The pandemic is still with us as the year winds down and has not yet become endemic, like the seasonal flu.  Even before the new Omicron variant was sequenced, Europe was being particularly hard hit, and social restrictions, especially among the unvaccinated, were spurring social strife.  US cases, notably in the Midwest, were rising, and there is fear that it is 4-6 weeks behind Europe in experiencing the surge.  Whatever herd immunity is, it has not been achieved.  Moreover,...

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The third quarter of 2021 ended with commodity prices continuing their upward movement. While U.S. crude oil prices modestly increased 2.1% during the quarter to $75.03 per barrel, this does not reflect the wide swings during the quarter, including a +20% increase in WTI prices from mid-August as steadily increasing demand and concerns about future supply created a bullish trend for oil. The drilling rig count rose by 51 rigs (per Baker Hughes) during the third quarter of 2021,...

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In light of the growing role of Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) as financial intermediaries and further developments in the market since the AIFMD came into force in 2011, the EU Commission has published a proposal for targeted amendments to the AIFMD that acknowledges the directive's role as a significant pillar of the Capital Markets Union (CMU). While fine-tuning the AIFMD framework, the EU Commission is simultaneously proposing a degree of harmonisation with the UCITS framework. Earlier today, the EU Commission...

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We are eagerly awaiting to see how the UK Government’s latest immigration reform to reflect the global nature of business pans out. The Global Business Mobility visa is set to commence in Spring 2022 and will provide more new solutions for overseas firms moving staff to the UK. Who should apply for a Global Business Mobility visa? Global Business Mobility visas should prove helpful for overseas firms establishing a UK footprint or transferring trainees, senior and specialist staff to the UK to...

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Data modeling consists of creating a model with structures enabling the use and retrieval of information. It may sound complex, but it’s not. Follow along to understand better what data modeling is and how it works! You’ve probably heard about the “Information Age” or the “Digital Age.” All of these buzzwords are essentially talking about the same thing, but it’s already become commonplace and a thing of the past. The new age we are in now is bringing about different...

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After more than 20 years of negotiations, Belgium and France have recently signed a new double tax treaty (new treaty). The new treaty is more in line with the latest OECD standards for double tax treaties and thus includes the modifications introduced by the Multilateral Instrument (MLI). The novelties/features in terms of content are numerous. We will discuss below the main features of the new treaty and will come back in more detail on some provisions in our upcoming newsletters. The...

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When submitted a request for a preliminary ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is expect to answer questions – not raise too many new ones. Unfortunately, a judgment on online advertising of 25 November 2021 appears to miss the mark in this respect. The StWL v. eprimo case concerns the question of spam (unsolicited commercial communications) and how far the rules extend. On a free ad-supported e-mail service, users were shown adverts to support the service financially (a paying...

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Built-in security features make it challenging for forensic investigators to confirm the presence of spyware in smartphones. A new technique speeds up the process. Spyware isn't always nefarious. When employed by law enforcement and legitimate intelligence agencies, it can be used to impede threats from cyber actors or terrorist organizations by turning a device into a covert surveillance tool to monitor activity. In the wrong hands, however, spyware can undermine data security for individuals, corporate leaders and government officials by hacking...

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Part One The long-awaited infrastructure proposal was approved by Congress late last week and has been signed into law by President Joe Biden. As part of the President’s mission to “build back better,” the proposal is a considerable investment in the country’s infrastructure. And while not as large as once envisioned — originally, it was $3.5 trillion — it is still a substantial amount at $1.2 trillion. Funding for the Infrastructure Bill will come from a few sources. Following are some of...

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COP26 has once again placed the United States front and center regarding the global focus to reduce emissions. As of today, the United States remains the second largest emitter of CO2 and the largest of the populous countries on a per capita basis. That being said, emissions in the United States have come down significantly, in total and even more so per capita, over the last few years and global warming has now become a major topic of public...

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