On December 31, 2021, The Chilean Ministry of Public Works published one of the last calls for bids before closing 2021, corresponding to the modernization and improvement of the current Route 68. The 140.7 km project will connect the municipalities of Santiago, Valparaíso and Viña del Mar and has a budget of approximately US $ 1.2 billion - the highest amount ever in a call for bids under Sebastián Piñera's administration ...
The living sector will continue to provide opportunities and challenges for investors, developers and residents, alike. The government is set to turn the page on pandemic restrictions, with most set to stop in England on 26 January. Time will tell if this will be the year when we can get back to a more normal way of life, but one thing we can be sure of is that the living sector will continue to provide opportunities and challenges for investors, developers and residents, alike ...
A look at trends and influences which we expect to impact mid-market banking and finance in 2022. Last year’s article heavily featured COVID-19, its impact, and expected patterns of recovery. While the pandemic continues to have a huge impact on our lives, most stakeholders have learnt to live with this uncertainty and businesses have adapted accordingly ...
The importance of being truthful on immigration forms has been thrust into the international spotlight this week, thanks to tennis star Novak Djokovic who has been deported from Australia. Whilst the ins and out of the refusal are up for discussion, one thing is clear is that the information on his application about where he has been during the fourteen days prior to his arrival in Australia was not correct ...
‘The right to disconnect’ was a popular topic during 2021 and provides for an interesting discussion - should there be a legal right in the UK for employees to disconnect from their workplace? The phrase which may bring joy to an employee’s ears but potentially not so much to those of an employer is the ‘right to disconnect’ ...
Key Points New IRS rules extend annual deadline for providing Forms 1095-C to employees to March 2 Penalty relief no longer applies for employers that make good faith efforts to comply with reporting requirements California employers with self-insured plans must file Forms 1095-C with the Franchise Tax Board by March 31 Under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), large employers (generally those with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents) must report annually t
Key Points U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized a rule renewing nationwide permits under the Clean Water Act for projects involving discharges of dredge or fill material to jurisdictional waters. The Army Corps also issued new nationwide permits, such as for water reclamation and reuse facilities and for activities involving water, stormwater, and wastewater utility lines. These new nationwide permits create opportunities to expedite permitting for certain infrastructure projects ...
By all accounts, in common with 2021, broad uncertainty will remain a key theme for the UK economy in 2022. Statistics from 2021 are an unhelpful indicator for 2022. But all signs currently point to a slowing of the UK economy in 2022 following an undeniable 2021 bounce-back as people matched unexpected savings with spending on goods, services and holidays ...
Extensive new powers to investigate and intervene in deals that could have national security concerns come into play this month, lenders and borrowers need to understand the implications now. The National Security and Investment Act (“the Act”) regime came into effect on 4 January 2022. It creates a new national security screening regime for corporate acquisitions in the UK. Certain aspects of the Act apply retrospectively from 12 November 2020 ...
Without doubt, the traditional employment relationship has changed. Whilst the Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact, the changing nature of the employment relationship has been taking place for several years. But what does this mean for employers? CIPD in a recent report has suggested that atypical workers could be anywhere from 18.6% to 42.4% of the workforce (depending on how narrowly atypical working is defined) ...
On Thursday, January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay pausing implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), finding that the challengers to the ETS are likely to prevail. Justices John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh issued the decision to stay the OSHA ETS. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas concurred with their own separate opinion ...
Evolusion Concepts, Inc. v. HOC Events Inc., Appeal No. 2021-1963 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 14, 2022) In its only precedential patent case this week, the Federal Circuit disposed of an appeal, holding that the district court’s claim construction was wrong. In the appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the Federal Circuit addressed the meaning of the term “magazine catch bar” in the asserted claims ...
The General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) issued Notification no. 776 GDT on the 17th of January 2022 (“Notification 776”) which delays the implementation of Prakas 542 MEF.P on the Rules and Procedure for the Implementation of VAT on E-Commerce (“Prakas 542”) to 31 March 2022 ...
As we go into 2022, the future direction of the planning system in England remains uncertain. Planning Bill The planning white paper proposals for a hybrid mix of discretionary decision making and codified zonal planning have proved particularly controversial with concerns about what could be seen as a ‘top down’ approach contributing to the outcome of the Chesham and Amersham by election ...
The persisting spectre of the pandemic continues to create uncertainty in the market. Over the last 18 months, insolvency figures remained consistently low due to the government support which has been in place. With the prospect of that support coming to an end there is likely to be a reckoning, but when that will begin is unclear. Overall, this next year is likely to be one of resolving loose ends and tidying up before the economy can take off afresh ...
Following on from the Migration Advisory Committee's annual report, the government have announced welcome changes to the Health and Care visa route. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their annual report in December. The report considered a variety of subjects and took a detailed look at the health and care sector ...
Pensions analysis: The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has issued its levy rules and associated guidance and appendices for the 2022–23 levy year. Partner Suzanne Burrell examines the latest rules and guidance, the changes made since last year, the implications for pension schemes and what happens next ...
Trends in leasehold transactions during 2021 and expectations for 2022. Now that the decorations are back in the loft, retailers are announcing their Christmas trading updates. There is a general consensus that the retail sector had a difficult time in 2021 as has been the trend in modern years and whilst some retailers will be announcing positive news to the markets, there are undoubtably some that are likely to continue to have a challenging time in 2022 ...
Revitalization of brownfields has long been considered a centerpiece of community efforts to encourage growth and development of properties impacted by contamination. But the additional complexity and cost of addressing pre-existing contamination often sinks projects that might otherwise have positive economic and development potential. This is especially true inside Oregon’s urban growth boundaries ...
On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a final rule on the use of Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) provided to state, local, and tribal governments pursuant to the American Rescue Plan (ARP). While the final rule largely includes the eligible uses of SLFRF funds described in the interim rule issued in May of 2021, the Treasury expanded and provided more detail on eligible uses ...
Keeping up to date with the shifting property landscape is never easy. So, what do property professionals need to keep in mind for 2022? Developers Building Safety Bill Residential developers will need to pay close attention to the progress of the Building Safety Bill through parliament ...
This question was considered by the Employment Tribunal in the recent case of X v Y. In a decision that will be welcomed by employers, the tribunal held that such a fear is not a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010. The facts of the case The claimant brought proceedings against her employer for discrimination after she chose not to return to work in July 2021 with the result that her employer had stopped paying her ...
