In a few months’ time, the African Development Bank (“AfDB”) Board of Governors will vote to decide the successor to President Donald Kaberuka whose presidency comes to an end on August 31, 2015.  Having first gained international prominence for undertaking sweeping economic reforms as finance minister in a post-genocide Rwanda,…
Continue Reading The Candidates for African Development Bank President

After a week-long recess, Members of Congress return to Washington, D.C. for a five-week work period and a jam-packed agenda. 

The Senate will convene on Monday and resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 240, the House-passed Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill.  Current funding for the agency …
Continue Reading This Week in Congress – February 23, 2015

This past weekend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took the first steps to allow the routine use of certain small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial purposes in U.S. airspace.  In taking this highly anticipated action, the FAA released a proposed rule, an overview of the proposed rule, a…
Continue Reading FAA’s Proposed Drone Rules

Landowners in South Africa again are focused on a governmental land reform policy that seeks to prohibit foreign ownership of land in the country.  The government has been publicly discussing the policy for over two years but it is back in the spotlight after President Jacob Zuma announced in last…
Continue Reading South Africa To Ban Foreign Land Ownership?

On Sunday, the White House released a memorandum that outlines privacy protections that federal agencies must take when they use drones, and directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to work with the private sector to establish voluntary privacy practices for commercial drone use.

The White House issued the memorandum…
Continue Reading White House Releases Drone Privacy Memorandum

The Senate and House of Representatives are on a scheduled recess this week, set to return to legislative work on Monday, February 23.

Both chambers adjourned without any resolution to the dispute over continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  The current appropriations measure for the agency expires…
Continue Reading This Week in Congress – February 17, 2015

A new, comprehensive report published by the African Union’s high-level panel on illicit financial flows and the United Nations economic commission for Africa (Uneca) concludes that Africa loses more than $50 billion every year to illicit financial outflows (IFFs).  The report, entitled Illicit Financial Flows, represents the first African …
Continue Reading AU-UN Report Reveals Startling Illicit Financial Flows in Africa

Food safety remains an issue of significant public and government concern in China going into the new calendar year and the impending Chinese New Year.  High profile food safety scandals, including contaminated meat and pet food, continued in China over the last two years, further eroding the public’s confidence in …
Continue Reading China Struggles With Food Safety

China has begun the process of revamping its legal regime for foreign investment. On January 19, 2015, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”), the ministry charged with regulating foreign investment in China, issued a new draft Foreign Investment Law (the “Draft Law”), representing China’s attempt to unify the governance of foreign …
Continue Reading Chinese Draft Foreign Investment Law–First Post

After a week of failed attempts to bring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding measure to the floor for consideration, the Senate will return on Monday to continue to seek a path forward on providing DHS with necessary appropriations before the current funding bill expires on February 27th. Senate…
Continue Reading This Week in Congress – February 9, 2015