 President Joe Biden A federal appeals court reinstated President Joe Biden's rules requiring weekly testing and employee vaccination. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in President Biden's favor by a two-to-one margin. The order's future is still in doubt as the decision was immediately appealed in the Supreme Court on an emergency basis. More: - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) had previously issued guidelines that are applicable to businesses with more than 100 employees. They will impact about 84 million workers starting in January.
- Employees working from home or exclusively outdoors will be exempt from the requirements.
- Employers found in violation of the rules would face a penalty amounting to $13,600 per violation.
- The ruling dissolved the stay on the rules initiated by another court, with the panel expecting all challenges to the vaccination and testing requirements to fail.
- Although three of the current administration's vaccination requirements are in courts, with one applicable to healthcare workers currently in the high court, the Biden administration is confident about the legality of the rules applied and insist on them being urgently needed to contain the spread of the virus and combat the new Omicron variant.
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The U.S. is considering extending military support to Ukraine to assist in the country’s defense against the Russian forces gathering on its border. President Biden’s administration is considering redirecting military equipment, including Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters that were previously allocated to the Afghan National Security forces. More: - Ukraine has received $2.5B worth of military aid from the U.S. since 2014, including $450M in this year alone.
- Russia could finish amassing its full troop strength along the Ukraine border by next month.
- Considering the urgency and criticality of the matter, Ukraine has asked the U.S. for air-defense systems, including Stinger surface-to-air missiles and Black Hawk helicopters, to match the high-tech equipment used by Russia.
- Moscow had previously demanded rejection of Ukraine’s NATO membership and removal of NATO’s military presence along the Russian-Ukraine border.
- The Pentagon may impose strict economic sanctions on Russia but is not considering sending troops to Ukraine.
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 CEO of Intel Corporation Pat Gelsinger Intel is planning a $7.1B investment in Malaysia to increase its manufacturing capabilities and diversify its supply chain. Malaysia accounts for over 10% of the global chip assembly industry, estimated to be worth $20B. More: - Intel already has existing manufacturing units in Malaysia. It established its first offshore assembly plant there in 1972 and now employs ~13,000 workers in the country, which accounts for 10% of its global workforce.
- The new investment will help expand operations across its Penang and Kulim units.
- Intel foresees creating 4,000 permanent new jobs and 5,000 temporary construction jobs in the move that is expected to help relieve global demand shortages, which CEO Pat Gelsinger expects to last well into 2023.
- The chip manufacturer expects to open manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Europe.
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Good news: Scotland has demolished its last coal-fired power plant in Fife as it aims to be net-zero by 2045. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon initiated the controlled explosion of the 600-foot Longannet chimney, ending the country’s reliance on coal power. More: - The Fife-based plant closed in 2016.
- Energy generated from renewable energy sources accounted for 97% of Scotland’s gross energy consumption in 2020.
- The nation had aimed to achieve a 100% renewable energy target by 2020.
- Scotland has established onshore and offshore wind and hydroelectricity units in a bid to transition away from fossil fuel-generated power.
- The country currently has only one gas-fired plant remaining in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
- Earlier this year, the Parliament approved a $660M energy transition fund to offset the oil and gas industry in Scotland.
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 Puerto Rico's former education secretary, Julia Keleher Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, Julia Keleher, was sentenced to six months in prison, 12 months of house arrest, and a $21,000 fine after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud. The former education secretary was arrested two years ago on corruption charges. More: - Keleher granted a $13M federal contract to a politically connected consultant, the terms of which initially did not allow for subcontractors.
- She also diverted a 1,034 square-foot ploy of land serving as an obstacle and allocated for a school toward a road-widening project in San Juan.
- In return, the developer rented an apartment to her for a three-month period in 2018 at $1 and later gave her a $12,000 incentive.
- Keleher’s assistant and her sister also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud last year.
Zoom out: - Three Puerto Rico mayors were arrested recently on corruption charges.
- One former mayor, accused of awarding $10M worth of contracts to an asphalt company in exchange for cash and luxury watches, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
- Former Education Secretary Victor Fajardo was sentenced to 10 years in jail for diverting $4M in government funding to himself and his political party.
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Hong Kong will host its legislative election this Sunday, the first since China's national security crackdown. All candidates have been reported to be aligned with the Chinese Communist Party, while opposing candidates have been imprisoned or barred from running. Voter turnout is expected to be less than 30%. More: - Opinion polls indicate a historic voter dropout with predictions ranging between 48% to 30%. Voter turnout in the last election, which occurred in 2016, was 58%.
- 10 people have been arrested by the anti-corruption police for urging voters to boycott or cast blank ballots, which could result in three years of jail time or up to $25,000 in fines if convicted.
- Hong Kong has over 4.5 million registered voters, and the government is taking all precautions to ensure maximum voter participation, including offering free bus and subway rides and establishing voting sites at borders.
- Residents have been seeking support on social media platforms for the release of its prominent jailed candidates.
- The number of seats directly elected by voters will decrease to 20 from 35, even though Hong Kong's legislature will grow to 90 members from 70.
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- Typhoon Rai blew over the Philippines, killing 31 people, knocking out power and communications, and destroying homes.
- Robert Palmer of Florida was handed a five-year prison sentence for his involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots.
- Japanese Police are on the lookout for a man suspected of an arson fire that killed 24 people in a mental clinic in Osaka, Japan. Over 70 fire engines and ambulances helped extinguish the fire and treat victims.
- Disney pulled its package of channels, including the Disney Channel, FX, and ESPN, from YouTube TV after failing to reach a mutual agreement. YouTube said it would cut its subscription price by $15 a month as long as the channels are unavailable.
- Audi will open its pilot charging hub, featuring six 320kW fast charging points and over 2,000 square feet of lounge space, on Dec. 23 in Nuremberg, Germany.
- Amazon pledges to investigate an incident involving its delivery drivers where the dispatch continued to disregard the safety of the driver during the tornado outbreak that swept across five states in the U.S.
- A volcanic alert has been raised by Indonesian authorities, who believe that Mount Sumeru could erupt again soon after picking up increasing subterranean activity similar to the Dec. 4 eruption.
- Drinkworks, a JV startup between Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, is shutting down and has ceased sales of its automated K-cup cocktail dispensers.
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 |  | Karan Chafekar is a Management Consultant, Business enthusiast, Formula 1 lover, and a Licensed Pilot. He is also a part-time automobile and aviation fanatic, and a full-time introvert. | | | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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