The official 2026 FIFA World Cup song will be performed by Shakira.

The 49-year-old Colombian pop star unveiled a teaser of her official song on her Instagram account.

The song also featured Nigerian singer Burna Boy.

Shakira is among the world’s best-selling musicians and her hits include Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don’t Lie.

The video on her post is set at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.

The track will officially be launched on 14 May.

It is Shakira’s second official World Cup song after Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Shakira’s country, Colombia, are playing at the 48-team tournament that runs from 11 June to 19 July.

New Zealand is in Group G with Belgium, Egypt and Iran.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

New Zealand is exporting much of its premium product – and then importing cheaper options for New Zealand shoppers, economists say.

Pak’nSave’s move to sell United States butter more cheaply than local butter has prompted conversations about how it is possible for imported items can be offered at a lower price than those produced in the country.

But trade data shows that butter is far from the only item that has a higher price when it’s made in New Zealand.

Cat and dog food was cheaper when imported. Dog biscuits – most imported from Australia, Canada, and China – were 87.6 percent cheaper than the export price of New Zealand products.

Water with added flavouring was also 25 percent cheaper when brought in from countries like the United States than the local product was exported.

Jams and marmalades were 21.9 percent cheaper when imported – often from Chile and Poland.

We also import cheaper wine than we export – among still wines, imported products were 25 percent cheaper. Australian wines were 54 percent of imports.

Confectionary, including white chocolate, was 37.8 percent cheaper when imported, mostly from Australia and China. Sweet biscuits were 64.4 percent cheaper imported, usually from Australia,

Some beef and lamb cuts imported for New Zealand consumers were also cheaper than those exported.

“We’re quite often exporting premium products to a premium market segment, whereas we’re importing the commodity stuff for the mass market,” economist Shamubeel Eaqub said.

“It’s picking up that difference in what we export versus what we consume. But it still begs the question, if we’re so good at making these things, why is it that we can’t have some of those other products, as well? Why is it that we’re reliant on imports? It’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, it’s just a question.

“I think to me it raises the question of is it really not possible to produce pet food for our pets in New Zealand given all the bobby calves we have? The fact we’re importing beef from Aussie and lamb from Aussie… I’m driving through Southland at the moment and seeing a lot of cows and sheep.”

He said there was a “spaghetti junction” of food going out and food coming in to meet different needs.

Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said it was probably driven by economies of scale.

“It could be that these things are being manufactured in large facilities in Australia or up in Asia. They just have that economy of scale, perhaps reflecting lower input costs as well if these are energy-intensive products.

“Canned vegetables, fruit juice things like that… you wouldn’t automatically think that these would be energy-intensive processes but they kind of are. Countries like China are quite competitive because their costs of production are lower.”

He said New Zealand wine would be more of a premium product than much of the product that was being imported more cheaply.

“If you had it broken down by colour, I bet you would find that if we export red wine it’s probably pinot noir, but it would be more expensive than the typical red wine that would be imported into this country.

“In some of these industries if we’re exporting it’s because we’re a niche or premium end of the market.”

ANZ economist Matt Dilly said it would help to think of how competitive New Zealand was in various products. “I’d say most of our wine exports are in a category that I’d call affordable luxury. A typical bottle maybe $20 a bottle, maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more. But we do import a lot of cheaper wine from Australia. I think that’s a situation where we have a competitive advantage. We make excellent wine and export a lot of it but that doesn’t mean there are zero imports.

“We do import beef and lamb even though we’re really great at that. We import some cheese and some of those varieties we don’t make ourselves, especially European varieties.

“This framework about what we’re competitive in and what’s easily traded, there’s always going to be exceptions.”

“We import a lot of wheat, a lot of pork, vegetable oil. So these are things that are really tradable that, we don’t have a great competitive advantage in like we do for dairy and some of our other large products.

“Then there’s those other things that are naturally very difficult to trade, especially from an island country. So we make really good eggs, but we don’t export them because they’re fragile and perishable… have a (pretty robust two-way trade with Australia, going in both directions across the Tasman and, and that’s a function of our shared food safety system. So that’s something that’s really good for processed food products rather than the raw materials.”

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LOS ANGELES, US – Newsaktuell – 7 May 2026 – The newly released 2026 Berggruen Governance Index (BGI) paints a mixed picture of global governance heading into a future of mounting shocks, finding widespread gains in public-goods provision from 2000 to 2023 even as democratic accountability edged down and state capacity showed little overall improvement.

The BGI, presented Wednesday by an international group of governance scholars, analyses measurable benchmarks of democratic accountability across 145 countries.

On a 100-point scale, the global score for democratic accountability slipped slightly from 65 in 2000 to 64 in 2023, the most recent data used in the project. The wave of democratisation observed in the closing decades of the last century has stalled in the last 15 years. Democratic accountability fell in 54 countries while it improved in 48 countries.

Yet the BGI — a collaborative project of the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Berlin’s Hertie School and the Berggruen Institute, a think tank headquartered in Los Angeles — captures remarkably widespread growth in provision of public goods.

Encompassing healthcare, education, infrastructure, environmental sustainability and conditions to foster employment and rising prosperity, public goods improved in 135 of the countries studied, while declining slightly in just four. The global average jumped from 58 to 69 points from 2000 to 2023.

The third component of what the BGI authors refer to as the “governance triangle” is state capacity, defined as the ability to tax, borrow and spend, control territory, operate scrupulous, competent bureaucracies and administer predictable rule of law. The index finds the global average ticking up from 48 to 49 points; 56 countries had increased state capacity while 57 declined.

“What does it tell us about the world ahead?” Prof. Helmut K. Anheier, a Luskin School sociologist and BGI principal investigator, asked during the public release of the 2026 BGI on the UCLA campus.

“Countries are not really improving in their governance performance in significant ways. … We’re not really having forward-looking investment in governance capacity. There is considerable inertia.”

The largest improvements across all three BGI components occurred in Gambia, which the report groups with “low-capacity developing states.” These states score low across the board, particularly in the provision of public goods. This cluster constitutes the poorest countries with the least developed economies, which face the most serious challenges.

“They have the greatest exposure to likely future crises, whether it’s global warming, whether it’s a new pandemic, whether it’s another financial crisis, whether it’s the impact of AI,” Anheier said. “And they have the least capacity to respond to it.”

Bhutan, Georgia, Iraq and Tunisia — which make up the remaining top five countries with the largest improvements in the BGI — are classified as “capacity-constrained states.” They tend to be middle-income with struggling democracies. These countries score higher across the board than the low-capacity developing states, but their state capacity tends to lag compared to public goods and democratic accountability.

The capacity-constrained states risk falling into “a cycle that erodes the institutions they have built,” Anheier said.

“Consolidated democratic states”, a cluster of most of the world’s richest countries, which score highly in all three BGI components, have to confront domestic complacency. Further, in the United States and some others, “political dysfunction” is leaving mounting problems unaddressed and risking erosion of state capacity, Anheier said.

At the other end of the spectrum, the country with the farthest fall on the BGI since 2000 is Nicaragua. Second from last is Venezuela, followed by Hong Kong, Hungary and Turkey. The rest of the bottom 10 are Russia, Iran, Poland, El Salvador and Belarus.

Since 2023, which is the last year of data available for the study, Poland and Hungary have both seen government changes via election, despite serious democratic backsliding. Both had fallen out of the group of “consolidated democratic states” by 2023 and moved into the capacity constrained cluster.

The other eight countries at the bottom of the list are all places that once had some semblance of competitive elections, but by now have little or no remaining pretense of democracy. They are grouped by the authors among the “authoritarian and hybrid states”, which have by far the lowest democratic accountability but outperform even some struggling democracies in delivering public goods.

These regimes have tended toward faster economic growth in the period observed. But that seeming prosperity, typically fueled by extractive industries or overreliance on exports, masks “serious institutional weaknesses in these countries, including divided elites,” Anheier said.

Relatively few countries — 21 of the 145 — changed enough for better or worse to be classified in a new group by the end of the 23-year study period.

“Movement between them is rare, but this is largely what we should expect,” said Stella Ghervas, a UCLA historian on a panel of experts who discussed the BGI findings Wednesday. “Government systems are not created in a moment. They evolve over long periods of time.”

Local conditions shaping governance in each country can rarely be quickly reset through political will or even external shocks, Joseph C. Saraceno, a Luskin School data scientist and BGI co-author, said Wednesday.

“Despite all the talk of major transformations happening in global affairs, the underlying configuration of governance simply doesn’t appear to change very much,” Saraceno said. “We use the term inertia to describe this reoccurring pattern. In other words, the structures of global governance are resistant to movement as the conditions beneath them are quite sticky: political economies, demographics, resource endowments. These are deeply layered, and they push each country toward the world that it already inhabits.”

But the challenges lurking around the world may not wait for the slow and difficult processes of political change and development to catch up.

“With the few exceptions of those countries in the consolidated democratic world,” Anheier said, “the great majority of the countries in the world is ill-prepared for the future.”

The full report, ‘ 2026 Berggruen Governance Index – The Four Worlds of Governance’, can be viewed and downloaded from the website of the UCLA’s Luskin School.

Frank Fuhrig, DNA

—————————————————-

This text and the accompanying material (photos and graphics) are an offer from the Democracy News Alliance, a close co-operation between Agence France-Presse (AFP, France), Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA, Italy), The Canadian Press (CP, Canada), Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa, Germany) and PA Media (PA, UK). All recipients can use this material without the need for a separate subscription agreement with one or more of the participating agencies. This includes the recipient’s right to publish the material in own products.

The DNA content is an independent journalistic service that operates separately from the other services of the participating agencies. It is produced by editorial units that are not involved in the production of the agencies’ main news services. Nevertheless, the editorial standards of the agencies and their assurance of completely independent, impartial and unbiased reporting also apply here.

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

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

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has welcomed the appointment of Ambassador Clare Kelly as Chair of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) General Council. 

It is only the second time a New Zealander has chaired the General Council, which is the highest-level WTO decision-making body in Geneva. 

“Ms Kelly brings deep trade and foreign policy expertise and experience to this job. Her appointment adds to New Zealand’s strong track record of contributing to an organisation that has well served our interests as a small, export driven economy,” Mr McClay says.

“As Chair of the General Council, Ms Kelly will focus on finding a way forward after the disappointing outcomes at the 14th Ministerial Conference of the WTO.

“She will be working hard to reach consensus on proposals to reform the WTO and to extend the WTO-wide prohibition on the imposition of tariffs on digital trade flows.”

Ms Kelly has served as New Zealand’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva since February 2022.

She previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Trade and Economic Group at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Mexico.

Ms Kelly will serve in the position for one year. She takes over from Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of Saudi Arabia.

MIL OSI

Costa Rica has become the thirteenth member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, with New Zealand exports to the Central American nation set to benefit from next year.

It becomes the second nation to accede to the CPTPP outside the original membership, following the United Kingdom.

Entry isn’t expected until the second half of 2027, but trade minister Todd McClay said it meant over 94 percent of New Zealand’s exports to Costa Rica would be duty-free from day one, and 99 percent within ten years.

“The continued expansion of the CPTPP is important for growing New Zealand’s preferential access to markets, as well as in response to increased challenges to the rules-based trade system,” he said.

Along with New Zealand, the other members of the agreement are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

Australian trade minister Don Farrell said members of the CPTPP demonstrated they could “meet, implement and adhere to the rules and standards of the Agreement, and have a demonstrated track record of complying with trade commitments.”

China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Uruguay, Ukraine, Indonesia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, and Cambodia have all applied to join the agreement.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has welcomed Costa Rica to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) today. 

“Costa Rica is a close friend to New Zealand with shared values and a likeminded approach to trade rules and liberalisation, and their accession offers opportunities for our exporters,” Mr McClay says. 

Over 94 per cent of New Zealand exports to Costa Rica will be duty-free from day one, rising to over 99 per cent within 10 years.

For New Zealand, key outcomes include full tariff elimination on day one on products such as sheep meat, seafood, horticulture, wine, and therapeutic respirators.

The agreement is also good for Kiwi meat and dairy farmers. Beef becomes tariff free after eight years, with dairy duty rates falling to zero over 13 years.

New Zealand has also secured strengthened commitments for investors as well as streamlined processes to do business with Costa Rica.

“The CPTPP is one of the most comprehensive trade deals ever concluded. It is a high standard agreement that underpins rules-based trade and economic integration in our region and beyond,” Mr McClay says.

“The continued expansion of the CPTPP is important for growing New Zealand’s preferential access to markets, as well as in response to increased challenges to the rules-based trade system.”

Note to editor:

Costa Rica will become the 13th Member of CPTPP and the second economy to accede to the Agreement, following the United Kingdom, which entered into force on 15 December 2024.

The next steps for Costa Rica’s accession are the signing of the Accession Protocol, expected in November, then individual parties will undertake their internal processes of ratification. For New Zealand this will include parliamentary review. 

Entry into force is expected in the second half of 2027.

CPTPP economies include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Viet Nam. Together they account for more than 15 per cent of world GDP – worth more than NZ$27 trillion.

MIL OSI

Safe passage of merchant shipping and freedom of navigation is more relevant today than at any time since the Second World War, says New Zealand Defence Force Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Shane Arndell.

Commodore Arndell was addressing the participants of Exercise Bell Buoy, a recent 10-day desktop exercise at Devonport Naval Base, involving naval and government representatives from 10 countries.

Exercise Bell Buoy fosters a Maritime Trade Operations capability among members of the Pacific and Indian Oceans Shipping Working Group, where Maritime Trade Operators (MTOs) – usually Navy Reservists – support the freedom of navigation of shipping when domestic and international threats to maritime security occur.

In a contested environment, MTOs could be called upon to provide sailing information, conduct briefings to ship masters and manage high-risk areas at sea, including re-routing of merchant shipping.

World tensions are prompting navies to look at Maritime Trade Operations and Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) in a new light, Commodore Arndell said.

“The deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, and indeed the world, is requiring us to be more alert of the potential for impacts to our vital shipping links to international markets,” he said.

“If any time was ‘your time’, it is now.”

With 99 per cent of New Zealand’s imports and exports travelling by sea, it has never been more important to ensure sea lanes are secure, Commodore Arndell said.

Countries participating in Ex Bell Buoy were Australia, Canada, Ecuador, France, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The MTO participants exercised a joint response to a scenario involving maritime security threats to merchant shipping in the Indo-Pacific.

Sub Lieutenant Amos Kamo, a Maritime Trade Operations reservist with Auckland-based unit HMNZS Ngapona, says the Middle East conflict has really brought home the importance of their trade.

“Everything that is playing out over there, is everything we have trained for,” he said.

“People have become a lot more interested in what we do, and they can see the relevance of it.

“The real highlight for us is spending time with other countries, getting to know other people and getting a great sense of how they take their military doctrine and effect it. You see a lot of competency and confidence and it’s really cool to absorb it.”

Lead planner for Ex Bell Buoy, Lieutenant Commander Kris Herbison, says he was encouraged by the professionalism and collaborative spirit among the nations attending.

“Bell Buoy reinforces that maritime security is a shared responsibility, and the relationships strengthened here directly enhance the resilience of the wider Indo-Pacific maritime domain.”

Commander Glenn Woolfrey, Royal Canadian Navy, says their attendance underscores Canada’s commitment to strengthen interoperability with partners and grow their readiness to support NCAGS.

Captain Cannon Neslen, U.S. Pacific Fleet NCAGS Director, says the global merchant shipping industry is facing “unprecedented” security challenges.

“It highlights the importance of the MTO teams communicating with key shipping and country stakeholders in understanding the array of commercial and military risks.

“Bell Buoy was very successful in reinforcing understanding of NATO NCAGS doctrine, command and control, and assessing the impact of MTO effects. We look forward to continued partnerships with future exercises.”

MIL OSI

The All Whites will play Haiti for the first time as one of their lead-up matches to the FIFA World Cup.

The New Zealanders take on the Caribbean side, who are ranked 83rd in the world, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 3 June.

The match is just four days before the All Whites play England in their second warm-up game before their opening World Cup fixture against Iran nine days later.

The All Whites are ranked 85th in the world, while England are fourth.

Haiti are playing in the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, with their sole appearance being in West Germany in 1974. They qualified for this year’s Cup in dramatic fashion, needing to win their final two games and have other matches go their way. They will play Scotland, Brazil, and Morocco in their pool games.

“Since the draw, we have been working to lock in two games against fellow FIFA World Cup opposition to put us in the best place to perform at the tournament, and the combination of facing Haiti and England, both in Florida, is something we feel does exactly that,” All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said in a statement.

“Haiti are a good side and are ranked at a similar level to us, so we feel that provides a perfect test as we get ready to kick off against Iran in LA.

“Having both games in Florida is hugely beneficial as it means we don’t lose any of our preparation time with travel days, and the players can properly rest and recover between matches.

“It is great to finally confirm the full schedule, and I know that the staff and the players can’t wait to get on the plane and get going.”

The All Whites will travel to their World Cup base camp in San Diego after the England match.

Their 26-player squad is expected to be announced within the next two weeks.

Upcoming Fixtures (NZT):

3 June

v Haiti, 12pm

Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

7 June 2026

v England, 8am

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.

16 June 2026

World Cup

v Iran, 1pm

Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles.

22 June 2026

v Egypt, 1pm

BC Place, Vancouver.

27 June 2026

v Belgium, 3pm

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Passengers on board a luxury cruise ship where three people have died from suspected hantavirus will need to isolate for close to two months, an infectious diseases expert says.

A Dutch couple and a German national have died, while a British national was evacuated from the ship and was in intensive care in South Africa, officials said. Three more suspected cases affected people who were still on board the MV Hondius, one of whom had a mild fever.

The UN health body said its working assumption was that the initial case of the couple, who joined the boat in Argentina, were infected off the ship, perhaps while doing some activities such as bird watching, and that human-to-human transmission may have happened on board.

The ship was now moored off West Africa and the 149 passengers were not allowed to go ashore.

Massey University professor David Hayman told Morning Report given the possibility of human to human transmission, passengers would likely need to be isolated for close to two months.

Hantaviruses were globally distributed, Hayman said.

There was no vaccine or cure and there were various different types of it spread by rodents.

The hantavirus on the cruise ship was probably from South America, Hayman said, and would cause classic viral symptoms like a fever and gastrointestinal illness, but with the South American type especially, it caused pulmonary and cardiovascular disease.

Normally people contracted hantavirus from contact with rodents or their excretion, Hayman said, and human to human transmission was very rare.

“It’s going to make it quite difficult to manage as the World Health Orginisation (WHO) recommends people should isolate for 45 days because there is a long incubation period… I feel for the passengers on the ship for this long period not knowing what is going to happen.”

On the ship, Hayman said it was likely the passengers were practising physical distancing and were remaining in their cabins.

“Because we don’t have way or preventing hantavirus transmission in people, no vaccine, the only thing we can do are those physical distancing and hygiene protocols like we used in the early days of the Covid outbreak.”

Hayman said all that could be done for treating hantavirus symptoms was trying generic antivirals and trying to maintain fluids and control fevers.

“Really there’s little you can do apart from supportive therapy.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it’s aware of a New Zealander onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which is experiencing a suspected deadly hantavirus outbreak.

A ministry spokesperson says it’s in contact with the New Zealander, who hasn’t requested consular assistance.

The ship, which was travelling from Argentina to the Canary Islands, is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde.

The Dutch cruise company, Oceanwide Expeditions, says the number of confirmed hantavirus cases connected to the outbreak onboard has risen to two.

Hantavirus tended to be spread by rodents and New Zealand microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles said it was not expected on a cruise ship.

In a statement, Oceanwide Expeditions said two MV Hondius crew members, one British and one Dutch, continued to present with acute respiratory symptoms and required urgent medical attention.

One had mild symptoms, the other had severe, it said, without specifying further.

“At this time, no other persons with symptoms have been identified,” the company said.

“Dutch authorities are actively preparing a medical evacuation of the two symptomatic individuals along with an individual associated with [a German guest] that passed away on May 2,” Oceanwide Expeditions said.

It would include two specialised medical aircraft but the timing of the evacuation had not yet been confirmed, it said.

The first identified case was confirmed in a British national who the company said remained in a critical but stable condition in South Africa.

The ship was at its highest health response level with isolation measures, hygiene protocols and monitoring in place, the statement said.

The company said the World Health Organisation has confirmed hantavirus was also present in a Dutch woman who died in Saint Helena.

Her husband, a Dutch national as well, died onboard on 11 April.

She was accompanying his repatriation back to the Netherlands when she also fell ill during the return journey and later died.

Her husband’s cause of death and that of the German national were not yet known.

Oceanwide Expeditions said a definitive disembarkation point for the 149 passengers still onboard had not yet been finalised.

“The atmosphere on board MV Hondius remains calm, with passengers generally composed. Oceanwide Expeditions is working to provide clarity and reassurance to guests,” it said.

The company said it was in close contact with those directly involved and their families.

Timeline provided by Ocean Expeditions:

• On 11 April, a passenger died on board. The cause of death could not be determined on board.
• On 24 April, this passenger was disembarked on St Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation.
• On 27 April, Oceanwide Expeditions was informed that the wife had become unwell during the return journey and had later died. Both passengers were Dutch nationals.
• On 27 April, another passenger became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa. This British national was currently being treated in the intensive care unit in Johannesburg in a critical but stable condition. A variant of hantavirus had been identified in this patient.
• On 2 May, another passenger on board died. The cause has not yet been established. This passenger was of German nationality.
• On 4 May, a variant of hantavirus was identified as being present in the Dutch woman who died in Saint Helena.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The Black Sticks women have finished fourth out of five teams at the Changzhou Invitational Tournament following a 1-0 loss to China A in the bronze medal match.

New Zealand end the tournament with two wins and four defeats, including a 7-0 defeat to Argentina in their penultimate game.

Both China A and the Black Sticks were keen to end their campaigns on a high and the first half was an even contest, with both sides creating opportunities.

Despite both teams pushing hard, the match remained locked at 0-0 at halftime.

Both teams continued to create chances in the third quarter, but China A found the breakthrough with a field goal.

The Black Sticks thought they had equalised through a penalty corner variation, only for the goal to be overturned following a review for dangerous play.

New Zealand tried desperately to find an equaliser, but China A held firm to seal the one goal victory.

A fourth place finish isn’t what the Black Sticks would have hoped for as they build towards the Nations Cup at home in June.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A microbiologist says it’s crucial to discover the source of a suspected rare virus that’s hitting passengers on a cruise ship.

Three have died in what was thought to be an outbreak of hantavirus on a ship that was now anchored off the coast of west Africa.

Another passenger, a 69 year-old man, was also in intensive care and the company operating the cruise ship said it was confirmed he had the virus.

Oceanwide Expeditions said there were a further two passengers still on board who were symptomatic.

The ship was on a journey from Argentina to the Canary islands, carrying 150 tourists.

WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Of the six affected individuals, three have died… pic.twitter.com/SqMAAZzoID

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 3, 2026

Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles told Checkpoint the virus was caught from excretions from infected rodents.

“People tend to get infected either by breathing in dust that has this material on it, or by touching it, then touching their face, or by being bitten by a rodent,” Wiles said.

“So it’s not the sort of thing that you expect on a cruise ship.”

She said the cruise company needed to figure out if the infection came from a rodent infestation on the ship, or from infected food, or some other source.

Wiles said human to human transmission was rare, but the virus was spreading through the air, and passengers should be wearing masks to protect themselves and stop its spread.

Symptoms started with common virus ailments such as fatigue and muscle aches, then victims ended up with a serious lung disease which could be deadly in two to four out of every 10 people who get it, she said.

“The interesting thing is whether one person was exposed and is transmitting it to others, or whether lots of people have been exposed,” Wiles said. “Understanding how they’re catching it will help to stop the spread.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A state-of-the-art upgrade at the national Maritime Operations Centre is expected to boost its response to mayday calls.

“When somebody gets in trouble and they call up and they want someone at the other end of the line, that’s us,” said Kordia chief executive Neil Livingston.

Manned 24/7 by communications network Kordia, the Lower Hutt-based MOC provides meteorological information, navigational warnings and ionospheric predictions. But it also acts as the first port of call for those in distress.

It covers about 30 million square kilometres – an area that extends from the mid-Tasman Sea to halfway to Chile and from the South Pole almost up to the Equator.

It’s one of the largest search and rescue regions in the world.

MOC manger Brendan Comerford said over the past 30 years they’d answered about 27,000 calls for assistance involving over 90,000 people.

That network is now nearly halfway through an upgrade to make it more resilient and future-proof it for the next decade.

“It’s a full upgrade, everything from the communications network to the electronics through to the tools that the operators use,” said Livingston.

“It’s very state-of-the-art.”

Upgrade includes AI

Livingston said the upgrade, which included AI, would “really enhance the service”.

“One of the brilliant things that AI does, is it can monitor and when you’ve got hundreds or even thousands of alarms happening, it can condense all those in two or three, which are the really important ones that the operators can focus on.”

But he was very clear AI would not be replacing their operators any time soon.

“It’s assisting the human, it’s not replacing the human. That’s a very core fundamental of how we use AI in these kind of environments.”

Increased resilience

Comerford said just about every element of the network was being replaced.

“You’re going to have new radios on every VHF site. You’ve got a new platform that will be supported into the future. You’ve got a full refurbishment of our long-range, high-frequency sites in the middle of the North Island, including the major antennas,” he said.

“That will give us another good 10 plus years of resilience in the network.”

Livingston said part of the upgrade was also about lifting capacity.

He said during events like Cyclone Gabrielle the Kordia network, which has towers that use microwave radio links rather than fibre, was still able to run, using generators.

He said the upgrade would build on that capacity.

Comerford said in the event of a disaster they would also be able to quickly relocate the centre of operations if required.

“In the event that there’s a major civil emergency in New Zealand, we could basically shift the centre to, for instance, a motel conference room.”

Livingston said for the person calling mayday there won’t be any noticeable difference between the upgraded system and the legacy one.

“They themselves won’t see or hear anything, but what it does is it gives our operators more information to be able to help them more effectively and efficiently. So the outcome is going to be better.”

The upgrade is expected to be completed by June 2029.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Auckland FC have ended Melbourne City’s A-League title defence with a win in penalties an Elimination Final on Saturday.

By recording their first victory in six weeks Auckland progress to the semi-finals for the second consecutive season.

Shaking off their patchy home form Auckland kept their season alive by the barest of margins in their first ever penalty shoot-out.

For a second week in a row Auckland forward Guillermo May headed home to open the scoring. May’s goal came on the stroke of half-time.

The Uruguayan has had success against City, having scored his third goal of the season against them in February, the last time City were in Auckland.

Auckland were frantic in their pursuit of a second goal late in the game but it was their defence that had to stand up against a desperate City.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time City equalised from a set piece with substitute Medin Memeti on the back post firing the ball into the net.

The home side applied the pressure in the first period of extra time forcing City goalkeeper Patrick Beach into a couple of good saves but could not add to their score before the final 15 minutes of the match.

Neither team scored in the second period of extra time, so the game was decided on penalties.

Both teams scored their first six penalties before Auckland goalkeeper Michael saved City’s seventh attempt and Dan Hall slotted the winner for Auckland.

Auckland now host Adelaide United next week in the first match of a two-legged semi-final.

See how the match unfolded here:

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The wife of one of the New Zealanders in the flotilla intercepted by Israel in international waters says he has a concussion and possible broken rib.

Jay O’Connor, Mousa Taher, Julien Blondel and Sean Janssen were among almost 180 people who had disembarked on the Greek island of Crete.

Flotilla organisers said they were illegally abducted after Israel boarded, disabled and destroyed boats in the flotilla headed for Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry had called organisers “professional provocateurs” and said it would not allow “the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.

Greece said 31 people of the 176 people who disembarked at a port in Crete were transferred for first aid.

O’Connor’s wife, Chrissy O’Connor, had not yet been able to speak with him.

“I’ve received some messages from him and he sent through a recorded voice message, so I’ve heard his voice and I’ve seen a photo,” she said.

“So that’s a huge relief… so I know some things but still waiting to be able to speak with him properly,” O’Connor added.

“It’s better than not knowing, at least I know he’s off the boat, he’s safe even if he’s a bit roughed up.”

O’Connor said she did not know for sure how her husband was but that he had a concussion and potentially a broken rib.

“That’s just from the brief message I had from him, I don’t know what the outcome of medical assessment was at the moment.”

Jay O’Connor had not yet shared details of how he was injured, his wife said.

Reuters reported two activists, identified as Saif Abu Keshek – a Spanish national of Palestinian origin and Brazilian Thiago Avila had been detained.

The Spanish and Brazilian governments issued a joint statement calling Israel’s action blatantly illegal and outside its jurisdiction, Reuters said.

Israel said Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation and Avila of illegal activity, and both would be taken to Israel for questioning.

Chrissy O’Connor said the flotilla was an international humanitarian organisation with citizens from across the world, that included her husband.

“He’s a trained paramedic and an engineer… I think he has wanted to be able to use his skills in a practical way to do something,” she said.

The New Zealand delegation of Global Sumud Flotilla said Hāhona Ormsby and Samuel Leason were not among those taken to Greece.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been approached for comment.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Prof. Dr. Yodchanan spoke about elevating “SPACE-F Batch 7” to the policy level and building awareness, stating that MHESI aims to present food innovation products from the startups in this batch at the upcoming Cabinet meeting. This will allow the Prime Minister to taste them, raising awareness that FoodTech is the nation’s new future. The products will be presented to the Cabinet in the next two weeks.

Regarding the core concept of combining technology with “Thai taste,” Prof. Dr. Yodchanan emphasized that no matter how advanced the technology is, it must maintain the “Nice taste of Thailand.” He cited a “high-tech omelet” he previously tasted as an example, noting that there is still room for improvement to make it taste closer to an authentic Thai omelet so that the technology can truly win over consumers’ hearts.

The MHESI Minister continued that regarding food innovation under the Wellness Economy, this year focuses on using the Wellness Economy as a New Growth Engine. This is not limited strictly to food but includes AI, ICT, and software, aiming to push Thailand into a global Wellness Tourism Hub with support from the BOI in connecting investment opportunities.

Prof. Dr. Yodchanan further stated that regarding the use of biodiversity and quality ingredients (Biodiversity & GI), startups will be encouraged to utilize Thailand’s rich biodiversity and GI products as substitutes for imported raw materials. This will help reduce costs and create a unique identity.

“As for connecting the ‘Thinker’ with the ‘Doer,’ this program emphasizes linking startups with large industrial corporations and investors. This helps startups in the Accelerator group advance toward Series A or B funding, while helping the Incubator group learn business and pitching experiences from their seniors to cross the business ‘Death Valley.’ Furthermore, regarding food and nutrition security in the era of war: in the current global conditions facing wartime situations, Food Security and Nutrition Security are vital. This program is an opportunity for startups to create innovations that help solve problems for the whole world, with the government working closely with SPACE-F to create new services and products,” the MHESI Minister said.

However, “SPACE-F Batch 7” features 20 participating startups from 10 countries, focusing on the Proof of Concept (POC) strategy to ensure they can tangibly grow toward commercialization on an international scale.

Dr. Krithpaka Boonfueng, Executive Director of the National Innovation Agency (NIA), stated that NIA aims to strengthen the potential of startups and innovative entrepreneurs to overcome business crises and grow commercially in a tangible way. Over the past 6 years, the SPACE-F program has concretely reinforced its role as a regional food innovation hub by incubating and accelerating over 100 startups from 18 countries worldwide, generating a total funding value of over 5.1 billion THB. For the SPACE-F Year 7 program, it marks another major milestone of leapfrog growth, setting a new international record with an all-time high of 204 applicants, continuously increasing from 156 in Cohort 6 and 148 in Cohort 2, reflecting the confidence of global startups in the program’s potential. Concurrently, the program has significantly expanded its international reach, with applicants from 57 countries worldwide, up from 34 countries in the previous cohort, affirming that SPACE-F is a truly global platform connecting and driving world food innovation.

“The SPACE-F program is considered a vital mechanism in driving the development of a strong and comprehensive foodtech startup ecosystem by systematically connecting knowledge, technology, and the industrial sector together. Particularly, it provides opportunities for startups to co-develop and test real products (Proof of Concept: POC) with large corporate partners, as well as access expert networks and world-class infrastructure. This includes testing protein innovations focused on appearance, freshness, and taste with Thai Union; developing modern health and nutrition solutions with ThaiBev and Nestlé; utilizing deep-tech research laboratories from Mahidol University; and enhancing fundraising capabilities from Foodland Ventures, which plays a crucial role in reducing business risks and effectively increasing the chances of commercialization. For SPACE-F Year 7, it aims to elevate startup development through 2 main programs: the Incubator Program, which focuses on laying business foundations and developing prototypes into market-ready products, and the Accelerator Program, which focuses on accelerating business expansion through connections with strategic partners and investors. This covers 7 key areas of the food industry: 1) Personalized Nutrition, 2) Future Protein, 3) Circular Food Systems, 4) Smart Manufacturing, 5) Sustainable Production, 6) Food Safety, and 7) Novel Consumer Experience, to build high-potential startups capable of developing quality new products that directly meet market demands, ready to compete and grow sustainably on the global stage.“

Ms. Sirichit Jiraruangkiat, Senior Director – Group Innovation at Thai Union Group PCL, revealed, “As a co-founding partner of the SPACE-F program, Thai Union Group PCL continues to drive the development of Thailand’s foodtech startup ecosystem. We aim to support breakthrough growth by promoting the development and testing of innovations at the industrial level, particularly through the Proof of Concept (POC) process, to elevate the standards of future protein products to compete internationally. Thai Union prioritizes the application of modern food production and preservation technologies, covering everything from maintaining product quality and freshness and developing appealing appearances to sensory research to create textures and flavors that effectively meet the demands of global consumers. Simultaneously, the SPACE-F program remains committed to a ‘No Equity Taken’ approach, allowing startups to retain full ownership of their innovations, maintain business agility, and grow independently and sustainably in the long term.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pasit Pakawatpanurut, Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, further added, “With expertise in food science, nutrition, biotechnology, and related fields, Mahidol University serves as an academic powerhouse and innovation infrastructure, providing startups with access to advanced laboratories, pilot plants, and modern research equipment. They also receive in-depth consultation from a team of expert researchers to successfully transition research into products that truly meet global market demands (Lab-to-Market). This collaboration is therefore a key mechanism in driving sustainable food innovation and enhancing Thailand’s competitiveness as a global foodtech hub. Mahidol University’s involvement in the SPACE-F program also plays a vital role in strengthening the country’s foodtech startup ecosystem in the long run.”

In addition, another key partner is Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, which places great importance on continuous research and development, believing it to be essential for startups. As a sponsor of the SPACE-F program, they are pleased to be part of an ecosystem that enhances the potential of foodtech startups and provides business and technological guidance to help startups discover solutions that truly meet the needs of the global food market.

Ms. Jenica Conde Cruz, Business Manager – Cereal Partners Worldwide & Incubator at Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., also stated, “Nestlé, a global leader in food and beverages, plays a vital role as a strategic partner of the SPACE-F program. We aim to elevate foodtech startups through the transfer of Research & Development (R&D) knowledge and product development experience under the ‘Good food, Good life’ concept. Nestlé also provides in-depth consultation to support the development of products that meet Nutrition, Health, and Wellness needs, while promoting the use of innovation to tackle global food industry challenges. In parallel, Nestlé also drives the development of innovations that align with sustainability goals by opening opportunities for startups to learn together with experts from our global research center network, in areas of food preservation technology, eco-friendly packaging, and responsible sourcing.”

Victor Chen, CEO of Foodland Ventures Co. closed with, “Foodland Ventures, a leading Venture Capital firm and Accelerator from Taiwan, has joined as a strategic partner in the SPACE-F program to push foodtech startups to expand their businesses into international markets. We aim to act as a bridge connecting innovation from Taiwan with food industry networks in Thailand and Southeast Asia. With expertise in key technologies such as Restaurant Automation, Alternative Protein, and Smart Supply Chain, Foodland Ventures is ready to support startups through access to the Taiwanese market and resources, providing investment and business strategy consultation, and connecting them with the industrial sector to test solutions in real-world environments. This collaboration marks a significant step in building a ‘FoodTech Corridor’ between Thailand and Taiwan to elevate startup potential and drive the food industry toward a sustainable global future.”

The “SPACE-F Year 7” program also introduced 20 startups from 10 countries worldwide: South Korea, Spain, Canada, USA/Argentina, Australia, Singapore, UK, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand, selected for this year’s program. All will have the opportunity to co-develop and test real innovations with leading industry partners, covering product development, industrial-level testing, and commercialization in the real market

Such collaboration is a key highlight of the program, providing startups the opportunity to test technology and innovations in real-world environments, reducing development limitations, and increasing the chances of creating business models that accurately meet market demands.

10 FoodTech Startups Joining the Accelerator Program

1. Terra Bioindustries Inc (Canada): Upcycles agricultural and food industry waste into high-value ingredients such as sugar, protein, and fiber for use in the food, biotech, and chemical industries.
2. Nucaps (Spain): Develops functional protein ingredients using microencapsulation technology to wrap active substances and probiotics, enhancing nutritional value, reducing costs, and improving taste to effectively promote consumer health.
3. BeNatureBioLab (South Korea): Develops functional ingredients using nano and microencapsulation technology from natural proteins to wrap active substances and probiotics, increasing the stability, absorption, and efficiency of substances in food, supplements, and health products.
4. Kinava (South Korea): Converts food waste into biofertilizer, biochar, and biogas within hours using HydroThermal Carbonization (HTC) technology, which reduces odor, energy use, and emissions.
5. ComexSoft (Spain): A near real-time market intelligence platform that collects and organizes retail data, matching similar products specifically developed for accurate decision-making.
6. PROTINOS (Thailand): High-protein noodles made from egg whites and soybeans containing complete essential amino acids, created using enzyme incubation techniques, serving as food to help care for and protect health.
7. SicPama (South Korea): A QR ordering and payment platform with a CRM system that links social media with actual service usage and repeat visits, helping restaurants measure returns and increase revenue.
8. Nourish Ingredients (Australia): High-performance animal-free fats created via precision fermentation to solve the taste and texture issues of plant-based alternative foods by mimicking the key fats found in meat and dairy products.
9. Kresko RNAtech (USA/Argentina): Nutrients from biological RNA found in natural foods, developed by AI and biotechnology to be more stable and better absorbed, for use in dietary supplements and health products.
10. Agrifreeze (Singapore): Develops freezing technology using Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) to control the formation of small ice crystals, reducing food damage and maintaining quality close to fresh products.

10 FoodTech Startups Joining the Incubator Program

1. Eatwellconcept (Thailand): An AI-powered personalized therapeutic diet platform for NCD patients, offering real-time nutritional guidance by dietitians to improve health and quality of life.
2. AmaranthLab (UK): Protein ingredients from amaranth for GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) nutrition to control blood sugar levels and satiety, for use in various functional food products.
3. Openfarming (Saudi Arabia): An AI operating system for food distributors that converts orders from multiple channels into real-time data, enabling automated demand forecasting and dynamic inventory management without changing existing workflows.
4. Zuppar Reborn (Thailand): Biodegradable fruit and bakery stickers made from pineapple waste, replacing plastic labels with an alternative that can decompose into fertilizer.
5. VeriPura (Thailand/Singapore): An AI and Blockchain platform for automated document management and product traceability, making food exports to Europe easier and more compliant with regulations (EU).
6. YiXingYuan (Taiwan): A modular small-scale fruit processing factory (Factory-in-a-box) utilizing High Voltage Electric Field (HVEF) technology to process fruits directly at the source, preserving product quality while reducing energy use, costs, and spoilage.
7. JOLA (Thailand): Vitamin-infused jelly pet food that develops DIY treat products, such as jellies for dogs and cats, focusing on natural ingredients, good nutrition, and creating a shared experience between owners and pets.
8. UPLI (UK): A precision fermentation platform to create functional proteins with characteristics similar to human breast milk, used to increase nutritional value in food at an industrial scale.
9. Emerald Plast (Thailand): Biodegradable food materials and packaging made from starch and bioplastics to replace traditional plastics, reducing environmental impact and enhancing sustainability image.
10. Squizify (Thailand): A digital food safety platform integrating software and IoT devices to automatically track, monitor, and manage food business standards, complete with real-time data analysis.

https://www.nia.or.th/

Hashtag: #NIA #NationalInnovationAgency

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

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

FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists Iran will be participating in the World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico in June.

There has been uncertainty over Iran’s participation in the tournament because of the war with the US and Israel.

New Zealand’s All Whites are in the same group as Iran at the World Cup. Their first match at the tournament is scheduled against Iran in Los Angeles on 15 June.

But the head of world football’s governing body used his address at FIFA’s annual congress in Canada to reiterate Iran’s participation.

“Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and, of course, Iran will play in the United States of America,” Infantino said.

“And the reason for that is very simple, dear friends, it is because we have to unite, we have to bring people together. It is my responsibility, it is our responsibility.

“Football unites the world. FIFA unites the world. You unite the world. We unite the world. And we have to remember, always, that we have to be positive.”

The World Cup begins on 11 June with Iran due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June respectively, and then Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Iran had petitioned for their games to be played in Mexico, but Infantino has always maintained the country would take part in the tournament as scheduled.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The NZ men’s Black Sox have secured their place in the ‘Super Round’ at the U23 Softball World Cup at Sincelejo, Colombia, after an 8-4 win over Czechia in their final opening round match.

The game was a must-win, after their first loss of the tournament to Japan on Wednesday (NZT), with a top seeding spot on the line.

The World Cup brings together some of the best young softball talent in the world, with some players already part of senior national programmes. New Zealand came into the tournament as one of the stronger sides in Group A, alongside Japan and Argentina.

Running from 25 April-3 May, the tournament features 12 teams split across two groups, with the top two sides progressing through to the Super Round and medal games.

Sincelejo has drawn strong crowds throughout the week, with close to 15,000 fans packing into the stadium each day. The U23 Black Sox have become fan favourites, with their pre-game haka gaining traction across social media and local coverage.

They made a strong start against Czechia, putting five runs on the board in the second inning, through disciplined hitting and aggressive base-running.

Auckland’s Ryan Early got things going with a stand-up double to centrefield, scoring Olly Smith. The Kiwis continued to build pressure, with outfielders Max Russell and Leon Lumb both crossing the plate.

Catcher Zahr Shaw-Wallace then came up with a key hit through the infield, bringing in two more runs to extend the lead to 5-0.

Czechia responded with a solo home run to Tadeas Tylich, but the Black Sox stayed in control.

Wellington pitcher Jayden Harris started on the mound for New Zealand, holding the Czech line-up to only one earned run.

Tane Mumu added another run in the fourth with a run-batted-in single to push the lead out to 6-1.

A pitching change in the fifth inning saw designated player Traye Wildbore on the mound. Czechia fought back, putting together a strong inning with a mix of timely hitting and pressure on the bases.

They closed the gap to 6-4 and briefly swung momentum their way.

However, New Zealand answered straight away. Early and Russell both picked up doubles, with Russell’s shot to the outfield fence bringing in another run.

Later in the inning, Wildbore batted in another run to extend the lead to 8-4.

Cantabrian pitcher Liam Potts closed out the game, linking up with younger brother Jayden behind the plate. The pair shut down Czechia in the final inning to secure the win.

The result confirmed New Zealand’s place in the Super Round, where they will join an unbeaten Australia side, along with Mexico, Venezuela, Japan and Czechia.

Super Round – how does it work?

The top three teams from each group (A and B) progress through and play the top three teams from the opposite group.

New Zealand will face Australia, Mexico and Venezuela in the next stage.

Results from the Opening Round carry over into the Super Round standings, making every game count.

At the start of the Super Round, Australia and Japan lead with a 2-0 record, followed by Mexico and New Zealand at 1-1. Czechia and Venezuela enter at 0-2.

New Zealand will begin their Super Round campaign on Friday against Mexico at 8am NZT, then Australia at 8am Saturday NZT and Venezuela at 11am Sunday NZT.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Auckland FC’s season is on the line this Saturday – and their patchy home form means survival is far from certain.

Win the A-League Elimination Final against Melbourne City at Go Media Stadium and Auckland will progress to the two-legged semi-finals against Adelaide United. A loss will end their second season in the league in disappointment.

From 13 home games this season Auckland have won five, drawn four and lost four.

A fortnight ago Auckland coach Steve Corica signposted home form “could be crucial in the finals”.

At the time Corica would not have known just how important another win in front of their supporter group would end up being.

Results in the final round of the regular season, away to Sydney FC, meant Auckland are back at their homeground a couple of weeks sooner than they wanted to be.

Going into the last round Auckland could have finished second and had a guaranteed semi-final appearance for the second season in a row, as well as a week off. Instead the team dropped out of contention for direct entry to the semi-finals and have to back up with an undermanned squad in a one-off game against sixth placed finishers Melbourne City.

The last time Auckland won at home was 28 February – against City.

Across the 12-team competition Auckland finished the regular season in third place but in the standings for home form were ranked fifth.

City’s road form has seen the side win four games, draw six and lose three.

However, the last two times City were in Auckland, in February and before that January last season, the visitors lost 3-0.

City coach Aurelio Vidmar was aware of the record.

“It’s not a place we’ve done well over our last two visits there, but it’s a final, obviously they’re going to have a fair crowd behind them but anything can happen and we just have to go there with the sleeves rolled up and ready to compete for every single ball that’s the kind of game it’s going to be,” he said of Saturday’s clash.

Auckland could have a psychological advantage, but Corica said both teams would feel the pressure.

“For us, it’s just about maintaining focus.

“It’s a big match. Obviously, there’s going to be pressure on the players but it’s how they deal with that pressure and they don’t get too overwhelmed with it.

“Being excited is great, but having a calm head when the pressure is on to finish the job is going to be vital.”

It has been five games since Auckland last won but finals football was the backs against the wall situation that forward Guillermo May said he wanted to be involved in.

“I’m the type of player that came here to play this type of game,” the Uruguayan said.

“The stats are not going to give us a victory or a defeat, so I don’t care what happened before.

“Sometimes, because you have to play different, playing at home than away, you have to be responsible for the game, you have to lead the game.

“Maybe most of the teams come and play on their own half, so we need to understand that and play better with the ball.”

Some of May’s team mates had been confident that Auckland would finish in the top two but he was not shocked with where they finished the regular season.

“I was expecting something difficult.

“When you don’t perform as good as you have to, the luck is not going to be with you.

“I was expecting that, but it’s no more than preparing one more game and winning it.

“It’s going to give us an extra feeling of pride at the end.”

Corica also wanted a feeling of pride with his team’s fighting spirit in the must-win game that could define their season.

“They’re a really good team, we’ve got to respect that,” he said of City.

“Whether we win after 90 minutes or we have to go all the way and we go to penalties, the aim is to come out of that game and that we’re going to be playing against Adelaide the week after.”

Last season Auckland’s homeground was a fortress and their home form was a significant part of a record-breaking season.

But it was also the place where their inaugural season ended when they could not win the second leg of the 2024/25 semi-finals against Melbourne Victory.

Saturday is a chance to change the narrative around must-win games at home. If Auckland win against City they would get one more home game this season as part of the home and away semi-finals.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 April 2026 – Bracell, a global leader in soluble pulp production, has been awarded the prestigious Lilac Seal for the second consecutive time by the Secretariat for Women’s Policies of the State of Bahia (SPM), recognising the company’s continued commitment to promoting gender equality, diversity and the development of female talent in the workplace.

The certification, valid for two years, was formally presented during a ceremony held at SESC – Casa do Comércio in Salvador – in March. With this achievement, Bracell joins 111 companies and organisations recognised in the 2026 edition, reinforcing its role in fostering a fairer, safer and more inclusive work environment for women.

Bracell’s recognition reflects a structured, long-term strategy anchored in its Bracell 2030 sustainability plan, which includes a commitment to achieving 30% female representation in leadership roles by the end of the decade. The company has implemented a range of targeted initiatives to support this goal, focusing on talent attraction, development and retention.

“Promoting gender equality is directly connected to our sustainability strategy,” said Angela Ribeiro, Sustainability Manager at Bracell Bahia, who represented the company at the ceremony. “Attracting and retaining female talent is a key pillar of Bracell 2030, and we are committed to building pathways for women to grow and lead within our organisation.”

Among the company’s flagship initiatives is the Development Path for Women under the Cultivating Potential programme, which combines technical training, career acceleration and support policies. Bracell also offers exclusive English-language training for senior analysts and above, supporting continuous professional development.

The company’s Diversity Programme further strengthens inclusion through a Gender Affinity Group composed of employee volunteers who propose and help implement initiatives in collaboration with Human Resources. Notable actions include the establishment of breastfeeding support rooms and the extension of maternity leave from 120 to 180 days.

Bracell, a member of the RGE group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto, has also expanded access to employment opportunities through its Acelera Programme, which targets local community talent with no prior experience and reserves positions for women. In recruitment, the company recommends including at least one female candidate in final selection stages for analyst-level roles and above. By 2025, women accounted for 33% of new hires at Bracell’s Bahia operations.

To ensure fairness in career progression, Bracell conducts regular salary equity analyses aimed at maintaining equal compensation and advancement opportunities for men and women. The company also actively engages male leaders in diversity and inclusion efforts through training on inclusive leadership and unconscious bias, as well as ongoing awareness initiatives.

“The Lilac Seal recognises not only the progress we have made but also our ongoing commitment to advancing gender equality,” said Lorena Brasil, Human Resources (Organisational Human Development) Manager at Bracell Bahia. “Our strategic initiatives strengthen the attraction, development, and retention of female talent, reinforcing diversity and inclusion as priorities across all areas of the organisation.”

https://www.bracell.com/

Hashtag: #RGE #Bracell #Bracell2030 #Brazil #award #genderequality #sustainability

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

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

Caretaker coach Chris Greenacre has been appointed the Wellington Phoenix men’s coach following a long apprenticeship at the A-league football club.

Greenacre, who has called Wellington home since 2009 when he joined the Phoenix as a player, will take charge of the men for the 2026-27 season, with an option for another year.

After scoring 19 goals for the Phoenix in 84 appearances, the former striker served as an assistant to the men’s first five head coaches from 2012-2021.

For the past four seasons Greenacre was head coach of the men’s reserves and head of pro development at the club’s academy.

Greenacre stepped in as men’s interim head coach for the fourth time in February after Giancarlo Italiano’s abrupt departure, following a string of poor results.

He guided the Phoenix to four wins in eight matches to finish the A-League season, including the team’s first three-match winning streak in three years.

He has also headed the New Zealand under-20 men’s programme since the start of 2024, guiding the team to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile last year.

Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said Greenacre was the club’s first ‘hometown’ head coach and thoroughly deserved the opportunity.

“He’s served a long apprenticeship at the Phoenix and we’ve watched him grow into a high quality coach. He knows the club inside-out and the hard work and professionalism he showed as a player have been carried into his coaching career, Morrison said.

“Greeny played for a Phoenix team that emphasised hard work and determination, kept their feet on the ground and put each other and the club ahead of themselves. They’re qualities we want him to instil in the current side.

“He has done a fantastic job over the past couple of months after taking charge in difficult circumstances and we can already see the qualities he wants in the team. We look forward to seeing what he can achieve over the next 12 months. I have no doubt he will continue to instil pride in the Phoenix badge.”

Greenacre said he was extremely proud to be appointed the seventh head coach in club history.

“It’s a real honour to lead this team,” Greenacre said. “I feel the Phoenix is my club and Wellington is my hometown.

“I want to grasp this opportunity and drive this club forward with everything I’ve got. I’ve got the passion and the drive to do it, and I just want to drag people along for the journey and let see what happens.”

Greenacre said he wants to create moments that the club’s supporters can be proud of.

“I want to see an exciting brand of football where we create a lot of opportunities going forward. Ultimately the game is about scoring goals and when your team’s creating opportunities fans get behind you.

“When Hnry Stadium is full it’s an amazing place and it’s our job as a coaching staff and players to get that stadium full again. And one thing I will guarantee is you won’t see the players giving up. There won’t be question marks around effort. That’s just not who I am as a person and not who I was when I played.”

Greenacre said his time at the Phoenix academy had been absolutely vital in honing his skills and he felt more than ready for the top job.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

MIL OSI