Asian Legal Review

Local authorities, utility companies, Network Rail and public agencies such as Natural England, Historic England and the Marine Management Organisation should be subject to a new legal duty to engage in the planning process for ‘nationally significant’ infrastructure, experts have recommended.

A shift in mindset from defined contribution (DC) pension trustees, together with targeted regulatory action, is required to encourage more investment in illiquid assets and better returns for investors, according to a new report.

An increase in claims for tax credits for research and development (R&D) by small and medium businesses (SMEs) provides further evidence that the government needs to safeguard access to R&D tax relief for SMEs as part of its review into the R&D tax credit system, a tax expert has said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry wants the European Union to scale back its plans to boost scrutiny of human rights under the new Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, which is hoping to emerge from decades of war and instability.Islamabad says “further improvements” to a resolution at the UN’s top human rights body are needed, including concrete pledges of assistance for the war-wracked country without using human rights as the sole criteria.Pakistan is arguably the Taliban’s closest state…

Malaysia’s help is needed to resolve the global shortage of auto semiconductors, especially when it comes to packaging, a sector affected by the country’s Covid-19 curbs, Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua said.Taiwan, as a major chip producer, has been front and centre of efforts to resolve the shortage, which has idled auto plants around the world.Speaking in an interview late on Thursday at her ministry, Wang said Taiwan alone could not sort out the problem because the supply chain was so…

The cost of litigation and arbitration in Africa can be significantly reduced if more proceedings are conducted virtually, but investment is needed to ensure those proceedings are always fair and that they enhance access to justice.

A former commander of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Forces (MSDF) has warned that policymakers and people in the country are unprepared for conflict in the Taiwan Strait, simply because the thought is too unpalatable.In an opinion piece for the right-leaning Sankei newspaper, Yoji Koda, who retired as commander in chief of the MSDF in 2008, said there would be “devastating” consequences if Japan was unprepared for an emergency involving Taiwan.China sees the self-ruled island as part of its…

Singapore posted a record eight deaths from Covid-19 on Wednesday, a potential test of the government’s resolve to reopen amid fears tied to its recent exponential increase in infections.New cases topped 2,200 for a second straight day even as the government re-implemented some domestic curbs to combat infection rates that are hitting their highest levels since the pandemic began.While officials said they are committed to reopening the island nation where four in every five residents are fully…

A major review announced by the UK government has the potential for significant impact on all areas of UK legislation that has its roots in EU law, ranging from intellectual property to data protection, employment law and environmental law.

The “old guard” of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Wednesday once again defied popular will by electing Fumio Kishida as the new leader of both the party and the nation, with more critical analysts suggesting that party elders wanted a “puppet” who would bend to their wishes rather than a younger maverick as prime minister.Kishida, a 64-year-old former foreign minister, was elected in a second round of voting with 257 votes from LDP politicians, after none of the initial four…