French prosecutors to investigate McKinsey's alleged tax fraud

French financial prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into suspected tax fraud by American management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

The national financial prosecutor's office said Wednesday the investigation was launched last week for alleged “money-laundering aggravated by tax fraud”. A report by the French Senate issued last month said McKinsey had not paid corporate profit taxes in the country since at least 2011. AP/PTI

 

Erdogan changes Turkey’s electoral laws to bolster rule

Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved on Wednesday a set of changes to the country’s electoral rules that would bolster his party’s prospects and consolidate the shift toward an all-powerful presidency. 

The amendments reduce the threshold for a party to enter parliament but make it harder for smaller parties to win seats on their own, forcing them to run on tickets dominated by bigger rivals. The changes also close a loophole that would have allowed the country’s main pro-Kurdish party, to circumvent a potential ban. BLOOMBERG

 

Ed Sheeran wins copyright case over hit ‘Shape of You’

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran won a UK copyright battle over his 2017 hit “Shape of You” on Wednesday, then slammed what he described as a “culture” of baseless lawsuits intended to squeeze money out of artists eager to avoid the expense of a trial. 

The British pop star and his co-writers, Snow Patrol's John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, had denied allegations that the song copied part of 2015's “Oh Why” by Sami Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch. AP/PTI