News from April 2024
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Brussels, BELGIUM – Today, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta presented his Report on the Future of the Single Market, as requested by the European Council in June 2023. The report aims to provide concrete and ambitious recommendations to the EU Member States and the European Commission, as a new five-year legislature is due to begin after this year’s European elections.In response to the report, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) has expressed its support for efforts to strengthen the EU Single Market. CCIA Europe, a longstanding...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Chairman Rostin Behnam is set to participate in an interview at the upcoming ISDA’s 38th Annual General Meeting. The event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 11:05 a.m. Tokyo time (JT), which is Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 10:05 p.m. USA Eastern Time (ET). The venue for the meeting will be the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo, located at 6 Chome-10-3 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo, 106-0032, Japan.Behnam's participation in the interview at the ISDA Annual General Meeting is anticipated to provide insights and perspectives on significant matters concerning the...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal ahead of the second Ukraine Partnership Forum. During the meeting, Secretary Raimondo reiterated the Department of Commerce’s continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression. She updated the Prime Minister on the Department’s engagement with the U.S. private sector on Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction objectives.The two also discussed the Department’s work with partners in coordinating export controls and restricting sales of advanced technologies to...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and a group of bipartisan colleagues have put forth a new bill aimed at sanctioning Chinese firms that support Russia's actions in Ukraine. The legislation, named the NO LIMITS Act, seeks to hold accountable those providing material support to Russia's military efforts.Chairman Gallagher emphasized the necessity of imposing sanctions on Chinese firms aiding Russia, stating, "For years, the Chinese Communist Party has provided Russia with lethal aid to prop up Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine and advance the...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Roslyn Layton, Executive Vice President of the independent consultancy firm Strand Consult, has critiqued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) approach to the cryptocurrency industry. In an opinion piece published by DC Journal on April 3 titled "The SEC Came to Destroy Crypto, Not to Regulate It", she stated that the SEC's approach "is not designed to protect investors from fraud or even to clarify what legal compliance means."
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
The upcoming oral arguments in the case of Idaho v. United States have sparked discussions regarding the future of emergency abortion care and the intersection of law and medicine. Scheduled for April 24, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court will deliberate on whether medical providers can continue offering emergency abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).One key aspect of the case revolves around the conflict between Idaho's near-total abortion ban and the federal requirements of EMTALA. This clash raises concerns about the ability of medical...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Arlington, Va. (April 17, 2024) – In a roundtable discussion with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Dak Hardwick, Vice President of International Affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), highlighted the importance of industry collaboration in ensuring the success of the AUKUS agreement. The focus of the discussion was on executing the second pillar of AUKUS to facilitate technology sharing and cross collaboration among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.Hardwick emphasized the pivotal role of the aerospace and defense industry in...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
An indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn, New York, today charging a Florida man with sex trafficking multiple women and coercion and enticement of a minor."Joel David Forney, 41, of Kissimmee, was charged with sex trafficking; interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution; and coercion and enticement of a minor." Forney allegedly trafficked women to work in commercial sex in New York, including at an open-air sex trafficking market along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn known as the Penn Track."According to the indictment, for years, Forney preyed...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who is Chair of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, introduced legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives to prevent cobalt that is obtained or processed with the aid of child labor from entering or being used by the U.S.
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Netflix has released a sneak peek at the highly anticipated series "One Hundred Years of Solitude," based on the masterpiece novel by Gabriel García Márquez. The teaser includes a poignant quote from the novel: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice,” spoken by García Márquez himself.Directed by Laura Mora and Alex García López, the series promises to be one of the most ambitious productions in Latin America to date, featuring a talented cast and crew from...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
In a recent legal battle in Idaho, two court cases, Idaho v. United States and Poe v. Labrador, have become the focal point of the fight to preserve access to abortion care and transgender medical care. These cases not only shed light on the challenges faced by patients and medical providers but also reveal the connections between attacks on abortion care and transgender medical care in the state.The Idaho near-total abortion ban and H.B. 71, which bans transgender medical care for youth, have sparked significant controversy. According to the article, the families...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
The Blockchain Association has voiced its support for the newly introduced Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act. In a statement released on Apr 17 2024, Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith expressed appreciation for the bipartisan effort put forth by Sens. Lummis and Gillibrand in addressing a legislative gap in the digital asset ecosystem.Smith stated, “We appreciate their bipartisan approach to address a legislative gap in the digital asset ecosystem. Blockchain Association is ready – supported by the expertise of our members – to provide feedback and we look...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
NVIDIA has unveiled a revolutionary technology called Instant NeRF, which enables users to convert 2D images into stunning 3D scenes with unparalleled detail and realism. According to a spokesperson from NVIDIA, Instant NeRF is a groundbreaking advancement in the field of imaging technology.The technology utilizes cutting-edge algorithms to analyze 2D images and extrapolate them into immersive 3D environments. By leveraging the power of NVIDIA's hardware and software capabilities, Instant NeRF is able to generate highly detailed 3D scenes that accurately represent the...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
The American Psychological Association (APA) has expressed concern over the lack of network access for mental health patients, as highlighted in a new report. APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, emphasized the need for insurance reform to ensure equitable access to care for those in need. In response to the report titled "Behavioral Health Parity—Pervasive Disparities in Access to In-Network Care Continue," Evans stated, “The findings of this report, while not surprising, are gravely disappointing. The fact that so many patients are forced to go out of network to receive...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party have urged the State Department to increase diplomacy to combat Chinese forced labor globally, especially towards the European Union.In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the lawmakers expressed their concerns about goods made by Uyghur forced labor flooding into Europe and the United Kingdom. They emphasized the importance of working with allies and partners to ensure...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
The Environmental Protection Agency's Mid-Atlantic Region has announced the opening of registration for its upcoming 3rd Annual environmental summit, scheduled to take place virtually on May 16, 2024. The summit, themed "Empowering Communities for Environmental Equity," aims to facilitate discussions on equitable access to healthy and sustainable communities.Senior Advisor and Assistant to President Biden, Tom Perez, will be delivering opening remarks alongside EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe at the event. The summit will bring together a diverse range of...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has renewed its Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) aimed at identifying the natural persons behind shell companies used in non-financed purchases of residential real estate. The terms of the GTOs will be effective from April 19, 2024, to October 15, 2024.According to FinCEN, the GTOs provide valuable data on the purchase of residential real estate by individuals potentially involved in illicit activities. By renewing these orders, FinCEN aims to enhance efforts in tracking illicit funds and criminal activities, as well as...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Washington – The House Ways & Means Committee marked up and passed several trade-related bills today, including legislation on the reauthorization and reform of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program and a bill that would eliminate de minimis benefits for a broad set of imports.Specifically, the committee passed H.R. 7986—“Generalized System Preferences Reform Act”—which would reauthorize the GSP program that offers developing countries the ability to export to the United States without duties on thousands of products that they would otherwise have been...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Brussels, BELGIUM — The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) has expressed concerns regarding the European Data Protection Board (EDPB)’s Opinion 08/2024 on valid consent in the context of ‘pay or consent’ models used by large online platforms.In a statement attributed to CCIA Europe’s Senior Policy Manager, Claudia Canelles Quaroni, the organization criticized the EDPB's approach, stating, “With an approach targeted predominantly at large online platforms, the EDPB risks opening a Pandora’s box. A two-speed data protection regime would set a...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 17, 2024
Aleksandr Pikus, the New York man at the center of a multimillion-dollar health care kickback and tax avoidance conspiracy, has been resentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $39 million in restitution. The scheme orchestrated by Pikus involved referring Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to health care providers in exchange for illegal kickbacks. As a result, the health care providers submitted millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to the Medicare and Medicaid programs."Pikus failed to report that cash income to the IRS, instead using sham...
