Australia’s highest court upheld the world’s toughest law on tobacco promotion today, despite protests from tobacco companies fearing for the value of their trademarks under new rules that will strip all logos from cigarette packs.

SAMSUNG Electronics won the latest round of its bruising global patent fight with Apple Inc when an Australian court yesterday lifted a ban on the sale of its Galaxy tablet computer in time for Christmas.

Australia’s plan to expel asylum seekers to Malaysia as part of a new refugee swap deal was today delayed for at least two weeks until the Australian High Court can rule on its legality.

ONE of the more intriguing files in the State papers opened this week concerned the appointment of Senator Vincent Gair as Australian ambassador to Ireland in 1974.