International News

The government yesterday pressed ahead with plans to allow consumers and businesses to bring opt-out collective actions for breaches of competition law – but indicated that they are not yet a done deal.

U.S. and British authorities are preparing to bring criminal charges against former employees of Barclays PLC for their alleged roles trying to manipulate benchmark interest rates, according to people familiar with the plans, marking an escalation of a global investigation now entering its sixth year.

 The latest Supreme Court ATS ruling, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 2013 U.S. Lexis 3159 (April 17), however, is likely to make it difficult for foreign plaintiffs to stay in federal court on a claim based on conduct that takes place in foreign countries.

American retailers remain sharply opposed to joining an international plan to improve safety conditions at garment factories in Bangladesh as their European counterparts and consumer and labor groups dismiss the companies’ concerns about legal liability.