Six complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) concerning whether advertisements for food and drink brands were paid-for advertisements for identifiable ‘less healthy’ food or drink products. The ASA upheld two complaints and did not uphold four. The rulings provide guidance on the application of the CAP and BCAP Code restrictions and the scope of the brand advertising exemption.

Two complaints were upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in relation to alcohol advertising, as part of a wider piece of work on alcohol advertising. The rulings follow investigations triggered by the ASA’s Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to identify potentially non-compliant online ads.

One complaint was received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding the fairness of a prize draw administration. The ASA upheld the complaint.

Four complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding advertisements by A3 Games Pte Ltd and John Mills Ltd. The complaints concerned the sexualisation and objectification of women in a game ad and misleading claims in a shapewear ad. The ASA upheld the complaints.

One complaint was received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding a Facebook and Instagram advert for Bestway Retail Ltd t/a Bargain Booze, which featured Santa Claus in a manner that was likely to appeal particularly to people under 18. The ASA upheld the complaint.

Four complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about travel-industry ads that made unqualified environmental claims about cruise ships (claims such as 'eco-friendly', 'the world’s cleanest marine fuel' and 'a strong focus on sustainability'). The ASA upheld the complaints and required the ads to be removed or amended — signalling a clear clamp-down on environmental claims in the cruise sector.

Three complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) concerning claims made on the website of Bodystreet Franchise (UK) Ltd, a fitness studio promoting Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) training. The ASA upheld all three complaints.

The Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) User Council has published a whitepaper titled ‘Taming the Beast: A Whitepaper on Document Production’, which examines the challenges posed by document production in international arbitration. The paper identifies inefficiencies, rising costs and procedural burdens as key concerns, and notes that these issues have contributed to the growing use of expedited procedures that often exclude document production. It recommends that  parties, tribunals and institutions to adopt a more disciplined approach, using existing procedural tools and contractual clauses to limit requests to those that are genuinely necessary. While artificial intelligence may assist with managing document review, the paper concludes that procedural reform is essential to maintaining arbitration’s efficiency and appeal.

The Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) Local Group Zurich has announced its third annual Crypto Arbitration Forum, scheduled for 20 May 2025 at Lenz & Staehelin's Zurich offices. The event will examine arbitration mechanisms for blockchain and decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO) disputes, featuring a keynote by Bianca Kremer followed by an expert panel discussion. The forum aims to address evolving dispute resolution requirements in cryptocurrency and blockchain contexts, with particular focus on legal, procedural and technological challenges.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has outlined their approach to enforcing new advertising rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), which takes effect from 6 April 2025. The ASA will reference unfair commercial practices provisions while reviewing affected CAP and BCAP Code rules. Enforcement on drip pricing will be limited to clear breaches outside the Competition and Markets Authority's consultation scope. A three-month supportive compliance period will apply to new fake review rules, though existing testimonial rules remain in force.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) have published a consumer research report and guidance on how brands and publishers can ensure ads read by podcast hosts and content creators are identifiable as ads to their audiences. The ASA and CAP's consumer research, which found that podcast listeners valued clarity and up-front labelling at the start of ads. The guidance will take effect on 16 August 2024, after a three-month grace period.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Trading Standards have announced that 14 websites advertising prohibited offensive weapons to UK consumers have been taken down following a joint enforcement operation. The ASA says its Compliance team referred a website advertising prohibited weapons, including push daggers, to Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards under its legal backstop arrangement with National Trading Standards. The referral prompted an investigation by the National Trading Standards e-crime team, which identified a wider network of websites illegally marketing offensive weapons. Trading Standards' subsequent enforcement action resulted in 14 websites being taken down, preventing further unlawful advertising and sales.