Tokyo reported 1,494 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the lowest number of daily cases since Tuesday, after Japan declared a limited state of emergency in the capital and three prefectures neighbouring the capital on Thursday to stem a surge in Covid-19 infectionsPrime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Sunday the government will take “a few days” before judging whether it will expand a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic to include Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures.The comment…
Indonesia arms maritime force amid growing China encroachment
Indonesia’s civilian maritime force ended 2020 by arming its vessels with machine guns amid continuing incursions by Chinese and Vietnamese fishing boats near Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone around its northern Natuna Islands. The move to equip the force, Bakamla, is seen as a delicate balancing act by Indonesia to deal with Chinese incursions without jeopardising growing bilateral ties with Beijing and at the same time defuse potential domestic anger over China’s encroachments, say…
Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air loses contact with plane flying from Jakarta to Pontianak
Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air lost contact with a Boeing 737-500 that left Jakarta at 1.25pm local time for the city of Pontianak in West Kalimantan on Saturday.Adita Irawati, the Indonesian Transport Ministry spokesperson, told This Week in Asia that the last contact they had with the flight SJY 182 was at 2.20pm local time.“At this point, we are investigating and coordinating the matter with Basarnas (the search and rescue agency) and KNKT (the transport safety body). We will release more…
Coronavirus: Filipinos ignore pandemic to attend Black Nazarene feast; more Japanese regions request emergency
Tens of thousands of people ignored government advice and flocked to the Philippines capital Manila on Saturday to celebrate the feast of the Black Nazarene, a statue that is believed to have healing powers.An estimated 400,000 people have been through the city’s Quiapo district since 4am local time, Lieutenant Colonel Carlo Magno Manuel, spokesman for the Manila Police District, told reporters. Because of coronavirus restrictions, only 400 visitors at a time were allowed inside the church…
EU-UK trade: life sciences companies face dual regime
Additional regulatory hurdles now apply to manufacturers of medicines and medical devices that want to place products on both the EU and UK markets in spite of the recent agreement of a new EU-UK trade deal.
An overview of civil proceedings in England and Wales
Unlike in other jurisdictions, there is no single codified source of civil law. English civil law is made up of legislation by Parliament and decisions by the courts.
Programmes of works and construction contracts
Most construction contracts require the contractor to produce a programme of works. This can be a non-contractual reference point for how work will be carried out or it can impose obligations to deliver the works in a certain way and by certain dates.
Singapore family in court for treating woman as slave, chaining her up and knocking out teeth
A woman who initially sought refuge with a Singapore family after running away from home became their slave after angering one of the women by engaging in a sex act with her husband.Four of the family members pleaded guilty on Thursday to various crimes including assaulting the 30-year-old woman and lying to the police to protect the family.Muhammad Iskandar Ismail, 32, received two months and four weeks’ in prison for lying to the police and voluntarily causing hurt. His brother Muhammad Iski…
Vietnam’s tight lid on the coronavirus leaves many citizens desperate to return, with illegal border crossings on the rise
Nguyen Huu Khanh hasn’t seen his family since he moved to Madrid in 2017 to study Spanish – and he also misses pho with tender beef and the many other foods of his home. As soon as Spain reported its first Covid-19 outbreak in February last year, he booked a flight home to Vietnam, only to end up having to delay his return.‘I was worried about my visa, which was about to expire, and that I wouldn’t be able to return [to Spain] and would have to cut short my study and work, so I postponed my…
Preparing for Oman’s phased VAT registration
Oman will adopt a turnover-based phased registration process for VAT, with VAT registration for smaller businesses not becoming effective until 1 April 2022.