In a move poised to enhance the safety of pipelines and underground natural gas operations nationwide, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) declared on Aug. 2, 2023, the awarding of $64.4 million in grants to the states. Details of the development were recently released by the law firm McGuireWoods…
As with any public sector entity, local and state government bodies are increasingly grappling with the demands of managing eDiscovery in response to Access Requests and Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs). Evidently, sizable data management challenges coincide. State and local groups generate and store copious volumes of data, spread across a myriad of departments, committees…
Legal professionals should be aware that on October 4, 2023, at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). A test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) will kick off two minutes…
Amid ongoing social unrest over a military coup that took place last week, the UK announced on Thursday that it would reduce the number of staff at its embassy in Niger. This move echoes the actions of other nations such as the United States and several European Union states, all of which have also chosen…
According to a recent report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Zimbabwe authorities have come under fire for their inability to guarantee a free and fair electoral process in the impending general election on August 23. The report emerged from a two-week-long investigation, involving interviews with representatives from the main opposition party, election observer groups,…
German authorities announced the arrest of a Syrian national on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, connected to a series of alleged offenses committed between 2012 and 2015. The suspect, known as ‘Ahmad H.,’ reportedly partook in extreme cases of torture, killings, and enslavement while operating as a member of a pro-government militia…
An esteemed tax practitioner, Cameron Blackwood, has recently left PwC to join fellow Australian law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Blackwood’s departure followed closely after PwC’s global legal boss, Tony O’Malley, stepped down ahead of his slated retirement. Blackwood, however, joined PwC only a year ago, in June 2022, following the accounting firm’s acquisition of his…
In a recent indictment charging former President Donald Trump with conspiracy and obstruction, there are five unnamed attorney co-conspirators who have been listed. Either they are already cooperating with the government or they will face indictment, as per predictions made by former prosecutors to Law360. The stance of these prosecutors revolves around their belief that…
Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges connected with alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election. On Thursday, he appeared with his private counsel before Federal Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya in a federal courthouse in Washington D.C. to declare his plea. The charges against the former president were unveiled…
In the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, it can be easy to lose sight of the ongoing legal challenges to federal programs that have far-reaching implications for major corporations and law firms. These challenges cover a wide range of areas: from tribal gaming support, and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) program, to…
Well-known as the former lawyer of an ex-president, Rudy Giuliani, or as some refer to him, “Co-Conspirator 1,” has thus far evaded any criminal indictments. However, Giuliani managed to envelop himself in a series of civil lawsuits, ranging from election interference to his personal behaviour. Giuliani is currently facing a $10 million lawsuit filed by…
Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) has recently appointed former in-house counsel at an insurance company, Rick Da Costa, as the head of its national corporate and regulatory insurance and reinsurance team. Da Costa, who joins from the law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell, brings to the team his rich in-house experience from his time as VP…
On Thursday, Singaporean authorities carried out the execution of 39-year-old former delivery driver, Mohamed Shalleh Bin Abdul Latiff, for the trafficking of 54.04 grams of diamorphine, a controlled substance. This amount exceeds by four times the threshold required to impose the mandatory death penalty as stated under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act. This marks the…
In June 2023, the Australian government issued an updated Statement of Expectations to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). The statement mandates the APRA to adopt climate reporting standards, primarily focusing on promoting prudent practices and transparency for climate-related financial risks. This new mandate includes monitored financial institutions and regulated entities within its scope. The…
Legal professionals and compliance teams across the globe may find Compliance Notes – Vol. 4, Issue 31 a pertinent read. Published by Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group, the installment offers a comprehensive digest of key developments in areas including campaign finance, lobbying compliance, election law, and government ethics at the federal, state, and local…
In a move to encourage more build-to-rent (BTR) projects, the Australian Government has laid out plans to eliminate some prevalent income tax barriers, an issue thoroughly discussed in Part 1 of our BTR series. The proposed revisions aim to assist those engaged in BTR projects, significantly streamlining the processes involved. As detailed in Part 2…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to take proactive steps in the battle against opioid misuse. The FDA has recently made public draft guidance regarding the study and testing of medical devices for treating opioid use disorder (OUD), as noted by Knobbe Martens. These newly-proposed guidelines align with the FDA’s established Overdose Prevention…
In a recent development, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) released an updated Fact Sheet elucidating its viewpoint on the powers of state and local governments when it comes to regulating drone activities. This revised stance marks a crucial change in the role that different levels of governments play in drone regulation, addressing particularly the FAA’s…
In compliance with Connecticut Public Act 23-182, the Connecticut Comptroller’s Office has initiated a survey to collect information on retirement plans from municipalities across the state. The Act necessitates municipalities sponsoring these retirement plans to submit relevant data and documents to the Comptroller’s Office by September 1, 2023. As reported by Pullman & Comley, LLC,…
In a noteworthy decision, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has reiterated its prior judgment allowing creditors of Venezuela who have obtained arbitration awards to lay claim on the U.S. assets of Petroleos De Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), Venezuela’s national oil company. This conclusion, accessible in detail via the following link, Third Circuit Affirms Judgment Allowing…
Beginning July 13, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) will start a period of enhanced oversight for new hospices in four states, namely Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas. This move comes in the light of multiple reports over the last year highlighting hospice fraud, waste, and abuse, issues CMS aims to tackle…
In an era rapidly marked by fintech evolution and regulatory hurdles, the U.S. Central Bank, the Federal Reserve has launched the FedNow® Instant Payments Service, its new instant payment solution. Revealed in a recent press release, this new payment system is accessible for financial institutions of all sizes, offering the ability to instantly process transactions…
On July 25, 2023, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the False Claims Amendments Act of 2023. This development was reported by the reputable law firm, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP. The proposed amendment to the False Claims Act does not eliminate the requirement that the alleged…
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Security Division, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note regarding the self-disclosure of potential violations of U.S. sanctions and export controls, as…
In a significant display of public will, Swiss citizens have voted in favor of a new climate law aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The legislation, known as the Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security or the Climate and Innovation Act, was passed on June 18, 2023. The Climate…