Australian law says the media can't spin lies – 'entertainment magazines' aren't an exception
Feb 24, 2020 07:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
In a recent ruling the Australian Press Council has given a signal to gossip magazines it is OK to make up and publish rubbish about people, so long as the stories arent blatantly incorrect. This is despite the councils...
Julian Assange's extradition case is finally heading to court – here's what to expect
Feb 24, 2020 07:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Law
The extradition hearing to decide whether to send Julian Assange to the United States to be tried for publishing classified military documents on Wikileaks is expected to finally begin today in London. Assange is...
Teen use of cannabis has dropped in New Zealand, but legalisation could make access easier
Feb 22, 2020 00:22 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
As New Zealand prepares for a referendum on legalising recreational cannabis, the latest surveys show opposite trends for cannabis use by adults and adolescents. Adult use of cannabis has risen sharply over the last few...
Execution for a Facebook post? Why blasphemy is a capital offense in some Muslim countries
Feb 22, 2020 00:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
Junaid Hafeez, a university lecturer in Pakistan, had been imprisoned for six years when he was sentenced to death in December 2019. The charge: blasphemy, specifically insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. Pakistan...

An unsent SMS, a message on a tractor, a poem: the courts say a valid will can take many forms
Feb 13, 2020 00:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
When a man died by suicide in 2016, a friend found an unsent SMS on his phone: Dave Nic you and Jack keep all that I have house and superannuation, put my ashes in the back garden with Trish Julie will take her stuff...

Feb 04, 2020 13:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law
In the first decade of the 20th century, Australians were focused on the future. It was the dawn of a new century, and of a newly formed nation. Perhaps this forward outlook was part of why fortune-telling was being...
Many countries regulate e-cigarettes. South Africa should too
Feb 04, 2020 12:34 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law
Opinions differ on how to regulate electronic cigarettes. But dozens of countries are taking action. In Africa, Kenya already taxes these products, and South Africa is preparing to follow. E-cigarettes dont contain...