The European Commission has ordered Broadcom to cut out harsh contract terms with six TV and modem manufacturers because they may infringe antitrust rules. It’s the first time the agency has imposed “interim measures” in 18 years
Neil Hodge
Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal issues for a wide range of publications in the United Kingdom and United States.
Oxfam slams U.K. supermarkets over worker abuses in supply chains
In an effort to cut costs and raise revenue, U.K. supermarkets are endangering employees with such abuses as a lack of toilets, unsafe drinking water, and illnesses resulting from exposure to pesticides, says a new report from Oxfam.
U.K.’s ‘no deal’ Brexit readiness report puts onus on businesses
The U.K. government this week released details about the steps it will take to ensure business continues to operate smoothly if the country leaves the European Union on Oct. 31 without a deal.
EU whistleblower protection law gets go-ahead
Whistleblower protections against dismissal, demotion, and other forms of retaliation will come into effect in the European Union within the next two years, according to an agreement signed recently by EU leaders.
BDO warns about state of ‘broken’ U.K. audit market
The head of one of the United Kingdom’s biggest accountancy firms has said the audit market is “clearly broken” and “trust needs to be restored,” though how that should be done is “not clear.”
FRC investigates EY over Thomas Cook’s books
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council is investigating EY over the audit work it carried out at travel firm Thomas Cook, which recently declared bankruptcy.
FCA fines Prudential $26.4M in misselling scandal
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has hit Prudential with a £23.8 million (U.S. $26.4 million) fine for misleading 17,000 customers into accepting a deal with the insurance firm when they might have done better on the open market.
Parliament suspension ‘unlawful’ says U.K. Supreme Court
The U.K. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament unlawful, but it stopped short of suggesting the Prime Minister’s motive was to stymie further debate over the government’s Brexit plans.
Survey highlights pain points of GDPR implementation
Most organizations failed to meet the May 2018 deadline to comply with the launch of the EU’s tough new privacy rules, and the majority of them still find compliance a challenge, according to a recent survey.
Vestager keeps competition role in new Commission
Margrethe Vestager is staying put as Europe’s leader in the fight against anti-competitive practices, with a continued focus on Big Tech.


