Asian Legal Review

A blunt White House social media post following the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has drawn unexpected attention among South Koreans online, where users quickly identified the photo’s background as a South Korean airport and began speculating about whether its use carried a hidden message.
The post, uploaded on Saturday to the White House’s official social media accounts, featured a black-and-white image of US President Donald Trump walking up the stairs, stamped with the acronym…

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has hailed the sudden arrest of retired air force general Romeo Poquiz over inciting to sedition as within the “rule of law”, after a video surfaced of him openly urging the military chief to withdraw support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom he described as a drug addict.
The country’s leader is grappling with a spiralling corruption scandal over billions of pesos squandered on anomalous flood control projects.
Amid mounting public outrage, the…

Policymakers have drawn up plans to enable manufacturers of medicines developed with the benefit of biotechnology to operate free from competition in the EU market for an extra year than they might do currently.

Restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drinks now apply in the UK.

Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor”, died on Monday. He was 74.
The death of Ahn, who had been fighting blood cancer for years, was announced by his agency, the Artist Company, and the Seoul-based Soonchunhyang University Hospital.
Ahn had been in the hospital’s intensive care unit since he collapsed at his home after choking on food last Tuesday.
After being diagnosed…

It started in earnest in March, with a swathe of palm-oil estates seized from a tycoon caught up in corruption allegations. Nine months later, a drive overseen by Indonesia’s defence minister has brought an area the size of Switzerland under state control.
The campaign, outwardly a push to improve governance, is a show of force by President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general who has regularly railed against both Indonesian elites and foreigners for profiting off the country’s resource riches at the…

Across Japan, foreign workers are keeping factories, fisheries and workshops afloat. But as wages rise in neighbouring countries, many business owners worry that Japan may no longer be an attractive destination for this workforce.
In Choshi, home to a large fishing port in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, one long-established cannery offers a glimpse into both Japan’s dependence on foreign workers and efforts being made to retain them.
Ho Thi Thuy Nhung, 38, begins work at 8am on the assembly…

For any party that wants to change Thailand, bitter experience has shown that winning an election and taking power are two entirely different things.
Conservatives hold the keys to government in the kingdom, where politicians, tycoons and generals serving the apex power of the monarchy allow elections, but conjure up coups and other political manoeuvres to take down winners perceived as a threat to their power.
But this time could be different, says Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the…

Singapore and the United States have started the new year by reaffirming their partnership, with 2026 marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the nations.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had a telephone call with US President Donald Trump on Friday, the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said.
“PM Wong and President Trump noted that 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and the United States,” the ministry said in a press statement.
“They…

Janice, a Kuala Lumpur-based food entrepreneur and chef, is in a foul mood as she laments the inferior quality and taste of US-produced chicken and eggs. Yet she concedes that she may have to stomach this unwelcome change in the local poultry market, at least for now.
Malaysia is bracing itself for a surge in American poultry shipments under an “agreement on reciprocal trade” signed with Washington in October. The deal opens the Southeast Asian nation to more US exports of food, cars and…