As the NT Government releases its new management plan for the Limmen Bight Marine Park, traditional owners are pleading for far greater environmental protections and an end to overfishing in the area.

An "extremely disturbing" trend of Northern Territory Government workers facing "reprisals" for raising concerns about corruption or improper conduct triggers a call for the region's whistleblower laws to be strengthened.

The Territory Families Department finalised half the number of child-protection investigations it planned to last financial year, but child welfare advocates say the figure is a result of longer-term reforms.

A Victorian man who sent 52 packages filled with asbestos to embassies in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra has been sentenced to one year in prison.

Backyard gardeners could face fines of almost $2,500 if they are not careful when covering their fruit trees or vegetable gardens with netting.

A parliamentary inquiry into how Canberra schools handle bullying complaints reveals tragic stories of desperate parents and students, prompting a raft of recommendations.

Quad bike manufacturer Honda has described the Government's new roll bar rules as a "ban by stealth" and says that today is a "disappointing day for farm safety".

Hundreds of farmers have rallied in Queensland to protest against proposed new laws to protect the Great Barrier Reef, saying they are being treated as "guilty until proven innocent".

What began as a great adventure led to the worst day of Colin Caudell's life as he watched a truck run over his wife while she was working as a traffic controller.

This note examines the published data protection impact assessment (DPIA) released by NHSX in relation to their contact tracing/proximity tracing app. It highlights a range of significant issues which leave the app falling short of data protection legislation. It does this in order so that these issues can be remedied before the next DPIA is published.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - In a petition for review challenging an Objection Letter sent by the EPA regarding draft permits for water reclamation plants in El Monte and Pomona, California, the petition is dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction where neither 33 U.S.C. section 1369(b)(1)(E) nor (F) of the Clean Water Act provided the court with subject matter jurisdiction to review the Objection Letter.

(United States Seventh Circuit) - District court's granting of summary judgment and bench verdict for Defendant affirmed. Sherman Act claim fails where the only current feasible way to comply with Chicagoland area city commercial fire safety ordinances was to use an exclusive provider. Under Fisher v. City of Berkeley, government restraints on trade imposed unilaterally do not form the basis of a Section 1 or Section 2 claim.

(United States DC Circuit) - Petition for review denied. The EPA did not act contrary to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in adopting a Transfer-Based Exclusion because hazardous materials are not necessarily "discarded" when they are transferred from a generator to a reclaimer along with payment. The policy was not arbitrary or capricious.

(United States Third Circuit) - Denied a petition for review of a Pennsylvania state regulators' decision to grant a Clean Water Act certification to a natural gas pipeline project. An environmental organization raised various procedural and substantive arguments against the environmental regulators' issuance of a water quality certification. On judicial review, the Third Circuit held that the environmentalists' challenge failed on the merits. Prior to reaching the merits, the panel discussed in detail questions regarding its jurisdiction under the Natural Gas Act.

(United States Seventh Circuit) - Held that an energy company could not proceed with its claim that Illinois environmental regulators lacked jurisdiction over its handling of hazardous‐waste acid that it transported into the state. Affirmed a dismissal based on claim and issue preclusion, among other doctrines.

(United States DC Circuit) - Petition for review denied. The EPA did not act contrary to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in adopting a Transfer-Based Exclusion because hazardous materials are not necessarily "discarded" when they are transferred from a generator to a reclaimer along with payment. The policy was not arbitrary or capricious.

(Supreme Court of California) - Reversed and remanded. The Government Claims Act immunity for public entities is an affirmative defense that can be waived or forfeited if not timely raised.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) launched a digital platform on Friday called "Protect the Vote" as a response to the left's increasing attempts to use the coronavirus pandemic to push their election agenda items, such as universal mail-in voting.

Hungary's parliament has passed a declaration against signing the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women because it smuggles in provisions declaring gender a "social construct" and allowing "gender-based asylum claims".

(Supreme Court of California) - Reversed and remanded. The Government Claims Act immunity for public entities is an affirmative defense that can be waived or forfeited if not timely raised.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Held that the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's structure is constitutionally permissible. A law firm raised the argument in contending that it was not required to comply with the bureau's investigative demand to respond to interrogatories about its debt relief services and marketing. The Ninth Circuit rejected the law firm's position.

Due to a sharp increase in malware related spam, we urge everyone to make sure that their computers are adequately protected against malware attacks. If you don't have protection against malware, we strongly suggest an Internet Security suite. Feel free to contact us if you need any information about malware protection. You might also want for check out the latest examples of malware spam e-mails.

Immigrant advocates are working with Colorado lawmakers to provide relief to vulnerable families during the coronavirus crisis.

(United States Third Circuit) - Denied a petition for review of a Pennsylvania state regulators' decision to grant a Clean Water Act certification to a natural gas pipeline project. An environmental organization raised various procedural and substantive arguments against the environmental regulators' issuance of a water quality certification. On judicial review, the Third Circuit held that the environmentalists' challenge failed on the merits. Prior to reaching the merits, the panel discussed in detail questions regarding its jurisdiction under the Natural Gas Act.

Immigrant advocates are working with Colorado lawmakers to provide relief to vulnerable families during the coronavirus crisis.

Employees on the front-lines of the coronavirus pandemic are truly essential. Employers must treat them as such.

New Legislation Would Protect Music Venues Threatened With Closure

(United States Seventh Circuit) - District court's granting of summary judgment and bench verdict for Defendant affirmed. Sherman Act claim fails where the only current feasible way to comply with Chicagoland area city commercial fire safety ordinances was to use an exclusive provider. Under Fisher v. City of Berkeley, government restraints on trade imposed unilaterally do not form the basis of a Section 1 or Section 2 claim.

Neiman Marcus has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the first department store chain and second major retailer to be toppled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Neiman Marcus has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the first department store chain and second major retailer to be toppled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ted Shin, the chair of the Department of Industrial Design at Metropolitan State University of Denver, could see coronavirus coming, first in China, then in Italy.

“We need everyone's voice right now.”

He gave a rare interview for “Becoming.”

Darius Brown wants to help protect hospital workers

He gave a rare interview for “Becoming.”

She expresses concern over son's safety in this "mad world."

Standing Technical Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure got its start as the Task Force on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Security tied directly in response to the Presidential Decision Directive 63, Critical Infrastructure Protection (PPD-63). Soon after the task force was established, as a way to bring awareness to this topic, TRB published a special edition of TR News (211): Transportation Security: Protecting the System from Attack and Theft (November-December 2000). The editio...

As more COVID-19 outbreaks are reported around the world, it’s important to stay calm, be informed, and take steps to protect yourself and others. Although older and chronically ill adults face greater risks, teens and young adults are also facing serious health complications from COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “Don’t get the attitude, ‘Well, I’m young, I’m invulnerable’ ... you don’t want to put your loved ones at risk, particularly the ones who are elderly and the ones who have compromised conditions. We can’t do this without the young people cooperating. Please cooperate with us.”

While there is currently no vaccine against COVID-19, there are things you can do to take care of your health. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice). Dry your hands thoroughly after washing them. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that are commonly used by people can help, too. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a list of approved disinfectants to help protect against the spread of COVID-19 on their website.

Every adult leader must complete an extensive Youth Protection Training program. ...

Hearing loss caused by the death of sensory hair cells of the inner ear is an unfortunate side effect for many patients treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics or platinum-containing chemotherapy agents. In animal models, induction of heat shock confers substantial otoprotection against aminoglycoside- and cisplatin-induced hair cell death. In this issue of the JCI, Breglio et al. demonstrate that inner ear tissue released exosomes carrying heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in response to heat stress. HSP70 acted by a paracrine mechanism that engaged the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on hair cells to protect them from death. Exosomes and the HSP70/TLR4 pathway could thus provide treatment targets for the protection of hair cells from chemically induced death or from other insults, such as noise.

Hair cells, the mechanosensory receptors of the inner ear, are responsible for hearing and balance. Hair cell death and consequent hearing loss are common results of treatment with ototoxic drugs, including the widely used aminoglycoside antibiotics. Induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) confers protection against aminoglycoside-induced hair cell death via paracrine signaling that requires extracellular heat shock 70-kDa protein (HSP70). We investigated the mechanisms underlying this non–cell-autonomous protective signaling in the inner ear. In response to heat stress, inner ear tissue releases exosomes that carry HSP70 in addition to canonical exosome markers and other proteins. Isolated exosomes from heat-shocked utricles were sufficient to improve survival of hair cells exposed to the aminoglycoside antibiotic neomycin, whereas inhibition or depletion of exosomes from the extracellular environment abolished the protective effect of heat shock. Hair cell–specific expression of the known HSP70 receptor TLR4 was required for the protective effect of exosomes, and exosomal HSP70 interacted with TLR4 on hair cells. Our results indicate that exosomes are a previously undescribed mechanism of intercellular communication in the inner ear that can mediate nonautonomous hair cell survival. Exosomes may hold potential as nanocarriers for delivery of therapeutics against hearing loss.

Colitis caused by Clostridium difficile infection is a growing cause of human morbidity and mortality, especially after antibiotic use in health care settings. The natural immunity of newborn infants and protective host immune mediators against C. difficile infection are not fully understood, with data suggesting that inflammation can be either protective or pathogenic. Here, we show an essential role for IL-17A produced by γδ T cells in host defense against C. difficile infection. Fecal extracts from children with C. difficile infection showed increased IL-17A and T cell receptor γ chain expression, and IL-17 production by intestinal γδ T cells was efficiently induced after infection in mice. C. difficile–induced tissue inflammation and mortality were markedly increased in mice deficient in IL-17A or γδ T cells. Neonatal mice, with naturally expanded RORγt+ γδ T cells poised for IL-17 production were resistant to C. difficile infection, whereas elimination of γδ T cells or IL-17A each efficiently overturned neonatal resistance against infection. These results reveal an expanded role for IL-17–producing γδ T cells in neonatal host defense against infection and provide a mechanistic explanation for the clinically observed resistance of infants to C. difficile colitis.

The sweetheart deal that Governor Malloy and his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly cut with state employee unions, the so-called SEBAC agreement, is protected by contract for a full decade —leaving meaningful reforms waaay down the road. The contract is the mother of all can-kicks. Continue reading →

Today, IBM announced that it achieved two major commitments four years ahead of schedule in its effort to help combat climate change.