Trade unions representing firefighters and doctors lost an appeal Wednesday to help their members recover losses resulting from a change to pension plan rules after justices concluded that HM Treasury had the right to pass the cost on to scheme members.

A raid on the London office of commodity brokerage MCML Ltd. following a request from Danish prosecutors investigating an alleged £56 million ($70 million) tax fraud was lawful, a London court ruled Wednesday.

The U.K. will face fresh pressure to improve protections for striking workers after the country's highest court declared Wednesday that part of a foundational trade union law is incompatible with employees' human rights.

Dentons announced on Wednesday that 12 lawyers in the U.K. and the Middle East are being promoted to its partnership, the international law firm's second-highest figure for the region after 13 a year ago.

A Gazprom joint venture told the U.K. Supreme Court on Wednesday that appeal judges in England did not have jurisdiction to grant an anti-suit injunction blocking its €450 million ($480 million) claim in Russia against UniCredit Bank.

The Irish government has pushed back the date for a referendum to decide whether it should ratify the agreement to join Europe's Unified Patent Court, citing the need for more public engagement on the matter.

Two insurers have argued that the damage caused to two Baltic Sea gas pipelines hit by explosions is not covered under their policies with the lines' operator, and they are therefore not liable for over €403 million ($429 million) claimed to cover repairs.

A European conglomerate owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky said Wednesday that the parent company of Royal Mail has rejected its offer to take over Britain's national postal service.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP announced Wednesday that it had promoted 23 lawyers to its partnership, with around a quarter coming from its London office, as it looks to continue taking its global business forward with a future generation of rising stars.

Computer processor giant Intel denied infringing the intellectual property of R2, telling a judge Wednesday that the chip patent that the semiconductor maker is trying to enforce is invalid because it represents developments already known in the industry.