Law

Geneva, Switzerland — China’s national security law for Hong Kong poses a serious risk to the city’s freedoms and breaches international legal obligations, UN special rapporteurs on human rights have warned. Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism over the law, which was imposed in late June after pro-democracy protests rocked the semi-autonomous city last year. The law, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces, has intimidated and silenced many protesters. In the letter made public Friday the UN advisors warned parts of the legislation “appear to criminalize freedom of expression or any form of criticism” of China. “The National Security Law… poses a serious risk that those fundamental freedoms and due process protections may be infringed upon,” the rapporteurs said. The letter warned the legislation may “impinge impermissibly on the rights to freedom of opinion, expression and of peaceful assembly.” It called … [Read more...] about China’s security law a ‘serious risk’ to Hong Kong’s freedoms – UN experts

- A + A HONG KONG (Aug 12): Five of China's largest state-owned companies have announced plans to delist from US exchanges as the two countries struggle to come to an agreement allowing American regulators to inspect audits of Chinese businesses. China Life Insurance Co, PetroChina Co, and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp all disclosed their intentions to delist in statements published in quick succession on Friday, along with Aluminum Corp of China and Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co. The US and China have been at odds for two decades over allowing American inspectors access to the audit work papers of Chinese companies. Negotiators have yet to hammer out an agreement with the clock ticking on a congressionally imposed deadline of 2024 to kick off businesses that do not comply. Mainland China and Hong Kong are the only two jurisdictions worldwide that do not allow inspections by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), with officials there … [Read more...] about China state-owned giants to delist from US amid audit spat

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is set to resume the number coding scheme in Metro Manila roads beginning August 15, 2022, in anticipation of the return of face-to-face classes of students. INQUIRER.net file photo / JONATHAN VICENTE MANILA, Philippines — In anticipation of a spike in traffic volume due to the return of full face-to-face classes, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will resume the number coding scheme in Metro Manila during rush hours starting Monday, August 15. MMDA acting chairman Carlo Dimayuga III said approximately 387,000 vehicles are traversing Edsa daily as of last week, and, once the full face-to-face classes resume in November, the daily volume is expected to balloon to 436,000, higher than the pre-pandemic average of 405,000 vehicles. Dimayuga said that the number coding would be necessary as it is projected to reduce traffic volume by 20 percent during morning, afternoon, and evening peak hours. Thus, vehicles with … [Read more...] about Metro Manila’s number coding scheme resumes Aug. 15: What you need to know

Letters spell the word “Alphabet” as they are seen on a computer screen with a Google search page in this photo illustration taken in Paris, France. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Australia’s competition watchdog said on Friday that Alphabet Inc’s Google unit was ordered by the country’s Federal Court to pay A$60 million ($42.7 million) in penalties for misleading users on collection of their personal location data. The court found Google misled some customers about personal location data collected through their Android mobile devices between January 2017 and December 2018. Google misled users into believing “location history” setting on their android phones was the only way location data could be collected by it, when a feature to monitor web and applications activity also allowed local data collection and storage, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said. The watchdog, which estimates that 1.3 million Google account users in Australia may have … [Read more...] about Australian court orders Google to pay $43M for misleading users

Source: Reuters Several Chinese state-owned companies including China Life Insurance (601628.SS) and oil giant Sinopec (600028.SS) announced plans on Friday to delist from the U.S. stock market. The companies, which also include Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco) (601600.SS) and PetroChina (601857.SS), said in separate statements that they would apply for delistings of their American Depository Shares from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The four will keep their listings in Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets. "These companies have strictly complied with the rules and regulatory requirements of the U.S. capital market since their listing in the U.S. and made the delisting choice for their own business considerations," the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said in a statement. China and the United States have been in talks to resolve a long-running audit dispute that could result in Chinese companies being kicked off American exchanges if they … [Read more...] about Four Chinese state-owned companies to delist from NYSE

A bouncer in Crimea was jailed Wednesday after video surfaced of him having sex with a female patron on top of a bar inside a busy nightclub. The X-rated romp was filmed by a club patron in Sevastopol Monday hours before a series of explosions erupted at a nearby Russian airfield, according to the New York Post. The video, shared by the NY Post, shows the bouncer behind the woman as she hangs onto the ceiling for stability. The bouncer keeps his denim pants on throughout the interaction, as seen in the footage shared by the NY Post. One man can be seen filming as the pair laughed and smiled into the phone camera while continuing to have intercourse. The woman then turned around and performed oral sex on the bouncer as onlookers continued to watch and film the interaction. ‘200 People’: Famous Actress Says ‘MILF’ Role In ‘American Pie’ Was A Great Boon To Her Sex Life https://t.co/uWxrI7hKjj — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 7, 2022 Police reportedly caught … [Read more...] about Bouncer In Crimea Jailed For Having Sex With Random Woman In Front Of Nightclub Patrons

Iran requested help from international police organization Interpol in arresting President Donald Trump and 47 other U.S. officials for their role in killing Qasem Soleimani in early 2020. Gholamhossein Esmaili, the Iranian judiciary spokesperson, announced the Red Notice requests made to Interpol during a Tuesday press conference, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is very seriously following up on pursuing and punishing those who ordered and executed this crime,” Al Jazeera reported . A Red Notice is a request made via Interpol to law enforcement in other countries to locate and arrest someone who is to face extradition, surrender or “similar legal action,” Interpol’s website reads . Interpol Secretary-General Jurgen Stock gives a speech during the ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the International Criminal Police Organization, more commonly known as INTERPOL, at its headquarters in Lyon, on November 27, 2019. (Photo by ROMAIN LAFABREGUE / AFP via … [Read more...] about Iran Asks Interpol To Help Arrest Trump For Killing Qasem Soleimani

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Last week, a federal court granted preliminary approval for a landmark settlement agreement between President Biden’s Education Department and a class of student loan borrowers. The settlement is intended to resolve a lawsuit over stalled applications for student loan forgiveness for borrowers who allege that they were defrauded by their schools. As the settlement process moves forward, here’s what borrowers need to know. Borrower Defense to Repayment: Student Loan Forgiveness for Borrowers Misled By Their School The settlement agreement is intended to resolve Sweet v. Cardona (formerly Sweet v. DeVos ), a class action lawsuit that has been ongoing for several years. Student loan borrowers filed the lawsuit during the Trump administration years arguing that the Education Department was simply ignoring (and then subsequently arbitrarily denying) applications for Borrower Defense to Repayment relief. The … [Read more...] about Settlement Providing $6 Billion In Student Loan Forgiveness Clears Hurdle: 5 Key Takeaways

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Abortion rights advocates and providers asked the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether the state’s 15-week abortion ban should be blocked in court, after an appeals court allowed the ban to stay in effect—the first test of whether the court will overturn its decades-old precedent protecting abortion rights and let the state enact harsher bans. Key Facts The American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers asked the Florida Supreme Court to consider a July ruling from a state appeals court, which allowed the ban to remain in effect as the litigation moves forward and denied a request to fast-track the case to the Supreme Court. The plaintiffs said the Florida Supreme Court has jurisdiction to review the ruling because it directly conflicts with its own precedent, as the state’s highest court ruled in 1989 that the Florida Constitution and its right to privacy protects … [Read more...] about Florida Supreme Court Asked To Consider Blocking 15-Week Abortion Ban After Appeals Court Lets It Stay In Place

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Iowa could become the latest state to prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, as Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) asked a state court Thursday to let the state’s abortion ban take effect after it was blocked in 2018. Key Facts Reynolds filed a motion in state district court asking a judge to lift an injunction that blocked Iowa’s six-week ban, which was enacted in 2018 but then struck down in court, after the governor previously vowed in June that she would do so. Abortion is now legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy, and the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that abortion rights are protected under the state Constitution. The Iowa Supreme Court then overturned its precedent in June after Reynolds appointed new justices to the court and it became more conservative, ruling abortion rights are not protected in a case concerning a mandatory 24-hour waiting period law that’s now been allowed … [Read more...] about Iowa Could Outlaw Abortion As Governor Asks Court To Let 6-Week Ban Take Effect