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A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Surge in Iran executions aims to 'spread fear', rights groups say

Nominations are now open for solicitors hoping to join the Law Society of Scotland’s decision-making body, representing members working across the UK. Becoming a member of the Law Society Council provides an opportunity to influence key decisions, contribute to the work of the Society and help

A former employee of the Scottish government has had her claim of harassment and victimisation on account of her race based on deliberate underpayment and unfair treatment dismissed by the Employment Tribunal. Claimant J Adegun, who was ethnically black, sought to establish that the Scottish Ministe

A local politician has threatened to sue ChatGPT over false claims in what would be the first defamation claim brought against an AI-powered chatbot, according to reports. Lawyers for Brian Hood, the mayor of Hepburn Shire, Australia, have written to ChatGPT developer OpenAI after the chatbot allege

A rapist who manipulated and exploited vulnerable people he met through online chat sites has been jailed for 11 years. Thirty-five-year-old Scott Hanlon – also known as Lannister – from Stirling degraded and abused his young victims after they accepted his offer to live at his flat.

Donald Trump has accused his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen of causing him reputational harm for discussing hush-money payments and is suing him for more than $500 million. Filed in Miami, the lawsuit features arguments that will likely appear in Mr Trump's defence to charges that he falsifie

A mother of two newborn twin brothers resorted to calling the police after losing track of which was which. Sofi Rodriguez joked on Twitter that she was "mother of the year" after she took two-month-old Lorenzo and Valentín to a local police station to be fingerprinted in a bid to establish t

Spain's folkloric dance, flamenco, has been defined in law in its heartland of Andalusia. The region's parliament has passed a law that "establishes a legal framework for flamenco for its protection, conservation and the promotion of knowledge about it, ensuring its transmission to future generation

Chloe Shields has joined Lindsays as a senior solicitor. Previously part of the rural team at Brodies, Mrs Shields, who will be based in Edinburgh, has a strong track record of working with landowners, commercial lenders, private investment funds and asset managers.

House prices in Scotland continued to rise in March 2023, but at the slowest rate since June 2020, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey.

International investors are prepared to play the longer game when it comes to property purchases in Scotland, according to Lindsays partners Derek Nash and John Bett, who have said there remains “definite” interest from potential overseas buyers in the Scottish market. But the two a

A former lawyer who is embarking on a new career in counselling and psychotherapy is looking for help from the legal profession. Following a successful career in law, Katie McKenna, previously of the Law Society of Scotland, is now retraining to become a counsellor and psychotherapist and is cu

The Sheriff Appeal Court has refused most of an appeal by an estate management company challenging a sheriff’s decision that the majority of its claim against a former client for unpaid fees had been insufficiently specified to allow a proof, but allowed the appeal in relation to probation for

A motorist's "expressive honking" is not free speech protected by the US constitution, a court has ruled. San Francisco woman Susan Porter sued the state of California after she was given a ticket for "unreasonable use of a vehicle horn" after she honked around 14 times as she drove past a protest i

The Scottish government will challenge the Secretary of State for Scotland’s use of Section 35 of the Scotland Act to stop the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill going forward to Royal Assent following the Scottish Parliament’s approval of the legislation in December 2022. Social