In the late 2000s, when marketing departments were beginning to get to grips with social media, I remember hearing lots of pitches for consultancy business that were heavy on ‘fear of missing out’, warning firms that if they didn’t get social media-savvy fast, they would be left behind.

The UK government has introduced a new corporate criminal offence under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, set to take effect this year. This legislation holds large organisations accountable if they fail to prevent fraud committed by employees, agents or subsidiaries acting on their behalf. The offence applies to businesses that meet specific size criteria based on number of employees, turnover and assets. If fraud occurs within an organisation and benefits the company, it can be prosecuted unless it can demonstrate reasonable fraud prevention measures were in place.

China’s booming electric vehicle market has spurred significant developments in the country’s regulatory landscape. For businesses and legal practitioners, understanding China’s automotive product recall system is key to navigating potential risks, and ensuring compliance.

The Health and Safety Executive has launched a public consultation on regulatory proposals for carbon capture utilisation and storage, and offshore hydrogen production.

Cumulative fines levied under the GDPR passed the £5.3bn mark this month – some 8 years after the EU’s landmark regulation came into force. Over this time, Ireland has come to top the table with the highest value of fines to date, at over £3.4bn, whilst Spain has seen the highest volume of fines, at 958.

UK fire brigades are now tackling at least three lithium-ion battery fires a day, following a 93% surge between 2022 and 2024, with e-bikes the main contributor, a FOI request has revealed. E-bikes were responsible for almost a third of all recorded li-ion battery fires in 2024, accounting for 362 fires in 2024, double the 181 reported in 2022.