News

A US state has passed legislation banning weather-modifying "chemtrails", which do not exist. Scientists have long debunked conspiracy theories about chemicals being secretly dispersed in the sky using aircraft.

Northern Ireland's justice minister has been urged to establish and chair a new media safety group following a "sustained campaign of threats and violence" against journalists. A new 106-page report from Amnesty International features interviews with reporters who have been told they will be shot or

Around €1.7 million was paid to hundreds of charities from the court poor box last year, an increase of nearly 60 per cent on the previous year. Under a long-standing practice which has survived repeated government commitments to phase it out, some defendants in criminal trials can avoid a conv

A pilot scheme in Northern Ireland is set to trial the use of AI to deal with more than a quarter of a million claims relating to the underpayment of holiday pay. The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) is currently facing a backlog of more than 250,000 registered cases involving 30,000 anticipated claima

Defamation lawyer Paul Tweed has welcomed a €100,000 award to his client, former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, in his lawsuit against the BBC. Mr Adams, who led the Irish republican party from 1983 to 2018, sued the UK public broadcaster for defamation in the Irish High Court over cla

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Dozens injured by Israeli gunfire as crowds overwhelmed Gaza aid site, UN says

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and justice minister Jim O'Callaghan were welcomed to the official opening of the Data Protection Commission's (DPC) new headquarters in Dublin yesterday. The building project was commenced by the Office of Public Works in May 2023, and has brought together all of the

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said it is "deeply concerned" at government plans to establish a permanent non-jury court. Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan has confirmed that the government has accepted the recommendations of the majority report published by an independent review gr

An alleged senior member of the Kinahan organised crime group has appeared in the Special Criminal Court following his extradition to Ireland from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Irish government has welcomed the extradition of Sean McGovern as an example of "excellent criminal justice cooperati

Dia Silverstein has announced the opening of a new immigration law firm in Douglas, Cork. Dia Silverstein Solicitors serves an ever-increasing demand for high-quality immigration legal services in Cork including applications for naturalisation, foreign birth registration, join family visas, internat

A lost cat rescued by police was spared jail despite scratching the officer involved and going through a light-hearted "arrest". Bangkok police officer Da Parinda Pakeesuk shared photos of the tiny British shorthair on Facebook as he appealed for its owner to collect the cat from his station.

International law firm Eversheds Sutherland has announced plans to launch new operations in Ireland in September, with Pamela O'Neill to lead the Dublin office and Gareth Planck to take the reins in Belfast. The firm says the new Irish practice will be full-service and will involve around 20 partner

William Fry and Eversheds Sutherland Ireland have walked away from merger talks which would have created one of the largest law firms in Ireland. News of the talks first emerged in December last year.

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has held the first in a planned series of "legal townhall" events aimed at bringing together local solicitors and elected representatives to talk about challenges facing the legal profession and the communities it serves.

The Sligo Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) welcomed the senior leadership of the Law Society of Ireland yesterday for a Q&A event with local solicitors. Law Society president Eamon Harrington and director general Mark Garrett met with members of the SSBA at an event in Sligo's Glasshouse Hotel