L.A. tenants will soon have the right to sue landlords who violate restrictions the city has put in place during the coronavirus crisis.

Notre Dame's John Shannon won the award as the nation's top long snapper but he went undrafted; he decides to change course and pursue a dream

The primary way all citizens can support law enforcement is to follow the recommendations of state and local government leaders, Josh Minkler writes.

He played football from a different planet - but had a dark side

Malawi announces cash handouts for the poorest, after the courts blocked the proposed lockdown.

A chronology of key events

Key facts, figures and dates

In an emotional interview with TMZ, the comedian said she canceled her show there because of the state's attempt to, in effect, ban abortion.

Review of 'The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free' by Rich Lowry

The president and his team of unelected bureaucrats have siphoned power away from the legislature.

The latest immigration rule is based on obvious lies.

Policymakers need to step up and do something useful — yesterday.

Weak encryption technology has given rise to the phenomenon of “Zoombombing”, where uninvited trolls gain access to a video conference.

Instant reaction: NAR’s Lawrence Yun on Case-Shiller

German rights holders have turned litigation against file sharers into a money machine that just keeps on giving. P2P activists estimate estimates that Germany’s BitTorrent users faced more than half a million lawsuits in 2010. Some people even got sued multiple times for the same file. Continue reading on Newteevee.com.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Joseph about his recent trip to Malawi in Southern Africa. Malawi is not know for its game parks like other countries in the region for for the relaxing shores of Lake Malawi as well as the lush green highlights. It is a country heavily influenced by David Livingstone and the Scottish Presbyterian church and one benefit of this legacy is welcoming church guest houses to stay in. So join Joseph and I as we talk about the people, the politics and the minibuses of Malawi.

Hear about travel to Delaware as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mara Gorman from MotherOfAllTrips.com about traveling to her small but historic adopted home state.

If you’ve been holding on to the presumption that gun confiscation will never take place in the United States, it’s time for you to wake up. Gun confiscation is already here, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. As a result of the passage of red flag laws, 412 guns have been confiscated in Broward…

The post Op-Ed: The Case Against Red Flag Laws appeared first on The Western Journal.

When jokes are so horrible, so obvious, so corny that they make your eyes roll, it’s a good chance that they’re what many call “dad jokes.” Bordering on lame, and all the more hilarious because of it, these jokes are so bad and yet fathers seem to get such joy from trotting out the perfect…

The post Man Posts Hilarious ‘Bad Dad Jokes’ Daily on Sign in Front Lawn To Spread Cheer to Neighbors appeared first on The Western Journal.

With all the stress in the world — you know, a deadly, terrifying global pandemic — Spotify dropped a new service: a daily, personalized aimed at wellness. Fittingly, it's called Daily Wellness and I gave it a try. 

OK, first, let me drop my biases: I can be a cynical person and I'm pretty high energy — like hyper hyper — which has made meditation difficult for me. I can get both mentally and physically uncomfortable while trying anything resembling meditation or therapy or sincere reflection.

That being said, amid the pandemic — and battling some, let's say, serious anxiety — I've been taking active steps to try to improve my mental health. Therapy, meditation, exercise, whatever else, it all seemed like a good idea to help me get through the day. Read more...

The following article, BREAKING: MI Lawmakers File Lawsuit Challenging Governor’s “Improper” and “Invalid” Emergency Orders: “We’ve attempted to partner with our governor, but she’s rejected”, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

In addition to crushing Michigan's economy, the governor's reckless, one-size-fits-all executive orders are harming an untold number of Michigan citizens.

Continue reading: BREAKING: MI Lawmakers File Lawsuit Challenging Governor’s “Improper” and “Invalid” Emergency Orders: “We’ve attempted to partner with our governor, but she’s rejected” ...

The following article, BREAKING: Michigan’s Radical Governor Extends Lockdown AGAIN…Only One Day After Church Leaders and MI Lawmakers File Suit Against Her, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Michigan was the first state to see protests against draconian lockdown measures by an overreaching governor. On April 15, the Michigan Conservative Coalition organized an in-vehicle protest in Lansing, MI that drew an estimated 15,000 vehicles. Since that time, several protests by Michigan workers who are being devastated by the one-size-fits-all shut down of the […]

Continue reading: BREAKING: Michigan’s Radical Governor Extends Lockdown AGAIN…Only One Day After Church Leaders and MI Lawmakers File Suit Against Her ...

Research Event

Event participants

Speakers include:
Dr Lorand Bartels, Reader in International Law; Fellow, Trinity House, University of Cambridge
Laura Bannister, Senior Adviser on EU-UK Trade, Trade Justice Movement
Peter Holmes, Fellow, UKTPO; Reader in Economics, University of Sussex
Andrew Hood, Partner, Regulatory & Trade, FieldFisher LLP

15 October 2019

Members Event Webinar

Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham House

Chair: Chanu Peiris, Programme Manager, International Law Programme, Chatham House

Further speakers to be announced.

Members Event Webinar

Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham House

Chair: Chanu Peiris, Programme Manager, International Law Programme, Chatham House

Further speakers to be announced.

23 April 2020

1 November 2019

The 'Security and Prosperity in Asia' conference looked at the impact of international law in the Asia-Pacific with a focus on regional economic and security issues such as the South China Sea disputes.

THE Oxford Dictionary describes the environment as "the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates". Humankind has been reliant on the environment for its existence for as long as humans have been living on earth. In numerous ways, the future survival of humankind will depend on how we take care of our air, soil, rivers, oceans, animals and plants.

The ICO is investigating reports that a property developer has quietly installed a facial recognition system in London's King's Cross. We spoke to experts from the legal and technology sectors to find some clarity about the rules

Thi-Thao-Phuong Hoang, Lili Ju, Wei Leng and Zhu Wang
Math. Comp. 89 (2020), 1807-1842.
Abstract, references and article information

Marcelo Fiore and Vladimir Voevodsky
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2297-2315.
Abstract, references and article information

The Government today announced the establishment of a LawTech Fund to help law firms and barristers' chambers procure and upgrade information technology (IT) systems and arrange lawtech training courses for their staff.

In a statement, the Department of Justice said the LawTech Fund, established under the Anti-epidemic Fund, will be open for applications from April 28 and cater to small and medium-size law firms as well as barristers’ chambers.

Applications will be accepted for two months and those eligible can receive a reimbursement of up to $50,000.

The Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association will establish a joint committee to assess the applications and arrange funding disbursement.

More than 60% of law firms and 50% of barristers' chambers in Hong Kong are expected to benefit from the funding.

As for funding eligibility, law firms or chambers must have five or fewer practising lawyers as at April 8 and at the time of granting the subsidy.

The subsidies must be used for procuring and upgrading IT systems, including but not confined to video-conferencing facilities. The lawtech training that is to receive the subsidy must be recognised and approved by the joint committee.

The application form and guidance notes are available at the homepages of the Law Society and the Bar Association.

The Secretary for Justice has given an outline of the fund and discussed lawtech in her blog.

The violence and vandalism in recent months sparked a crisis of confidence of our rule of law. The so-called justice lawbreaking or civil disobedience is never justified under the law. I urge all of you not to engage in any illegal activities.

The Court of Final Appeal in its judgment (FACC8-10/2017) pointed out that: (1) unlawful assemblies involving violence, even a relatively low degree, will not be condoned and may justifiably attract sentences of immediate imprisonment in the future; and (2) little weight will be given to the mitigation that the offending act was committed in the exercise of constitutional rights or acts of civil disobedience because the fact of a conviction will necessarily mean the offender has crossed the line separating the lawful exercise of his constitutional rights from unlawful activity subject to sanctions and constraints.

There are suggestions that deliberate lawbreaking might be considered to achieve objectives, however, this would bring a wrong concept of the rule of law. The escalated violence and vandalism in the last few months have also undermined the perception of the rule of law among the public. My colleagues and I would promote and publicise the correct concept of the rule of law to the citizens through different channels. In analysing the current situation, I hope that we all could remain reasonable and objective by keeping an open mind, being informed and considering all relevant facts before coming to a conclusion.

Our rule of law has been highly regarded, and such an achievement was not easy to come by. We should all join hands to cherish and safeguard our rule of law. Abiding by the law is one of the many obligations that ought to be observed by the public. Law exists in practice but it should not only be practised by lawyers, judges and governments. More importantly, the rule of law should be observed and respected by the community as a whole. The Government would continue to be strongly committed to upholding the rule of law.

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on December 22.

On April 4, 1990, the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China was adopted by the Seventh National People’s Congress (NPC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Basic Law enshrines the basic policies of the PRC regarding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and provides a solid constitutional basis for the implementation of “one country, two systems”. Looking back, we must not forget the purpose and mission of the Basic Law.

The Basic Law clearly states that Hong Kong has been part of the territory of China since ancient times and is an inalienable part of the PRC. It is a Special Administrative Region enjoying a high degree of autonomy under the Central People’s Government. Upholding national unity and territorial integrity, maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and taking account of history and realities, the “one country, two systems” principle was put forth by Mr Deng Xiaoping as a way to preserve the characteristics and strengths of Hong Kong as much as possible and to enable Hong Kong citizens to maintain their way of life.

In the 22 years since her return to the motherland, Hong Kong has weathered different challenges and, on the whole, the implementation of “one country, two systems” has been successful. Leveraging on our strengths in free market economy, rule of law, independent judiciary and the free flow of information and with our country’s strong support, Hong Kong has developed into an international financial, trade and transportation centre and attracted more than 9,000 overseas and Mainland companies to establish offices here, with many of them making Hong Kong as their regional headquarters in Asia-Pacific.

International financial centre

Article 109 of the Basic Law confirms Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and stipulates that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall provide an appropriate economic and legal environment for the maintenance of such status. Specifically, under the Basic Law:

- The Hong Kong dollar is the legal tender of the HKSAR and the linked exchange rate system has been maintained. With the strong support of the Central Government, Hong Kong has been able to maintain financial stability even during turbulent times. Riding on our country’s reform and opening up, Hong Kong has also developed into the world’s largest offshore renminbi centre.

 - The free flow of capital is protected and has attracted a large number of foreign direct investment and companies using Hong Kong as an ideal platform for initial public offerings and fundraising. Over the past 10 years, Hong Kong has topped the annual global IPO rankings six times.

- Hong Kong maintains a simple and low tax system, which is key to Hong Kong’s success as an international financial, trading and business centre. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is free to implement tax measures according to policy needs under its independent tax system. Since I took office, I have put in place initiatives such as the two-tier profits tax system and tax deduction for research and development expenditure to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness.

Rule of law and independent judiciary

The Basic Law preserves and guarantees Hong Kong’s long-established and trusted common law system and allows the HKSAR to enjoy independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication. The rule of law and an independent judiciary, which are held dearly by Hong Kong people, are constitutionally protected. The Basic Law stipulates that judges shall be appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of an independent commission; for the appointment of judges of the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) and the Chief Judge of the High Court, the Chief Executive shall obtain the endorsement of the Legislative Council and report such appointment to the Standing Committee of the NPC for the record. Last month, I accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission to appoint the Honourable Justice Andrew Cheung, Permanent Judge of the CFA, to succeed The Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma who will retire next year.

The Basic Law also allows the CFA to draw on the experience of judges from other common law jurisdictions. Currently, 15 eminent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada are sitting on the CFA as non-permanent judges. Their participation shows that our rule of law and independent judiciary are well recognised.

Rights and freedoms of residents

The fundamental rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents are fully protected by the Basic Law. Under Chapter 3, Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; freedom of the person; freedom of communication; freedom of religious belief; freedom of choice of occupation; freedom to engage in academic research, literary and artistic creation, and other cultural activities; freedom of marriage and so forth. However, as pointed out by our courts in their judgments, freedom is not absolute; one should respect the rights and freedoms of other people and be subject to law when exercising such freedoms.

Developing external affairs

Hong Kong has always been a bridge between the East and the West. The Basic Law allows the HKSAR to maintain and develop relations with foreign states and regions and relevant international organisations in the appropriate fields, including economic, trade, financial and monetary, shipping, communications, tourism, cultural and sports fields on its own, using the name Hong Kong, China. The HKSAR has participated in the World Trade Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and many others in the name Hong Kong, China and has entered into hundreds of bilateral agreements with other countries, including Free Trade Agreements, Investment Promotion & Protection Agreements and Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreements. Hong Kong athletes can also represent Hong Kong in international competitions.

The implementation of “one country, two systems” fully demonstrates that it is the best institutional arrangement to maintain Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability. As a pioneering initiative, its application entails an evolving process and we have to effectively and fully apply this principle in order to maintain the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, to meet the aspirations of our citizens and to meet the fundamental interests of our country. I encourage all Hong Kong citizens to learn more about the Basic Law, including the institutional safeguards, and the rights and duties of Hong Kong residents. In so doing, we should consider how best we can continue to leverage on Hong Kong’s advantages, allowing Hong Kong to advance with the country and enabling every Hong Kong resident to realise their goal.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam wrote this op-ed entitled The Basic Law - Best Safeguard for the Prosperity & Stability of Hong Kong on April 4.

Several fundamental weaknesses have been exposed in the most common Wi-Fi security protocols.

(DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Software vulnerabilities are more likely to be discussed on social media before they're revealed on a government reporting site, a practice that could pose a national security threat, according to computer scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.