UK government considers classifying Google and Facebook as publishers – The Guardian

Posted October 12th, 2017 in freedom of expression, intellectual property, internet, media, news, publishing by sally

‘Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, has said the government is considering changing the legal status of Google, Facebook and other internet companies amid growing concerns about copyright infringement and the spread of extremist material online.’

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The Guardian, 11th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Moped robbery gang jailed after 100-victim crime spree – BBC News

Posted October 12th, 2017 in conspiracy, gangs, motorcycles, news, offensive weapons, robbery, sentencing by sally

‘A moped gang that robbed more than 100 people, including an attempted robbery on former chancellor George Osborne, has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 11th October 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tougher penalties proposed for unsophisticated plots – BBC News

Posted October 12th, 2017 in attempts, news, penalties, sentencing, terrorism by sally

‘New, tougher penalties are being proposed to deal with the “less sophisticated” but “equally as deadly” terror plots seen in recent years.’

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BBC News, 12th October 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Barrister shatters “taboo” by discussing emotional impact of rude judges – Legal Futures

Posted October 12th, 2017 in barristers, bullying, judges, legal profession, news by sally

‘A senior barrister has explained why she took to Twitter to shatter a longstanding “taboo” by discussing the emotional impact on advocates of “rude” or “abrasive” judges.’

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Legal Futures, 12th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Closures of ageing jails on hold for five years as prison numbers soar – The Guardian

Posted October 12th, 2017 in bail, detention, imprisonment, news, prisons by sally

‘The head of the prison service has ruled out any closures over the next five years, shelving a 2017 Conservative manifesto pledge to shut down and sell off dilapidated Victorian jails across England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 12th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK government pushes for compliance with Modern Slavery Act – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government has amended its guidance over how companies and other organisations should show they have taken steps to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in their business and supply chains.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 9th October 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Expert’s evidence was extraordinary and “shot through with breath taking arrogance” – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted October 11th, 2017 in conflict of interest, disclosure, evidence, expert witnesses, judges, news, trials by sally

‘For those of who have a weekly blog to populate with content, the court’s summer recess can prove to be a challenging time. It leads us to cast our net further afield looking for ideas and cases to highlight. That is why, this week, I’m looking at two cases from August, one a personal injury claim from the County Court in Leeds, the other an intellectual property dispute from the Chancery Division. What both have in common are some choice words about the parties’ expert evidence. I know Jonathan has looked at this topic twice in recent months but, as I said, we’ve had the summer recess and these comments are just too bloggable to be ignored!’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 10th October 2017

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Asda equal pay case: The landmark legal battle that could stop women in the UK being paid less than men – The Independent

‘The latest hearing in the UK’s largest ever private sector equal pay claim is due to kick off on Wednesday, in a case that could eventually see around 15,000 predominantly female Asda workers recovering well over £100m in pay.’

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The Independent, 10th October 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Child Protection in Sport chief says loophole must be closed – Daily Telegraph

‘British sport’s most senior child protection officer has condemned what she branded “a lack of will” to change the law to prevent coaches having sex with 16 and 17-year-olds under their care on the back of football’s paedophile scandal.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ex-NHS chief backs doctors’ warning over ID checks on patients – The Guardian

Posted October 11th, 2017 in charities, health, identification, news, pilot schemes, regulations by sally

‘A former chief executive of the NHS is among 1,000 signatories to a letter to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, warning of the risks posed by imposing identification checks and upfront charges for NHS care. School nurses, abortion services, community-based midwifery and mental health services, as well as specialist services for homeless people and asylum seekers, will be included in the new regime. Doctors say the rules will deter sick people from seeking life-saving treatment, and patients with infectious diseases could pass undetected.’

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The Guardian, 11th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Victims need legally enforceable rights, commissioner says – The Guardian

Posted October 11th, 2017 in criminal justice, human rights, news, victims by sally

‘The victims commissioner, Helen Newlove, has urged the government to guarantee victims legally enforceable rights within the criminal justice system.’

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The Guardian, 11th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Facebook and Twitter could be hit by new tax as part of Government crackdown – The Independent

Posted October 11th, 2017 in codes of practice, internet, news, taxation by sally

‘Internet giants Facebook and Twitter would be hit by a new tax under Government plans to clamp down on dangers like cyber-bullying, online abuse and underage-access to porn.
Ministers want money raised from the proposed levy to pay for schemes to raise people’s awareness of the dangers of the internet and to tackle their worst effects.’

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The Independent, 11th October 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Man jailed for theft after £766k was accidentally transferred into his bank account – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 11th, 2017 in imprisonment, news, sentencing, theft by sally

‘A shopkeeper who had £766,000 accidentally deposited into his bank account has been jailed after spending some of the money.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ealing abortion clinic protest ban approved – BBC News

Posted October 11th, 2017 in abortion, demonstrations, local government, London, news by sally

‘An “unprecedented” ban on protesters outside abortion clinics could be introduced in a London borough. Councillors in Ealing overwhelmingly backed a proposal to stop anti-abortion groups protesting outside a Marie Stopes clinic in the borough.’

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BBC News, 11th October 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

United Utilities fined £300,000 after water contamination scandal – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 11th, 2017 in contamination, fines, news, water, water companies by sally

‘A water company has been fined £300,000 after admitting polluting the drinking water of more than 700,000 people.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judge warns against ‘hindsight’ to justify indemnity costs – The Guardian

Posted October 10th, 2017 in budgets, costs, indemnities, negligence, news by sally

‘The High Court has rejected the chance to approve indemnity costs against a losing party after it found the bringing of the case could be justified.’

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The Guardian, 10th October 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Torture victims were wrongly imprisoned in UK, high court rules – The Guardian

Posted October 10th, 2017 in detention, immigration, news, torture, victims by sally

‘Hundreds of victims of torture have been wrongly locked up in immigration detention centres, a high court judge has ruled, following a challenge by seven survivors of serious abuse.’

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The Guardian, 10th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Psychic harassed woman for 32 years, wrongly claiming to be child’s father – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 10th, 2017 in community service, costs, harassment, news, sentencing by sally

‘A former TV psychic has been banned from contacting a mother and daughter after he waged a 32-year harassment campaign in which he wrongly claimed he was the child’s father.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ofcom clears al-Jazeera of antisemitism in exposé of Israeli official – The Guardian

Posted October 10th, 2017 in media, news, race discrimination by sally

‘Ofcom has cleared al-Jazeera of antisemitism and breaching impartiality rules over an undercover investigation that caught an Israeli embassy official plotting to “take down” British MPs regarded as hostile towards Israel.’

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The Guardian, 9th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Solicitor General urges legal executives to seek judicial appointment – Legal Futures

Posted October 10th, 2017 in judicial appointments commission, judiciary, legal executives, news by sally

‘The Solicitor General has urged chartered legal executives to apply for judicial appointment in a bid to help make the bench more diverse.’

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Legal Futures, 10th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk