Gen Z's growing demand for work-life balance is reshaping the workplace, challenging employers to adapt to new expectations regarding flexibility, mental health, and personal time.

Gen Z's demands for work-life balance challenge employers

UK announced its first official four-day workweek pilot, backed by the Labour government. In this groundbreaking trial, 1,000 workers across 17 companies will shift to a four-day schedule with no reduction in pay. Is this the beginning of a new work culture in the UK and across the world? Take a look at our next report for more...

UK Businesses Begin 4-Day Workweek Trial With No Pay Cut

The COVID-19 pandemic touched our lives in many ways but one of its lasting legacies has been the rise of the TWAT trend. WION decodes this legacy for you.

TWAT Trend: How did Friday become a non-working day?

When both the man and the woman are equal breadwinners in&nbsp;the family, you would expect that the equality would extend to other areas too. At least that’s what should happen in an ideal world where the scales do not tilt more towards the woman when it comes to responsibilities involved in running a household and instead results in a ‘happy balance’ between the two sexes.&nbsp; 
 
Unfortunately, that perfect world is still elusive, as an April 2023 study by the Pew Research Center would have us believe.&nbsp;Of course, we have always known it. But it helps to have the data to justify that. For centuries now, archaic and invisible societal rules have laid down that the woman must always take on more than her ‘frail’ shoulders can carry when it comes to work, inside the house. It could be looking after the children, cooking, cleaning, taking them to school, assisting them with their homework, showing up for parent-teacher meetings and so on and so forth.&nbsp; 
 
That was then. And today when we have women advancing in every sphere of life and making unbounded progress and also smashing the glass ceiling at their workplaces, giving tough competition to their male counterparts, some things have essentially remained the same.&nbsp;

ALSO READ|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/international-womens-day-when-will-they-be-treated-as-equals-368977">International Women's Day: When will they be treated as equals</a> 
 
When it comes to a woman who is career-oriented and yet there is no escape from the traditional role of the prime caregiver and caretaker of the family unit, work becomes double, triple and sometimes a tad impossible to carry if there is no family support system or help in the form of alternative caretakers. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
That you go to the office, work as hard as your husband and yet have to come back home to a pile of dirty dishes and the laundry to be done and a million other chores while he is exempted from doing any of this work is what is the current state of affairs in most parts of the world. And while the world has progressed beyond leaps and bounds and women are shining and reaching the top in every career one could dream of, this home truth refuses to change. 
 
The recent survey by the Pew Research Center on working heterosexual married couples in the US is, but the tip of the iceberg that shows that despite earning equal incomes, husbands tend to have fewer household responsibilities than wives. In the survey, it was detailed that 29 per cent of married heterosexual couples were the ones where the man and woman earned the same. And yet it found that men spent more time in leisure activities than women, almost 3 and a half hours more per week, while women spend almost 2 and a half hours more per week than the men doing chores in the house.&nbsp; 
 
Even as men remain the main breadwinner in a majority of opposite-sex marriages, the share of women who earn as much as or significantly more has roughly tripled over the past 50 years. Women are earning more, but they're still doing more housework. This gender disparity shows no signs of going away. 
 
With both sexes being equal financial contributors, there is a huge imbalance in how they balance out the work at home. According to the European Union’s Knowledge Centre on Gender Equality Index 2021, gender differences in household chores are entrenched from childhood. The most unequally shared is of course housework and the other two are childcare and long-term care for older people and people with disabilities and other chronic conditions. 
 
It says that about 91 per cent of women with children spend at least an hour per day on housework, compared with 30 per cent of men with children. The latest data shows that employed women spend about 2.3 hours daily on housework; for employed men, this figure is 1.6 hours.&nbsp;Reasons can be anything from seeing parental role models as entrenching gender roles in terms of housework responsibilities or even traditional expectations from women to be the nurturer and caregiver in marriages. Therefore this role remains static and has not evolved throughout the centuries, at least among the majority of people. 
 
Ideally if both the husband and wife work and earn, the division of household responsibilities should be equal because they have equal work commitments irrespective of their pay. But it remains a fantasy for most as women are expected to be the prime caregiver and men are exempted from such a burden. 
 
In an article in the Guardian, gender expert Kate Mangino, whose book, Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home, studied men who were equal partners in household work. She&nbsp;said she wanted to find out why these men were unusual. What she found out was that these men had not grown up seeing their dads be equal partners; instead, it was a choice they adopted and that meant there was hope for other men who have been shunning equal responsibilities at home. A fresh new perspective that spells hope? That really depends on how much progress will we be making in the coming years in obliterating the gender divide when it comes to doing household chores.&nbsp; 
 
As the world marches on in its struggle for equality, this trend as of now, shows no signs of changing. If we look at data from the Office for National Statistics in Britain in 2016, women did almost 60 per cent more of unpaid work, on average, than men. Even in places like Sweden where most men were choosing full-time fatherhood, women were averaging 45 more daily minutes of chores, according to the Guardian.&nbsp;

What’s the issue really? Are men just jerks when it comes to helping around the house and would they rather pretend to make the beds, wash the dishes, vacuum the floor and then get all hot and bothered and prefer to sit and guzzle a beer and stay glued to the idiot box? Well, it's not that simple.&nbsp;

Some studies say that one of the reasons could also be because of the insufficiently high standards that most female partners have where they feel that they can do the job better and therefore they take on more than they can chew. The result is an unending workload.&nbsp; 
 
The solution? Don’t do it. At least when it comes to household chores and the career woman, there seems to be only one choice. That’s also what writer Stephen Marche seems to say in his best-selling book called The Unmade Bed: The Messy Truth About Men and Women in the 21st Century, and that is to avoid the chores to get maximum productivity in other spheres of life. 
 
It all seems to make sense when you hear what famed writer JK Rowling said in a BBC documentary on being asked how she’d found time to write the first Harry Potter book while raising a baby alone. She says: “I didn’t do housework for four years.” 
 
Some hope and a bit of squalor? Take it or leave it.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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When both the man and the woman are equal breadwinners in the family, you would expect that the equality would extend to other areas too. At least that’s what should happen in an ideal world where the scales do not tilt more towards the woman when it comes to responsibilities involved in running a household and instead results in a ‘happy balance’ between the two sexes.

When both the man and the woman are equal breadwinners in the family, you would expect that the equality would extend to other areas too. At least that’s what should happen in an ideal world where the scales do not tilt more towards the woman when it comes to responsibilities involved in running a household and instead results in a ‘happy balance’ between the two sexes. Unfortunately, that perfect world is still elusive, as an April 2023 study by the Pew Research Center would have us believe. Of course, we have always known it. But it helps to have the data to justify that. For centuries now, archaic and invisible societal rules have laid down that the woman must always take on more than her ‘frail’ shoulders can carry when it comes to work, inside the house. It could be looking after the children, cooking, cleaning, taking them to school, assisting them with their homework, showing up for parent-teacher meetings and so on and so forth. That was then. And today when we have women advancing in every sphere of life and making unbounded progress and also smashing the glass ceiling at their workplaces, giving tough competition to their male counterparts, some things have essentially remained the same. ALSO READ| International Women's Day: When will they be treated as equals When it comes to a woman who is career-oriented and yet there is no escape from the traditional role of the prime caregiver and caretaker of the family unit, work becomes double, triple and sometimes a tad impossible to carry if there is no family support system or help in the form of alternative caretakers. That you go to the office, work as hard as your husband and yet have to come back home to a pile of dirty dishes and the laundry to be done and a million other chores while he is exempted from doing any of this work is what is the current state of affairs in most parts of the world. And while the world has progressed beyond leaps and bounds and women are shining and reaching the top in every career one could dream of, this home truth refuses to change. The recent survey by the Pew Research Center on working heterosexual married couples in the US is, but the tip of the iceberg that shows that despite earning equal incomes, husbands tend to have fewer household responsibilities than wives. In the survey, it was detailed that 29 per cent of married heterosexual couples were the ones where the man and woman earned the same. And yet it found that men spent more time in leisure activities than women, almost 3 and a half hours more per week, while women spend almost 2 and a half hours more per week than the men doing chores in the house. Even as men remain the main breadwinner in a majority of opposite-sex marriages, the share of women who earn as much as or significantly more has roughly tripled over the past 50 years. Women are earning more, but they're still doing more housework. This gender disparity shows no signs of going away. With both sexes being equal financial contributors, there is a huge imbalance in how they balance out the work at home. According to the European Union’s Knowledge Centre on Gender Equality Index 2021, gender differences in household chores are entrenched from childhood. The most unequally shared is of course housework and the other two are childcare and long-term care for older people and people with disabilities and other chronic conditions. It says that about 91 per cent of women with children spend at least an hour per day on housework, compared with 30 per cent of men with children. The latest data shows that employed women spend about 2.3 hours daily on housework; for employed men, this figure is 1.6 hours. Reasons can be anything from seeing parental role models as entrenching gender roles in terms of housework responsibilities or even traditional expectations from women to be the nurturer and caregiver in marriages. Therefore this role remains static and has not evolved throughout the centuries, at least among the majority of people. Ideally if both the husband and wife work and earn, the division of household responsibilities should be equal because they have equal work commitments irrespective of their pay. But it remains a fantasy for most as women are expected to be the prime caregiver and men are exempted from such a burden. In an article in the Guardian, gender expert Kate Mangino, whose book, Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home, studied men who were equal partners in household work. She said she wanted to find out why these men were unusual. What she found out was that these men had not grown up seeing their dads be equal partners; instead, it was a choice they adopted and that meant there was hope for other men who have been shunning equal responsibilities at home. A fresh new perspective that spells hope? That really depends on how much progress will we be making in the coming years in obliterating the gender divide when it comes to doing household chores. As the world marches on in its struggle for equality, this trend as of now, shows no signs of changing. If we look at data from the Office for National Statistics in Britain in 2016, women did almost 60 per cent more of unpaid work, on average, than men. Even in places like Sweden where most men were choosing full-time fatherhood, women were averaging 45 more daily minutes of chores, according to the Guardian. What’s the issue really? Are men just jerks when it comes to helping around the house and would they rather pretend to make the beds, wash the dishes, vacuum the floor and then get all hot and bothered and prefer to sit and guzzle a beer and stay glued to the idiot box? Well, it's not that simple. Some studies say that one of the reasons could also be because of the insufficiently high standards that most female partners have where they feel that they can do the job better and therefore they take on more than they can chew. The result is an unending workload. The solution? Don’t do it. At least when it comes to household chores and the career woman, there seems to be only one choice. That’s also what writer Stephen Marche seems to say in his best-selling book called The Unmade Bed: The Messy Truth About Men and Women in the 21st Century, and that is to avoid the chores to get maximum productivity in other spheres of life. It all seems to make sense when you hear what famed writer JK Rowling said in a BBC documentary on being asked how she’d found time to write the first Harry Potter book while raising a baby alone. She says: “I didn’t do housework for four years.” Some hope and a bit of squalor? Take it or leave it. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Gender Talk: Why the working woman has to work even more at home

Over the weekend, a regional cafe in Australia’s New South Wales garnered criticism after a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) did a story on how they were forced to hire children as young as 11 years. This comes as the Australian state NSW does not have a minimum working age but you have to be at least 11 years old before you can receive a tax file number.

Speaking to ABC News, the owners of Long Track Pantry in the small Australian town of Jugiong, Huw and Juliet Robb said that they opened the cafe a few years ago and faced an employee shortage. Notably, the population of the town is 200 out of which the school kids make up the majority of the factory’s 100-strong workforce, reported ABC.&nbsp;

The school children are paid award wages and mostly work in the hospitality side of the business which includes, washing dishes, making jams and relishes and serving customers. While different states and territories across the country have provisions and laws in place to prevent child labour some of them do not stipulate a minimum age.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Australian government had been considering a recommendation to make the minimum working age 15 or 13 for “light work” with some exceptions for those below 13, reported the Guardian. The&nbsp;report sparked outrage as one-star reviews of Long Track Pantry appeared over the weekend on Google while many accused the cafe of “child labour”, added the media report.&nbsp;

One Twitter user wrote, “Understandably, I’ve stopped at this cafe and purchased many of their products. Blissfully unaware that I’m supporting child labour.”&nbsp;

However, many even came to the cafe’s defence saying that children were paid award wages while political and economics writer Tim Colebatch said it was “common sense” and how he got his first job at the age of nine, adding that “it was a great learning experience”.&nbsp;

According to the owners, of the Jugiong jam factory where the children work, they are onboarded with strict training programs devised by staff members with teaching backgrounds, reported ABC News. Additionally, staff members in their late teens or early 20 teach kids who start off by dishwashing and food preparation before they are given “customer-facing roles”.&nbsp;

“So many of our managers now are the ones that have started at 11,” told the factory head of wellbeing and culture Treen Brooker to ABC News. As of last year, about 214,500 children aged 15 and under were legally working in Australia, reported the Guardian citing an employment and workplace relations survey.&nbsp; 
 
The Australian government is yet to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention concerning the minimum age for admission to employment and would be the 176th country to do so. This also comes after a parliamentary committee, last month, while recommending the government to sign the treaty also said that working may be beneficial for young people.&nbsp; 
 
However, it added, that evidence also suggests “except in cases where a youth works only a few hours per week, child and youth labor is harmful to development, educational success and health”. 
 
&nbsp;

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Over the weekend, a regional cafe in Australia’s New South Wales garnered criticism after a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) did a story on how they were forced to hire children as young as 11 years.

Over the weekend, a regional cafe in Australia’s New South Wales garnered criticism after a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) did a story on how they were forced to hire children as young as 11 years. This comes as the Australian state NSW does not have a minimum working age but you have to be at least 11 years old before you can receive a tax file number. Speaking to ABC News, the owners of Long Track Pantry in the small Australian town of Jugiong, Huw and Juliet Robb said that they opened the cafe a few years ago and faced an employee shortage. Notably, the population of the town is 200 out of which the school kids make up the majority of the factory’s 100-strong workforce, reported ABC. The school children are paid award wages and mostly work in the hospitality side of the business which includes, washing dishes, making jams and relishes and serving customers. While different states and territories across the country have provisions and laws in place to prevent child labour some of them do not stipulate a minimum age. Meanwhile, the Australian government had been considering a recommendation to make the minimum working age 15 or 13 for “light work” with some exceptions for those below 13, reported the Guardian. The report sparked outrage as one-star reviews of Long Track Pantry appeared over the weekend on Google while many accused the cafe of “child labour”, added the media report. One Twitter user wrote, “Understandably, I’ve stopped at this cafe and purchased many of their products. Blissfully unaware that I’m supporting child labour.” However, many even came to the cafe’s defence saying that children were paid award wages while political and economics writer Tim Colebatch said it was “common sense” and how he got his first job at the age of nine, adding that “it was a great learning experience”. According to the owners, of the Jugiong jam factory where the children work, they are onboarded with strict training programs devised by staff members with teaching backgrounds, reported ABC News. Additionally, staff members in their late teens or early 20 teach kids who start off by dishwashing and food preparation before they are given “customer-facing roles”. “So many of our managers now are the ones that have started at 11,” told the factory head of wellbeing and culture Treen Brooker to ABC News. As of last year, about 214,500 children aged 15 and under were legally working in Australia, reported the Guardian citing an employment and workplace relations survey. The Australian government is yet to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention concerning the minimum age for admission to employment and would be the 176th country to do so. This also comes after a parliamentary committee, last month, while recommending the government to sign the treaty also said that working may be beneficial for young people. However, it added, that evidence also suggests “except in cases where a youth works only a few hours per week, child and youth labor is harmful to development, educational success and health”. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Australia: Cafe hires 11-year-olds sparks criticism over minimum age for workers

In another move to crackdown on the freedom of women, the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan on Saturday banned female employees from working in any foreign and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as stated in the letter of the economy ministry.&nbsp;

Economy ministry's spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib confirmed the letter in which it was stated that female employees are not permitted to work in NGOs until further notice because few employees have failed to adhere to the Islamic dress code for women, as interpreted by the Afghan administration.&nbsp;

There is no clarity on whether the order was also applicable to United Nations agencies, which are present in large numbers in Afghanistan.

ALSO READ| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-women-speak-to-wion-as-taliban-dismantles-their-right-to-education-campus-after-campus-545841">Afghan women speak to WION as Taliban dismantle their right to education, campus after campus</a>

This move to curb the freedom of Afghan women comes days after universities were ordered by the Taliban government to stop the entry of women.&nbsp;

The move was condemned globally and led to a few protests in Afghanistan. It was reported that water cannon was used by Taliban security forces to disperse Afghan women who were protesting against the ban imposed on university education.&nbsp;

In major cities, Afghan women held demonstrations, which was a rare visual of protest since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year.

WATCH| Afghanistan: Taliban returns to archaic rules; woman flogged for shopping alone

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Meanwhile, G7 foreign ministers had stated the way women are being treated in Afghanistan by the Taliban may amount to "a crime against humanity", as they demanded that the ban imposed on women's education be reversed.

"Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban," the ministers had said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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In another move to crackdown on the freedom of women, the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan on Saturday banned female employees from working in any foreign and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as stated in the letter of the economy ministry.

In another move to crackdown on the freedom of women, the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan on Saturday banned female employees from working in any foreign and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as stated in the letter of the economy ministry. Economy ministry's spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib confirmed the letter in which it was stated that female employees are not permitted to work in NGOs until further notice because few employees have failed to adhere to the Islamic dress code for women, as interpreted by the Afghan administration. There is no clarity on whether the order was also applicable to United Nations agencies, which are present in large numbers in Afghanistan. ALSO READ| Afghan women speak to WION as Taliban dismantle their right to education, campus after campus This move to curb the freedom of Afghan women comes days after universities were ordered by the Taliban government to stop the entry of women. The move was condemned globally and led to a few protests in Afghanistan. It was reported that water cannon was used by Taliban security forces to disperse Afghan women who were protesting against the ban imposed on university education. In major cities, Afghan women held demonstrations, which was a rare visual of protest since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year. WATCH| Afghanistan: Taliban returns to archaic rules; woman flogged for shopping alone Meanwhile, G7 foreign ministers had stated the way women are being treated in Afghanistan by the Taliban may amount to "a crime against humanity", as they demanded that the ban imposed on women's education be reversed. "Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban," the ministers had said in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban's war on women: Female employees banned from working in NGOs

A remote worker based out of the Netherlands was fired from a U.S-based software company after he refused to keep his web cam switched on throughout his shift. The worker moved a Dutch court that went on to rule in his favour. Are employers legally allowed to monitor you? Or Is it a breach of privacy?

Gravitas: Can you be asked to keep your web cam switched on throughout your shift?

At a time when changing jobs has become the norm—be it for better pay or work environment—a 100-year-old man from Brazil has broken the world record for having the longest tenure at the same company.

According to Guinness World Records, Walter Orthmann broke the record by working in the same company for 84 years and 9 days.

He was born in Brusque, a small town in Santa Catarina, Brazil which has a large German population, according to the press release.

Undeterred by rain, mud or frost, Walter would walk barefoot to school to study and then practice at home. He was an exceptional student with a brilliant memory and attention to detail.

But at the age of 15, Orthmann had to take the job to help support his family as they faced financial problems.

He started his career at the weaving mill, Industrias Renaux S.A, in 1938. &nbsp;Because of his strong proficiency in German, he was hired as a shipping assistant at the textile company.

He continued to work at the same company ever since.

"Back in 1938, kids were expected to&nbsp;work&nbsp;to help support the family," he said, per the press release.

"As the oldest son of five, my mother took me to find a job at the age of 14."

Orthmann was later promoted to a role in sales and, ultimately, to a sales manager position.

The 100-year-old still goes to the office each day and last month celebrated his 100th birthday with family, friends, and co-workers.

After all these decades, he says his best career advice is to&nbsp;find a good employer&nbsp;and follow your passions.

"When we do what we like, we don't see the time go by," he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-to-send-naked-pictures-of-humans-to-space-in-hope-of-grabbing-aliens-attention-476302" hreflang="en">NASA to send naked pictures of humans to space in hope of attracting aliens</a>

Looking back on his life so far, Orthmann says he considers the record his "proudest achievement" despite "never having contemplated breaking a record."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/moon-may-be-stealing-earths-water-for-itself-here-is-how-476307" hreflang="en">Moon may be 'stealing' Earth's water for itself, here is how</a>

"I don't do much planning, nor care much about tomorrow," he said. "All I care about is that tomorrow will be another day in which I will wake up, get up, exercise and go to work; you need to get busy with the present, not the past or the future. Here and now is what counts."

WATCH WION LIVE

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Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION.&nbsp;

At a time when changing jobs has become the norm—be it for better pay or work environment—a 100-year-old man from Brazil has broken the world record for having the longest tenure at the same company.

At a time when changing jobs has become the norm—be it for better pay or work environment—a 100-year-old man from Brazil has broken the world record for having the longest tenure at the same company. According to Guinness World Records, Walter Orthmann broke the record by working in the same company for 84 years and 9 days. He was born in Brusque, a small town in Santa Catarina, Brazil which has a large German population, according to the press release. Undeterred by rain, mud or frost, Walter would walk barefoot to school to study and then practice at home. He was an exceptional student with a brilliant memory and attention to detail. But at the age of 15, Orthmann had to take the job to help support his family as they faced financial problems. He started his career at the weaving mill, Industrias Renaux S.A, in 1938. Because of his strong proficiency in German, he was hired as a shipping assistant at the textile company. He continued to work at the same company ever since. "Back in 1938, kids were expected to work to help support the family," he said, per the press release. "As the oldest son of five, my mother took me to find a job at the age of 14." Orthmann was later promoted to a role in sales and, ultimately, to a sales manager position. The 100-year-old still goes to the office each day and last month celebrated his 100th birthday with family, friends, and co-workers. After all these decades, he says his best career advice is to find a good employer and follow your passions. "When we do what we like, we don't see the time go by," he said. Also read | NASA to send naked pictures of humans to space in hope of attracting aliens Looking back on his life so far, Orthmann says he considers the record his "proudest achievement" despite "never having contemplated breaking a record." Also read | Moon may be 'stealing' Earth's water for itself, here is how "I don't do much planning, nor care much about tomorrow," he said. "All I care about is that tomorrow will be another day in which I will wake up, get up, exercise and go to work; you need to get busy with the present, not the past or the future. Here and now is what counts." WATCH WION LIVE Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION.

100-year-old man breaks Guinness World Record for working in same company for over 84 years

Bangladesh Parliament recently declined to consider a weird proposal by an independent lawmaker who suggested a ban on marriages among the working people.&nbsp;

The proposal was made to address the unemployment issue in the country, drawing criticism from fellow parliamentarians.

Lawmaker Rezaul Karim argued that the children of working couples were often exposed to abuse by housemaids.

As per PTI, Karim said, "Men holding jobs want to marry working women, likewise, women in service want to marry service holders...if the trend continues you can't resolve the unemployment problem in the country".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/second-afghan-boy-dies-of-mushroom-poisoning-in-poland-410687">Also read |&nbsp;Second Afghan boy dies of mushroom poisoning in Poland</a>

The proposal incited laughter in the House and several of his colleagues ridiculed him.&nbsp;

The law minister Anisul Huq called the proposal a manifestation of "freedom of speech". He said, "I cannot move two steps off the House if I accept the proposal...this is unconstitutional."

Huq further said that being a public representative himself, he could not endanger his own career by accepting such a weird proposal.

Karim became a lawmaker from a constituency in northwestern Bogra district for the first time in 2018.&nbsp;

He drew massive criticism last year by blaming the feminist campaigns for growing incidents of rape. 
&nbsp;

Bangladesh Parliament recently declined to consider a weird proposal by an independent lawmaker who suggested a ban on marriages among the working people. The proposal was made to address the unemployment issue in the country, drawing criticism from fellow parliamentarians.

Bangladesh Parliament recently declined to consider a weird proposal by an independent lawmaker who suggested a ban on marriages among the working people. The proposal was made to address the unemployment issue in the country, drawing criticism from fellow parliamentarians. Lawmaker Rezaul Karim argued that the children of working couples were often exposed to abuse by housemaids. As per PTI, Karim said, "Men holding jobs want to marry working women, likewise, women in service want to marry service holders...if the trend continues you can't resolve the unemployment problem in the country". Also read | Second Afghan boy dies of mushroom poisoning in Poland The proposal incited laughter in the House and several of his colleagues ridiculed him. The law minister Anisul Huq called the proposal a manifestation of "freedom of speech". He said, "I cannot move two steps off the House if I accept the proposal...this is unconstitutional." Huq further said that being a public representative himself, he could not endanger his own career by accepting such a weird proposal. Karim became a lawmaker from a constituency in northwestern Bogra district for the first time in 2018. He drew massive criticism last year by blaming the feminist campaigns for growing incidents of rape.

Bangladesh MP proposes ban on marriages among working people

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday that hew as being treated for "kidney-related problems" and that he was working from a "controlled environment at home".&nbsp

"I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home," he tweeted.&nbsp

"The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me," he added.&nbsp

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I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me.
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Government officials said Thursday that Jaitley had <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/finance-minister-arun-jaitley-unwell-cancels-foreign-travel-128454?first_load=no">cancelled</a> a visit to London next week for annual economic talks.

Jaitley, 65, was due to meet Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond at the India-UK economic dialogue and deliver a talk on "Looking Ahead to 2022: India's Global Vision" at Chatham House, a policy think tank.

The organisers of the talk said the programme had been cancelled, without giving a reason.

"He will not visit London next week as he is not keeping well," one of the Indian officials said.

Jaitley skipped a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries in Argentina last month. He told Reuters at the time he was not in a position to take a long flight.

In 2014 he had a gastric bypass operation to keep his diabetes in check.&nbsp

Jaitley went to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences for tests related to a kidney ailment, officials at the Finance Ministry and at the medical facility said.

A medical report is due on Friday, one of the Finance Ministry officials said. They declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter and the Finance Ministry did not make any formal comment on the minister's health.&nbsp

(With inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp

'The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me,' he added

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday that hew as being treated for "kidney-related problems" and that he was working from a "controlled environment at home". "I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home," he tweeted. "The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me," he added. I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) April 5, 2018 × Government officials said Thursday that Jaitley had cancelled a visit to London next week for annual economic talks. Jaitley, 65, was due to meet Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond at the India-UK economic dialogue and deliver a talk on "Looking Ahead to 2022: India's Global Vision" at Chatham House, a policy think tank. The organisers of the talk said the programme had been cancelled, without giving a reason. "He will not visit London next week as he is not keeping well," one of the Indian officials said. Jaitley skipped a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries in Argentina last month. He told Reuters at the time he was not in a position to take a long flight. In 2014 he had a gastric bypass operation to keep his diabetes in check. Jaitley went to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences for tests related to a kidney ailment, officials at the Finance Ministry and at the medical facility said. A medical report is due on Friday, one of the Finance Ministry officials said. They declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter and the Finance Ministry did not make any formal comment on the minister's health. (With inputs from Reuters)

Being treated for kidney-related problems, working from controlled environment at home: Arun Jaitley

Twenty-three Indian nationals were today arrested in Sri Lanka for allegedly working in the country while on tourist visas.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration said nine of the arrested suspects had been engaged in astrology while nine others were into the sale of textiles, the NewsRadio reported.

Five other suspects had been engaged in carpentry.

A senior official said the immigration department will take steps to seize the 23 Indians&#39; passports and carry out further investigations.&nbsp;

The Department of Immigration and Emigration said nine of the arrested suspects had been engaged in astrology while nine others were into the sale of textiles

Twenty-three Indian nationals were today arrested in Sri Lanka for allegedly working in the country while on tourist visas. The Department of Immigration and Emigration said nine of the arrested suspects had been engaged in astrology while nine others were into the sale of textiles, the NewsRadio reported. Five other suspects had been engaged in carpentry. A senior official said the immigration department will take steps to seize the 23 Indians' passports and carry out further investigations.

23 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for working on tourist visas

Instead of going to school, Walid and Ibrahim spend hours each day rummaging through houses destroyed in Gaza&#39;s wars in search of scrap to raise a few shekels for their families. 
 
They were once good students but Walid Maaruf, 11, and Ibrahim Ghaben, 12, had to quit school and earn a living when their fathers lost their jobs. 
 
Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fought three wars since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict in 2014 in the Mediterranean territory. 
 
Residents have lived under a punitive Israeli blockade imposed 10 years ago and their options are further limited by Egypt, which has largely kept its border with Gaza closed since 2013. 
 
Nearly half the enclave&#39;s 1.9 million inhabitants live under the poverty line, with 80 per cent surviving on humanitarian aid. 
 
Unemployment has risen dramatically to reach around 45 per cent -- one of the highest in the world -- forcing many children to become breadwinners. 
 
On Sunday, the International Labour Organization marks World Day Against Child Labour, an initiative that has seen the number of child labourers drop to 168 million from 246 million in 2000. 
 
But in Gaza the trend has been upward. 
 
According to Palestinian estimates, child labour has doubled over the past five years, with 9,700 children aged between 10 and 17 now working in the enclave. 
 
&quot;My father is unemployed, he used to gather stones and scrap metal... but now I work,&quot; said Ibrahim who earns about 20 shekels ($5) a day -- toiling six to 12 hours -- to feed his family of nine. 
 
The boy, who looks much older than his age, said he and his father used to transport their find on a donkey-drawn cart, &quot;but the donkey died&quot;. 
 
All day long, often under a searing sun or howling wind, boys like Walid and Ibrahim scour flashpoint Beit Lahiya -- near the border fence with Israel in northern Gaza -- for scrap to sell to recycling firms. 
 
The area is attractive because of potential finds of lead from Israeli munitions. 
 
&quot;Most of the children who work do so in neighbourhoods along the border fence, and these are the poorest areas,&quot; said psychologist Aida Kassab from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. 
 
&quot;Sometimes these children are only five and yet they are forced to do a job which is not appropriate for their age, their physical or psychological state,&quot; said Kassab. 
 
Akram Saeed, 14, said he spent years gathering scrap but now he wants a way out and would like to &quot;learn a useful skill&quot; to improve the condition of his four siblings and parents. 
 
Help came in the form of a Swiss children&#39;s relief agency, Terre des Hommes, which helps families send their children back to school or to attend vocational courses. 
 
&quot;The phenomenon of children who work reflects the economic and social situation of the Gaza Strip,&quot; said Khitam Abu Hamad, who represents the NGO in Gaza. 
 
&quot;There is no job market in Gaza,&quot; she said. 
 
Palestinian law bans children under 15 from working but &quot;it is rarely applied&quot;, said Iyad Abu Hujayr of the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution. 
 
He said enforcement has been hampered by divisions between the Islamist movement Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organisation which rules Gaza, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. 
 
These divisions have also allowed abuse by some employers who often force children to work for 12 hours a day for as little as 20 shekels, he said. 
 
And the situation is far from improving, said Hyam al-Jarjawi, who is in charge of children&#39;s affairs at the Hamas-run ministry of social affairs. 
 
She said with each war &quot;there is more poverty, and the number of child labourers increases&quot;.

Child labour has doubled over the past five years, with 9,700 children aged between 10 and 17 working to feed their families

Instead of going to school, Walid and Ibrahim spend hours each day rummaging through houses destroyed in Gaza's wars in search of scrap to raise a few shekels for their families. They were once good students but Walid Maaruf, 11, and Ibrahim Ghaben, 12, had to quit school and earn a living when their fathers lost their jobs. Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fought three wars since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict in 2014 in the Mediterranean territory. Residents have lived under a punitive Israeli blockade imposed 10 years ago and their options are further limited by Egypt, which has largely kept its border with Gaza closed since 2013. Nearly half the enclave's 1.9 million inhabitants live under the poverty line, with 80 per cent surviving on humanitarian aid. Unemployment has risen dramatically to reach around 45 per cent -- one of the highest in the world -- forcing many children to become breadwinners. On Sunday, the International Labour Organization marks World Day Against Child Labour, an initiative that has seen the number of child labourers drop to 168 million from 246 million in 2000. But in Gaza the trend has been upward. According to Palestinian estimates, child labour has doubled over the past five years, with 9,700 children aged between 10 and 17 now working in the enclave. "My father is unemployed, he used to gather stones and scrap metal... but now I work," said Ibrahim who earns about 20 shekels ($5) a day -- toiling six to 12 hours -- to feed his family of nine. The boy, who looks much older than his age, said he and his father used to transport their find on a donkey-drawn cart, "but the donkey died". All day long, often under a searing sun or howling wind, boys like Walid and Ibrahim scour flashpoint Beit Lahiya -- near the border fence with Israel in northern Gaza -- for scrap to sell to recycling firms. The area is attractive because of potential finds of lead from Israeli munitions. "Most of the children who work do so in neighbourhoods along the border fence, and these are the poorest areas," said psychologist Aida Kassab from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. "Sometimes these children are only five and yet they are forced to do a job which is not appropriate for their age, their physical or psychological state," said Kassab. Akram Saeed, 14, said he spent years gathering scrap but now he wants a way out and would like to "learn a useful skill" to improve the condition of his four siblings and parents. Help came in the form of a Swiss children's relief agency, Terre des Hommes, which helps families send their children back to school or to attend vocational courses. "The phenomenon of children who work reflects the economic and social situation of the Gaza Strip," said Khitam Abu Hamad, who represents the NGO in Gaza. "There is no job market in Gaza," she said. Palestinian law bans children under 15 from working but "it is rarely applied", said Iyad Abu Hujayr of the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution. He said enforcement has been hampered by divisions between the Islamist movement Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organisation which rules Gaza, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. These divisions have also allowed abuse by some employers who often force children to work for 12 hours a day for as little as 20 shekels, he said. And the situation is far from improving, said Hyam al-Jarjawi, who is in charge of children's affairs at the Hamas-run ministry of social affairs. She said with each war "there is more poverty, and the number of child labourers increases".

Wars and poverty force Gaza children to work

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