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APAC Edition
13th March 2026
 
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THE HOT STORY

Atlassian cuts 10% of workforce in pivot to AI

Atlassian, Australia’s largest listed technology company, is to cut 10% of its staff, or 1,600 employees, in response to the threat posed by AI to its operations. The Sydney-based company said it plans to "rebalance" its resources to focus on the "future of ​teamwork in the AI era." Chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes said in a ​memo to staff: "Our ​approach is not 'AI replaces people.' But it would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn't change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas. It does." 
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WORKFORCE

Nearly 1,000 Thai workers seek return from Middle East

Thailand's Ministry of Labour has reported that nearly 1,000 Thai workers affected by the Middle East conflict wish to return home. Recently, 18 workers arrived from Iran, increasing the total returnees from Iran and Bahrain to 35. Labour Minister Trinuch Thienthong assigned Phichet Thongphan to assist the returnees. Phichet noted that another 33 workers are expected to return soon. The Ministry has implemented a three-step assistance plan to support workers during their repatriation and ensure they receive their entitlements. "The Ministry of Labour is ready to protect their rights," Phichet said.
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TECHNOLOGY

China turns to AI to create new jobs and upgrade traditional roles

China is focusing on stabilising employment as 12.7m graduates enter the workforce in 2026 by harnessing AI for job creation. Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping assured the public that stabilising employment is a key priority for Beijing. “We are studying related policies to actively harness AI in creating new jobs and empowering traditional jobs, promoting inclusive development in which technological progress and improvements in people's livelihoods advance in tandem,” she said, adding: “We have the confidence and the capability to maintain overall employment stability and continue improving the situation.”

ABB partners with Nvidia to improve factory robot training

The robotics unit of Swiss-based ABB is teaming up with Nvidia to improve training methods of industrial robots. ABB will use Nvidia's Omniverse libraries of simulated ​data to make its training environments more realistic by incorporating typical factory floor details ​such as lighting, shadows, and textures in virtual simulations. ABB Robotics President Marc Segura said that ⁠robots' often-limited information about the world around them can ​undermine accuracy, repeatability and speed in training scenarios. "The industrial sector ⁠needs ​physically accurate simulation to bridge the gap between ​virtual training and the real-world deployment of AI-driven robotics at scale," observed Deepu Talla, vice president of ​robotics and edge AI at Nvidia.
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CORPORATE

Nissan replaces CFO amid ongoing turnaround efforts

Nissan has announced that chief financial officer Jérémie Papin is to step down for personal reasons, with long-time company executive George Leondis set to take over the role from April 1st. Papin will remain at the company until mid-May to support the completion of the fiscal year. Leondis, who joined Nissan in 2004 and most recently oversaw global product and industrial operations, takes the position at a critical time as the automaker works through a major restructuring. Nissan is attempting to revive demand by cutting costs, reducing its workforce by 20,000 jobs, and closing seven factories while updating its aging vehicle lineup.
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TAX

Korea bill to curb entertainment industry tax evasion

South Korea's National Assembly has introduced a bill to combat tax evasion in the entertainment sector. Rep. Jung Yeon-wook of the People Power Party said that the revision to the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act aims to enhance transparency and accountability. The bill follows allegations of tax evasion involving actors Cha Eun-woo and Lee Ha-nee. It proposes stricter oversight of entertainment agencies and annual reporting requirements.
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ECONOMY

Australian consumer confidence rises slightly but Middle East conflict clouds outlook

Australian consumer sentiment edged higher in early March after three months of decline, with the Westpac–Melbourne Institute index rising 1.2% to 91.6, though it remained below 100, indicating pessimists still outnumber optimists. Confidence weakened later in the survey period as the escalating Middle East conflict and rising fuel prices weighed on household outlooks. A separate ANZ survey also reported a sharp drop in confidence last week, while inflation expectations jumped to 6.1%, the largest weekly increase since the series began in 2010. Despite concerns, views on family finances improved slightly and the index measuring whether it is a good time to buy major household items rose 4.9%, partly recovering from the impact of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s recent interest rate hike.
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TRADE

US launches trade probes into 16 economies

US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer has announced new trade investigations into 16 economies, including the EU, Taiwan, Switzerland, India, Japan and Korea. The probes relate to “structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors.” The investigations under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 will determine whether their acts, policies and practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce. "We need to protect American jobs, and we need to make sure we have fair trade with our trading partners," Greer said. The investigation could result in new tariffs as soon as this summer.
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INTERNATIONAL

Firms evacuate Dubai financial district amid retaliation fears

Citi, Deloitte, and PwC are among firms that have evacuated offices in Dubai due to threats from Iran against US and Israeli economic assets. The evacuations occurred in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) as Iran's military warned of potential attacks on banks and economic targets. PwC will close its offices in the UAE and other Gulf states for the week as a precaution. Iran's central operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said "the enemy has given us free rein to target economic centres and banks belonging to the US and the Zionist regime."

Nevada will use AI for unemployment appeals

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) is to implement a Google AI tool to expedite unemployment appeal rulings, a move that has raised concerns among state lawmakers regarding potential issues of transparency and consent. State officials say AI is a way to simplify and expedite existing processes, but they also caution that it must not replace human oversight. As such, two state workers will be involved in the process. “AI is a great tool - but that's what it is. It's a tool,” DETR Director Christopher Sewell said, adding “We have to have human review with everything that we do.” AI sceptic Sen. Skip Daly (D-Sparks) observed: “I don't think there should be a reliance on this, and this is where it starts . . . You get used to it, and then you get comfortable with it.”

Harrods still has questions to answer about Fayed abuse

Bloomberg says London luxury department store Harrods is still facing questions related to the serial sexual abuse of women by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Harrods' own investigation, using law firm Linklaters and a barrister, into whether staff knew about Fayed’s behaviour is concluding this month - but a separate negotiation with hundreds of women represented by a law firm has no fixed date for conclusion. Meanwhile, a soon-to-be-launched campaign group, Justice For Fayed and Harrods Survivors, will call for more accountability, including potentially a public inquiry.

Italy 'has not yet achieved equality between the sexes'

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has said that Italy has not yet achieved equality between the sexes, adding that this would only come about when women are no longer expected to behave like men to do their jobs. At a ceremony for International Women's Day, Mattarella said: "How many resources, how much talent we have lost over the years" for failing to give equal opportunities to women. "The challenge concerns millions of women, workers, professionals, mothers. The journey can only be said to be complete when women are no longer asked to adopt male behaviour patterns in various areas of society in order to have their role, abilities, and qualities recognized . . . Until this happens, there will continue to be a loss of values and opportunities for Italian society as a whole."
 
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