A major planning consultation announcement on the proposed Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) regime for major infrastructure projects (NSIPs) sets out important points and should be carefully considered by developers, investors and other stakeholders, experts have said.
China and US exchange verbal shots; Hong Kong’s Indian food: 5 weekend reads
We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. US ‘destabilising Asia-Pacific’: China fires back at Shangri-La Dialogue 2. Meet India’s answer to Pakistan’s Chinese jets: the AMCA stealth fighter 3. Bitterness reimagined: Bali bomber seeks a second chance through coffee 4. Harvard Chinese student’s graduation speech strikes a chord as Trump…
US deportations: how safe are Filipinos – and what can Manila do?
The release of a Philippines-born green card holder as ordered by a US judge after she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has spurred calls for stronger support from Manila amid fears of the roll-out of the largest deportation programme in American history.
Lewelyn Dixon spent three months at an ICE detention centre in Tacoma, Washington state, after being apprehended on February 28 while returning to her home in Seattle following a trip to the Philippines.
Dixon’s lawyer,…
Beyond trade, Asean-GCC-China summit heralds Asia’s cultural renaissance
The inaugural summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China, recently held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, went beyond underscoring Asia’s growing geoeconomic prominence – it also served to position the continent as a catalyst for a cultural renaissance.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current Asean chair, has long maintained the principle of neutrality as essential to maintaining the bloc’s centrality. One…
Will Indonesia’s Whoosh extension to Surabaya be derailed by Chinese debt?
Indonesia is reviving plans to extend its Chinese-backed high-speed rail network, with ambitions to connect Jakarta with Surabaya, the nation’s second-largest city. But analysts say familiar complications could stall the project, from regulatory hurdles to the mounting debt owed to China.
The proposed extension would build on Whoosh – Southeast Asia’s first high speed rail line – a US$7.3 billion project connecting capital Jakarta to Bandung in West Java province. The 142km (88-mile) railway,…
Why US exceptionalism and the export of crassness are losing shallow appeal
In early May, as Roman Catholic cardinals convened for their conclave, US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope. Shortly afterwards, he declared that he would like to become a pontiff. Reactions from around the globe were swift, though not everyone was shocked. After all, this was American crassness at its finest – a spectacle the world has grown accustomed to. Trump is neither the first nor the only US figure to inure the world to such behaviour; there is a…
‘They’ve smelled blood’: battle for 2028 presidency begins in Philippines
As the dust settles from the shock of the Philippines’ midterm election, it is clear that President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his dynastic rivals, the Dutertes, have fought to a stalemate, with both camps securing an equal number of Senate seats.
This political deadlock ensures that the immediate focus of national politics will revolve around the rivalry between the two powerful clans. For Marcos’ administration, pressing economic and foreign-policy issues are likely to take a back seat to two…
Court of Appeal clarifies scope of Aarhus Convention claims under UK law
Costs cap orders under the Aarhus Convention only apply if the legal challenge concerns “national law relating to the environment”, according to a recent judgment by the Court of Appeal – potentially limiting the scope for future UK environmental challenges against public bodies’ decisions
Ireland’s consumer watchdog targets Boots and Shein over misleading claims
Recent actions by Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) against Boots Ireland and Shein highlight growing regulatory focus on pressure selling tactics both offline and online, experts say.
Supreme Court refusal to hear Dyson appeal ‘significant’ for overseas corporate accountability
The UK Supreme Court’s recent decision to refuse Dyson permission to appeal a Court of Appeal ruling marks a significant moment in the evolving legal landscape surrounding corporate accountability for overseas operations, experts have said.