The EU aims to limit aviation emissions by pushing airlines to increase the use of sustainable fuels. A new law sets targets developing fuels with net-zero carbon emissions by gradual percentages to 70% by 2050. Fuel suppliers must ensure that 2% of fuel available at EU airports is sustainable aviation fuel by 2025, rising to 6% in 2030, 20% in 2035. From 2030, 1.2% of fuels must also be synthetic fuels. Critics argue the cost of such fuels is far higher than conventional fuels while the targets only apply to airlines flying from EU hubs.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signed gun-control measures into law in response to a US Supreme Court ruling on the subject. The ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen last year ended a requirement similar to a Maryland law for people to demonstrate a particular need to obtain a licence to carry a concealed gun in public. One of the measures signed by the Governor removed the unconstitutional “good and substantial reason” wording from Maryland law. The move was accompanied by the tightening of other gun laws in areas such as government and public infrastructures.
Former Apple engineer Weibao Wang has been charged with stealing information on self-driving car technology. The US Department of Justice alleges he took thousands of files while working on the project, in addition to working for a US subsidiary of a Chinese vehicle-maker that was developing autonomous driving vehicles. Officers found large quantities of documents taken from Apple when they searched his California home in 2018. If found guilty, Wang faces up to 10 years in prison for each of six counts filed against him. The charges are the result of a new task force focused preventing foreign governments from stealing US technology.
Creditors of fraudulent cryptocurrency platform QuadrigaCX can get 13% of their money back
CBC
23-05-16 18:38
Creditors of defunct Canadian cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX will receive 13% of their invested funds, according to law firm Miller Thomson, which is representing the creditors. The exchange collapsed in early 2019 following the death of founder Gerald Cotten, who was the only person with access codes to the locations where much of the company's clients' money was stored. Investigations later uncovered that Cotten had been moving money out of the exchange into his own personal accounts, and the company's operations were revealed to be a Ponzi scheme. There are currently $305.66m in total claims against the exchange.
Canadian federal government has introduced legislation to make it harder for repeat violent offenders to be released on bail. This changes comes just four years after the governing Liberals made it easier to obtain bail, and is in response to concerns raised by premiers after the killing of a police officer in Ontario and a number of violent attacks. The biggest change in Bill C-48 would put the onus on certain accused people to show why they should be granted bail, rather than require the prosecution to justify why they shouldn’t. Known as a reverse onus, the measure already applies to certain firearms offences.
Two US embassy employees and two police officers have been killed in Nigeria when gunmen opened fire on their convoy. Three additional individuals have also been kidnapped. Police officials have suggested that separatist groups are involved following an increase in such violence. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been mentioned, in particular, as a group pushing for secession from Nigeria to form its own republic. Such opinions are historically controversial, with a civil war beginning in Nigeria in 1967 after the Republic of Biafra declared independence. The US State Department confirms that it is investigating the incident.
Weibo Wang, a former Apple engineer, has been charged with stealing proprietary self-driving car technology from the tech company. The Department of Justice has accused him of taking thousands of confidential files while secretly working for a Chinese company. He allegedly stole hardware components and Apple's entire autonomous source code. Wang had signed a confidentiality agreement about the project and left Apple in April 2018, but he had already accepted a job at another company developing self-driving cars in China five months earlier. Two other ex-Apple employees have been charged with stealing trade secrets in similar cases involving China.
Several letters published in The Telegraph this week have seen landlords from across the UK complain about the negative impact they believe the Renters’ Reform Bill, proposed by UK Housing Secretary Michael Gove, will have on the private rented sector. Criticisms include that the bill will favour tenants over landlords and will lead to fewer landlords entering the property market, thus causing a shortage of rental properties for those looking to live in the sector. Previously, rents had steadily risen at rates around the same as inflation, however, following recent legistlation, rental prices have begun to soar, with one landlord claiming that his most recent let was 45% higher than its going rate several years ago. It is thought the RRB is a way of coercing more young voters into leaning towards the Labour party as the proposed legislation was thought to be more appealing to them and thus unlikely to secure Conservative support in the general election. A spokesperson for Gove has yet to make an official statement regarding the criticisms.
Meanwhile, academics at the University of Oxford have condemned the decision by the Oxford University Student Union to sever its relationship with the Oxford Union, which was due to the latter’s decision not to back down on an invitation it made to feminist Kathleen Stock. Saying that Professor Stock’s views were “illicit” had dangerous connotations, and calling outright for her prohibition was an “unacceptable” alternative, the academics argued. Instead, they said universities needed to remain places of open discussion, even for contentious views that could be questioned and debated.
Washington lawmakers have passed a new drug policy which retains criminal penalties for drug possession while providing resources to help people struggling with addiction. The law, signed by Governor Jay Inslee, also encourages police and prosecutors to divert cases for treatment or other services, and provides additional funding for diversion programs and short-term housing. The legislation was passed ahead of a self-imposed deadline, as a temporary law that makes intentional drug possession illegal was due to expire on July 1. The only other state that has tried decriminalising drug possession is neighbouring Oregon.
US antitrust tsars Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter are scaring corporate executives with their willingness to sue to block deals that promote rampant consolidation, according to the FT. The Federal Trade Commission’s recent decision to file a lawsuit to block Amgen's $28.3bn acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics surprised many in the industry. So far, mergers challenged or blocked by the duo (with the help of friendly regulators in the UK and EU) include Microsoft’s $75bn acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard, Lockheed Martin’s planned $4.4bn acquisition of US missile products supplier Aerojet Rocketdyne, and the $2.2bn merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The duo have said they will try to sue to block deals even if they know they might lose. Vince McMahon, the founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, relied on merchant bank Raine Group for strategic advice and its help in selling his company. Raine will earn $65m from the $21bn transaction.
Weibao Wang, a former Apple engineer, has been charged with the theft of trade secrets relating to technology used for the design of self-driving cars. The US Justice Department alleges that he took large quantities from the company before resigning and moving to China. Wang allegedly waited some four months before telling Apple he was moving to "Company One", reportedly a US-based subsidiary of a Chinese firm, to work as a staff engineer on the development of autonomous vehicles. Once in China, he purchased a one-way ticket to Guangzhou. The former employee has not yet been arrested, as he has been living in China since 2018. Two other former Apple employees have been charged in separate cases with trade secret theft relating to China and car technology.
Talk show operator Xiaoguo and comedian Li Haoshi have been fined $2m for "grave insults" to China's People's Liberation Army after Li's performance last weekend, in which he joked about a Xi Jinping military slogan. In a statement, Beijing’s Municipal Cultural and Tourism Bureau said the fine will be made up of a payment of CNY13.4m ($1.9m) and "confiscate another CNY1.33m of what it called “illegal gains,” though it didn’t elaborate". Xiaoguo has pledged to overhaul its shows and its content.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will host meetings with the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries from 3 to 5 December in Hiroshima, Japan,—a location that underscores the nation’s “commitment to world peace” just as China seeks a more assertive role in Asia. The meeting will take place amid rising tensions in the region which has been plagued with territorial disputes, nuclear threats by North Korea and growing concern over an increasingly powerful China. G7 leaders will address challenges such as escalating conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels, Japan's efforts to open up its own, heavily protected markets and revised global financial regulation. G7 countries comprising Germany, the US, Japan, the UK, France, Italy and Canada, will offer greater support to the Group of South to improve political and economic ties, and build further support to isolate Russia and stand up to China’s aggressive behaviour. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be attending. Ancillary to the meetings, US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to discuss regional security.
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have overruled a veto by Governor Roy Cooper to pass legislation banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy in the state. Members of the party claimed the limits were a middle ground as the state already bans nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy without rape or incest caveats. The votes were part of a wider shift on the issue across the US, with lawmakers in South Carolina and Nebraska also considering new abortion limits. The North Carolina law will include rape or incest exceptions through 20 weeks of pregnancy and exceptions for "life-limiting" fetal anomalies during the first 24 weeks. The bans are possible as in 2020 the US Supreme Court struck down landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade which had established a nationwide right to abortion.
Thai police arrest 2nd teenager for defaming monarchy amid renewed debate over rigorous law
The Toronto Star
23-05-17 11:43
A 16-year-old girl in Thailand has been charged with defaming the monarchy for allegedly posting two messages on Facebook two years ago. She is believed to be the youngest person to face the charge, with 19 minors accused under the charge in the last eight months. Devotion to the monarchy is a pillar of Thai society, but the lese majeste law is heavily criticised. The two top opposition parties in Sunday’s general election both acknowledged the need for law reform. Conservative groups, which have ruled since a 2014 coup, are strong supporters of the legislation.
The CEO of ChatGPT's OpenAI, Sam Altman, has warned of the potential harm caused by artificial intelligence (AI) technology in a three-hour hearing before a US Senate sub-committee. Altman urged Congress to create new rules to regulate soaring AI power. He also shared his fears concerning increasingly powerful AI models and the potential for disinformation and algorithmic bias to undermine public trust. AI may clear the way for new jobs, although some may disappear, according to both Altman and Christina Montgomery, IBM’s vice-president and chief privacy and trust officer. Montgomery suggested the adoption of a "precision regulation approach to AI". Ex-NYC professor Gary Marcus called for the creation of a federal agency to review AI programmes before they were released to the public.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Poland's government to support its fight against inflation with fiscal policies, warning that too much impetus could fuel inflationary pressures and result in the need for additional monetary policy tightening. The IMF's Senior Regional Representative for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Geoff Gottlieb, suggested that the governing Law and Justice party's pledge to increase the existing '500+' child benefit would not efficiently help poorer households because eligibility was universal. Furthermore, he recommended that, to offset the loss of purchasing power faced by the most vulnerable populations, governments should concentrate on prioritising temporary support through cash transfers.
Indigenous talent in the music industry is creating a 'beautiful resistance'
CBC
23-05-17 16:47
The Canadian music industry is full of talented indigenous artists who are bringing their communities' stories to life through a range of genres, according to Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) News. For musicians such as Raven Kanatakta of Digging Roots, incorporating traditional elements such as the use of drums and indigenous language in contemporary sounds is a form of resistance. Others, such as rising Cree artist Aysanabee, are focused on highlighting transcendence and generational trauma within their culture. Jayli Wolf’s upcoming album, God is an Endless Mirror, explores spirituality with a mix of sound elements that inspire her daily.
The US Supreme Court denied a request to block a Democratic-supported ban on assault-style rifles and large capacity magazines introduced in Illinois, dealing a blow to gun rights advocates. The National Association for Gun Rights and a firearms retailer had sought a temporary injunction to stop implementation of the state law, which was signed by a Democrat governor in January 2023. The move came after a mass shooting in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, in 2022, which left seven people dead and injured dozens more.
Illinois has won the right to prevent residents from buying automatic weapons and large-capacity magazines, at least for now. The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an emergency proposal from opponents of a new state law banning assault weapons, although it did not comment on the case and no justice took the opportunity to publicly dissent. The law bans sale of some semi-automatic guns such as AK-47s and AR-15s, and also restricts magazine volumes
