Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 3h

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission will be given an additional $207 million over the next two years to improve its company register and set up the beneficial ownership register.

However policy development work + consultation process about the register won't start till "early 2027"

Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 3h

Australia is moving forwards with plans to create a public beneficial ownership register to show who really owns or controls companies as well as collecting information on trusts ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/an...

#beneficialownership

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Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 20h

Yes. This will mean officially revoking access for the general public in favour of more limited access to authorities. But it also offers access to people seen to have 'legitimate interest' such as journalists, civil society organisations and others.

Full list: eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conten...

Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 22h

Italy has begun the process of officially changing its beneficial ownership regime to limit access to competent authorities, obliged entities and those people or entities with legitimate interest www.governo.it/it/articolo/...

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Dan Skerritt @drdanielskerritt.bsky.social · 1d

🚨Excited to join IMF & World Bank Annual Meetings 2025!

The Future of Beneficial Ownership Reforms: Ensuring Impact and Innovation across High-Risk Sectors
How to drive change in sectors like real estate, crypto, and fisheries?

🗓️Wednesday, 15 Oct, 1400 EDT
📍Online 👉 lnkd.in/gQvwdRHj

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Joe Barrow @jbarrow.bsky.social · 20d

Paper thread of some work I’m *incredibly* proud of, my first single author paper!

Converting a PDF to a fillable form is a hard problem, and a lot of solutions don’t work very well! In CommonForms, I show that you can train models that outperform Adobe Acrobat for <$500! 🧵

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Laura Dubois @lauramdubois.ft.com · 1d

For this story, we used AI to read more than 13,000 documents to identify which MEPs declared a conflict of interest. While dozens have side jobs overlapping with their parliamentary duties, only eight declared a conflict of interest.

With @jonathanvincent.bsky.social

www.ft.com/content/0466...

Scores of MEPs hold side jobs in sectors where they steer EU laws

FT analysis identifies paid work that has not been declared as a potential conflict of interest

www.ft.com

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Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 1d

Bearer shares are to be prohibited and undisclosed nominee arrangements banned. Access is potentially extended to financial institutions/DNFBPs, the media and the public

Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 1d

The new rules propose the creation of a central digital beneficial ownership register, lowering the threshold to 20% and extending coverage to partnerships and one‑person corporations

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Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 1d

The Securities and Exchange Commission in the Philippines is carrying out a public consultation on proposed updates to tighten its beneficial ownership disclosure and transparency rules.

Submissions due by 9 November 2025

Details: www.sec.gov.ph/notices/requ...

www.sec.gov.ph

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Parliamentary records show that 59 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) in the 720-strong assembly are sitting on committees or working on policy areas that are related to their paid side activities, FT analysis suggests. on.ft.com/47n31Dm

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Jane Bradley @bradleyjane.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: How a U.S. anti-abortion group has quietly positioned itself as a powerbroker between the Trump administration and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Latest investigation w Elizabeth Dias.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...

They Helped Topple Roe v. Wade. Now Their Sights Are Set on Britain.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 2d

Coral reefs, ice sheets and Amazon rainforest approaching a tipping point due to global heating, report says

Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns * Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here The earth has reached its first catastrophic tipping point linked to greenhouse gas emissions, with warm water coral reefs now facing a long-term decline and risking the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, according to a new report. The report from scientists and conservationists warns the world is also “on the brink” of reaching other tipping points, including the dieback of the Amazon, the collapse of major ocean currents and the loss of ice sheets. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Alice Hancock @alicemhancock.bsky.social · 2d

Great work by @lauramdubois.ft.com breaking out just how much European MEPs earn in their side jobs — side jobs that often overlap with policy areas they work on in parliament.

on.ft.com/4okX8MT

Scores of MEPs hold side jobs in sectors where they steer EU laws

[FREE TO READ] FT analysis identifies paid work that has not been declared as a potential conflict of interest

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Dutch government takes control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia on.ft.com/4hdts1U

Dutch government takes control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia

Move by The Hague escalates frictions between western countries and Beijing over access to high-end technology

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 12d

NEW: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken money directly from Chinese investors, according to newly unsealed testimony. It's the first time direct Chinese investment in the defense contractor has been disclosed. www.propublica.org/article/elon...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies

The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most importan...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

ProPublica @propublica.org · 13d

NEW: In newly unsealed testimony, a SpaceX insider revealed that Elon Musk’s company had directly received money from Chinese investors, raising questions about foreign ownership interests in one of the United States’ most important military contractors.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies

The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most importan...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Cat Neilan @catneilan.bsky.social · 3d

Exc: The Electoral Commission has been given early notice of the UK's first ever crypto donation

The has been "made, but not declared", to a party understood to be Reform

Reform spox said: "All donations above the reporting limit will be disclosed in the usual way"

share.google/VvtjBjEjEjRa...

Calls for transparency on political funding after first c...

Electoral Commission notified of financial contribution, which is rumoured to have been handed to Reform UK

share.google

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Anti-Corruption Data Collective @acdatacollective.bsky.social · 4d

Anti-Christ Data Collective?
😈

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC) @sussexscsc.bsky.social · 4d

We are delighted to announce the upcoming Research symposium on #BeneficialOwnership #transparency, co-organised with @openownership.bsky.social and the World Bank's Beneficial Ownership Transparency Thematic Working Group.

Read More: bit.ly/oo-wb-csc-symposium

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Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 4d

In general, the registry team says it still needs to "work with industry" in coming months before agreeing what changes to make - and also pushes the timeline for implementing changes into 2027 at the earliest, which is disappointing

Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 4d

The Jersey Financial Services Commission has published its response to feedback received during a consultation on disclosable beneficial ownership information www.jerseyfsc.org/news-and-eve...

Read our feedback on disclosable beneficial ownership information

In response to industry concerns on implementation timelines, we will not introduce new data fields during the 2026 annual confirmation period to allow additional time for necessary preparations. In ...

www.jerseyfsc.org

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project @occrp.org · 5d

NEW: A superyacht management company once beneficially owned by the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich faced charges at a court in Cyprus today for allegedly failing to pay 26m euros tax and interest. The firm contested the bill for unpaid VAT for more than a decade: www.occrp.org/en/news/cypr...

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Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 5d

The Cayman Islands has released a new bill amending its beneficial ownership transparency legislation to allow competent authorities to share with international counterparts and to stress that beneficial ownership information should be adequate, accurate and up-to-date

www.gov.ky/publication-...

Welcome To GOV.KY | Cayman Islands Government

Get the latest and most accurate information from the Cayman Islands Government. Access news, publications, services and other offerings about living, working and visiting the Cayman Islands.

www.gov.ky

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Reposted by Stephen Abbott Pugh

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5d

The U.S. has been investigating whether a Singapore-based company is helping China sidestep American export restrictions.

A Mystery C.E.O. and Billions in Sales: Is China Buying Banned Nvidia Chips?

An executive of a Singaporean firm called Megaspeed socialized with Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. Now the company is being scrutinized by U.S. officials for its ties to China.

nyti.ms

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