Source: Avast

Written by Jeremy Coppock, Reviewed by Jan Rubin

Published on September 30, 2026

Bandwidth-sharing apps offer a simple exchange: You agree to share your “unused bandwidth,” and in return, you might get an ad-free app experience, a free VPN, or a little extra cash. But behind the scenes, you’re enrolling your device in a residential proxy network, which gives unknown third parties access to your home internet connection, allowing them to make it look like their web traffic is coming from you. And some of these parties may be generating traffic you don’t want associated with your IP address, like phishing attacks. Read on to learn how bandwidth sharing really works, the risks it can create, and how to help protect your connection.

According to survey research on residential proxies, 29% of U.S. consumers say that at some point, they have installed an app offering rewards, money, or free features in exchange for sharing unused bandwidth. But only 33% of all respondents believe that an app that “shares your unused bandwidth” could create privacy or security risks.

Threat Researchers at Gen, the company behind Avast, analyzed attacks that Gen products blocked on Windows computers between January and mid-September 2026. Their systems counted 20.8 million distinct blocked attacks associated with traffic linked to residential proxies. Their technical analysis identifies an association with residential proxy infrastructure; it does not by itself establish that a proxy provider knew of, authorized, or participated in the underlying activity.

Residential proxy services have legitimate commercial uses, and malicious traffic passing through one of these networks does not mean the provider authorized or knew about it. Like other large online platforms and services, residential proxy networks can be abused by third parties trying to evade safeguards.

Still, that’s a lot of consumers installing software that may be riskier than they realize.

How bandwidth sharing really works

When you agree to “share your bandwidth,” you’re likely enrolling your device into a residential proxy network. These are services that buy access to home internet connections, like yours, and rent them out to third parties.

If you sign up, customers of a residential proxy network can route web traffic through your home connection. The websites they visit see your home IP address rather than the customer’s originating address. This can help those customers access location-specific content or collect public web data. It can also make automated traffic harder for websites to distinguish from ordinary consumer traffic.

Residential proxy networks act as intermediaries. They obtain access to participating users’ internet connections, sometimes through clearly disclosed opt-in programs and sometimes through software where the disclosure may be less prominent, and then provide that access to customers. Here’s a breakdown of how the model works for legitimate providers:

1. You opt in — You install an app that offers money, rewards, or free features in exchange for your “unused bandwidth.” Sometimes the app is transparent. Sometimes details are buried in the terms and conditions.
2. Your IP address is rented out — The residential proxy network adds your connection to a pool of millions of home IP addresses and sells access to paying customers. You’re not told who those customers are.
3. Strangers surf the web as you — Their traffic leaves through your connection. Every site they visit sees your public IP address and may associate the traffic with your internet provider and approximate location.

How you might have joined a residential proxy network

Overtly labeled bandwidth-sharing apps — like Honeygain — are one way your internet connection might get recruited into a residential proxy network. Apps might propose you “sell internet bandwidth,” “share internet for money,” or simply “share your traffic,” marketing it as a passive income scheme.

Bright Data, which describes itself as the world’s largest residential proxy provider, uses a partner-based approach. Third-party app developers may integrate Bright Data’s software development kit (SDK) and offer users a choice between viewing ads or sharing their internet connection in exchange for an ad-free experience. According to Bright Data, it pays developers a monthly fee for each user who opts in, and participating devices are used only when idle, online, and charged.

Another route are free VPNs, like Hola, some of which resell your connection to “peers” instead of charging you a subscription to use a virtual private network. Residential proxy software can also arrive on your device as malware if you download pirated or unverified games, movies, or apps, according to an FBI PSA.

Unfortunately, in our survey on residential proxies, 32% of U.S. consumers said they wouldn’t know what an app means when it offers to “share their unused bandwidth.”

Why companies want to borrow your home IP address

Companies — and murkier entities — want to browse the internet on your home IP address because it makes their traffic look less suspicious. Websites often block traffic from data centers, bots, known VPN providers, or sources of suspicious activity, but they’re much more careful about blocking home connections, since doing so risks shutting out a real customer.

Many companies who rent your bandwidth through residential proxy networks have perfectly legitimate reasons for doing so. These might include a company double-checking that a client’s ads actually appear in the countries they paid for, or performing price comparisons by collecting publicly listed prices online.

A major driver of the residential proxy market is now AI companies, according to a Gen article on the AI data race and home Wi-Fi connections. AI bots are constantly crawling the web: shopping assistants need today’s prices, research agents need to open pages as they work, and AI models need current data to stay useful. All of this means constant visits to websites that would rather not be visited by machines. Several large residential proxy providers even advertise products built specifically for AI training and AI agents.

If you’ve signed up for a bandwidth-sharing app, your home internet could be participating in this AI data race without you ever knowing.

How residential proxy networks can be misused

Not every party using a residential proxy network has a legitimate purpose. A 2026 PSA from the FBI states that criminals use residential proxy networks as a standard tool to conceal the source of malicious activity. That observation concerns criminal misuse of the technology and does not mean that every network, provider, or customer is engaged in wrongdoing.

Residential proxy services can be misused by customers whose activities may not be apparent during onboarding or ongoing monitoring. Providers may use customer-vetting and abuse-prevention measures, but bad actors can attempt to evade those controls and use residential proxy networks for harmful activity:

• Credential stuffing: Testing stolen passwords across thousands of accounts, rotating through home IP addresses so none get locked out. More information: https://www.avast.com/c-credential-stuffing
• Bulk buying: Snapping up concert tickets or limited stock before real customers get a chance, bypassing anti-bot safeguards designed to block automated purchases.
• Creating fake accounts: Signing up for large numbers of accounts by making each registration appear to come from a different home internet connection, which can help evade a platform’s signup limits.
• Ad fraud: Generating clicks and views that appear to come from real viewers, deceiving organizations that pay for ad performance.
• Scams, malware, and other forms of cybercrime: Sending people to phishing pages, serving malicious ads, spreading trojans, and running fake online stores — all from an IP address that doesn’t initially raise red flags.

What our Threat Researchers uncovered

Our Threat Researchers wanted to better understand the volume of abuse involving residential proxy networks. To do this, they analyzed data on cyberthreats that Avast and other Gen products blocked on Windows computers and identified which attacks had come through the residential proxy networks in our study.

Between January and mid-September 2026, our Threat Researchers’ systems counted 20.8 million distinct blocked attacks on Windows computers associated with residential proxies.

This volume indicates that malicious activity associated with residential proxy networks is not merely occasional. It does not, however, show that residential proxy providers initiated, approved, or were aware of the attacks.

What malicious actors may do through your “shared bandwidth”

The attacks our products blocked associated with residential proxy traffic were often phishing, with malicious ads and trojans making up much of the rest.

Phishing, which could take the form of deceptive messages pointing to fake login pages or payment portals built to harvest sensitive information, accounted for 5.15 million blocked attacks. Malicious advertising (malvertising), where an ad either carries malware or steers you to a scam site, followed at 1.26 million.

Next came trojans at 667,000 blocked attacks; these are programs that look useful, but quietly open a door to the victim’s device for a cybercriminal. After other miscellaneous threats (comprising 408,000 blocked attacks), the next largest threat category was e-shop scams, which are fake websites disguised as legit online stores; Gen products blocked 388,000 such attacks between January and mid-September 2026. File infectors, droppers, and generic scams accounted for the rest.

Most of the residential-proxy-associated traffic in this dataset was linked to a small number of networks. Bright Data accounted for around 83%, followed by Honeygain, NetNut, Tuxler, and Hola. These figures are not a ranking of provider risk or evidence that a provider authorized, knew of, or benefited from the underlying activity. Larger networks may appear more frequently in the data simply because they carry more traffic. The findings show that malicious actors may route traffic through established residential proxy networks despite providers’ efforts to prevent misuse.

Where we blocked the most attacks

Most devices running proxy software sit outside the West: India, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Brazil lead, with the U.S. only 10th. But the U.S. ranked fourth for attacks blocked, and France fifth. A likely reason is that automated traffic aimed at U.S. services looks far less suspicious arriving from a U.S. home IP address than from a server abroad.

The countries where Gen products blocked the most attacks associated with malicious residential proxy traffic were India (1.76 million blocked attacks), Brazil (1.50 million), and Vietnam (1.32 million).

Why sharing your bandwidth puts you at risk

If you use a bandwidth-sharing app, that traffic leaves through your home IP address, so as far as the rest of the internet is concerned, it came from your internet connection. If that traffic turns out to be shady, your address is the one on record. That carries risks for users:

• Your IP address could get blamed for abuse: Abuse reports go to your internet provider, and platforms may block your address outright. The actual person behind the abuse is nowhere in sight.
• Your traffic looks suspicious: Banks, retailers, and streaming services check IP addresses against blocklists. If your IP address is flagged, you may start hitting extra verification codes and logins that fail for no clear reason. You might start seeing constant CAPTCHAs or “you’re using a VPN” prompts as you browse the internet — even when you’re not. More information: https://www.avast.com/what-is-my-ip
• Your internet connection takes the load: Other people’s browsing runs through your line, eating bandwidth and, on a capped plan, your data allowance. Unless the bandwidth-sharing app only activates when your computer is idle, this could slow down your internet speed.
• Your own service could be at risk: Some ISPs restrict bandwidth sharing. Verizon’s Fios terms, for example, say customers can’t resell or rent their service or let outside parties use it. Terms: https://www.verizon.com/support/fios-customer-agreement/

Residential proxy abuse doesn’t normally announce itself, since the software is built to sit quietly in the background. So if you’re seeing inexplicable abuse reports, constant CAPTCHAs, and a slower-than-expected connection, it could be worth investigating whether you’re sharing your bandwidth. Any one of these signs alone has other explanations, but several at once warrants a closer look.

How to protect your home internet connection

Protecting your home connection starts with paying attention to which apps you install and what you agree to when you install them.

• Remember that nothing in life is free: If an app costs nothing and shows no ads, your connection may be what’s funding it.
• Reconsider paid bandwidth sharing: A few dollars a month might not be worth having your address tied to someone else’s traffic.
• Avoid pirated software: Cracked apps and unauthorized downloads could carry malware or unwanted software that enrolls your device in a proxy network without your knowledge.
• Read the terms and conditions: Bandwidth sharing, peer-to-peer networking, traffic routing, and network participation are phrases that matter. Try asking an LLM, like ChatGPT or Claude, to help you decipher convoluted T&Cs. Just remember to double check the output against the actual terms and conditions.
• Audit what’s already on your devices: Review unfamiliar apps and background services, especially utilities you do not use. Check their descriptions for “passive income,” “traffic monetization,” “bandwidth sharing,” or “network sharing,” which can be bundled into unrelated software. Uninstall the ones you don’t recognize or no longer need.
• Don’t forget your smart TV: Smart TVs, streaming boxes, and other internet-connected devices can run proxy software too. Stick to official app stores and avoid sideloading apps. The FBI calls out side-loaded apps on Android TV boxes in particular, as these can be used for bandwidth sharing.
• Talk to your household: Anyone who can install an app on the family computer might have accidentally enrolled your connection in a residential proxy network.
• Keep security software running: Cyber Safety software like Avast One helps block malware, scams, and other cyberthreats, whether your device is part of a residential proxy network or targeted by malicious traffic routed through one. Avast One: https://www.avast.com/avast-one

At Avast, we believe people should be able to explore everything the digital world has to offer fearlessly. That starts with understanding what’s happening behind the technology we use every day — and having the tools to protect ourselves when something isn’t what it seems. A little awareness about what you’re agreeing to can go a long way toward keeping your connection, devices, and digital life in your control.

FAQs

What is bandwidth sharing?

Bandwidth sharing means letting other people or companies route traffic through your connection, so it appears to come from your IP address, usually as part of a residential proxy network. Apps that offer money, rewards, or free features in exchange for your “unused bandwidth” are the most common form of it.

Are Bright Data, Hola, and Honeygain safe?

Bright Data, Hola, and Honeygain are established companies whose products and consumer-facing models differ. Bright Data may reach consumers through SDKs integrated into third-party apps, while Hola and Honeygain offer direct ways to share a connection.

Bandwidth sharing generally involves allowing third-party traffic to use a home IP address, which may consume data and bandwidth, affect the IP address’s reputation, or conflict with an ISP’s terms. Our research measured threats associated with residential proxy traffic; it did not evaluate the safety of individual apps or determine whether a provider knew of or authorized particular activity. Consumers should review each service’s disclosures, controls, and terms before deciding whether to participate.

Is bandwidth sharing safe?

It’s broadly legal, and the companies involved often are too. But there are risks. Your IP address can be tied to activity you had nothing to do with, and the abuse reports, blocklists, and account problems that follow all point back to you. ISPs often forbid bandwidth sharing in their terms of service.

Can you really earn money through internet bandwidth sharing?

Yes, but not much. According to Honeygain, a bandwidth sharing app, devices in higher-demand regions can earn users $3 to $10 a month.

Methodology

Gen Threat Labs (Gen is the company behind Avast) built telemetry to identify Windows software linked to 18 commercial residential proxy providers. The installation figures come from active Windows computers observed between September 1 and 15, 2026; the attack figures cover January through mid-September 2026 and count distinct blocked attacks, deduplicated so the same event isn’t counted twice.

These numbers reflect what we see across our own Windows user base, so they aren’t a count of every residential proxy endpoint worldwide or a measure of any provider’s market share. The telemetry identifies standalone Windows applications, so it misses proxy code embedded inside other apps and devices like phones, smart TVs, and routers. A single blocked attack can carry more than one threat label, so the categories overlap and can’t be added together. And attack volume doesn’t measure how dangerous a provider is, since a network with more devices simply appears more often in our data.

Disclosure: Gen uses Bright Data proxy and browser infrastructure in some privacy and reputation services. Bright Data had no involvement in this research, and the findings are based on Gen Threat Labs telemetry and security detections.

Original article: https://www.avast.com/c-hidden-risks-of-bandwidth-sharing

MIL OSI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Save the Children New Zealand

Protection measures for girls need to be intensified across flood-affected areas of Nepal amid growing concerns over trafficking, violence, exploitation and child marriage one month after the country’s devastating floods, Save the Children said.

Uncertainty over permanent housing and livelihoods is putting girls at risk one month after the flash flood that killed at least 1,400 people with about 5,700 still missing. [1].

About 1,000 people remain in communal holding centres, where girls have reported concerns about privacy and safety due to the movement of unfamiliar people through shared spaces. Some girls are living in tents in camps on the periphery of towns with inadequate lighting at night, creating a safety risk. Other families have moved into rented rooms, often far away from their communities.

Save the Children is working alongside local authorities and partners to strengthen protection measures in displacement sites, including increased monitoring and surveillance, awareness raising on gender-based violence and child marriage, and expanding access to psychosocial support and case management services for children and their families.

The organisation is also supporting police at checkpoints to identify and respond to signs of trafficking and exploitation affecting children, adolescents and women, helping ensure those at risk are connected to social protection services and specialist support.

Weakened community protection due to displacement as well as the loss of education, livelihoods and incomes is compounding the risks for girls in Nepal where more than a third of girls are married as children, according to the 2021 census. [2].

Girls married as children are more likely to leave school, experience early pregnancy, face restrictions on their decision-making, and experience multiple forms of gender-based violence throughout their lives.

Trafficking is also seen as a risk in Nepal. More than 11,500 women and girls were reported missing to police between 2024 and 2025, with nearly one in four remaining untraced, according to the National Human Rights Commission. Information from trafficking survivors indicates that 41% were trafficked for prostitution and more than a third – 37% – were girls. [3].

Tara Chettry, Country Director, Save the Children in Nepal, said:

“One month on, thousands of children are living with the impacts of that torrential wall of water and debris. The waters have gone, but fear and uncertainty remain.

“Girls are telling us they do not feel safe at displacement sites, while many children are grieving the loss of parents and loved ones. Others remain out of school, and every day out of class is a protection risk.

“Adolescent girls are often among the first to lose access to education and among the last to regain it. Protecting their rights, safety and opportunities must remain central to the response and recovery.

“These risks do not emerge from the disaster alone. They are shaped by existing gender inequalities, unequal access to resources and decision-making, and social norms that often place a disproportionate burden on girls and women during crises.”

Girls who assume increased caregiving responsibilities often face pressure to prioritise unpaid care work over education and extended periods out of school reduce the likelihood of re-enrolment. Combined with displacement and loss of income, this can increase risks of child marriage, exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence.

Sukmaya-, 18, volunteers with Save the Children and leads play-based activities for children alongside psychosocial counsellors who are supporting her and others who have been displaced. Sukmaya-‘s mother and sisters were killed when the floods tore through her village.

Sukmaya- said: “If school reopened, we could study again and meet our friends. Being back in school would help us move forward.”

Save the Children has so far reached more than 7,500 people, including about 2,300 children, with emergency assistance and support.

Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The organisation runs programmes spanning child protection, child rights governance, education, climate change, gender equality, health and nutrition and child poverty.

New Zealanders wanting to donate to Save the Children’s emergency response in Nepal can do so here.

Photos of the destruction and response

About Save the Children NZ

Save the Children works in 100 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

Captions

• CH11661100_Buildings surrounded by mud and debris after flash floods swept through the area.JPG – Buildings surrounded by mud and debris after flash floods swept through the area.
• CH11661088_Save the Children staff prepare to distribute emergency supplies for flood-affected families in Nepal.jpg – Save the Children staff prepare to distribute emergency supplies for flood-affected families in Nepal.
• CH262512_A child colours a drawing of a strawberry at a Child Friendly Space in Nuwakot (1).jpg – A child colours a drawing of a strawberry at a Child Friendly Space in Nuwakot.

MIL OSI

Source: Alliance Party

Monday 21 September 2026

The Alliance Party has released its 2026 Justice Policy, built around preventing harm, repairing it, and standing with victims.

Alliance Party justice spokesperson and Ilam candidate Courtney Fraser says the state of the courts and prisons is not an accident but a policy choice.

“It’s hard to talk about criminal justice without talking about policy, because where we find ourselves today with incarceration, the lack of rehabilitation, and the lack of access to services, is down to public policy.”

“Our criminal law is still built around punishing the people who offend, and there is far too little for the victims of crime.”

“Underinvestment in housing, work, training, and education over the last forty years has led to a social crisis, and our courts are where that crisis ends up.”

Ms Fraser says the Alliance policy tackles the causes of offending through secure housing, decent work, education and training, healthcare, and mental health and addiction services.

The policy establishes habilitation centres as an alternative to prison, particularly for young people, and brings back Community Care Orders as a sentencing option.

It places restorative justice at the centre of appropriate responses to offending, supports marae-based processes where appropriate, and properly resources iwi and Māori organisations to provide rehabilitation and restorative programmes.

A properly resourced Victim/Criminal Compensation Board will oversee financial, physical and other support for victims of crime.

Ms Fraser says the Alliance will review legal aid with the aim of a comprehensive, publicly funded system of legal assistance, including expanded legal aid, sustainable resourcing for Community Law Centres, and an enhanced Public Defence Service, so that no one is denied justice because they are poor.

Prisons will be publicly owned and operated, and the Alliance opposes private prisons. Reflecting its principle that no person or corporation is above the law, the Alliance will also reinstate the right to sue corporations or individuals over damage caused by emissions-related climate change effects.

“We’re all in this together on these tiny, faraway islands. We must close the gaps in our systems so none of us are left behind.”

“The best thing we can do for victims is stop making new ones. Where the current approach is three strikes and out, ours is three strikes and into treatment.”

The policy rests on six principles: prevent rather than simply punish; rehabilitate rather than abandon; restore where possible rather than simply incarcerate; support victims rather than abandoning them; guarantee access to justice regardless of wealth; and protect rights by holding everyone, including government and corporations, accountable under the law.

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

MIL OSI

Source: Conversation at the Crossroads

Amnesty International has described the upsurge of human rights violations as a direct “attack on humanity”. It is also a direct attack on democracy.

This rapidly worsening situation requires our attention, hence the forum on 30 September to which you are warmly invited. Full details below .

May I take a couple of minutes to explain. Over the last several weeks, we have seen:

Ukraine War : a drastic upsurge in civilian deaths and injuries on both sides, including women, children, doctors and medical workers, and terrible damage to civilian infrastructure

Palestine : Israeli attacks in Gaza which killed dozens of Palestinians and injured many more, including women and children, while Palestinian refugees have been expelled from Palestinian refugee camps, and settler attacks have led to forced displacement and interference with humanitarian assistance

Sudan : mass killings, attacks on civilian infrastructure, abductions of women and girls and mass rape – so far, 13 million people have been driven from their homes.

Myanmar : international crimes committed by the military with increasing intensity and frequency, including aerial attacks on religious buildings, schools and hospitals.

Iran : continuing repression and executions of protesters.

Iran War : reported evidence of unlawful US-Israeli attacks using explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated parts of Tehran.

And the perpetrators of untold human suffering still able to act with complete impunity.

But they are not alone. The actions of Washington, London, Berlin and Canberra are far from blameless. Quite apart from their inaction or complicity in these armed conflicts, their own citizens are not being spared.

In the US, immigrant university students have been detained and placed in deportation proceedings for speaking out on political issues. Universities, media organisations, law firms and civil-society actors have all been subjected to various forms of intimidation.

In the UK anti-protest laws have substantially restricted freedom and expression. It is not just pro-Palestinian protestors. Environmentalists have received prison sentences measured in years for non-violent civil disobedience.

Nor can Australia be excluded. Asylum seekers are often subjected to indefinite detention, poor living conditions, deteriorating physical and mental health and family separation. As for the First Nations, they constitute only 3% of the Australian adult population but 37% of the prison population. In 2024–25, approximately 62% of 10–17-year-olds in detention were First Nations, even though they comprise only a small proportion of Australian children.

All of which raises the question: Can Western governments and societies keep proclaiming their democratic credentials while allowing such grotesque human rights violations to persist and intensify?

The Human Rights forum on 30 September will address two pressing questions: What exactly is happening in today’s world? Is it time to sound the alarm?

I very much hope you and friends will be able to join us.

Wednesday 30 September 2026 , 6.30–8.30 pm

5.45 pm — Doors open

6.00 pm — Refreshments, informal conversation and networking

The Wheeler Centre

176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000

Tickets to attend in person or online are available. Places are limited so get in early!

In person: General Admission — $27, Concession — $18

Online: General Admission — $15, Concession — $10

The event will explore how we can strengthen international cooperation, build a better informed and engaged citizenry, and reform the United Nations to deliver greater accountability and more effective action to prevent conflict and protect human dignity.

At a time when international law is under extraordinary pressure and millions of people are being displaced by conflict, violence and persecution, these are questions we cannot afford to ignore.

FEATURING

Caitlin Reiger

Human rights lawyer and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, with 25 years’ experience working globally on justice and accountability for human rights violations. From transitional justice in Timor-Leste, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Colombia to her work with the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Caitlin has championed truth, reparations and institutional reform.

Spencer Zifcak

Emeritus Professor of Law at Australian Catholic University and leading scholar of international human rights and constitutional law. With academic roles at Oxford, New York University and the University of Bristol, Spencer has also held prominent positions with Liberty Victoria, the International Commission of Jurists and the Accountability Round Table. He is a respected voice on human rights, law and public policy.

Kate Gilmore

Former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore is Co-Chair of WHO’s Human Rights Advisory Panel on Human Reproduction, Vice Chair of Interpeace and, until recently, chair of the Board of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Having also held honorary appointments with the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, LSE and the University of Essex, she began her career in Melbourne, helping to set up the first Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA House)..

Daniela Gavshon

Daniela is Australia Director at Human Rights Watch. Previously, she founded the Truth and Accountability program at the Justice and Equity Centre, leading human rights and war crimes investigations. She was also Solomon Islands Head of Office for the International Center for Transitional Justice and is Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s War Crimes Committee and an adjunct lecturer at UNSW.

Joseph Camilleri – Moderator

Professor Emeritus in International Relations at La Trobe University and Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Author and editor of more than 35 books, Joe has spent decades exploring peace and security, geopolitics, governance and conflict resolution. Through Conversation at the Crossroads and SHAPE, he continues to bring people together around the challenges facing humanity and our planet.

Tickets: Book tickets

MIL OSI

Source: Proofpoint, Inc.

• Half of New Zealand Government organisations have yet to meet the highest DMARC security standard ahead of the October 2026 SGE deadline.
• DMARC adoption at the reject level has doubled from 26% in 2025 to 50%, but significant gaps remain across the public sector.

7 September 2026 – Proofpoint, Inc., [1] a global leader in human and agent cybersecurity, has found that half of New Zealand Government organisations have yet to implement the strictest level of email cybersecurity measures required under the government’s Secure Government Email [2] (SGE) framework, leaving them exposed to risks of email fraud that could impact the New Zealand public, government workers, and stakeholders.

The findings come less than two months before the SGE requirement takes effect in October 2026. The framework requires government domains to implement Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC [3]) at the ‘Reject’ level, which is the strongest level of DMARC protection. DMARC has three policy levels – _Monitor, Quarantine,_ and _Reject_. While Monitor provides visibility into email activity and Quarantine directs suspicious messages to spam, Reject provides the strongest protection by preventing unauthorised emails from being delivered.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) [4] reported NZ$8.3 million in direct financial losses in the first half of 2026[1], with phishing and credential harvesting the second most reported incident type. DMARC authentication effectively detects and prevents email spoofing techniques used in phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and other email-based attacks.

Proofpoint’s analysis found that 97% of New Zealand Government organisations have adopted DMARC, but only 50% have implemented the required Reject policy. The analysis covered more than 200 primary organisations listed on the New Zealand Government Organisations Register, including Defence, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Education, Social Services, Energy, and Treasury and Finance. These organisations hold significant amounts of information relating to New Zealanders and support critical government services and national security.

“DMARC is a critical layer of protection against email impersonation and phishing, one of the most prevalent threats facing New Zealand organisations in this AI era,” said Steve Moros, Senior Director, Advanced Technology Group, Asia Pacific and Japan at Proofpoint. “We welcome the New Zealand Government’s continued efforts to strengthen DMARC adoption across the public sector. With the SGE deployment deadline approaching, organisations need to act now to ensure trusted government domains cannot be easily abused. Strong email authentication is an important step in protecting public information, government services, and the trust New Zealanders place in them.”

The full findings of Proofpoint’s DMARC analysis of New Zealand’s Government agencies show:

• 50% of New Zealand Government entities have implemented the highest DMARC protection level: Reject.
• 12% have a Quarantine policy, meaning suspicious emails are sent to a spam folder.
• 35% have a Monitor policy, which only tracks DMARC activity without blocking or quarantining emails.
• 3% have no DMARC record at all.

The New Zealand government has extended the deadline for the Secure Government Email (SGE) standard from October 2025 to October 2026. Proofpoint published its first DMARC analysis of New Zealand’s government domains in 2025 [5] and found that only 26% of them had implemented a Reject policy. A year later, that figure has doubled to 50%, representing significant progress, but with half of government domains still not meeting the standard, gaps remain ahead of the October 2026 deadline.

Best Practices for Enhanced Email Security:

• Check the validity of all email communication and be cautious of potentially fraudulent emails impersonating colleagues, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Be cautious of any communication attempts that request log-in credentials or threaten to suspend service or an account if a link isn’t clicked.
• Adopt phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, such as passkeys.

Methodology

This analysis was conducted in August 2026 using data from 200 organisations on the New Zealand Government Organisations Register. [6]

About Proofpoint, Inc.

Proofpoint, Inc. is a global leader in human and agent cybersecurity, securing how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Proofpoint is a trusted partner to over 80 of the Fortune 100, over 14,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organisations in stopping threats, preventing data loss, and building resilience across people and AI workflows. Proofpoint’s collaboration, data, and AI security platform helps organisations of all sizes protect and empower their people and adopt AI securely and confidently. Learn more at www.proofpoint.com [7].

_Proofpoint is a registered trademark or tradename of Proofpoint, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners._

[1] NZ$5.6 million attributed to Q1 [8] and NZ$2.7M to Q2 [9].

Links

• [1] https://proofpoint.com/
• [2] https://www.digital.govt.nz/products-and-services/products-and-services-a-z/secure-government-email
• [3] https://www.proofpoint.com/us/threat-reference/dmarc
• [4] https://www.ncsc.govt.nz/
• [5] https://www.proofpoint.com/au/newsroom/press-releases/three-quarters-new-zealand-government-organisations-yet-meet-strictest
• [6] https://www.govt.nz/organisations/
• [7] https://www.proofpoint.com
• [8] https://www.ncsc.govt.nz/insights-and-research/insights-reports/quarter-one-cyber-security-insights-2/
• [9] https://www.ncsc.govt.nz/insights-and-research/insights-reports/quarter-two-cyber-security-insights-2026/

MIL OSI

Source: TradingPlatforms.io

By Martin Tunchev | Updated: 3 September 2026

The launch of the Nissan Leaf in 2010 and the Tesla Model S in 2012 marked the beginning of the mass-market shift towards electric vehicles, a transformation that has since reshaped the global automotive industry. As EV adoption accelerates, however, the expansion of charging infrastructure has become increasingly important to supporting drivers and ensuring the EV transition continues smoothly. This, however, raises an important question: which countries have built the most extensive public charging networks, and where is charging infrastructure struggling to keep pace with EV adoption?

To answer these questions, the team at TradingPlatforms analysed the latest data on electric vehicle stocks and public charging points from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Global EV Outlook 2026. We compared EV numbers with public charging infrastructure across countries to identify where charging networks are keeping pace with growing EV fleets and where the gap between the two is widening.

Where Is EV Charging Infrastructure Under the Most Pressure?

The pressure of the growing fleets of electric vehicles is most severely felt in several small EV markets, where electrification and green projects have only recently begun to accelerate. South America’s Uruguay has the highest number of electric vehicles per public charging point among the 46 countries analysed, with around 162 EVs for every public charger in 2025. This is a direct result of the 2022 tax decree that eliminated import duties and excise tax on EVs, helping the country’s EV fleet to more than double from 11,250 in 2024 to 25,900 in 2025. At the same time, the public charging network increased by just 14.3%, from 140 to 160 charging points over the span of a year.

The United Arab Emirates has the second-highest imbalance, with around 153 EVs per public charging point in 2025. Much of this comes down to regulation. Independent operators were only permitted to build public charging stations from 2024, after years in which expansion ran almost entirely through state utilities. The network is now growing rapidly, but it is going to take time before it can catch up to the country’s 213,000-strong electric vehicle fleet.

Then there is the Philippines. The country’s 2022 Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act was intended to support the development of the EV industry, but the country’s fleet has grown much faster than its public charging network. EV numbers surged from just 4,830 in 2024 to 35,035 in 2025, marking a more than sevenfold increase. The charging network, meanwhile, didn’t move. The result was a jump from around 18 EVs per charger to 128 in just one year.

New Zealand also faces considerable pressure in providing adequate infrastructure for its growing EV fleet, with approximately 88 EVs per public charger. The country’s government pledged NZ$257 million to fund 10,000 public chargers by 2030, but as of early 2026 the rollout had reportedly stalled without a single contract signed, leaving the public network short of the pace required to keep up with the rising number of electric vehicles across the country.

The USA and Canada are also experiencing EV-to-charger pressure. In the US, there are 33 EVs for every public charging point. The $5 billion NEVI programme, a federal initiative to build a nationwide network of fast EV chargers along major highways, was frozen for most of 2025, and fewer than 400 federally funded chargers were actually built. Canada fares slightly better at 29 EVs per public charging point, but its problem is geography rather than simply the number of chargers: 88% of its charging points are concentrated in just three provinces, leaving rural and northern drivers more reliant on home charging, which many do not have.

Where Does Charging Capacity Keep Up With EV Demand?

At the other end of the ranking, South Korea leads the world in charging infrastructure, with just two electric vehicles for every public charging point. Its EV fleet grew by almost 30% between 2024 and 2025, rising from 767,000 to 994,000 vehicles over the year, while the number of charging points increased by around 74,000 to more than 491,000. Why are Koreans far ahead of everyone else? South Korea’s public charging network was built out ahead of demand, driven by a legal mandate requiring apartment complexes to install EV chargers in 5% of newly built parking spaces and in 2% of existing ones. Because most Korean citizens live in multi-family housing with limited or no off-street parking for home charging, public infrastructure has had to step up, giving Korea one of the highest levels of public charging availability relative to the size of its EV fleet.

India is another notable example, with roughly five EVs per public charging point in 2025, despite its EV fleet expanding by more than 70% to 433,000 vehicles. This has been largely driven by the PM E-DRIVE scheme, launched in 2024 with roughly $240 million earmarked specifically for public charging stations, following on from the earlier FAME II programme.

China has also managed to keep infrastructure growth ahead of electric vehicle adoption despite operating at a vastly larger scale than any other country. The country’s EV fleet increased by more than 12 million vehicles, reaching a total of 44.4 million as of 2025, while the number of public charging points expanded by 42% to 4.68 million. As a result, China improved its ratio from nearly 10 EVs per charging point in 2024 to around nine in 2025. Viet Nam achieved a similar balance during a period of exceptionally rapid growth, with both its EV fleet and charging network expanding by more than 150%.

Several European countries also maintain relatively strong public charging availability. The Netherlands has around 6 EVs per public charging point, followed by Greece with 7 and Belgium with 8. Austria and France each have approximately 10 and 12 EVs per charger respectively, while Spain and Turkey both have around 12. Denmark, Sweden and Germany also improved their charging availability as charging infrastructure expanded faster than their EV fleets, demonstrating that European markets are continuing to build charging capacity ahead of demand.

South Africa and Chile also stand out among emerging markets, maintaining around 11 and 10 EVs per charging point, respectively, after significantly expanding their charging networks. These countries demonstrate that rapid EV adoption does not necessarily result in mounting pressure on public infrastructure when investment in charging capacity keeps pace with demand.

Where Do EV Drivers Have Access to the Most Charging Power?

Looking beyond the number of public charging points, the amount of charging capacity available relative to each country’s EV fleet provides another measure of infrastructure readiness. This metric – kilowatts (kW) of capacity per car – accounts for the power that charging networks can theoretically deliver, revealing differences that are not visible when comparing charger numbers alone. South Korea leads the countries analysed with an average of 9.2 kW of public charging capacity per EV, followed by India with 6.2 kW and China with 5.9 kW.

China’s position is particularly impressive given the sheer scale of its EV market. With more than 44 million electric vehicles on its roads as of 2025, the country still maintains one of the highest levels of charging capacity relative to fleet size. India achieves an even higher ratio despite its considerably smaller EV market, highlighting the significant investment both countries have made in public charging infrastructure.

Several European countries rank strongly for public charging capacity relative to their EV fleets. Austria emerges in a leading position with 4 kW of public charging capacity per EV, followed by Spain with 3.7 kW and Greece with 3.6 kW. Sweden provides 3.4 kW per EV, while France and the Netherlands each stand at 3.1 kW. Turkey, which spans both Europe and Asia, ranks even higher at 4.3 kW per EV. Europe’s relatively strong performance may partly reflect its denser populations, shorter distances between major cities, and sustained public investment in charging infrastructure, making it easier to build extensive networks that support both everyday driving and longer journeys.

The United States and Canada rank considerably lower, with just 1.6 kW and 1.2 kW of public charging capacity per EV, respectively. Australia’s ratio is similarly low at 1.1 kW per vehicle. While these figures suggest comparatively limited public charging capacity relative to the size of nationwide EV fleets, they do not necessarily reflect the charging experience of EV drivers. All three countries have large, geographically dispersed populations and substantial reliance on private home charging, which reduces the dependence on public infrastructure compared with more densely populated markets. However, their vast distances and lower population density also make building comprehensive public charging networks more challenging, particularly along long-distance travel routes.

At the other end of the ranking, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay have the lowest levels of public charging capacity relative to their EV fleets, at just 0.096 kW and 0.092 kW per vehicle, respectively. The Philippines also ranks among the lowest with 0.21 kW per EV, followed by Colombia with 0.47 kW. The contrast between these countries and the leaders illustrates why charger counts alone can provide an incomplete picture of infrastructure readiness: a large network of lower-capacity chargers may offer considerably less charging power than a smaller network equipped with faster, higher-capacity infrastructure.

The Global EV and Charging Infrastructure Race

Southeast Asia is emerging as the world’s fastest EV-adopting region, led by the Philippines, where the total EV fleet expanded by 625.36% in a single year. Lao PDR followed at 184.68%, while Viet Nam grew 154.37% and Indonesia 136.57%. Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand also recorded strong growth of 134.50%, 91.41% and 61.78%, respectively.

Increasing EV fleets are also widespread across Europe, although generally at a more measured pace. Poland recorded a 66.33% annual increase in the number of EVs on Polish roads, followed by Portugal at 37.73%, Spain at 39.10%, and Denmark at 45.86%. Belgium’s EV fleet expanded 32.52% and Sweden’s 19.89%, while the UK’s fleet increased 23.49% to more than 2.5 million vehicles in 2025. Among Europe’s largest markets, France saw its EV stock grow 17.33% annually to 2.35 million units and Germany – 16.47% to 3.22 million, while the Netherlands reached 1.25 million EVs on the road after growing 23.34% between 2024 and 2025.

Outside Europe and Asia, adoption is also accelerating across several major markets. Brazil’s EV fleet grew 81.68%, Colombia’s 71.93%, and Chile’s 76.99%, while India increased by 70.82% to 433,000 vehicles. Australia recorded 42.76% growth and Canada 19.26%. The United States, already home to one of the world’s largest EV fleets, grew 23.78% from 6.33 million to 7.84 million vehicles. China, however, remained by far the largest market, adding more than 12 million EVs in 2024 alone to reach 44.38 million electric cars and vans on the road – despite a seemingly smaller growth of 37.66%.

The Countries That Expanded Their Charging Infrastructure The Most in One Year

Public charging infrastructure expanded rapidly across several countries between 2024 and 2025, with Turkey recording the fastest growth among those analysed. The country’s network more than tripled from 11,900 public charging points in 2024 to 36,100 in 2025, an increase of 203%. Viet Nam and South Africa also saw exceptional growth, expanding their networks by 158% and 144% respectively, while the United Arab Emirates more than doubled its number of charging points.

Several Asian markets also recorded strong infrastructure growth as EV adoption accelerated. Malaysia expanded its charging network by nearly 73%, while Indonesia increased its number of public charging points by 44%. China, meanwhile, added more charging points than any other country by a considerable margin, expanding its already vast network by 1.38 million chargers to reach 4.68 million in 2025. Its charging infrastructure grew faster than its EV fleet, allowing China to slightly improve charger availability despite adding more than 12 million electric vehicles.

Europe also continued to significantly expand its public charging infrastructure, with Denmark leading the region after increasing its network by 54% to 51,600 charging points. Sweden, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Spain all recorded growth of more than 30%, while Germany added 42,000 charging points and France added 38,000. This continued expansion suggests that several of Europe’s largest EV markets are increasingly investing in infrastructure to keep pace with the growing number of electric vehicles on their roads.

Which Countries Have the Fastest Charging Networks?

The number of public charging points alone does not tell the full story about the quality of a country’s EV infrastructure. Charging speed is equally important, particularly for drivers who cannot charge at home or need to recharge quickly during longer journeys. A country may have an extensive network of public chargers, but if most are slow, drivers can still face long waiting times and inconsistent charging. By contrast, a smaller network with a high proportion of fast and ultra-fast chargers can provide greater flexibility and allow more vehicles to be served throughout the day.

New Zealand has the fastest charging network among the countries analysed, with fast and ultra-fast chargers accounting for more than 80% of its public charging points in 2025, up from 76% a year earlier. Thailand follows with 57% of its network consisting of fast or ultra-fast chargers, while Australia, China and Norway each have more than 45% of their public charging infrastructure in these higher-speed categories. Several countries also made significant progress in shifting their networks towards faster charging, including the Philippines, where the share of fast and ultra-fast chargers more than doubled from 16% in 2024 to 34% in 2025.

At the other end of the ranking, public charging networks in several countries remain overwhelmingly dominated by slower chargers. The Netherlands had just 3.5% of its public charging network made up of fast or ultra-fast chargers in 2025, followed by Belgium with 7.6% and Colombia with 9.8%. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay’s network consisted entirely of slow chargers, highlighting how a large number of charging points does not necessarily translate into a fast or convenient charging experience for EV drivers.

The Global EV Charging Race Is Becoming a Race Against Time

As more drivers switch from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric cars, the focus is increasingly shifting from convincing drivers to ditch their polluting diesel and gasoline cars to providing adequate public charging to sustain a growing EV fleet. Countries such as Korea, India, and China show what happens when charging capacity grows alongside EV growth, while Uruguay, the UAE, and the Philippines illustrate the strain that can emerge when infrastructure falls behind. In the Philippines alone, the EV fleet surged more than sixfold in a year while its public charging network barely changed.

The next phase of the EV transition will therefore depend not just on how many electric vehicles countries put on their roads, but on how quickly they can build the infrastructure needed to support them. The countries best positioned for continued EV growth will be those that can expand charging availability, capacity and speed alongside, or ahead of, their growing electric vehicle fleets.

Methodology

To analyse global EV charging infrastructure, the team at TradingPlatforms used data from the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2026, covering electric vehicle stock and public charging infrastructure in 2024 and 2025.

Electric vehicle stock includes battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) were excluded, as they rely on hydrogen refuelling rather than public charging infrastructure. Vehicle stock includes passenger cars and, where reported by the IEA, light-duty commercial vans. As van-level data was unavailable for some markets, totals for these countries reflect passenger cars only.

We calculated the number of EVs per public charging point in each country for 2025 to assess relative pressure on charging networks and compared these figures with 2024 data to measure year-on-year changes in EV stock and charging infrastructure. Countries without available 2025 charging point data were excluded from these calculations, including Cambodia, Lao PDR and Uzbekistan.

To assess charging infrastructure beyond the number of available points, we also used the IEA’s breakdown of public chargers by speed tier (Slow, Fast and Ultra-Fast) to calculate the share of Fast and Ultra-Fast chargers, and average public charging capacity in kilowatts per EV.

In total, 46 countries with available data were analysed. Unless otherwise stated, all figures reflect the most recently reported year in the IEA Global EV Outlook 2026 dataset: 2025.

Source link: https://www.tradingplatforms.io/reports/ev-charging-deserts/

MIL OSI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

MIL OSI

Source: Billo

A study of nearly 168,000 Meta video ads, tracked from July 2025 through June 2026, finds that only five out of 13 categories peak their profitability in the fourth quarter. The others get the highest ROAS in other months.

August 31, 2026. The fourth quarter isn’t the most profitable for every brand, according to new data from marketing platform Billo. Data showed that across 13 product categories, the best-performing month landed in seven different months of the year.

Home & Garden brands earned the most per ad dollar in July 2025, Baby & Toddler peaked in January 2026, and Electronics didn’t peak until May 2026, all outside the fourth quarter most brands plan around.

The company analyzed nearly 168,000 Meta video ads placed over the last twelve months, from July 2025 through June 2026, measuring ROAS, or return on ad spend: purchase value divided by ad spend.

“You can watch thousands of campaigns and see the same mistake every year,” said Donatas Smailys, co-founder and CEO of Billo. “Gift categories made Q4 look like the answer for everyone, so brands whose real peak is July or May just borrowed the same calendar without checking their own numbers. Every campaign we’ve analyzed tells a different story about timing. A brand pouring its best creative into November when its category actually peaks in July is burning its strongest work on one of its weakest months.”

Every category has its own peak month

No single month works for every category. Home & Garden, for example, earned its best return in July 2025, a full quarter before most brands start ramping up holiday budgets. Apparel & Accessories and Software also peaked in that same month.

Each figure below is that category’s ROAS, meaning the dollars in purchase value earned per dollar of ad spend, in its single best month:

• Summer peak (July 2025). Home & Garden ($5.33 per ad dollar), Apparel & Accessories ($4.77), Software ($2.06)
• Early autumn peak (September 2025). Sporting Goods ($4.76), Services ($2.88)
• Q4 gifting peak (November-December 2025). Animals & Pet Supplies ($2.08), Business & Industrial ($2.69), Health & Beauty ($2.44), Food & Beverages ($3.07), Toys & Games ($2.90)
• Winter peak (January-February 2026). Baby & Toddler ($5.83), Arts & Entertainment ($5.67)
• Spring peak (May 2026). Electronics ($5.01)

Only five of these categories, the Q4 gifting cluster, actually peak in the fourth quarter. The highest return in the entire window belongs to Baby & Toddler, which earned $5.83 per ad dollar in January, not November or December. That figure, along with Arts & Entertainment’s February peak and Electronics’ May peak, comes from the first half of 2026, the more recent of Billo’s two half-year reports, so Billo considers each of these three the strongest month so far, not a confirmed annual pattern.

“The Q4 rules work for gift categories, since that’s where it was built,” said Donatas Smailys. “The mistake is applying it everywhere else, as if every category shops like a holiday shopper. The same blind spot shows up with clicks: a brand chasing whatever month gets the most clicks falls into the same trap as a brand chasing Q4. Both are optimizing for a signal that isn’t the one that actually pays.”

What brands should do

Check when your own category has performed best over the past year before setting a second-half budget. Billo’s benchmark reports break ROAS down by category and month, so brands can compare their results against that baseline.

Not every category has a clear seasonal pattern to check against. Services, Business & Industrial, and Baby & Toddler show no repeatable peak in Billo’s data. Brands in these categories should spread their spend evenly across the year rather than concentrating it in a single month.

“Every brand we work with already has the answer to when their season is, it’s in their own ad data,” said Smailys. “The mistake is looking at the calendar instead of looking at your own numbers. Once you build creative around your actual peak month, you’re feeding the algorithm exactly when it’s most likely to convert.”

Methodology

Billo publishes these benchmarks twice a year, covering ROAS, CTR, and hook rate across 13 categories, drawn from tens of thousands of Meta video ads. The current window runs from July 2025 through June 2026, presented across two half-year reports rather than a single calendar year: 88,329 ads and $122 million in ad spend in the first half of 2026, and 80,069 ads and $105 million in spend in the second half of 2025, for a combined $418 million in tracked purchase value. ROAS is calculated as purchase value divided by ad spend. Full data for both reports, including the CTR and hook rate benchmarks referenced here, is available on Billo’s site.

About Billo

Billo is the leading UGC marketplace founded in 2019 that connects brands with creators to produce high-performing social video ads. It is based in Lithuania, built for US needs, and led by co-founder and CEO Donatas Smailys. The platform combines the power of UGC content with a streamlined production process, helping brands increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversions with authentic creator videos on TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and other platforms.

MIL OSI

Source: U.S. Department of State

Travel Advisory
August 28, 2026

Kuwait – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

There were no changes to the Travel Advisory Level or the risk indicators. Advisory summary was updated to reflect changes that family members 18 years of age or older may travel to Kuwait.

Reconsider Travel to Kuwait due to the threat of armed conflict, landmines, and crime.

Advisory summary

The U.S. government has limited ability to offer services to U.S. citizens in Kuwait due to safety risks.

U.S. government employee travel restrictions

Due to safety risks, U.S. government employees need special authorization to travel to Kuwait. Only family members 18 years of age or older may join U.S. government employees working in Kuwait.

Armed conflict

Following the onset of hostilities between the United States and Iran on February 28, 2026, there has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran. Commercial aviation has also been seriously disrupted.

Aviation safety

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) or a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR). This is due to risks to civil aviation operating within or nearby the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region, including Kuwait. Consult the Federal Aviation Administration for the most up to date information on current FAA warnings.

Crime

• Exercise increased caution in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area in Kuwait City because of crime.
• The Kuwaiti police report that the neighborhood of Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh near the Kuwait International Airport is a high-crime area.

Landmines

• Landmines and unexploded ordnance exist in the desert area and some beaches north of the Mutla’a Ridge and near the border with Iraq.
• The locations of landmines and unexploded ordnance are not marked, so it can be hard to know where they are.
• There may be unexploded bombs, shells, and landmines left over from the 1990 Gulf War.
• Do not travel to areas that are “off the beaten path.” Do not touch or move objects in those areas as they could explode.

For U.S. citizens in Kuwait:

• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get important updates and alerts from the U.S. embassy or consulate.
• Review the Country Security Report for Kuwait.
• Visit the U.S. Department of State website for information on travel to High-Risk Areas.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
• Develop a communication plan with family, your employer, or host organization. Plan together how and when you’ll confirm you are safe (text or call).
• Keep travel documents up to date and easy to access.
• Review local laws and conditions before traveling. Kuwait has strict laws prohibiting the possession or trafficking of drugs (including marijuana) and alcohol. Do not bring drugs or alcohol in your luggage and do not attempt to purchase them in Kuwait.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Stay alert especially in places visited by large groups of people and travelers or tourists.
• Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the latest Travel Health Information before you travel.
• We highly recommend that you buy insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancelation coverage.
• Have a plan to leave in an emergency that does not depend on U.S. government help. Review information on Crisis and Evacuations.
• Whether you’re a first time or frequent traveler, use the International Travel Checklist.

Assistance for U.S. Citizens

U.S. Embassy Kuwait
Bayan, Block 13
Masjed Al-Aqsa Street
Kuwait City, Kuwait

Telephone: +(965) 2259-1001
Emergency: +(965) 2259-1001
Fax: +(965) 2259-1438
Email: KuwaitACS@state.gov
Website: https://kw.usembassy.gov/

Source link

MIL OSI

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Researchers are investigating how children are affected when a parent or caregiver is imprisoned, and how their rights and needs can be better understood and supported.

A new study is investigating what happens to tamariki and rangatahi before and after a parent or primary caregiver is sent to prison, and whether their rights and interests are adequately considered when courts make bail and sentencing decisions.

Previous research highlights a stark difference between what happens when mothers and fathers are imprisoned: when fathers are imprisoned, 79 percent of children continue living with their mothers and their living arrangements don’t change.

When mothers are imprisoned, most children’s care arrangements change, with only 21 percent remaining with their fathers.

Funded by the Borrin Foundation, the project brings together University of Auckland academics Professor Julia Tolmie (Auckland Law School), School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies’ Professor Tracey McIntosh (Ngāi Tūhoe) and Professor Barry Milne (Arts and Education) with Auckland University of Technology’s Dean of Law Professor Khylee Quince (Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu).

The research began in response to a request from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who saw a need for a New Zealand-based study into the sentencing of parents who are primary or sole caregivers, the impact on children, and gaps in the criminal justice response to female offending and offending that might result in imprisonment.

Women in prison are almost three times more likely than men to have dependent children and more than twice as likely to be single parents.

“If a child’s parent goes to prison it may mean that the person who’s most invested in them loses all capacity to care for them or to monitor the quality of their care and their well-being for a period of time,” says Tolmie, a criminal law and policy expert.

McIntosh, a sociologist and criminologist, says the intergenerational reach of incarcerating woman is significant, because the impact on children is so immediate.

“An arrest, subsequent conviction and sentence to prison increases the risk of children being put into care. For too many incarcerated wāhine, state care has been a part of their own histories. Their awareness of the dangers of state care means that the pains of imprisonment are increased by the recognition of the potential harm that their children may encounter.”

Quince says Māori children are more likely to be raised in single-parent households, most often headed by mothers, while 67 percent of women currently in prison are Māori.

“This means wāhine Māori continue to parent and manage whānau while behind the wire, often without the knowledge of important institutions in the lives of their tamariki, such as schools. The research will explore the impacts that dynamic has on both māmā and tamariki.”

Through interviews, population data and work with community groups and NGOs, the researchers will build a clearer and current picture of who is being imprisoned while caring for dependent children and the lived experiences of those children.

The study will examine how many children have parents who are facing imprisonment, their demographics, the offences for which their parents are convicted, what care arrangements are made for these children and how New Zealand judges currently approach these cases.

Milne, who directs the University of Auckland’s Centre of Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences (COMPASS), will work with senior research fellow Dr Lisa Underwood to analyse population data, including the offences parents are imprisoned for such as drug use or property offending, and the proportion serving short sentences.

The academics will also examine what happens in children’s lives before and after a caregiver is imprisoned, including changes in school attendance, where they live and health outcomes.

The study will look at approaches used overseas and initiatives already operating in New Zealand that could inform different ways of sentencing parents and caregivers.

Based on their findings, the researchers plan to develop recommendations for law reform and improved judicial practices. They also hope the project will increase public understanding and encourage more informed discussion about the impact of parental imprisonment on children and young people.

MIL OSI

Source: BestBrokers

August 26, 2026

The term ‘unicorn’ was introduced in 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee to describe privately held startups valued at over $1 billion, companies so uncommon they seemed almost mythical. At the time, there were only a few dozen worldwide, making the label a true badge of exceptional success. A little more than a decade later, the landscape looks very different.

Fueled by an unprecedented surge in venture capital and rapid growth in the global tech ecosystem, the number of unicorns has ballooned into the thousands.

As of August 2026, there are currently 1,843 startup companies with a valuation of US$1 billion or more, the so-called unicorns. This prompted the team at to analyse the latest data from Crunchbase, TechCrunch, and PitchBook to identify which industries are producing the most new unicorns, which regions have the most billion-dollar private startups, and which private companies are attracting the most investor attention in today’s volatile market.

Which Countries are Home to the Most Unicorns in 2026?

Unicorn startups around the globe are heavily concentrated in a handful of countries, with the United States in the lead, as the country is home to 945 privately held companies valued at over $1 billion, more than half of the world’s 1,843 total unicorns. The U.S. also hosts many of the most valuable private startups globally, including Anthropic, now the world’s most valuable unicorn with a valuation of $965 billion after the previous champion, SpaceX (1.25 trillion), became a public company.

Other high-profile American unicorns valued at the hundreds of billions include OpenAI ($852B), Databricks ($190B), Stripe ($159B), and Waymo ($126B). The country’s dominance reflects its deep venture capital ecosystem, world-leading research universities, and major technology hubs such as Silicon Valley that consistently produce high-growth startups.

China ranks second with 328 unicorn companies, driven largely by its massive domestic market and strong technology sector. The country’s most valuable startup is ByteDance, the parent company of short-form video app TikTok, and its Chinese counterpart, Douyin. The company’s valuation has surged to a record $600 billion in early 2026 following major secondary share sales, including a proposed deal by General Atlantic that pushed it well above previous marks amid strong revenue growth and clearer U.S. regulatory progress on TikTok operations.

India has emerged as another major unicorn hub with 83 companies, supported by rapid digital adoption and a huge consumer base. The country’s biggest startup is Reliance Jio ($128B), the telecommunications and digital-services arm of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. Another Asian nation with a dense concentration of unicorn startups is Singapore, home to the global E-commerce platform Shein, which ranks 8th worldwide with 26 unicorn startups.

The United Kingdom leads Europe with 83 unicorns, many of which are in the finance sector, including fintech leader Revolut ($115B) and payments firm Checkout.com ($12B). South and Central America host roughly 39 unicorn companies spread across countries like Brazil (21), Mexico (10), Chile (3), and smaller counts in Colombia and Argentina.

The most valuable unicorns in the region include Brazil’s QuintoAndar, iFood, and C6 Bank, all valued at $5 billion; Mexico’s financial platform Plata ($5B); and Argentina’s fintech company Ualá, valued at $3.2 billion following recent $195 million in an equity funding.

The Largest Unicorn Companies in the World in 2026

L19: Following Elon Musk’s space-tech company SpaceX’s historic IPO, the title of most valuable unicorn went to another U.S. company, Anthropic. Chatbot Claude’s parent company is now valued at a staggering $965 billion following a series of rapid valuation increases fueled by booming demand for generative AI, major investments from technology giants, and strong revenue growth from its enterprise AI products.

L22: Just behind in second place is ChatGPT’s parent company and Anthropic rival OpenAI, currently valued at $852 billion following a record-setting $110 billion investment from Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank. The company remains one of the central players in the global AI ecosystem, as investor capital continues to concentrate heavily within a small number of leading foundation model developers.

China’s ByteDance continues to stand among the world’s most valuable private companies, with a valuation of $600 billion. Its dominance is fueled by the explosive global popularity of TikTok, which has reshaped entertainment and short-form video for billions of users, alongside Douyin’s commanding position in the Chinese market.

In fintech, Stripe holds a $159 billion valuation, and Revolut currently sits at $115 billion following a secondary share sale in July 2026. Both companies have established strong positions in digital payments and banking services. India features its largest private player: Reliance Jio, valued at approximately $128 billion ahead of a potential IPO.

1 in 4 Startups To Reach Unicorn Status in 2026 Are AI Companies

Artificial intelligence companies account for the largest share of startups that reached a $1 billion valuation in 2026. Of the 191 companies that achieved unicorn status this year, 49 startups (25.7%) operate in the AI sector, meaning that nearly every 1 in 4 newly minted unicorns in 2026 is an AI company.

These businesses focus on building AI infrastructure and specialised tools built on large language models, reflecting how deeply artificial intelligence has become integrated into the broader technology ecosystem.

Robotics companies are capturing increasingly larger investments in 2026 as advances in humanoid systems and embodied AI accelerate. As of August 2026, robotics is the second largest sector for newly minted unicorns, with 26 companies (13.6% of the total) operating in the field. The sector is dominated by the United States and China, with the most valuable newly minted robotics companies being China’s AI2 Robotics and X Square Robot, valued at $3 billion each.

In the U.S., Mind Robotics and Generalist lead the robotics cohort, with both startups currently worth $2 billion each.

So far this year, 18 fintech startups have crossed the billion-dollar mark to become unicorns. Investor interest has remained strong across digital payments, lending, financial infrastructure and AI-assisted financial services. The sector’s latest unicorn is Indian payments infrastructure company Juspay, which reached a $1.2 billion valuation after raising $50 million from WestBridge Capital.

The company processes hundreds of millions of transactions daily and serves major enterprises, highlighting growing investor appetite for the underlying infrastructure powering the global digital payments ecosystem.

The HealthTech sector has produced 15 new unicorns so far in 2026, placing it as the third most-active sector alongside fintech after robotics and AI. The sector’s most valuable new unicorn is American orthopaedic device innovator MiRus, which is now valued at $4.4 billion following a $1.5 billion funding round led by Boston Scientific. Other notable additions include Pomelo Care, valued at $1.7 billion, and Eight Sleep and Science (Therapeutic Devices), both worth $1.5 billion.

The sector’s strong performance reflects growing investor confidence in technologies that can modernise healthcare, improve patient outcomes and lower costs.

Defense & SecurityTech has seen a lot of investor interest in 2026, fueled by geopolitical tensions and advancements in defense and dual-use technology. So far this year, 12 startups have crossed the $1 billion valuation threshold to become unicorns. Germany’s STARK leads the group with a $3.7 billion valuation, having gained prominence for its autonomous strike drones and secured a €300 million contract to supply the German armed forces. U.S. companies also dominate the sector’s newcomer ranks, including Allen Control Systems, valued at $2.2 billion for its autonomous counter-drone and turret systems, and Mach Industries, which reached a $1.8 billion valuation after raising $300 million in a Series C round to scale its unmanned defence systems.

In Europe, France’s Harmattan AI became the country’s first defence unicorn after a $200 million funding round led by Dassault Aviation, while UK defence startups Roark Aerospace and UFORCE have also crossed the billion-dollar threshold.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is the Most Valuable New Unicorn Startup in 2026

By far the most valuable startup to become a unicorn in 2026 is China’s DeepSeek, valued at around $50 billion following its first-ever external funding round, more than 11 times the valuation of the second most valuable new unicorn. The Hangzhou-based AI lab, founded in 2023 by High-Flyer founder Liang Wenfeng, became a global name after its low-cost R1 and V3 models challenged leading Western AI systems while using significantly fewer computing resources.

Its maiden fundraising marked a dramatic shift for a company that had previously relied on self-funding, with investors piling in as DeepSeek emerged as one of China’s strongest challengers in the global AI race.

U.S.-based AI lab Hark, owned by entrepreneur Brett Adcock, reached an impressive $6 billion valuation after raising more than $700 million in its Series A funding round, making it the second most valuable startup to become a unicorn in 2026. The company develops AI systems designed to automate complex knowledge work, and its unusually large early-stage funding round reflects the intense investor appetite for AI companies building beyond consumer-facing chatbots.

Hark leads a cohort dominated by AI companies, with UK-based Ineffable Intelligence valued at $5.1 billion, U.S. AI company Recursive at $4.65 billion, and humans& at $4.5 billion.

Outside AI, the most valuable newly minted unicorn is MiRus, a U.S.-based HealthTech company specialising in orthopaedic devices, which reached a valuation of $4.4 billion following a $1.5 billion funding round earlier this year. Corgi, valued at $4 billion, is the highest-valued Fintech company to achieve unicorn status in 2026. Germany’s drone startup STARK recently captured a massive funding round, valuing the company at a $4 billion valuation.

L47: The United States overwhelmingly dominates the global unicorn landscape in 2026, accounting for 105 of the 185 newly minted billion-dollar startups. This reflects the country’s deep venture capital ecosystem, strong talent pool, and continued leadership in high-growth sectors such as artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

Outside the United States, China ranks second with 30 new unicorns, followed by the United Kingdom with 14, and India with 7 new billion-dollar startups. The UK’s most valuable newly minted unicorn is Ineffable Intelligence at $5.1 billion, while China’s cohort heavily leans towards AI and Robotics startups such as AI2 Robotics and X Square Robot, both valued at $3 billion. India has seen momentum accelerate in recent months, adding 7 new unicorns since the beginning of 2026.

Among India’s 2026 unicorn class, fintech lender KreditBee and AI startup Sarvam are currently the most valuable, with both startups achieving a valuation of $1.5 billion.

Germany has produced 6 new unicorns in 2026, spanning defence, enterprise software, and infrastructure, including defence company STARK, which recently captured a $500 million funding round at a $4 billion valuation, SaaS platform osapiens at $1 billion, and observability startup Dash0 at $1 billion.

Canada’s 4 new unicorns are in the artificial intelligence, semiconductors and fintech sectors. Autonomous driving AI company Waabi is the country’s most valuable new unicorn, reaching a $4 billion valuation, followed by quantum computing and semiconductor company Photonic at $2 billion. Fintech startups Super.com and Nesto round out Canada’s 2026 unicorn cohort, valued at $1.2 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively.

Belgium and France each produced 2 new unicorns in 2026, spanning AI, cybersecurity, crypto, and defence technology. France’s newcomers include AI research company Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI Labs), valued at $3.5 billion, making it the most valuable new unicorn among the four countries, and Harmattan AI, a $1 billion defence and security AI firm focused on autonomous systems and intelligence tools.

Belgium’s two new unicorns are Keyrock, valued at $1.1 billion and specialising in crypto market-making and liquidity infrastructure, and cybersecurity startup Aikido Security, valued at $1 billion.

Spain and the Netherlands also added 2 new unicorns each since the beginning of the year. Spain’s new unicorns are spacetech company Xoople, valued at $1 billion, and quantum computing startup Multiverse Computing, valued at $1.7 billion. The Netherlands added AI company Wonderful, valued at $2 billion, and semiconductor startup Nearfield Instruments, valued at $1.6 billion, giving the country the second-highest combined valuation among the four markets.

Methodology

L57: To illustrate the current state of unicorn startups, the team at BestBrokers analysed company data from , which tracks privately held companies valued at $1 billion or more. Additional information on company valuations, funding rounds, and newly created unicorns was gathered from platforms such as , as well as industry coverage from and other publicly available sources.

Using these datasets, we identified current unicorn companies and grouped them by country, industry, and valuation to show their distribution across the global tech ecosystem. We also compiled a separate list of startups that first crossed the $1 billion valuation threshold in 2026 based on the most recent funding announcements and reported valuations.

All figures reflect the most recent data available at the time of writing. Because startup valuations and funding rounds change frequently, the total number of unicorn companies and their valuations may evolve over time.

Official report

MIL OSI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Billo

August 21, 2026

Data from marketing platform Billo dated June to December 2025 shows Meta ad competition rose 40% between August and the November peak. Billo, which connects brands with creators to produce social video ads, says the brands that win Black Friday test their creative already in August.

New Billo data shows Meta ad competition rising about 40% and the cost to reach 1,000 impressions climbing roughly 18% between August and the November Black Friday peak. Brands that wait until fall to plan their campaigns enter an auction that is already crowded and expensive, with the outcome largely shaped by creative built weeks earlier. Black Friday and Cyber Monday together make up the single largest ecommerce advertising event of the year, and the brands that prepare earliest tend to capture a disproportionate share of that spending.

Billo, which connects brands with creators to produce social video ads for platforms including TikTok, Meta and YouTube, has tracked the same pattern in its own client data. Donatas Smailys, co-founder and CEO of Billo, said brands that enter Black Friday without tested creative end up paying more for weaker results, regardless of how much they spend.

“Everyone treats Black Friday as a fourth-quarter problem, so everyone ends up competing for the same ad space at the same time,” Smailys said. “Brands that create their ads early and test them in August get better results than brands that wait until October or November. By the time November comes, the brands that tested early already know what works, while the brands that waited are launching untested ads during the most expensive weeks of the year.”

Why August Is the Right Time to Start

September and October are when brands learn which ads actually convert, and that testing takes weeks. August gives brands exactly enough time to brief creators, film several options, and get results back before Black Friday begins.

“You don’t need a media budget to find out if an ad works,” Smailys said. “In August, we tell our clients to post a few short variants organically, each with a different hook and a different creator. A small, specific audience responds within days, and that tells you which version actually lands. The trick is picking the right audience for that test: people who already care about the product. Once you know what they respond to, you know exactly what to put the budget behind in November.”

Brands that follow this approach typically produce three to five short variants per product, each testing a different angle: a different opening line, a different creator, or a different pain point. The variants that perform best organically become the ads brands scale with paid budget once Q4 begins.

Methodology

Figures are based on Billo client Meta ad data, tracked monthly from June through December 2025. Comparisons reflect August 2025 against the November 2025 peak, and where noted, December. Cost per 1,000 impressions reached is a derived figure, calculated as total spend divided by total impressions, multiplied by 1,000; it is not a reported column in the underlying data.

About Billo

Billo is the leading UGC marketplace founded in 2019 that connects brands with creators to produce high-performing social video ads. It is based in Lithuania, built for US needs, and led by co-founder and CEO Donatas Smailys. The platform combines the power of UGC content with a streamlined production process, helping brands increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversions with authentic creator videos on TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and other platforms.

MIL OSI

Source: Billo

Data from marketing platform Billo dated June to December 2025 shows Meta ad competition rose 40% between August and the November peak. Billo, which connects brands with creators to produce social video ads, says the brands that win Black Friday test their creative already in August

August 19, 2026. New Billo data shows Meta ad competition rising about 40% and the cost to reach 1,000 impressions climbing roughly 18% between August and the November Black Friday peak. Brands that wait until fall to plan their campaigns enter an auction that is already crowded and expensive, with the outcome largely shaped by creative built weeks earlier. Black Friday and Cyber Monday together make up the single largest ecommerce advertising event of the year, and the brands that prepare earliest tend to capture a disproportionate share of that spending.

Billo, which connects brands with creators to produce social video ads for platforms including TikTok, Meta and YouTube, has tracked the same pattern in its own client data. Donatas Smailys, co-founder and CEO of Billo, said brands that enter Black Friday without tested creative end up paying more for weaker results, regardless of how much they spend.

“Everyone treats Black Friday as a fourth-quarter problem, so everyone ends up competing for the same ad space at the same time,” Smailys said. “Brands that create their ads early and test them in August get better results than brands that wait until October or November. By the time November comes, the brands that tested early already know what works, while the brands that waited are launching untested ads during the most expensive weeks of the year.”

Why August Is the Right Time to Start

September and October are when brands learn which ads actually convert, and that testing takes weeks. August gives brands exactly enough time to brief creators, film several options, and get results back before Black Friday begins.

“You don’t need a media budget to find out if an ad works,” Smailys said. “In August, we tell our clients to post a few short variants organically, each with a different hook and a different creator. A small, specific audience responds within days, and that tells you which version actually lands. The trick is picking the right audience for that test: people who already care about the product. Once you know what they respond to, you know exactly what to put the budget behind in November.”

Brands that follow this approach typically produce three to five short variants per product, each testing a different angle: a different opening line, a different creator, or a different pain point. The variants that perform best organically become the ads brands scale with paid budget once Q4 begins.

Methodology

Figures are based on Billo client Meta ad data, tracked monthly from June through December 2025. Comparisons reflect August 2025 against the November 2025 peak, and where noted, December. Cost per 1,000 impressions reached is a derived figure, calculated as total spend divided by total impressions, multiplied by 1,000; it is not a reported column in the underlying data.

About Billo

Billo is the leading UGC marketplace founded in 2019 that connects brands with creators to produce high-performing social video ads. It is based in Lithuania, built for US needs, and led by co-founder and CEO Donatas Smailys. The platform combines the power of UGC content with a streamlined production process, helping brands increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversions with authentic creator videos on TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and other platforms.

MIL OSI

Source: BestBrokers.com

Paul Hoffman
August 4, 2026

The world’s billionaires continue to accumulate wealth on an extraordinary scale, with many of the world’s richest individuals seeing their fortunes grow by hundreds of billions of dollars in a single year. Others were not so lucky, shedding significant chunks of their net worth over the past twelve months. While the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and technology has created striking gains for some of the world’s most prominent entrepreneurs, billionaire wealth creation extends far beyond tech, spanning industries from finance and manufacturing to retail, energy, and real estate.

This is what inspired the team at BestBrokers to analyse the Forbes Real-Time Billionaire List as of 27 July 2026. To establish an accurate year-on-year comparison, we used the Wayback Machine to retrieve an archived version of the Forbes list dated 27 July 2025 and recorded each billionaire’s real-time net worth. We tracked how each individual’s fortune changed over the year to identify the biggest increases and declines in wealth, while also examining how billionaire wealth is currently distributed across countries and industries.

Where the World’s Billionaires Live

There are currently 3,356 billionaires in the world, with a disproportionate share concentrated in just a handful of countries. The world’s most populous nations are, perhaps unsurprisingly, also home to some of the largest billionaire populations. The United States leads by a considerable margin, with 990 billionaires, accounting for 29.5% of the global total. The country is also home to nine of the world’s ten richest people, including Elon Musk, Larry Page and Michael Dell. Collectively, U.S. billionaires are worth a staggering $8.43 trillion. Canada ranks second in North America with 78 billionaires worth $449.5 billion, with cryptocurrency entrepreneur Changpeng Zhao standing out as the country’s richest billionaire with a net worth of $107.6 billion. Mexico is home to 24 billionaires with a combined fortune of $258.6 billion, led by business oligarch and investor Carlos Slim Helú, whose $125.4 billion fortune makes him the richest person in Latin America.

China is Asia’s largest billionaire hub and the country with the second-most billionaires globally, with 511 billionaires collectively worth an estimated $2.06 trillion. Much like the U.S., China’s wealthiest billionaires are heavily concentrated in the technology sector, led by ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, the country’s richest person with a net worth of $69.3 billion. Hong Kong is home to a further 69 billionaires, whose combined wealth stands at $410.4 billion. India’s billionaire wealth is spread across a much wider range of industries, from conglomerates and infrastructure to pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail and telecoms, with Mukesh Ambani ($86.8 billion) and Gautam Adani ($85.2 billion) leading the country’s wealth rankings. Other major billionaire hubs in Asia include Taiwan, which is home to 63 billionaires worth $272.2 billion, led by art collector and businessman Pierre Chen ($17.6 billion), and Singapore, with 57 billionaires worth a combined $155.4 billion, led by businessman Jason Chang with a net worth of $20.3 billion.

Germany has Europe’s largest billionaire population, with 205 billionaires whose combined fortunes total $944.8 billion. The country’s richest is Lidl chairman Dieter Schwarz, worth $59.1 billion. Italy is next with 80 billionaires worth $465.0 billion, with cryptocurrency entrepreneur Giancarlo Devasin in the lead, whose $89.3 billion fortune makes him Italy’s richest person. The UK has 60 billionaires worth a combined $278.6 billion, led by hedge fund manager Michael Platt with $20.9 billion. France, despite having fewer billionaires than the UK with 53, has more than twice its combined billionaire wealth at $574.6 billion. The difference is largely driven by the country’s concentration of major fashion and luxury fortunes, with just four billionaires: Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (L’Oréal), Alain and Gérard Wertheimer (Chanel) holding a combined net worth of $311.7 billion, or 54.2% of France’s total billionaire wealth.

South America’s billionaire population is overwhelmingly concentrated in Brazil, which is home to 73 billionaires worth a combined $269.3 billion. The country’s richest is Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, worth $33.1 billion, followed by banking heiress Vicky Safra at $25.3 billion and investment veteran Jorge Paulo Lemann at $19.8 billion. Colombia has six billionaires worth $63.8 billion, led by banking and infrastructure tycoon Jaime Gilinski Bacal with $16.9 billion, while Argentina’s five billionaires are worth $20.7 billion, led by Mercado Libre founder Marcos Galperin with $7.4 billion.

Australia is home to 57 billionaires worth a combined $242.8 billion, led by mining magnate Gina Rinehart with a fortune of $25 billion, followed by property developer Harry Triguboff and mining billionaire Andrew Forrest. Africa is home to 29 billionaires across eight countries, with a combined fortune of $143.2 billion. Nigeria leads the continent with four billionaires worth $53 billion, and it is also home to Africa’s richest person, businessman Aliko Dangote, whose $31.2 billion fortune accounts for more than half of the country’s billionaire wealth. South Africa follows with seven billionaires worth $42.7 billion, led by luxury goods magnate Johann Rupert at $17.6 billion. Egypt has six billionaires worth $23.9 billion, while Morocco has three worth $4.7 billion.

Billionaires Who Gained the Most Wealth in One Year

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, also recorded the largest increase in net worth between 2025 and 2026. After briefly becoming the world’s first trillionaire following the initial public offering of SpaceX, his net worth stood at $725.1 billion on 27 July 2026, up from $405.6 billion a year earlier. This means that his net worth increased by $319.5 billion over the past year, equivalent to roughly $875 million in additional wealth every day since last year.

Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell recorded the second-largest increase, adding $107.6 billion to his fortune over the same period. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin ranked third and fourth, increasing their net worths by $104.3 billion and $91.2 billion, respectively. The scale of these gains highlights just how strongly the world’s largest technology companies have contributed to billionaire wealth creation over the past year, with soaring valuations and investor enthusiasm translating into enormous increases in the fortunes of their founders and major shareholders.

Crypto also produced some of the year’s biggest individual wealth gains. Italian businessman Giancarlo Devasini, whose fortune is closely tied to stablecoin giant Tether, saw his net worth rise from $22.4 billion in 2025 to $89.3 billion in 2026, an increase of $66.9 billion. Other major cryptocurrency billionaires also recorded substantial gains, including Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and Tether executives Jean-Louis van der Velde and Paolo Ardoino, who added $36.4 billion and $29 billion to their net worths over the course of a year, respectively.

DeepSeek Founder Is the Person With the Fastest Growing Fortune

It is one thing to have billions of dollars at your disposal and steadily grow that fortune through smart investments, business expansion and rising asset values. It is another thing entirely to build a multibillion-dollar fortune in the space of just one year. Yet some of the world’s billionaires have seen their net worth increase at extraordinary rates between 2025 and 2026, with the fastest-growing fortunes expanding ten-fold or even more.

Artificial intelligence is at the centre of some of the most dramatic increases. As investment and demand continue to pour into AI models, infrastructure, and applications, the founders and early backers of some of the sector’s most closely watched companies have seen their fortunes surge. Chinese AI entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng is perhaps the clearest example. The founder of DeepSeek, the high-performance AI chatbot that reached impressive compute power at a fraction of the price of leading U.S. large-language models last year, saw his estimated net worth skyrocket from just $1 billion in 2025 to $39.5 billion in 2026 – representing an extraordinary 3,850% increase in a single year, placing him in the top 50 richest people in the world.

The founders of Claude maker Anthropic have experienced a similarly dramatic revaluation. Tom Brown, Jack Clark, Sam McCandlish, Jared Kaplan, Daniela Amodei, Dario Amodei, and Christopher Olah all saw their estimated fortunes rise from $1.2 billion to $15.5 billion, an increase of 1,191.67%. The surge reflects the extraordinary rise in the valuation of the AI company, as investors have poured billions of dollars into the race to develop increasingly capable foundation models and AI applications.

Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of robotics company Figure AI, saw his fortune climb from $1.5 billion to $19.1 billion, an increase of more than 1,170%. Figure AI’s focus on humanoid robots places Adcock at the intersection of two of the fastest-growing areas of technology, as investors increasingly bet on the convergence of artificial intelligence and physical automation.

The gains are also spreading further down the AI supply chain. Chinese telecom and optical component manufacturers have become increasingly important to the infrastructure supporting the AI boom, helping provide the high-speed networking and connectivity required by increasingly powerful data centres. Wang Weixiu, whose fortune is tied to Zhongji Innolight, saw his net worth increase from $4.5 billion to $26.4 billion, a 486.67% increase. Meanwhile, Zou Zhinong of ZTE had his fortune rise from $2.9 billion to $12.5 billion, a 331.03% increase.

But the fastest-growing billionaire fortunes were not exclusively linked to artificial intelligence or technology. Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Greek yoghurt brand Chobani, reached $12.5 billion in estimated net worth (up 443.48% from 2.3 billion in 2025), while metal-processing entrepreneur Yuan Fugen saw his fortune rise from $3.4 billion to $17.4 billion, up 411.76% in one year. Patrizio Vinciarelli, whose wealth comes from power electronics manufacturer Vicor, more than tripled his fortune, from $1 billion to $4.5 billion (up 350%).

Larry Ellison’s Wealth Was Cut Nearly in Half in a Single Year

On the other end of the scale, Larry Ellison, CEO of U.S. cloud company and tech conglomerate Oracle, recorded the largest one-year decline. His net worth fell from $290.60 billion to $151.90 billion, a drop of $138.7 billion, equivalent to roughly $380 million wiped from his fortune every day over the past year. The decline reflects growing scepticism on Wall Street over Oracle’s aggressive AI spending plans and mounting debt load, with investors increasingly questioning whether the company’s cloud infrastructure growth can justify the scale of its investment.

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg recorded the second-largest decline, with his net worth falling from $245.9 billion to $204.3 billion, a $41.6 billion drop equivalent to roughly $114 million a day. The decline came as investors grew increasingly concerned about Meta’s enormous AI spending, with the company expected to spend as much as $145 billion on capital expenditure in 2026.

Elsewhere, India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani lost $18.5 billion as shares in Reliance Industries weakened, with the conglomerate facing weaker-than-expected earnings, slower growth in its retail business and pressure on its refining operations. Colin Huang’s $12.6 billion decline reflects continuing pressure on PDD Holdings, the parent company of Temu, as the business faced intensifying competition in China and increasing regulatory and trade-policy challenges in international markets. Indonesian tycoon Prajogo Pangestu also saw his fortune fall by $17 billion amid weakness in the shares of companies including Barito Renewables and other businesses in his energy empire; Indonesian stocks linked to Pangestu came under additional pressure after Morgan Stanley Capital International and FTSE Russell both raised concerns around transparency and concentrated ownership.

The Industries Mining Billionaires

Tech is by far the biggest driver of billionaire wealth in 2026, with 511 of the world’s 3,356 billionaires, around 15% of the global total, deriving their fortunes from the sector. Finance & Investments follows with 449 billionaires, while Manufacturing accounts for a further 408. Diversified and conglomerate businesses rank fourth with 267 billionaires, followed by Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare with 256 and Food & Beverages with 241.

The concentration of billionaires in technology is reflected even more strongly in the amount of wealth held by the sector’s billionaires. Collectively, tech billionaires are worth $5.30 trillion in 2026, more than double the combined wealth of Finance & Investments tycoons who collectively own $2.39 trillion. Technology is also home to eight of the world’s ten richest people, including Elon Musk, Larry Page and Jeff Bezos, highlighting the extraordinary fortunes that can be generated by the world’s largest technology companies.

Finance & Investments remains one of the most established routes to billionaire status, with 449 billionaires collectively worth $2.39 trillion. Manufacturing also has a substantial billionaire population, with 408 billionaires and a combined fortune of $1.37 trillion. Meanwhile, diversified businesses and conglomerates account for 267 billionaires worth $1.69 trillion, reflecting the fortunes built across multiple industries and asset classes rather than around a single business sector.

Beyond these leading categories, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare, Food & Beverages, Real Estate & Infrastructure, and Retail each account for more than 170 billionaires. Together, these sectors demonstrate that billionaire wealth remains highly diverse, spanning everything from healthcare and consumer goods to property and retail, even as technology continues to dominate at the very top of the wealth rankings.

The distribution of billionaire wealth has also shifted significantly over the past year. Technology recorded by far the largest increase, with the combined fortunes of its billionaires rising from $4.28 trillion in 2025 to $5.30 trillion in 2026, an increase of more than $1 trillion in just one year. Finance & Investments followed, with combined billionaire wealth increasing by $263.5 billion, while Manufacturing recorded a $328.3 billion increase, taking the sector’s total from $1.04 trillion to $1.37 trillion.

Several other industries also recorded substantial gains. Cryptocurrency & Blockchain saw one of the fastest expansions in percentage terms, with combined billionaire wealth rising from $189.8 billion to $346.6 billion. Mining & Commodities, Logistics & Transportation, and Telecom also recorded sizeable increases as the fortunes of billionaires across these industries grew during the year.

Not every industry became wealthier over the past year, however. Media & Entertainment was one of the few major sectors to record a decline, with combined billionaire wealth falling from $506 billion to $499.2 billion. The biggest decline came from Canadian billionaire Sherry Brydson, whose fortune fell by $7.6 billion over the year. Her wealth is largely tied to Thomson Reuters, whose shares fell by nearly 18% in February amid concerns over the potential impact of new AI tools on its legal and professional-information businesses.

Consumer Products also declined slightly, from $109.4 billion to $106.8 billion, with Chinese billionaire Chen Zhiping recording the largest individual loss in the sector. The chairman and CEO of vaping-device maker Smoore International saw his fortune fall by $3 billion, from $5.5 billion to $2.5 billion, as the company’s profits fell despite strong revenue growth, with higher costs and increased spending on its own-brand products weighing on its bottom line.

Methodology

To analyse the changing fortunes of the world’s billionaires, the team at BestBrokers analysed data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List as of 27 July 2026. To establish a consistent year-on-year comparison, we used the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to retrieve an archived version of the Forbes list from 27 July 2025 and recorded the estimated net worth of the same billionaires at that point in time. This allowed us to calculate how much each individual’s fortune increased or decreased over the one-year period.

Using these datasets, we identified the biggest absolute net worth and percentage gains over a 1-year period, while also calculating how much billionaires’ wealth has increased or shrunk on average every day over the past year. We analysed billionaires by country or territory to compare their numbers and combined wealth, and standardised their primary sources of wealth into 24 industry categories. This allowed us to analyse both the distribution of billionaires globally and how combined billionaire wealth changed across industries between 2025 and 2026.

All figures represent estimates based on Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List and archived Forbes data available through the Wayback Machine. Billionaire net worths can fluctuate significantly with changes in public and private company valuations, asset prices and other market conditions, meaning the figures represent a snapshot of estimated wealth on the specified dates. All calculations and comparisons were based on the same methodology and dates to provide a consistent measure of changes in billionaire wealth over the year.

Read the original report from BestBrokers.com

MIL OSI

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

July 2026 – Issued: 4 August 2026

July 2026 summary

July 2026 began on a settled note, with high pressure resulting in widespread clear weather and frosty conditions, particularly for southern and central parts of the South Island. A brief warm northerly airflow delivered record and near-record high daily maximum and minimum temperatures for southern and inland parts of the South Island. From 5-9 July, a broad area of low pressure prevailed over and east of Aotearoa New Zealand, delivering consecutive days of considerable rainfall to eastern parts of the country. Significant impacts resulted from the rain including damaging flooding, with a local State of Emergency declared in Waitaki, Kaikōura, and Wairoa, respectively (see Highlights and extreme events for further details). The middle and latter portion of July was often settled across the country, with a cool southerly airflow prevailing over the final week of the month. El Niño conditions were present in the tropical Pacific atmosphere and ocean, and by all measures the event strengthened during the month – including the strongest atmospheric measurements on record for July. By the end of July, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) around New

Zealand were mostly near or above average, particularly around much of the South Island and Tasman Sea with Marine Heatwave (MHW) conditions1 experienced in these areas. The nationwide average temperature in July 2026 was 8.9°C. This was 0.8°C above the 1991-2020 July average, making it New Zealand’s 12th-warmest July since Earth Sciences New Zealand’s seven station temperature series began in 1909. Temperatures were above average (0.51-1.20°C above average) or well above average (>1.20°C above average) for most of the South Island. It was especially warm for Fiordland, Arthur’s Pass, and Greymouth where mean temperatures were at least 2°C above the July average, respectively. Temperatures were near average (±0.50°C of average) for much of the North Island, although there were below average temperatures (0.51- 1.20°C below average) in localised inland parts of Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. It was a particularly cool month in Taupō where the mean temperature was 1.1°C below average. Rainfall was above normal (120-149% of normal) or well above normal (>149% of normal) for most of Southland, Otago, southern, inland and northern parts of Canterbury, the West Coast, Marlborough, and Nelson. Several areas observed more than double their normal July rainfall including eastern Otago, and eastern parts of southern and northern Canterbury. Rainfall was below normal (50-79% of normal) or well below normal (<50% of normal) most of the North Island. Further Highlights:

• The highest temperature was 20.4°C, observed at Wairoa on 15 July.

• The lowest temperature was -13.5°C, observed at Lake Tekapo on 12 July.

• The highest 1-day rainfall was 133 mm, recorded at Hanmer Forest on 6 July.

• The highest wind gust was 141 km/h, observed at Puysegur Point on 14 July, and Cape Turnagain on 18 July.

• Of the six main centres in July 2026, Auckland was the warmest, Christchurch was the coolest and driest, Tauranga was the sunniest, Wellington was the wettest, and Dunedin was the least sunny.

• The sunniest four locations in 2026 so far are Nelson (1608 hours), Whakatāne (1587 hours), New Plymouth (1578 hours) and Richmond (1520 hours).

Temperature: A warm month for the South Island

Five locations along the western South Island observed their warmest July on record, including Greymouth and Milford Sound, where records date back to 1947 and 1934, respectively. New Zealand’s warmest location relative to normal was Arapito, where the mean temperature of 10.6°C was 2.4°C above its July normal. No locations observed record or near-record low mean temperatures for the month. Relatively calm and clear conditions prevailed over the North Island 1 Defined as five or more consecutive days with SSTs above the 90th percentile for the time of year.

for much of July. This resulted in many cool and frosty nights, especially for inland locations. Five North Island locations observed record or near-record low mean minimum temperatures during the month. Record2 or near-record mean air temperatures for July were recorded at:

Record or near-record mean air temperatures for July

² The rankings (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.) in all tables in this summary are relative to climate data from a group of nearby stations, some of which may no longer be operating. The current climate value is compared against all values from any member of the group, without any regard for homogeneity between one station’s record, and another. This approach is used due to the practical limitations of performing homogeneity checks in real-time.

Record or near-record mean maximum air temperatures for July were recorded at:

Record or near-record mean maximum air temperatures for July

Record or near-record mean minimum air temperatures for July

Rainfall: Wet for much of South Island, dry for the North Island

About 33% of New Zealand’s regularly reporting climate stations observed above normal (120- 149% of normal) or well above normal (>149% of normal) July rainfall. Notably, these stations were all located in the South Island. New Zealand’s wettest location relative to normal was Dunedin Airport, where 445% of normal July rainfall was recorded. This made it the location’s wettest July since records began in 1962. Rainfall was also exceptionally high in Oamaru, with the town receiving 400% of its normal July rainfall. In contrast, about 44% of New Zealand’s regularly reporting climate stations observed below normal (50-79% of normal) or well below normal (<50% of normal) July rainfall. All but one of these stations were in the North Island. It was a particularly dry month for Tūrangi, where just 55 mm of rain (36% of its July normal) was recorded. This resulted in the town’s third-driest July since records began in 1968. Record or near-record July rainfall totals were recorded at:

Record or near-record July rainfall totals

July climate in the six main centres

Temperatures were well above average in Dunedin, with above average temperatures in Wellington. In contrast, it was a relatively cool month for Hamilton and Auckland, where temperatures were 0.6°C and 0.5°C below average, respectively. It was a very wet July for Dunedin where rainfall was 231% of normal. The three northernmost main centres experienced a relatively dry July, with rainfall totals approximately half of normal for the time of year. Of the six main centres in July 2026, Auckland was the warmest, Christchurch was the coolest and driest, Tauranga was the sunniest, Wellington was the wettest, and Dunedin was the least sunny. July 2026 main centre climate statistics:

July 2026 main centre climate statistics – Temperature

July 2026 main centre climate statistics – Rainfall

July 2026 main centre climate statistics – Sunshine

¹ Māngere; ² Tauranga Airport; ³ Hamilton Airport; ⁴ Kelburn; ⁵ Christchurch Airport; ⁶ Musselburgh; ⁷ Ruakura. Hamilton rainfall is missing five days of data.

Highlights and extreme events

Temperatures

The highest temperature was 20.4°C, observed at Wairoa on 15 July. The lowest temperature was -13.5°C, observed at Lake Tekapo on 12 July. Record or near-record daily maximum air temperatures for July were recorded at:

Record or near-record daily maximum air temperatures for July

Record or near-record daily minimum air temperatures for July

Rain, flooding, and slips

The highest 1-day rainfall was 133 mm, recorded at Hanmer Forest on 6 July. From 5-9 July, a broad area of low pressure was present over and near New Zealand, delivering consecutive days of rainfall impacts to eastern parts of the country. The primary impacts are listed in chronological order below:

• From 5-6 July, persistent heavy rain caused surface flooding for eastern parts of Otago including Dunedin, Mosgiel, and Oamaru. Waitaki District Council declared a State of Emergency, with flooding affecting homes and businesses along Thames Street in central Oamaru. At least 20 people self-evacuated their homes in Oamaru, with reports of emergency crews responding to people trapped in cars and homes by floodwaters. The Taieri Bowling Club in Mosgiel was opened as an evacuation centre and several families had self-evacuated there. Flooding caused the closure of SH88 from Sawyers Bay to Port Chalmers, SH87 from Factory Road to Cargill Street in Mosgiel, several local roads in the Clutha District, SH1 between Oamaru and Glenavy, and SH83 between Seven Mile Road and SH1.

• From 6-8 July, heavy rainfall impacted eastern parts of Canterbury, and Marlborough. A State of Emergency was declared in Kaikōura as the Kowhai River burst its banks, with an evacuation centre set up for approximately 80 people who were displaced by flooding. SH1 was closed between Ward and Waipara due to flooding, with considerable sections of the highway eroded away by the Conway River between Parnassus and Hundalee. A section of the Cribb Creek Bridge on the Inland Kaikōura Road was washed away, and two vehicles were accidentally driven off the bridge and into the river below. A person was rescued from their car after spending several hours trapped in a vehicle surrounded by floodwaters near Mt Lyford. Part of Hanmer Springs was cut off after flooding damage caused the closure of Woodbank Road bridge. Flooding of the Ōpaoa River in Blenheim led to evacuation of people staying in caravans at the Blenheim Bridges Holiday Park. In Wairarapa, three bridges (Waihenga, Lower Valley and Huangarua) were closed due to heavy rain from 7-8 July, isolating some communities in the region’s south.

• On 8 July, another burst of heavy rain hit eastern parts of Otago, and SH1 was again closed between Oamaru and Glenavy due to flooding. Surface flooding was also reported

on SH83 from Pukeuri to Kurow, and SH82 from Kurow to Waimate. At least eight homes were evacuated in Dunedin due to possible landslips, while three homes were evacuated in Oamaru due to a landslip. Farther north, the Inland Route 70 was closed between Kaikōura and Rotheram (SH7) due to flooding and washouts.

• On 9 July, areas of Hawke’s Bay received heavy rainfall as the area of low pressure moved east of New Zealand, continuing to drive a moist southeasterly airflow over eastern parts of the country. A local State of Emergency was declared in Wairoa following considerable flooding across the district. The Wairoa River flooded, prompting the evacuation of residents from low-lying areas in Wairoa. Roads were closed due to surface flooding and debris including SH38 from Frasertown to Tuai and SH2 at Turiroa Cutting, while 15 streets were closed in the Wairoa township.

On 24 July, SH7 was closed from Greymouth to Stillwater due to surface flooding. On 25 July, a heavy downpour of rain caused surface flooding in parts of Wellington. In Kelburn, 36 mm of rain was recorded in one hour between 9-10 a.m. Preliminary analyses indicate this is the fifth-wettest hour on record at Kelburn. Record or near-record July extreme 1-day rainfall totals were recorded at:

Record or near-record July extreme 1-day rainfall totals

Wind

The highest wind gust was 141 km/h, observed at Puysegur Point on 14 July, and Cape Turnagain on 18 July. From 6-7 July, strong southeasterly winds occurred for northern and western parts of the South Island. Concrete power poles near Harihari snapped due to the strength of the wind, while downed power lines caused power outages in several areas of the South Island. Specifically, around 260 homes were without power between Lake Ianthe to Lake Parinha, and some in the Haupiri area. Nearly 400 homes were also without power in Kaikōura. Twenty homes in the outer Marlborough Sounds were without power near Clova and Beatrix Bay. Several roads were closed due to strong winds and fallen trees including SH6 from Whataroa to Harihari, SH6 from Haast to

Fox Glacier, and SH63 from Kawatiri to Howard (Tasman District). Farther north, power outages also occurred in parts of Wellington. Record or near-record July extreme wind gusts were recorded at:

Record or near-record July extreme wind gusts

Snow and ice

On 1 July, widespread frost and icy conditions caused issues across many South Island roads. Dunedin’s Southern Motorway (SH1) was temporarily closed to southbound traffic from the Riselaw Rd overbridge due to an accident. Other accidents were reported on roads about Roxburgh, Cromwell, and Lumsden. SH8 was closed between Lake Tekapo and Omarama due to black ice. On 2 July, black ice was reported across Dunedin, with Dunedin City Council urging residents to take care on roads and footpaths. Dunedin’s Southern Motorway (SH1) was again closed to southbound traffic near the Riselaw Rd overbridge due to an accident. NZTA warned motorists to take extra care due to ice on SH1 between Dunedin and Palmerston, SH85 between Palmerston and Kyeburn, SH87 between Kyeburn and Mosgiel, SH8 between Milton and Raes Junction, and SH8 from Lake Tekapo to Twizel. From 5-6 July, there was widespread snowfall above approximately 500 m elevation across inland parts of the South Island. Heaviest snowfalls occurred about eastern and northern parts of Central Otago including the Maniototo and about the Lindis Pass, Mt Cook Village, and Lake Tekapo. ESNZ’s monitoring station measured a peak snow depth of 25 cm at Mt Cook village, with similar snow depths reported at Lake Tekapo, Oturehua, St Bathans, and Naseby. Snow damage to powerlines left about 300 customers without power in Clarks Junction, Hindon, Redbank, Ranfurly, Waipiata-Kyeburn and Middlemarch-Bald Hill. Snow caused the closure of numerous roads in the South Island including SH87 from Outram to Kyeburn, SH85 from Alexandra to Palmerston, the Ranfurly-Naseby Road, St Bathans Loop Road, Ida Valley-Omakau Road, Danseys Pass Road from Naseby, SH8 from Tarras to Omarama (the Lindis Pass), and SH8 from Lake Pukaki to Fairlie. On 8 July, snow fell to approximately 300 m above sea level in eastern parts of Central Otago, with heavy snowfall about the eastern ranges and inland areas of Canterbury. Snow and ice caused the closure of SH85 from Kyeburn and Morrisons, SH87 from Kyeburn and Middlemarch, and SH8 from Fairlie to Twizel. Extreme caution was advised to motorists travelling on SH85 from Kyeburn and Springvale, and SH8 from Tarras to Omarama (the Lindis Pass), due to snow and ice. On 25 July, snow was reported in several Canterbury towns including Darfield, Methven, and Glentunnel. Chains were required for vehicles travelling on SH73 between Springfield and Castle

Hill (Porters Pass) due to snow. Farther south, several centimetres of snow reportedly settled in Naseby and Oturehua, with approximately 1 cm of snow reported in Winton. On 31 July, snow caused the closure of SH85 from Palmerston to Kyeburn, and SH87 between Kyeburn and Outram. Snow also impacted highways farther north in the South Island. SH7 was closed from Reefton to Springs Junction turnoff (Rahu Saddle) and from Springs Junction to Hanmer Springs turnoff (Lewis Pass). Chains were required on vehicles travelling from Arthur’s Pass Village to Otira.

Lightning, hail, and tornadoes

On 6 July, a home in Whangamatā suffered considerable damage after being struck by lightning.

Cloud and fog

On 15 July, 17 flights were delayed or cancelled at Auckland airport due to fog. On 20 July, fog at Auckland airport caused the cancellation of 21 domestic flights, with a further 13 domestic flights delayed. On 23 July, flights at Auckland and Hamilton airports were cancelled or delayed due to fog.

© Copyright Earth Sciences New Zealand 2026.

All rights reserved. Information presented in this summary is based on data available at the time of publication, which is subject to ongoing quality assurance procedures.

Earth Sciences New Zealand climate and weather research

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Source: Piperic Research

We analysed 59 million websites with the help of AI. The result is dismal.

We examined 120,989 live websites in New Zealand. Of these, 35,158 use WordPress, and where the version number was also visible (26,955 sites), 14,583 — that is 54.1% — run a plugin or theme that contains a publicly known security flaw.

Across the websites examined in New Zealand that means 1 in 8, and this is only the lower bound: sites that hide their version number were not counted at all. This shows how poorly these systems are kept up to date!

We requested each homepage once: HTTPS first, plain HTTP only if that failed, and nothing after it. No password was tried, no port was scanned, no form was submitted.

• 13.1% of the live sites we reached answered over plain HTTP — HTTPS was attempted first on both the apex and the www host.
• 50 pages present a password field on a page that was itself delivered without encryption.
• 39.1% of the measured WordPress sites publish a component version whose record carries CVSS “privileges required: none” — documented as needing no account. We tested reachability nowhere.
• 21 sites carry hidden blocks of links to unrelated domains. A homepage cannot tell us whether the owner knows about them.
• 3 sites display text pointing to deliberate destruction of the web page — known in the trade as defacement. This is a snapshot, not a rate of break-ins over time.

Full report for New Zealand: New Zealand security report
Global report and all 59 countries: Global security report
Methodology — definitions, denominators and every bias we know about: Methodology

MIL OSI

Source: Norton

Kiwi parents are facing the new realities of digital parenting

Auckland, July 29, 2026 – Parents are entering a new era of digital parenting, and it necessitates a new version of “the talk.”

The Norton Insights Report: Connected Kids, a new study from Norton, a Gen brand, reveals parents of children under 18 are increasingly alert to the need to protect their children from new threats, yet are still feeling their way and wrestling with how to do it.

• 77% of parents in New Zealand say they feel comfortable talking to their children about online risks
• Yet 44% are not confident their child can distinguish AI-generated content from real content.
• While more parents are now alert to the risks AI poses, with 36% having already taken steps to reduce them by measures such as restricting apps, monitoring online activity, or talking to their children specifically about AI, the concern has not gone away. 75% still worry AI could be used to create fake images or conversations involving their child.

“Many parents have done everything they can to teach their kids how to stay safe online,” says Mark Gorrie, VP APAC at Norton, who has two children of his own, “and they’ve put the safeguards in place: ‘Don’t reply to messages from strangers.’ ‘Be suspicious if a profile picture looks off.’ ‘Question anything with clumsy wording.’”

“Many have spent years building that instinct for spotting what’s wrong, but AI is taking that instinct away. A harmless photo your child posted can be altered, passed on, and turned into leverage. On the platforms they use every day, a convincing fake can pose as someone they trust or an official account. The old giveaways, the clumsy grammar and the grainy image, have gone. That’s why parents need to keep updating how they talk about online safety.”

The growing risk in every photo

When it comes to images, the risk is growing. Criminals increasingly use AI-generated photos or fake identities to gain a young person’s trust – or manipulate them into sharing real images – which are then used for financial sextortion. In 2025, New Zealand enforcement agencies received more than 20,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation and abuse linked to New Zealand from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a 29 percent increase from 2024.[1]

Many parents recognise that AI is reshaping how their children understand what they see online:

• 79% of parents feel their child is being exposed to inappropriate content on social media too early.
• 37% are not confident their child understands that AI tools can produce inaccurate or misleading information.

The Hidden Risks of Gaming

Parents identify TikTok (15%) as their top platform concern, with Snapchat second at 13%. Online gaming follows at 11%. But the behaviours children report inside gaming environments tell a different story about where risk is accumulating.

Among the 48% of parents whose child under 18 plays chat-enabled online games:

• 49% say their child has chatted with a stranger via voice or text chat
• 22% say their child has received inappropriate or offensive messages
• 17% say their child has been encouraged to leave the game and continue a conversation on a different platform

“Social media gets the attention, but plenty of this is happening in the chat layer sitting on top of gaming,” Gorrie said. “It feels like a place where kids are just having fun, so it’s easy to let your guard down, and it’s far less visible to parents than social media use. When a child moves from a game platform to a private messaging app because someone asked them to, that escalation can be hard to detect, and kids may not recognise it as something worth mentioning.”

High Confidence, Real Exposure

The study surfaces a consistent tension between parental confidence, and the behaviours children are actually engaging in. Seventy-seven percent of parents say they feel comfortable talking to their kids about online risks, but at the same time:

• 32% report their kids go on their device past their bedtime or certain designated hour
• 15% report their children have accessed a social media platform or website they thought they had blocked them from visiting
• 12% report their children watching explicit content
• 8% report their child sharing private information or personal details with a stranger

The gap between reported parental comfort and these behaviours does not mean conversations aren’t happening, but it does suggest that having the talk is only part of the picture.

Introducing The Bots & The Bees

The research points to a broader shift in parenting. Conversations that once focused on strangers, passwords and screen time are expanding to include AI-generated images, digital impersonation, online relationships and critical thinking in a world where seeing is no longer believing. To help families navigate these conversations, Norton is introducing The Bots & The Bees, a new educational resource that provides expert guidance, practical advice and resources.

The Norton Insights Report: Connected Kids includes additional findings on social media age requirements, platform-specific concerns, and guidance for families navigating AI-related risks. Norton 360 provides families with tools to monitor online activity, set screen time limits, filter content, and protect personal information across devices. To read the full report and to access The Bots & The Bees resources, visit https://au.norton.com/blog/research/connected-kids-insights-report-2026.

About the Norton Insights Report

The study was conducted online within New Zealand from 22 May 2026 to 19 June 2026, among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, and region, to be nationally representative. Within this report, mentions of parents refer to parents with children younger than 18 years old.

About Norton

Norton is a leader in Cyber Safety, and part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands. Norton empowers millions of individuals and families with award-winning protection for their devices, online privacy, and identity.

Norton products and services are certified by independent testing organizations including AV-TEST, AV Comparatives, and SE Labs. Norton is a founding member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware. Learn more at https://nz.norton.com/.

[1] Department of Internal Affairs, “Online child exploitation reports linked to NZ up 29%”, 2 June 2026. https://www.dia.govt.nz/press.nsf/d77da9b523f12931cc256ac5000d19b6/23d636d37dbaf792cc258e0b000143c6!OpenDocument

MIL OSI