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Collection rates of fines issued by both sheriff and JP courts have increased to 90 per cent, according to a new report. The fortieth Quarterly Fines Report, published by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) shows that 90 per cent of the value of Sheriff Court fines and JP Court fin

Thousands of weapons are being confiscated at courts in Scotland, The Scotsman reports. Security staff seized more than 13,000 items at secruity gates last year, among them 1,300 knives and 2,500 other bladed objects, figures from a JPI Media Data investigation reveal.

Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush has been awarded Australia's largest ever defamation payout to a single person. Mr Rush won $2.9 million AUD (around £1.58 million or €1.8 million) in his lawsuit against the publishers of the Daily Telegraph tabloid.

A village mayor has proposed offering free Viagra to young couples to help repopulate local schools. In a decree, Jean Debouzy, mayor of Montereau in north-central France, said he is "in favour of the distribution of little blue pills".

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Italy: Charities to be fined €5,500 for every migrant rescued from the Mediterranean Sea

A judge issued a stark warning about the messaging app WhatsApp after granting a conditional discharge to a man who unknowingly downloaded extreme pornography. Mark Glew, 22, was found with images and videos of sadomasochism and bestiality which were downloaded automatically to his phone after they

The UK government could face legal action over the treatment of EU citizens who were denied the right to vote in the European elections because of clerical errors at local councils. Anneli Howard, a barrister who specialises in EU law, said the debacle had infringed EU law, including article 20 of t

Preliminary death sentences have been handed to more than 2,400 people in Egypt, including 11 children, during President Abdelfattah el-Sisi’s first five years as president, a Reprieve report has revealed. Mass Injustice: Statistical Findings on the Death Penalty in Egypt examines Egypt’

Edinburgh-based global energy technology company Faraday Grid has appointed Nathan Fagre as general counsel. Mr Fagre joins the company following the launch of Faraday Grid’s Innovation Centre in Washington D.C. in March 2019.

Scottish property sales have risen to their highest level in 11 years as buyers brush aside fears over Brexit. New figures from Aberdein Considine’s Property Monitor report show that homes collectively worth £3.4 billion changed hands during January, February and March this year –

A "colourful and fascinating" debut novel from a Scots lawyer is due to hit bookshelves this November. Stephen O’Rourke QC's The Crown Agent tells the tale of disillusioned young doctor, Mungo Lyon, who in 1829 is recruited by the Crown to investigate a mysterious murder and shi

The Lord Advocate has been told to explain the “abject failure” of the Crown to disclose vital evidence to defence lawyers, The Courier reports. Prosecutors' failure to disclose information resulted in the collapse of an attempted murder trial last week in the High Court of Justiciary.

The prison workers' union is investigating how many inmates are having to "double up" in cells meant for individual occupants in a situation that could result in legal action, The Times reports. The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) Scotland is looking at the number of inmates involved and th

Community land ownership in Scotland relies on a wide range of financing models, according to a new report published by the Scottish Land Commission. The report, entitled The Range, Nature And Applicability Of Funding Models To Support Community Land Ownership, identifies 13 different approaches tha

A leading figure from a law association in Africa has chosen Scotland and its law society for a three-week executive internship in Scotland to learn lessons on how to build capacity in his home country. Edward Sakala, executive director of the Law Association of Zambia, is the recipient of the inaug