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The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has identified "collusive behaviours" in the RUC's handling of a number of paramilitary attacks by the UDA/UFF between 1989 and 1993. The attacks included 19 murders and multiple attempted murders, including the murder of Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fu

Mark Zuckerberg may be forced to pay UK Facebook users about £50 each if a legal case succeeds. Competition law academic Liza Lovdahl Gormsen is to lodge a case against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, on behalf of 44 million users between 2015 and 2019, The Times reports.

Prosecutors are less likely to pursue people involved in mercy killings in cases where a suspect is “wholly motivated by compassion” or where the person had reached a “voluntary, settled and informed decision to end their life”. Current Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advice

A former Syrian intelligence officer has been sentenced to life in prison following his conviction in Germany for crimes against humanity. German prosecutors alleged that Anwar Raslan, 58, was in charge of the Al-Khatib prison in Damascus where Syrian dissidents were tortured and killed.

Employment law specialist firm Lewis Silkin has announced the appointment of two new associates in its Dublin and Belfast offices. Laura Ensor, formerly of Matheson, has been appointed a senior associate in Dublin and Jack Balmer, formerly of Tughans, has joined as an associate in Belfast.

A wanted man who was believed to have died in the US nearly two years ago has been found alive in a Glasgow hospital after contracting Covid-19. Nicholas Rossi apparently faked his death to escape serious criminal charges in Utah and Ohio and has been living in Scotland under an assumed name, NBC re

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. UN chief warns millions of Afghans are on ‘verge of death’ | Al Jazeera

Legal rights group FLAC has reported a "significant increase" in family law queries to its helpline since Christmas. More than a third (35.5 per cent) of all calls to FLAC helplines last week were for family law queries, making it the biggest category, The Irish Times reports.

Legislation putting the Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) on a statutory footing and requiring builders to register with it has been published. The bill, which the government intends to commence from early 2024, aims to benefit consumers and the general public by giving those who engage

Landmark legislation which would establish a new watchdog to regulate online services has been published by the government. The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill will establish a new Media Commission replacing the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), which will include a new Online Safety

Cleaver Fulton Rankin has been appointed to assist individuals wishing to contribute to the Muckamore Abbey Hospital inquiry. Tom Kark QC, chair of the inquiry, said the services of experienced and trained solicitors are needed to take the witness statements from the first tranche of witnesses.

A cat has been taken into custody after a woman called police because her cats were fighting. The 52-year-old woman in Omaha, Nebraska said she tried to break up the fight and verbally told the aggressor she would "put it in its room".

Amnesty International has called on Kazakhstan's authorities to release journalists and activists who have been arbitrarily detained for their coverage of mass protests across the country over the past week, as the number of individuals arrested reaches close to 10,000. The human rights organisation

Corporate law firm Philip Lee has announced the promotion of Inez Cullen to partner in its corporate team. With wide ranging transactional experience across various sectors, Ms Cullen represents clients on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, fundraisings, AIM admissio

UK law firm TLT has announced the appointment of Caroline MacLaughlin as a banking and finance partner in Belfast. Joining from Cleaver Fulton Rankin, Ms MacLaughlin specialises in all types of corporate finance, with a particular focus on the real estate, energy and financial services sectors.