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A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Ukraine war: Russia intensifies bombing in worst attack of the year

More than four out of five expert witnesses in England want judges to be willing to give them anonymity in criminal or controversial cases. The finding comes from the 2023 Expert Witness Survey, from the Law Society Gazette, and concerns cases in which experts are instructed to give evidence in emot

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been ordered to impose a continent-wide ban on Meta's illegal processing of personal data for behavioural advertising on Facebook and Instagram. An urgent binding decision adopted by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) last Friday instructs the DPC to i

Northern Ireland firm ATC Solicitors has appointed Darren Rainey and Andrew Campbell as partners. Mr Rainey, who takes on the role of head of property, has over 20 years' experience practising property law in Northern Ireland. He previously spent a number of years in a North Down firm leading an exc

Northern Ireland firm Millar McCall Wylie has appointed Jason Byrne as director with a focus on growing its insolvency services. A highly-specialised solicitor with years of experience in dealing with corporate and personal insolvency in Northern Ireland, Mr Byrne joins from a national firm where he

A life prisoner is seeking more than £50,000 in damages after prison guards allegedly stole pornographic magazines from his mail. The man, 57-year-old John Alexander, is serving a life sentence in Michigan's Kinross Correctional Facility for second-degree fleeing from police.

No prosecutions have been brought for felling or damaging protected trees in Northern Ireland since 2019 despite more than 350 complaints. A new report by the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) finds that while 369 tree protection breaches reported between 2019 and 2022, only one res

Court business in Newry has been relocated to Craigavon as a result of flooding. The banks of Newry Canal burst on Tuesday due to heavy rainfall from Storm Ciarán, putting parts of the city underwater.

A new display at Kilmainham Gaol Museum marks 100 years since the last prisoners were held in Kilmainham Gaol.

Matheson has awarded three bursaries to students of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) as part of a strand of student supports sponsored by the firm. Launched in 2022, the partnership supports RIAM’s innovative and bespoke 'Holistic Programme', which equips musicians at the RIAM with a wi

A man who changed his surname as a joke has been refused a British passport until he changes it back. Kenny Fu-Kennard, previously known as Kenny Kennard, was refused a passport by the Home Office on three occasions this year, the Daily Mirror reports.

Éamonn Conlon SC has taken up the post of chair of the Adjudication Society in Ireland. Mr Conlon is joined in the new Irish leadership team by Clare Cashin, Jarleth Heneghan and Alan Brady BL, who will work closely with the Society's junior vice-chair Arran Dowling-Hussey.

Barrister and arbitrator Arran Dowling-Hussey has been appointed as an adjunct professor at UCC School of Law. Mr Dowling-Hussey maintains a busy practice from the Law Library in Dublin, 4-5 Gray's Inn Square in London, and the Chambers of James Corbett KC.

Couples in Northern Ireland have just over a month left to convert a civil partnership to a marriage or vice versa. The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 created a three-year window in which same-sex couples can convert their civil partnerships into marriages

Medical and professional negligence specialist firm Liston Flavin LLP has promoted Aoife O'Kane to partner. Ms O'Kane has six years' experience practising as a solicitor, primarily in plaintiff medical negligence litigation.