Search Results for: commercial

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in Snyder v. United States, a case involving illegal gratuities paid to a local government official. The issue is whether the federal government can use 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B)—known as federal funds bribery—to prosecute those who give and take illegal gratuities or whether the statute only [...]

The Southwark Crown Court in London sentenced on Friday former Ministry of Defence (MoD) official Jeffrey Cook to 30 months imprisonment for misconduct in public office between 2004 and 2008. Cook was also Managing Director of GPT Special Project Management Limited (GPT), an Airbus subsidiary. He was convicted of the misconduct charge in March, when [...]

The former chairman of China Everbright Group, Tang Shuangning, who used to serve as a senior official at the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission, is under indictment Friday on bribery and embezzlement charges. Tang was originally arrested in January. On Friday, the investigation of Tang was concluded by the National [...]

China announced sanctions on Thursday against two US entities, including General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems, over the two entities’ involvement in selling weapons to Taiwan. China decided to impose general sanctions against the two entities involved in selling weapons to Taiwan. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is a subsidiary of General Atomics [...]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the finalization of new drinking water standards Wednesday that aim to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals legally allowed in water in the United States. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetical chemicals that have been used in commercial products since the 1950s. The chemicals can be found [...]

South African authorities arrested National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Thursday based on multiple corruption charges. The arrest comes the day after Mapise-Nqakula resigned from her position in the country’s Parliament amid an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and misconduct during her tenure as South Africa’s defense minister.  Following her resignation Wednesday night, Mapisa-Nqakula surrendered [...]

Yonatan Shapira is an ex-captain and pilot in the Israeli Air Force. In 2003, he helped coordinate the circulation of a letter that was signed by 27 Israeli Air Force pilots expressing their refusal to engage in Israeli military actions targeting Palestinians. Additionally, Shapira has endorsed the domestic Israeli movement supporting Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [...]

The Thai House of Representatives approved Wednesday an equal marriage bill, with 400 favouring votes out of 415 members of the house. The bill still requires approval from the Senate and endorsement from the king. If the Senate and the king approve the legislation, Thailand will become the third Asian country/region that recognises same-sex marriage, after [...]

The German Bundestrat approved the Cannabis Act Friday to decriminalize limited personal cannabis consumption and cultivation, allowing the act to go into effect on April 1. The act was previously approved by the Bundestag in February. The act seeks to better regulate cannabis consumption and combat organized crime. The act requires a cultivation association to [...]

A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected a challenge Thursday from tobacco companies that alleged a bill requiring graphic imagery on cigarette packaging and advertisements was a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA) was enacted by [...]