Top Stories

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  AI Uncertainty Cools PE Appetite For UK Law Firms

  By Marialuisa Taddia

  Investors are increasingly cautious about U.K. law firms because of billing uncertainty driven by artificial int...(read more)

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  Hong Kong Spies Get 18 Years Over Shadow Police Ops In UK

  By Sophia Dourou

  Two men were sentenced on Thursday to a combined 18 years in prison for spying for China through "shadow policin...(read more)

• Grenfell Contractor Denies Liability In Council's £360M Claim

  By William Janes

  The contractor behind a refurbishment that saw the installation of combustible materials on the Grenfell Tower before a blaze that killed 72 people has denied liability for the local council's £360 million ($476 million) bill for damages.

• FCA Closes Probe Into Drax Biomass Fuel Sourcing Claims

  By William Janes

  The finance watchdog said Thursday that it had closed its investigation into Drax Group PLC over its concerns about what the company had told the market about the sustainability of wood it used for biomass fuel.

• Freshfields Steers EQT's £10.9B Cash Offer For Intertek

  By Najiyya Budaly

  Product testing heavyweight Intertek Group said Thursday that it has agreed to a £10.9 billion ($14.4 billion) cash takeover by EQT after months of courting by the Swedish private equity firm.

• Lloyd's Fights $3.7M Judgment Over Fake Cargo Ship Policy

  By Ronan Barnard

  A Lloyd's unit fought Wednesday to overturn a decision that it should pay $3.7 million under a mortgagee policy to cover losses from when a cargo ship struck a mine in Ukrainian waters, arguing the lender's losses actually stemmed from the vessel's fake war risks coverage.

• AI-Driven Spike In Complaints May Not Mean More Sanctions

  By Jamie Lennox

  Complaints against lawyers in England and Wales have soared over the past year as artificial intelligence equips clients to sound the alarm over potential misconduct that might have previously gone unreported — but as regulators struggle to keep up, experts say the flood doesn't necessarily herald more penalties.

• Lawmakers Table Twin Anti-SLAPP Bills After Reform Delays

  By Eddie Beaver

  A Conservative lawmaker was set to introduce a private member's bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday aimed at expanding protection against strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as SLAPPs, a day after similar measures were proposed in the House of Lords.

• Travel Tech Co. Hit With Record £1M Russian Sanctions Fine

  By William Janes

  The U.K. government hit travel business Sabre Global Technologies Ltd. with a record £1 million ($1.34 million) fine for repeatedly breaching Russian sanctions by providing services to a sanctioned Russian airline.

• Former OPEC Head Acquitted In London Bribery Trial

  By Ronan Barnard

  A former Nigerian oil minister and two alleged associates were cleared by a London jury on Wednesday of accepting or seeking bribes from energy executives.

• Visa Sued By H&M, Eurostar In Latest Swipe Fees Case

  By William Janes

  More than 30 major businesses and institutions including H&M, Heineken and a university have sued Visa at a London court, alleging that the payment card company's fees and rules restricted competition and drove up prices.

• InterDigital Wins Disney+ Restrictions In 11 EU States

  By Jamie Lennox

  InterDigital has secured a Unified Patent Court injunction against Disney over its video-coding patent in 11 European states, adding to separate injunctions it has already won in Germany and Brazil.

• Ex-Media Biz Chair Tests Scope Of Directors' Good-Faith Duty

  By Eddie Beaver

  The former director of a media company told Britain's top court Wednesday that he should not be forced to buy out a minority shareholder after he obstructed the sale of the business, claiming he believed delaying a sale was in its best interests.

• HMRC Wins Top Court Case On Taxation Of Partnership Pay

  By Sophia Dourou

  Britain's top court ruled on Wednesday that deferred pay distributed to individual partners at a foreign exchange trading firm must be taxed as income, giving a win to HM Revenue and Customs in its challenge to the company's remuneration structure.