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☆ China gives Hong Kong leader power to bar overseas lawyers in national security cases
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The NPCSC ruling said Hong Kong courts must now obtain approval from the chief executive before admitting any foreign lawyer without local qualifications to work on national security cases. Under the national security law, the decisions made by the committee cannot be challenged by a judicial review. "Beyond national security cases, then they are most welcome, provided that they satisfied the procedure to obtain an ad hoc admission approval by the court," Lee said. The founder of now shut pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, Lai is one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China's Communist Party leadership, including Xi Jinping. Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kimberly Guilfoyle described January 6 organizers, including one of her friends, as gossipy 'Mean Girls' who had turf wars and complained about each other
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kimberly Guilfoyle compared two female GOP organizers to the teenage girls in "Mean Girls." The exchange appeared in Guilfoyle's January 6 witness testimony before the House panel. Guilfoyle told the committee that Pierson and Wren's arguing was generally unpleasant to be around. "Like 'Mean Girls.'" Minutes later, Guilfoyle told the committee she considered Wren a friend, though she couched her explanation of their relationship.

☆ Lawyers exit Hong Kong as they face campaign of intimidation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

The event that precipitated his hasty departure, Vidler said, was the appearance of articles in the state-backed media in Hong Kong about him. “This was in my view state-sponsored intimidation and harassment,” said Vidler, whose wife and children later left Hong Kong. One Hong Kong solicitor who has relocated to England told Reuters that she knew of at least 80 Hong Kong lawyers who had moved to Britain since the security law was imposed in June 2020. Another lawyer, now living in Australia, estimated that several dozen Hong Kong lawyers had moved there. Mainland officials have long sought influence over these two influential bodies, according to senior Hong Kong lawyers.

☆ West backs Nigeria's war on extremists, and backs off on human rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

“While respect for human rights is unquestionably a high priority, we have many other equities at stake,” McCulley wrote. He said the focus on human rights had sent relations between the two countries into the “lowest ebb” in his three years there. Nigeria’s human rights record wasn’t only a moral issue – it was a legal one. Working under these laws provided “openings to incentivise and institutionalise” human rights protections within the Nigerian military, the State Department said. The pact also noted that London and Abuja had agreed on an “enhanced human rights dialogue” to ensure compliance with international rights standards.

The police chief of Moscow, Idaho, on Wednesday defended his department's handling of the investigation into the killings of four university students and pushed back at the notion families are being "left in the dark." A spokesman for the Idaho State Police said a family liaison had been assigned since the beginning, "with each family wanting different levels of contact." Officers investigate a homicide at an apartment complex south of the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13. The Goncalves family has been vocal about what they perceive as poor communication during the investigation. The spokesperson, Robbie Johnson, said the email was an example of a message aimed at keeping the Goncalves family informed.

[1/2] Participants look around Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force's vessel at a recruiting event in Yokosuka, Japan December 10, 2022. The five-year plan unveiled on Friday will double Japan's defence spending and add new capabilities, including long-range missiles and an expanded cyber warfare unit. "It is just a paper plan and that should be corrected," said Yoji Koda, a retired navy admiral, who commanded the Japanese fleet in 2007-2008. Koda said the plan would limit Japan's ability to fight in situations such as land invasions and sea battles, giving its foes an advantage. Japan's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ A college instructor explains her struggles with long COVID at work and why it's important to overcome the stigma of being sick
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Renee Semarge has had long COVID symptoms for a year now, and it's making work much harder. Much of long COVID is a mystery to healthcare professionals — why it happens, how to treat it — but data shows that it has affected millions of Americans. Many other workers, however, may be hesitant to reveal that they have long COVID. Long COVID treatments "have eaten our savings"Semarge's candor about her condition at work is a departure from what her father always taught her. Long COVID treatments, she said, "have eaten our savings.

☆ Biden releases most JFK assassination records — but withholds thousands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

“We’re 59 years after President John Kennedy was killed and there’s just no justification for this,” said Judge John H. Tunheim, who from 1994-98 chaired the Assassination Records Review Board that was established Under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which Biden voted for when it passed Congress unanimously. Many of those Joannides records were never put in the National Archives' JFK collection, according to the foundation's lawsuit, so the lion's share of the suspected records were not released Thursday. CIA officials dispute the number of Joannides records in their possession, but they confirmed two were scheduled to be released Thursday. Under the JFK records act, all documents related to the assassination were supposed to be released by 2017. His poll also showed that 71% of voters thought Biden should release all of the JFK records, regardless of agency opposition.

LANSING — State officials in Michigan announced changes this week to address administrative failures that have made it difficult for some of the state’s most vulnerable foster youth to earn a high school diploma. The actions came after NBC News reported on foster youth in Michigan who were denied credit for classes they took while living in state-funded, state-licensed residential facilities. He was one of five foster youth who addressed the board or had their statements read into the record on Tuesday. “The first thing we need to do is to get into the Legislature and make certain that there’s no such thing as noncredit-bearing courses in Michigan public education. The foster youth and their advocates said they’re hopeful that real change is coming.

☆ Inflation backdrop may soon increase appetite for this roughed-up bond play
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The appetite for Treasury inflation-protected securities ETFs, otherwise known as TIPS, may soon increase. TIPS ETFs are indexed to inflation, so their principal value is adjusted up when inflation rises. Despite major inflows in 2020, TIPS ETFs have been seeing meaningful outflows this year. Investors might have made tactical allocations towards TIPS ETFs and maybe they're pulling that back a little bit." TIPS ETF , which is down 16% so far this year.

☆ More than 70% of voters in poll want Biden to release secret JFK assassination records
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, first postponed the disclosure in 2017, when the records were supposed to be fully released under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. Half of voters believe the assassination involved multiple conspirators while 38 percent said Oswald was the lone gunman, the poll showed. The CIA has played a central role in covering up information about the JFK assassination over the years. Immediately after JFK’s assassination, Oswald was identified as a pro-Castro sympathizer, thanks to news articles and documentation that arose when he came into contact with Joannides' group. And they relate to covert programs in which George Joannides was involved,” Morley said in an interview.

☆ Hackers linked to Chinese government stole millions in Covid benefits, Secret Service says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sarah Fitzpatrick | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kit-Ramgopal-Byline.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service. One senior Justice Department official called it “dangerous” and said it had serious national security implications. ‘The horse is out of the barn’As soon as state governments began disbursing Covid unemployment funds in 2020, cybercriminals began to siphon off a significant percentage. China’s targets include state governments, which can have inadequate cybersecurity defenses. “The state governments don’t allocate a lot of cyber protection money to their state I.T.

☆ 13 behind-the-scenes executives leading Apple's $5 billion advertising division
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. It's been a big year for Apple's ad division. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A digital advertising veteran — having held senior roles at Yahoo, Quantcast, and Adobe — Teresi joined Apple in 2012 as vice president for its iAd division.

☆ Iraq and Iran Agree to Tighten Border Security Amid Unrest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Ghassan Adnan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said Tuesday that his country would tighten security cooperation with Iran, after Tehran strengthened its military presence along its western border to prevent the infiltration of Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq. “We will not allow the use of Iraqi lands to threaten Iran‘s security,” Mr. Sudani said in a joint press conference with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran. The two leaders agreed to form liaison committees on border security, Iranian and Iraqi state media reported.

☆ Security escort man wearing pro-Iran protest shirt ahead of match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - Wales v Iran - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 25, 2022. Reuters could not immediately confirm why the man, wearing a shirt declaring "Women, Life, Freedom", was being accompanied by three security officers in blue. A man standing next to her held a shirt printed with the words "WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM", one of the main chants of the protests. Another supporter held an Iranian flag with the words "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest), scored through with black lines as a security man stood nearby apparently pointing at him. Iran's World Cup team refrained from singing the national anthem ahead of their opening match with England on Monday, a sign of support for the demonstrations.

A UN study last year found "negligible" correlation between household food waste and gross domestic product, indicating most countries "have room to improve." "We do have a long way to make the goal," said Jean Buzby, the food waste liaison at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration agreed in 2018 to tackle America's food waste together. A spokesman for New Zealand's environment ministry said the country is finalizing its baseline food waste estimate so it can establish a target. SLOWEST GAZELLEIn California, which has America's most ambitious climate policies, officials are trying to ensure food waste goes to composting, not landfills.

☆ They Caught the Seattle Market on the Way Down, but Could They Afford a House There?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Anna Kodé | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Lauren Held and Kyle Frederick didn’t think they could afford to own a home anytime soon, especially in Seattle’s pricey housing market. “It seemed way too competitive, with way too much tech money all around us,” she said. So the couple, both North Carolina natives, started casually hunting for a house to buy, hoping something would work out. “But we were still seeing multiple offers.”They wanted to stay in north Seattle, preferably in an area like Phinney Ridge. The pandemic market was cooling, but homes in north Seattle were still going for over asking price.

☆ Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson faces off against Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Ashley Hinson is running against Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. The 2nd District covers 22 counties in Iowa's northeast corner. IA-03 HouseRepublican Rep. Ashley Hinson faces off against Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. She and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks — running for reelection in Iowa's 1st Congressional District — are the first Republican women to represent Iowa in the US House. Voting history for Iowa's 2nd Congressional DistrictIowa's 2nd Congressional District covers 22 counties in Iowa's northeast corner, including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Mason City.

If approved, its gas could restart an idled liquefaction train with a 500 million cubic feet per day (cf/d) capacity at Trinidad's flagship Atlantic LNG project. The facility is a venture mainly including Shell (SHEL.L), BP and state-owned National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC). YEARS OF WORK AHEADTrinidad is Latin America's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, with installed capacity to process 4.2 billion cf/d into LNG, petrochemicals and power. Even if Washington granted Trinidad's request, it could take years of investment and development to bring Venezuelan gas to Trinidad and boost LNG to Europe. That project follows an amended production sharing contract for the Manatee gas field in Trinidad, which extends to Venezuela's Loran field.

☆ 7 Chinese nationals charged in alleged plot to repatriate U.S. resident
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Federal authorities have charged seven Chinese nationals over an alleged long-running harassment campaign to try and intimidate a U.S. resident into returning to China. “The United States will firmly counter such outrageous violations of national sovereignty and prosecute individuals who act as illegal agents of foreign states,” he added. Surveillance footage showed Guanyang An, left, and Weidong Yuan visited the victim's residence and took photographs of it, according to the indictment. “That same government sent agents to the United States to harass, threaten, and forcibly return them to the People’s Republic of China,” he added. In 2020, federal prosecutors arrested five people accused of trying to coerce Chinese citizens to go home.

☆ Gay couple beaten and bloodied outside of Connecticut gay bar
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A gay couple was beaten and bloodied in front of the Connecticut gay bar they own. Fitzpatrick said the assault amounted to a hate crime and that the incident is "being mishandled" by the Norwalk Police Department. The man then made disparaging remarks about the bar and the people inside it using anti-LGBTQ slurs, Fitzpatrick recounted. Fitzpatrick and Ruiz did not respond to NBC News' multiple requests for comment on Wednesday. The Norwalk incident is the latest in a slew of violent threats and attacks against LGBTQ people throughout the country this year.

☆ Search team finds the body of famed US mountain climber Hilaree Nelson 2 days after she went missing on Himalaya peak
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The body of US mountaineer and extreme skier Hilaree Nelson was found on Wednesday in the Himalayas. A rescue team recovered her body near the peak of Mount Manaslu , the eighth highest summit in the world. Mount Nelson, 49, went missing on Monday as she was attempting to sky down the summit with her partner. Nelson, 49, had gone missing on Monday after falling down the peak of the world's eighth highest peak, Mount Manaslu, per The New York Times. In 2018, they successfully skied down Lhotse, the world's fourth-highest mountain, which straddles Nepal and Tibet, per the Times.

☆ UK finance minister will meet with Wall Street banks after the newly unveiled mini-budget sparked panic in markets and sent the pound plummeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng is scheduled to meet with Wall Street execs, Wednesday. Kwarteng is conducting outreach about the UK's newly announced mini-budget, Bloomberg reported. The pound dropped to a record low with investors spooked by the plan that includes £45 billion in tax cuts. The pound hit a low of $1.0350 on Monday but has since recovered some ground, trading at $1.0671 on Tuesday. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said Monday the central bank was monitoring repricing in financial markets but didn't announce an emergency meeting.

☆ A top member of the Oath Keepers texted with Rudy Giuliani's son about the 2020 election, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A top member of the Oath Keepers texted Andrew Giuliani about election issues, per NBC News. Ex-GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman told NBC News it's "so important" for the public to know about such links. Since the message was sent to a switchboard line at the White House, it was undeliverable. Andrew Giuliani told NBC News that he last communicated with SoRelle on November 20, 2020. "Until you mentioned her, until I looked it up, it didn't really ring a bell," Giuliani told the news organization.

A high-ranking member of the far-right Oath Keepers organization who has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol exchanged messages in November 2020 with former Trump White House aide Andrew Giuliani about election issues. That text message went to a White House switchboard line, so it could not be delivered. Andrew Giuliani told NBC News that the last contact with SoRelle on his phone was on Nov. 10, 2020. “None of that was like ‘Hey, we should go storm the Capitol,’” SoRelle told NBC News. The panel will hold its next public hearing on Wednesday, the second day of jury selection in the Oath Keeper's trial.

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