back in court on December 11 to appeal a decision by London&#39;s transport regulator to strip the app of its licence.

Transport for London shocked Uber in September by deeming it unfit to run a taxi service and refusing to renew its licence, citing the firm&#39;s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers.

Uber&#39;s 40,000 drivers in the British capital can continue to take rides there until an appeals process is exhausted, which could take months or years.

Uber is likely to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal or seek the right to go straight to the Supreme Court.

Uber lost an appeal on Friday to overturn a decision by a tribunal which said its drivers deserved workers' rights such as the minimum wage, in a blow to the taxi app as it also battles to keep its licence in London. Uber's case was rejected at the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in central London. The US ride-hailing service has faced regulatory and legal setbacks around the world amid opposition from traditional taxi services and concern among some regulators. It has been forced to quit several countries, such as Denmark and Hungary. Last year, two drivers successfully argued at a tribunal that Uber exerted significant control over them to provide an on-demand taxi service and should grant them workers' rights such as holiday entitlement and rest breaks. The decision will not automatically apply to the app's 50,000 drivers in Britain, but is likely to prompt further claims. Uber is likely to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal or seek the right to go straight to the Supreme Court. Uber says its drivers enjoy the flexibility of their work and are self-employed, entitling them in British law to only basic entitlements such as health and safety. The firm argued in September that its drivers operate in the same way as minicabs, or private hire vehicles, which sprung up in Britain more than 50 years ago. The verdict could benefit workers at thousands of companies including firms in the 'gig economy', where individuals work for multiple employers day-to-day without a fixed contract, such as food courier Deliveroo. The Silicon Valley firm, which is valued at around $70 billion with backers including Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, will be back in court on December 11 to appeal a decision by London's transport regulator to strip the app of its licence. Transport for London shocked Uber in September by deeming it unfit to run a taxi service and refusing to renew its licence, citing the firm's approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers. Uber's 40,000 drivers in the British capital can continue to take rides there until an appeals process is exhausted, which could take months or years.

Uber loses UK appeal on workers' rights

A Chinese human rights activist was on Friday given a three-year suspended prison sentence for subversion, state media said, the fourth such case this week as authorities crack down on dissent. 
 
Christian activist Gou Hongguo had gone abroad to be trained in &quot;subverting state power&quot;, the Second Intermediate People&#39;s Court in the northern city of Tianjin said Friday on a verified social media account. He also sought to turn public opinion against the government and attempted to overthrow the socialist system, among a litany of other offences, it said. 
 
He was given three years in prison, suspended for three years, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that he had pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal. 
 
The sentence is relatively light by the standards of dissident trials in China, where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist party. Gou, who had protested against forced evictions, was one of more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases the Communist party considers sensitive who were detained in the so-called &quot;709 crackdown&quot;, named for its main date in July 2015. 
 
Gou&#39;s trial was the fourth at the Tianjin court this week&nbsp;and followed that of high-profile rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng,&nbsp;whose Fengrui law firm, known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, victims of sexual abuse and members of banned religious groups has been at the centre of the 709 crackdown. 
 
Zhou was on Thursday given seven years in prison for subversion. Activist Zhai Yanmin was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans, while Hu Shigen, a Christian campaigner who was a member of the same underground church as Gou, was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday. 
 
Campaign groups have condemned the trials, and US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said the charges were &quot;vague and apparently politically motivated&quot;. 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s troubling that Chinese authorities denied these defendants access to their chosen counsel and family members as well,&quot; he said. &quot;We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9th, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities.&quot; 
 
Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court stating that about 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and &ldquo;civilian representatives from all walks of life&rdquo;, as well as mainland and foreign media outlets, were present at Gou&#39;s proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or barred from seeking further information. 
 
Gou&#39;s wife Fan Lili went to the courthouse earlier this week, falling to the ground outside the building weeping, saying she had not been informed of her husband&#39;s trial date and had not been allowed in. Watched by scores of police and plainclothes officers, she reportedly pleaded for him to come home and meet his 16-month-old son for the first time. 
 
(AFP)

Campaign groups condemned the trials. US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said they were 'vague and apparently politically motivated'

A Chinese human rights activist was on Friday given a three-year suspended prison sentence for subversion, state media said, the fourth such case this week as authorities crack down on dissent. Christian activist Gou Hongguo had gone abroad to be trained in "subverting state power", the Second Intermediate People's Court in the northern city of Tianjin said Friday on a verified social media account. He also sought to turn public opinion against the government and attempted to overthrow the socialist system, among a litany of other offences, it said. He was given three years in prison, suspended for three years, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that he had pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal. The sentence is relatively light by the standards of dissident trials in China, where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist party. Gou, who had protested against forced evictions, was one of more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases the Communist party considers sensitive who were detained in the so-called "709 crackdown", named for its main date in July 2015. Gou's trial was the fourth at the Tianjin court this week and followed that of high-profile rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng, whose Fengrui law firm, known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, victims of sexual abuse and members of banned religious groups has been at the centre of the 709 crackdown. Zhou was on Thursday given seven years in prison for subversion. Activist Zhai Yanmin was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans, while Hu Shigen, a Christian campaigner who was a member of the same underground church as Gou, was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday. Campaign groups have condemned the trials, and US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said the charges were "vague and apparently politically motivated". "It’s troubling that Chinese authorities denied these defendants access to their chosen counsel and family members as well," he said. "We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9th, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities." Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court stating that about 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and “civilian representatives from all walks of life”, as well as mainland and foreign media outlets, were present at Gou's proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or barred from seeking further information. Gou's wife Fan Lili went to the courthouse earlier this week, falling to the ground outside the building weeping, saying she had not been informed of her husband's trial date and had not been allowed in. Watched by scores of police and plainclothes officers, she reportedly pleaded for him to come home and meet his 16-month-old son for the first time. (AFP)

China puts activist on trial, 4th case in 4 days

Over 300 anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world on Tuesday called for the United Nations to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte&#39;s war on drugs that has already killed hundreds of people. 
 
The appeal, directed to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), came as an influential Philippine senator called for an investigation into the killings of suspected drug pushers that Duterte has endorsed. 
 
Senator Leila de Lima and the foreign organisations cited reports of police killing hundreds of people since Duterte won May elections largely on a platform to wage a bloody war on drugs. 
 
&quot;Instead of ensuring the protection and rights of people who use drugs... President Duterte has called for them to be killed,&quot; said the statement from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. 
 
&quot;Instead of ensuring the rights of people suspected of committing drug-related crimes... the President has called for them to be executed on the spot.&quot; 
 
The statement called on the INCB and the UNODC to condemn the killings and &quot;demand an end to the atrocities&quot;. 
 
De Lima, in a speech before Senate, also lashed out at the killings. &quot;We cannot wage the war against drugs with blood. We will only be trading drug addiction with another more malevolent kind of addiction.&nbsp;This is the compulsion for more killing,&quot; said the senator, a former justice minister who also headed the nation&#39;s human rights body. De Lima said police were summarily killing even innocent people, using the anti-drug campaign as an excuse. 
 
Since assuming the presidency on June 30, Duterte has promised to protect police and soldiers from sanctions for killing criminals and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the bloodshed. 
 
While his campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished Philippines, more groups have begun criticising Duterte, with De Lima calling for a congressional probe into the killings. 
 
But the president has dismissed human rights concerns while police have insisted that they only acted in self-defence. In June, even UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon condemned Duterte&#39;s apparent support of extra-judicial killings. 
 
Police figures showed that as of Tuesday, 402 drug suspects had been killed a month into Duterte&#39;s presidency. 
 
The figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country&#39;s top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte was elected, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. 
 
(AFP)

While his campaign has been popular in the impoverished Philippines, more international groups have begun criticising President Duterte

Over 300 anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world on Tuesday called for the United Nations to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs that has already killed hundreds of people. The appeal, directed to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), came as an influential Philippine senator called for an investigation into the killings of suspected drug pushers that Duterte has endorsed. Senator Leila de Lima and the foreign organisations cited reports of police killing hundreds of people since Duterte won May elections largely on a platform to wage a bloody war on drugs. "Instead of ensuring the protection and rights of people who use drugs... President Duterte has called for them to be killed," said the statement from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. "Instead of ensuring the rights of people suspected of committing drug-related crimes... the President has called for them to be executed on the spot." The statement called on the INCB and the UNODC to condemn the killings and "demand an end to the atrocities". De Lima, in a speech before Senate, also lashed out at the killings. "We cannot wage the war against drugs with blood. We will only be trading drug addiction with another more malevolent kind of addiction. This is the compulsion for more killing," said the senator, a former justice minister who also headed the nation's human rights body. De Lima said police were summarily killing even innocent people, using the anti-drug campaign as an excuse. Since assuming the presidency on June 30, Duterte has promised to protect police and soldiers from sanctions for killing criminals and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the bloodshed. While his campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished Philippines, more groups have begun criticising Duterte, with De Lima calling for a congressional probe into the killings. But the president has dismissed human rights concerns while police have insisted that they only acted in self-defence. In June, even UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon condemned Duterte's apparent support of extra-judicial killings. Police figures showed that as of Tuesday, 402 drug suspects had been killed a month into Duterte's presidency. The figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte was elected, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. (AFP)

UN must condemn Philippine drug killings: Rights groups

Western nations warned Monday that a new defamation bill could severely undermine freedom of speech in the Maldives, as they accused President Abdulla Yameen of eroding democracy on the honeymoon islands. 
 
The United States led calls on Yameen to withdraw the bill that is being discussed in parliament this week, saying it gave authorities powers to impose severe penalties on people seeking to exercise basic human rights. &quot;The defamation bill that has been introduced in the Maldivian parliament risks being, if passed, a serious setback for freedom of speech in the Maldives,&quot; the US embassy said in a statement. 
 
&quot;It will allow severe penalties to be imposed on those who wish to exercise their democratic rights and freedoms, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.&quot; 
 
The strongly-worded missive was supported by the Sri Lanka-based diplomatic missions of Britain, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and the European Union, which have responsibility for the Maldives. The statement also expressed &quot;concern about the erosion of fundamental freedoms and the institutions of democracy, including freedom of assembly and press&quot; under Yameen, who came to power in 2013. 
 
&quot;We urge President Yameen to reverse the backsliding of the past many months and return to the path of democracy, transparency, and rule of law -&ndash; for the well-being and prosperity of all of the people in the Maldives,&quot; it added. 
 
Maldivian police arrested 16 journalists in April for protesting against the bill, which seeks to criminalise defamation and proposes heavy fines and jail terms for offenders. 
 
Independent media institutions fear it could be used to stifle freedom of speech on the islands, whose pristine seas and white sandy beaches are a popular draw for wealthy Western tourists. The Indian Ocean archipelago adopted multiparty democracy in 2008 after decades of autocratic rule. 
 
But it has been gripped by turmoil since its first democratically-elected leader Mohamed Nasheed was toppled in 2012. Nasheed, whose jailing last year on terror charges has been widely criticised by the West, has since secured political asylum in Britain after travelling there for medical treatment while on prison leave. 
 
(AFP)

It will allow severe penalties to be imposed on those who wish to exercise their democratic rights and freedoms: US embassy

Western nations warned Monday that a new defamation bill could severely undermine freedom of speech in the Maldives, as they accused President Abdulla Yameen of eroding democracy on the honeymoon islands. The United States led calls on Yameen to withdraw the bill that is being discussed in parliament this week, saying it gave authorities powers to impose severe penalties on people seeking to exercise basic human rights. "The defamation bill that has been introduced in the Maldivian parliament risks being, if passed, a serious setback for freedom of speech in the Maldives," the US embassy said in a statement. "It will allow severe penalties to be imposed on those who wish to exercise their democratic rights and freedoms, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." The strongly-worded missive was supported by the Sri Lanka-based diplomatic missions of Britain, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and the European Union, which have responsibility for the Maldives. The statement also expressed "concern about the erosion of fundamental freedoms and the institutions of democracy, including freedom of assembly and press" under Yameen, who came to power in 2013. "We urge President Yameen to reverse the backsliding of the past many months and return to the path of democracy, transparency, and rule of law -– for the well-being and prosperity of all of the people in the Maldives," it added. Maldivian police arrested 16 journalists in April for protesting against the bill, which seeks to criminalise defamation and proposes heavy fines and jail terms for offenders. Independent media institutions fear it could be used to stifle freedom of speech on the islands, whose pristine seas and white sandy beaches are a popular draw for wealthy Western tourists. The Indian Ocean archipelago adopted multiparty democracy in 2008 after decades of autocratic rule. But it has been gripped by turmoil since its first democratically-elected leader Mohamed Nasheed was toppled in 2012. Nasheed, whose jailing last year on terror charges has been widely criticised by the West, has since secured political asylum in Britain after travelling there for medical treatment while on prison leave. (AFP)

Proposed Maldives defamation bill threatens freedom of speech, critics warn

An Indian Muslim women&#39;s rights organisation is training women to be qazis, or judges, a role traditionally reserved for men, amid growing demand for more representation for women. 
 
The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) is training its first intake of 30 women in Koranic law, constitutional law and gender rights. The year-long programme aims to produce a steady stream of female qazis across India, its co-founder said. 
 
The Indian constitution allows Muslims, the country&#39;s biggest religious minority, to regulate matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance through their own civil code. 
 
The qazi, usually a hereditary title, plays an important role by solemnising marriage and finalising divorce and settlements. 
 
&quot;Traditionally, qazis have all been men, and their judgment has never been questioned, even if many are unfair to women,&quot; said Zakia Soman, a co-founder of BMMA in Mumbai. 
 
&quot;But it&#39;s important to have women hear and represent women who are in a vulnerable position. Besides, there is no bar on women qazis as per the Koran,&quot; she said. 
 
The move comes at a time of growing dissent about laws that activists say discriminate against Muslim women. A survey by BMMA last year showed more than 90 per cent of Muslim women want to end the &quot;triple talaq&quot; divorce tradition and polygamy. 
 
Last month, the Supreme Court said it would examine how far it could interfere in Muslim laws, as it heard a plea to end the practice allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying &quot;talaq&quot; three times. 
 
Muslims make up 13 per cent of India&#39;s 1.2 billion population, yet government data show they are among some of the most excluded and marginalised communities. 
 
The women being trained to be qazis are largely community workers and activists from states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, Soman said. 
 
There are some female qazis in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia. 
 
Women qazis in India can help prevent child marriage, ensure that a woman marries willingly, and that a divorce is only granted after a period of reconciliation, and with fair terms for the woman, Soman said. 
 
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a non-governmental institution that oversees the application of Muslim personal law in the country, has criticised the female qazis. 
 
&quot;Women don&#39;t have the right to be a qazi,&quot; said Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, secretary of AIMPLB. 
 
&quot;Besides, there is no need - there are enough men who are qazis. So it&#39;s completely unnecessary,&quot; he said. 
 
But female trainee Safia Akhtar said there was a need for women qazis. 
 
&quot;There are many grave injustices against Muslim women, and we deserve a say in matters that concern us,&quot; said Akhtar in the city of Bhopal. 
 
&quot;If women can be prime ministers and pilots in this country, then why can&#39;t we also be qazis?&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

A rights group is training the first of 30 women in Koranic law, constitutional law and gender rights to produce female qazis

An Indian Muslim women's rights organisation is training women to be qazis, or judges, a role traditionally reserved for men, amid growing demand for more representation for women. The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) is training its first intake of 30 women in Koranic law, constitutional law and gender rights. The year-long programme aims to produce a steady stream of female qazis across India, its co-founder said. The Indian constitution allows Muslims, the country's biggest religious minority, to regulate matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance through their own civil code. The qazi, usually a hereditary title, plays an important role by solemnising marriage and finalising divorce and settlements. "Traditionally, qazis have all been men, and their judgment has never been questioned, even if many are unfair to women," said Zakia Soman, a co-founder of BMMA in Mumbai. "But it's important to have women hear and represent women who are in a vulnerable position. Besides, there is no bar on women qazis as per the Koran," she said. The move comes at a time of growing dissent about laws that activists say discriminate against Muslim women. A survey by BMMA last year showed more than 90 per cent of Muslim women want to end the "triple talaq" divorce tradition and polygamy. Last month, the Supreme Court said it would examine how far it could interfere in Muslim laws, as it heard a plea to end the practice allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying "talaq" three times. Muslims make up 13 per cent of India's 1.2 billion population, yet government data show they are among some of the most excluded and marginalised communities. The women being trained to be qazis are largely community workers and activists from states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, Soman said. There are some female qazis in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia. Women qazis in India can help prevent child marriage, ensure that a woman marries willingly, and that a divorce is only granted after a period of reconciliation, and with fair terms for the woman, Soman said. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a non-governmental institution that oversees the application of Muslim personal law in the country, has criticised the female qazis. "Women don't have the right to be a qazi," said Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, secretary of AIMPLB. "Besides, there is no need - there are enough men who are qazis. So it's completely unnecessary," he said. But female trainee Safia Akhtar said there was a need for women qazis. "There are many grave injustices against Muslim women, and we deserve a say in matters that concern us," said Akhtar in the city of Bhopal. "If women can be prime ministers and pilots in this country, then why can't we also be qazis?" (Reuters)

Indian Muslim women defy tradition to be religious judges

When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned for a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches, but now even Japan&#39;s conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year&#39;s upper house election. 
 
Though the paragraph is deep in the manifesto of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and refers only to promoting understanding of sexual diversity, even this was unthinkable a decade ago. 
 
By Asian standards, Japanese laws are relatively liberal - homosexual sex has been legal since 1880 - but social attitudes keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community largely invisible. 
 
LGBT rights are not covered in Japan&#39;s Equal Opportunity Act and there are no anti-discrimination laws. 
 
But things are changing. 
 
Several municipalities, including two Tokyo districts, now give same-sex partners rights similar to spouses, as do a growing number of companies.&nbsp;On his second attempt in 2011, Ishizawa won the Tokyo district assembly seat, and this time he said there were tears, not titters, when he spoke. 
 
Gaku Hashimoto, an LDP lawmaker in the lower house of Parliament who sits on a committee working for a law on LGBT rights, said winning the hosting rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics had helped bring change, since the Olympic charter mandates equality, including on matters of sexual orientation. 
 
&quot;The LDP has some very conservative aspects, and I believe there weren&#39;t a lot of people aware of this issue, so without this outside pressure, things might not have come this far,&quot; said Hashimoto, son of a former prime minister. 
 
&quot;But at the same time, society has developed ... There&#39;s a lot of debate on the issue, and local governments are taking their own steps.&quot; 
 
Helping society understand LGBT issues and obtaining a social consensus should nevertheless come before anti-discrimination laws, he added. 
 
Critics say the LDP mostly wants to burnish its image overseas before the Olympics, with an eye to luring tourists. 
 
&quot;The LDP and people in the core of government ... if they could get by without dealing with LGBT issues, they would. But there&#39;s the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas,&quot; said Akiko Shimizu, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at Tokyo University. 
 
&quot;In reality they oppose same-sex marriage and don&#39;t clearly talk about laws to forbid discrimination.&quot; 
 
Same-sex marriage remains a distant dream in Japan, where some gays still enter heterosexual marriages of convenience or sport wedding rings as straight camouflage. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s the whole family system ... a father, a mother, children, and the inheriting of assets. Conservatives don&#39;t want to break this system down,&quot; Ishizaka said. 
 
The main opposition party, the centrist Democratic Party, hasn&#39;t weighed in on same-sex marriage either, he added. Its manifesto does mention anti-discrimination measures. 
 
&#39;Spirit of diversity&#39; 
 
Public views remain mixed. A 2015 survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi at Hiroshima Shudo University found that while 51 per cent of respondents supported the idea of same-sex marriage, they were less willing to countenance an LGBT relative, friend or colleague. 
 
As many as 53.2 per cent said they were repelled by the idea of a gay male friend. 
 
But even this is an improvement, said Takahiko Morinaga, CEO of the new Japan LGBT Research institute, noting the influence of social media and news events such as the US same-sex marriage ruling and Japan&#39;s winning the Olympics. 
 
&quot;Those of us in the gay community had pretty much given up, feeling strongly that Japan was not a place where you could expect to come out. These events gave us a bit of hope,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;These things have really brought the global spirit of diversity to the attention of Japanese corporate executives, as well as media and ordinary citizens.&quot; 
 
Panasonic Corp this spring joined a handful of firms that give same-sex partnerships some of the rights of married couples, while others allow same-sex partners family rights for phone bargain schemes and airline mileage. 
 
With LGBT spending estimated at 5.9 trillion yen ($58 billion), others are eyeing the potential of the &quot;pink yen&quot; in Japan&#39;s stagnant economy. 
 
&quot;There are a lot of services that LGBT people want - insurance that includes a same-sex partner, housing, and services connected to ageing,&quot; said Morinaga. 
 
Human resources personnel at Nomura Securities, a pioneer in Japanese LGBT inclusion since it bought US investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 and adopted its equality policies, say they are getting more inquiries from companies looking to implement diversity policies, including domestic firms eager to recruit and retain talent. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s starting to become a situation where if somebody does it, the others have to fall in line, especially in the same industry,&quot; said Yuki Higashi, Japan head of talent management, diversity and inclusion at Nomura. 
 
Politics might take a little longer to fall in line. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re aware that people say it&#39;s not enough, and that we aren&#39;t going as far as to ban things - but just to get this far, we&#39;ve really had to balance the opinions of many people,&quot; said lawmaker Hashimoto. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Homosexual sex has been legal in Japan since 1880, but stigma persists and LGBT rights are not covered under the Equal Opportunity Act

When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned for a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches, but now even Japan's conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year's upper house election. Though the paragraph is deep in the manifesto of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and refers only to promoting understanding of sexual diversity, even this was unthinkable a decade ago. By Asian standards, Japanese laws are relatively liberal - homosexual sex has been legal since 1880 - but social attitudes keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community largely invisible. LGBT rights are not covered in Japan's Equal Opportunity Act and there are no anti-discrimination laws. But things are changing. Several municipalities, including two Tokyo districts, now give same-sex partners rights similar to spouses, as do a growing number of companies. On his second attempt in 2011, Ishizawa won the Tokyo district assembly seat, and this time he said there were tears, not titters, when he spoke. Gaku Hashimoto, an LDP lawmaker in the lower house of Parliament who sits on a committee working for a law on LGBT rights, said winning the hosting rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics had helped bring change, since the Olympic charter mandates equality, including on matters of sexual orientation. "The LDP has some very conservative aspects, and I believe there weren't a lot of people aware of this issue, so without this outside pressure, things might not have come this far," said Hashimoto, son of a former prime minister. "But at the same time, society has developed ... There's a lot of debate on the issue, and local governments are taking their own steps." Helping society understand LGBT issues and obtaining a social consensus should nevertheless come before anti-discrimination laws, he added. Critics say the LDP mostly wants to burnish its image overseas before the Olympics, with an eye to luring tourists. "The LDP and people in the core of government ... if they could get by without dealing with LGBT issues, they would. But there's the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas," said Akiko Shimizu, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at Tokyo University. "In reality they oppose same-sex marriage and don't clearly talk about laws to forbid discrimination." Same-sex marriage remains a distant dream in Japan, where some gays still enter heterosexual marriages of convenience or sport wedding rings as straight camouflage. "There's the whole family system ... a father, a mother, children, and the inheriting of assets. Conservatives don't want to break this system down," Ishizaka said. The main opposition party, the centrist Democratic Party, hasn't weighed in on same-sex marriage either, he added. Its manifesto does mention anti-discrimination measures. 'Spirit of diversity' Public views remain mixed. A 2015 survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi at Hiroshima Shudo University found that while 51 per cent of respondents supported the idea of same-sex marriage, they were less willing to countenance an LGBT relative, friend or colleague. As many as 53.2 per cent said they were repelled by the idea of a gay male friend. But even this is an improvement, said Takahiko Morinaga, CEO of the new Japan LGBT Research institute, noting the influence of social media and news events such as the US same-sex marriage ruling and Japan's winning the Olympics. "Those of us in the gay community had pretty much given up, feeling strongly that Japan was not a place where you could expect to come out. These events gave us a bit of hope," he added. "These things have really brought the global spirit of diversity to the attention of Japanese corporate executives, as well as media and ordinary citizens." Panasonic Corp this spring joined a handful of firms that give same-sex partnerships some of the rights of married couples, while others allow same-sex partners family rights for phone bargain schemes and airline mileage. With LGBT spending estimated at 5.9 trillion yen ($58 billion), others are eyeing the potential of the "pink yen" in Japan's stagnant economy. "There are a lot of services that LGBT people want - insurance that includes a same-sex partner, housing, and services connected to ageing," said Morinaga. Human resources personnel at Nomura Securities, a pioneer in Japanese LGBT inclusion since it bought US investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 and adopted its equality policies, say they are getting more inquiries from companies looking to implement diversity policies, including domestic firms eager to recruit and retain talent. "It's starting to become a situation where if somebody does it, the others have to fall in line, especially in the same industry," said Yuki Higashi, Japan head of talent management, diversity and inclusion at Nomura. Politics might take a little longer to fall in line. "We're aware that people say it's not enough, and that we aren't going as far as to ban things - but just to get this far, we've really had to balance the opinions of many people," said lawmaker Hashimoto. (Reuters)

Japan woos LGBT community to revamp global image before hosting Olympics

Only&nbsp;five&nbsp;countries&nbsp;in the world have&nbsp;given lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)&nbsp;people&nbsp;equal&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;rights, global research shows, with most&nbsp;countries&nbsp;failing to protect the community from widespread discrimination and abuses.

Britain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta are the&nbsp;only&nbsp;countries&nbsp;that&nbsp;give&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;rights&nbsp;to&nbsp;people regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a report by global research group WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The report, which analysed the constitutions of all 193&nbsp;countries&nbsp;recognised by the United Nations, is the most comprehensive study to date, researchers say.

Despite 22&nbsp;countries&nbsp;introducing same-sex marriage laws, the lack of&nbsp;equal&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;rights means&nbsp;LGBT&nbsp;people&nbsp;are at risk of&nbsp;rights&nbsp;violations and discrimination, researchers said.

&quot;While marriage&nbsp;equality is an important start, it is not enough to prevent discrimination at work, in housing or many other spheres of life,&quot; said study author Jody Heymann, founding director of WORLD and dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

&quot;It is crucial for constitutions to guarantee&nbsp;equal&nbsp;rights&nbsp;and protection from discrimination to&nbsp;LGBT individuals in all spheres,&quot; she said in a statement.

Most&nbsp;countries&#39; constitutions protect&nbsp;people&nbsp;regardless of sex, religion, race or ethnicity, but do not extend the same legal protections to the&nbsp;LGBT&nbsp;community.

The constitutions of Mexico, New Zealand Portugal, South Africa and Sweden&nbsp;give&nbsp;equal&nbsp;rights&nbsp;to people&nbsp;based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity, the report said.

(Reuters)

Despite 22 countries introducing same-sex marriage laws, constitutional?rights preventing discrimination at work and in housing are lacking

Only five countries in the world have given lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people equal constitutional rights, global research shows, with most countries failing to protect the community from widespread discrimination and abuses. Britain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta are the only countries that give constitutional rights to people regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a report by global research group WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The report, which analysed the constitutions of all 193 countries recognised by the United Nations, is the most comprehensive study to date, researchers say. Despite 22 countries introducing same-sex marriage laws, the lack of equal constitutional rights means LGBT people are at risk of rights violations and discrimination, researchers said. "While marriage equality is an important start, it is not enough to prevent discrimination at work, in housing or many other spheres of life," said study author Jody Heymann, founding director of WORLD and dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. "It is crucial for constitutions to guarantee equal rights and protection from discrimination to LGBT individuals in all spheres," she said in a statement. Most countries' constitutions protect people regardless of sex, religion, race or ethnicity, but do not extend the same legal protections to the LGBT community. The constitutions of Mexico, New Zealand Portugal, South Africa and Sweden give equal rights to people based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity, the report said. (Reuters)

Only five countries give LGBT people equal constitutional rights: research

British singer Elton John told a concert in Moscow he still wanted to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss his concerns about gay rights and AIDS in Russia, despite the Kremlin leader not having time to meet him this time round.

John, performing at a luxury shopping and&nbsp;entertainment&nbsp;centre in the Russian capital on Monday night as part of a world tour, sounded disappointed about not getting to meet Putin, but said he would return to try to see him.

&quot;As some of you may know I hoped to meet with President Putin on this trip,&quot; said John, whose music has been popular in Russia since the Soviet era, told the audience.

&quot;Although it wasn&#39;t possible, I&#39;m deeply grateful to him for inviting me to discuss some serious issues in Russia including LGBT, HIV and AIDS, and I very much hope we will find time in future to meet.&quot;

Putin&#39;s spokesman said last week that the Russian leader&#39;s schedule did not match up with John&#39;s, but that a meeting might take place &quot;next time.&quot; Putin had to fly to Kazakhstan on Tuesday morning for a meeting.

In September Putin phoned the singer, who has used his status as one of the world&#39;s most famous gay celebrities to push for equal rights for homosexuals around the world, to say he would be willing to meet up after John, 69, requested a meeting.

Western governments and human rights activists have criticised the Russian authorities for their treatment of gay people, and John has previously spoken out against a 2013 law banning the dissemination of &quot;gay propaganda&quot; among young Russians.

Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people.

John has also expressed alarm about the scale of Russia&#39;s AIDS epidemic.

The number of people registered HIV-positive passed the 1 million mark earlier this year and the country&#39;s top AIDS specialist warned the rate of infection had reached record levels.

British singer Elton John told a concert in Moscow he still wanted to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss his concerns about gay rights and AIDS in Russia, but the Kremlin leader didn't have time

British singer Elton John told a concert in Moscow he still wanted to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss his concerns about gay rights and AIDS in Russia, despite the Kremlin leader not having time to meet him this time round. John, performing at a luxury shopping and entertainment centre in the Russian capital on Monday night as part of a world tour, sounded disappointed about not getting to meet Putin, but said he would return to try to see him. "As some of you may know I hoped to meet with President Putin on this trip," said John, whose music has been popular in Russia since the Soviet era, told the audience. "Although it wasn't possible, I'm deeply grateful to him for inviting me to discuss some serious issues in Russia including LGBT, HIV and AIDS, and I very much hope we will find time in future to meet." Putin's spokesman said last week that the Russian leader's schedule did not match up with John's, but that a meeting might take place "next time." Putin had to fly to Kazakhstan on Tuesday morning for a meeting. In September Putin phoned the singer, who has used his status as one of the world's most famous gay celebrities to push for equal rights for homosexuals around the world, to say he would be willing to meet up after John, 69, requested a meeting. Western governments and human rights activists have criticised the Russian authorities for their treatment of gay people, and John has previously spoken out against a 2013 law banning the dissemination of "gay propaganda" among young Russians. Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people. John has also expressed alarm about the scale of Russia's AIDS epidemic. The number of people registered HIV-positive passed the 1 million mark earlier this year and the country's top AIDS specialist warned the rate of infection had reached record levels.

Elton John tells Russians he still wants to meet Putin to discuss gay rights

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