Judge rules on Orthodox battle over property

An Orthodox businessman has lost a High Court action involving a bitter family feud over the carve-up of assets from a multi-million pound property empire.

Joseph Ackerman sued his sister-in law Naomi Ackerman and her son Barry Ackerman in a case which has racked up estimated costs of £2 million.

Mr Ackerman and his brother Jack, who arrived as child refugees in the UK from Czechoslovakia i

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Ministers "will change" war crimes arrest law

Senior ministers and government officials are moving towards changing the law to prevent the arrest of visiting Israelis.

Jeremy Newmark, Jewish Leadership Council chief executive said: "We understand that cross-departmental meetings have recently taken place at ministerial and official level to discuss the best way of delivering a solution."

The issue resurfaced this week after a senior Israeli army commander, Colonel Udi Ben-Moha, pulled out of a move to study in Britain over fears he could be arrested for war crimes.

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Web racists await possible extradition

The fate of two racists who were the first people in Britain to be convicted of publishing racially inflammatory material on the internet still hangs in the balance.

Simon Sheppard and Steve Whittle fled to America in the middle of their trial at Leeds Crown Court. They will know within the next three weeks whether or not an asylum court judge will return them to Britain. However, the pair have already said they will appeal if the decision goes against them. That process could involve appeals to two higher American courts and could take months before a final decision is reached.

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British MEPs meet Hamas

British lawmakers have met Hamas officials during a visit to Gaza.

Members of the European Parliament Palestine delegation travelled to Rafah last Thursday and Friday.

Chris Davies MEP said: “We asked for their reaction to the action last month and discussed their views on Palestinian re-unity and the possibility for a unity government. I can’t say we got very far.”

On Sunday, six MPs from the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group inspected Gazan sites damaged during the conflict.

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Charedim fight new marriage visa rules

The government may face a challenge to a law that will raise the marriage visa age from 18 to 21.

Campaigners, led by Michoel Posen of Agudas Israel Community Services in Stamford Hill, have warned that the law will have a severe effect on many marriages in the Charedi community, involving young people from Israel, America and Canada.

European Union countries are not affected by the law, due to come into force on November 27.

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Anguish of parents as Law Lords reject plea for Giles

Five Law Lords this week dashed the hopes of a couple who have spent five years fighting for justice for their murdered son.

They allowed Hertfordshire Constabulary's appeal against a Court of Appeal ruling that it had breached the human rights of Giles Van Colle by failing to protect him from his killer. Mr Van Colle, then 25, was shot three times in the back in November, 2000 by Daniel Brougham, a former employee against whom he was due to give evidence in a theft trial.

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Now Balen case will go to the Lords

A London solicitor is to take his campaign for the BBC to release a report into its Israel coverage to the highest court in the country.

For three years, the corporation has successfully resisted attempts by Steven Sugar to obtain a copy of the 2004 Balen Report under the Freedom of Information Act.

But this week, Mr Sugar said that the House of Lords has agreed to hear an appeal against previous court decisions that were in favour of the BBC.

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Warren Bergson uses the law to keep celebrities driving

Manchester lawyer Nick Freeman, aka “Mr Loophole”— known for helping celebrity clients escape driving convictions — is not the only crusading solicitor around. Warren Bergson, who lives in Broughton Park and calls himself “the motorist’s friend”, is carving out a successful niche of his own. A specialist in traffic law, Mr Bergson — who does not hold a driving licence —

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Union gets legal threat over boycott

The University and College Union has been warned of legal repercussions if it passes a motion calling on members to review links with Israel at its congress in Manchester next week.

Lawyers advising the Stop the Boycott Campaign say that the resolution — backed by the union’s own executive — is tantamount to support for boycott action already deemed unlawful.

But Sally Hunt, the union’s general secretary, denied that there was any call for a boycott.

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Murder victim's family await verdict

A North London couple fighting for justice for their murdered son face an anxious wait before finding out whether their five-year ordeal is at an end.

Murdered: Giles Van Cole

Irwin and Corinne Van Colle have this week sat patiently through a four-day House of Lords appeal granted to Hertfordshire Constabulary and due to finish yesterday.

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Lawyers help student avoid Shabbat exams

A student has been allowed to take one of his final exam papers a day early to avoid sitting it on Shabbat, after lawyers intervened with his university.

Hertfordshire University had initially refused Joel Raivid, 21, a BSc psychology student from Edgware, Middlesex, permission to sit the exam on the Friday before its scheduled Saturday slot.

He was told he would have to wait until several weeks later and take it in the re-sit period in late June or early July.

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John Marks calls for abortion laws to be made more lenient

John Marks, a former chair of the British Medical Association, has welcomed this week’s decision by MPs to reject a cut in the time limit for abortions. He is now calling for current laws to be liberalised towards abortion on demand.

Dr Marks, 82, one of the UK’s best-recognised medical names, tells People: “I see no reason to involve two doctors. I believe it is a matter of choice for the woman. The life that matters is the potential mother, not the unborn foetus. There’s no contest.”

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