News

Senior defence lawyers have raised concerns about the right to a fair trial after Justice Secretary Angela Constance introduced amendments to extend “rape shield” protections in sexual offence cases. The measures, to be voted on by MSPs on Tuesday as part of the Victims, Witnesses, and J

An Edinburgh solicitor has won the top award at the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival, three years after taking the debut prize. Tariq Ashkanani, a solicitor at NHS National Services Scotland, received the McIlvanney Prize for his novel The Midnight King. The award, which honours excellence in

A nightmare neighbour has been arrested and charged after allegedly tunnelling into an adjacent home following a dispute. Police in the Canadian city of Calgary said the bizarre incidents followed weeks of intensifying conflict between neighbours on two floors of an apartment building.

Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Lord Hodge, has entered the debate over the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), suggesting its terms may need to be “reconsidered” to address challenges posed by migration. The senior judge said Britain should consider working with other cou

A sheriff has issued an eviction warrant against members of a self-styled “African tribe” who have been camping on private land near Jedburgh. At Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff Peter Paterson granted the order against the so-called Kingdom of Kubala, saying it would take effec

Paisley will host its inaugural Legal Walk later this month – taking walkers on a journey through the town’s legal history while raising funds to provide legal advice to those who need it most. MJC LAW is organising the event on 23 September in partnership with the Faculty of Procurators

Families of those killed in the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre are seeking judicial review of the government's refusal to hold a public inquiry into the disaster. Twenty-nine senior security personnel died when the helicopter went down en route from Northern Ireland to Scotland. It ha

Tasglann nan Eilean, the archive service of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, has embarked on a collaborative project with the University of Glasgow which will result in an important local archive collection being catalogued, preserved and made publicly accessible. The project, on the history of disarmamen

Jones Whyte has welcomed nine new trainees to the firm, bringing the total trainee pool to 20. This year’s induction programme received further investment and provided insight into the firm’s culture, expectations, and high standards of client service. Sessions were delivered by a range

A primary school worker who abused her position to embezzle thousands of pounds from school funds earmarked to help pupils from impoverished backgrounds has been jailed for 16 months. Administrative officer Jane Duncan, 54, of Dundee, stole around £28,000 from Mill O’Mains Primary betwee

House prices in Scotland edged up in August despite demand falling flat, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey. A net balance of -2 per cent of surveyors in Scotland was reported for new buyer enquiries in August, indicating a flat picture,

South Africa's constitutional court has ruled against a law barring husbands from taking their wives' surnames. The apartheid-era legislation was ruled unconstitutional for discriminating on the basis of gender, South African newspaper The Citizen reports.

Albania has appointed an AI chatbot as a government minister who it says will be "free of corruption". "Diella" – meaning "Sun" in Albanian – has been put in charge of public procurement, The Guardian reports.

The number of diversion from prosecution cases commenced rose by seven per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25 from 3,400 to 3,600, figures from the chief statistician show. This was the highest level in the last 10 years.

Our weekly round-up of human rights stories from around the world. South Korean women file landmark lawsuit accusing US military of systematic role in sex trade