Northern Rock: the Final Chapter …Well Maybe

By: Ainsley Brown The shareholders of Northern Rock, lead by hedge funds SRM Global and RAB Capital, have lost their judicial review appeal at the Court of Appeal this week. This ruling should end the saga of the shareholders´ attempting to use human rights law in order to gain – to their mind – just compensation from the nationalization of

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Litigation…..A New Investment Vehicle?

By: Ainsley Brown It is unquestionable that litigation is big business for lawyers, especially in complex commercial matters. The billable hours that can be racked up can be astonishing – and unlike popular belief is not largely due to an over inflation in the billing procedures of lawyers, though no doubt this can be an issue for some at times

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Vulture, Tigers And Lions: New African Development Bank Legal Support Facility Set Ambitious Goals.

By: Ainsley Brown The African Development Bank (AfDB) has engineered a legal support wing charged with the responsibility of evening out the imbalance in legal expertise that many African nations face when negotiating complex commercial transactions. It will also serve as a necessary firewall for these nations by providing top notch legal advocacy when facing litigation, especially from vulture funds.

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Does The Future Of The Revised US-Swiss Double Taxation Treaty Depend On The Outcome Of The UBS Case?

By: Ainsley Brown UBS, the world´s largest wealth manager, has found itself embroiled in a diplomatic row between Washington and Bern. At issue is the interpretation of the current US-Swiss double taxation treaty and at stake is the newly inked, yet to be ratified, revised US-Swiss double taxation treaty. Does the future of the revised US-Swiss double taxation treaty depend

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Innovation may just be the solution

By Charles Wanguhu In many international forums the developed nations are always pushed to provide more aid in the fight against poverty. Several reviews on the effectiveness of aid have proved time and time again its ineffectiveness in poverty eradication. The latter has led to current aid driven projects to often try and include sustainability options in all projects undertaken.

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GreenTech War: Japan, China, Lithium, Batteries and Bolivia

By: Ainsley Brown A potential GreenTech war is brewing between Japan and China, location Bolivia. The salt flats of Bolivia´s Salar De Uyuni, where most recent James Bond movie was shot (Quantum of Solace) seems like the most unlikely place for  a green technology war, much less one between Japan  and China.  However, it very much is. Both countries through

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Australian Securities Regulators In Policy Quandary

By: Ainsley Brown The question that faces Australian securities regulators is what to do about two or more Chinese state owned enterprises together owing substantial shareholdings in an Australian company? At first blush it would appear that this is a case of China take over fear, however there is much more to the story than this. Indeed, there is a

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