Tobacco giants hit as Australia set for first plain packets law August 15, 2012 TOBACCO firms saw share prices dip yesterday after the Australian high court upheld a law enforcing plain cigarette packaging, the first of its kind in the world. Shares in FTSE 100 companies British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Tobacco both closed almost two per cent lower as suggestions spread that the UK and other markets [...]
OLIGARCHS TRADE BLOWS IN COURT BATTLE July 9, 2012 A RIVAL oligarch has accused billionaire Oleg Deripaska of “telling lies on a grand scale” to sidestep a 2001 contract over a stake in RUSAL, the world’s top aluminium producer, the High Court heard yesterday at the start of a multi-billion-dollar legal battle. Businessman Michael Cherney accuses Deripaska of “re-writing history” to erase their partnership, [...]
Samsung wins Apple battle by not being cool July 9, 2012 SAMSUNG Electronics defeated Apple in the latest spat in the rivals’ patent wars yesterday as a British judge ruled Samsung’s Galaxy tablets did not infringe the U.S company’s designs for the iPad because they were “not as cool”. In the High Court judgment Judge Colin Birss said that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets belonged to the same [...]
More firms in the dock over deaths at work January 27, 2013 THE number of new corporate manslaughter cases opened by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) rose 40 per cent from 2011 to last year as more companies face accusations over work-related deaths. Law firm Pinsent Masons, which compiled the figures, said there were 63 cases opened last year, compared to 45 in 2011. Records only date [...]
Former oil executive is the new Archbishop February 4, 2013 The Bishop of Durham, Reverend Justin Welby, returned to the City yesterday when he was confirmed as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul’s Cathedral. No stranger to the Square Mile, the new Archbishop worked in corporate finance for two oil companies before he retrained as an Anglican priest in his mid-30s. Tweeting to [...]
Judge rejects claim that work schemes are modern slavery August 6, 2012 GOVERNMENT schemes designed to help the unemployed gain work experience are lawful, a judge ruled yesterday, in a major victory for the Department of Work and Pensions. Graduate Cait Reilly won a judicial review of one back-to-work scheme after being told by a Jobcentre that she must work unpaid shifts at a branch of Poundland [...]
City Moves | Who’s switching Jobs September 6, 2012 BNP Paribas Real Estate Mike Chadburn has been appointed senior director of international investment at the real estate division of BNP Paribas. He was previously the UK partner to Azimuth Global Partners, where he sourced and acquired UK assets for Malaysian and Korean investors. Chadburn has also previously worked as director of Central London acquisitions [...]
Patent wars hit record high as tech firms fight January 27, 2013 THE GLOBAL technology patent wars hit a new high in 2012, with a record number of applications made for international computing patents. A flurry of costly court cases between smartphone and tablet companies such as Apple, Samsung and Nokia has upped the value of patents in the last 12 months, and this was responsible for [...]
Case against Farepak directors and parent company collapses June 20, 2012 A GOVERNMENT companies watchdog yesterday abandoned its bid to penalise directors of a Christmas saving scheme which collapsed in 2006 leaving tens out of thousands of savers out of pocket. The Insolvency Service, part of business secretary Vince Cable’s department for business, innovation and skills, said it was discontinuing High Court action against both former [...]
As Australia confirms a law banning branded tobacco packages, should the UK follow suit? August 15, 2012 YES Amanda Sandford Branded packs are the last form of tobacco marketing. They act as mobile billboards that are visible every time a smoker reaches for a cigarette. Research shows that children are especially vulnerable and find colourful and glitzy packaging appealing, tempting them to smoke. Removing the promotional aspects of tobacco from packs would [...]