Month: March 2026

Mario Orain used to earn his living on the road. Now, the 51-year-old driver spends most of his time parked up, waiting for bookings that rarely come.
“It’s really bad,” he told This Week in Asia. “There are very few bookings. And fuel prices have gone up a lot. It’s very expensive now.”
With diesel prices in the Philippines shattering record highs amid the war on Iran, transport workers like Orain are being forced off the road as they face a stark choice between filling their tanks or feeding…

Pension scheme administrators and trustees in the UK have been advised to review and, if necessary, update processes around data security and identity verification amidst concerns over impersonation fraud.

UK companies need to start preparing now for the introduction of gender equality and menopause action plans, ensuring they are ready to comply when new legal requirements take effect on a mandatory basis, experts have warned.

Businesses exploring changes to their supply chains owing to the Middle East conflict have been advised to ensure they build sanctions-related checks into that process – notwithstanding pressures to adapt quickly to events.

A fire at a car parts factory in South Korea’s central city of Daejeon injured at least 55 people on Friday, with officials warning the toll could rise.
The National Fire Agency said 24 were seriously hurt in a blaze likely caused by an explosion. Officials could not immediately confirm whether any of the injured were in life-threatening condition. Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the city’s Daedeok district, said authorities were searching for at least 14 other people believed to have been inside…

Flights are cancelled, schedules are in chaos and scores of European tourists are still waiting to go home, three weeks after the United States and Israeli attack on Iran.
Some of them, like retiree John Williams, 61, and his wife Gillian, 60, from the United Kingdom, are making good use of their “extended” time in Malaysia.
“We’re sort of stranded, but frankly we are in no hurry. We are spending a few days in Penang and will explore other ways to get home later,” Williams said.
“We saw that…

A recent Federal Court of Australia decision has highlighted the significant personal risks for voluntary administrators (VAs) who fail to act swiftly and transparently when a company seeks to terminate an administration as new funding becomes available.

Tokyo’s meteorologists declared the start of the much-loved cherry blossom season in the Japanese capital on Thursday, as residents prepare to host outdoor picnics under dazzling floral displays.
The cherry season for Tokyo starts when the official sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine opens at least five flowers.
“Today, the blooming of the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms was observed,” the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said in an eagerly awaited statement,…

As war rages in the Middle East thousands of miles from the Philippines, a senior military official has urged Manila to reflect on its own vulnerabilities, stressing that military modernisation should not be mere “lip service”.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr earlier this week called on the country to strengthen its air defences, particularly systems capable of intercepting missiles from hostile states, stressing that Manila should ensure its security suppliers meet demand in the…

Experts at Pinsent Masons say that the launch of the SIAC compendium of challenge decisions is a move that both strengthens transparency and improves predictability for SIAC users.