Crispin Blunt says new cannabis and wider drugs legislation could be a task for a Royal Commission October 4, 2016 Former prisons minister and Tory MP Crispin Blunt has said the best way to move ahead with more progressive drugs legislation would be to initiate a Royal Commission on the matter. Blunt told a fringe event about cannabis legalisation at the Conservative party conference last night that doing so would take the debate about changing drugs policy, [...]
Major report from the Royal Society for Public Health and the Faculty of Public Health calls for drug decriminalisation in the UK June 16, 2016 Drug reform was put back on the agenda today after a report by two major public health organisations called for the personal use and possession of all illegal drugs to be decriminalised. The study by the Royal Society for Public Health and the Faculty of Public Health criticised the government's drug policies and said the [...]
Yahoo hack: US Justice Department files charges against Russian spies in connection with cyber breach March 15, 2017 US authorities have filed charges against Russian intelligence officials in connection with a massive hack of data from Yahoo in 2014. The US Justice Department (DOJ) has indicted four defendants, including two officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), for "computer hacking, economic espionage and other criminal offenses in connection with a conspiracy, beginning in January [...]
Libor will end in 2021 says Britain’s top financial regulator July 27, 2017 The infamous Libor benchmark lending rate is set to be dropped in 2021, the UK’s top financial regulator said today. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) boss Andrew Bailey said the London interbank offered rate (Libor) will no longer receive the backing of regulators as the industry tries to move to a more reliable marker. Libor, which [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hosts London devolution summit July 14, 2016 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan today held a summit of political and business leaders as he pushes for support on further devolution for the capital. Meeting business representatives from the Corporation of London, London First and the London Chamber of Commerce, Khan looked to bolster support for more powers in the wake of the Brexit vote last [...]
Volkswagen pleads guilty to US charges in emissions scandal March 11, 2017 Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to three US charges relating to the emissions scandal that emerged in 2015. The German company's lawyer Manfred Doss said VW had committed criminal acts in both Germany and the United States, and admitted that cars were fitted with software that allowed them to cheat emissions tests over six years. Read more: [...]
Financier Bill Browder, thorn in Putin’s side, is on the verge of securing a UK Magnitsky law after a five-year push March 20, 2017 Since Sergei Magnitsky was killed in a Russian jail in 2009, financier Bill Browder has campaigned vociferously to bring those responsible for his former lawyer’s death to justice. This high-profile activity has set him on a collision course with the Russian authorities and specifically Vladimir Putin. In apparent retaliation against his justice campaign, the Russian [...]
Decision on super exam for lawyers delayed June 1, 2016 The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today delayed making a decision on the introduction of a so-called super exam. While the SRA maintained in its announcement that it still believed there was a strong case for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, it has extended its timetable to work out some of the detail. Read more: Criminal justice system [...]
Facebook, Twitter and Google could face €50m fines for fake news and hate speech under German law proposals March 14, 2017 German lawmakers have slammed Facebook and Twitter for their failure to tackle content which breaks the law, hate speech posted on the sites, and so-called fake news that's defamatory, warning of financial penalties for companies which do not tackle the problem. Draft laws proposed today would bring in fines of up to €50m (£44m) for the companies failing [...]
Ministers probe plan to cut NI contributions for firms recruiting ex-offenders February 27, 2017 Ministers are exploring whether firms should be offered financial incentives to recruit ex-offenders. Options being considered include reducing National Insurance contributions if employers take on former prisoners. The plans emerged as part of the government's response to a report from the Work and Pensions Select Committee, which calls on ministers to provide more support to ex-offenders. Read More: Ex-migration chief [...]