Asian Legal Review

The Supreme Court has ruled that a contractor does not have the immediate right to terminate a construction contract simply because a client has made two late payments.

Financial services firms operating in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) have been instructed to significantly enhance the way they identify, manage and mitigate conflicts of interest following the publication of a comprehensive thematic review by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).

Former prime minister Han Duck-soo’s conviction and unexpectedly harsh prison sentence have sent shock waves through South Korea’s establishment and cast a shadow over impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, awaiting his own verdict next month.
Analysts say the ruling not only dismantles Yoon’s legal narrative that his short-lived martial law decree fell within presidential authority, but also signals that the courts are prepared to impose the heaviest penalties yet for what they formally define…

A 26-year-old Malaysian has been deported from Australia after border authorities found over 100 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his mobile phone.
The man arrived in Sydney and was selected for a device examination by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
“On his phone, officers allegedly found over 100 images of CSAM, including anime and AI-generated pictures,” the ABF said in a statement.
“The man was detained for questioning then sent back to Malaysia. This also resulted in the…

Strict new legal restrictions holding digital platforms, internet service providers and children’s caregivers responsible for preventing children from accessing offensive material, are now effect in the UAE, entering into force on 1 January.

North Korea is producing enough nuclear material a year for up to 20 weapons, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday.
“Even now, nuclear materials sufficient to produce 10 to 20 nuclear weapons a year are still being produced” in North Korea, Lee told reporters at a new year news conference.
At the same time, the North is continuing to improve its long-range ballistic missile technology aimed at striking the US mainland, Lee added.
“At some point, North Korea will have secured…

French shipbuilder OCEA is looking for a local partner and site in the Philippines to establish its first shipbuilding venture in Asia, under a France-backed patrol boat programme that Philippine Coast Guard leaders say could be a “game changer” for maritime enforcement.
The project, which combines local shipbuilding, French-backed financing and technology transfer, is expected to significantly expand the coastguard’s fleet at a time of growing operational demands in Philippine waters.
“OCEA ……

Updated guidance issued by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on international transfers of personal data provides welcome clarity on the steps that organisations must take to determine whether they are making a “restricted transfer” of personal data to countries outside the UK, according to data protection law experts.

Bangladesh’s student leaders, one of the main driving forces behind the mass protests that brought down former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, now face an uncertain political future.
Despite their central role in the uprising, the youth movement has been granted only a small share of parliamentary seats under a new electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami – an Islamist party that was long politically marginalised but has re-emerged as a central player.
Under the agreement, the student-led…

When Singapore’s trade minister Gan Kim Yong revealed that locals owned nearly 90 per cent of registered retail businesses in the city state while Chinese nationals came in second at a distant 3 per cent, the figures drew mixed reactions from the public and analysts.
The discourse online centred on what the statistics implied – critics felt that though the proportion of foreign-owned entities, especially from China, might be minuscule, most could actually be big brands with multiple outlets,…