News

South Africa has formally moved to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) according to documents seen by the media. Several outlets have published a copy of the Instrument of Withdrawal signed by South Africa's foreign minister, which will effect the country's withdrawal by next year.

House prices in Scotland continued to push up in August as two thirds of local authorities witnessed increases, according to the latest Your Move/Acadata House Price data. The average house price increased by £700 (0.4 per cent) on the previous month to reach £169,834. It is now £4,000 above its

The Home Office has confirmed that it has no plans to devolve drugs legislation to Scotland following an SNP conference decision to back the decriminalisation of cannabis for medicinal use. A Home Office spokeswoman told The Scotsman: “This Government has no plans to legalise cannabis or devolve d

Dr Rosmarijn van Kleef A leading European sporting and civil law specialist has urged Scottish football clubs to catch up with their continental colleagues and accept strict liability for the conduct of their own fans.

A full obituary of Glasgow-born judge Sir Swinton Thomas has today been published by The Herald. Sir Swinton, 85, a former judge of England's High Court and Court of Appeal, was recognised for his defence of privacy rights and questioning of the Wilson Doctrine, which he felt gave MPs more rights th

Eileen Weinert of media law specialist practice Wiggin The UK will implement the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in spite of Brexit, according to a specialist London firm.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton The Scottish government has been urged to ensure that proposed pardons for gay and bisexual men convicted of now abolished sexual offences also apply to people in Scotland.

The government of Slovenia has lodged an application with the European Court of Human Rights over the actions of the Croatian judiciary and executive in relation to legal claims brought by a Slovenian bank. Slovenia lodged the application under article 33 of the European Convention on Human Rights o

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that a 15-day time limit imposed by Ireland on failed refugee applicants to apply to the Minister for Justice and Equality for subsidiary protection, compromises the ability of applicants to avail themselves of the rights conferred on them

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon The Scottish government has launched a twelve-week consultation on the proposed new Scottish Independence Referendum Bill.

Counsel and others who merely give advice on tax avoidance schemes without helping to design them should be excluded from a proposed new regime of sanctions, the Faculty of Advocates has recommended. In a submission to HM Revenue and Customs, the Faculty said it was unclear if advisers were intended

Justice Minister Sam Gyimah The UK government is set to posthumously pardon thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now abolished sexual offences, Justice Minister Sam Gyimah has announced.

Nearly a third of Scotland’s professional services firms are considered to be at higher than normal risk of insolvency, according to research by insolvency and restructuring trade body R3. The research shows that 30.7 per cent of businesses in the sector are considered to be at higher than normal

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that a fixed-price system for the sale by pharmacies of prescription-only medicinal products for human use is incompatible with the free movement of goods. The Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung is a German self-help organisation which seeks to improve the l

Alan Matthew, employment specialist with Miller Hendry An employment specialist with Tayside solicitor firm Miller Hendry has said companies who allow customers to breastfeed in public should extend the same rights to their employees.