Florida has passed a bill that bans the provision of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender children, and makes accessing these treatments more difficult for adults. At least 14 other American states have introduced similar laws, challenging the prevailing medical consensus that gender-affirming care for transgender individuals promotes better health. Proponents have deemed the therapy “dangerous and experimental”, with some describing it as “chemical castration or child abuse”. Opponents meanwhile assert that the Florida law and others like it impede the doctor-patient relationship while skewing healthcare access based on politics.
Biden’s past support of work requirements in safety net programs in the spotlight
CNN
23-05-17 14:29
As discussions centre on meeting the borrowing cap in the US, Joe Biden's past support of work requirements for safety net programs is worrying his fellow Democrats and proving to be a point of optimism for Republicans. The negotiations have recognised some potential areas of agreement, including altering the permitting processes, cutting spending and rescinding unspent Covid relief funds. However, work requirements have become a line in the sand. In 1996, Biden was one of 78 senators to support the welfare reform package, which replaced the nation's main welfare program and created Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, known as TANF, which requires states to ensure a share of recipients participate in work-related activities.
The house of Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan has been surrounded by police, after his supporters engaged in violent protests in Lahore. Following Khan's detention, his supporters had attacked public property and military installations; in recent weeks, 10 people have died and over 4,000 have been arrested. Khan was freed from detention on bail and has returned to his home. The surrounding of his house matches concerns about the potential for further clashes.
China has launched a global initiative to establish standards and ethical norms for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The initiative, called the Global Initiative on Data Security, was announced at a conference in Beijing on September 9 and comes as China has pushed to develop AI technology rapidly in recent years. The initiative calls for the establishment of an open and transparent framework for data security and lays out principles for the use, storage, transfer, and processing of data, as well as for the development and use of AI. The move is seen as an attempt by China to assert its influence in the global AI landscape and build trust among countries regarding data security.
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has hired Samuel Nitze, former head of the public integrity section of the Brooklyn US attorney's office, as a partner. Nitze led the office's task force investigating corruption within FIFA and also took part in the prosecution of Tom Barrack in connection with suspected unlawful actions as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates. A federal jury acquitted Barrack of all charges in November. Nitze was among US prosecutors who secured a $79.7m settlement with Swiss bank Julius Baer as part of the FIFA investigation.
Facebook, now known as Meta, has warned the Australian government over targeted advertising laws that may come into force, which would allow users to opt out of ad targeting, and may hit the social media giant hard in Australia. Meta warned that if smaller companies were not able to target niche audiences through ads and opt out mechanisms come into place, big mass-market brands like car manufacturers would dominate the advertising market in Australia. The Australian government is now considering the Attorney-General’s Department’s review of the Privacy Act, which has proposed letting users opt out of the practice.
Meta, formerly Facebook, has opposed proposed changes to Australian privacy laws that would enable users to opt out of targeted advertising and put the company at risk. Selling targeted ads based on location, age and interests represents the company's leading source of revenue, and if Australian users are allowed to opt out, it could have drastic financial implications for the social media giant. Melinda Claybaugh, Meta's privacy policy director, made a case for ad targeting, stating small and medium-sized enterprises could be harmed, with fewer advertising choices and potentially higher prices among the adverse outcomes.
Florida's new immigration law risks triggering a shortage of workers on farms and construction sites, critics have warned. The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, mandates that firms employing more than 25 workers must verify employees' legal right to work in the US. While truck drivers have called for a boycott of deliveries to the state, videos purporting to show empty supermarkets due to the measures are unrelated, with one video having been recorded during Hurricane Ian in 2022, and the other showing a refrigerator malfunction at a single Walmart store.
The Governor of Montana has banned the operation of TikTok in the state, stating that it is a potential security risk due to the sharing of user data with the Chinese government. The law does not contain many technical details, but the impact on TikTok could be significant if it inspires copycat measures across the US. Despite the implementation of the law in January, several legal challenges dispute it.
Montana’s governor, Greg Gianforte, has signed into law a bill that bans TikTok from operating in the US state. The new rule goes further than existing TikTok bans that are already in place on government-issued devices in almost half of all US states. The Montana ban is designed to prevent the Chinese government from harvesting US data and using the means of push pro-Beijing misinformation to a US public. Heads of the FBI and CIA, as well as a number of bipartisan senators, have also warned that TikTok could pose a national security threat. While the law will prohibit downloads of TikTok in the state, its “technical and legal concerns” need to be addressed via amendments that were not passed. Cybersecurity experts have warned that enforcement will be extremely difficult, while telecoms analyst Roger Entner said he believes the app stores could have the capability to enforce the law, but it would be cumbersome to implement and full of loopholes.
The UK's Online Safety Bill will be amended to include a provision that could see users jailed for up to five years for general encouragement of self-harm, not taking prescribed drugs, or starvation. Posts will not have to target a specific individual or group. The measures will deter online "cowardly trolls" with prosecution, said Justice Secretary Alex Chalk. The amendments follow a 2021 Law Commission study that recommended individuals who encourage serious self-harm should be better held to account by criminal law.
Montana's governor has signed a measure that will prevent the general public from downloading TikTok in the state from Jan 1 2024. This marks the first state-wide ban on the social media platform and will impose the broadest and strictest limitations of its use yet in response to widespread governmental concerns over the Chinese government's access to American users' personal data. While the ban will exempt some uses of TikTok, and would be voided if it were taken over by a company that is not incorporated in any foreign adversary country, the move from the state is likely to draw legal challenges.
Credit Suisse's scandal-hit bondholders have been allowed access by Swiss regulator Finma to the decree that cancelled their $4.5bn worth of additional tier 1 (AT1) bonds. The decision came after investors launched a lawsuit, accusing Finma of having acted unconstitutionally when it ordered Credit Suisse to write down the bonds as part of its rescue merger with UBS. The decree revealed that the Swiss government issued two emergency ordinances that expanded Finma's powers, allowing it to wipe out the AT1 bonds.
Police in Dalian, China have arrested a woman for posting "inappropriate" comments about the military on social media after she defended a comedian's joke about a military slogan used by the country's President, Xi Jinping. Comedian Li Haoshi was suspended and the company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, was fined $1.9m for an inappropriate joke on his talk show that included an obscene adaptation of a well-known military slogan. China issued a law in 2021 criminalising insults against its military, resulting in a hard line for attacks on the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The backlash has also had an impact on China's performance industry: at least two comedy club operators have cancelled some shows.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed a law banning TikTok, with the law set to come into effect on January 1, 2024. The state is aiming to punish companies like Apple and Google with a $10,000 fine for every day that TikTok is still available on their stores. TikTok was widely expected to take the matter to court, but a spokesperson for the social media platform declined to say whether the company would file a lawsuit.
The only holdout juror in the Lori Vallow murder trial has revealed why he changed his mind to convict the mother last week. Saul Hernandez said that when the jury began deliberating, he was the only one unconvinced that the prosecution had proved its case. But over the course of just seven hours, it became clear to him that Vallow is guilty. During the trial, Hernandez found it “hard to look at” Vallow as gruelling evidence emerged. Mr Hernandez said he was ‘disgusted’ by photos of Vallow and Mr Daybell smiling through their beach wedding just weeks after the children were killed. Vallow was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife.
France's highest constitutional court has approved a controversial new Olympics security law, which allows algorithms to be used to monitor and surveil crowds, at events such as the Rugby World Cup, using drones and aircraft. More than 60 opposition MPs called for the review of the new rules, claiming in a submission to the court that it infringed on the fundamental freedoms of citizens. The law will be tested as an experimental basis and will run until March 2025, being used at "sporting, recreational or cultural events involving more than 300 people".
The UK's first self-driving bus service is being tested by bus firm Stagecoach. Using AI technology, the five buses are controlled by computer processors with 18 sensors on the exterior, which provide a 360-degree view of surroundings and send data to the onboard computer many times per second. An AI model using over 1 million miles of similar data drives the bus, whilst a human driver sits in the front cabin. Self-driving technology is being studied extensively in the UK, with the government predicting that the autonomous vehicle market could be worth £42bn ($52.4bn) by 2035.
Critics claim that the UK’s new Public Order Act criminalises peaceful protest, prompting lawyers and civil rights groups to argue that the law is draconian in nature. The Act, implemented on May 2, makes it illegal to block major transport works, prevent access to “key national infrastructure”, or lock “onto another person, object or land” accurately enough so that more than two individuals or an organisation can suffer “serious disruption.” Police have the power to stop and search those who carry locking equipment too. Opposition politicians have been criticised for not promising to repeal the legislation.
The UK's Renters' (Reform) Bill has been introduced to Parliament, aimed at clarifying the rights of tenants. Alongside other proposals, the law bans "no fault" eviction, while creating an ombudsman to resolve disputes between landlords and renters. However, detractors argue that the bill undermines the position of landlords. Critics note that the bill in itself will change little on the ground since there is a shortage of staff to enforce these rules, resulting in an inadequate system that often fails to follow through on existing laws like prosecuting the thousands of landlords illegally evicting their tenants each year.
