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Chinese human rights lawyer Chang Weiping has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment after accusing police of torture. Mr Weiping, known for his work defending the rights of people facing discrimination based on their health status, gender identity or sexual orientation, was convicte

Racism is "a normal part of day-to-day-life" for people in Northern Ireland from minority ethnic and migrant groups, according to new research commissioned by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The rights body commissioned independent think tank Pivotal to examine the actual, perceived, a

Social care workers will become a regulated profession by November 2025, the government has confirmed following the signing into law of new legislation. The Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2023 amends the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, the Health and Social Care Professionals A

The UK government has been criticised again by the Council of Europe's committee of ministers over its proposed legacy bill's compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. The committee has responsibility for monitoring the implementation of judgments from the European Court of Human R

The UK Supreme Court has launched the first year of its 2023-2026 business plan. The plan details five strategic priorities for the next three years. These priorities are:

A customer at a fast food restaurant got an unlikely surprise after biting into a hot dog and discovering a bag of cocaine, according to police. The woman spat out the bag after taking a bite and reported the incident to local police in Española, New Mexico, who confirmed it contained cocaine

Arthur Cox has welcomed 44 newly-qualified solicitors as associates in the firm following the completion of their traineeships. The new associates join various practice groups around the firm, with the largest number joining the corporate and M&A team, followed by the finance and litigation, dis

Queen's University Belfast School of Law has launched a new Global Intellectual Property and Technology Centre (G-IPTech) aimed at becoming a global hub of excellence for intellectual property and technology law. Professor Giancarlo Frosio has been appointed as director of the centre, an interdiscip

Alessandra Grosariu and Patricia O’Reilly have been named as the incoming editors-in-chief of Volume XXVII of the Trinity College Law Review, marking the first time that the position has been shared since the journal's foundation. The pair initially joined the journal as junior editorial board

Matheson LLP has appointed Alison Bearpark as a partner in the construction and engineering team within the firm's commercial real estate department. Ms Bearpark, who joins Matheson from another Irish law firm where she was partner, has 15 years’ experience both in Ireland and internationally,

The Bar of Northern Ireland’s rule of law committee has announced the commencement of a new series of events and discussions, the “Advancing the Rule of Law Series”. The aim of the “Advancing The Rule of Law Series” is to encourage awareness of the importance of the rul

The chief inspector of criminal justice in Northern Ireland, Jacqui Durkin, has called for a "fundamental reset" within the PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to improve the quality of prosecution files and speed of case progression. Ms Durkin said clear objectives coupled with governance

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice has published a summary of responses to a recent public consultation on increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility. The 12-week consultation launched by then-justice minister Naomi Long in October 2022 sought views on whether the age at which a chi

Ogier Leman partner Bláthnaid Evans has been recognised at the third annual Irish Women's Awards.

McCann FitzGerald LLP has announced a number of new and extended family support policies for its staff of more than 600 people in Ireland. The policies extend the firm's existing supports for maternity, paternity and compassionate leave, and introduce new supports for those undergoing fertility trea