Asian Legal Review

When Alexander Nix, the recently suspended boss of Cambridge Analytica, went to Manila in May 2015, he did more than deliver a talk on his new method of managing elections. Nix dined with Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña and Peter Tiu Laviña, cousins who later played key roles in Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential campaign, notable for its use of social media. At the time, Nix identified himself as a board director of Cambridge Analytica’s parent company,…

Cambodia’s former opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, called on Sunday for Cambodians to boycott a general election set for July 29 if his dissolved party isn’t allowed to take part.
The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved by the Supreme Court last November at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government, which alleged it was plotting to take power with the help of the United States.
The CNRP and the United States have denied the allegations, which followed…

The torso armour Russell Crowe wore for his Oscar-winning role in Gladiator eclipsed expectations at a Sydney auction on Saturday, selling for A$125,000 (US$96,000).
Sotheby’s Australia had estimated the stunt cuirass worn in the 2000 blockbuster would fetch between A$20,000 and A$30,000. But much of the film memorabilia auctioned by the Australia-based New Zealander as part of his divorce settlement exceeded expectations.
A replica Roman chariot from the same film in which Crowe played…

A former top police official in Vietnam was arrested Friday on suspicion of involvement in a multimillion-dollar international gambling ring, part of the ruling Communist Party’s crackdown on corruption.
The Ministry of Public Security said on its website the arrest warrant was issued for Phan Van Vinh for abuse of power while doing official duty as part of an investigation into gambling and money laundering.
Vinh, 62, was the head of the General Department of Police Force before retiring…

The challenge of funding the replacement of flammable cladding similar to that which caught fire in the Grenfell Tower disaster in London last year has been highlighted by a case ruled on by a tribunal in March.

Employers need to deduct income tax and pay national insurance contributions (NICs) on all payments in lieu of notice (PILONs) made in connection with a termination of employment on or after today, as rules announced in the UK’s 2016 Budget come into force.

India was on Friday night seeking the arrest of Nirav Modi, the fugitive billionaire jeweller at the centre of the country’s biggest ever banking scam, who was believed to be hiding in Hong Kong.
A source confirmed that Indian authorities had submitted a request to the city’s Department of Justice for the provisional arrest of the diamond merchant, wanted over a US$2 billion (HK$15.7 billion) fraud at the state-run Punjab National Bank. 
“We have reason to believe that he…

The Philippine tourism industry scrambled on Friday to manage the fallout from the temporary shutdown of its world-famous Boracay island, which threw into chaos trips planned by hundreds of thousands of tourists.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the once-idyllic white-sand resort closed to tourists for up to six months from April 26, after describing the country’s top tourist attraction as a “cesspool” tainted by raw sewage.
Checkpoints manned by police or soldiers will be…

A new deposit return scheme for ‘single use’ drinks containers in England has the potential to help reduce plastic, glass and metal waste, but the benefits promised will not be straightforward to deliver, an environmental law expert has said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday “genocide” was taking place in Myanmar and he was willing to accept Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing from it, though Europe should help too.
The United Nations and rights groups say some 700,000 people, most of them Rohingya, have fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh since August last year when Rohingya militant attacks on the security forces sparked a military crackdown.
The United Nations and several Western countries have said…