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☆ Madagascan President's Ex-Aide Offered Influence for Bribes, London Jury Told
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina's ex-chief of staff offered to use her influence to obtain bribes from precious stone miner Gemfields in exchange for help with lucrative mining rights, prosecutors told a London court on Tuesday. Romy Andrianarisoa, 47, is accused of seeking substantial payments from Gemfields between 2021 and 2023 to help the company expand its business into Madagascar. Prosecutor Alex Leach told jurors at Southwark Crown Court that Andrianarisoa was, at the time of the alleged offending, a "trusted adviser" to Rajoelina. At the meeting, Andrianarisoa "made it clear she had direct influence on the president", Leach added. He said Gemfields later approached Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) after it became clear Andrianarisoa and her associate Philippe Tabuteau were seeking a bribe.

Persons: Sam Tobin LONDON, Andry Rajoelina's, Romy Andrianarisoa, Andrianarisoa, Alex Leach, Leach, Sean Gilbertson, Gemfields, Britain's, Philippe Tabuteau, Tabuteau, Sam Tobin, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Southwark Crown, Crime Agency, NCA, Gemfields Locations: London, Gemfields, Madagascar, Southwark, Tabuteau

☆ Brexit backer James Dyson loses libel lawsuit against UK newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - James Dyson, the billionaire inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, on Friday lost a libel lawsuit against a British newspaper publisher over a column that branded him a hypocrite who had "screwed" Britain. Dyson sued Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of the Daily Mirror, at London's High Court over articles that lambasted him for moving the global head office of his company from Britain to Singapore after championing the economic benefits of Brexit. Judge Robert Jay dismissed Dyson's lawsuit in a written ruling on Friday. But the High Court ruled that MGN had successfully argued its defence of honest opinion and that Dyson had not proved he had suffered "serious harm" as a result of the column. "The claimant having failed on the issue of 'serious harm' and the defendant having succeeded on its honest opinion defence, this claim must be dismissed," the judge said.

Persons: James Dyson, Dyson, Robert Jay, Dyson's, Brian Reade, MGN, Sam Tobin, Paul Sandle Organizations: Group, Daily, Court, Thomson Locations: Britain, Singapore

☆ UK antitrust regulator wins appeal over Apple probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Apple Inc. logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, U.S., October 16, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Britain's antitrust regulator can investigate Apple's (AAPL.O) mobile browser and cloud gaming services, London's Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday, overturning a lower court decision the watchdog said could undermine its power to launch probes. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a full investigation last year into the dominance of Apple and Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O) in mobile browsers. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled in Apple's favour in March, but the Court of Appeal upheld the CMA's appeal on Thursday. The CMA said its investigation is on hold pending any application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Persons: Mike Segar, Judge Nicholas Green, Green, Sarah Cardell, Sam Tobin, Michael Holden, Jane Merriman Organizations: Apple Inc, Apple, REUTERS, London's, Markets Authority, CMA, Google, CAT, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, Apple's

☆ Goldman Sachs analyst used inside information for profit, London court told
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A former Goldman Sachs (GS.N) analyst used confidential information to make more than 140,000 pounds ($176,800) from shares in listed companies, prosecutors told a London court on Thursday. Prosecutor Peter Carter said the brothers "used information which they should not have used – because it was private, confidential, price-sensitive information – to gamble effectively, to invest on the stock exchange". He told the jury that Goldman Sachs' internal policies strictly forbid any use of confidential information acquired by the investment bank or its employees. "To breach a confidence or to use confidential information improperly or carelessly would be unthinkable," the policy says. Carter said the policy was clear that employees are not allowed to use confidential information "other than for your work at (Goldman Sachs) and nothing else".

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Mohammed Zina, Zina, Suhail Zina, Clifford Chance, Mohammed, Peter Carter, Carter, Sam Tobin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Goldman, Goldman Sachs International, Arm Holdings, Southwark Crown, Tesco Bank, Thomson Locations: London, Southwark

☆ Sony facing $7.9 bln mass lawsuit over PlayStation Store prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Sony Group Corp FollowLONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Sony (6758.T) must face a mass lawsuit worth up to 6.3 billion pounds ($7.9 billion) over claims the PlayStation maker abused its dominant position leading to unfair prices for customers, a London tribunal ruled on Tuesday. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) was sued last year on behalf of nearly nine million people in the United Kingdom who had bought digital games or add-on content through Sony's PlayStation Store. Alex Neill, a consumer advocate who has worked on previous campaigns, is bringing the case against Sony. She says the company abused its dominant position by requiring digital games and add-ons to be bought and sold only via the PlayStation Store, which charges a 30% commission to developers and publishers. The claim alleges customers have therefore paid higher prices for games and add-on content than they would have done.

Persons: Issei Kato, Alex Neill, Neill, they're, Sam Tobin, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sony, REUTERS, Sony Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, London, United Kingdom

☆ Mendy sues Man City over unpaid wages after rape charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mendy was found not guilty of one count of rape and one of attempted rape by a British court in July after being acquitted of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in January following allegations made by multiple women. Mendy's lawyer Nick De Marco confirmed he was acting for Mendy in a "multi-million pound claim for unauthorised deductions from wages" in an emailed statement to Reuters. "Manchester City FC failed to pay Mr Mendy any wages at all from September 2021, following Mr Mendy being charged with various offences all of which he was subsequently acquitted of, until the end of his contract in June 2023," the statement added. Mendy, currently at Ligue 1 side Lorient, joined City from AS Monaco in 2017 for a fee of around 52 million pounds ($64.80 million). ($1 = 0.8025 pounds)Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk and Sam Tobin in London; additional reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Benjamin Mendy, Phil Noble, Mendy, Nick De Marco, Mr Mendy, Anita Kobylinska, Sam Tobin, Lori Ewing, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Chester Crown Court, REUTERS, Manchester City, Premier League club, France, Mendy, Reuters, Manchester City FC, Ligue, Lorient, City, AS Monaco, Thomson Locations: Chester, Britain, Mendy, Gdansk, London

REUTERS/Peter Nicholls Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the government's scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful, dealing a crushing blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before an election expected next year. But the top court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that migrants could not be sent to Rwanda because it could not be considered a safe third country. The Rwanda scheme was the central plank of Sunak's immigration policy as he prepares to face an election next year, amid concern among some voters about the numbers of asylum seekers arriving in small boats. Sunak said the government had planned for all eventualities and would do whatever it takes to stop illegal migration. After the ruling, a Rwandan government spokesperson said it took issue with the conclusion that Rwanda was not a safe third country.

Persons: Toufique Hossain, Peter Nicholls, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Robert Reed, Steve Smith, Boris Johnson, Reed, Michael Holden, Alex Richardson, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, European, Human, Conservative Party, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, London, Britain, East, Europe, Sunak, Rwandan

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will learn on Wednesday whether his government can finally go ahead with its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda when the UK Supreme Court gives its verdict on the scheme's lawfulness. Sunak is seeking to overturn a ruling in June that found the plan to send migrants who arrived in Britain without permission to the East African nation was unlawful as Rwanda was not a safe third country. Five judges from the Supreme Court will deliver their ruling at about 1000 GMT. This year more than 27,000 people have arrived on the southern English coast without permission, after a record 45,755 were detected in 2022. Asked if the government had an alternative plan, a spokesperson for Sunak said on Tuesday: "We have options for various scenarios as you would expect", but that leaving the ECHR was not discussed by cabinet.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Boris Johnson, King Charles, Suella Braverman, Michael Holden, Alex Richardson Organizations: British, Conservative Party, United Nations, European, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, Britain, East, Europe

Sunak said he was working on a new treaty with Rwanda that would address the points made by the court, would pass an emergency law to designate Rwanda a safe country, and was "prepared to do what is necessary" to stop any foreign court blocking deportation flights. 10 Downing Street ahead of Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, November 15, 2023. The Bar Council, which represents barristers, said it had "grave concern" about the prospect of parliament passing legislation intended to deem Rwanda a safe country and therefore upend the Supreme Court's finding. That meant Sunak needed to go further and faster, right-wing critics in his party said. However, another Conservative politician in the moderate wing of the faction-ridden party was pessimistic about the plan's future.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Neil O'Brien, James, Gavin Phillipson, Alan Greene, Peter Nicholls, Nick Vineall, Phillipson, Sam Tobin, Sachin Ravikumar, Alex Richardson Organizations: LONDON, British, Sunak's Conservative Party, University of Bristol, Constitutional, Rights, Birmingham Law School, Britain's, REUTERS, of Human Rights, Bar Council, Conservative Party, Labour Party, New Conservatives, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, Britain, London, Downing

☆ UK's Sunak to Learn Fate of His Rwanda Migrant Plan This Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Michael Holden and Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court will deliver its ruling on Wednesday on whether the government can go ahead with its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a decision which could have far-reaching ramifications for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak hopes the Rwanda scheme will help stop the flow of migrants across the Channel from Europe in small boats, and so deliver one of his key policy pledges and energise his ailing premiership ahead of an election expected next year. PRESSING NEEDDuring three days of hearings, the judges heard from government lawyers who said there was a "serious and pressing need" for the Rwanda scheme. Rwanda has said it would offer migrants sent from Britain the opportunity to build a new, safe life. They also said asylum seekers faced inhuman or degrading treatment within Rwanda, and their argument has support from the United Nations' refugee agency.

Persons: Michael Holden, Sam Tobin LONDON, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Boris Johnson, Robert Reed, James, Alex Richardson Organizations: Conservative Party, European Convention of Human Rights, East, United Nations, of Human Rights Locations: Rwanda, East Africa, Europe, Britain, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Sudan

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court will deliver its ruling on Wednesday on whether the government can go ahead with its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a decision which could have far-reaching ramifications for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak hopes the Rwanda scheme will help stop the flow of migrants across the Channel from Europe in small boats, and so deliver one of his key policy pledges and energise his ailing premiership ahead of an election expected next year. PRESSING NEEDDuring three days of hearings, the judges heard from government lawyers who said there was a "serious and pressing need" for the Rwanda scheme. Rwanda has said it would offer migrants sent from Britain the opportunity to build a new, safe life. They also said asylum seekers faced inhuman or degrading treatment within Rwanda, and their argument has support from the United Nations' refugee agency.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Boris Johnson, Robert Reed, James, Michael Holden, Alex Richardson Organizations: Conservative Party, European Convention of Human Rights, East, United Nations, of Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, East Africa, Europe, Britain, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Sudan

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex looks on outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Prince Harry, singer Elton John and five other high-profile British figures can have their lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper alleging widespread unlawful behaviour heard at trial, the High Court in London ruled on Friday. Publisher Associated Newspapers (ANL) had sought at hearings in March to have the case thrown out, saying the claims that were brought in October 2022 were outside a six-year time limit for legal action. Harry, the younger son of King Charles, along with Elton John, and the other five claimants accuse ANL, which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, of phone-hacking and other serious privacy breaches dating back 30 years. Reporting by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin; Editing by Kate Holton and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Toby Melville, Prince Harry, Elton John, Harry, King Charles, ANL, Matthew Nicklin, Nicklin, Hamlins, John, David, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, Simon Hughes, David Sherborne, Murdoch, NGN, Michael Holden, Sam Tobin, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Court, REUTERS, Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers, Mail, Sunday, Rupert Murdoch's News Group, Group, Mirror Group, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

☆ Law firm Allen & Overy hit by 'data incident'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Files Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Allen & Overy has suffered a "data incident", the London-founded law firm said on Thursday, after social media posts suggested it had been hacked by the Lockbit cybercrime gang. An Allen & Overy spokesperson said the firm had "experienced a data incident impacting a small number of storage servers", but its email and document management system had not been affected. The spokesperson also said Allen & Overy has suffered "some disruption", but that it continued to operate normally. Lockbit took credit for the hack and gave a deadline of Nov. 28 for Allen & Overy to negotiate, according to the criminal group's website on the dark web. The cyber attack on Allen & Overy follows last month's confirmation of its merger with U.S. law firm Shearman & Sterling, to create one of the world's largest legal practices.

Persons: Kacper, Overy, Lockbit, Allen, Wales –, Shearman, Sam Tobin, James Pearson, Sarah Young, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Allen, Financial Times, Overy, Overy's, Boeing, Royal, Authority, Wales, U.S, Sterling, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, London, United States, Britain, England

☆ Siemens loses London lawsuit over 2 bln stg HS2 contract
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A HS2 high-speed rail logo is displayed on a fence surrounding a construction site at Euston in London, Britain, July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Siemens (SIEGn.DE) on Monday lost a legal challenge over a 2 billion pound ($2.48 billion) contract to build a fleet of new trains for Britain's beleaguered HS2 high-speed rail project. HS2 said the contract, which includes a 12-year maintenance and services deal, was worth around 2 billion pounds when it was awarded. But Judge Finola O'Farrell dismissed Siemens' case on Monday, saying in a written ruling that Siemens had not established the contract was awarded unlawfully and the company was therefore "not entitled to any damages". Monday's ruling is a rare piece of good news for the controversial HS2 project, which was originally planned to link London to the north of England from 2026.

Persons: Hollie Adams, HS2, Finola O'Farrell, Rishi Sunak, Sam Tobin, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Siemens, Siemens Mobility, HS2, Bombardier Transportation, France's Alstom, Hitachi, Alstom, British, Thomson Locations: Euston, London, Britain, England, Manchester, Birmingham

☆ Mass lawsuit against Apple over iPhone batteries can go ahead, London tribunal rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Apple logo is pictured outside an Apple store in Lille, France, September 13, 2023. The lawsuit was brought by British consumer champion Justin Gutmann on behalf of around 24 million iPhone users in the United Kingdom. The company sought to get the case thrown out of court, but the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) said Gutmann's case can proceed in a written ruling on Wednesday. The CAT did, however, say there was "a lack of clarity and specificity" in Gutmann's case which needed to be resolved before any trial. The certification of Gutmann's case adds to the number of high-value mass lawsuits currently being brought in London, following a July decision to give the go-ahead to claims against major banks for alleged foreign exchange rigging.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq, Justin Gutmann, Gutmann, Apple, Sam Tobin, Sachin Ravikumar, Emelia Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Apple Inc, CAT, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Lille, France, British, United Kingdom, London

☆ Ex-British Intelligence Worker Jailed for Attempted Murder of U.S. NSA Employee
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - A former British intelligence worker who tried to kill a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) employee in a "premeditated, targeted and vicious attack" was jailed on Monday for 13 years. Joshua Bowles, 29, repeatedly stabbed the unnamed woman, who was working at British intelligence agency GCHQ, in March near its base at Cheltenham in western England. Bowles had previously worked at GCHQ but was no longer working there when he carried out the attack. Bowles, who lived in Cheltenham, pleaded guilty in August to the attempted murder of the woman, known only as 99230. I believe the intelligence community helps ensure this rigging, this view has been reinforced by my time working at GCHQ."

Persons: Sam Tobin LONDON, Joshua Bowles, Bowles, Duncan Penny, London's Old Bailey, Penny, Tim Forte, Forte, Bobbie Cheema, Grubb, Sam Tobin, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, NSA, Cheltenham, GCHQ Locations: British, U.S, England, GCHQ, Cheltenham

☆ Ex-British intelligence worker jailed for attempted murder of U.S. NSA employee
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A former British intelligence worker who tried to kill a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) employee in a "premeditated, targeted and vicious attack" was jailed on Monday for 13 years. Joshua Bowles, 29, repeatedly stabbed the unnamed woman, who was working at British intelligence agency GCHQ, in March near its base at Cheltenham in western England. Bowles had previously worked at GCHQ but was no longer working there when he carried out the attack. Bowles, who lived in Cheltenham, pleaded guilty in August to the attempted murder of the woman, known only as 99230. I believe the intelligence community helps ensure this rigging, this view has been reinforced by my time working at GCHQ."

Persons: Joshua Bowles, Bowles, Duncan Penny, London's Old Bailey, Penny, Tim Forte, Forte, Bobbie Cheema, Grubb, Sam Tobin, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, NSA, Cheltenham, GCHQ, Thomson Locations: British, U.S, England, GCHQ, Cheltenham

☆ Clifford Chance's lawsuit against SocGen can continue in London, court rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of French bank Societe Generale is seen on the company's skyscraper at the financial and business district of La Defense near Paris, France September 14, 2023. Societe Generale's case against Goldas was ultimately dismissed, prompting the bank to accuse Clifford Chance of negligence. Clifford Chance applied to London's High Court for a declaration that it was not liable to Societe Generale for any alleged negligence or breach of duty. "The dispute concerns whether or not an English firm of solicitors were negligent in their conduct of English law litigation in the English High Court," the judge said. Clifford Chance and Societe Generale declined to comment.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Clifford Chance's, Clifford Chance, Goldas, Judge Andrew Henshaw, Sam Tobin, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, France –, Generale's, High, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, London

☆ Russian billionaire Fridman loses challenge over mansion upkeep
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Sanctioned Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman cannot spend thousands of pounds a month on the upkeep of his London mansion, containing a 44 million-pound ($53.2 million) art collection, London's High Court ruled on Thursday. The 59-year-old also wanted to spend 1,850 pounds a month on communications systems, which Fridman said regulate Athlone House's telephones, IT, lighting, heating and security. Athlone House, in north London, was raided by Britain's National Crime Agency in December, which is the subject of a separate legal challenge by Fridman. The Russian billionaire, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes magazine at $12.8 billion, has been subject to British sanctions since March 2022, a month after Russia invaded Ukraine. His designation under Britain's sanctions regime was updated in September to remove a reference to him being a "pro-Kremlin oligarch".

Persons: Mikhail Fridman, Sergei Karpukhin, Fridman, Judge Pushpinder Saini, Fridman's, OFSI, Saini, Sam Tobin, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Alfa Group, Russian, Industrialists, Entrepreneurs, REUTERS, Athlone, Athlone House, Britain's National Crime Agency, Forbes, Thomson Locations: Russian Union, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Athlone, Britain, Israel, London, Ukraine

☆ Russian Billionaire Fridman Loses Challenge Over Mansion Upkeep
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Sanctioned Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman cannot spend thousands of pounds a month on the upkeep of his London mansion, containing a 44 million-pound ($53.2 million) art collection, London's High Court ruled on Thursday. Fridman took Britain's sanctions office, OFSI, to court after it refused to allow him to spend 30,000 pounds a month to prevent Athlone House, which he bought for 65 million pounds, from falling into disrepair. The 59-year-old also wanted to spend 1,850 pounds a month on communications systems, which Fridman said regulate Athlone House's telephones, IT, lighting, heating and security. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) said it had already licensed Fridman to meet arrears and make one-off payments totalling around 1.4 million pounds, plus future payments of 760,000 pounds a year. Athlone House, in north London, was raided by Britain's National Crime Agency in December, which is the subject of a separate legal challenge by Fridman.

Persons: Mikhail Fridman, Fridman, Judge Pushpinder Saini, Fridman's, OFSI, Saini, Sam Tobin, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Athlone, Athlone House, Britain's National Crime Agency, Forbes Locations: Russian, Athlone, Britain, Israel, Russia, London, Ukraine

☆ Mozambique's Nyusi to blame over 'tuna bond' scandal, shipbuilder's owner says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi was ultimately responsible for the failure of the projects at the centre of the "tuna bond" scandal, the owner of Emirati-Lebanese shipbuilder Privinvest told London's High Court on Wednesday. "When President Nyusi replaced former President Guebuza a power struggle ensued between them," Safa said. "President Nyusi made deliberate decisions to undermine the projects and as a result the republic failed to take the necessary steps to monetize the projects as intended." The trial began in earnest last week after a delay caused by Mozambique's 11th-hour settlement with Credit Suisse's new owner, UBS (UBSG.S).

Persons: Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, Eduardo Munoz, Filipe Nyusi, Privinvest, Iskandar Safa, Safa, videolink, Armando Guebuza's, Nyusi, Guebuza, Mozambique's, Sam Tobin, Rod Nickel Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, London's, Credit Suisse, party's, UBS, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Mozambique, New York City, U.S, Mozambican, Privinvest, Nyusi, Paris

☆ Nigeria wins bid to overturn $11 bln damages for collapsed gas deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu looks on after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. The sum had since swelled with interest to over $11 billion, representing 10 times the country's 2019 health budget. The judge said a further hearing would take place to decide whether to send the case back to arbitration or ditch the $11 billion award without further delay. Both received confidential Nigerian documents during the arbitration that they knew they were not entitled to see, the judge found. Additional reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja, Editing by Estelle Shirbon and David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Temilade, Tinubu, Robin Knowles, Knowles, Nigeria's, Trevor Burke, Seamus Andrew, Burke, Andrew, Felix Onuah, Estelle Shirbon, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, London's, Africa's, ID's, Thomson, & $ Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, British Virgin Islands, Nigerian, Africa

☆ Greenpeace loses legal challenge to UK's new North Sea oil and gas licences
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vessels that are used for towing oil rigs in the North Sea are moored up at William Wright docks in Hull, Britain November 2, 2017. REUTERS/Russell Boyce/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Britain's decision to authorise new licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea was lawful, London's High Court ruled on Thursday, dismissing a legal challenge by Greenpeace. Judge David Holgate rejected Greenpeace's case on Thursday, saying in a written ruling that the decision not to assess end-use emissions was not irrational. A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson welcomed the decision. Britain says domestic oil and gas production is key to its plan to improve energy security and that doing so is consistent with its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Persons: William, Russell Boyce, David Holgate, Greenpeace's, Philip Evans, Tessa Khan, Sam Tobin, William James, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Greenpeace, Britain's Department for Energy Security, Department for Energy Security, Thomson Locations: William Wright, Hull, Britain, North, Europe

☆ Trump committed egregious intelligence breach, ex-UK spy tells court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The former intelligence officer also said: "Two of the named Russian sources have not been seen or heard of since." On the last day of his presidency, Trump declassified Steele's evidence and provided a copy of his testimony to a journalist, Steele said in his statement. "The publication of this document did serious damage to the U.S. government's Russian operations and their ability to recruit new Russian sources," Steele said. Steele also said in his witness statement that he believed Trump was "motivated by a personal vendetta against me and Orbis and a desire for revenge". In his witness statement, Trump said Ivanka was "completely irrelevant to this claim and any mention of her only serves to distract this court from (Orbis') and Mr Steele's reckless behavior".

Persons: Donald Trump, Shannon Stapleton, Steele, Trump, declassification, Donald Trump's, Christopher Steele, president's, Robert Mueller's, Mueller, Ivanka, Mr Steele, Sam Tobin, Emelia Sithole Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, London's, Trump, Orbis Business Intelligence, FBI, Thomson Locations: West Palm Beach , Florida, U.S, Russia, British

☆ Mozambique seeks $3 billion from Privinvest in 'tuna bonds' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Traditional fishing boats sail as Mozambique's tuna fleet sits in dock beneath Maputo's skyline, in this picture taken August 15, 2015. REUTERS/Grant Lee Neuenburg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Mozambique is seeking more than $3 billion in damages from Emirati-Lebanese shipbuilder Privinvest over the decade-old "tuna bond" scandal, London's High Court heard on Tuesday. The case centres on deals struck by state-owned companies with Privinvest for loans and bonds from banks including Credit Suisse in 2013 and 2014 for fishing boats and maritime security. Mozambique alleged Privinvest paid bribes on an "industrial scale", involving the "grand corruption" of officials including Mozambique's former Finance Minister Manuel Chang, court filings showed. Chang was extradited to the U.S., where in July he pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges related to the tuna bonds scandal.

Persons: Grant Lee Neuenburg, Privinvest, Jonathan Adkin, Iskandar Safa, Safa, Manuel Chang, Chang, Adkin, Sam Tobin, Kirstin Ridley, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Privinvest, UBS, Credit Suisse, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Maputo's, Mozambique, Safa, U.S, London's

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