Stylised graphic showing Beechwood House, Lubov Chernukhin and Alisher Usmanov Owners of around 50,000 UK properties held by foreign companies remain hidden from public view, despite new transparency laws. The Register of Overseas Entities, launched in August 2022, was meant to reveal who ultimately owns UK property. But analysis by BBC News and Transparency International found that almost half of the firms required to declare who was behind them failed to do so. Labor MP Margaret Hodge said the legislation was not “fit for purpose”. A UK government spokesperson said the register has been an “invaluable source of information for law enforcement, and tax and revenue services”.…
Tag: current legal issues in the news
Once ’empowered’ Hong Kong activists face new security law | Politics News
Twenty years ago, Fermi Wong embarked on her first ever protest against the government. Little did she expect she was to be joined by at least half a million other demonstrators. In July 2003, Hong Kong people took to the streets to fight the imminent passage of security legislation linked to Article 23, part of the territory’s mini-constitution known as the Basic Law. They feared the law would snuff out the civil liberties they enjoyed as residents of the former British colony that had reverted to Chinese sovereignty six years before. The show of people power – at that time the largest ever in the city – not only beat off the legislation but also started a push for democracy that would gather momentum in the next 15 years.…
Victims claim gender discrimination in the application of sex crime laws
WARNING: This article contains details of abuse Leslie McMillan still remembers the night she dragged her intoxicated friend, Ali, out of their high school music teacher’s hotel room. “She’s lying on his bed, on her back, totally passed out, pants undone,” recalled McMillan. “I knew in my gut what had happened.” It was May 1987 and they were on a school trip to Montreal. Ali was in Grade 11 and the teacher was near mid-life, married with children. What happened that night remained unreported until last fall when Ali, now 53, went to York Regional Police to report what she believed was sexual exploitation and assault.…
Family of murdered Alberta toddler, mother urges federal politicians to pass Noah’s Law
A private member’s bill that proposes changes to the Criminal Code of Canada and the Sex Offender Information Registration Act has been introduced in Parliament and has the family of two Alberta murder victims calling for lawmakers to support it. “Noah’s Law,” formally known as Bill C-336, was introduced in both the House of Commons and the Senate this week as a joint bill by Conservative MP Gerald Soroka and Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu. The bill is named after 16-month-old Noah McConnell, who was murdered in Hinton, Alta., in September 2021. The boy’s mother, 24-year-old Mchale Busch was sexually assaulted and also killed inside their apartment building.…
Turkey elections: Erdogan gives cash to supporters in stark violation of Turkish law
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was seen handing out cash to supporters after casting his vote in the runoff vote of the presidential election on Sunday. The incumbent head of state handed out bank notes worth 200 liras (approximately $10) each, and shook hands with supporters who were lined up outside the door, Reuters reported. Earlier on May 14, before the first round of the presidential poll, Erdogan was seen handing out cash to kids. Erdogan’s voting day cash handout: What does it mean? Turkish law bars candidates from campaigning on election day. The country’s election oversight authorities are yet to take note of Erdogan’s cash handout act.…
Can your Will be Challenged after you die? Contesting a Will and Family Provision Applications Explained
A common question that is asked is whether estranged family members or step-children may be able to challenge their entitlements under a will. Although challenging the will usually comes after death, it is important for anyone making a will to understand: who is entitled to challenge a will; and whether the challenger may be successful This will assist a maker to understand the implications when drafting their will. How to Challenge a Will If a person intends to challenge their entitlement, or lack thereof, under someone’s will then they will make a Family Provision Application to the Court. Not everyone can make a Family Provision Application and Queensland succession laws restricts who is entitled to make such an Application via the following three categories: the deceased’s spouse (not just a husband and wife, it can also be a de facto partner or the deceased’s former husband or wife or partner); the deceased’s child (biological, unborn at the date of death, adopted or step-child); and a dependent of the deceased (this includes anyone who has been wholly or substantially maintained by the deceased at the date of death but common examples include the deceased’s parent or a parent of the deceased’s child).…
‘Don’t want anyone to be hurt again’
A Parksville couple is warning the public about a former tenant who they say is illegally selling law services. The Willards say they’re out thousands of dollars in rent and are concerned for those who may think Daniel Lozinik is running a legitimate business. “$12,000, so we are four months behind in rent,” said Marcus Willard. The couple leased out their Parksville home for six months to Lozinik, who convinced the pair that signing a lease agreement wasn’t necessary. “He’s like, ‘I won’t sign this agreement,’” recalled Willard. “He showed us his angelic law website, and he showed us why he didn’t sign these types of agreements, and, somehow, he convinced us because he said, ‘What I’ll do is give you $3,000 right now.’”…
Undue Influence in a Will
Situations may arise where you may suspect your loved one has taken advantage of. Family members may become suspicious when their dearly departed, leaving a significant portion of their assets to one family member or to someone who is not even a family. It is important to be aware of how you may challenge a will on suspicion of undue influence, as it is a difficult argument to successfully prove. What is undue influence? Undue influence refers to situations where pressure has been placed on the will maker to change their will in a way the will maker would not have changed if they made the decision freely.…