Category: 3. Business

Statistics published today (30 December) show 4,800 offenders either released from prison or serving a community sentence will wear an alcohol tag over Christmas and New Year.

The tags work 24/7 and quickly detect if an offender has been drinking by analysing their sweat, meaning festive favourites such as mulled wine and prosecco will be strictly off the menu.

If an offender dares to have a drink an alert is sent to their probation officer who can take action to punish them, such as an order to return to court or even prison.

The tags are accurate enough to distinguish between foods that contain low-levels of alcohol – such as mince pies or Christmas pudding – and boozier drinks that could lead to offenders getting drunk.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy, said:

Alcohol-driven crime causes real harm to victims and communities and piles extra pressure on our emergency services. Tackling it head-on is vital to make our streets safer.

These tags act as a physical and constant reminder to offenders that there’s no room for slip-ups — one drink and they could find themselves back in court or even behind bars.

The technology is playing a significant role in the Government’s mission to take back our streets from alcohol-fuelled harm, which the National Audit Office estimate costs the UK economy £21 billion a year.

Evidence is increasingly proving the effectiveness of tags, with offenders banned from drinking alcohol staying sober for 97% of the days they were tagged.

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) Joint Leads on Addiction and Substance Misuse, Joy Allen (Durham PCC) and David Sidwick (Dorset PCC) said:

The link between alcohol and crime is well established, so measures proven to suppress offenders’ alcoholic intake, keeping them sober and out of trouble, benefit them and their communities.

We want people to enjoy the festivities without fear. PCCs and Deputy Mayors are working year-round with our partners within and beyond policing to prevent alcohol-related crime to build safer communities that can thrive and these tags play a vital role in that.

A study published in August showed that thieves and burglars who were GPS tagged as part of an innovative pilot were around 20% less likely to reoffend.  

Other evidence shows offenders fitted with curfew tags, which keep them at home during certain hours, are also 20% less likely to reoffend.

Tagging will be ramped up even further as part of the Government’s sentencing reforms, with the annual probation budget increased by up to £700 million by 2028, to tag tens of thousands more offenders.

We are also investing £8 million in a tech drive to make our streets safer, including AI tools such as a new automatic transcription service that are expected to save around 240,000 days of staff time each year.

When Peter Swinkels started wild blueberry farming, he used good old-fashioned elbow grease to rake the bushes by hand when the time came to harvest the berries.

But now, more than four decades later, artificial intelligence is one of the tools of the trade in his fields.

The Belmont, N.S., farmer is working with researchers at Dalhousie University, which officially  launched the Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture this fall to help the region’s farmers address challenges and develop solutions tailored to their crops and conditions.

Swinkels, past president of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia, said the initiative is “extremely exciting,” especially as climate change challenges the hardy fruit. He said the berry can benefit particularly from the application of pesticides using precision farming tools.

“If you burn it or hurt it, it takes years to come back. So we’re very cautious about what we use, and what’s in our toolbox for pesticides,” he said.

Rather than spraying an entire field, a farmer can deploy cameras mounted to farm equipment that use AI to target weeds.

Patrick Hennessy, a PhD student at Dalhousie, said the precision sprayer project required 4,000 images of weeds to be labelled and uploaded to the system. If a weed is detected, a pesticide is automatically sprayed from a corresponding nozzle — all without any need for an internet connection.

“Everything on the sprayer operates on the sprayer, it does not have to communicate with an outside network at all.”

Hennessy said Dalhousie is also developing an app to help count wild blueberry buds and determine an appropriate timing for fungicide application.

Travis Esau, director of the Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture, said Dalhousie is looking to support technological innovation on smaller-scale farms in the region.

“You really have to have, for a lot of cases, large acres to be able to make the technology pay for itself. And so the solutions need to be adapted to be able to be applicable for the small and medium-sized farms in Atlantic Canada. And that’s really where we’re looking to help fill a void,” said Esau.

The university is in the early stages of planning a building to house the institute at its agricultural campus in Bible Hill, N.S. No timeline or budget was provided, but a spokesperson said faculty are now fundraising and exploring partnerships.

Drone technology

Drones are among the new technologies that show promise for wild blueberry farmers.

While some countries have already approved more widespread application of pesticides by drones, there are limitations on what can be deployed while hovering over Canadian fields.

Health Canada says five products are registered for drone application by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and other products are under review.

“Pesticide application by drone is a new technology and drone specific data is typically required to assess the risks as drones are expected to behave differently than traditional aircraft as a result of their design,” Health Canada said in a statement on Dec. 2.

Hennessy said drone-based spraying could help prevent crop damage caused by large farm equipment.

“We’re in the process of collecting data to see how effective that is, if it works just as well as ground-based spraying,” he said.

The prospect of more innovation comes in a year when wild blueberry yields suffered due to drought.

Swinkels noted challenges are becoming more common, with too much precipitation three years ago and severe frost the year prior.

“We’re very fortunate that the wild blueberry plant is very hardy and I feel with a little support from technology that we might be able to work through these extreme climate changes,” he said.

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A. Introduction
1. On 17 December 2025, judgment was handed down by the Commercial Court in Oceanus Capital SARL v Lloyd’s Insurance Company [2025] EWHC 3293 (Comm) (“M/V ‘VYSSOS’”). The case concerned the scope of coverage under a mortgagee’s interest insurance policy in respect of a Vessel which was damaged by a mine strike in Ukrainian waters.

2. Sue Prevezer KC (siting as a Judge of the High Court) resolved the dispute in favour of the Claimant. The judgment is of wider practical importance for insurance practitioners both in (i) its interpretation of mortgagee’s interest insurance policies using the standard Institute Mortgagee’s Interest Clause wording and (ii) its examination of the concept of “privity” in the insurance context.

B. Factual Background
3. The M/V Vyssos (the “Vessel”) was a cargo ship whose owners had taken out a war risks insurance policy (“War Risks Policy”). That policy provided cover worldwide subject to various exceptions known as trading warranties. Those warranties included that the Vessel would not enter (amongst other waters) the territorial waters of Ukraine unless otherwise agreed with the insurer. If the insured was in breach of those trading warranties, they would not be entitled to any cover under the policy.

4. In 2022, the Claimant company provided financing to the shipowners in exchange for a mortgage over the Vessel, the assignment of various rights in her, and endorsement of the owner’s insurances, including the War Risks Policy. In addition, the Claimant also took out a mortgagee’s interest insurance policy (the “MII Policy”) from the Defendant .

5. The case primarily turned on the interpretation of Clause 1.1 of the MII Policy. That clause provided that the Claimant was entitled to be indemnified for any “loss resulting from loss of or damage to or liability of” the Vessel which would have prima facie been covered by the owner’s insurance policies but in respect of which payment had not been made due to an “insured peril”, provided always that such insured peril occurred or existed “without the privity” of the Claimant. The relevant “insured perils” were defined as including any breach of any trading warranties under the owner’s policies.

6. In December 2023, the Claimant was informed that the Vessel’s sub-charterers at the time intended to trade her into Ukrainian waters. The Claimant insisted that appropriate additional war risk cover be put into place for that trade. On 26 December 2023, the Claimant was provided by the Vessel’s charterer with a copy of what appeared to be the requested cover note, but what was in fact a forgery (the “Forged Cover”). The mortgagees then dropped their objections to the Vessel entering Ukrainian waters. On 27 December 2023, the Vessel was damaged by a mine strike in Ukrainian waters and, after various attempts to save her, declared a constructive total loss.

7. The mine strike having taken place in Ukrainian waters, there was no cover under the owner’s war risks policy. The Claimant therefore claimed under the MII Policy but the Defendant MII insurers declined the claim.

8. The Claimant sought a declaration from the Court that it was entitled to an indemnity unot der the MII policy, or alternatively damages for its breach.

C. The Issues

9. Coverage was denied by Lloyd’s on three principal bases which in turn formed the three key issues for consideration at trial. They were (at [27]):

9.1. Whether the proximate cause of the Claimant’s loss was the loss of or damage to the Vessel or the Forged Policy;
9.2. Whether the breach of the trading warranties in the owner’s war risks policy occurred or existed “without the privity” of the Claimant; and
9.3. Whether the existence or occurrence of the breach of the trading warranties was fortuitous.

10. A further issue – i.e. whether there was any mechanism by which the Claimant could have prevented the Vessel from trading into Ukraine and thereby acting in breach of the trading warranties – was conceded to be essentially a non-issue by the time of trial, and the Judge accepted that there was in practice nothing the Claimant could have done to prevent the trade (see [53] to [55]).

D. The Decision
Causation
11. On the first issue, the judge was satisfied that the proximate cause of the Claimant’s loss was the mine strike and not the Forged Policy. The loss would have prima facie been covered by the owner’s policies, the relevant policy for those purposes being the War Risks Policy (and not the Forged Policy which did not exist as a true policy in any sense). The loss was also “loss resulting from loss of or damage… to the Vessel” because the Claimant was claiming the loss of the damaged Vessel (as it would reasonably expect would prima facie be covered by the owner’s policies) and not the loss of its interest as assignee or loss payee. In that regard, the judge distinguished the Piraeus Bank case which concerned a policy with different wording (at [44] to [52]).

Privity
12. On the second issue there was no prior authority on what “privity” meant in the context of an MII policy. However, the judge was satisfied that analogies could be drawn with Section 39(5) of the Marine Insurance Act and the existing jurisprudence in relation to the concept of privity in that statute (at [71]). The relevant question was therefore whether the Claimant “consented to or concurred in” the breach of the trading warranties: meaning, in other words, whether it had agreed to or approved of that action (at [73]). Although the Claimant mortgagee had in a sense consented to the Vessel sailing into Ukrainian waters, it had only done so after it was lied to about the Forged Policy. As a consequence, the Court was not persuaded that the Claimant had so consented or concurred, because any such consent or concurrence had been obtained by fraud (at [75]). Moreover, it would upend the purpose of such a policy to leave the Claimant without cover where the loss was due to misconduct on the part of the charterer (at [76]).

Fortuitous Loss
13. To recall, it is well-established in English law that insurance will only cover losses which are fortuitous (i.e. which are not the inevitable consequence of voluntary or deliberate conduct by the insured). On this final issue, the Court was satisfied on the facts that the mine strike was clearly fortuitous (at [82]). This defence therefore failed.

E. Conclusion
14. In light of the above findings, the Court found in favour of the Claimant and granted the indemnity requested. However, Sue Prevezer KC granted permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

15. The case provides yet another example of the range of disputes in the English courts arising out of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian military conflict. Members of 4 Pump Court continue to be instructed in a wide variety of cases in this area including shipping, insurance and reinsurance, and sanctions disputes.

Nicholas Vineall KC and Neil Dowers (instructed by Wikborg Rein LLP) of 4 Pump Court acted on behalf of the successful Claimant.

Oceanus Capital SARL v Lloyd’s Insurance Company [2025] EWHC 3293 (Comm).

Article written by Aphiwan Natasha King.

King Charles has named three senior leaders at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in his New Year’s Honours List.

Kathy Cowell OBE DL, the Chair of the Trust, has been awarded the CBE for services to the NHS, Simon Walsh, Procurement Director, has received the BEM for services to the NHS and charity while Jackie Hanson, a Non-Executive Director, has been awarded the MBE for services to the Nursing Profession and Health Services Leadership.

Mark Cubbon, Trust Chief Executive, welcoming the news, said: “These are richly deserved awards for MFT colleagues who are all outstanding in their fields.

“Kathy’s contribution as Chair over nine years has been essential to our successes and the development of MFT as a leading healthcare organisation, providing high-quality care to millions of patients while bringing world-class research to the communities we serve.

Simon’s work in procurement has made a significant impact both regionally and nationally, ensuring the NHS generates the utmost value for patients and communities. His leadership is highly valued in the organisation and beyond.

We are also fortunate that Jackie has recently joined our Board as a Non-Executive Director. The positive impact she has made across Nursing leadership in the wider North West is well understood.

This is a great start to 2026, and I’m sure colleagues across MFT will join me in saying very well done to all.”

A banker by profession, Mrs Cowell has held several Chair and Non-Executive Director roles in the NHS, including Chair of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS FT, prior to the merger with University Hospital of South Manchester NHS FT to form MFT in 2017. Key moments of her career included leading the merger to create MFT as the largest Trust in the country, supporting staff in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack, and helping form partnerships which have seen the trust consolidate its role as a leading organisation for research and innovation.

Kathy said: “It is a great privilege to serve our diverse communities in Manchester, Trafford and beyond.

I have been blessed to work with incredible people throughout my time in the NHS, all committed to improving patient care.

This honour is testament to everything we have achieved together over the years, including the work of our amazing volunteers.”

Simon Walsh, Procurement Director and Joint Greater Manchester Procurement Lead, has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the NHS and charity.

Simon has worked in NHS procurement services since 1987 and has led the procurement team of MFT and its predecessors since 2003. He is formerly Chair of the Health Care Supply Association, the representative charity for NHS procurement staff, and has contributed to procurement policy development at regional and national levels.

Simon said: “It has been immensely rewarding to lead the Procurement Team at MFT and, with the support of the trust, develop a unique range of services for wards, theatres, and departments. I am both humbled and proud to receive this recognition.”

Jackie Hanson, a Non-Executive Director at MFT and former Joint Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England in the North West, has been named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Nursing Profession and Health Services Leadership.

Jackie provided outstanding leadership in the NHS England regional team during the COVID-19 pandemic and was instrumental in driving the establishment of the North West antiracism programme. She joined the MFT Board in December.

Jackie said: “I have been enormously privileged to work alongside dedicated, hardworking and compassionate staff who have strived to improve the quality of health care services for communities and patients within the North West.

“I dedicate this award to all of them and thank them for their support and guidance throughout my career.”

Getafe, December 30, 2025 – Airbus Defence and Space and Indra Group have been selected by the Spanish Ministry of Defence to carry out a conceptual definition study for the future Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Force.

This 18-month study will cover the analysis and definition of the most suitable platform and signals intelligence equipment to provide a national solution based on three aircraft to detect, track, classify, and identify targets of interest to the Spanish Armed Forces.

Airbus Defence and Space will draw up a proposal for an aircraft adapted to the Spanish customer’s needs and, together with Indra, will study the integration of electronic intelligence and communications intelligence systems as a preliminary step to defining the development and implementation of the programme.

At a later stage, Airbus is expected to carry out the necessary modifications to the selected aircraft to implement and industrialise the signals intelligence system proposed by Indra.

Airbus has extensive experience in converting commercial aircraft into military aircraft, such as the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport, which is converted at its facilities in Getafe. It also has extensive knowledge in the integration of sensors and mission systems in different aircraft configurations.

@AirbusDefence @Defensagob @EjercitoAire 

The former chair of London’s biggest independent charity funder is one of two elected members of the City of London Corporation recognised in the King’s New Year Honours.

Giles Shilson, who chaired City Bridge Foundation for three and a half years from 2021 to 2024, has been awarded an OBE for services to outreach and inclusion and to charity.

He led the 900-year-old charity, of which the City Corporation is sole trustee, through the aftermath of the pandemic and oversaw major changes to its governance which brought together its duties as a bridge owner and charity funder.

Dr Shilson also served for three years as chair of the Barbican Centre Board and as chair of governors of the City of London School. In all those roles, he championed a more inclusive approach, particularly with regard to neurodivergent people.

Giles Shilson said:

“I am delighted to receive this honour, and grateful to have had the opportunity to carry out public service in the City of London over the past two decades. This award reflects the tremendous impact of the City Bridge Foundation’s work, both as trusted owner of the City’s five bridges and as London’s largest independent funder.

“We now have a new governance model, a new brand and a renewed sense of purpose; and it has been a great privilege to work alongside so many talented colleagues leading an institution that has a huge impact on so many thousands of lives.”

Meanwhile, Peter Dunphy, currently chair of the City Corporation’s Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, has been awarded an MBE for services to amenity conservation and to volunteering.

Mr Dunphy contributed towards securing asset of community value status for City venues including The Tipperary, reputedly London’s oldest Irish pub, safeguarding its future as a Fleet Street hostelry.

He previously chaired the City Corporation’s licensing committee, where he oversaw the growth of the night time economy to a record size without a single licensing appeal. He also oversaw new safety policies and the development of the night time levy to pay for additional policing and cleaning.

More recently Mr Dunphy served as Chief Commoner – one of the City Corporation’s most historic roles dating back to 1444 – initiating a groundbreaking new member code of conduct.

He also spent over a decade as trustee and two years as deputy governor of The Honourable The Irish Society, a grant-giving charity connected to the City Corporation which supports cross-community initiatives in and around County Londonderry.

Peter Dunphy said:

“I was very pleased when I opened the envelope and I know my entire family will also be delighted I’ve been acknowledged in this way. I’m really thankful for all the support I’ve received over many years from colleagues at the City Corporation, as well as friends and family.

“I’m particularly proud that as chair of the licensing committee and deputy governor of The Honourable The Irish Society, I was able to support numerous businesses through Covid which, without that support, probably wouldn’t be here today.”

The UAE’s leadership in digital innovation is entering a new phase. As artificial intelligence accelerates adoption across HR, healthcare and insurance, organisations now have a real opportunity to rethink employee experience, simplify benefits and deliver wellbeing solutions that create measurable value.

AI-enabled tools are reshaping how HR, healthcare and insurance systems connect. One example is the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, which deployed an AI-powered HR assistant to support more than 50,000 federal employees by automating large volumes of routine HR queries and improving access to services in both English and Arabic.¹

Beyond this, digital identity, automated claims and integrated pharmacy systems are reducing friction across healthcare and insurance processes. These developments are creating smoother, faster interactions across the ecosystem, improving experiences while reducing administrative overhead.

Looking ahead, AI will play a growing role in helping organisations make smarter decisions. Predictive analytics, real-time alerts and intuitive reporting tools are already enabling HR teams to reduce manual effort and focus more on insight-driven action.

Impact on HR and Employee Experience

For employees and employers alike, the benefits from this transformation are becoming increasingly visible in day-to-day interactions.

Employees gain a faster, more transparent, more connected experience of their wellbeing resources. They can monitor the status of approvals or healthcare requests directly via mobile app. They have clear visibility into coverage details, claims status and approval requirements.

For employers, digital-first systems remove many of the administrative burdens that have traditionally created service bottlenecks. Routine insurance and benefits queries no longer require extensive manual handling by HR teams, freeing them to focus on long-term strategy, engagement and organisational culture.

The result is a more empowered, informed and self-sufficient employee base, supported by HR functions that are better positioned to deliver strategic value.

Wellbeing and Insurance in the Digital Age

Digital transformation in HR isn’t only about faster claims or simpler insurance, it’s about expanding the scope of employee benefits to a more holistic view of wellbeing.

Employers can now offer employees genuinely personalised and continuous wellbeing support. Through wearable technology, health apps and digital platforms, employees can track their physical activity, sleep, stress and general health in real time.

Thanks to integrated platforms and data analytics, wellbeing programmes can be tailored to individual needs – offering targeted support rather than generic, one-size-fits-all initiatives. Benefits become more relevant, useful and integrated with daily life.

For employers, this deeper engagement creates better outcomes. Data-driven insight allows organisations to anticipate needs, spot trends and intervene earlier, helping to reduce costs while improving continuity of care and oversight across providers, insurers and regulators.

AI and Future Readiness

If the last few years have been about digitising organisations, the next phase is likely to be about magnifying their intelligence.

AI is no longer a nice-to-have option, it’s a strategic enabler of employer and employee experience. The benefits are real and tangible: automatic, intuitive reports with minimal human input; predictive analytics that forecast claims and wellbeing trends; real-time alerts; strategic personalisation of employee support; and analytics-driven insights into workforce needs.

AI-enabled tools are helping HR teams reduce administrative workload, generate clearer insights and embed smarter decision-making into workforce strategies. Used thoughtfully, technology becomes less about efficiency alone and more about creating meaningful connections between people and the benefits that matter most to them.

Why the UAE Stands Out

Organisations in the UAE are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. Early government-backed initiatives, such as the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, have helped create a strong foundation for widespread adoption across both public and private sectors.²

With established digital infrastructure, AI-friendly policies and integrated platforms, organisations in the UAE can move beyond fragmented solutions toward holistic, data-driven employee experience strategies that deliver real value.

For HR leaders, the message is clear: the time to act is now. By embracing technology and AI with purpose, organisations can build more transparent, resilient and human-centered employee experiences.

Tomorrow starts today. Let’s build a stronger, more resilient workforce together.

¹UAE Government Launches HR AI Agent (opens a new window)

²Dubai’s State of AI Report: The Public Sector Version 2025 (opens a new window)