Author: viking

Three sacks weighted with sandbags recovered from the depths of a Philippine volcanic crater lake have added a dramatic new twist to the chilling case of at least 34 missing cock fighters, bolstering claims by a whistle-blower that the killings were orchestrated by a gambling tycoon with powerful political and police connections.
The first sack, pulled from the murky waters of Taal Lake on Thursday, contained charred bones, according to the Department of Justice. Forensic tests have yet to…

The new German government has laid out a series of measures to crack down on white-collar crime and intends to rewrite the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains as part of its common legislative goals for the next four years.

Businesses and their in-house counsel should be aware of the risks at stake as the impact and scope of climate-related litigation continues to expand, experts have said.

The decision to retain a single national, wholesale electricity market is evidence of the UK government’s focus on accelerating clean power without causing disruption to the market at this time, an expert has said.

Back to April 2016, at the Qingfeng steamed bun restaurant in Beijing’s bustling Xicheng district, Jin Liqun lunched with the Asia editor of the Financial Times to introduce himself and China’s newly created Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Beijing’s decision to establish a development bank reflected in part a deep frustration with the reluctance of the world’s leading economies to give China (and other leading developing economies) more influence in Bretton Woods institutions such…

A new bill that seeks to establish a new civil registration system in the Philippines in a bid to prevent “more Alice Guos” is a step in the right direction, but may not be adequate to address the country’s deep-seated patronage politics and bribery, observers warn.
Filed by Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the bill proposes to create a new civil registration and vital statistics system that aims to prevent foreigners from acquiring Philippine citizenship through fraudulent means, such as…

Property owners in Britain are facing increasing regulation following the Grenfell Tower fire in London and because of policy reactions to the climate emergency.

Even as internal divisions and absent leaders hung over proceedings, this week’s Brics summit in Brazil delivered an unmistakable message: the world’s emerging economies are intent on shaping their own destiny, seeking consensus where once there was only Western dominance.
In a joint declaration adopted on Sunday, Brics leaders warned of the threat posed to the global economy by the “indiscriminate” use of tariffs and “proliferation of trade-restrictive actions” – thinly veiled references to US…

Thailand is poised to close most of its cannabis shops by the end of the year under sweeping new rules requiring retailers to operate as licensed medical clinics with on-site doctors – a move that could roll back much of the country’s brief experiment with decriminalised marijuana.
The new regulations – set to be enforced by the end of the year – will leave around 2,000 of Thailand’s estimated 18,000 cannabis shops in operation, a Ministry of Public Health official said on Tuesday.
That is…

The European Commission’s new EU Energy and Raw Materials Platform will enhance security of supply and support the EU’s 2030 renewable hydrogen targets, experts have said.