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A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Urgent Action Needed to Meet Education Deadline | Human Rights Watch

A lawyer has been forced to pay over £2,000 after a bust-up in the front row of an opera house. Matthew Feargrieve, a solicitor specialising in corporate and investment funds law, was sentenced this week after being found guilty of common assault last month, MyLondon reports.

He has attained folk hero status as a sort of Scottish Robin Hood and at Burns Suppers around the country this weekend his execution will be recalled with performances of ‘Macpherson’s Farewell’ also known as Macpherson’s ‘Rant’ or ‘Lament’. But who wa

A man found guilty of being concerned in the supply of heroin who claimed that DNA evidence linking him with the bags in which the drugs were found was insufficient for the jury to draw an inference of guilt has had an appeal against his conviction rejected. The Appeal Court of the High Court o

Scotland should pioneer a public health response to harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has said. Responding to a report by an expert group commissioned by the Scottish government, Mr Yousaf said lessons would be taken from Scotland’s approa

Myanmar has been ordered by the International Court of Justice to take emergency measures to prevent a genocide of the Rohingya. In a unanimous order issued by 17 judges, the court upheld provisions of the Genocide Convention and said that Myanmar had "caused irreparable damage to the rights of the

Drug company Tiofarma has admitted that it took part in an agreement that resulted in significant price hikes for a life-saving medicine. The development means that two of the three companies under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have now admitted to an allegation that t

A new year, a new office – it can be an exciting time for any business as it embarks on an expansion, with some stylish new space for its staff. Unfortunately, a company move can come with a sting in the tail if it’s not handled properly. While it’s understandable that a business m

Scottish Green MSP Andy Wightman has launched an online tool which allows people to report short-term let properties operating in their community. The homesfirst.scot website includes a simple form which allows local residents to express concern where a whole property is no longer anyone’s per

The number of legal professionals in the UK and Ireland contacting the charity LawCare for emotional support continues to rise year on year, with 677 people seeking help in 2019. The charity, which runs a helpline, webchat, email and peer support service for the legal profession received over 900 co

NHS England is facing a legal bill of £4.3 billion to settle its outstanding medical negligence claims, according to new figures. Figures released to the BBC under freedom of information legislation show that the health service expects to have to pay a large sum to lawyers in order to settle a

A young entrepreneur who is helping homeless people across the globe has won a top award in honour of Scotland’s most famous bard. Dr Josh Littlejohn MBE won the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award 2020 at a special ceremony in Burns cottage last night.

A police officer who lives directly above his police station and who would clock in for work in his pants before returning to his flat to get dressed did nothing wrong, a court has ruled. Police officer Alberto Muraglia, 58, was caught on a hidden camera clocking in at his office in just a T-shirt a

A prisoner who claimed that the prison authorities breached his human rights by failing to provide him with rehabilitation has had a claim for £10,000 damages dismissed. The petitioner argued that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) violated his “right to liberty” in terms of article

The Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Angela Grahame QC, has stepped down after three-and-a-half years in office. Ms Grahame offered her resignation at the Faculty’s Anniversary Meeting, and arrangements for an election to choose her successor will be announced in due course.