News

One hundred days ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the Scottish government has set out how it will help meet the global goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The indicative Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) published today outlines Scotland’s contribution to preventing warming of mor

Police have arrested five people over children's books with pictures of sheep and wolves, claiming they are seditious. Hong Kong senior superintendent Steve Li told a press conference that the books attempt to simplify “political issues not comprehensible by children” and to “beaut

The Law Society of Scotland has warned the justice secretary that proposed reforms to sexual offences cases must respect the presumption of innocence. Keith Brown said yesterday he will not shy away from reforms that would raise the conviction rate in sex cases.

A new UK government bill intended to give judges more power in judicial review cases has been introduced at Westminster. The legislation will allow judges to modify quashing orders by introducing two changes, to be used at the discretion of individual judges:

UK government plans to address ‘legal but harmful’ online content threaten freedom of speech and would be ineffective, peers have warned. Instead, existing laws should be enforced properly and any serious harms not already illegal should be criminalised, according to a House of Lords Com

Lidl has been prevented from selling a “redesigned” own brand version of an upmarket gin. William Grant and Sons Irish Brands, makers of Hendrick’s Gin, have succeeded in the Inner House, having won an interim interdict earlier this year.

Recipients of fiscal fines who refuse to pay them are going unpunished, figures from the Scottish Conservatives have shown. Last month, Deputy First Minister John Swinney told Holyrood that refusal to pay such fines “is treated as a request by the alleged offender to be prosecuted for the offe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that the pre-trial detention of a man suspected of belonging to a terrorist organisation in Turkey was a violation of his human rights under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Tekin Akgün was suspected of b

Commercial property investment in Scotland showed signs of recovery and further growth is expected as Covid-19 restrictions ease, Colliers has revealed. A new analysis showed that more than £400 million was invested during the second quarter of 2021, up from the same period of 2020 and up from

Morgan O'Neill, a director at Thorntons, has obtained industry accreditation in information privacy. The director of data protection services at the firm recently passed her certified information privacy professional/Europe (CIPP/E) exam, awarded by the International Association of Privacy Professio

The Northern Ireland Assembly has unanimously rejected deeply controversial UK government proposals to end all criminal prosecutions linked to the Troubles. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis last week set out the government's proposal for a "statute of limitations" which would prevent the pro

A new £2 coin launched by The Royal Mint commemorates the 250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott. Scott, who was born in 1771, was an advocate as well as an author and is widely regarded as the Faculty of Advocates' most celebrated member.

Over a thousand computers used to mine cryptocurrency have been crushed by police using a steamroller. The 1,069 bitcoin mining rigs were seized by police in Malaysia after miners allegedly stole electricity worth $2 million from the power grid.

A post-mortem examination of a baby conducted against the wishes of his parents has been ruled a breach of Articles 8 and 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Leyla Polat, an Austrian national, became pregnant with her son Y.M. in 2006 and was told by doctors that her baby was l

Lord Matthews has been appointed to the Second Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session, effective from 1 August 2021. The Lord President, Lord Carloway, and the Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, recommended the appointment to allow court business to continue to be dealt with efficiently