Brexit: UK and EU eye Northern Ireland Protocol deal by February December 14, 2022 UK and EU officials are hoping to seal a deal on the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol by February, after more than a year of wrangling. Talks over a deal have intensified over the past month, after relations have thawed between London and Brussels during Rishi Sunak’s premiership. Bloomberg reports that foreign secretary James Cleverly and [...]
Solicitors’ watchdog shuts down four Metamorph owned firms December 14, 2022 The UK’s legal watchdog has forcibly closed four law firms owned by national conglomerate Metamorph following reports of directors resigning and staff being left unpaid. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) also seized cash and documents from the law firm, which was set up by British entrepreneur Simon Goldhill in 2016 with the aim of [...]
Russian oligarch seeks to block fraud lawsuit over sanctions December 14, 2022 A high-profile Russian oligarch is seeking to block an $850m (£685m) fraud lawsuit over claims the Russian banks suing him could use proceeds from the case to “fund the war in Ukraine”. Lawyers acting on behalf of Russian banker Boris Mints called for the High Court lawsuit to be put on hold in arguing any [...]
Rivals raise eyebrows over BT’s Openreach price cuts December 14, 2022 BT’s Openreach has said it plans to offer cheaper rates to its wholesale clients like Sky and TalkTalk as it tries to push Brits from copper to full fibre. The move will benefit big internet providers that do not have their own fibre networks, but has raised eyebrows amongst the firm’s biggest rivals. The main [...]
CMA launches investigation into rising cost of antibiotics amid Strep A outbreak December 14, 2022 The rising prices of antibiotics amid an outbreak of Strep A in the UK has raised concerns with the UK’s competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the price rises today. Some pharmacies have reported being charged up to £19 for a box of drugs that normally costs a few [...]
Morocco airline cancels World Cup fan flights to Qatar December 14, 2022 Royal Air Maroc has cancelled flights that were going to carry football fans to Qatar for the World Cup semi-final. The Morocco vs France semi-final saw Moroccans booking match tickets and flights to Qatar. Royal Air Maroc had said it would add over 30 flights between Casablanca and Doha to meet demand. These flights are [...]
Hard-hit cinemas bank on Avatar December 14, 2022 Analysts have warned against cinema chains pinning too much hope on upcoming blockbusters like Avatar sequel, which is due to drop this week. Although Imax’s chief exec said the James Cameron’s sci-fi movie had “one of the highest pre-sale levels we’ve ever seen”, big screens may need to do more to turn the tide – [...]
Milbank boosts position in London market via deal with boutique firm December 14, 2022 New York law giant Milbank has poached almost 30 lawyers from boutique law firm Dickson Minto after snapping up its highly coveted City-based private equity division. The deal will see seven partners and 20 associates from Dickson Minto’s City offices join Milbank’s 140 lawyer-strong London team. Scottish corporate law firm Dickson Minto currently has its [...]
EU raises €20bn to boost green energy and slash reliance on Russian fossil fuels December 14, 2022 The EU has squeezed an extra €20bn from its carbon market for investments to slash the bloc's reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
It’s beginning to look a lot like chaos: Rail strikes hit London as businesses shed Christmas bookings December 14, 2022 Parts of London resembled a ghost town yesterday as rail workers kicked off the first of several days of strikes. Bars in the capital warned they are haemorrhaging tens of thousands of pounds in lost bookings due to mass walkouts deterring commuters, raising the threat of businesses missing out on their third ever-critical golden quarter [...]