On 17 December 2012 Treasury released a Consultation Paper on minimum governance standards for entities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), as well as draft Regulations and an Explanatory Memorandum on financial reporting obligations and annual information statements for such entities ...
In a Federal Register notice dated December 26, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Dept. of the Treasury updated its regulations to include prohibitions on foreign subsidiaries of U.S. corporations from doing business with Iran. 77 F.R. 75848. The amended regulations also make clear that penalties for trading with Iran by a foreign subsidiary can be imposed on its U.S. parent. Such penalties will not be applied if the U.S ...
On January 1, 2013, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the "Act") to avert the "fiscal cliff." The Act includes a number of extensions and modifications relating to energy tax provisions ...
The Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (IFCPA), enacted this week by Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, further ratchets up U.S. economic sanctions against Iran. U.S. persons or entities (hereafter "persons"), including their foreign subsidiaries, or persons in the U.S., are already prohibited from virtually all transactions involving Iran. Under IFCPA, U.S ...
In September, the National Customs and Tax Authority - DIAN - presented the third draft of the new Customs Statute, which will regulate most of Colombia’s customs law. Although scholars and business associations have presented their comments to the project, the draft seems to be definitive for the most part ...
Some favourable news on the global economic front has been trickling in. Markets around the world rallied as the US avoided the fiscal cliff-dive by a nanosecond; China's economy is showing signs of renewed strength, with the powerful manufacturing sector now performing at its best levels in almost two years; and share prices in most of Europe, Britain and even Japan have been trading solidly higher over the past few months ...
On April 1, 2013, employers will be permitted to submit new H-1B petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) for Fiscal Year 2014. As in previous years, April 1 is the earliest date that employers may submit new “cap subject” petitions to USCIS, and October 1, 2013, is the earliest date that a foreign worker may commence employment under a “cap subject” petition ...
On January 7, 2013 there was published in the Federal Official Gazette a Ruling where by the Energy Regulatory Commission makes an invitation to bid under the open international tender LIC-GAS-019-2012 covering the first permit for natural gas distribution in the western geographical area, formed by the municipalities of Sayula, Tuxpan and Zapotlán el Grande, in the state of Jalisco, and the municipalities of Amería, Colima, Manzanillo, Tecomán and Villa de Alvarez, in the state o
On December 27th, 2012, the Court of Appeal for Yukon released its decision in Ross River Dena Council v. Government of Yukon, 2012 YKCA 14. The case dealt with the Yukon Government’s duty to consult with First Nations when allowing mineral claims to be recorded on land with asserted Aboriginal rights and title claims. The case arose as a result of the “open entry” claim staking system and in particular, as a result of the Yukon Quartz Mining Act, S.Y. 2003, s. 14 (the Act) ...
On February 12, 2013, the Obama Administration released an executive order, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (the "Executive Order"), which is focused primarily on government actions to support critical infrastructure owners and operators in protecting their systems and networks from cyber threats ...
The mining sector is affected by constant changes in the market, along with exploration results and discoveries. The fast pace of this change results in trends developing on a micro or macro scale, and one of the re-emerging trends seen in the industry today is the use of strategic alliances for mineral exploration purposes. The nature and terms of a strategic alliance can vary greatly, depending upon the objectives of the parties ...
On February 12, 2013, in conjunction with the release of the Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (the Executive Order), President Obama signed a Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-21 on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience. The PPD revokes the 2003 Homeland Security Presidential Directive-7 (issued by President George W ...
The Comelec promulgated Resolution No. 9615 on 15 January 2013. This Resolution implements the provisions of Republic Act No. 9006, more popularly known as the Fair Election Act, for purposes of the 2013 national and local mid-term elections ...
In 2008 the government introduced important intellectual property (IP) legislation. The Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and DevelopmentAct 51 of 2008 - which only came into force on 2 August 2010– governs the ownership and exploitation of IP which flows from publicly financed research and development (R&D) ...
Here is an overview prepared by Lavery of the highlights of the consultation document (in French) released last Thursday by the Quebec government in connection with the forum on mining royalties to be held on March 15, 2013. Overview of the consultation document entitled "Le régime d’impôt minier du Québec" ...
Mining has become one of the largest industries in British Columbia, and Vancouver is considered by many to be the world's leading centre of expertise for mineral exploration, with some 1,200 exploration companies located in the province. As a result, many British Columbians have a disproportionate stake in what lies ahead for the mining industry. In 2011, B.C ...
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued DENR Memorandum Order No. 2013-01 (theMemorandum Order), which increased the minimum capital requirements for mining applicants. Under the Memorandum Order, the minimum authorized capital stock and paid-up capital of mining applicants were increased as follows:Authorized Capital: From PhP10 million; To PhP100 million.Paid-Up Capital: From PhP2.5 million; To PhP6.25 million ...
On March 8, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a new version of Form I-9 with a revision date of 03/08/2013. Employers are required to use the new Form I-9 no later than May 7, 2013, for all new hires and rehires, as well as to re-verify an employee’s identity and continued employment eligibility. Employers are not required to replace prior I-9 forms that were used before May 7, 2013 ...
In 2008 the government introduced important intellectual property (IP) legislation. The Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act 51 of 2008 - which only came into force on 2 August 2010 – governs the ownership and exploitation of IP which flows from publicly financed research and development (R&D) ...
In continuing our commitment to best serve our clients, we have been closely monitoring legislative changes in West Virginia that may affect the shale gas industry in the state. This update covers a new rule affecting horizontal drilling and the results of a recent pit and impoundment study ...
On March 22, 2013, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") announced that it will submit to the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") a new Information Collection Request ("ICR") related to the implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards ("CFATS") Personnel Surety Program ("PSP"). DHS is soliciting comments during a 60-day public comment period (which ends May 21, 2013) prior to the submission of the ICR to OMB ...
It’s not impossible for nations in conflict to put aside their differences to coordinate the delivery of natural resources, but it’s unusual. For the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, cooperation is transforming the shared Ruzizi River into a valuable source of hydro power for three peoples ...
