Asian Legal Review

The newly crowned Miss Philippines Earth’s sharp-tongued posts about her country’s deepening flood control corruption scandal have earned her both praise and warnings that she could lose her crown.
Joy Barcoma has become an unexpected commentator on the growing political controversy, weighing in with biting humour and fierce advocacy that has won her a legion of new fans who refer to her as “my queen”.
Some have urged Barcoma to stay silent to preserve her shot at the international title, but…

Businesses involved in commercial disputes litigated in England and Wales should expect more documents relevant to their case to be accessible to journalists and other ‘non-parties’ in future, experts have said.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s cabinet reshuffle is a “tactical” step to restore public trust in the government, according to analysts, but they argue it will not be enough to quell the unrest among protesters if it does not lead to more systemic reform.
The shake-up on Monday saw the departure of high-profile officials such as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan, alongside the creation of a stand-alone…

A former police ally of ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is a step closer to giving what lawyers have described as “smoking gun” testimony to the International Criminal Court linking Duterte to extrajudicial killings during his war on drugs.
At the same time, Duterte’s defence team is seeking to delay the ICC case against him and secure his interim release on health grounds.
Royina Garma, an ex-police colonel who served Duterte while he was mayor of Davao City, was reportedly scheduled to…

Allies of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte lost their grip in the Senate on Monday after 15 lawmakers backed a leadership change that could alter the balance of power over corruption probes and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s scuttled impeachment trial.
The process took just 24 minutes – from a motion to declare the post of Senate president vacant to the swearing-in of Vicente Sotto III, a veteran lawmaker who is allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, for the role. Sotto’s…

Landlords, property investors and other stakeholders in the private rented property sector in England will be watching closely to see whether there are any late amendments to long-awaited legislation intended to deliver, amongst other things, the repeal of ‘no fault’ evictions.

Malaysians from the highest income group are increasingly turning to public hospitals for treatment as surging private healthcare costs drive up insurance premiums, with lawmakers and industry professionals warning of more pressure on the national healthcare system.
The cost of private healthcare in Malaysia rose by nearly 12 per cent in 2024, well above the global average of about 6 per cent, according to a report on medical trends around the world by professional services firm Aon.
A separate…

China switched on 21 gigawatts of new coal power capacity in the first half of this year, the highest since 2016, according to a recent energy report. This came after electricity demand hit a historic high in July, driven by extreme heatwaves. Hydropower faltered, and coal plants were fired up to meet the load.
At first glance, this looks like a step backwards for climate policy. But China’s clean-energy engine is still accelerating, adding 212GW of solar power capacity in the first six months,…

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is set to begin a state visit to Cambodia on Sunday in a bid to revitalise bilateral relations and address shared challenges such as transnational crime, in what analysts say is a platform for both countries to realise their untapped trade opportunities.
Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are scheduled to be in Cambodia until Tuesday for a three-day visit, following an invitation from King Norodom Sihamoni.
The visit is seen as a reciprocal…