UK plans to sanction all Russian nationals would breach equality laws, banks say April 1, 2022 The UK government’s plans to ban Russians from holding more than £50,000 in UK bank accounts are unfeasible, banks have said. Banks have told the government that the sanctions measures put in place in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would breach equality laws, which prevent discrimination on the basis of nationality. The sanctions set [...]
Mining giant BHP to face £5bn lawsuit over Brazilian dam collapse disaster April 1, 2022 Mining giant BHP is set to face a £5bn lawsuit in London’s Court of Appeal next week, over the collapse of a Brazilian dam in 2015 which led to one of the country’s worst ever environmental disasters. The claim, brought forward by more than 200,000 Brazilians, follows the catastrophic collapse of the Fundão tailings dam [...]
Los Angeles judges approves Activision’s $18m sexual discrimination settlement March 31, 2022 A Los Angeles judge has approved an $18m (£13.7m) settlement between Activision Blizzard and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to settle one of several lawsuits facing the videogames developer. In a statement, Activision Blizzard said the federal court had agreed to sign off on its $18m settlement after the EEOC accused the firm [...]
Hackers tricked Meta into handing over user data after forging emergency requests March 31, 2022 Hackers pretending to be police officers tricked Meta into handing over user data after filing fake “emergency data requests”. The Facebook owner gave user information – including phone numbers and physical addresses – over to hackers, after they filed the falsified requests while pretending to be law enforcement officers, sources told AFP. The hackers were [...]
Use of AI tools in justice system poses serious threat to civil liberties, House of Lords says March 31, 2022 A House of Lords select committee has said the government should set up a national body to regulate use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the UK’s justice system, after warning deployment of such tools poses a serious threat to civil liberties. In a report, the House of Lords committee warned that “without many of us [...]
High flying insurance duo plan £150m SPAC IPO on London Stock Exchange March 31, 2022 Insurance industry veterans Will Allen and Andy Rear are planning to raise £150m through the launch of a new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in the coming days. The prominent duo plan to list a shell company called FINSAC on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with a view merging with a leading name insurance technology [...]
Save the Children sets up Islamic charity fund March 31, 2022 A leading Islamic scholar has endorsed Save the Children’s plans to launch a Zakat charity fund. Islamic scholar Shaykh Haytham Tamim issued a Fatwa in favour of Save the Children’s new fundraising policy, meaning Muslims from around the world will now be able to contribute to the charity as part of Zakat. As the fifth [...]
Laytons ETL completes acquisition of City of London real estate specialist Cannings Connolly March 31, 2022 Laytons ETL Global has completed its acquisition of City of London law firm Cannings Connolly, marking Laytons’ first acquisition since it joined ETL Global last year. In a statement Laytons’ managing partner John Abbott said the deal will add “valuable” new strings to its bow, by expanding its commercial real estate and construction offerings. The [...]
Aviva chief Amanda Blanc to sit alongside Sir David Attenborough as ambassador for WWF March 31, 2022 Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc is set to join a group of high-profile environmentalists in becoming an ambassador for nature charity WWF. In taking up her new position, the Aviva chief will sit alongside Sir David Attenborough and other prominent figures on WWF’s Council of Ambassadors. The insurance exec’s new role as ambassador will see [...]
Law Society supports British judges’ decisions to step down from Hong Kong’s top court March 30, 2022 The Law Society of England and Wales has said it supports the decisions made by two top-ranking British judges to resign from Hong Kong’s highest court, after they claimed the city-state’s crackdown on free speech has made their positions untenable. Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said the Law Society shared Lord Reed’s assessment that [...]