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Criminal penalties for the possession, supply and production of ketamine are set to be increased in the UK following a government decision. Ketamine is currently controlled as a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, putting it on par with cannabis and amphetamines.

Two lynx illegally released into the Scottish Highlands in an apparent bid to reintroduce the big cats to the region, hundreds of years after they were driven to extinction, have been captured. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said it worked alongside Police Scotland overnight to huma

The Irish government has been urged to more tightly regulate social media companies in the wake of controversial changes by Facebook and Instagram owner Meta. Meta yesterday said it would wind-down its independent fact-checking programme, lift restrictions on certain speech and reverse changes which

Former Law Society of Ireland president Patrick O'Connor has been recognised with the Judge Dan Shields Memorial Award. The award is presented annually to a Mayo solicitor who is considered by their colleagues to have made an outstanding contribution to his or her profession.

A new group has been established to deepen ongoing collaboration between criminal justice policy-makers, practitioners and researchers in Ireland. It brings together partners from the Criminal justice Open Research Dialogue (CORD) Partnership, launched in January 2024, to oversee the implementation

Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) has paid tribute to its late executive director James Douglas in a special edition of its podcast. Human rights lawyer Pat de Brún, a close friend of Mr Douglas who works with Amnesty International, reflects on his life and work in the half-hour-long epi

Ryanair has filed civil proceedings seeking €15,000 in damages from a passenger who allegedly disrupted a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote. The airline said it filed the claim in the Circuit Court to recover costs incurred after the flight on 9 April 2024 was forced to divert to Porto, where it

Ireland has filed its long-awaited intervention in South Africa's high-profile case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The case, initiated in December 2023, centres on allegations that Israel's conduct in Gaza is in breach of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishm

Nearly 100 brand-new games consoles have been handed to gun owners in exchange for their weapons as part of a US public safety initiative. Charity NOLA GROWN, working in partnership with New Orleans City Council, offered free PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles in exchange for handguns and othe

Canada's outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau is facing a legal challenge over his decision to prorogue the country's parliament for three months while his party picks a new leader. Two Canadian men, David MacKinnon and Aris Lavranos, yesterday launched legal proceedings in the Federal Court with

Creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images is to become a criminal offence in England and Wales. The UK government says it is concerned by the rate at which "hyper-realistic" fake sexual images of real women and girls are proliferating thanks to widespread access to new technology.

International law firm Clark Hill has appointed Jennifer Fay as partner in charge of the firm's Dublin office. Ms Fay, previously deputy member in charge, brings over 20 years of experience in bankruptcy, restructuring, corporate insolvency, and commercial litigation.

Paddy Kelly is to step down as head of the Children's Law Centre (CLC) in Northern Ireland. Ms Kelly established the centre in 1997 and has served as its director ever since, overseeing its growth into the leading children's rights organisation in Northern Ireland.

The Cork Online Law Review (COLR) has called for submissions for its 24th edition, with cash prizes of up to €300 on offer. The student-run law review welcomes submissions in English, Irish and French, which should be on a legal topic and between 3,000–9,000 words in length, conforming wi

Over 2,300 convictions have been made under landmark domestic abuse legislation since its introduction in Northern Ireland nearly three years ago, according to new figures. The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, which came into force in February 2022, criminalises patt