Month: December 2017

The Scottish government has made a concession on the application of business rates to listed buildings in plans aimed at implementing recommendations made in a review of Scottish business rates published earlier this year.

If the European Commission’s state aid investigation into the group finance exemption in the UK’s controlled foreign company (CFC) rules results in the exemption being declared unlawful state aid, groups are likely to mount EU law challenges to the regime, an expert said.

A “digital twin” of the UK’s infrastructure should be created to allow virtual projections to be carried out into future capacity needs, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said.

Cambodia stands to lose nearly US$700 million per year if the European Union suspends its preferential trade treatment in response to the government’s crackdown on the country’s main opposition party, according to a document seen Wednesday.
In a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak warned that if European Parliament’s suspension call were implemented, Cambodia would have to pay US$676 million a year in taxes on its Europe-bound exports and the jobs…

For Filipino satirist Raden Payas, there is a clear line between what he writes and the fake news phenomenon that is sweeping across the globe.
His articles lampooning politicians’ eating habits and referencing the sexual exploits of political pundits are not meant to be taken at face value, he insists, but instead are social commentary.
“There are fake news items that are not offensive and can make people laugh, they are just fake humour articles, they’re satirical,” he…

Wholesale regulatory and cultural reforms are needed in the context of fire safety in buildings in light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy earlier this year, the person tasked with conducting a review of building regulations has said in her interim report.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s government has opted out of a major US development aid programme that requires recipients to support democracy and fight corruption, the two countries said on Tuesday.
Duterte spokesman Harry Roque said Manila decided against negotiating a second “compact” with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which provided US$433.9 million for Philippine anti-poverty projects in 2010.
“We have opted to withdraw from the second…

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday he would use a special order that gives the military sweeping powers to allow political parties to prepare for a 2018 general election.
Major political parties had urged the government for months to lift a ban on all political activity to allow parties to prepare for the vote.
“The government will have to use Article 44 to solve this problem [political activity deadlock],” Prayuth told reporters, referring to a constitutional…

ANALYSIS: A revised UK Corporate Governance Code, intended by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to be “shorter and sharper” and to restore public trust in business, is due to come into force for accounting periods beginning 1 January 2019.

In the end, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), registered yet another victory in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. But it was the kind of victory where the winners were more relieved than overjoyed. And the losers were not despondent but encouraged.
Gujarat is Modi’s bastion. He made his reputation there as a charismatic chief minister with administrative skills and remains its favourite son, the most popular leader to emerge from the region in…