Zipcar is bailing on the UK after bleeding cash and facing new charges that would hammer its electric vehicle fleet. The car-sharing service stopped taking bookings past the end of the year while they figure out how to shut everything down, and staff are getting hit with formal consultation notices about losing their jobs. Their American parent company pulled the plug after losses exploded to nearly twelve million pounds while revenue kept sliding.
The company got wrecked by high electricity costs for charging their EV fleet, plus insurance premiums kept climbing, and the used car market tanked. London is about to start charging electric vehicles the daily congestion fee that they used to dodge, which would add another massive expense...
A federal appeals court let three pro-life groups keep talking about abortion pill reversal treatments after blocking New York Attorney General Letitia James from going after them. The Second Circuit said the organizations can tell women about progesterone protocols meant to stop medication abortions because their religious messaging counts as protected speech under the First Amendment. The groups had yanked their materials after James went after Heartbeat International and other affiliated outfits over similar claims.
Medical experts are split on whether this reversal thing even works, with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists saying the science is garbage while advocacy networks claim success rates hit around 64 to...
Netanyahu dropped a pardon request with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to dodge corruption charges hanging over him since way back, and Trump even chimed in, pushing for it during a Knesset session. The prime minister filed a massive 111-page document through his lawyer Amit Hadad, claiming he needs to drop the legal drama and focus on running the country during what he calls a critical moment for Israel. He says clearing his schedule would help him push peace talks forward and deal with internal political beef.
The whole thing is sketchy because Israeli law typically reserves pardons for people already convicted, and legal experts say you need to admit guilt before getting one. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu can't just...
The UN pushed back after Trump said he wants to completely lock down Venezuelan airspace, with Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric telling everyone to chill and follow international aviation rules. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the American strikes on boats extrajudicial killings that might break human rights law, and other experts are saying these attacks could count as war crimes. The US military has taken out at least 83 people on 22 boats since September while hunting for drug smugglers.
Trump keeps ramping things up by threatening land operations against traffickers and slapping a $50 million bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Convention on International Civil Aviation says...
Former immigration judge Tania Nemer sued the Justice Department after getting canned from her probationary gig at Cleveland Immigration Court, claiming they axed her because she's a woman of Lebanese descent who used to be registered as a Democrat. Her complaint says DOJ violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and trampled her First Amendment rights, especially since the other two probationary judges at her court kept their jobs, and both happened to be dudes who aren't Lebanese.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tossed her initial complaint without digging into it, arguing the Attorney General can legally fire lower-level appointees for basically any reason under Article II of the Constitution. Nemer's legal team from...
Human Rights Watch called on International Criminal Court member countries to protect the institution from attacks as they gather at The Hague for their annual meeting. The group pointed out how various governments have been trying to kneecap the court through sanctions and threats, with the US hitting ICC officials with asset freezes and travel bans that could mess up their funding. Hungary straight up refused to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he showed up, and then pulled out of the court entirely alongside Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali.
The court still managed some wins despite all the drama. The Philippines grabbed former president Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity charges, and judges convicted...
Hogan Lovells poached Walid Salib from Eversheds Sutherland, where he ran their Saudi M&A practice for a couple of years after doing similar work at Freshfields. The guy has spent over 14 years in the Middle East helping sovereign wealth funds, private equity shops, and multinational corps close deals. He becomes the third partner at their Riyadh office, which they set up after the kingdom let foreign firms operate independently without needing local partners.
Global dealmaking hit $3 trillion through the first three quarters of this year, up 33% from last year, with Middle Eastern and Asian sovereign wealth funds bankrolling massive transactions. The Saudi government has been dumping money into diversifying its economy away from oil...
ClearBank brought Angela Roberts on board as group general counsel after she wrapped up her stint leading EMEA legal at Allspring Global Investments. Roberts is taking over from Philip House, who held the chief governance and legal officer spot before shifting to a senior advisory gig. The London and Amsterdam fintech outfit says she'll handle legal and governance stuff while helping the company scale up its cloud-based clearing bank operations.
Roberts has about 20 years of experience under her belt, and she's done time at Wells Fargo, Prudential, PineBridge Investments, and Federated Hermes. She even chairs a working group for the Financial Conduct Authority's consumer panel, which advises regulators on policy moves.
King's College London is rolling out a 12-week online AI course for law students and staff at the Dickson Poon School of Law, partnering with Harvey, Legora, Luminance, and Lucio to teach prompt engineering and responsible AI use. Executive Dean Dan Hunter says the tech has become fundamental for future lawyers, with workshops featuring law firm partners and company IT executives, plus free access to legal AI tools starting next year.
The program comes as Thomson Reuters reports 80% of legal pros think AI will massively transform their work within five years. Clifford Chance recently announced cuts to business service roles in London, with automation being one factor behind the changes. Hunter notes students are both hyped and worried...
