A court has thwarted a rightwing Australian politician’s plan to clear 1,804 hectares of native forest. The Tasmanian Conservation Trust challenged the proposal to turn the land, which is owned by Liberal member of the Tasmanian parliament John Tucker, over to cattle grazing. It would have destroyed the habitat of numerous endangered species including the Tasmanian devil. The Tasmanian Supreme Court has now concluded a legal battle which has been running since 2009.
Spain is set to be the first European country to legislate for menstrual leave. Under draft proposals passed by the country’s centre-left cabinet, paid time off for those experiencing severe period pain would be funded by the social security system and would require a doctor’s note – but the idea is still ‘under discussion’. Japan, South Korea, Zambia and Indonesia have all made similar legal provisions.
