News

Two US senators from Oregon have urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ban prediction markets from accepting bets on destructive wildfires, warning they could encourage arson and allow investors to profit from natural disasters. The call follows reports that prediction platform Po

Shepherd & Wedderburn has secured a 5,000 sq ft suite on the third floor of The Capitol, 431 Union Street, Aberdeen. The letting coincides with a new programme of improvement works launched by the building’s new owners, DS properties, aimed at enhancing both the building iconic street pres

Despite another record month of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) revenue there are signs that this property tax may have peaked according to property firm DJ Alexander. The firm said that although the latest LBTT statistics revealed another record high figure of £758.1m in the 12 mont

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been ordered to pay $567m (£421m) to address harm caused to children by its platforms. A US judge in New Mexico ordered that $420m (£312m) of the sum be spent on treatment services for young people, with the remainder allocated to

Laws intended to ensure the fair sharing of finances following divorce are not being correctly applied, new research warns. A landmark judgment by the House of Lords (now the Supreme Court) is failing to help wives during divorce who have made compromises and taken on more caring responsibilities du

Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace has promoted four members of its team to senior associate: Andrew Bruce, Ruth Lussier, Kirsty Dunning and Aaron Doran. Together, they bring decades of experience, with each promotion recognising not only their legal expertise but also the trusted relationships th

Stuart Millar has joined Macleans in Edinburgh, re-uniting with Lindsay Maclean, with whom he worked for 10 years at Gibson Kerr.  Mr Millar's appointment to the firm as legal director coincides with Macleans' two-year anniversary.

Several Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat-run councils have said they will resist new official guidance on single-sex spaces that came into force this week, prompting legal action from campaigners seeking to enforce compliance, The Times reports. The Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) up

A Brazilian state legislature has found itself playing host to an unlikely group of visitors, with capybaras repeatedly wandering into voting sessions. The famously calm rodents entered the Mato Grosso state legislature building in Cuiabá last week, surprising lawmakers who were preparing for

The Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire housing market showed encouraging signs of resilience in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Aberdeen Housing Market Report. Published by the Centre for RealEstate Research (CRER) at the University of Aberdeen Business School and using data supplied by

Responses are being sought on proposals to improve guidance around the use of restraint and seclusion in hospitals. The proposed updates to the Code of Practice for the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 aim to strengthen protections for adults and children to ensure that their s

A Chinese pro-democracy activist has been arrested in Tibet after allegedly showing a photograph of the Dalai Lama while visiting a monastery, prompting Amnesty International to call for his immediate release. Zhang Yi, a human rights activist from Wuhan, Hubei province, was detained by police in Lh

Six trainee solicitors are starting their legal careers with Lindsays. New recruits have started this week across its four city offices – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Perth.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) has unveiled her new strategic objectives to support staff to keep delivering the best possible service to communities and partners. PIRC safeguards the rights of those who come into contact with the police either by investigating incidents in

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a discretionary fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Margaret Cawkwell and Shivraj Partab Singh. Mrs Cawkwell, 63, was discharged from hospital on 2 January 2021 after treatment for Covid-19. The Scottish Ambulance Servic