A 'GREEN' INITIATIVE With effect from September 2015, Malaysian households will be required to practise mandatory garbage separation, an initiative which is intended to benefit the environment. Besides educating the public on how to dispose of garbage in a proper manner, this practice would also increase awareness on waste segregation and recycling. Notices will be issued to those who flout the rule, and a maximum fi ne of MYR1,000 imposed on errant households.

BNM: NEW RULE ON R & R LOANS Bank Negara Malaysia ("BNM") has revised the guidelines on Restructured and Rescheduled ("R & R") loans. Under the new guidelines, with effect from 1 April 2015, R & R loans will be classified as impaired in the Central Credit Reference Information System ("CCRIS"). An R & R facility is where a modification has been made to the original repayment terms and conditions of the loan, following an increase in the credit risk of a customer.

DBKL INTRODUCES NEW HOUSING PROCEDURES With effect from 13 March 2015, procedures introduced by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur ("DBKL") will be imposed on plans consideration, additional guidelines and house renovation for residential development applications. These improvements are introduced to fast-track the decision-making process on home renovation, which could prevent the occurrence of unauthorised construction. However, these procedures will not be applicable to townhouses, cluster homes, detached houses, bungalows or houses under the stratified title ownership.

GUIDELINES TO BOOST EFFECTIVE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE In order to create a more robust and effective cooperative governance system, a new set of guidelines, known as Garis Panduan 27, has been introduced by the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia or the "SSM"). These guidelines are important as a reference and guidance to form strong cooperative organisations, which comprise morally and ethically driven members, embedded with cooperative principles and values.

NEW GUIDELINES FOR ISLAMIC CONTRACT Malaysia's central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia aims to finalise operating standards for all major Islamic finance contracts by the end of the year in a bid to create the first comprehensive set of practical guidelines for the industry. The set of 11 standards aims to address inconsistencies in the use of Islamic contracts and is expected to be updated regularly in order to keep up with the changing market practices.

POTA PASSED The Prevention of Terrorism Act ("POTA"), recently passed by both Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara, aims to prevent the commission or support of terrorist acts involving listed terrorist organisations in a foreign country. The POTA, although not in force yet, has generated much controversy as many parallels are drawn to the repealed Internal Security Act 1960 ("ISA").

SC ISLAMIC FUND AND WEALTH MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY BLUEPRINT The Securities Commission ("SC") is developing a comprehensive blueprint for Malaysia's Islamic Fund and Wealth Management Industry ("the Blueprint") which will chart the medium and long-term strategic direction for the industry as well as the strategies and recommendations to strengthen Malaysia's competitive edge. The Blueprint is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

SEDITION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2015 PASSED The Sedition (Amendment) Bill 2015 was passed after a 14-hour debate, with issues addressing abuse of power, following the unclear definition of 'seditious tendency', and the need to retain the Sedition Act 1948 in the interests of the public and country, being discussed.

SPECIAL COURT FOR ANTI-PROFITEERING CASES The Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism is planning to establish a special Sessions Court ("the Court") to handle cases under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011. The Court will deal with profiteering and unscrupulous trading. The plan is for the court to be set up in the north, south, east and west regions of Peninsular Malaysia, and one in either Sabah or Sarawak.

TROWERS & HAMLINS FIRST TO OBTAIN QFLF LICENCE Trowers & Hamlins is the first firm to be granted a qualified foreign law firm ("QFLF") licence in Malaysia, allowing the firm to advise on international legal issues from its Kuala Lumpur offi ce without the requirement of having a local associate fi rm. The QFLF licence was approved by the Malaysian Bar Council, with effect from 4 April 2015. The licence will be valid for three years, with an option to renew.

AROUND THE WORLD... IN BRIEF

AUSTRALIA: NEW COCKPIT RULES With effect from 30 March 2015, Australia's domestic and international airlines will strengthen their cockpit safety and security requirements, by making it compulsory for two people to remain in the cockpit at all times during commercial flights, for both domestic and international passenger planes, carrying 50 people or more.

BANGLADESH & INDIA: LANDMARK LAND BOUNDARY AGREEMENT India and Bangladesh has signed a historic land boundary agreement which simplifies their 4,000-km border and clarifies the identities of 52,000 living in enclaves. Under the agreement, each country will take over most of the enclaves on its territory and residents will have the right to stay where they are or move to the other side of the border.

CHINA: LAWSUITS MADE EASY A Chinese man is suing popular Chinese actress, Zhao Wei, for allegedly staring at him through his television screen which caused him 'spiritual damage'. This was after a new law came into force in China on 1 May 2015, which makes it more difficult for the courts to reject frivolous lawsuits. The registration system requires courts to accept lawsuits when they are filed, or clearly state reasons for rejecting them, and Chinese citizens have the right to appeal against the decision.

FRANCE: BAN ON UNLICENSED TAXIS France's highest administrative court, the Constitutional Council, has upheld a ban on unlicensed taxi services driving around looking for passengers. It ruled that drivers of private chauffeured vehicles must return to their bases after dropping off a customer, or await new fares from a parking lot. This decision is expected to affect Uber, an American international transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California.

GERMANY: GENDER QUOTA IN BOARDROOMS Germany has passed a law which requires some of Europe's biggest companies to allocate 30 percent of seats on non-executive boards to women, as surveys found that females remain under-represented in business life. The new quota, which will take effect from 2016, will affect over 100 listed companies. Companies which do not meet the quota will be required to fi ll vacancies with women or vacate the positions.

INDIA: LARGEST LAW FIRM SPLITS One of India's oldest and best-known law firms, Amarchand Mangaldas Suresh A Shroff & Co, has split in early April, following the brothers' dispute. Brothers Cyril and Shardul Shroff will each get an equal share in the fi rm, which will be divided geographically.

INDONESIA: GARUDA CONSIDERING ISSUING GLOBAL SUKUK Garuda Indonesia is considering a global sukuk issuance, with the aim of raising USD500 million to refinance its maturing debt. The bond issuance is expected to take place in mid-April. Part of the funds generated from the sukuk sale will be used to refinance the airline's debt and for various general purposes, including capital expenditure.

IRELAND: SAME-SEX REFERENDUM The Republic of Ireland, in a historic referendum, has voted to legalise same-sex marriages. It would become the first country to legalise same-sex marriage through a popular vote. Ireland has a written constitution which can only be changed by referendum.

JAPAN: CONTROVERSIAL RULING ON ADULTERY A Japanese court has ruled that extramarital affairs that involve the exchange of money cannot be considered as adultery. This ruling came after a wife of a man sought compensation from a night-club hostess who was alleged to have a sexual relationship with her husband. The Tokyo District Court ruled that no compensation should be awarded to the wife, as the hostess was engaged in the affair for business reasons, and did not harm the marriage.

MYANMAR: NEW POPULATION LAW The Population Health Care Bill has been signed off as law with effect from May 2015. According to this law, mothers are required to space their children 36 months apart. The law, which has sparked controversy, is aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.

PHILIPPINES: RIDE-SHARING SERVICES LEGALISED Whilst several countries have frowned upon ride-sharing services such as Uber, the Philippines, on the other hand, has become the first country to legalise these services, providing a regulatory framework for them to operate in the country.

SAUDI ARABIA: 1000-LASH PENALTY AGAINST BLOGGER UPHELD The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia upheld a prison sentence of 10 years, and 1,000 lashes against blogger Raif Badawi on charges of insulting Islam. The decision is said to be final.

SINGAPORE: LANDMARK RULING ON RIGHT OF LIQUIDATORS The Singapore Court of Appeal, in a landmark decision, has ruled against PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") on the rights of liquidators to gain access to documents. PwC had, in this case, filed an appeal against a liquidator from gaining access to documents, while investigating the failure of Singapore-listed China firm Celestial Nutrifoods. The Court of Appeal however clarified the court's powers to grant orders under the relevant provisions of the Singapore Companies Act, and held that a liquidator seeking information about an insolvent company's affairs may access working documents of an auditor.

SOUTH KOREA: 'NUT-RAGE' EXECUTIVE ACQUITTED Heather Cho, former Korean Air executive, infamous for her 'nut-rage' episode in December 2014, has been acquitted on the charge of illegally deviating a flight, although she remains guilty for assaulting the flight attendants.

UK: CHALLENGE ON TOBACCO PLAIN PACKAGING LAW British American Tobacco and Philip Morris, two of the world's largest tobacco companies, have fi led legal objections at the High Court in London claiming that the United Kingdom ("UK") government's plain packaging regulations are illegal, as they remove their trademark intellectual property which goes against the English and European Union ("EU") property law.

UK: FIRST LAW FIRM TO GO PUBLIC Gateley has become the first British law firm to go public, listing on the London Stock Exchange and in the process, raising GBP30 million. The law firm will now trade as Gately Plc in England and HBJ Gately in Scotland.

UK: SKYPE V SKY The Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") has ruled that the similarity between Skype, the internationally known video chat software's name, and Sky, the broadcasting company, has resulted in the likelihood that it would cause confusion to the public. The CJEU ruling thus prevents the trademark registration of Skype's name and Microsoft's bubble-design logo. Microsoft intends to appeal against the decision.

UK: STEPHEN HAWKING TO TRADEMARK NAME? World renowned physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking, who is also known for his long-term battle with motor neurone disease, has made a formal application at the United Kingdom ("UK") Intellectual Property Offi ce to trademark his name. Besides preventing the name 'Stephen Hawking' from being exploited for inappropriate products, this application was made primarily for educational and charitable purposes, which, if accepted, will cover goods and services including computer games, powered wheelchairs, books, and greeting cards.

US: NEW SURVEILLANCE LAW A new surveillance law will end the bulk collection of phone data by the United States ("US") Government. However, the law includes a provision allowing the US to complete the ratification of two long stalled treaties aimed at stopping terrorists who wield radioactive bombs.

US: RULING ON DISCRIMINATION DUE TO HEADSCARF The United States ("US") Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), a Federal Government agency that sued fashion retailers Abercrombie & Fitch on behalf of Samantha Elauf, on the ground that she was discriminated against because of the firm's dress code. Elauf claimed that she was denied a sales job as a teen due to her headscarf.

VIETNAM: NEW INVESTMENT LAW The Planning and Investment Ministry has finalised a draft decree for building an adequate, transparent and consistent legal framework for the implementation of the 2014 Investment Law. The draft decree contains guidelines that cover, among others, business investment sectors, investment procedures and transition regulations for investment registration dossiers. The Investment Law came into force on 1 July 2015.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.