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Ireland will join Spain and Norway in recognising the State of Palestine next week, the government has announced. Ministers say the move follows months of consultation with like-minded countries across Europe and the Middle East and is intended to contribute towards achieving a two-state solution to

A Caithness solicitor who was accused of embezzling over £100,000 from his firm between July 2008 and January 2012 will no longer face trial. Patrick Copinger allegedly embezzled £105,129 from his Highland Law Practice firm in Lybster and was to face trial this week, more than five years

Greenhouse gases are destroying the maritime environment and states are legally obliged to control them, according to the opinion of an international court. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) also said that wealthy countries must reduce their emissions faster than developing o

Michelle Macleod has been re-appointed as the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), the independent police scrutiny body. Her reappointment will commence on 17 August. The PIRC conducts independent investigations into serious incidents involving the police and independent scrutiny of

Sheriff Jack Brown is to be removed from office. First Minister John Swinney laid an order before the Scottish Parliament that will mean Sheriff Brown, who sits in the Sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland and Islands, is removed from office on 7 June 2024.

Fourteen Scottish drugs support projects have been awarded funding. Ten projects will receive continuation funding of £2.6 million, with four new residential rehabilitation initiatives receiving £1m.

The number of commercial property rent disputes between landlords and occupiers rose for the first time since 2016 as more cases had to be referred a third-party for resolution, according to new analysis from Knight Frank. The commercial property consultancy obtained figures from the Royal Instituti

A law student has spoken of developing an addiction to cheese so debilitating that she had no choice but to spend around $12,000 on a two-week stint in rehab. Adela Cojab told the New York Post that she would "literally just eat a block of cheese with my hands" almost every day, because it was "the

Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman acted unlawfully when she used so-called 'Henry VIII powers' to restrict protest rights, the High Court in London has ruled. Secondary legislation which significant lowered the threshold on protest crackdowns to anything that caused "more than minor" disrupt

Julian Assange has won leave to make a fresh appeal against his extradition to the US on charges of leaking military secrets after arguing he may not be able to rely on his right to free speech in a US trial.

A solicitor has been struck from the roll for dishonesty after she forged a client's signature on a will. Natalie Bird, 46, formerly a director of Orkney-based D&H Law, admitted professional misconduct before the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal.

Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee will launch their city centre Low Emission Zones (LEZ) shortly, joining Glasgow whose zone has already been operating for a year. Dundee will commence enforcement on 30 May followed by Aberdeen and Edinburgh on 1 June, Glasgow will commence enforcement for residents wi

Scottish patients who had life-threatening diseases after they were given contaminated blood were studied without their knowledge, according to the findings of a long-awaited inquiry. The Infected Blood Inquiry examined how more than 30,000 people, including 3,000 in Scotland, contracted HIV and Hep

Holmes Mackillop has recruited Fraser Pennie to its litigation and dispute resolution team. Mr Pennie trained and qualified with Falkirk firm Russel + Aitken where he gained experience of a variety of civil litigation.

Arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders are among those being sought by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a landmark statement yesterday, Karim Khan KC confirmed that he is applying to the court for arrest warrants for Netanyah