Month: March 2026

There are limitations to EU member state governments relying on national security grounds to block components from certain suppliers being used in national telecoms networks, according to a legal adviser at the EU’s highest court.

Publication of new homes and buildings standards for England is welcome in supporting efforts to decarbonise UK real estate, according to an expert – but she said the “long overdue” finalisation of the standards, and the time it will take to implement them, put the UK’s climate commitments at risk.

People with a disability cannot access most e-commerce platforms in the Netherlands because they are not “digitally accessible”, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has said.

A cornucopia of bargains is lighting up booking sites for Thailand, where five-star luxury hotel rooms are going for huge discounts during the peak holiday season – the unplanned spin-off from the Iran war which threatens to hit international tourist arrivals at a crucial time of the year.
At the same time, the surge in diesel costs caused by the choking of the Strait of Hormuz has forced many Thais to pause or scrap domestic travel plans, fearing such expenses will continue to rise during the…

Four weeks into the US-Israeli war on Iran, the crisis is beginning to bite in Malaysia, where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has cut the monthly quota for subsidised petrol and food manufacturers are warning that surging diesel costs could force them to close or raise prices.
The move reflects how a distant geopolitical shock is beginning to feed directly into Malaysia’s fuel bill, food supply chain and inflation outlook, analysts note.
In a special televised address on Thursday, Anwar said the…

Conditions that MEPs seek to build into a prospective trade deal between the EU and US are designed to reduce European business’ exposure to geopolitical risks, according to an expert in international trade.

Rescue teams including navy divers in Bangladesh have recovered 24 bodies from a bus that plunged into a river at a ferry crossing, officials said on Thursday.
The bus sank into the deep waters of the Padma river in Goalanda on Wednesday, about 65km (40 miles) west of the capital Dhaka. It had around 50 passengers on board, many of whom managed to escape.
A fire service report said that 24 bodies, including those of five children, had been recovered by midday on Thursday.
Some were pulled out by…

A man and woman caught engaging in a sexual act at the Batu Gantung Chinese Cemetery in Penang, Malaysia, have each been jailed for a year.
M. Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, pleaded guilty to committing the offence when the charges were read to them at the Magistrates’ Court in George Town at about 8.30am on Thursday.
Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi sentenced both of them to 12 months’ imprisonment under Section 377D of the Penal Code for gross indecency in a public place.
In…

UK government plans to crack down on late payments and ban withholding of retentions in the construction sector demonstrate its “hardened stance”, an expert has said.

Two days before the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Washington asked Sri Lanka to let two armed warplanes use an airport on its southern coast.
Colombo said no, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently revealed – a decision analysts said reflected the Indian Ocean island nation’s desire to avoid being drawn into a foreign conflict from which it had “nothing to gain”.
The request, made on February 26, reportedly sought to relocate two aircraft from a US base in…