Please click here to download our insurance summer horizon scanning booklet. The booklet summarises key insurance related legal and regulatory changes expected over the next 18 months to 2 years, as well as providing electronic links t...

Summary In this case certain E&Y entities based in London were ordered to pay USD10.8 million for loss of earnings to a whistleblowing former auditor employed by an E&Y entity that was not based in the UK and not party to the proceedings. Th...

As part of the State opening of Parliament, the Queen today set out the government’s plans for legislation over the course of the new parliamentary session.  Disappointingly, however, the Queen’s Speech contained...

By Fan Lulu and Boy Luethje HONOLULU (July 31, 2019)—With more than 800 million Internet users, China has become the global leader in e-commerce—the buying and selling of products and services online. Taobao (roughly “treasure hunt” in English) is the leading Chinese online shopping and e-commerce website, founded by the Alibaba Group. As of 2018, more than 580 million active users visited Taobao and its sister website Tmall every month.

This is a summary only. Click the title for the full article, or visit www.EastWestCenter.org/Research-Wire for more.

By Marcus Noland HONOLULU (August 23, 2019)—For three generations, the United States championed a rules-based multilateral trading system. That stance was overturned by the election of an avowed protectionist, Donald Trump, as president. It would be understandable for Asians to wonder if this shift amounts to a permanent change in U.S. trade policy, and if so, how to proceed. Trump’s presidential campaign was notable in that it emphasized two issues—immigration and trade—that had seldom been in the forefront of U.S. presidential campaigns. But public opinion polls revealed that these issues were of growing importance to a sizeable number of voters whose preferences mirrored Trump’s protectionist positions.

This is a summary only. Click the title for the full article, or visit www.EastWestCenter.org/Research-Wire for more.

By Sherry P. Broder HONOLULU (August 28, 2019)—Since the 1950s when plastics were first produced, more than 150 million tons of plastic debris have accumulated in the world’s oceans. Marine plastic litter includes large items, such as nets, floats, and other fishing debris, plus tiny microplastic particles that are pervasive and practically invisible to the naked eye—but equally harmful. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that more than 35 percent of all the primary plastics that end up in the oceans are microplastics and that most of these tiny particles originate from textiles. Ingestion of plastic particles by fish, bivalves, and other seafood is particularly concerning for humans, in part because little is known about the pesticides that are...

This is a summary only. Click the title for the full article, or visit www.EastWestCenter.org/Research-Wire for more.

By East-West Center HONOLULU (October 4, 2019)—President Donald Trump first laid out a vision for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” at the November 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vietnam. From the start, statements describing the emerging US Indo-Pacific strategy have recognized the central role of Southeast Asia. The US approach to the Indo-Pacific focuses on three vital areas: enhancing shared prosperity, championing good governance and civil society, and ensuring a peaceful and secure regional order. Two recent visitors to the East-West Center described the potential role of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the US Indo-Pacific strategy and spelled out several steps that the United States needs to take to strengthen US-ASEAN...

This is a summary only. Click the title for the full article, or visit www.EastWestCenter.org/Research-Wire for more.

Under Gazette number 43258 of 29 April 2020, the Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has issued regulations (“Regulations”) that repeal Government Notice No. 318 of 18 March 2020, as amended by Government Notice...

  1. Brexit Implications for Social Security Contributions 1.1 If the UK leaves the EU there may be social security implications for UK employers who have employees working in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. If there is a no deal Brexit then action...

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With the delivery of the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement on 30 October 2019, updated and amended draft tax bills have been released highlighting the latest proposed amendments to the relevant tax acts.  The amended bills contain the le...

No support in the Corona crisis... The measures already initiated by the German Federal Government and the EU Commission to support and secure liquidity in the Corona crisis are focused on the industries directly affected by Corona/ COVID 19. They ...

In line with the Federal Ministry of Finance's press release dated 3 April 2020, Germany and Austria have concluded a mutual agreement for Covid 19-related home office activities on 15 April 2020, which relates to the application of the Double Tax ...

As part of the EU’s general clampdown on certain forms of aggressive tax planning, Directive 2011/16/EU (commonly known as DAC6) will soon require taxpayers and intermediaries across the EU to start reporting information in relation to certain...

The European Parliament agreed to a new 'recast' version of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive on Monday 15 December and this was confirmed when MEPs voted in favour on Tuesday 16 December. The recast EWC Directive is now expected to be...

The Government has today implemented new regulations (The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010) to outlaw the compiling and use of trade union blacklists. The regulations also aim to stop trade union...

A growing number of successful injunctions against trade unions to halt strikes is attracting increasing media attention. Arguments will undoubtedly continue about whether such injunctions are undemocratic, or simply reflec...

On Monday, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, launched the consultation document for the proposed permanent annual limit on non-EU economic migration. At the same time, details of a temporary limit to operate in the interim period until April 2011 wer...

The law relating to industrial action is complicated and many aspects are unclear, mainly because of conflicting court decisions, complex statutory rules or because of the absence of judicial interpretation. In particular, uncertainty exists over th...

The law relating to industrial action is complicated and many aspects are unclear, mainly because of conflicting court decisions, complex statutory rules or because of the absence of judicial interpretation. In particular, uncertainty exists over th...

The annual report published by BIS on trade union membership has just been published and contains new statistics for 2010. As in previous years, it tracks an ongoing decline in trade union membership levels and, similarly, a fall in the number of em...

There are over 900 European Works Councils (EWCs) providing for pan-European workplace consultation involving cross-border restructuring, mergers and transfers. While employers with EWCs have differing views on their success and relevance to date, l...

Welcome to our June UK labour law update. This edition contains the following content: UK labour law news Trade union membership rises to 6.5 million reversing recent falling trends PCS and TSSA unions move closer towards mergers with Unite  ...

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EU appears open-minded about pay between assignment contracts Having inherited the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 on taking office, the UK Government had p...

The European guide to strikes and other industrial action has been created by Eversheds Sutherland to provide you with a quickand easy reference when responding to threats of industrial action in 15 European countries. Click here to download the pub...

Court of Appeal upholds single collective bargaining unit for only 1.2% of employees in an otherwise non-unionised employer In a significant development for employers, particularly those without recognised trade unions and those with dispersed busin...

Employers are being urged to do more to look after the mental health of their workforce with the publication today of the outcome of the Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers. Estimating that poor mental health costs employers betwe...

The mortgage pre-action protocol (MPAP) has been in force for a little over six months, long enough for the courts' approach to settle down and for patterns to emerge. This article looks at our experiences. The good news is that MPAP compliance has...

A prevalent issue currently being raised by Defendant solicitors in relation to professional negligence lender claims is securitisation. The question being asked on a regular basis is whether mortgages have been securitised. The question following t...

The Government has now responded fully to the 290 recommendations made by the Francis Inquiry earlier in the year. Since the publication of the report in February of this year, members of our team who acted as a part of the team acting as Solicitors...

Attempts at digital transformation, which have sometimes been slow in Tunisia, are now forced and obliged to succeed in order to guarantee continuity of work, economy and even life during the country's lockdown. The digital transformation is a stron...