Misconduct – Jury in Bruce Lehrmann trial thrown out

Published

7 months ago

October 27, 2022

The Bruce Lehrmann rape trial in Canberra has been ruled a mistrial after the jury was discharged.

It’s alleged a juror was found to have engaged in misconduct, accessing research paper on sexual assault they shouldn’t have.

Bruce Lehrmann is accused of raping Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House after a night out drinking with work colleagues in 2019.

He has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without her consent.

The trial had been waiting for a verdict since late last week.

The court heard the prohibited research was uncovered when one of the court officers accidentally bumped one of the juror’s folders onto the floor.

When the officer picked up the clear plastic folder, he noticed part of a title of an academic research paper into sexual assault sticking out.

On Thursday, Chief Justice Lucy McCallum with “regret” ruled a mistrial.

“It has come to my attention that one of you.. has undertaken research in relation to issues in the case and that material has entered the jury room that ought not to have.”

“I have heard an explanation, and it may be that no harm has been done, but that is not a risk I can take,” she told the jury.

“During the course of the trial … I must have given the jury at least 17 warnings and prohibitions on undertaking any research of their own.

“This is an unexpected and unfortunate outcome in this trial,” she said.

Ms McCallum said given the circumstances, she had to discharge that juror and then the entire jury.

Ms Higgins and her partner David Sharaz were in the courtroom for the ruling.

Is the metaverse the future of social network?

Published

12 hours ago

May 30, 2023

ticker NEWS

U.S. firms like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Microsoft are going all in on the metaverse. Meanwhile, Chinese companies appear to be taking a more cautious approach amid tighter regulation.

#metaverse #china #unitedstates #tech #veronicadudo #ozsultan #crypto

Crypto

Global metaverse race

Published

13 hours ago

May 30, 2023

ticker NEWS

China is looking to invest in the metaverse market as numerous cities rollout policy proposals.

Technology continues to change our lives forever.

As new advancements are released to the public—safety continues to be a major concern.

People are interacting with computers in a different way, with the word Metaverse becoming a buzzword in both the tech and business industries.

While the term, “metaverse” is broad, it refers to a set of digital spaces online—including 3D—that allows people to do many things from socializing and learning to interacting and collaborating.

Analysts say it’s the next evolution in social connection and the successor to the mobile internet.

According to Morgan Stanley, the metaverse market could be worth $8 trillion in the future.

China’s technology giants are investing in the metavese and recently, numerous Chinese cities have announced policy proposals to attract and support metaverse companies.

This comes after tense year of regulatory scrutiny on the countries tech sector.

The Chinese city of Zhengzhou recently announced a series of policy proposals to support metaverse companies operating in the region.

The initiative involves the municipal government establishing a nearly $1.5 billion dedicated fund in an effort to foster growth and development in the industry.

So, is the metaverse taking the world by storm?

Oz Sultan from the Sultan Interactive Group joins us to discuss. #china #metaverse #veronicadudo #ozsultan #regulation #crypto #tech

World

Will deepfakes change election results?

Published

13 hours ago

May 30, 2023

ticker NEWS

Artificial intelligence is fuelling concern as deepfakes emerge and challenge the truth

A U.S. House Intelligence Committee warned of the impact deepfakes may have on American society and democracy in 2019.

At the hearing, California Democrat Adam Schiff showed an artificially-generated clip spoofing Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Lawmakers called on social media platforms and companies to take the threat of deepfakes seriously.

More recently, a democracy-distorting video was posted online showing Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main contender in the Türkiye election, speaking perfect English.

The deepfake phenomenon is fuelling an arms race between fake content creators and those seeking to moderate it.