Judges in England and Wales Embrace AI in Legal Opinions with Caution

In a groundbreaking move, England and Wales’ legal system has cautiously welcomed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist judges in crafting legal opinions. The recent approval by the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary reflects a careful approach, emphasizing that AI should aid in drafting opinions but not be utilized for research or legal analyses due to its potential for misinformation and bias. Second-highest judge, Master of the Rolls Geoffrey Vos, encourages a measured use of AI, stressing the importance of maintaining confidence and personal responsibility in the judicial process. Legal experts commend this proactive step, aligning with global debates on AI’s role in legal proceedings and the need for regulation. The guidelines address concerns about accountability and enforcement, signaling a pivotal moment as traditional legal systems navigate the integration of AI into their practices.
Analysis: The hardest part is yet to come for gas-hoarding Europe

Europe faces a much tougher task to rebuild gas stocks next year compared with this winter, meaning energy bills are likely to stay high and governments could have to implement painful rationing measures they have so far avoided.
G7 price cap on Russian oil kicks in, Russia will only sell at market price

The Group of Seven price cap on Russian seaborne oil came into force on Monday as the West tries to limit Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine, but Russia has said it will not abide by the measure even if it has to cut production.
EXCLUSIVE EU will not appeal court ruling against $991 mln Qualcomm fine – sources

EU antitrust regulators will not appeal a court ruling scrapping its 997-million-euro ($991 million) fine against U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm (QCOM.O) because it would be difficult to convince Europe’s top court of the merits, people familiar with the matter said.
Russia resumes gas flows via Nord Stream, Europe still wary

Russia resumed pumping gas via its biggest pipeline to Europe on Thursday after a 10-day outage, the operator said, allaying Europe’s immediate winter supply fears after President Vladimir Putin had warned that flows could be cut further or stopped.
EU acted like a fishing trawler in antitrust data searches, Meta lawyer says

Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) on Wednesday compared searches by EU antitrust regulators to a fishing super trawler as watchdogs investigate the owner of Facebook’s data and online marketplace.
Analysis: Russia prepares to seize western firms looking to leave

Russia is advancing a new law allowing it to take control of the local businesses of western companies that decide to leave in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, raising the stakes for multinationals trying to exit.
OECD chief ‘quietly optimistic’ about EU global minimum tax deal approval

The head of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday said he was “quietly optimistic” a landmark deal to establish a global minimum tax will be approved by European Union members but implementation may not occur until 2024.
Oil rebounds as supply concerns dominate

Oil prices rebounded on Wednesday as a drop in U.S. oil inventories and concerns over tighter supplies from Russia and Libya drove a recovery from the previous session’s sharp losses.
OPEC tells EU it’s not possible to replace potential Russian oil supply loss

OPEC told the European Union on Monday that current and future sanctions on Russia could create one of the worst ever oil supply shocks and it would be impossible to replace those volumes, and signalled it would not pump more.