Asian Legal Review

While Kazakhstan is cooperating closely with China on the digitalisation of trade, a government official from the Central Asian country said this week that more infrastructure investment is needed – including along the Middle Corridor trade route – for it to realise its aim of becoming a bridge between Asia and Europe.
Exporters turned to the Middle Corridor – which connects China and Europe via Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey – as an alternative to the northern route of the…

The world’s largest glove maker, Top Glove, expects to expand US sales in the 2026 financial year, even as it faces intensifying competition from Chinese rivals setting up production in Southeast Asia to take advantage of lower American tariffs.
“The glove business is challenging and competitive, especially on an international level,” Top Glove Executive Chairman Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai said in the Malaysian company’s earnings statement on Thursday.
With an improved cost structure, Top Glove was…

Plans to reform cryptocurrency regulation in Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC) will bring the financial free zone’s rules into alignment with international best practices, according to an expert.

Wages in Singapore grew by 4.3 per cent this year, the lowest in Southeast Asia, but slightly higher than the 3.9 per cent rate in Hong Kong, a study has found.
Professional services firm Aon released its annual Salary Increase and Turnover Survey on Wednesday, based on data collected from more than 700 companies in the region including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The study found that the average percentage growth across the region was 5.4, with Vietnam having the highest percentage…

A Filipino blogger has been arrested and accused of inciting sedition over a Facebook post authorities described as making a veiled death threat against the president.
In the October 3 post, video blogger Michael “Mike” Romero shared a picture of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr standing with other officials outside the earthquake-ravaged city hall in Bogo, in the central Philippines.
The photo was overlaid with a red arrow pointing at Marcos’ head with the single-word caption reading “headshot”,…

India’s civil aviation minister denied on Tuesday there was any “manipulation” in an official investigation into the crash of an Air India Dreamliner in June, after the father of the flight’s captain complained about the actions of investigators.
It was the first official reaction to a complaint by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal sent to a pilots’ union last month, in which he said investigators had visited his home and implied that his son had cut the fuel to the plane’s engines after…

Malaysia’s top state energy official has apologised after facing backlash at home for taking part in a champagne-spraying celebration at the Singapore Grand Prix, in the latest controversy over Islamic norms and the conduct of government-linked companies.
Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz, the president and group chief executive of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), joined the podium celebrations on Sunday as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team – which the company sponsors – clinched…

A detailed submission by Apple critiquing the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) could provide valuable insights into how the EU regime could be refined and also pointers for other jurisdictions adopting similar digital markets competition rules, an expert has claimed.

Qatar’s Ministry of Labour has revealed new fees for a host of services related to hiring staff, including issuing work permits and recruitment licences – the latter having been dramatically cut in price.

A viral video of an interaction between a fitness influencer and an elderly toilet cleaner in Singapore has sparked discourse on the city state’s work culture for seniors.
In the Instagram clip, Jaden Laing, an Australian strongman, greets the older man, who is dressed in his work uniform, in a washroom. The latter shares that he is 91 years old and on a 12-hour shift that would end at 7pm.
“How are you so healthy?” asks Laing, who follows up with questions on the man’s exercise routine. The…