News

A new action plan to address child criminal exploitation (CCE) in Northern Ireland has been launched. A four-page document sets out the cross-departmental, multi-agency plan to improve the government's response to the criminal exploitation of young people and to embed this within the child protectio

A company which claimed to have invented "the world's first robot lawyer" has agreed to pay a nearly $200,000 settlement over its marketing claims. DoNotPay faced action from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after allegedly claiming its AI-powered tool could "sue anyone with the click of a butt

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor is to consider investigating Belarus for alleged crimes against humanity carried out against the country's civilian population. Belarus has not ratified the Rome Statute but has been referred by Lithuania, which argues that "part of the elemen

Lawyer Paul Tweed has said he is exploring the possibility of bringing a group action against Big Tech companies in the Irish courts. Mr Tweed told The Journal that he is discussing with with cyberpsychology professor Mary Aiken the possibility of a legal action focused on screen addiction.

Dr Kevin Brown and Dr David Capper have been appointed as professors in Queen's University Belfast School of Law. Professor Brown is an expert in criminal justice and researches the relationship between the criminal law and society, particularly the impact of law on the most vulnerable.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has renewed calls for an independent investigation into the 2001 murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O'Hagan. Mr O'Hagan, who was secretary of the NUJ's Belfast and district branch, was killed in front of his wife Marie by members of the Loyalist Voluntee

Coimisiún na Meán has been given new powers to enforce EU laws aimed at tackling online terrorist content. Having been designated as the competent Irish authority under the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation (2021/784), Coimisiún na Meán can now impose administrative

Maximum prison sentences for various knife-related offences have been increased with effect from today. A commencement order has given effect to Part 9 of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024, which amends the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1

Saudi Arabia has executed at least 198 people so far in 2024, the highest number of executions in the country since 1990, according to Amnesty International. The official Saudi Press Agency announced on Saturday that the 198th execution of the year had been carried out, though experts say the news a

A man has been charged with stealing a vehicle in order to drive to his trial for theft of a vehicle. Police say Oklahoma man Kody Adams approached a number of people at a petrol station to ask for a lift to his trial more than 30 minutes away, but couldn't find anyone willing to take him.

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has been slapped with a €91 million fine after inadvertently storing some users' passwords in plain text. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) on Friday announced its final decision in an inquiry launched in April 2019.

London's renowned defamation specialist firm Schillings is to expand its operations to Ireland with a new Dublin office. The multi-disciplinary reputation, privacy and security consultancy currently has a headquarters in London, an office in Miami and a strategic alliance with law firms Clare Locke

An American judge who was temporarily removed from the bench after he humiliated a teenage girl who fell asleep during a classroom visit to his court has been demoted to dealing with speeding tickets. Judge Kenneth King was ordered to undertake social-emotional training by the chief judge of Detroit

Justice minister Helen McEntee has published an operational review of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, also known as Coco’s Law, which shows that almost 100 cases have been prosecuted since it came into effect.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Humanity has been a casualty in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict