News

The recent arrest of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon predictably provoked widespread discussion of the Contempt of Court Act – as it applies in Scotland, writes Thomas Ross KC. It came as a surprise to many that the provisions of the Act were triggered so early in the process. This &ndas

A new paper, Natural Capital and Land Reform – Next steps for a just transition, outlines how Scotland can achieve its climate and nature objectives in ways that also deliver on land reform and strengthening communities. The report, from the Scottish Land Commission, highlights the existi

Views are being sought on plans to enshrine international human rights – including the right to health and an adequate standard of living – into Scots law for the first time. As part of a forthcoming Human Rights Bill, the proposals look to reduce inequality and would place a broader ran

A crooked police officer was hospitalised after swallowing a stack of banknotes to avoid being caught extorting a businessperson. The officer, in Colombia's capital Bogotá, allegedly teamed up with a colleague to threaten the business owner with false sexual allegations, The Guardian reports.

A senior judge has said that despite advances in AI technology, it is unlikely to replace human beings in judicial decision-making in complex, personal cases but could provide solutions for certain types of civil disputes. Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos predicted that AI was likely to make dec

Dame Sue Carr is to take up the role of lord chief justice of England and Wales in October, becoming the first woman to hold the top judicial post. Lord Burnett of Maldon, who has held the role since 2017, is retiring at the end of September.

Barrister Robin White, of Old Square Chambers, responds to a recent article on the Equality Act. I read with interest the article Equality Act and sex – important Scottish cases on the horizon by Dr Michael Foran of Glasgow University. Some of his analysis I agree with but much I disagree with

Scottish Labour MSP Colin Smyth has launched a consultation creating a dedicated commissioner for older people in Scotland. Such a commissioner would "ensure the voices of people in later life are heard, with the power to hold public bodies to account and take up issues on behalf of older people inc

Russia is to prohibit all forms of gender transition, with allies of President Putin arguing the move is necessary to safeguard the nation against "western anti-family ideology". A bill approved in its initial reading by lawmakers in the Duma will forbid “medical interventions aimed at changin

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. The US holds its nose over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record – when the price is right

A Polish road haulier company that had 289 cases of cigarettes stolen from a lorry while transporting them by lorry from Poland to England has lost a UK Supreme Court appeal against a decision that they were liable for excise duty of nearly £450,000 levied on them by HMRC following the loss. M

Scotland’s best high school debaters have been crowned, with two pupils from Broxburn Academy winning the 2023 final of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debate Tournament. The team of Emma Bell and Ruby Ferguson from Broxburn triumphed against three other finalist teams from Albyn School, Balfron Hig

Eric Clive, emeritus professor of Scots law at Edinburgh University has written on the private international law aspects of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. "The Secretary of State for Scotland, a Minister of the United Kingdom government, has made an order under section 35 of the Scot

A man plagued with years of parking fines for his two vans alarmed his neighbours and local officials after hoisting them off the road and onto his roof. Photos circulating on Taiwanese social media show the two vans on the roof, one of which appeared to be precariously balanced over the edge, Taiwa

This week Fraser Myers in Spiked questioned if it was right in a country which allegedly protects its citizens rights to free speech, that the media can hardly cover more than the basic outline of the biggest Scottish political story for years. It was inevitable that the question of the strict limit