Asian Legal Review

The number of outages that financial services firms reported to the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) more than doubled in a year, according to new data published by the regulator.

Relatives of people who went missing on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in 2014 have retrieved what they believe are new pieces of debris from the aircraft and will present them to the Malaysian government this week.
Flight MH370 was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, when it disappeared and became one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. Malaysian and international investigators believe the jet veered thousands of miles off course…

The CEO of eBay said on Tuesday that the US e-commerce giant aims to build up a “multibillion dollar” business in Japan by offering a range of foreign items with competitive prices.
Devin Wenig also said that the company will expand operations in other parts of Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, citing their growth potential and that it is “always watching” for new business opportunities. “We would like to be one of the top Japanese e-commerce…

Malaysian officials on Tuesday convened a high-level security council meeting after two consecutive days of violence near Kuala Lumpur, while Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad strongly pushed back against suggestions the troubles had a racial undertone.
The clashes near a Hindu temple in the state of Selangor have been linked to a dispute between the 147-year-old institution and a developer who claimed to have acquired the land for RM1.5 million, although it is unclear to whom the proceeds were…

ANALYSIS: A new law on data protection and digital rights has been approved by Spain’s parliament and will come into force in the coming days. The law will complement the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Maldives’ new finance minister said on Monday that China is executing infrastructure projects at vastly higher prices than originally proposed but there is little the island nation can do about it.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, which took office this month, is reviewing contracts awarded by his predecessor Abdulla Yameen. Most went to Chinese firms and are feared to have left the country in debt.
During a five-year building spree, China built a sea bridge…

Some businesses are using pre-pack insolvency arrangements to avoid tax liabilities, according to a member of an independent panel.

On Friday, Singapore’s People’s Action Party formally unveiled a slate of leaders who will drive its campaign for the next general election, to be held before April 2021.
The 35th Central Executive Committee, elected after a biennial party vote on November 11, is younger and more diverse than its previous incarnation.
In line with party secretary general and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s expressed preference for inclusive politics, the line-up represents a variety of ethnic…

Tens of thousands of Hindu hardliners rallied on Sunday for a temple to be built at a disputed Indian holy site, where an ancient mosque was razed in 1992 sparking deadly riots.
Huge crowds of saffron-clad protesters, some waving swords and chanting “Praise Be to Ram”, massed in Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh state where right-wing Hindu groups want a grand temple to their god constructed. Organisers had expected 300,000 demonstrators to attend rallies in Ayodhya and two other…

Hi-tech Singapore is planning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that include delivering parcels, inspecting buildings and providing security, but safety and privacy concerns mean the initiative may hit turbulence.
Companies have already started testing the devices for commercial use, mainly in an area of over 200 hectares (500 acres) dotted with high-rise buildings and shopping malls, specially designated by the government for the trials.
Latest DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone brings users closer…