Halting jury trials may impact a defendant's right to a fair trial

Mar 26, 2020 16:10 pm UTC| Law

The decision of the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, to halt new jury trials in England and Wales in response to COVID-19 follows the example set by Scotland and Northern Ireland. This is understandable as the safety of...

Australian states are shutting their borders to stop coronavirus. Is that actually allowed?

Mar 23, 2020 11:58 am UTC| Law

Movement of people and goods across state borders in Australia is guaranteed by the Constitution. Section 92 of the Constitution says trade, commerce, and intercourse among the States, whether by means of internal...

Forensic linguists explore how emojis can be used as evidence in court

Mar 23, 2020 11:57 am UTC| Law

Emojis have become ubiquitous in text communication messages are peppered with smiley faces, hearts and other graphic icons. They were first drawn by graphic designer Shigetaka Kurita, and generated by a Japanese...

'The bills were more stressful than the cancer': US versus UK healthcare – a personal story

Mar 23, 2020 07:36 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

As a medical anthropologist, I have spent the past 30 years based at major universities researching issues of access to healthcare and support for the inclusion of people from vulnerable and marginalised populations. In...

Why South Africa should resist US pressure to extend copyright terms

Mar 10, 2020 05:44 am UTC| Law

The current term of copyright in South Africa is life-of-the-author plus 50 years. But the US is pressuring South Africa to extend the term to life-plus-70. Since the US is a net exporter of copyrighted media, like songs,...

Heathrow's third runway: how dogged persistence stopped London airport expansion

Mar 10, 2020 05:40 am UTC| Politics Law

In a landmark decision, the UK court of appeal recently ruled that Heathrow Airports proposals to build a third runway were unlawful because of their incompatibility with climate legislation. Speaking on BBC Politics...

A plea to businesses: Don't take away our paper bills!

Mar 10, 2020 05:31 am UTC| Law

Once again a telecommunications company is telling its customers that they will no longer receive a paper bill. This time its Rogers. What seems to some to be a non-issue evokes a strong reaction in others. When Telus...