Vietnam’s leading international F&B exhibition – 30 years of partnering with businesses to create sustainable value

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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 1 July 2026 – Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur (International) successfully welcomed student delegates from Brunei Darussalam, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand for the Sayembara Deklamasi Puisi Artistik Remaja ASEAN, China dan Rusia 2026.

More than a literary competition, the event served as a platform for cultural diplomacy, youth engagement and international friendship, demonstrating how education and the arts can unite diverse communities through shared values and mutual understanding.

Held under the theme “Universal Voice of Humanity”, the programme brought together young people from different cultures and backgrounds to share perspectives on peace, humanity, heritage and global citizenship through artistic poetry performances.

The event highlighted the growing importance of international collaboration in education and reinforced Malaysia’s position as a regional hub for educational excellence and cultural exchange. Through literature and performance, participants developed intercultural awareness, strengthened communication skills and forged meaningful connections across national boundaries.

Hosted and organised by Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur (International), the gathering reflected the school’s commitment to preparing students for an increasingly interconnected world while fostering respect for diversity and cultural identity. The programme also provided opportunities for delegates, educators and cultural leaders to engage in dialogue and celebrate the richness of their respective traditions.

Distinguished guests, literary scholars and education leaders attended the event, underscoring the important role of schools and educational institutions in promoting people-to-people connections and international understanding.

The Sayembara Deklamasi Puisi Artistik Remaja ASEAN, China dan Rusia 2026 demonstrated that despite differences in language, nationality and culture, young people share common aspirations for peace, understanding and a better future. Through poetry, they showcased the enduring power of the human voice to build bridges across nations and inspire a more harmonious world.

https://kl.wms.edu.my/
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• Built a premier knowledge platform for defense, diplomacy, and economics powered by 570+ global scholars and experts.
• Secured high-quality multilingual content through rigorous localized review by native staff in Germany, Mexico, and beyond.
• Proved startup innovation with readers from 148 countries and over 14.3 million cumulative reach on social media.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 June 2026 – The global current affairs platform ‘World & New World Journal’ (CEO Myngho Hyun) is gaining rapid traction by driving the democratization of knowledge through multilingual dissemination. Since its inception in 2022, the platform has published approximately 7,000 deep-dive analyses and translated articles as of 2026, solidifying its position as a trusted global knowledge hub.

The core mission of the Journal is the “democratization of knowledge, free from language and cost barriers. “It simultaneously translates expert analyses and official statements from world leaders into seven languages—Korean, English, Arabic, French, German, Russian, and Spanish—and offers them entirely free of charge to a global audience.

To ensure pristine translation quality that goes far beyond basic machine translation, the Journal utilizes a localized editorial system with staff in strategic regions like Germany and Mexico to preserve cultural context and precise geopolitical terminology. Furthermore, its signature ‘VIP Speech’ section allows readers to easily access the policy priorities of world leaders in multiple languages.

Driven by this innovative service model and an agile startup mindset, the World & New World Journal has achieved remarkable global visibility in a short period. To date, it has attracted readers from 148 countries, maintaining 25,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU) and 75,000 page views. Its cumulative reach across various social media platforms has surpassed 14.3 million, proving its steep growth trajectory.

“Our mission is to combine the academic rigor of a scholarly journal with the actionable insights of a top-tier think tank to provide a balanced perspective on critical global issues,” said Myungho Hyun, Founder & CEO of World & New World Journal. “Moving beyond the constraints of traditional media, we will continue our innovative experiments and global expansion to ensure readers worldwide can access premium international affairs analysis without language or financial barriers.”

All articles and multilingual services of the World & New World Journal can be accessed free of charge on the official website (https://worldandnewworld.com) and its official social media channels.

Hashtag: #WANWJ

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City’s first hospital to adopt Renewable Diesel Blend R33, reducing up to 30% lifecycle CO2e emissions

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Harnessing Innovative Technologies to Drive Cultural Mobility and Foster Global Exchange

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The world’s greatest player makes his Hong Kong debut alongside American star Fabiano Caruana, Mongolia’s 34th Prime Minister H.E. Mr Zandanshatar Gombojav, WR Chess founder Wadim Rosenstein, and special guest World Championship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov, opening the first East Asian edition of the FIDE World Team Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships and turning Hong Kong into the global capital of chess this week.

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HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 June 2026 – Vietnam Airlines has officially inaugurated its nonstop service between Hanoi and Amsterdam, becoming the first Vietnamese carrier to operate a direct route connecting Vietnam and the Netherlands. The new service marks a significant milestone in the airline’s international network expansion strategy and further strengthens air links between Vietnam and Europe.

The inaugural flight, VN83, departed Noi Bai International Airport at 3:50 AM on June 16, carrying nearly 300 passengers aboard an Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft. After a flight time of more than 12 hours, the aircraft landed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. In the opposite direction, flight VN82 departed Amsterdam for Hanoi at 2:00 PM (local time) on the same day.

Vietnam Airlines will operate three round-trip flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using Airbus A350 aircraft. The new route provides a direct air link between the two capitals, while offering passengers greater convenience and seamless onward connectivity across Europe and beyond.

Nguyen Quang Trung, Executive Vice President of Vietnam Airlines, said: “The inauguration of the Hanoi–Amsterdam service reflects Vietnam Airlines’ continued commitment to expanding its international network and strengthening Vietnam’s connectivity with key global markets. This new route not only offers Vietnamese travellers more convenient access to Europe, but also facilitates greater travel to Vietnam for international visitors. As the national flag carrier, we will continue investing in service excellence and network development to meet evolving customer demand and further reinforce our role as an air bridge linking Vietnam with the world.”

Amsterdam serves as a major hub for finance, trade, logistics and commerce in Europe. Through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, passengers can conveniently access hundreds of destinations across Europe and beyond, further enhancing Vietnam’s connectivity with international markets.

The new route also strengthens Vietnam Airlines’ presence in Europe. With the addition of Amsterdam, Vietnam Airlines now operates 12 nonstop routes linking Vietnam with eight major European destinations: Paris, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan, Copenhagen, Moscow and Amsterdam.

Beyond expanding the airline’s network, the new service is expected to support growing trade, investment and tourism flows between Vietnam and the Netherlands, while creating new opportunities for business, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

From 1 July 2026, Vietnam Airlines will increase the frequency of its Hanoi–Moscow service from three to four round-trip flights per week to accommodate growing travel demand between Vietnam and Russia. Together, the launch of the Amsterdam route and the expanded Moscow schedule reflect the airline’s ongoing efforts to align capacity with market demand and support Vietnam’s increasing integration with the global economy.

Hashtag: #VietnamAirlines

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Opera, Ballet and Contemporary Productions from Around the Globe — Early Bird Booking Opens 25 May

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HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 May 2026 – Johnson Electric Holdings Limited (“Johnson Electric”), a global leader in electric motors and motion subsystems, today announced its results for the twelve months ended 31 March 2026.

Group sales for the 2025/26 financial year were US$3,650 million, an increase of 0.1% compared to the prior year. Net profit attributable to shareholders decreased by 23% to US$202 million or 21.59 US cents per share on a fully diluted basis. Adjusted net profit, excluding the effects of non-cash foreign exchange rate movements, the impairment of intangible assets, restructuring charges, and adverse fair value movements in investments, declined by 13% to US$234 million.

Sales Performance

The Automotive Products Group (“APG”) achieved sales of US$3,054 million, which amounted to 84% of total Group sales. Excluding currency effects, APG’s sales decreased by 3%.

Global automotive industry production volumes increased slightly over the prior year, but growth remains lacklustre in most markets due to affordability concerns and the challenges faced by OEMs and suppliers in adjusting to geopolitical uncertainty, tariff pressures, and the shifting economics of battery electric vehicles that continue to be shaped by the level of government subsidies available to consumers.

APG’s sales are divided broadly equally across the three major geographic regions of demand, but performance over the past year reflected distinct variations in local market conditions, as well as APG’s own mix of OEM customers and the timing of new program launches.

In Asia, the division’s sales declined by 7% on a constant currency basis primarily due to the ongoing erosion in market share held by Sino-foreign joint venture OEM customers in China. APG has continued to win significant new business awards from Chinese domestic OEMs and their suppliers, which now account for the majority of its sales in China. However, the division’s historically large share among joint venture customers has acted as a drag on its recent sales performance that is taking time to reverse. The domestic passenger vehicle market in China itself experienced a sharp slowdown in sales in the first quarter of 2026 due to the phasing out of trade-in subsidies designed to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles.

APG’s sales to the Americas increased by 1% on a constant currency basis in a market that saw total light vehicle production volumes broadly flat. The predominant factor constraining new car sales in North America is cost of living concerns, with many low to middle income car buyers struggling to afford new vehicles that, on average, have increased in price by over 30% since 2020.

In Europe, APG’s sales decreased by 2% on a constant currency basis. The European auto market continues to experience sluggish consumer demand at the same time that OEMs are hampered by excess production capacity and the impact of shifting emissions regulations on their product model line-ups.

APG’s strategy in the context of the varied and unpredictable operating environment for component suppliers is, firstly, to focus on bringing to market innovative motion technologies that enable electrification, reduce emissions, and enhance passenger safety and comfort. Secondly, APG aims to offer its diverse base of customers an unrivalled total cost and value proposition that combines speed, scale, and reliability of production with an adaptable global operating footprint.

The Industry Products Group (“IPG”) achieved sales of US$596 million – an increase of 2% compared to the prior year on a constant currency basis. After three successive years of declining sales, this marks an important return to growth for the division. In more commoditized product application segments, new business development has been redirected towards the rapidly growing base of Chinese manufacturers who are capturing an increasing share of the global market for consumer and commercial hardware goods – particularly for low-priced, entry-level products. In parallel, IPG is focused on supplying motion subsystem solutions to more specialized, higher-growth segments, including humanoid robotics, warehouse automation, medical devices, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and liquid cooling applications.

Gross Margins and Operating Profitability

The Group’s gross profit of US$840 million, or 23.0% of sales, was essentially flat compared to the prior financial year. Slight increases in production staff costs, depreciation, and raw materials were offset by savings in other production overheads and direct labour.

Reported earnings before interest, tax and amortization (“EBITA”) amounted to US$258 million, a decrease of 22% compared to US$331 million achieved in the prior year. The decline was due to a combination of factors, including higher selling and administrative staff costs and other provisions, an impairment of intangible assets arising from a past acquisition, and reduced other income due to an adverse net change in the fair value of certain investments.

Net Profit and Financial Condition

Net profit attributable to shareholders decreased by 23% to US$202 million or 21.59 US cents per share on a fully diluted basis. Adjusted net profit, excluding the effects of non-cash foreign exchange rate movements, the impairment of intangible assets, restructuring charges, and adverse fair value movements in investments, amounted to US$234 million compared to US$268 million in the prior year.

The Group’s overall financial condition remains robust with a total debt to capital ratio of 10%, an interest coverage ratio of 22 times, and year-end cash reserves of US$902 million.

Dividends

The Board considers it appropriate to recommend maintaining the final dividend of 44 HK cents (5.64 US cents) per share, which together with the interim dividend of 17 HK cents per share, represents a total dividend of 61 HK cents (7.82 US cents) per share.

Chairman’s Comments on the Annual Results and Outlook

Commenting on the annual results for the financial year 2025/26, Dr. Patrick Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive, said, “Operating conditions for global manufacturing businesses during the financial year 2025/26 remained challenging, with end-market demand in most regions subdued and geopolitical events and uncertainties placing upward pressure on input costs.”

Dr. Patrick Wang further commented: “In the face of these headwinds, Johnson Electric maintained its long-standing resilience with sales and gross profit margins both holding up comparatively well. The bottom-line result, however, was negatively impacted by the effects of higher overhead expenses on a flat sales base, adverse net changes in the fair value of investments, and a non-cash intangible assets impairment charge.”

Concerning the near-term financial outlook, Dr. Patrick Wang said: “The global economy demonstrated resilience over the past year, despite the protracted conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the geopolitical shock of tariffs being imposed on US imports of goods from almost all countries. Looking ahead, the unstable and unpredictable conditions for trade and global manufacturing have been made even more precarious by the outbreak of war in the Middle East.”

“Johnson Electric has a long-standing track record in successfully navigating volatile global markets. In the near term, with geopolitical and macro-economic dynamics impossible to forecast with precision, management remains focused on cost control, managing the effects of inflation, and maintaining a prudent financial risk profile.”

“In parallel, however, we are also committed to invest in adapting and scaling our business model to meet strong underlying demand for our motion subsystem solutions in several high-growth end-markets and new product applications. Included among these are: thermal management systems for electric and hybrid vehicles that depend on a combination of water pumps, valves and actuators to support optimal vehicle cabin temperature, extend electric vehicle driving range, and contribute to longer battery life; solid oxide fuel cell power generation systems that are becoming established as an important source of low-emission, on-site electricity supply to AI data centres; and AI-enabled humanoid robots, which are widely viewed as one of the most significant industrial and commercial opportunities over the next ten to twenty years.”

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Johnson Electric and certain plans and objectives of the management of Johnson Electric.

Words such as “outlook”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believe”, “estimates”, “projects”, variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward looking statements. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risk, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results or performance of Johnson Electric to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such forward looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding Johnson Electric’s present and future business strategies and the political and economic environment in which Johnson Electric will operate in the future.

Note to Editors and Securities Analysts: The full text of the Annual Results announcement, includingfinancial statements, is available through the Investors section of company’s website at www.johnsonelectric.com

Hashtag: #JohnsonElectric

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ROME, ITALY – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 May 2026 – The Rainforest Children’s Choir and Rainforest Large-Leaf Tea from Wuzhishan, Hainan, China, took centre stage at the International Tea Day event held at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome on May 21, becoming the occasion’s most sought-after presence.

The children performed an original song “Lishan Tea Song” and a rendition of the beloved Italian classic “O Sole Mio,” drawing a captivated crowd. Among the audience were Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the FAO, and Zhang Lubiao, China’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome.

“It is the first time a Chinese delegation has performed in this banquet hall. I feel very proud,” Zhang said at the event. “The Wuzhishan delegation will leave an important mark in the history of the FAO.”

The day marked the seventh International Tea Day, and the FAO hosted a tea tasting gathering at its Rome headquarters. Countries including China, Indonesia, Canada, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Türkiye showcased their signature teas and cultural traditions, sharing tea as a bridge of friendship.

The Wuzhishan delegation set up a display area featuring Rainforest Large-Leaf Tea and ethnic cultural products. Tea masters brewed tea for international guests, and the large-leaf black tea, known for its “amber liquor and honey aroma,” was widely appreciated.

Hainan Large-Leaf Tea is a distinct species of the Camellia genus that evolved independently on Hainan Island and possesses rich genetic diversity. The research findings, published on the journal Agrobiodiversity on May 17, 2024, further enhance the tea’s unique appeal.

The delegation also held business talks with Italian companies, exploring tea product exports and cross-border e-commerce cooperation, and mapping out pathways for Hainan’s tea industry to enter the international market.

The International Tea Day is a UN observance initiated by China, aimed at promoting global tea culture exchange and the sustainable development of the tea industry. Through song and tea, the Wuzhishan delegation showcased the unique cultural charm of the Hainan Free Trade Port, injecting fresh energy into China-Italy cultural exchanges.

Hashtag: #WuzhishanInformationOffice

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HOHHOT – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 May 2026 – From May 17 to 19, 2026, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, proudly hosted the China main venue event for International Museum Day, centered around the theme “Museum: A Bridge Connecting the World.” Situated at the eastern gateway of the Grassland Silk Road and a key point along the Ancient Tea Horse Road, Hohhot has long served as a vital commercial and cultural crossroads linking the grasslands with China’s Central Plains, as well as connecting China with Russia, Mongolia, and the broader Eurasian region. Historically a hub for East-West cultural exchange, Hohhot continues to play a significant role as a northern gateway in China’s opening-up strategy. By hosting this prestigious national cultural event, China reaffirms its commitment to fostering intercultural dialogue through museums, enhancing the sense of shared identity among the Chinese people, and promoting mutual learning and exchange between China and the international community.

The event was jointly organized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the People’s Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It brought together over 500 participants, including leaders from the museum and cultural heritage sectors, experts, scholars, and international guests, to explore innovative directions for museum development.

In recent years, Hohhot’s museum sector has experienced rapid growth, marked by continuous enhancements in public cultural service capabilities. The city has established a well-planned and distinctive museum system. The Hohhot Museum has pioneered a “one main museum with six branches” model, integrating premier institutions such as the Zhaojun Museum and the General’s Yamen. This approach has enabled the city to consistently present high-quality exhibitions, positioning museums as vital platforms for showcasing the cultural exchanges and integration among diverse ethnic groups, as well as promoting China’s rich traditional heritage.

The opening ceremony on May 18 at the Inner Mongolia Museum highlighted China’s museum achievements since the 14th Five-Year Plan, shared key cultural heritage updates, and emphasized museums’ role as bridges connecting history and the present, China and the world, and the hearts of all ethnic communities.

During the event, three major exhibitions were launched simultaneously. The Heaven and Earth in Harmony: Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Music Culture, the Rivers and Mountains Shining: The Historical and Cultural Display of Hohhot, and the Radiance of Gold and Jade: Colorful China. Featuring nearly 300 exquisite bronze, gold, jade, and stone artifacts from numerous cultural institutions nationwide, these exhibitions span 8,000 years of heritage and vividly illustrate the rich diversity and unity of Chinese civilization, as well as the history of ethnic integration and coexistence.

Alongside the exhibitions, main and youth forums convened domestic and international experts and scholars to engage in in-depth discussions on industry development, international collaboration, and related topics, infusing fresh insights and youthful enthusiasm into the ongoing advancement of museums. On the evening of the 18th, the “Museum Night” immersive performance debuted at Dazhao Square, blending ethnic art, intangible cultural heritage skills, and light and shadow effects to vividly showcase the captivating fusion of the three major cultures of the grasslands, the Yellow River, and the Great Wall.

Building on the momentum of the main event, Hohhot also launched the 2026 “Museum Season,” featuring a series of exhibitions, educational tours, and cultural tourism routes extending through the National Day holiday. This initiative fosters deeper integration between cultural heritage and the tourism industry, making cultural treasures more accessible to the public.

From its historic role as a hub on the Grassland Silk Road to its current status as a platform for civilizational dialogue, Hohhot’s high-caliber cultural offerings showcase the unique qualities and openness of Chinese civilization. The city’s museums truly serve as enduring bridges connecting China with the world and facilitating meaningful global exchanges.

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Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)

PSNA has congratulated Winston Peters for calling-in the Israeli ambassador, as the first step in New Zealand imposing meaningful sanctions on Israel.

The Foreign Minister has just posted;

“It’s about time he made this first step to show Israel it can’t continue to flout international law,” says PSNA National Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi. 

“These breaches include violent assaults on heroic New Zealanders trying to get desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.” 

“These heroic New Zealanders represent the very best of New Zealand values of care and compassion”

 “Two of our kiwis, Mousa Taher and Julien Blondel, had already suffered brutality at the hands of the Israeli military, on an earlier flotilla boat last month. Mr Peters refused then to speak out then against the bashings Israel meted out on these brave New Zealanders.”

 “This is the first time in more than 2 ½ years of genocidal attacks on Palestinians that Mr Peters has called in the Israeli ambassador”.

 “Up ‘till now he’s done nothing.  And it’s not though he’s not spoiled for recent choice.”

• Israel’s daily breaches of the so-called ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon
• Israel’s invasion and ethnic cleansing of vast areas of Lebanon – Israel now occupies more of Lebanon than Russia occupies of Ukraine
• Israel’s mass killing and starvation of civilians in Gaza and creeping re-occupation.
• A sharp increase in the pogroms by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities and theft of Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank.

 “We suspect Mr Peters has only called-in the Israeli ambassador on this occasion because that’s what the US and European countries have done,” says Tamimi.

“Our government’s foreign policy is determined by US/Israeli priorities.”

 “Mr Peters is carefully pointing out in his posting that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has also criticised his cabinet colleague Itamar Ben Gvir for ‘his conduct relative to the flotilla”.

“Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  He is not the good-guy Mr Peters is trying to make him out to be.”

“But having made that first step, we want to see more of Peters speaking out, show more courage, more independence and more real action,” says Tamimi. “We want to be proud of New Zealand, not ashamed.”

Rinad Tamimi

National Spokesperson

PSNA

MIL OSI

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Ukraine has approached New Zealand about a deal to build military drones, in a new push to sell its Russian-killing technology around the world.

Ukraine has 20 countries interested and four signed agreements on drones, including Germany, Canada, Norway and Japan.

Ukraine’s ambassador to New Zealand and Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said his country could offer unique drone innovation and he had raised it several times with the government.

“They have the proposal on the table,” Myroshnychenko said on Friday.

The government said no decision had been made to an approach on drones in December, but officials were considering it.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has recently made statements that have been seen as a key step in defence diplomacy by Kyiv, leveraging the fact that the world had witnessed uncrewed systems rewriting the rules of warfare in both the Russia and Iran conflicts.

Many countries around the world have ramped up demand for drones this year – including both Australia and the US, which last months revealed a new $NZ90 billion plan to build a Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG).

Myroshnychenko said he did not need to raise the issue again in New Zealand.

“It’s up to New Zealand government” to consider either before or after the November elections, he told RNZ.

“That’s what we are now doing with a number of international partners and certainly would be open to discuss it with the New Zealand government.

“Certainly we would be open for it and we do believe that we could assist and we have some of the innovation which is only available in Ukraine, and we would be happy to work jointly on this investment together.”

Ukraine-US drone deal – ‘We are ready to deliver’

CBS reported last week that the US and Ukraine had drafted a deal to allow tech exports for the manufacture of drones in joint ventures with American companies.

Ukraine has been sending drone interceptors to the Middle East to combat Iran’s Shahed drones – which Russia has used against Kyiv.

“We are ready to deliver,” Zelensky said last month on X after doing deals with Middle East governments. “We want to help them defend themselves.”

“First, our expertise. Second, training missions and software to integrate different military equipment into one system. And cheap drones and co-production lines to make them … I think all of this needs to be shared with the US as well … We wanted to sign a big drone production deal with the United States, but we needed the approval from the White House.”

Myroshnychenko said a starting point was a bilateral security agreement – 28 countries had signed one with Ukraine.

“New Zealand is not one of those, but certainly we’d be keen to discuss it if they’re interested,” he said.

“Those countries who signed those agreements are now also signing drone agreements, or drone deals, as we call them. A drone deal is a starting point for creating those joint ventures in a way, because at the moment there is a ban on the export of any weapons or any defence technology out of Ukraine.

“But we’re trying to figure out a way how to release that technology. And for that, we need both governments to be on board.”

He said he had raised a drone deal with senior officials and former Defence Minister Judith Collins, and with her successor Chris Penk in December.

Penk at the weekend confirmed the approach.

“Those matters remain under consideration by defence officials and no decisions have been made at this stage,” Penk said in a statement.

“I look forward to receiving further advice in due course on potential next steps.”

Penk told RNZ last month that drone spending was at the right level, although the country had to make sure it did not fall behind.

Put a billion in – analyst

Myroshnychenko said Australia was expected to sign a bilateral security deal with Ukraine later this year.

“So certainly Australian, New Zealand government knows that there is a proposal to sign this long-term bilateral security agreement that could be a foundation for a drone deal.”

Geopolitical analyst Dr Del Carlini of Wellington said there was no time to waste with signs of a new world war approaching.

“We should be putting a billion dollars of our defence spending into a joint venture with Ukraine to learn how to produce drones to manufacture them here and then to have them used – in Ukraine at the moment, could be in the Middle East,” said Carlini.

“But most importantly we know how to manufacture them and whatever the type of drone we need at some point in the future we know how to manufacture it, not purchase it … when warfare actually kicks off.”

Spending billions on frigates – as was intended in the Defence Capability Plan in the decade ahead – would be a waste when the Iran war had shown how quickly Tehran’s navy could be taken out of play, Carlini said.

Sovereign domestic production featured in Australia’s new plan to invest $14-18 billion on drone and counter-drone technologies over the next decade.

Thai geopolitical analyst Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak in Wellington last week also warned of signs of war spreading.

‘The money would be better invested in New Zealand and Australia’ – NZ drone maker

Myroshnychenko said New Zealand firms stood to benefit from a drones deal.

“Any joint ventures, you need a local producer and you have one of those companies in New Zealand …. catering to your needs, but also catering to some of the needs of … region, of the like-minded countries, including Australia.”

Mt Maunganui firm Syos makes drones that have been used in Ukraine and by UK armed forces.

But Philip Solaris – who has made drones for more than a decade at Obsidian Systems – said while he backed anything that helped Ukraine, a drone joint venture was not the way to go.

“The money would be better invested in New Zealand and Australia,” he said.

Not only was Ukraine a different operating environment, but he drew a different lesson from autonomous warfare there.

“There’s a lot of small companies throughout New Zealand that have really key parts to play in such a situation. Ukraine has been forced into doing that, and you’ll find that actually their defence industry is largely made-up from a lot of small players, not just a few big primes.”

Solaris said he had talked to Penk about his belief that getting the industry’s logistics right was the prime lesson from Ukraine. On that score, Budget 2026 needed to deliver not necessarily more money for drones, but a better, faster system for spending it.

“New Zealand and Australia already have the technological capability and the innovation and the know-how of how to do what is being done there,” said Solaris.

“So I don’t think the issue is around technology. I think that in many ways you may be talking about more of a political issue.

“The capability is there. It’s how it is developed and how it is employed. And we need to be building our own infrastructure.”

How does AUKUS fit?

Drones fit under the military emerging technology banner, and a key deal for sharing that type of tech for New Zealand’s main security partners is AUKUS.

Under its Pillar Two, the three nuclear-sharing AUKUS Pillar One members – the US, Australia and the UK – have recently lowered barriers to sharing or trading in arms technology. But the NZ Defence Force has had far fewer meetings about the option of joining Pillar Two in recent months than previously.

Myroshnychenko said he had not been briefed on AUKUS, and the issue of whether it was a barrier to drone deals was a matter for the Australian government.

The question was how to restore the international rules-based system and build deterrence together, he said.

Russia was belligerent and training North Korea, he said.

“So it’s all happening here in the region … The impact of this war and the implications of this war on the Indo-Pacific are pretty clear.

“You know, if New Zealand government is interested, we’d be very keen to follow up on this and work on this together.”

Penk said drones was one area of potential areas of cooperation and New Zealand remained steadfast in support for Ukraine.

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All Whites forward Kosta Barbarouses knows the heartbreak of missing out on a Football World Cup squad, and now the happiness and relief of finally making it 16 years later.

Barbarouses has “no regrets” about his football journey, that has wound from Wellington to Western Sydney, including stops in Greece and Russia, and five different A-League clubs.

Now, his inclusion in coach Darren Bazeley’s 26-man squad for next month’s Football World Cup is reward for that persistence.

Barbarouses came agonisingly close to selection for the All Whites’ 2010 World Cup squad – so close that his boot sponsor had already prepared personalised World Cup boots, before then-coach Ricki Herbert finalised his team.

“I’ve even got the World Cup boots from Nike, personalised as well, and I never went,” the 36-year-old said. “I’ve still got those as an heirloom.”

This year’s version of the boots will mean even more to Barbarouses, who heard about his call-up for the tournament in North America while on school pick-up duty.

“I haven’t seen them yet, but now instead of my name, I’ve got my kids’ names on them, so I’m excited for those.”

Barbarouses described his club season with A-League wooden-spooners Western Sydney Wanderers as “disappointing”, but he never doubted his value to the national team.

“I always knew I was doing well for the national team, but obviously, you want to do well week to week and, honestly, I have been very disappointed.”

Barbarouses said the March window, when the All Whites played Finland and Chile in the FIA Series in Auckland, was crucial to pushing his case for a place in the World Cup squad. That period co-incided with him losing his starting role at club level.

“I’ll give myself a little bit of credit that I was able to stay professional and stay fit, and perform like I did in the March window,” he said. “I think that helped give [Bazeley] and probably the staff a lot of trust in me.”

After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the All Whites fell short of qualification three straight times – with Barbarouses part of each failed campaign. The forward has played 31 World Cup qualifiers dating back to 2008.

“Being selected in the final squad feels great, to be honest, and it’s been a long and exciting four years full of ups and downs, and almost there now.”

Having booked his ticket, Barbarouses wants to get on the park, when the All Whites play Iran, Egypt and Belgium during the group stage.

With an injury to captain and leading goalscorer Chris Wood this year, Barbarouses has shared a role up front with Ben Waine.

“I would like to think I’m ready to play and I want as much of a playing role as possible, as I think everyone would.

“I think, even the past couple of windows, it’s clear to see that I’m well and truly up to it, and up for it as well.

“I’d love to see – like everyone in our country would – Chris Wood be there and scoring the goals for us, and I’ll be ready to support him and the team, whether that’s starting, coming on for 45 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes.

“I’ll be ready and I’ll be ready to perform.”

For the 26 players selected, there has been celebrations.

Barbarouses’ family at the Strathmore fish and chip shop in Wellington were the first people he called with the news.

“Obviously, mum, dad, brothers, aunties, uncles, everyone’s just ecstatic.

“They know how hard I work, as do all of the boys, but they’ve seen my journey firsthand, so they’re very proud and excited for what’s to come in the next six weeks.”

While some players celebrated, others were left devastated.

Like Barbarouses in 2010, former Wellington Phoenix teammate Bill Tuiloma narrowly missed out on selection.

Tuiloma returned to New Zealand from US Major League Soccer in an attempt to secure more playing time and impress Bazeley, but ultimately fell short.

When Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh and Tim Payne had finished their face-to-face conversations with Bazeley on Wednesday, they knew they were capping off a tough club season with the Phoenix with something bigger to look forward to, but they were also “hurting” for Tuiloma.

“Unfortunately, Bill was left out,” Rufer said. “Bill is a very, very good player and an extremely strong person.

“We spent some time with him and it’s normal you’re going to be hurting when you don’t make the team, but I think he’s in a good headspace, and he’s still going to train and keep ticking over, because anything can happen.

“He’ll most likely be over in America, back home with his family and who knows? He’s still got that mentality to keep ticking over, and make sure that he’s ready and available, if need be.”

The All Whites can make changes to their squad before the tournament, should any injuries occur.

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

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has promised “careful” immigration policy and signalled more capital spending than expected in an annual pre-Budget speech,

Speaking about the need for social cohesion, Luxon highlighted his own electorate of Botany as “more diverse than most”, saying many of Chinese, Korean, Malaysian and Indian New Zealanders were being “unfairly and unreasonably vilified”.

He said during the Covid-19 pandemic, ministers had “too often prioritised their own political interests over the interest of the public”, and the media “determined to flatter New Zealand’s relative performance, also failed”.

“Since then, failed immigration policies in Europe and North America have also stoked a politics of division online. Despite prudent policies and the natural advantages of geography, immigration now seems to be an emerging political issue in New Zealand, too,” he said, in what could be seen as a swipe at New Zealand First’s criticisms of the India free trade deal.

He pointed to the government’s moves to tighten immigration law and said National would be watching closely.

“And you should expect to see careful policy on immigration from National as we get closer to the election … when it comes to immigration, when faced with a choice between social stability and your bottom line, I will choose the former every single time.”

Pointing to the United States “now focusing more exclusively on its own view of its own interests – America first”, and Russia having made “its brutal intentions clear in Europe” and China “expanding its influence”, Luxon painted a now-familiar picture of an erosion of the international rule of law.

“When you turn on the news at night and see alliances straining, trade wars flaring and the rules being rewritten by the powerful, it is only natural to feel as though the ground is shifting beneath you,” he said, before offering an optimistic observation.

“We have faced similar challenges before, and we have overcome them.”

He hearkened back to world wars, giving a message of hope in an increasingly volatile world.

“The outcome was not inevitable. It was not guaranteed. People were frightened, and they were right to be frightened,” he said. “They didn’t just win a war. They built the peace that followed.”

Also addressing a need for cooperation with like-minded partners on defence and trade, he also drew attention to the need for energy independence.

“On too many occasions, private capital, eager to bolster domestic energy production, has been pushed to the sidelines by overzealous planners and politicians in recent years,” he said.

“The reality is that when faced with energy shock after energy shock, it’s very hard to justify backing the skink over the solar farm.”

He pointed to the government’s responses to the fuel crisis, while noting “more action is required”.

That could be delivered through changes to Budget allowances – with less operational spending at $2.1b, down from $2.4b; but more capital spending at $5.7b.

“The recent crisis has acted as a timely reminder that significant levels of capital investment will be required in the coming years,” Luxon said.

“That doesn’t reflect a permanently higher rate of borrowing – we’ll need to get the balance right in the years ahead, as we rebuild our fiscal buffers … The truth is that as a country we don’t save nearly enough, and rely too much on money borrowed from overseas to support our lifestyles. That must change.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis will deliver her third Budget on 28 May in what are constrained fiscal times.

The conflict in Iran and the global fuel crisis it has triggered required a certain level of re-forecasting and reprioritising of the Budget in recent months.

There were no pre-Budget announcements expected in Christopher Luxon’s speech to a Business NZ audience on Wednesday, though some are due to trickle out from other ministers in the coming days.

The only policy announced to date is the scrapping of the third year of fees-free tertiary study.

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

The signing ceremony took place on 7 May 2026 at Oriental Residence Bangkok. The agreement was signed by Mr. Yuthachai Charanachitta, Chief Executive Officer of ONYX Hospitality Group; Mr. Donald Lim, Chief Executive Officer of Equatorial Group; and Mr. Shih Jiing-Fuh, President and Chief Executive Officer of LH Bank, in the presence of senior executives from all three organisations. The ceremony reflects the strategic collaboration between the project developer, hotel management company and financial institution in advancing the project into its full development phase.

Mr. Yuthachai Charanachitta, Chief Executive Officer of ONYX Hospitality Group, said, “EQ Phuket marks an important step in ONYX Hospitality Group’s strategy to expand its portfolio of luxury resorts. We see strong long-term potential in the Phuket market, and we are confident that this collaboration with strong partners in both development and finance will help drive the project towards successful completion in line with our plans, while creating long-term value for all stakeholders.”

More than simply a new luxury hotel, EQ Phuket also represents a strategic initiative reflecting ONYX Hospitality Group’s long-term growth strategy. The development aims to strengthen the Group’s portfolio within the upper-upscale and luxury resort segment across the region. The project is expected to open in the second quarter of 2028 and will play an important role in supporting the Group’s long-term growth.

Mr. Donald Lim, Chief Executive Officer of Equatorial Group,said, “We are delighted to be working on this project, which brings our EQ brand to one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations. In 2019, the opening of our first EQ hotel in Kuala Lumpur re-energized the industry by quickly establishing itself as a landmark in the city. As a boutique brand, the combination of its elegance and chic aesthetics with exceptional warmth and hospitality was incredibly well-received. EQ continues to garner international recognition: for example in 2025, was named in Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of Top 100 Hotels in the World, placing at No. 22. We are incredibly excited to be working with ONYX Hospitality Group to introduce our EQ brand to Thailand.”

Mr. Shih Jiing-Fuh, President and Chief Executive Officer of LH Bank, revealed, “The bank has extended the loan facility of Baht 1,800 million to support the development of the EQ Phuket project, a luxury hotel located on Kata Beach, Phuket. LH Bank believes Phuket continues to stand as one of the world’s premier tourist destinations. We are confident that the EQ Phuket project will further enhance the island’s tourism potential and strengthen Thailand’s competitiveness in the global tourism market.”

This signing marks another significant milestone for the project following the joint venture agreement signed between ONYX Hospitality Group and Equatorial Group on 18 November 2024 to jointly develop the project. The development has a total investment value of approximately THB 2.8 billion. The financial support secured through this loan agreement reflects the confidence of the financial sector in the project’s potential, as well as in the continued growth of Phuket’s luxury tourism market.

Phuket remains one of the region’s leading destinations for high-spending travellers from Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, particularly within the upper-upscale and luxury resort segment, which continues to see strong growth potential. This is reflected in the island’s average hotel occupancy rate, which has increased to 69%, while the average daily room rate (ADR) rose from THB 4,717 in 2023 to THB 5,241 in 2024.

At the same time, the structure of Phuket’s international visitor mix has become increasingly diversified. Chinese travellers continue to represent the largest visitor segment, while arrivals from Russia and India have increased significantly. Combined with the continued recovery of long-haul travel and growing demand for high-quality leisure experiences in distinctive destinations, Phuket remains a highly attractive market for long-term luxury resort development.

The EQ Phuket project will be located on a beachfront site in the northern area of Kata Beach, Phuket, covering approximately 32 rai of land. The resort will feature approximately 170 keys, comprising 11 pool villas, 27 suites and 132 standard guest rooms.

Luxury facilities will include an all-day dining restaurant, pool bar, two swimming pools, kids club, spa, fitness centre and large-scale event and banquet spaces. The beachfront area is planned to be developed into a beach club and sports and lifestyle hub, further enhancing the luxury resort experience and offering a comprehensive range of leisure facilities.

The project is designed to cater to high-end travellers seeking a premium hospitality experience in a distinctive and private beachfront location.

For more information about ONYX Hospitality Group, please visit: www.onyx-hospitality.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/onyx-hospitality-group/
https://www.facebook.com/ONYXHospitalityGroup
https://www.instagram.com/onyxhospitalitygroup/

Hashtag: #ONYXHospitalityGroup #HospitalityIndustry #AsiaPacificTravel

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

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

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.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced a new round of sanctions targeting malicious cyber actors and others supporting Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.  

Today’s sanctions package designates 20 individuals and entities. Among them are actors supporting the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare tactics, by enabling Russian cybercrime activity that supports the war, and the dissemination of anti-Ukraine propaganda aimed at legitimising Moscow’s illegal aggression.  

“Those who mis-use online platforms to support Russia’s war against Ukraine will face real consequences, including sanctions,” Mr Peters says. 

New Zealand is also introducing sanctions against an alternative payment provider whose service is used widely for the evasion of sanctions against Russia.  

“We are targeting the payment infrastructure that has helped enable Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Mr Peters says. 

The sanctions announced today also target those contributing to Russia’s military-industrial complex, and actors from the DPRK and Iran who are providing support to the Russian military.  

Since the Russia Sanctions Act came into force in March 2022, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than 2000 individuals, entities, and vessels, alongside a range of trade measures. This is New Zealand’s 35th round of Russia sanctions.  

More information about sanctions, travel bans, and export controls against Russia, as well as diplomatic, military and economic support to Ukraine, can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website here. 

MIL OSI

A leading economist says businesses could exploit the war in the Middle East to raise prices even when not directly related to the fuel crisis.

Petrol price surges have seen 91 routinely above $3 a litre and KiwiRail this week announced an increase on the fuel surcharge for freight on the Interislander ferry. Internationally, shipping company Maersk announced its own 27 percent fuel surcharge.

The Reserve Bank has warned that the fuel and transport costs would likely push inflation above 4 percent in the June quarter.

Westpac economist Kelly Eckhold told Nine to Noon on Wednesday businesses find it easier to lift prices when inflation is becoming widespread.

“[Many price hikes] you can shape back to fuel quite quickly. And in those cases, firms are taking their approach of imposing surcharges. So they’re saying, ‘Well, we’re going to put the price up by this amount’. It’s reflecting this increase in the oil or the refined fuels price.

“And then they say, ‘When those prices come down, we’ll remove that’. So that’s pretty transparent, isn’t it? And then that’s the sort of pricing behaviour that I don’t think the Reserve Bank or anyone would be very surprised by.”

But in other cases, Eckhold explained, prices are unlikely to drop when the price of fuel normalises – particularly if they cannot be linked directly back to the cost of fuel.

“When the services prices start to increase, for example, my Spotify subscription or your Sky subscription, et cetera, you’re very unlikely to see those prices fall back.

“What’s more likely is that is the price, that’s the base price that you’ll pay in the future. And the best you might hope for is that if costs rise less quickly in the future, then maybe the next increase that you see could be delayed for a period of time.

“That sort of inflation, I think, is less comfortable for central banks and the sort of inflation that they’re really all looking out for to gauge just how much… they have to increase interest rates by.”

The next official cash rate (OCR) update from the Reserve Bank is due on 27 May. The bank uses the OCR to increase or decrease the cost of borrowing – the former decreases spending and aims to curb inflation, while the latter does the opposite.

Eckhold did not believe the OCR would need to rise as much as it did following Covid-19, when it peaked at 5.5 percent in 2023.

“The conditions are a bit different. I mean, there we had a big supply shock coming from the Covid disruptions themselves, and then the onset of the Russian war, combined with very expensive fiscal and military policy. And that second set of factors isn’t really present right now, at least not in New Zealand.”

It could take a few more months to see the full impact of the Iran war on the economy here, Eckhold said.

“Fertiliser is a good example where we produce some fertiliser here, but a lot of it is actually imported. We got a little bit lucky in the fertiliser game because we had imported a lot of our needs for the next six months before the shock hit.

“The questions are going to arise about what happens after that period, and prices are lifting because global prices have gone up over 100 percent. An imbalance increased their prices yesterday by about 10 or 15 percent, starting to reflect that.

“But all through the rest of the supply chain, particularly think about plastics. So pretty much everything you buy comes in some kind of plastic container. That stuff is directly an offshoot of the naphtha market, which is a part of the oil distillation process. And those are the sort of price increases that are going to become really prominent, broad, but also come at quite a bit of a lag as that filters through the global supply chains.”

That delay could prompt the Reserve Bank to get ahead of any possible inflation, he said. The OCR was currently at 2.25 percent.

“They will probably realise that with this increase in headline inflation, that inflation expectations are likely to rise. And they’ll be trying to gauge how long this increase in inflation is going to last. And there, the news hasn’t been very good, because forecasts of the gulf war ending within a few weeks have consistently been disappointed.”

Whatever happens, it was likely New Zealand’s economy was in for a “tough time”, particularly through winter, with increased petrol costs slashing spending in retail and hospitality.

“I think the housing market is one that just won’t do very well in this environment, because we’re probably looking at a rising unemployment rate. Disposable incomes are being cut here by the cost shock. Confidence is also really low, and confidence is quite important for that.

“The other thing is to think about is the tourism market as well, because the costs of coming to New Zealand are probably getting more expensive and uncertain…

“New Zealand Incorporated has taken a big income loss here because we’re basically paying an extra, say, $6 or $7 or $8 billion a year for our refined fuels than we did in the previous year. When I look at that, that’s two-thirds of the dairy industry that we just lost in terms of income. And the government, the Reserve Bank, no one can give that back to us.”

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

MIL OSI

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 April 2026 – SIBUR, Russia’s largest polymer producer, plans to increase its supplies to Asian countries fivefold by 2030, driven by capacity growth supported primarily by the launch of a major new polymer production facility, the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC), in Russia’s Far East.

With an annual capacity of 2.7 million tonnes of basic polymers, the AGCC is set to become the most efficient polymer production facility in Russia and one of the largest globally. Polyethylene production is scheduled to begin in 2026, followed by polypropylene in 2027. The launch will enable SIBUR to greatly expand its presence in key markets in South and Southeast Asia.

“Emerging Asian markets are demonstrating strong growth in polymer demand, driven primarily by the packaging, healthcare and hygiene industries, as well as sizeable infrastructure and construction investments. The majority of demand in the region is met through imports. The commissioning of the AGCC will enable SIBUR to increase supplies to South and Southeast Asian markets fivefold by 2030 compared with current levels,” said Natalia Burlina, Head of SIBUR’s New Projects Go-to-Market Division, speaking at the ChinaPlas SIBUR Conference in Shanghai for South and Southeast Asian customers.

“In recent years, we have strengthened our position in South and Southeast Asian markets. We continue to grow and improve our customer service through local sales and technical support.”

Various logistics options for delivering AGCC polymers to Asian markets were discussed at the conference, including transshipment via Chinese ports and direct shipments from Russian seaports to destination ports.

The AGCC portfolio includes more than 20 in-demand solutions, such as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) for packaging films; high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for blow moulding, injection moulding, films, monofilament and pressure pipes; polypropylene (PP) yarn for raffia and nonwoven materials; as well as BOPP for packaging applications. In addition, SIBUR, thanks to its well-established R&D infrastructure and innovation practices, is ready to develop tailor-made solutions to meet customers’ needs.

SIBUR’s reliable supply of AGCC polymer solutions to Asian markets will create a shared value for its customers.

Hashtag: #SIBUR

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

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

Modelling done for the government on its plans for an LNG terminal did not consider the effect of an international price spike, documents show.

A climate advocate said the decision not to model price volatility was “remarkable” and raised further questions about whether the planned facility was a good idea.

However, officials said although the current conflict in the Middle East had created volatility in LNG prices, longer-term price projections were still in line with the information the government based its decision on.

The government announced in February it would proceed with plans for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in Taranaki, with the billion-dollar plus cost paid for through an electricity levy.

The proposal, widely criticised at the time, has attracted renewed opposition after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz prompted the price of fossil fuels – including LNG – to spike.

Gentailer chief executives expressed doubts at the energy sector’s conference last month, prompting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to say the government would not proceed if the business case did not stack up.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said in a statement last month that the LNG terminal was selected from a shortlist of five options that it considered “timely, feasible and of sufficient scale to meet dry year needs”.

It would also be beneficial to major industrial gas users, who had been forced to limit production or shut up shop altogether in recent years as domestic gas supply dwindled, the ministry said.

The announcement had already had an effect on the prices electricity suppliers were paying for supply later this year, MBIE said.

“While forward prices will move around in response to a range of factors, electricity forward prices dropped substantially in the weeks following the government’s LNG announcement.”

Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act outline how consultants contracted by the ministry modelled the effect of an LNG facility on New Zealand energy prices.

The variables they tested included whether two or three coal- and diesel-burning Rankine turbines at Huntly are working over winter, how fast future renewable generation is built, and whether a private joint venture to build gas storage beneath the Tariki gas field in Taranaki goes ahead.

The model tested various scenarios with two international LNG prices: $20 and $25 per gigajoule.

It did not look at any higher pricing.

“[This] modelling has not considered the potential impact of international fuel price volatility,” the document said.

Undertaken before the current fuel crisis, the modelling said that, at the moment, New Zealand’s electricity system was currently “relatively insulated” from international energy prices.

That had been beneficial when international prices, especially LNG, spiked during 2021 and 2023 – when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected supply.

International natural gas prices have now increased again, after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and Goldman Sachs recently said prices could increase by another 50 to 100 percent if the conflict with Israel and the US dragged on.

Lawyers for Climate Action executive director Jessica Palairet said the modelling reinforced “real questions about whether the LNG import facility is going to deliver”.

“The analysis did not consider the risk of international LNG price … which is quite remarkable.”

The model also assumed that supply of LNG would be unlimited and uninterrupted, an assumption that was being tested by the current situation, she said.

An MBIE spokesperson said the current conflict had created only “short-term volatility” in LNG markets,

“LNG futures prices for 2028/2029 remain consistent with the price assumptions that fed into earlier Cabinet analysis on LNG,” they said.

“Importantly, events in the Middle East do not impact the cost of the LNG import facility itself, nor the benefits of having reliable dry year cover in New Zealand.”

The modelling documents showed that having access to LNG had the greatest effect on New Zealand’s electricity system in scenarios where electricity demand was much greater than supply, the Tariki gas storage project did not go ahead, and LNG prices were low.

“If LNG is significantly higher priced than NZ gas, LNG will likely result in cost,” the documents said.

Savings were also much lower when supply and demand was in balance, and if there was additional gas storage available through Tariki – which emails between officials and consultants concluded would have a “high impact”.

An agreement to develop the Tariki project was signed by NZ Energy Corp and Genesis late last year, and early work has begun.

A Genesis spokesperson said there was no timeline yet for “this potential project”.

Significant parts of the documents were redacted, including the introductory pages of the final presentation outlining the results.

Jessica Palairet said what appeared to have been redacted was the full executive summary, including any conclusions the Concept Consulting consultants – who she said were “rell-regarded” – had drawn from the modelling.

“We don’t have the interpretation of the consultants of their own modelling, In some ways, they’re … the most important information in the entire analysis.”

“What’s been redacted appears to be what the modellers actually thought about their model.”

MBIE said those sections of the document, along with multiple smaller redactions, were held back to prevent the “free and frank exchange of opinions”.

Official Information laws allow for such redactions, provided that they are not outweighed by the public interest.

Palairet – who also received a redacted version of the same documents – said her organisation was challenging that decision with the Ombudsman.

“There’s a really strong public interest in releasing the full document. We’re talking about a huge expenditure in the middle of an energy crisis.”

RNZ has laid a separate complaint with the Ombudsman, asking for the redactions to be reconsidered.

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

21 April 2026 – Amnesty International calls on states to stop predatory, anti-rights order from taking hold in pivotal moment for humanity

Predatory attacks on multilateralism, international law and civil society marked 2025
The alternative on offer is a racist, patriarchal, unequal and anti-rights world order
Protesters, activists and global bodies are working to resist, disrupt and transform

The world is on the brink of a perilous new era, driven by powerful states’, corporations’ and anti-rights movements’ assaults on multilateralism, international law and human rights, Amnesty International warned today upon launching its annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights. States, international bodies and civil society must reject the politics of appeasement and collectively resist these attacks to prevent this new order from taking hold, the organization said in its assessment of the human rights situation in 144 countries.

“We are confronting the most challenging moment of our age. Humanity is under attack from transnational anti-rights movements and predatory governments determined to assert their dominance through unlawful wars and brazen economic blackmail,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard.

“For years, Amnesty International has denounced the gradual disintegration of human rights in every part of the world, warning of the consequences of flagrant rule-breaking by governments and corporate actors. We’ve also demonstrated time and again how double standards and selective compliance with international law have weakened the multilateral system and accountability.

“What marks this moment as fundamentally different is that we’re no longer documenting erosion around the system’s edges. This is a direct assault on the foundations of human rights and the international rules-based order by the most powerful actors for the purpose of control, impunity and profit.

“The spiralling conflict in the Middle East is a product of this descent into lawlessness. Following the initial unlawful US-Israeli attacks in violation of the UN Charter, which triggered Iran’s indiscriminate retaliation, the conflict has quickly morphed into an open warfare against civilians and civilian infrastructure, exacerbating the already catastrophic suffering of people across the region. It is now engulfing countries around the world, impacting populations everywhere, and threatening the livelihood of millions. This is what happens when the norms, institutions and legal framework painstakingly built to safeguard humanity are hollowed out for the purpose of domination.”

“Amnesty’s 2025 annual report moves beyond warning of imminent breakdown to documenting a collapse now underway, and exposing its devastating consequences for human rights, global stability and the lives of millions in 2026 and beyond. It calls on states around the world to urgently reject the politics of appeasement embraced in 2025, overcome fear, and resist in words and actions the construction of a predatory world order.”

Predatory attacks are accelerating the destruction of international law

The State of the World’s Human Rights, and Amnesty International’s documentation so far this year, detail pervasive crimes under international law and mounting attacks on the international justice system, which are gravely harming the foundations that underpin human rights globally.

Israel has maintained its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, despite the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, and its system of apartheid over Palestinians, while accelerating the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and taking steps toward annexation. Israeli authorities have increasingly allowed or encouraged settlers to attack and terrorize Palestinians with impunity, and prominent officials have praised and glorified violence against Palestinians, including arbitrary arrests and the torture of detainees.

The United States of America has committed over 150 extrajudicial executions by bombing boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and carried out an act of aggression against Venezuela in January 2026. Russia has intensified its aerial attacks on critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, while Myanmar’s military used motorized paragliders to drop explosive munitions on villages last year, killing dozens of civilians, including children.

The United Arab Emirates has fuelled the conflict in Sudan by providing advanced Chinese weaponry to the Rapid Support Forces, who seized control of El Fasher last October after an 18-month siege of the city and committed mass civilian killings and sexual violence. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the M23 armed group, with the active support of Rwanda, captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu and unlawfully killed civilians and tortured detainees.

In early 2026, the USA and Israel’s unlawful use of force against Iran, in violation of the UN Charter, has triggered retaliatory Iranian strikes on Israel and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, while Israel has escalated its attacks on Lebanon. From the killing of over 100 children in an unlawful US strike on a school in Iran, to the devastating attacks by all parties on energy infrastructure, the conflict has endangered the lives and health of millions of civilians and threatens to inflict vast, predictable and long-term civilian and environmental harm, impacting access to energy, healthcare, food and water across an already turbulent region and beyond.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban escalated its predatory policies against the female population, with further bans prohibiting them from education, work and freedom of movement, while in Iran, the authorities massacred protesters in January 2026, in what was likely the most lethal such repression for decades.

The USA, Israel and Russia further undermined international accountability mechanisms, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in particular, last year. The Trump administration enacted sanctions against ICC staff, collaborators and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while Russian courts issued arrest warrants against ICC officials. Several other states withdrew or announced their intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute and treaties banning cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines.

The vast majority of states have been unwilling or unable to consistently denounce predatory acts by the USA, Russia, Israel or China, or to chisel out diplomatic solutions. The European Union and most European states appeased US assaults on international law and multilateral mechanisms. They have failed to take meaningful action to stop Israel’s genocide or end the irresponsible arms and technology transfers fuelling crimes under international law around the world. They have also been unwilling to enact blocking statutes to protect the targets of US sanctions, including on ICC judges and prosecutors. Italy and Hungary declined to arrest individuals subject to ICC warrants in their territory, while France, Germany and Poland implied they would do the same.

“World leaders have been far too submissive in the face of attacks on international law and the multilateral system. Their silence and inaction are inexcusable. It is morally bankrupt and will bring nothing but retreat, defeat and the erasure of decades of hard-fought human rights gains. To appease aggressors is to pour fuel on a fire that will burn us all and scorch the future for generations to come,” said Agnès Callamard.

“Some may be tempted to dismiss the system built over the last 80 years as nothing but an illusion. This is to ignore the hard-fought achievements towards the recognition of universal rights, the adoption of multiple international conventions and national laws protecting against racial discrimination and violence against women, enshrining the rights of workers and trade unions, and recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is to forget the poverty addressed, the reproductive rights strengthened and the justice delivered when states chose to uphold the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

“The political and economic predators, and their enablers, are declaring the multilateral system dead not because it’s inefficient but because it’s not serving their hegemony and control. The response is not to proclaim it an illusion or beyond repair, but to confront its failures, end its selective application and keep transforming it so that it’s fully capable of defending all people with equal resolve.”

Ramped-up assaults on civil society spread around the world

The proliferation of attacks on civil society and social movements deepened in 2025, with sustained efforts to silence and disempower human rights defenders, organizations and dissenters spreading to almost every part of the world.

Authorities in Nepal and Tanzania were particularly brazen in their unlawful use of lethal force to repress protests expressing political and socio-economic grievances. The governments of Afghanistan, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, the USA and Venezuela, among others, also violently repressed protests, criminalized dissent through counterterrorism and security laws, or used abusive policing tactics, enforced disappearances or extrajudicial executions.

In the United Kingdom, authorities proscribed Palestine Action, a direct-action protest network primarily targeting Israeli arms manufacturers and their subsidiaries, under overly broad counterterrorism laws and arrested more than 2,700 people for peacefully opposing the ban. The UK High Court ruled this unlawful in February 2026. The government is appealing the decision.

Turkish authorities detained hundreds of peacefully protesters after the arrest of Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is among over 400 people facing politically motivated prosecution under alleged corruption charges.

US authorities launched an unlawful clampdown on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, committing unnecessary and excessive use of force, racial profiling, arbitrary detention, and practices that amounted to torture and enforced disappearance. In Latin America, states such as Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela adopted or reformed legal frameworks that impose disproportionate controls on civil society organizations directly impacting their ability to operate, access resources, support communities and defend human rights.

Many governments, facilitated by corporate actors, used spyware and digital censorship to restrict freedom of expression and the right to information. US authorities used AI-powered surveillance tools to target foreign students expressing solidarity with Palestinians with arrest and deportation. Serbia’s government used spyware and digital forensics tools against student protesters, civil society and journalists. Kenyan authorities systematically deployed technology-facilitated repression tactics, including online intimidation, threats, incitement to hatred and unlawful surveillance, to suppress youth-led protests.

The USA, Canada, France, Germany and the UK, among others, announced or enacted sweeping cuts to international aid budgets, despite knowing they would likely result in millions of avoidable deaths, and in several cases while committing to massive parallel hikes in military expenditure. This has had a catastrophic impact on NGOs’ efforts to advance press freedom, climate resilience, and gender justice, to protect refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, and to provide healthcare and sexual and reproductive rights.

Many states continued to resist reining in the aggressive tax avoidance and evasion by billionaires and corporate giants while weakening further restraints on corporate power. In the USA, strategic lawsuits against public participation had a chilling effect on civil society, with one such lawsuit resulting in a court ordering Greenpeace to pay a fossil fuel company $345 million (reduced from an initial $660 million).

In a context dominated by the US president describing climate change as a “scam”, governments did nowhere near enough to address climate displacement, equitably transition away from fossil fuels, or adequately ramp up finance for climate action – even as the UN Environment Programme warned that the world is on track to reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

“What alternative do the bullies and predators offer to the imperfect global experiment they’re so intent on destroying? The world order they propose is one that mocks and discards racial, gender and climate justice, treats civil society as an enemy, and rejects international solidarity. It is built on silencing dissent, weaponizing the law and dehumanizing those deemed ‘others’. Their vision of the world is predicated not on respect for our common humanity, but on military force, trade domination and technological hegemony. It is, ultimately, a vision with no moral compass,” said Agnès Callamard.

Protesters, civil society and international bodies lead efforts to resist, disrupt and transform

Undeterred by adversity, millions around the world are resisting injustice and authoritarian practices.

Gen Z protests swept over a dozen countries in 2025, including Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nepal and Peru, and around 300,000 people defied Hungary’s ban on Budapest Pride to defend LGBTI rights. Throughout early 2026, demonstrators from Los Angeles to Minneapolis have organized street by street and block by block against violent and highly militarized US immigration enforcement raids.

Mass demonstrations against Israel’s genocide spread around the world last year and humanitarians from over 40 countries launched flotillas to show solidarity with Palestinians. Global activism against the flow of arms to Israel expanded, with dockworkers in France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Sweden seeking to disrupt arms shipment routes. Activism and legal pressure also led several states to restrict or ban arms exports to Israel.

While many governments appeased attacks on international justice, several states and bodies bucked this trend by demonstrating their commitment to multilateralism and rule of law. A growing number acknowledged that Israel was committing genocide and several states joined the Hague Group, a collective committed to holding Israel accountable for violations of international law, and contributed to South Africa’s case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The Philippines handed former president Rodrigo Duterte over to the ICC to face charges of the crime against humanity of murder, and the court issued warrants against two Taliban leaders for gender-based persecution. The Council of Europe and Ukraine agreed to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and a hybrid court in the Central African Republic convicted six former members of an armed group for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The UN Human Rights Council established an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan and a fact-finding mission and Commission of Inquiry on Eastern DRC, and expanded the mandate of its fact-finding mission on Iran. Significant progress was made toward a binding UN tax convention and a Crimes Against Humanity Convention, and the ICJ and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued landmark advisory opinions affirming state human rights obligations to respond to climate damage.

More states have started speaking out against authoritarian practices and attacks on the rules-based order in 2026, with the Spanish government notably taking principled stands, but such calls must be backed up with decisive and sustained action.

“From city streets to multilateral forums, 2025 brought powerful displays of resistance and solidarity from protesters, diplomats, political leaders and many others around the world. We must build on their example and courage and forge bold coalitions to reimagine, rebuild and re-centre the global order around human rights, the rule of law and universal values,” said Agnès Callamard.

“Let 2026 be the year we assert our agency and demonstrate that history is not merely something imposed upon us; it is ours to make. And for the sake of humanity, the time to make history is now.”

MIL OSI

The Defence Force has taken part in a wargame with the United States based on a Russian nuclear blast aimed at taking out satellites.

The classified exercise was run by the American space warfighting agency, alongside 60 companies.

About the same time, the government put out a new NZ-US space dialogue that aimed to expand commercial and military space co-operation.

New Zealand had also signed up to “accelerating defence industrial cooperation” through a US-led 16-nation group in the Indo-Pacific.

The US partners of the NZDF – its Space Command and US Space Force – had also released a vision of space in 2040 that imagined China developing an AI-driven ‘Supermind’ that could strike with “unmatched speed and lethality”.

In the here-and-now, the force’s leading general told US lawmakers recently that space systems were critical to the ‘Epic Fury’ war in Iran.

‘Forced us to prepare’

The desktop wargame in March focused on a “worst-case” scenario of weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

“Reporting about Russia’s plans to launch such a weapon… has forced us to prepare,” said the general in charge, US Space Command head Stephen Whiting.

Exactly what went on remained secret, but participants, including the NZDF and more than 60 companies, “shared innovation, courses of action, and new and interesting ideas on how to deter the use of nuclear detonation in space”.

Whiting has designated 2026 the “Year of Integration” of the US Space Force, with both commercial partners and America’s ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence group partners.

NZ is part of Five Eyes and also a member of the elite US-led Operation Olympic Defence space security group.

The wargrame was the first of four in Space Command’s new ‘Apollo Insight’ commercial integration series.

“These partnerships are not symbolic,” Whiting said. “They accelerate innovation, expand warfighting capacity and increase operational tempo that government alone cannot achieve.”

‘Overwhelming American firepower’

The US warned allies two years ago that Russia might put a nuclear weapon in space.

Last month, Senate Armed Services Committee chair Republican Roger Wicker said he was particularly concerned that the current US space and nuclear strategy “does not address space and nuclear threats with anywhere near the urgency they deserve”.

Since the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty’s (New START) nuclear weapons limits expired in February, there was now no verifiable agreement to cap nuclear arms for the first time since the early 1970s. Last year, US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to resume testing nukes, in place of simulations, for the first time in 33 years.

After Wicker’s call to up their game, the US Space Force this week put out a report on what 2040 might look like.

The 2040 report stressed how vital integration with allies was across surveillance, warning and targeting and stated, “Success means that the Space Force dominates the domain in the long tradition of overwhelming American firepower.”

‘Accelerating defense industrial collaboration’

RNZ asked the NZDF what benefits New Zealand gained from taking part in the Apollo wargame and if it gave any undertakings to the US.

On 20 March, New Zealand re-affirmed its commitment to “accelerating defence industrial cooperation” through the US-founded 16-member group PIPIR (Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience).

In late 2024, RNZ revealed NZ had joined this group and, earlier, that America had unilaterally inserted New Zealand into its defence-related national technology industrial base or NTIB.

“We agreed that PIPIR continues to make tangible progress toward addressing barriers and accelerating defense industrial collaboration to promote a stronger, more resilient, more integrated, defense industrial base,” a joint statement from the group’s second annual meeting said.

The group was working on getting more drone motors and batteries made, and a support hub in Australia for P-8 Poseidons, which the NZDF flies.

Expanding ‘space situational awareness’

Also last month, the US and New Zealand governments signed a new space dialogue that mentioned the military directly once.

“Both sides also discussed opportunities for further cooperation to address space-related threats to shared security interests, including military space cooperation and managing the risks to ground-based space infrastructure.”

It had more to say about the commercial side, such as, “They decided to work closely together to address regulatory constraints that hinder effective cooperation, commercial engagement, and mutual benefits.”

It also talked about expanding “space situational awareness, launch and re-entry”. While satellites were already key to missile defence and targeting systems – and to the Trump administration’s Golden Dome – defence documents showed that another key was space situational or domain awareness monitoring systems which include one the NZDF runs for the US in Auckland that produces unclassified reports on satellite movements.

Recently, the Senate Armed Services Committee talked about the threat from China and recommended expanding the Pentagon’s commercial space-or-ground-based monitoring systems.

On rocket launches, the dialogue said the partners “acknowledged New Zealand’s geographic advantages have enabled frequent and responsive launches”. Responsive is a term used for rapid launches.

US lawmakers got a report last month looking in part at what spaceports in other countries it could use for military and spy launches. It had not been made public, although RNZ has sought a copy.

‘Diversified spaceports’ and ‘select niche competencies’

The report on what 2040 might look like said China would remain the No.1 threat.

Its “vision for victory” said allies and partners would operate as “integral nodes within the decision lattice… preserving the continuity of Joint All-Domain Command and Control”. Command and Control or C2 is central to data-integration partnerships the NZDF now has with each of the US navy, army and air force.

The NZDF told MPs recently that the data-crunching software in military platforms would dictate how good weapons were in future.

New Zealand has signed up to the US army’s Project Convergence; it also has the NGC2 (Next Generation Command and Control) battlefield tech system, and had to report back to lawmakers by 31 March on NGC2 with details about how it was mandating “interoperability with NATO and Indo-Pacific allies as a requirement in its new command and control software program”, a congressional report said.

This month as part of these data-powered-military moves, the US army launched a new data operations centre, called ADOC. The NZDF was scheduled to join a US army exercise with emerging technology in mid-2026.

The 2040 report Saltzman had put out envisaged allies offering “rapid launch and diversified spaceports”.

“Allies in the Indo-Pacific will seek to contribute through geography and select niche competencies,” it said.

It emphasised a future where US and allies’ systems were integrated with each other, and human decisionmaking integrated with machine speed, to break adversaries’ “long range kill chains”.

Whiting’s fellow space general, Chance Saltzman, released the 2040 report this week in a speech at US Space Force’s largest space symposium in Colorado. Last year, Defence Minister Judith Collins gave the keynote speech there, but successor Chris Penk was not there this week.

Saltzman talked about bringing “commercial services to the fight”.

“Today, the Department of War is implementing new initiatives to unshackle our industry partners and continue putting our space industrial base on a wartime footing,” the head of US Space Force said.

‘Bodyguard’ satellites

The second Apollo Insight wargame – otherwise known as a ‘Campaigning with Commercial Partners’ tabletop exercise – in June 2026 would focus on manoeuvre warfare.

“Participants will explore how commercial, industry and allied partners can enable these approaches, and help challenge traditional methods of operating in space,” said Space Command.

It was worried about China building “bodyguard” and “inspector” satellites that, unlike traditional ones, were not fixed in space, conserving fuel, but moved around.

Whiting used his Colorado symposium speech to warn that China’s first experiment in refuelling a satellite in low earth orbit had shifted space “from a relatively permissive environment into one where US satellites could be tracked, targeted or interfered with during a conflict”.

In response, US and partner satellites had to be built to move more, he said.

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