Asian Legal Review

Philippine senators say a proposed change in the name of a disputed South China Sea area could impact Manila’s territorial claims.

Mohamed Muizzu promised to remove 75 Indian personnel from the region famous for its sun-kissed atolls and luxury tourist resorts in which India and China have invested millions of dollars.

Malaysia’s government says it will look into a video purportedly showing teachers and students in a school carrying fake weapons.

Halloween celebrations in South Korea were subdued on the eve of the first anniversary of the harrowing party crush that killed 159 people. Many restaurants, bars, department stores and amusement parks are avoiding Halloween-themed events as a sign of respect for the victims. Few people clad in Halloween costumes were seen Saturday in Seoul’s popular Itaewon neighbourhood, the site of last year’s deadly surge when many revellers and others packed an alley, causing people to fall on each other like dominoes. The walls of the narrow, sloped alley in Itaewon were plastered with numerous Post-it notes with condolence messages that read “We won’t forget you” and “We’ll remember you”. A mourning station established in central Seoul received many visitors, who laid white flowers and burned incense in front of photos of the victims. In Seoul’s Hongdae area, another entertainment zone, there were only a few people wearing Halloween outfits. Authorities have deployed thousands of police, emergency and other officials since Friday for crowd control and safety of pedestrians in Itaewon and 15 other major nightlife districts in Seoul. About 200 police officers were separately mobilised to monitor narcotics use and violent crime, according to Seoul police. “I offer a deep apology again by bearing the sorrow and heavy responsibility for the disaster in my heart,” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Friday. “The way to overcome the pains and sorrow of the disaster is preventing this kind of incident from happening again.” Bereaved families are to hold a formal memorial service on Sunday. In January, a police special investigation team concluded that police and municipal officials failed to work out effective crowd control steps despite correctly anticipating a huge number of people in Itaewon. Investigators also concluded that police had ignored hotline calls by pedestrians who warned of swelling crowds before the surge turned deadly. The Itaewon crush caused a nationwide outpouring of grief as the dead were mostly in their 20s…

Campaigning is likely to spotlight political dynasties, Indonesia’s new capital Nunsantara, youth and Muslim voters, and intra party rivalry in the ruling party.

A wide-ranging new Energy Act has been passed into law in the UK aimed at ensuring long-term energy security and facilitating the country’s transition to a ‘net zero’ energy system.

The Scottish government’s proposal to raise the alcohol minimum unit price (MUP) by 30% is likely to be a concern for the drinks industry, legal experts have said.

Content platforms in the UK can expect to receive more details on the steps they might need to take to address the risk of illegal online harms on 9 November, a regulator has confirmed after the Online Safety Act passed into UK law.

‘The pilot would feel as if he became the robot himself’. One idea is for robots to get together for a shoot out with toy guns, while another is for them to help clean up after disasters.

The aviation industry, a major emitter of greenhouse gases, is looking for ways to cut its carbon footprint by using alternative fuels.