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.
South Korean factory fire injures at least 55
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…
Some tourists in Malaysia make most of Mideast flight mess as others scramble to get home
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…
Ruling highlights risks for Australian voluntary administrators when new funding is available
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.
Blooming marvellous: Tokyo’s cherry blossom season officially begins
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,…
Philippines urged to ‘seriously’ address defence gaps to counter aerial threats
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…
Publication of SIAC challenge decisions improves transparency
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.
Southeast Asia’s AI data centre gold rush tests power grids in the tropical heat
Singapore sits just one degree north of the equator, where the air rarely drops below 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity clings year round.
It is, by most measures, one of the worst places on Earth to cool a data centre. Yet the city state crams more into its small footprint than almost anywhere else.
Home to more than 70 facilities and over 1.4 gigawatts of capacity, Singapore has one of the highest densities of data-centre infrastructure per capita on the planet – a…
Envoy slams Australian radio show for calling Singapore an ‘autocracy’
A recent radio programme by Australia’s national broadcaster made several “baseless claims” about Singapore’s political system, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia, Anil Nayar, said on Tuesday.
Nayar noted in his response that the programme’s host and several of his commentators called Singapore a “one-party state”, an “autocracy” and “verging now on a flawed democracy”.
“They portrayed Singapore’s group representation constituencies (GRCs) – introduced to guarantee minority…
Employment Rights Act raises bar for rejecting flexible working requests
The Employment Rights Act (ERA) will introduce changes to how flexible working applications in England, Scotland and Wales are handled, putting more focus on employers being seen to consider the needs of their workers.