London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to make city safer for women
London: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday published his strategy to tackle violence against women and girls in the British capital, as he promised a record $61.03 million investment up to 2020.
The mayor urged Londoners "to call out sexist and misogynistic attitudes" in his efforts to tackle crimes such as rape, harassment and female genital mutilation (FGM).
More funding will be made available for programmes including a new Stalking Threat Assessment Center and a project to rehabilitate perpetrators.An extra 13 million British pounds will go into sexual violence services. Domestic violence services will get a boost of five million pounds, some $6.93 million.
The mayor's new wide-ranging strategy follows the biggest in-depth consultation with survivors as well as Londoners, police and partners.
"My new strategy puts forward a comprehensive package of measures to intervene and prevent violence against women and girls, to tackle dangerous individuals who pose a risk in our communities, and to improve services for victims who have already suffered so much," said the mayor.
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Bengaluru: Karnataka mulls ban social media for children below 16, says Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is considering a ban on the use of social media for children below the age of 16, taking inspiration from steps taken by countries such as Australia and Finland, The New Indian Express reported.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and IT-BT, Priyank Kharge, informed the Assembly on Friday that the issue is under discussion. Responding to senior BJP leader and MLA S Suresh Kumar, who expressed concern over the abuse of social media, Kharge admitted that it is a serious issue.
Finland has taken action, the UK is considering similar steps, and Australia imposed a ban two months ago. “We too in the state have launched a digital detoxification programme for responsible use of AI and social media. The IT-BT department, in collaboration with Meta, has been running it by involving over three lakh children and one lakh teachers,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
Kharge said that in March 2025, the government launched the ‘Beyond Screens’ programme to help people dealing with digital addiction. The initiative was announced during the GAFX 2025 summit, along with the opening of a ‘Beyond Screens’ digital detox centre and the launch of an official website.
The detox centre serves as a dedicated hub for resources, counselling and intervention programmes for healthier digital habits.
During the Assembly session, Suresh Kumar also referred to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The survey recommended that governments consider age-based restrictions on social media use for children.
