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On 16 November, the leaders and trade ministers of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), covering more than 60% of global trade, concluded their summit by issuing declarations which include a strong commitment to promoting the use of electronic trade-related documents, and the electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) in particular. Research has shown that switching away from the transfer of physical, paper-based Bills of Ladings could save stakeholders around $6.5 billion in direct costs, enable $30-40 billion in annual global trade growth, transform the customer experience, and improve sustainability. The “Machu Pichu Declaration”, of the APEC leaders is a major milestone to unlocking these benefits for all stakeholders in international trade. Leah Liston of the United States Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President, said: “APEC’s focus this year on the eBL, and the underlying laws and technology needed to operationalise them showed great promise. Digitalisation of trade documents and procedures is the next step in trade facilitation for sustainable and inclusive growth. The progress made this year shows that APEC is taking on the challenge and our traders are benefiting from it.” The commitment of the APEC economies is much welcomed and celebrated by the container shipping industry. Last year, the CEOs of the members of the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), covering 75% of global containerised trade and issuing the vast majority of bills of lading, also committed to achieve 100% eBL. Additionally, the members of the FIT Alliance (BIMCO, DCSA, FIATA, ICC and Swift) launched an eBL declaration, which was signed by many cargo owners, banks, freight forwarders and IT solution providers. Despite the obvious benefits and industry commitment, barriers to achieving 100% eBL remain and not all barriers can be addressed by the industry itself. Indeed, legislation and government procedures can complicate or even prevent the use of the eBL. In 2024, DCSA published a report pinpointing legal and regulatory barriers for 100% eBL and was invited to share its findings and discuss solutions with the APEC members. Thomas Bagge, CEO of DCSA said: “It is great that in times of geopolitical challenges, global leaders agree that cooperation to achieve digitalisation and standardisation of trade is the way forward. At DCSA we are proud and honoured to be able to contribute to this great milestone in trade digitalisation and remain equally committed to achieving 100% eBL by collaboration with all stakeholders of global supply chains.” As part of the Machu Pichu Declaration, the APEC leaders reaffirmed their commitment to enhance supply chain connectivity. In particular the leaders want to enhance transparency, efficiency, and reliability of trade by digitalising key processes, and the recognition of electronic trade-related documents, such as the eBL. As well as being an excellent host of the APEC summit, the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Peru (Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo) took a leading role in ensuring that the digitalisation of the Bill of Lading is made a priority at the highest levels of global politics. Teresa Mera Gomez, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru said: “Peru’s foreign trade policy strategically focuses on enhancing physical and technological infrastructure to facilitate trade, with a particular emphasis on promoting paperless trade through the digitalisation of key foreign trade documents, such as the electronic Bill of Lading (eBL). The adoption of advanced technologies and the integration of electronic records are crucial for optimising the efficiency and resilience of global supply chains. Collaboration with key industry stakeholders, such as the DCSA and the other FIT Alliance members, is vital for establishing global standards and accelerating adoption. Peru has included the prioritisation of these measures at the highest levels, as reflected in the Joint Ministerial Statements and Leaders’ Declarations. Embedding these priorities into national and regional trade agendas will enable the development of targeted initiatives to drive modernisation and connectivity in international trade.” As follow up to the Machu Pichu Declaration, the APEC economies will work towards aligning their legal frameworks, including with the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR)[5], and improve trade facilitation through the use of digitalisation, automation, and international standards, while strengthening border agency cooperation Source: APECS. Illinois 81, Florida Tech 54
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As a judge, Alexander P. Bicket made those around him feel at ease. Whether it was from the bench of his third-floor courtroom with the parties before him or in his chambers, where he regularly welcomed students, interns and young lawyers, he was unassuming. A native of South Africa — with a strong accent even more than 40 years after coming to the United States — Bicket showed a genuine interest in those around him. “He just collected friends and people who cared for him,” said his wife, Susan Bicket. “My life was enriched by it.” Bicket, 68, of Mt. Lebanon, died on Monday at home. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer nearly three years ago and continued to work throughout his treatment. Most people in the Allegheny County Courthouse on Grant Street did not know Bicket, who never smoked, was ill. Bicket. who worked in Common Pleas Court for 13 years, presided over several high-profile cases during his time in the criminal division, including the homicide trial of former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld in 2019, and the 2020 guilty pleas in the rare book thefts from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh . Sense of justice Originally from Cape Town, Bicket attended a private boarding school at the foot of Table Mountain, which overlooks the city, from the age of 6, said his twin brother, Nicholas “Nicky” Bicket. The judge excelled in sports, his brother said, including sailing and riding their pony — until he was thrown off one too many times. As for academics, he excelled there, as well, although his brother was quick to point out Bicket failed his history exams his senior year of high school. That same year, Bicket, a tenor who had performed for years in their school choir, played the role of Major-General in “The Pirates of Penzance.” It was a performance they still talk about, his brother said. After high school graduation in 1973, Bicket was called up to the South African Defence Force for a year, where he primarily served as a junior chef for officers. Afterward, Bicket attended South Africa’s Stellenbosch University. It was there, his brother said, that Bicket developed a deep discomfort with the country’s apartheid regime that discriminated against its nonwhite majority. Bicket grew uncomfortable in the whites-only school. “He was aware that it was patently unfair,” his brother said. “He developed a very strong sense of justice and injustice. “He found racism — institutionalized or not — to be something he abhorred.” They were feelings that continued to guide Bicket, decades later, in his career on the bench. Although Bicket started out in legal studies, friends persuaded him to switch to education. He later earned a teaching degree from the University of Cape Town. Bicket taught in South Africa for two years before following a girlfriend to New York City. There, he earned a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University before moving with her to Pittsburgh, where she got a job as a doctor. The two eventually broke up. Switching careers Bicket, who needed a job and a visa, went to the Fox Chapel Area School District — wearing flip-flops, cut-off shorts and a T-shirt, according to his wife. He applied to teach Latin and English. “He said, ‘I need to be sponsored for citizenship.’ They said, ‘OK, you’re hired,’ ” Susan Bicket said. He was shocked that they offered him the job, but the high school had been looking to fill the Latin spot for years, his brother said. When school officials saw Latin on his transcripts, they thought Bicket had studied it in college. However, the transcript they’d seen was from his high school studies, his brother said. “He didn’t know any Latin,” he said. Nonetheless, Bicket thrived in the district, working there from 1982 to 1989, and earning an award for teacher of the year. In 1988, he became a U.S. citizen. While working at Fox Chapel, he enrolled in the night law school program at Duquesne University. It was there where he met his future wife, Susan Mosites, who attended the day program. They married in 1991, and their son, Alexander Ian, now 30, was born a few years later. August followed five years after that. Both children live in California now. The family traveled extensively, Susan Bicket said, including frequent trips to England and South Africa. They visited his brother in Cambridge often, and the judge’s favorite part of his visits to London was drinking ale there. “He would step off the plane and look for an old pub,” Nicky Bicket said. He also recalled his brother, in his younger years, taking pint glasses from those same pubs in London to collect them. Bicket loved Bach, but his favorite song was “American Pie” by Don McLean. His favorite place, his wife said, was Pearly Beach on the Cape Whale Coast in South Africa. A judicial temperament After graduating from law school, Bicket joined Zimmer Kunz. He worked in insurance defense for 23 years, including serving as a special master for U.S. District Judge Alan Bloch. In 2011, he ran for and won a seat on the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. “That was his favorite job by a long shot,” his wife said. Bicket spent the first four years in the family division. His parents had been divorced when he was 2, his wife said, so it gave him additional insight and empathy into the difficulties parents and children faced. He moved to the criminal division in 2015. Bicket enjoyed the drama of the courtroom and understanding the psychology behind the people who appeared before him, his wife said. U.S. District Judge Robert Colville knew Bicket for years when they both worked as attorneys, but they became close friends when Bicket was elected to the bench. “He had a keen and intellectual respect for the rule of law, balanced against a sincere and unrelenting compassion for people, simply as fellow human beings deserving of dignity.” Judge Jill E. Rangos was close to Bicket and often popped into his chambers — filled with dozens of photographs of his loved ones and always kept exceedingly warm with a space heater — to chat. He directed his visitors to one of two chairs, and Bicket sat on the couch opposite, propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. Rangos called him unpretentious. “He cared more about you and less about telling you about himself,” Rangos said. In an interview soon after Bicket was elected, he was asked what kind of judge he wanted to be. His answer: “‘prepared, courteous, punctual, polite and compassionate.’” “He was all those things and more,” Rangos said. Bicket still dressed like a high school teacher, she recalled, noting he wore a shirt and tie and sweater, but rarely the full suit typical of a judge. Each day before his staff left, Bicket unfailingly thanked them for their work. Bicket enjoyed performing weddings, and just a few weeks before he died, led the ceremony for his secretary and her now-husband, his wife said. He also filled the role of ethics judge in Allegheny County, Rangos said. She and others, including attorneys, went to him with questions on ethical dilemmas, seeking guidance. Lawyers loved to appear in Bicket’s courtroom, Rangos said. “People thought they were treated justly,” she said. “When you talk about a judicial temperament, he was the ideal of that.” Attorney Michael Machen, who became friends with Bicket, agreed. “You were delighted to see he was your judge,” Machen said. In addition to his wife, children and brother, Bicket is also survived by his granddaughter, Artemis; and two nieces. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Slater Funeral Home at 1650 Greentree Road.
OTTAWA — TikTok is challenging the federal government’s order to shut down its operations in Canada. The company filed documents in Federal Court in Vancouver last Thursday. In November, Ottawa ordered the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform. That means TikTok must “wind down” its operations in Canada, though the app will continue to be available to Canadians. TikTok is asking the court to overturn the government’s order and to put a pause on the order going into effect while the court hears the case. It is claiming the decision was “unreasonable” and “driven by improper purposes.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024. Darryl Greer and Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian PressOn the night of Dec. 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country. Soldiers entered Seoul, South Korea’s capital city, and attempted to prevent the country’s legislature from meeting while citizens took to the streets in protest. Since then, the National Assembly, South Korea’s legislature, voted 190-0 to lift the country’s martial law declaration. At 4:30 a.m. local time on Dec. 4, Yoon lifted the declaration. We’re VERIFYING photos that have gone viral in the hours since Yoon first declared martial law. THE QUESTION Was this photo of a convoy of military vehicles on a South Korea city street taken after President Yoon declared martial law? THE SOURCES KFN , a YouTube channel run by the South Korean military Seoul Shinmun , an online news publication in South Korea THE ANSWER No, the photo of a convoy of military vehicles in Seoul, South Korea’s capital city, was not taken during the country’s period of martial law. VERIFY used RevEye, a reverse image search tool, to trace the image back to a Jan. 27, 2024, Korean news article . That article, which sourced the image to the Defense Public Relations Agency, said the armored vehicles were participating in a training exercise in downtown Seoul. The South Korean military posted a video about the convoy and training exercise to its YouTube channel , KFN, on Jan. 25, 2024. That video showed multiple angles of the convoy as it moved through Seoul. Rumors that tanks were deployed to Seoul after the martial law declaration have not been confirmed. VERIFY has not found any local press photos of tanks in the city, and the veracity of social media photos of tanks in the city could not be confirmed. THE QUESTION Is this a real photo of people protesting South Korea’s martial law? THE SOURCES European Pressphoto Agency , a photo service founded by seven European news agencies RevEye, a reverse image source tool THE ANSWER No, this is not a photo of people protesting President Yoon’s declaration of martial law on the night of Dec. 3. It is a photo from an earlier protest against Yoon, calling for his resignation amid allegations of corruption. VERIFY once again checked for the source of the image using RevEye. Through that search, VERIFY found an Italian news article published Nov. 30, 2024, that credited the image to Jeon Heon Kyun of the EPA. “EPA” is the acronym of the European Pressphoto Agency , which published the photo that same day. THE QUESTION Is this a real photo of staff at the National Assembly Building using fire extinguishers to prevent soldiers from advancing? THE SOURCES Reuters SBS News , a Korean news broadcaster THE ANSWER Yes, this is a real photo of staff at the National Assembly Building using fire extinguishers to prevent soldiers from advancing during martial law on the night of Dec. 3, 2024. The photo was published by Reuters . The incident was captured on video by Korean news broadcaster SBS News. It can be seen 11:56 minutes into this video . THE QUESTION Is this a real photo of protesters pushing a Korean lawmaker over the gate to parliament while the military was blocking it? THE SOURCES Gukjenews News Agency , a Korean news publication Livestream of Lee Jae Myung , leader of South Korea’s opposition party THE ANSWER Yes, this is a real photo of protesters pushing a Korean lawmaker over the gate of the National Assembly Building, which is where Korea’s legislative body gathers. At the time, when martial law was in effect, the military was attempting to prevent entry into the building. The image is watermarked with the logo of the Gukjenews news agency. That photo can be found on the news agency’s website . Gukjenews published a number of photos from the protest outside of South Korea’s National Assembly Building in Seoul. This lawmaker was not the only one who had to climb over the gate to enter the National Assembly Building. Lee Jae Myung, a member of the National Assembly and the leader of the country’s opposition party, climbed over the fence to enter the National Assembly Building while recording a livestream posted to his YouTube channel.
Two of the last standing “shotgun homes” on Fort Worth’s Historic Southside could face demolition after several fires at the properties damaged the dwellings. The two shotgun homes are located at 936 and 940 E. Oleander St., just off East Rosedale Street and Evans Avenue. At its Oct. 14 meeting, the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission voted that the buildings could not be reasonably rehabilitated due to the damage from the recent fires. The case was complicated by the fact that ownership of the two homes is in question. According to the city, property owner Joseph Anthony Kida died in June 2023 and ownership of the properties is still in the probate process. Kida’s daughter Evelyn Kida, the possible heir to the properties, lives in Chicago and has paid for some upkeep following the fires in late June and early July. The properties are the remaining structures from a row of seven shotgun houses on three adjoining lots. Built in 1938, the homes were typical working-class housing for that era, said Dennis Chiessa, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington. “These types of buildings performed really well because they evolved from Africa to the south of the United States, New Orleans, and they provided housing, affordable housing for working-class people,” he said. Shotgun houses are characterized by their compact nature with one room lined up right after another allowing for air to circulate through the house on hot days. Usually the homes are about 12-feet wide and the length can vary, but they are typically between 300 to 600 square feet and have a gable front with a small porch. Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. The shotgun houses are some of the only remaining examples of this type of housing in Fort Worth, “making them increasingly significant on an architectural and cultural level,” according to a staff report on the homes. The report says that sections of shotgun housing on Hattie and Cannon streets and New York Avenue have all been demolished. Chiessa said some of the shotgun homes in the city’s downtown and Northside have been preserved and some are currently occupied. One company, Rent Historic Fort Worth, offers two refurbished shotgun homes on the Northside for rent. “What these homes provided was housing,” said Chiessa. “I think more recently we could use these for affordable housing for people that live in those again.” Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Your support makes TWICE the impact today. As November draws to a close , time is running out to double your impact. Thanks to the generosity of the Nicholas Martin Jr. Family Foundation, every dollar you give will be matched—up to $15,000. Will you give today to help trusted, local reporting thrive in Fort Worth and Tarrant County? Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Bob Francis, Fort Worth Report November 21, 2024Aston Villa denied last-gasp winner in Juventus stalemate
Scottsdale police have released surveillance video of a brawl involving former NHL player Paul Bissonnette and six men at a Houston’s restaurant on Nov. 24, which resulted in him being hospitalized. In the footage, posted to social media by 12News, Bissonnette is shirtless and chased through a parking lot while several men pursue him — eventually ganging up to punch and kick him multiple times on the ground before he’s able to escape. “This is the worst of it I took after I knock out that inbred William Carroll f–k before we pass the dumpster,” the Barstool Sports podcaster wrote on X . “It was never going to be a fair fight. Let the games begin. Ate some boot f–ks to the head & jaw but wouldn’t change a thing. F–k the Scottsdale Six. This ain’t over.” The Scottsdale Police Department arrested the six men — Henry Mesker, John Carroll, William Carroll, Danny Bradley, Edward Jennings and Sean Daley — and released their mugshots on Nov. 26. Some of the men were seen with bruises on their face in the mugshot photos. All six men were hit with assault charges, and some received an additional charge of disorderly conduct, according to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports. Daley, 29, was charged with a felony count of possession of a forged instrument after police said he admitted he had a fraudulent military ID on his person at the time of his arrest. Daley is due back in court for another hearing sometime this month. A day after the incident, Bissonnette, 39, posted a video on social media alleging he was attacked by a bunch of “drunk golfers” while at Houston’s, and the brawl spilled into a CVS parking lot nearby. The “NHL on TNT” analyst explained he “felt the need to step in” when he saw the men getting physical with the restaurant staff at that Houston’s location, which he visits three or four times a week. “I ate three kicks, one in the neck and two in the head,” he said on Barstool Sports’ “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, in the aftermath, adding that his shirt was ripped off and he lost his shoes. The six men were involved in another altercation at the nearby Raven Golf Club just hours earlier, according to a separate video shared on social media by Shea Stevens. Bissonnette previously said the altercation was captured on camera and that he was waiting for the footage to come out. The ex- NHLer vowed to seek vengeance on the six men. “It was a bunch of drunk golfers, things obviously continued to escalate,” he said in a video on X last month. “They asked one guy to leave. And then one guy kept getting in the manager’s face and put his hands on him. “... I went over I just grabbed the guy’s arm that was on him and I said, ‘Sir if you continue to harass and assault this staff, we’re going to have problems,’ and then they just started chucking.”
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