Asian Legal Review

The NSW safety regulator’s decision to force the pause of a redundancy consultation process, on the basis that it created a risk of psychological harm to workers, could have implications for employers in future redundancy processes

The fields are full but the paddy rice is brown and wilted, and the air thick with the stench of rotting crops and livestock – the aftermath of record monsoon rains that have devastated India’s breadbasket.
In Punjab, often dubbed the country’s granary, the damage is unprecedented: floods have swallowed farmlands almost the size of London and New York City combined.
India’s agriculture minister said in a recent visit to the state that “the crops have been destroyed and ruined”, and Punjab’s…

Thaksin Shinawatra is being held under the same conditions as other inmates and has not received any special privileges during his first week back in prison, his lawyer has said, amid speculation over whether Thailand’s former prime minister may request to serve his sentence outside jail.
Attorney Winyat Chartmontree on Monday said Thaksin’s family had not sought any special treatment and that his client had only requested rights afforded to other inmates.
“People can say what they like, but…

A ruling by the UK Supreme Court on VAT payments means organisations must carefully plan when drawing up intra-group contracts, an expert has said.

Coup rumours swirled in the Philippine capital over the weekend, with the military placed on “red alert” and all leave for its personnel cancelled, ahead of planned protests against corruption in state-funded flood control projects.
Sources close to and within the military confirmed to This Week in Asia that certain private individuals, former generals and groups were trying to persuade active-duty officers to withdraw their support for Commander-in-Chief and President Ferdinand Marcos…

Nearly a quarter of a million people were left without electricity over the weekend in Malaysia’s Sabah state after torrential rain triggered landslides that killed at least one person and took out a transmission tower that cut power across a large area.
Footage shared widely on social media showed the tower leaning precariously after it was hit by a landslide in the district of Penampang on the state’s west coast on Saturday evening.
The incident cut power supply to six districts in Sabah’s…

A recent decision has established a precedent that arbitration awards do not require signatures on every page to be enforceable under United Arab Emirates (UAE) law, which experts say will reinforce “the UAE’s position as an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction”.

Gaming giant Roblox Corp has agreed to curb the risk of adults grooming children on its platform in Australia, the country’s online watchdog said on Monday.
The popular site, which lets players build their own games, has committed to bringing in new measures by the end of 2025, said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
Australia has been a leader in global efforts to prevent internet harm, introducing a ban on social media access to children under 16 and other measures focused on child…

The Indonesian government has allowed a nickel mining company to resume operations in an eastern archipelago, a minister said on Sunday, despite outcry over damage it could cause to the pristine islands.
The cluster of islands and shoals in Southwest Papua Province sits in the Coral Triangle and is thought to be one of the world’s most pristine reefs, while its clear blue waters make it a popular diving spot.
PT Gag Nikel, a subsidiary of state mining company Aneka Tambang, resumed operations on…

The sole survivor of the Air India crash is still in India recovering from his injuries while British families of victims have told the Foreign Secretary they are still facing “silence and indifference” from authorities, according to reports.
Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, survived the disaster on June 12 that killed 241 people on board, and his wife has said he is grieving his brother Ajay, who had been sitting across the aisle.
Two families who received other victims’ remains in their…