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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 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 disgraced former film producer Harvey Weinstein, 67, has reached a tentative settlement deal with the women who accuse him of sexual misconduct. Lawyers have said that the settlement to deal with the lawsuits and compensate plaintiffs totals about $44 million (£34.7m).

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 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".

Campaigners who claimed that legislation allowing women to terminate pregnancies by taking abortion pills at home is “unlawful” have had their appeal rejected. The Inner House of the Court of Session upheld a judge’s decision to dismiss a legal challenge brought by the Society for

Lord Neuberger has warned that further cuts in the justice system will lead to a “breakdown of the rule of law”, The Times reports. The former president of the Supreme Court said the rule of law was “absolutely fundamental” but had been taken for granted in the UK following t

Douglas Strang looks at the case law on religious discrimination in the workplace. Some of the most challenging HR/employment law issues of the recent years have related to religious discrimination and in particular the question of whether an employee can rely on their religious beliefs as justifica

The General Data Protection Regulation came into force on 25 May 2018. As GDPR approaches its first birthday, what should be on your to-do list? Martin Sloan shares his top five actions that will help to ensure you remain GDPR compliant. 1. Check your privacy notice and register of processing activi

Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has opened a statutory inquiry into Google Ireland's processing of personal data. The inquiry will establish whether the processing of personal data as part of Google's personalised online advertising system is compatible with the EU General Data Prote

David Lorimer, PhD candidate at the University of Aberdeen, analyses a new Northern Ireland report into reforming the law on serious sexual offences. He argues what is law for the accused should be law for the complainer. The Gillen Report to the Criminal Justice Board on reform of the law on seriou

An Irish man whose access to a solicitor was restricted during questioning by police on suspicion of murder did not suffer a violation of his right to a fair trial, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. The applicant, Barry Doyle, was arrested in February 2009 in connection with the

Washington has become the first US state to approve composting of human remains as an alternative to cremation. Governor Jay Inslee signed a new law allowing licensed facilities to provide “natural organic reduction”, which changes a body into roughly two wheelbarrows' worth of soil over

Watermans Solicitors is geared up to support one of Britain’s best young riders, Rory Skinner, after the multiple British youth champion was named as the winner of a campaign to find the firm’s next sports ambassador. The 17-year-old motorcycle racer from Perth has been riding since he w

A dead woman was within her rights to disinherit two of her children who accused her of witchcraft. The late mother-of-three lawfully removed her sons Francisco and Jorge Javier from her will, the Supreme Court of Spain has ruled.