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Disclosure policies and practices should be re-examined in response to the "relentless growth in digital data", the director of public prosecutions has said. Writing in the foreword to her office's latest annual report, Catherine Pierse said the volume of digital evidence remained a "key challenge"

Medical professionals have again urged the government to implement pre-action protocols to speed up clinical negligence claims, nearly a decade since the passing of legislation paving the way for their introduction. Dr Rob Hendry, chief member officer and medical director at the Medical Protection S

A major milestone for Ireland’s planning reform agenda has been triggered with the commencement of the latest chapters of the Planning and Development Act 2024. The latest commencements on Thursday provide the statutory basis for both the National Planning Framework (NPF) and Regional Spatial

New resources have been launched to help children and families better understand and prepare for appearing before a youth court in Northern Ireland. The resources include a child-friendly video of what they can expect, and ‘virtual courtroom tours’ which show what the main courts look li

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC has been appointed to the advisory board of a new US-based press freedom organisation. The Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club was launched in November 2024 and provides critical services to journalists, including emergency assistance, immigration and legal suppo

A conference on censorship was cancelled after participants objected to diktats on what they could and could not say in their presentations. The conference, titled "Redacted: Navigating the Complexities of Censorship", was set to take place at Weber Sate University in the US state of Utah on 2 and 3

Plans to transpose the controversial EU Pact on Migration and Asylum into Irish law have major human rights gaps, according to a new analysis. The Coalition on the EU Migration Pact, composed of 10 civil society organisations, has published an in-depth analysis of the general scheme of the Internati

All 16 Irish citizens who were on board the Global Sumud Flotilla before its interception in international waters are now being held in southern Israel, the Irish government has said. Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews was among the Irish citizens taking part in the largest-ever civilian effort

New figures reveal that stark inequalities persist for Travellers and Roma across Europe and in Ireland. The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) yesterday published its 2024 survey data on Travellers and Roma across 13 European countries, which follows up on a 2019 survey and marks the first time in

The European Commission is set to relax EU economic governance rules in a bid to reduce reporting and administrative burdens on businesses. The proposals adopted yesterday are intended to be consistent with the economic governance framework introduced in April 2024 while reducing burdens and streaml

Northern Ireland's public consultation on proposals to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit "deepfake" images of adults closes soon. The Department of Justice wants to hear from the public as it continues efforts to tackle emerging issues relating to the use of deepfake technolo

Fees will be introduced for some statutory planning functions in Northern Ireland under proposals now out for consultation. A single fee of £115 would be charged for non-material change and discharge of conditions planning applications following the proposed changes.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has cleared the proposed acquisition of Perry’s Cash and Carry Limited by BWG Foods Unlimited Company (BWG) subject to legally-binding commitments. BWG is involved in the wholesale distribution of food and grocery goods to its affiliate

Lewis Silkin has appointed four new legal directors in its Belfast office, with James Stewart, Caroline McNally and Mark Ward joining the firm alongside an internal promotion for Kevin Gallagher. Mr Stewart joins Lewis Silkin to lead the data, privacy and cyber team in Belfast.

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