Asian Legal Review

Providers of AI systems in the EU should find it easier to understand whether those systems constitute ‘high-risk’ AI systems under the AI Act, triggering follow-on duties, as a result of new guidance that has been issued, an expert in tech regulation has said.

On Great Nicobar, a remote island located closer to Indonesia than mainland India, New Delhi is embarking on one of its biggest developments in decades.
The US$9 billion project is intended to transform the country’s southernmost tip into a major transport hub comprising a transhipment port, an international airport and associated logistical facilities.
Spread across 166 sq km (64 square miles), the project in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is slated for completion over three decades,…

After three agonising days with no word from his son, Warsono finally saw the face he had been waiting for.
The 60-year-old Indonesian from Bandar Lampung in Sumatra spoke by video call on Thursday evening to his son, Andre Prasetyo Nugroho, following the 27-year-old journalist’s release from Israeli detention in Gaza.
“To my great relief, I could see he was in one piece, albeit somewhat worse for wear,” he said, adding that his son had bruises on his hands from being tightly zip-tied and,…

Businesses involved in importing jet fuel or diesel to the UK should be alert to risks arising from the operation of sanctions on Russian linked oil and oil products despite carve outs being provided from new UK trade sanctions imposed on Wednesday, an expert has said.

Indonesia has pitched a bold plan to host a regional ASEAN oil storage hub as a buffer against Middle East energy supply shocks, but the proposal has encountered immediate headwinds: deep-seated political distrust within the bloc, divergent national priorities, and ASEAN’s long track record of shelving collective emergency mechanisms.

The proposal, introduced by Indonesian Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia at the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu on May 11, calls for pooling emergency fuel reserves at a single facility on Sumatra, with Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines as partners. The timing coincides with the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, which has disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — cutting off roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies bound for Asia.

Sumatra sits astride the Strait of Malacca, where more than a quarter of globally traded goods and up to 40% of the world’s seaborne crude pass. From a geographic standpoint, Indonesia’s candidacy is strong.

Yet political reality is murkier. Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that while cross-border energy cooperation works elsewhere — citing France’s arrangements with Italy and Germany, and strategic reserves maintained by Japan and South Korea on behalf of allies like New Zealand — ASEAN lacks the unity to replicate such models. The bloc’s ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement, expanded last October to cover LNG, has never been triggered — not even during the current crisis.

ASEAN’s other dormant facility, the Chiang Mai Initiative born from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, has similarly never been activated. The stigma of IMF bailouts imposed on Thailand and Indonesia never fully dissipated.

Where might the hub instead go? Kurlantzick pointed to Malaysia, which emerged from its ASEAN chairmanship with heightened credibility. Energy expert Elbinsar Purba of ISEAS made a case for Singapore, which already commands world-class storage, refining, financial services and legal certainty.

But convincing eleven ASEAN governments to cede sovereignty over oil remains daunting. Ramkishen S. Rajan of NUS noted that energy security is easy to endorse in principle; the harder questions involve contribution obligations, release conditions, shortage priorities and whether those follow pre-agreed rules or real-time political bargaining.

ASEAN energy leaders say it’s time to move beyond declarations, but meaningful progress on a capital-intensive oil hub remains years away. Indonesia is pressing ahead with its own Sumatran facility regardless. The question is whether Jakarta can build the regional consensus needed, or whether the proposal will linger in principle alone.

OpenAI has announced a major partnership with the Singapore government to establish its first Applied AI Lab outside the United States, committing over S$300 million (approximately US$218 million) as part of a new initiative called OpenAI for Singapore.

Announced at the ATx Summit, the partnership was formalized with the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and aligns with Singapore’s National AI Strategy. The programme focuses on three core objectives: helping organizations adopt advanced AI technologies, building local AI talent, and widening access to AI tools across the economy.

The new Applied AI Lab will create more than 200 technical roles in Singapore over the coming years. Singapore will also serve as one of OpenAI’s global hubs for its Forward-Deployed Engineers, who work directly with companies to apply AI to real-world business and operational challenges.

The lab will support projects aligned with Singapore’s AI Mission priorities, including public service, finance, healthcare, and digital infrastructure. Denise Dresser, Chief Revenue Officer at OpenAI, said: “We’re excited to partner with Singapore as it builds on its position as a global leader in AI. Singapore has strong technical talent, trusted institutions, and a clear ambition to use AI to drive long-term growth and improve people’s lives.”

Beyond the lab itself, the initiative includes educational programmes developed in partnership with Singapore’s Ministry of Education and GovTech, focusing on AI-enabled learning tools including support for Mother Tongue language learning. OpenAI will also support educators through a Singapore chapter of the OpenAI Academy and Codex for Teachers hackathons.

The company plans to launch a Forward-Deployed Engineer training programme and participate in the National AI Impact Programme, using its Codex language model to deepen AI capabilities across Singapore’s technology workforce. OpenAI will also explore accelerator programmes for AI-native startups and workshops for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses.

This marks a significant development in cross-border AI regulation and governance, as Singapore positions itself as the primary Southeast Asian hub for frontier AI research and deployment. The move follows increased regulatory scrutiny of AI applications in the banking and financial services sectors across ASEAN, including MAS’s principles-based approach to AI in financial services.

The partnership comes at a time when competing jurisdictions are racing to attract leading AI companies while establishing regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with consumer protection. Singapore’s government-backed model, combining substantial financial commitment with clear regulatory pathways, may prove influential in shaping how other ASEAN nations approach frontier AI governance.

It began as a satirical online project. Now millions of young Indians are flocking to it as an outlet for their frustration.
A parody political party called the Cockroach Janta Party, with the insect as its symbol, has exploded across India’s social media by turning absurdist humour into protest.
Memes and short videos mocking corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction have flooded social media sites, where millions of users are embracing the cockroach – known for its ability to survive…

The Philippine justice chief ordered authorities on Thursday to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant for the arrest of a senator wanted on an alleged crime against humanity. He warned that anyone helping the senator evade a nationwide hunt would face criminal charges.
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa “is a fugitive from justice”, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said in a news conference. “He should be brought to the ICC to face the charges.”
Dela Rosa is a former national police chief who…

Proposals to strengthen rules on anti-money laundering provisions from the Abu Dhabi Global Market’s (ADGM) financial services regulator represent a consolidation of existing requirements, according to an expert.

Plans to implement a streamlined, principles-based approach to dealing with student complaints could open the door to a wider range of challenges for higher education providers, according to an expert.