The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal brought by six second division Mexican football clubs—Club Atlético La Paz, Club Atlético Morelia, Cancún FC, CD Mineros de Zacatecas, Venados FC and Leones Negros de la UdeG—regarding the Mexican Football Federation’s (FMF) decision to continue suspending promotion and relegation in Liga MX for the 2025/2026 season. The appeal, filed on 19 May 2025, followed the FMF’s confirmation on 29 April 2025 that the suspension, originally introduced in 2019/2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, would remain in place. Following a hearing held in Mexico City on 28 August 2025, the CAS panel found that the FMF had clearly communicated the duration of the suspension and dismissed the appeal. A full CAS award will be published unless confidentiality is requested.

The Cabinet Office has reported that it met with the UK’s key intelligence allies to help coordinate the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) fraud. It said that Cabinet Office Minister, Georgia Gould, will lead the meeting with top officials from the UK's key intelligence partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States to share strategies for combating coronavirus-related fraud. This Five Eyes alliance meeting intends to exchange best practices on detecting, recovering, and prosecuting pandemic-related fraud. The insights gained will inform the Public Sector Fraud Authority's ongoing efforts to enhance fraud prevention, detection, and recovery across government departments. This meeting is the main event of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum's fourth summit, currently taking place in London.

The Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has announced the second wave of a competition, backed by £120m worth of funding, to open eight new employer-led art Institutes of Technology (IoT), bringing the total to 20 across England. IoT's bring together further and higher education providers and offer 'higher technical STEM education and training... in key sectors such as digital, construction, advanced manufacturing and engineering, which will play a key role in helping to rebuild the economy' after coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The competition is open to all regions of the country without an existing IoT. The first wave of the competition saw 12 IoTs selected in areas such as the South West, Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East, and London.

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) has launched a consultation to finalise updates to its Taking Regulatory Action (TRA) policy, building upon previous work initiated in 2019. The consultation seeks feedback on implementing decisions published in May 2021, whilst introducing new amendments not covered in the 2019 consultation. Notably, Ofqual has decided against developing fixed penalties and has incorporated select proposals from their 2021 consultation with awarding organisations. The consultation includes both the proposed revised policy wording and specific new proposals, with changes highlighted in bold or grey panels. This represents the final phase of Ofqual's policy update, which was initially delayed due to the pandemic. The consultation is open until 15 May 2025.

This Practice Note provides practical guidance on how to execute documents properly when one or more parties to a contract are not physically present. This is sometimes known as virtual signing or virtual closing. The Law Society has brought together a variety of established guidance on execution of documents by virtual means, execution of documents using electronic signatures, its ‘Tips on how to operate in practice’ in relation to virtual execution and the use of e-signatures, and Q&A on how to use electronic signatures and complete virtual executions: Our position on the use of virtual execution and e-signature during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We have produced a collection that is a comprehensive, interactive resource to help users identify and work through the concepts and common issues when executing documents, including when executing documents by virtual means. Each section or phase includes practical guidance, precedent clauses and Q&As relevant to that section. For more information, see: Execution collection. Mercury Tax Case This guidance is consistent with the Law Society's guidance, made on 16 February 2010 in response to the decision

This Quick Look Brexit Financial Services Legislation Status Guide provides high-level information on the status of coronavirus (COVID-19)-related amendments to the Capital Requirements Regulation (EU) 575/2013 (the EU CRR) and Regulation (EU) 2019/876 (EU CRR II), made by Regulation (EU) 2020/873 (OJ L 204/4) (the EU Amending Regulation), under UK law with effect from 1 January 2021. For more detailed information on the effect of Brexit on prudential regulation and the CRR, see Practice Note: Impact of Brexit: CRR and prudential regulation—quick guide [Archived], and for more detailed information on the targeted EU banking package issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic, see Practice Note: Coronavirus (COVID-19)—targeted EU banking package. For high-level information on the status of the EU CRR and EU CRR II with effect from 1 January 2021, see Practice Note: Quick Look Brexit Financial Services Legislation Status Guide—CRR [Archived]. The EU Amending Regulation was proposed by the European Commission on 28 April 2020 as part of a banking package of targeted legislative

The abolition of border controls within the Schengen Area is one of the main achievements of the EU, and it characterises and forms an integral part of the European model of society and the European way of life. However, serious events (eg the Covid-19 pandemic, increase in illegal migration) have brought up the weaknesses and gaps in the Schengen borders management system. In order to tackle the migration issues that the Member States are facing and to secure borderless travel within the Schengen Area, important amendments have been introduced in 2024. This Practice Note focuses on Regulation (EU) 2016/399 on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (codification), the Schengen Borders Code, which lays down rules governing the movement of persons to and from the area without internal border control, as well as between Member States that participate in the Schengen Area. It also encompasses the amendments made in 2024, highlighting the key items of the current Schengen Borders Code and describing

This Practice Note explains the appeal procedures in Scotland for solemn crime. For information on appeal procedures in Scotland for summary crime, see Practice Note: Scottish criminal appeals: summary procedure. For information on Scottish solemn criminal procedure, see Practice Note: Solemn procedure in Scottish criminal proceedings. See also, more generally, Practice Note: The investigation and prosecution of criminal offences in Scotland. Update effective 1 December 2025: modernisation of criminal court procedure Several permanent reforms have been introduced by the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Act 2025. These reforms replace previous temporary measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioners should ensure all procedural references in this Practice Note are read in light of these statutory changes. Electronic signatures and document transmission Under CP(S)A 1995, ss 303C–303F, documents in criminal proceedings may be signed electronically and transmitted by electronic means to an accused person or their legal representative subject to the requirements in those provisions. Virtual attendance at hearings The court can suspend the requirement for physical attendance

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): Many arbitral organisations have responded to the coronavirus pandemic with practical guidance and/or changes to their usual procedures and ways of working. This Practice Note considers what a respondent should do upon receiving a Request for Arbitration under the 2017 International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules of Arbitration (2017 ICC Rules). It also refers to the guidance in the ICC Note to Parties and Arbitral Tribunals on the Conduct of the Arbitration under the ICC Rules of Arbitration (ICC Note). References in this Practice Note to articles of and appendices to the ICC Arbitration Rules are to the 2017 ICC Rules unless otherwise indicated. The 2017 ICC Rules apply to any ICC arbitrations commenced on or after 1 March 2017 (unless the parties expressly agree that an earlier version of the ICC Rules will apply, which is unlikely). The 2017 ICC Rules include: • an expedited procedure which automatically applies where the arbitration agreement is entered into

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): Many arbitral organisations have responded to the coronavirus pandemic with practical guidance and/or changes to their usual procedures and ways of working. This Practice Note considers the provisions regarding evidence in arbitration proceedings under the 2017 International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules of Arbitration (2017 ICC Rules). It also refers to the guidance in the ICC Note to Parties and Arbitral Tribunals on the Conduct of the Arbitration under the ICC Rules of Arbitration (ICC Note). References in this Practice Note to articles of and appendices to the ICC Arbitration Rules are to the 2017 ICC Rules unless otherwise indicated. The 2017 ICC Rules apply to any ICC arbitrations commenced on or after 1 March 2017, unless the parties have agreed to submit to the rules in force on the date of their arbitration agreement (which is unlikely). The 2017 ICC Rules include: • an expedited procedure which automatically applies where the arbitration agreement is entered into after 1 March

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is no longer maintained. This Practice Note discusses the implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak for structured products and securitisation transactions and includes practical tips for lawyers working in these areas. For regular updates of news and analysis on the outbreak relevant to structured products and securitisation transactions, see Practice Note: Coronavirus (COVID-19) implications for Banking & Finance lawyers. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Lawyers across the world are currently grappling with many common areas of concern in connection with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There are a number of areas that are particularly relevant to banking and finance lawyers. For more detail and analysis on these, see Practice Note: Coronavirus (COVID-19) implications for Banking & Finance lawyers, which is updated regularly with news, practical guidance and analysis covering the impact of COVID-19 developments and covers subject areas such as force majeure in lending transactions and execution of documents as well as setting out the implications for different types of banking and finance lawyers. This

The Cabinet Office has published the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s second report and recommendations on Modules covering ‘core decision-making and political governance’ across the UK Government and the devolved nations (Modules 2 UK, 2A Scotland, 2B Wales, 2C Northern Ireland). Divided into two volumes, the report notes that the four governments’ responses were insufficient and came too late to prevent avoidable harm. Failure to grasp the scale and urgency of the threat made a mandatory lockdown unavoidable by the time it was considered, with similar ‘inexcusable’ mistakes later in 2020. The Inquiry finds the first lockdown should have been imposed a week earlier, potentially preventing around 23,000 deaths, and urges that future pandemic responses act sooner.