News

France’s National Assembly has approved a bill that would bar under-15s from accessing social media, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron. Parliamentarians in the lower house voted 116–23 late on Monday to approve the core provisions of the legislation, which would prevent young te

Legislation introducing a national system of rent controls and strengthening protections for renters has been published. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 will implement the recommendations of a Housing Agency review published last summer.

The Swedish government has announced plans to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 for certain serious crimes in spite of opposition from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). In a statement on Monday, Swedish justice minister Gunnar Strömmer said the country w

Hasbro, the company behind the popular Magic: The Gathering card game, is being sued by shareholders for producing too many cards. A group of investors allege that Hasbro's CEO, the former president of its Wizards of the Coast subsidiary, and other company officials have "devalued" the brand through

A leading criminology expert at Ulster University has been appointed to the Probation Board for Northern Ireland. Dr Brian Payne is a senior lecturer in criminology and criminal justice, and subject lead for criminology at Ulster University.

The Irish government has announced new funding for Holocaust education, including virtual tours of the Auschwitz Museum and Memorial, to be made available to every secondary school in Ireland. In a significant increase on previous funding, Ireland will provide €100,000 to the Auschwitz Birkenau

A department store group has admitted breaches of sales pricing laws following a prosecution brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). Brown Thomas Arnotts Ltd operates several prominent stores including on Grafton Street and Henry Street in Dublin, as well as in Dundrum,

A high-profile murder trial is set to go ahead in spite of the Northern Ireland barristers' strike after an exemption was agreed between barristers and prosecutors. Stephen McCullagh denies murdering Natalie McNally in December 2022.

A law firm has been told to pay €21,000 to a legal secretary who was fired while two-and-a-half months' pregnant. Michele Merrigan brought proceedings in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) against her former employer, Ashimedua Okonkwo, the principal solicitor of Cyril & Co Solicitors

Whitney Moore has recruited Lorna McAuliffe as head of insurance and litigation. Ms McAuliffe brings over 30 years of experience in commercial litigation, insurance law, and dispute resolution, advising both domestic and international clients.

Specialist litigation law firm Watson Legal has announced its official launch in Athlone, Co Westmeath. The new firm aims to bring first-rate litigation and dispute-resolution services to individuals and businesses throughout the Midlands and Ireland.

A late judge's fine sense of humour has been warmly recalled in a letter to The Times. Mr Justice John Blofeld, a judge of the English High Court, passed away in November 2025 at the age of 93.

Fee-share law firm Excello has welcomed David Wilson as a new partner in its Northern Ireland team. Mr Wilson's appointment coincides with the expansion of the firm's office space in Belfast city centre, one year on from its formal opening.

The European Commission has launched a new investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X in light of the international scandal around the creation and dissemination of AI-generated sexually-explicit images of women and children. The investigation under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) will

Ulster University students Connor Nicholas and Pearse Smith have triumphed in the Northern Ireland regional heat of the Brown Mosten International Client Consultation Competition (BM ICCC). The BM ICCC is an annual global competition for law students to practice interviewing, counselling, and proble