Asian Legal Review

US President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a stern warning that “no dictator” should underestimate the United States as he kicked off an Asian tour dominated by the North Korea nuclear crisis.
Speaking to cheering military personnel at Yokota Air Base just west of Tokyo minutes after landing, Trump donned a bomber jacket and said “no one, no dictator, no regime and no nation should underestimate … American resolve”.
“Every once in a while in the past, they…

At least 27 people have died and nearly two dozen are missing after Typhoon Damrey barrelled into Vietnam, authorities said on Sunday, damaging tens of thousands of homes and submerging motorways days before the country welcomes world leaders to the APEC summit.
The storm, which made landfall on Saturday, is the worst in decades to strike the country’s southern coastal region, an area normally spared the typhoons that typically hit further north.
More than 40,000 homes were damaged as…

When he arrives in Tokyo on Sunday, US President Donald Trump will have lunch with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the pair play nine holes at a fancy golf course that only recently allowed women to become full members. Then they will enjoy a private steak dinner – Trump’s favourite.
When the US president gets to Seoul on Tuesday, however, it is a different story. Although it is a state visit, he will only have time for a cup of tea with President Moon Jae-in in his office before…

Liberal Cambodians have never had it easy, but this year has robbed many of hope.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, in power since the 1980s, has jailed an opposition leader, expelled NGO workers and closed an independent newspaper. “Descent Into Outright Dictatorship,” screamed a headline on its final front page.
For years, these Cambodians have looked to the US as an example of the virtues of democracy, and – as a major source of aid – a check on their own government’s…

Businesses that issue tokens and cryptocurrencies in return for investment in New Zealand will be considered to be issuing securities, the country’s Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has said.

Oil and gas distributing company Glencore Energy’s application for judicial review of the issue of a diverted profits tax (DPT) charging notice by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been rejected for a second time.

Trump administration rebrands Asia the ‘Indo-Pacific’ in swipe at China US President Donald Trump isn’t just remaking American foreign policy in Asia by tearing up trade deals and getting tough on North Korea, his administration is giving the region a new name. As Trump prepared to arrive for a five-nation tour, White House officials and even the president ditched Asia-Pacific and were using “Indo-Pacific” instead. In the past few days, national security adviser…

Every person in the UK should have a right to access “basic infrastructure”, such as transport links, utilities, schools and broadband, an independent body set up to make recommendations on the shape of a new industrial strategy in the UK has said.

Indonesia’s first international gallery of contemporary art opens on Saturday, bringing together works by Ai Weiwei, Mark Rothko and Indonesian masters in a free-flowing modern space overlooking the Jakarta skyline.
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) holds nearly 800 paintings and sculptures, and aims to provide a world-class gallery to a country starved of quality museum infrastructure. The collection, mostly acquired by businessman Haryanto…

The shape of a London ‘black hack’ taxi is not distinctive enough to be eligible for trade mark protection, the Court of Appeal has ruled.