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States and companies are manufacturing, promoting and selling electric shock equipment that is being used for torture and other ill-treatment, Amnesty International has said in a new report calling for a global, legally-binding treaty to regulate the unchecked trade in law enforcement equipment. &ld

A lawyer must pay £31,000 to the solicitors’ watchdog after he admitted giving his colleagues disparaging nicknames including “Jabba the Hutt” and “Pol Pot”. Benedict Foster, a former senior solicitor in BNP Paribas’s London offices, was fined £15,000

Legislation has been proposed to reverse a court ruling that held boneless chicken wings could have bones in them. A bill currently before the Ohio Senate would effectively reverse the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling in a headline-making case where a restaurant was held not to be liable for injuring a m

The UK has lifted a 336-year-old ban on Catholics serving as the King's representative at the Church of Scotland's annual general assembly. The unanimous decision by MPs means Lady Elish Angiolini KC will become the first Roman Catholic lord high commissioner to the Church of Scotland since the Clai

Families of victims of the 1973 Summerland disaster in the Isle of Man have lodged an application for a new inquest. The fire at Summerland Leisure Centre on 2 August 1973 killed 50 people and seriously injured 80 others.

Plans to legislate to allow Irish soldiers to be deployed overseas without UN approval have been announced by the government. Tánaiste and defence minister Simon Harris said yesterday that the so-called "triple lock" — referring to the requirement for government, Dáil and UN appr

The State Claims Agency (SCA) paid out around €287 million in compensation last year, a nearly €9 million drop on the previous year, according to new figures. Nearly three-quarters of the sum was paid out in relation to clinical care incidents, with €210.5 million paid out in 2024, do

Northern Ireland personal injury law firm JMK Solicitors has welcomed graduates Will Poland, Kerri Whiteside, Nikhil Kane, Lorna McKeown and Ryan O'Hanlon to the firm. Carmel Ross, operations director at JMK Solicitors, said: "We believe in the power of education and are passionate about creating an

An Bord Pleanála could be replaced with the new An Coimisiún Pleanála as early as next month, the government has said. A new implementation plan for the Planning and Development Act 2024 says the relevant part of the legislation will be commenced in "early Quarter 2".

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland has been formally established with effect from today. Paul Quinn has been appointed as chair of the new independent authority alongside six members, Celine Craig, Marion Kelly, Rita Purcell, David Hickson, Michael McGrath and Dr Colin O'Driscoll.

A would-be Ferrari owner wrecked a €440,000 supercar on a test drive while attempting to take it onto Germany's famously high-speed Autobahn. The 44-year-old DJ from Bielefeld was trying out the SF90 Stradale — Ferrari's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) — with its owner

Around €45 million in District Court fines issued since 2020 has not yet been paid to the State, according to newly-released figures. The 133,851 fines issued since 2020 which have not yet been fully paid were disclosed in response to a freedom of information request by Ireland South MEP and fo

The percentage of law firms offering pro bono services for immigration, refugee and asylum matters has risen by 57 per cent in the past decade, according to a new report. The launch of Thomson Reuters Foundations’ 2024 Index of Pro Bono this month marked the 10th anniversary of the survey.

Legislation is to be brought forward to give effect to the Supreme Court decision extending access to the widow's, widower's and surviving civil partner's contributory pension to unmarried couples. The court ruled just over a year ago in John O'Meara & Ors v The Minister for Social Protection, I

The Northern Ireland Executive has published its finalised programme for government for 2024 to 2027. The 98-page document includes a commitment to exploring the expansion of out-of-court disposals, including community resolution notices, in order to speed up cases and help to "reduce pressure on th