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Ministers have approved plans to legislate for the designation and management of marine protected areas (MPAs) in Ireland's maritime territory. Work will now begin on the development of a general scheme of a bill to provide for the identification, designation, regulation, management, enforcement and

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. China’s fake email onslaught ensnares human rights activist

A prison in Japan deprived an inmate of his half-rimmed glasses because they created a “menacing aura”. As a result, the prisoner suffered from headaches and bumped into others for months. Appalled at the treatment of the man, the Sapporo Bar Association complained to Tsukigata Prison ab

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales has commissioned the Universities of York, Cardiff, and Lancaster to lead a new independent review into why it receives more reports about Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors than their white colleagues. The project will also rev

ByrneWallace LLP has appointed three senior associates and five associates in its latest promotions round. The new senior associates are Billy Casserly in the litigation department, Helen Boland in health and social care and John Crowe in banking and finance.

A public consultation has been launched on the use of "live link" video and audio conference systems in Northern Ireland courts and tribunal hearings. The consultation, running until 26 September 2022, seeks views on the future use of live links as part of the digital improvement and modernisation o

Addleshaw Goddard's latest results show that profits at the firm rose by £21 million to £155 million in the year to 30 April 2022 while revenue increased by 18 per cent to £377m. The firm also launched four offices over the past year – in Dublin, through a merger with Eugene

UK government plans to introduce a new "bill of rights" will diminish human rights and weaken the ability of citizens to hold the state accountable, the Law Society of Northern Ireland's human rights and equality group has said. In a statement, the group said concerns it had raised as part of a publ

Belfast-based Cleaver Fulton Rankin (CFR) has signed up to a climate action pledge committing the firm to reducing its carbon footprint and setting ambitious targets to enhance its sustainability. The law firm — which says it will halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 — joins a host

Proposed legislation creating standalone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation and allowing courts to issue orders restraining stalking behaviours will become law this autumn under government plans. Ministers have now given their approval for the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions

A cat has been fined nearly £100 for trespassing in a neighbour's garden. Ñirka, a young tortoiseshell cat, was spotted in the garden twice while owner Ramon Correa was on holiday.

A minor's application for asylum cannot be rejected as inadmissible on the grounds that their parents have already been granted asylum in another EU member state, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. The court this week delivered its judgment in a case concerning a Russian gi

A town mayor — who happens to be a miniature Shetland pony — has been effectively barred from his local pub over a planning row. Councillors in Cockington, a village in south-east England, made Patrick the pony their honorary mayor in a widely-publicised ceremony last month.

The Irish M&A market recorded a total of 122 deals worth €6.4 billion in the first half of 2022, according to the mid-year William Fry Mergers & Acquisitions Review 2022, published in association with Mergermarket. In comparison with the first half of 2021, the volume of deals has decre

Former High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly has resigned as a judge of the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Courts. The retired judge was sworn in last week alongside former chief justice Frank Clarke. Both have now resigned following criticism focused on the UAE's poor record on hum