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

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

Opensignal

Annual Global 5G Awards Name Worldwide Winners, Leaders, And Rising Stars from Billions of Real-World User Experiences

BOSTON – Opensignal, a global independent consumer connectivity analytics and insights company, today announced its annual Opensignal 5G Global Mobile Network Experience Awards, recognizing the providers delivering the best real-world 5G experiences across their national mobile networks. The awards assess billions of real-world user experiences across Download Speed, Video, Games, Voice App, Reliability, Coverage Experience, and — new for 2026 — Time on 5G, collected between Jan. 1 and June 29, 2026.

“The consumer connectivity experience is at the core of everything we do at Opensignal. As the role of 5G in modern life grows, the bar for what great 5G looks like keeps rising,” said Shawn Heidel, President, Network Experience at Opensignal. “The best operators in the world are defined by how well they deliver on that challenge, and this year’s Global 5G Award winners set the standard.”

The highest-scoring provider in each category earns the 5G Global Winner title. Global Leaders make up the next tier, and a separate Rising Star recognition goes to the five operators that improved the most year-over-year, rewarding progress and recognizing the dynamic, changing nature of 5G networks. Providers are split between large and small land areas, recognizing that serving a vast, varied geography with 5G is a fundamentally different challenge from densely populated, compact areas.

Key Findings

• Brazil’s Vivo retains its 5G Download Speed title in large land-area markets, with national rivals Claro and TIM close behind as Global Leaders.
• In small land-area markets, South Korea’s SK Telecom dethrones KT to take the crown at 495.1Mbps.
• T-Mobile US and Singapore’s Singtel repeat last year’s wins for 5G Coverage Experience in large and small land-area markets respectively.
• In the newly introduced Time on 5G category, T-Mobile US leads large land-area and Singapore’s StarHub tops small land-area markets.
• For 5G Reliability, Japan’s au and SoftBank jointly lead large land-area markets, while Denmark’s Norlys and Telenor, alongside Austria’s A1 and Slovenia’s A1, share the top spot in small land-area markets.
• The Netherlands’ Odido wins 5G Video outright in small land-area markets, while 12 operators from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Poland are tied for the large land-area title.
• Germany’s Telekom and Switzerland’s Swisscom lead 5G Games Experience in large and small land-area markets, respectively.
• Japan’s au wins the 5G Voice App title again in large land-area markets, and South Korea’s KT claims the win in small land-area markets.
• Peru’s Bitel stands out as the biggest mover overall, claiming Rising Star recognition across five categories: Download Speed, Video, Games, Voice App, and Reliability.
• South Africa’s Vodacom and Albania’s ONE each earn three Rising Star titles.

5G Global Winners

Large Land-Area (Markets with land-area greater than 200,000 km²)

• 5G Coverage Experience: T-Mobile (USA)
• 5G Download Speed: Vivo (Brazil)
• 5G Games Experience: Telekom (Germany)
• 5G Reliability: au (Japan), SoftBank (Japan)
• 5G Video Experience: Elisa (Finland), DNA (Finland), T-Mobile (Poland), Tele2 (Sweden), 3 (Sweden), Telenor (Sweden), Play (Poland), Telenor (Norway), ice (Norway), Orange (Poland), Telia (Norway), Telia (Finland)
• 5G Voice App Experience: au (Japan)
• Time on 5G: T-Mobile (USA)

Small Land-Area (Markets with land-area less than 200,000 km²)

• 5G Coverage Experience: Singtel (Singapore)
• 5G Download Speed: SK Telecom (South Korea)
• 5G Games Experience: Swisscom (Switzerland)
• 5G Reliability: Telenor (Denmark), Norlys (Denmark), A1 (Austria), A1 (Slovenia)
• 5G Video Experience: Odido (Netherlands)
• 5G Voice App Experience: KT (South Korea)
• Time on 5G: StarHub (Singapore)

The full report, including a complete list of Winners, Leaders, Rising Stars and qualifying operators, as well as markets, methodology, and graphics are available at https://insights.opensignal.com/2026/09/5g-global-awards-2026/dt.

About Opensignal

Opensignal is a global independent consumer connectivity analytics and insights company, delivering an unmatched combination of real-world network data and competitive market intelligence. Its insights are fueled by 50+ billion daily data points from over 100 million devices worldwide on mobile, fixed broadband, and satellite networks, alongside pricing, promotions, and competitive conditions, showing how consumers actually experience connectivity and why they switch. In addition to public network benchmark reports and market insights, Opensignal delivers this intelligence through its portfolio of premium solutions, including Opensignal Network Experience Suite, Opensignal Subscriber Analytics, Frontline Network Experience, and GeoResults. Headquartered in Boston, Opensignal has offices in Canada, the UK, Poland and Singapore. For more information, visit https://opensignal.com.

MIL OSI

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

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

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

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

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Around 1200 senior nurses from around the world will attend an International Nursing Council conference in Wellington after the New Zealand Nursing Organisation won hosting rights.

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the International Nursing Council (ICN) has announced New Zealand will host the 2028 Nursing Practitioners and Advanced Practice Nurses conference.

“This conference in September 2028 at Tākina will bring around 1200 senior nurses to Wellington and showcase Aotearoa New Zealand. It follows a bid by NZNO, the Wellington City Council and Tourism New Zealand at an ICN conference in Helsinki, Finland in 2025.

The theme for the conference is Titiro Whakamuri, Arataki Whakamua, or Look Back. Lean Forward.

“It comes from the Māori whakataukī ‘ka mua, ka muri’ or ‘walking backwards into the future’ which reminds us that as we move forward, we are strengthened by the experiences, wisdom, and courage of those who have gone before us,” Kerri Nuku says.

“Across Aotearoa New Zealand, the journey of Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Practice Nurses has been to lead change where it matters most – alongside whānau, communities, and services working for better, fairer health outcomes.

“Their contribution reaches beyond diagnosis and treatment. They are redesigning services, strengthening communities, influencing policy, mentoring future generations of nurses, and bringing together clinical expertise, nursing values, cultural understanding, and systems leadership to improve health outcomes for our people.

“They embody what it means to look back and lead forward. They are carrying the strength of those who have gone before us while creating the change our people, our communities, and our future need now.

“We are looking forward to welcoming nurses from around the world to Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand in 2028,” Kerri Nuku says.

MIL OSI

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

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

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

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

Source: Coalition for Books

17 September 2026

The Aotearoa New Zealand book sector says the next government has a defining opportunity: to lift literacy, grow local readership, and back a thriving literature ecosystem that produces New Zealand stories for New Zealand readers.

“New Zealanders already love reading, and research consistently shows that reading participation is fundamental to our success as a nation,” says Coalition for Books chair Melanie Laville-Moore.

Reading improves life outcomes, lifts economic productivity, and strengthens social wellbeing. “But the literature sector also faces core challenges that only a coordinated government response can help overcome,” she says.

The Coalition, a collaborative organisation representing all parts of the sector, has identified four priority issues in its Election Manifesto.

Download the full 2026 Book Sector Manifesto for Election 2026 (PDF)

Firstly, the Coalition wants the future government to commit to strategic and more focused funding of the sector.

“New Zealand readers engage strongly with books, yet books still lack the stand-alone, targeted support enjoyed by music and film through their government-funded commissions. A piecemeal, uncoordinated approach is preventing the book sector from realising its full potential,” says Laville-Moore

Secondly, they want the government to join with the book sector to launch the New Zealand Year of Reading, similar to recent initiatives in other developed nations.

“The UK, Australia, Norway – our peers are on to this, let’s join them through our own co-funded major nationwide campaign to get more New Zealanders reading our stories, reading our books,” says Laville-Moore.

The final two issues are ones only the government can move the needle on: legislative reform and local purchasing commitments.

“These can be easily done if there is government will to do it,” says Laville-Moore.

She points to a directive issued last June requiring 130 government agencies to buy New Zealand woollen products for government construction projects.

“If the government would also direct its ministries and libraries to stop the damaging practice of offshore contracts with overseas based books wholesalers, it would have the same benefits and economic outcomes.”

Copyright Act reform, Public Lending Right reform, and new legislation to address AI are all bills which should be on the next government’s agenda.

“Any government which will help the sector work towards these goals is a government ensuring the future is for, and also full of readers. We are asking, will political parties who form the next government open the book for all New Zealanders?” says Laville-Moore.

MIL OSI

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

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

Source: BestBrokers.com

As governments navigate trade disputes, shifting alliances, and an increasingly fragmented global economy, the size of a country’s economy is only part of the story. While the United States and China continue to dominate the global economy, a very different picture emerges when you look at GDP per capita. To provide more details, I am reaching out with a recent comparison of the countries projected to have the highest economic output per person in 2026, revealing a ranking led by Ireland, Switzerland, and Singapore.

To identify the countries with the highest GDP per capita this year, the team at BestBrokers analysed IMF data covering 2026 GDP per capita at current prices in U.S. dollars. We ranked countries by projected economic output per resident and compared results across major economies, European countries, and smaller, high-income markets. You can access all data used for these calculations on Google Drive via this link.

The analysis shows that Ireland is projected to have the world’s highest GDP per capita in 2026, at $140,186, followed by Switzerland at $126,177, and Singapore at $107,758. Norway and the United States complete the top five, with GDP per capita of $105,877 and $94,430, respectively. However, GDP per capita does not necessarily reflect the average income of residents, as multinational company activity, corporate profits and differences in taxation can significantly influence national output.

Europe dominates the upper end of the ranking, with Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria also featuring among the world’s highest-income economies by this measure.

These Are the Countries with the Highest GDP per Capita in 2026:

• Ireland: $140,186 per person
• Switzerland: $126,177 per person
• Singapore: $107,758 per person
• Norway: $105,877 per person
• United States: $94,430 per person
• Denmark: $83,445 per person
• Netherlands: $79,918 per person
• Australia: $75,648 per person
• Sweden: $70,676 per person
• Israel: $69,804 per person

Key highlights from the report:

• Ireland has the highest GDP per capita in the world this year, with projected economic output of $140,186 per person in 2026. The country stands well ahead of Switzerland, which ranks second at $126,177, while Singapore takes third place at $107,758.
• Europe dominates the world’s highest GDP per capita rankings, with Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden all featuring in the top 10. Germany ranks 13th globally with $65,303 per person, while the UK and France produce $61,056 and $52,083 in GDP per person, respectively.
• The United States remains the world’s largest economy by total output in 2026, but ranks fifth in GDP per capita at $94,430. This illustrates the difference between economic size and output per resident: a country can lead the world in total GDP without having the highest GDP per capita.
• Several smaller economies outperform much larger countries on a per-person basis. Singapore, Norway, and Ireland all rank above the United States in GDP per capita, despite having substantially smaller populations. Meanwhile, Qatar records $68,138 per person, and the United Arab Emirates reaches $54,214, demonstrating the strong position of several resource-rich and globally connected economies.
• Eastern Europe continues to trail the wealthiest European economies, but there are notable differences across the region. Slovenia ranks highest among the listed Eastern European countries at $40,630 per person, followed by Czechia at $39,795. Poland records $31,336, while Romania and Bulgaria reach $25,693 and $23,848, respectively. These figures underline the substantial differences in economic output per resident across Europe.

‘GDP per capita offers an interesting snapshot of where economic output is concentrated, but it should not be mistaken for a direct measure of household prosperity. Ireland’s position at the top of the ranking, for example, needs to be understood in the context of its multinational-heavy economy. The same applies to resource-rich countries, where energy revenues can lift national output without necessarily translating into higher disposable incomes for everyone.

What the ranking does show clearly is that economic strength is not confined to the world’s largest countries – several smaller economies continue to generate exceptionally high output per resident. Ultimately, GDP per capita is most useful when viewed alongside household incomes, purchasing power and the wider distribution of wealth.’

– comments Alan Goldberg, data analyst and author at BestBrokers.

GDP per capita should not be confused with personal wealth or disposable income. The measure divides a country’s total economic output by its population and can be influenced by multinational businesses, exchange rates, commodity revenues and population size. It remains a useful way to compare economic output per resident, but it does not tell the whole story about how comfortably people live or how wealth is distributed.

More details about the countries with the highest GDP per capita in 2026, along with the full methodology behind these findings, can be found in the full report. All data gathered and used for the analysis is available on Google Drive via this link.

MIL OSI

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

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

Source: Ministry for Culture and Heritage

As a mark of mourning and respect, and in accordance with protocol, the New Zealand Flag will be flown at half-mast on all government and public buildings on Wednesday 9 September 2026 to mark the funeral of King Harald V of Norway.

King Harald died on 28 August 2026, aged 89.

This instruction applies to all government departments, public buildings and naval vessels that have flagpoles and normally fly the New Zealand Flag. The Flag should be returned to full mast at the close of business on Wednesday 9 September.

When half-masting the Flag, it should first be raised to the top of the mast and then lowered slowly to a recognisable half-mast position.

At the end of the day, it should be raised again to the top of the mast before being fully lowered.

See Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage website for more information: Display rules for the New Zealand Flag: Half-masting

MIL OSI

Source: TradingPlatforms.io

By Martin Tunchev | Updated: 3 September 2026

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

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

Where Is EV Charging Infrastructure Under the Most Pressure?

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

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

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

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

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

Where Does Charging Capacity Keep Up With EV Demand?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Global EV and Charging Infrastructure Race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which Countries Have the Fastest Charging Networks?

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

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

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

The Global EV Charging Race Is Becoming a Race Against Time

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

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

Methodology

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

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

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

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

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

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

MIL OSI

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)

1 September 2026

PSNA points to a hint of future economic sanctions against Israel, in a statement of concern issued jointly by New Zealand, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Canada just over a week ago.

New Zealand did not put its name to another second and stronger statement of condemnation, against Israel constructing the highly strategic E1 settlement on the Occupied West Bank.

The second statement was issued at the same time, and had been signed by 22 western countries.

All the countries who signed the second letter, except New Zealand and Germany, also signed the first one.

PSNA spokesperson, Rinad Tamimi, says ether New Zealand was deliberately identifying and aligning with Germany, which is Israel’s third largest arms supplier.

“Or, more likely, it’s National outsourcing its foreign policy to New Zealand First, whose leader is blatantly pro-Israel. That haphazard arrangement results in mixed and ambiguous messages for the world and for New Zealanders.”

But Tamimi says there is a suggestion of economic sanctions in the second statement which did have New Zealand’s signature.

The statement states ‘businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders. They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of involving themselves in various breaches of international law’.

Tamimi says this warning to presumably local companies in each country, is a notice that the governments of the signatory countries, could bring legal proceedings or amend legislation to thwart these companies.

“If governments follow this through, this is hugely important for investment funds in New Zealand which operate under Acts of Parliament, such as the Super Fund, ACC and KiwiSavers.

“The Super Fund lost a court case earlier this year, due to its attempts to keep investing in companies profiting from Israeli West Bank settlements. The writing is on the wall for other investors in Israel.”

“Investment in genocide and apartheid Israel is neither a prudent nor moral choice for anyone.”

MIL OSI

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)

The absence of a New Zealand government signature on a 22-member joint statement, which is condemning the E1 Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank, can only be interpreted as a ‘moral collapse’ in our foreign policy, according to the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.

The recent joint statement was issued by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Commission.

The statement condemned the decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, as ‘unacceptable and a violation of international law’.

The E1 settlement would divide the Occupied West Bank into two regions – northern and southern.

PSNA spokesperson, Rinad Tamimi says the New Zealand’s government’s absence from the statement is even worse, in the context of the statement specifically citing UN Security Council Resolution 2334, describing the settlements as a “flagrant breach of international law.”

“The Key/English National Party government co-sponsored this resolution at the UN Security Council in 2016.  But the Luxon National Party, even after the genocide in Gaza in the past three years, can’t even bother to put its name to this recent condemnation,” Tamimi says.

“In the nuanced world of world of international diplomacy, Israel will be taking favourable note of New Zealand’s slide into not caring what atrocities Israel is committing.”

“Without taking any other action, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has always made of point of saying he often ‘made his concerns known’ to Israel.  Now he’s even given up on that.”

Tamimi is also concerned that none of New Zealand’s political parties have specific policies to support Palestine in their election manifestos.

Tamimi says Israel’s genocide in Gaza is the worst atrocity of the 21^st century.  

“While there is meant to be a functioning ceasefire, the latest news from Gaza is that Israel has reoccupied more than 70 percent of Gaza, Israeli forces have resumed their assault because children in Gaza were flying kites.  And on the Occupied West Bank Israeli settlers are openly beating up foreign network journalists with impunity.”

New Zealand has practical and significant symbolic leverage against Israel which it deliberately has decided not to use.”

“As you would expect, all three coalition parties, pretend there is no such thing as foreign policy.”

“Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori have expressed support for Palestine, including imposing sanctions.”

“But they need to clearly state what type and level of sanctions.  Even the present government can say its immigration bans on West Bank terrorist settlers constitutes a sanction.”

“It all amounts to just election rhetoric, without announcing specific and meaningful sanctions in all areas; trade, investment, diplomatic, military and immigration,” Tamimi says.

“Without sanctions, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the Greater Israel project, are all still licenced for Israel to action.” 

Rinad Tamimi

National Spokesperson

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

MIL OSI

Source: Morningstar DBRS

27 August 2026

Overview

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has triggered an unprecedented surge in demand for digital infrastructure, particularly data centres. 

Once viewed as a niche segment within real estate and infrastructure markets, these facilities have rapidly evolved into a distinct asset class. 

As AI models grow in scale and complexity, their computational requirements increase exponentially, making data centres essential to supporting this technological transformation. 

Sustaining AI expansion requires significant investment. In the U.S., AI-related spending was estimated at USD 430 billion in 2025 and could more than double by 2029, reflecting both rapid innovation and the capital-intensive demands of computing, storage and energy infrastructure. To support this growth, technology companies have raised around USD 300 billion from U.S. investors and increasingly relied on bank financing for AI and data-centre development. Banks have become deeply involved in this ecosystem, not only in the U.S. but also in Europe and the UK through large-scale financing, syndicated lending and securitisation. As a result, the banking sector is increasingly embedded in the expansion of AI-driven digital infrastructure. According to Morningstar DBRS, this creates significant business opportunities for banks whilst also increasing sector concentration risks, prompting active exposure management. However, whilst data-centre lending has been one of the fastest-growing areas of bank credit in recent years, exposures generally remain a modest share of overall loan portfolios. Furthermore, banks employ a range of established risk-management tools, including syndication, concentration limits, exposure caps, portfolio monitoring and risk-transfer mechanisms, to manage sector-specific risks and limit excessive concentration.

Key Highlights

• AI is driving unprecedented investment in data centres, thereby transforming them into a strategic asset class and creating significant financing opportunities for banks through lending, syndication, and capital markets activities.
• Banks’ exposure to the data-centre sector is growing rapidly across the U.S. and Europe, supported by strong demand from hyperscalers and AI developers, but this expansion increases concentration and credit risks.
• Banks are actively managing these risks through syndication, securitisation, and risk-transfer structures, shifting part of the exposure to institutional investors whilst raising new questions around transparency and systemic risk.

Strategic Rationale for Banks’ Exposure to Data Centres

Banks’ exposure to data centres takes multiple forms, including syndicated loans to developers, corporate lending to hyperscalers and infrastructure operators, and capital-markets financing through structured finance transactions. Given the scale of modern AI infrastructure projects, financing is typically arranged by large banking syndicates capable of underwriting substantial amounts of capital. Moreover, banks support the sector through a broad range of capital markets solutions, including M&A advisory, debt arranging and equity capital markets transactions.

U.S. banks remain the dominant participants in the market. Institutions such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo regularly arrange multibillion-dollar financings for data-centre developers and AI-related infrastructure. For example, JPMorgan led a USD 7.1 billion construction loan for Crusoe’s Stargate AI campus in Texas in 2025, whilst a consortium led by Morgan Stanley and MUFG provided USD 2.6 billion of financing to CoreWeave later that year.

European banks have also increased their participation through infrastructure lending, project financing, and syndicated transactions, both within Europe and internationally. For instance, Deutsche Bank AG, in September 2025, provided EUR 600 million of financing to Sweden-based EcoDataCenter and participated in AirTrunk’s AUD 4.3 billion financing in Australia alongside other lenders. Beyond traditional bank lending, private credit funds, infrastructure investors, and asset managers are becoming increasingly important capital providers. NVIDIA Corporation’s recently announced initiative to help mobilise more than USD 500 billion for AI infrastructure illustrates both the scale of anticipated investment needs and the growing role of nonbank capital providers.

We believe banks’ involvement in data-centre financing is consistent with their traditional role in supporting large-scale infrastructure and technology investments. The sector offers attractive long-term growth prospects, significant financing needs, and access to strategically important technology clients. In addition to lending income, syndication and capital-markets activities generate substantial fee revenues in a normalising interest rate environment, whilst limiting balance sheet usage.

Key Risks Associated With Data-Centre Financing

Despite strong growth prospects, we note that data-centre financing carries several risks for banks. In our view, concentration risk is one of the most significant credit considerations for banks active in the sector. Projects are typically large and often dependent on a limited number of hyperscalers, AI providers, or specialist operators.

Credit risk is also closely linked to expectations regarding future AI adoption. Many investment decisions assume continued growth in demand for computing capacity and the sustained use of new infrastructure. If commercial AI adoption develops more slowly than expected, utilisation rates and cash flows may fall short of projections, weakening borrowers’ ability to service debt.

Data centres are also exposed to technological obsolescence risk, although to a lesser extent. Rapid advances in chip technology, computing architecture, and cooling technologies may reduce existing facilities’ competitiveness, calling for considerable additional investment to remain operationally relevant.

Finally, data centres face asset-specific risks across both the development and operating phases. For facilities under development, permitting delays, construction challenges, power-connection constraints, and cost inflation can adversely affect project performance and increase risks for lenders. For operational assets, revenues often depend on long-term contracts with a relatively small number of tenants, whilst project economics rely on access to reliable and affordable electricity. Energy-price volatility and evolving environmental regulations can adversely affect project performance and increase risks for lenders.

Insurance availability has also become an increasingly important consideration, with higher premiums, tighter coverage terms, and reduced insurer capacity already affecting some large-scale data-centre projects.

Concentration risk at the tenant level remains particularly relevant. Large hyperscalers continue to account for a significant share of industry demand and capacity commitments, creating dependency on a relatively small group of counterparties. Recent market data indicates that hyperscalers represented approximately 59% of North American data-centre tenant demand in 2026, highlighting the importance of monitoring customer concentration and counterparty exposure.

We have also previously highlighted risks related to energy availability and physical security considerations for data centres, which are likely to remain important as the sector continues to expand.

Managing Down Exposures Through Risk Transfer and Securitisation

In response to concentration, capital-allocation, and portfolio-management concerns, banks are increasingly adopting strategies to reduce retained exposures. One primary tool is syndication, which allows institutions to distribute loans across a broader group of lenders and investors, limiting single-name balance sheet exposure. The USD 2.6 billion CoreWeave financing is an example of this approach, with exposure distributed among a large lending syndicate rather than retained by a small number of lead arrangers. Banks are also making greater use of significant risk transfer (SRT) transactions, enabling them to transfer portions of credit risk to external investors whilst preserving client relationships and maintaining lending capacity. In addition, banks increasingly use loan sales and secondary-market transactions to reduce retained exposures, free up capital, and enhance balance sheet flexibility. As a result, institutional investors, including private credit funds, insurance companies, and infrastructure investors, are becoming increasingly important providers of funding for digital infrastructure projects.

Securitisation also plays a growing role. By packaging data-centre loans into ABS and similar structures, banks can convert relatively illiquid exposures into tradable securities and broaden the investor base supporting the sector. For example, Vantage Data Centers completed the first EMEA data-centre ABS transaction in 2024, raising GBP 600 million through securitised notes, whilst Switch issued USD 1.7 billion of data-centre ABS in 2024 and a further USD 3.5 billion of ABS and CMBS financing in 2025. These transactions illustrate how capital markets are increasingly being used to recycle capital and redistribute risk beyond the banking system.

In our view, whilst these mechanisms improve capital efficiency and support the continued expansion of AI infrastructure, they may also create new vulnerabilities. Strong investor demand could weaken underwriting discipline, whilst the migration of exposures from regulated banks to nonbank financial institutions may reduce transparency and complicate the assessment of systemwide risk. Regulators are likely to focus not only on banks’ direct exposures but also on the channels through which AI-related infrastructure risks are redistributed across the broader financial system.

Related Research

• Money Laundering Risks in European Banking: Credit Implications, Emerging Threats and Evolving Supervision (5 August 2026)
• ECB’s Geopolitical Reverse Stress Test: More About Risk Management Than Capital (3 August 2026)
• One Rulebook, Many Markets: The Remaining Barriers to Europe’s Banking Union (28 July 2026)
• European Commission to Further Advance European Banking Integration and Simplify Rules (21 July 2026)
• European Banking Midyear Outlook: Middle East Conflict Not Derailing Positive Earnings Dynamics (20 July 2026)
• European Depositor Preference Reform: Implications for Bank Credit Ratings (30 June 2026)
• Can Europe’s Savings and Investments Union Overcome Fragmentation to Reap Potential Credit Benefits? (15 June 2026)
• Mythos-Class AI Raises Cyber Stakes for European Banks (10 June 2026)
• Middle East Conflict is Leading to Higher Provisions for Some Global Banks (2 June 2026)
• Shifting Demographics Create Structural Challenges for European Banks (2 June 2026)
• Italian Banks’ Solid Q1 2026 Results Support Credit Profiles As Earnings Momentum Normalises (14 May 2026)
• U.S. Data Center Q1 2026 Research (27 April 2026)
• European Banks’ Middle East Exposures: Modest Direct Risk, With Potential Stress Via Indirect Macro-Financial Channels (9 April 2026)
• European Data Centre CMBS: Regulatory Clarity Could Supercharge Italy’s Data Centre Expansion (18 March 2026)
• European Banks’ AT1 Instruments at a Crossroads: Regulatory Reassessment and Market Implications (11 March 2026)
• Data Centres: AI, Power, and the Energy Transition (9 March 2026)
• Middle East Conflict: Direct and Indirect Impact Manageable for Global Banks and Asset Managers (3 March 2026)
• The Expanding Role of Synthetic SRTs in European Bank Capital Planning (2 February 2026)
• Stablecoins and the Digital Euro: The New Frontier for Europe’s Payment Landscape (19 January 2026)

Notes

All figures are in euros unless otherwise noted.

About Morningstar DBRS

Morningstar DBRS is a leading provider of independent credit rating services and opinions for corporate and sovereign entities, financial institutions, and project and structured finance instruments globally. Rating more than 4,500 issuers and 68,000 securities, we are one of the top four credit rating agencies in the world and a market leader in Canada, the U.S., and Europe in multiple asset classes.

For 50 years, Morningstar DBRS has been committed to bringing greater transparency and a much-needed diversity of opinion in the credit rating industry. Our nimble approach combined with Morningstar’s global scale and resources enable us to respond to customers’ needs in their local markets while also empowering investor success worldwide. Learn more at https://dbrs.morningstar.com.

The Morningstar DBRS group of companies consists of DBRS, Inc. (Delaware, U.S.) (NRSRO, DRO affiliate); DBRS Limited (Ontario, Canada) (DRO, NRSRO affiliate); DBRS Ratings GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) (EU CRA, NRSRO affiliate, DRO affiliate); DBRS Ratings Limited (England and Wales) (UK CRA, NRSRO affiliate, DRO affiliate); and DBRS Ratings Pty Limited (Australia) (AFSL No. 569400). DBRS Ratings Pty Limited holds an Australian financial services license under the Australian Corporations Act 2001 to only provide credit ratings to “wholesale clients” within the meaning of section 761G of the Act. For more information on regulatory registrations, recognitions, and approvals of the Morningstar DBRS group of companies, please see: https://dbrs.morningstar.com/research/225752/highlights.pdf.

For persons in Australia: By continuing to access Morningstar DBRS credit ratings and other types of credit opinions and related research (collectively, Relevant Documents), you represent to Morningstar DBRS that you are, or are accessing the Relevant Documents as a representative of, a “wholesale client” and that neither you nor any entity you represent will directly or indirectly disseminate the Relevant Documents or their contents to “retail clients” within the meaning of section 761G of the Australian Corporations Act 2001. Morningstar DBRS does not authorize distribution of the Relevant Documents to any person in Australia other than a “wholesale client” and accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the actions of third parties in this respect.

The Morningstar DBRS group of companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc.

© 2026 Morningstar DBRS. All Rights Reserved. The information upon which Morningstar DBRS credit ratings and other types of credit opinions and reports are based is obtained by Morningstar DBRS from sources Morningstar DBRS believes to be reliable. Morningstar DBRS does not audit the information it receives in connection with the analytical process, and it does not and cannot independently verify that information in every instance. The extent of any factual investigation or independent verification depends on facts and circumstances. Morningstar DBRS credit ratings, other types of credit opinions, reports, and any other information provided by Morningstar DBRS are provided “as is” and without representation or warranty of any kind and Morningstar DBRS assumes no obligation to update any such credit ratings, opinions, reports, or other information. Morningstar DBRS hereby disclaims any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or non-infringement of any of such information. In no event shall Morningstar DBRS or its directors, officers, employees, independent contractors, agents, affiliates, and representatives (collectively, Morningstar DBRS Representatives) be liable for (1) any inaccuracy, delay, loss of data, interruption in service, error, or omission or for any damages resulting therefrom; or (2) any direct, indirect, incidental, special, compensatory, or consequential damages arising from any use of credit ratings, other types of credit opinions, and reports or arising from any error (negligent or otherwise) or other circumstance or contingency within or outside the control of Morningstar DBRS or any Morningstar DBRS Representative in connection with or related to obtaining, collecting, compiling, analyzing, interpreting, communicating, publishing, or delivering any such information. IN ANY EVENT, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF MORNINGSTAR DBRS AND MORNINGSTAR DBRS REPRESENTATIVES FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY THE USER FOR SERVICES PROVIDED BY MORNINGSTAR DBRS DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY, AND (B) USD 100.

Morningstar DBRS does not act as a fiduciary or an investment advisor. Morningstar DBRS does not provide investment, financial, or other advice. Credit ratings, other types of credit opinions, and other analysis and research issued by Morningstar DBRS (a) are, and must be construed solely as, statements of opinion and not statements of fact as to creditworthiness, investment, financial, or other advice or recommendations to purchase, sell, or hold any securities; (b) do not take into account your personal objectives, financial situations, or needs and do not comment on the suitability of any investment, loan, or security; (c) should be weighed, if at all, solely as one factor in any investment or credit decision; (d) are not intended for use by retail investors; and (e) address only credit risk and do not address other investment risks, such as liquidity risk or market volatility risk. Accordingly, credit ratings, other types of credit opinions, and other analysis and research issued by Morningstar DBRS are not a substitute for due care and the study and evaluation of each investment decision, security, or credit that one may consider making, purchasing, holding, selling, or providing, as applicable. A report with respect to a Morningstar DBRS credit rating or other credit opinion is neither a prospectus nor a substitute for the information assembled, verified, and presented to investors by the issuer and its agents in connection with the sale of the securities. Users should obtain appropriate advice from a financial or other professional advisor prior to making any financial decisions. Users should also consider the definitions, limitations, policies, criteria, and methodology used by Morningstar DBRS to arrive at the credit ratings, opinions, research, or other analysis provided by Morningstar DBRS. Morningstar DBRS may receive compensation for its credit ratings and other credit opinions from, among others, issuers, insurers, guarantors, and/or underwriters of debt securities. This publication may not be reproduced, retransmitted, or distributed in any form without the prior written consent of Morningstar DBRS. ALL MORNINGSTAR DBRS CREDIT RATINGS AND OTHER TYPES OF CREDIT OPINIONS ARE SUBJECT TO DEFINITIONS, LIMITATIONS, POLICIES, AND METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON https://dbrs.morningstar.com.

Morningstar DBRS may use artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools to assist with certain research, drafting, and internal processes. Any content supported by AI is subject to human review and approval. Users may, through hypertext or other computer links, gain access to or from websites operated by persons other than Morningstar DBRS. Such hyperlinks or other computer links are provided for convenience only. Morningstar DBRS does not endorse the content, the operator, or operations of third-party websites. Morningstar DBRS is not responsible for the content or operation of such third-party websites and Morningstar DBRS shall have no liability to you or any other person or entity for the use of third-party websites.

MIL OSI

Source: Equinor

25 August 2026 08:00 (CEST)

The Troll A platform in the North Sea is being supplied with additional gas. On 22 August production started from the Troll Phase 3 stage 2 subsea project.

This helps maintain jobs, value creation and high gas deliveries to Europe from Troll A and the Kollsnes processing plant, which marks its 30th anniversary this year.

The project accelerates production of 55 billion standard cubic metres of gas from the Troll West reservoir. This corresponds to nearly two years of France’s gas demand.

Lill Harriet Brusdal, vice president for Troll and Kvitebjørn

“Troll is the backbone of Norwegian gas exports to Europe. This project accelerates production from the reservoir, helping maintain today’s high level of gas exports from Troll and Kollsnes for as long as possible. With both Troll A and the Kollsnes gas plant powered by electricity from shore, the gas is produced with very low emissions,” says Lill Harriet Brusdal, vice president for Troll and Kvitebjørn.

The Troll partnership consists of Petoro, Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips.

Troll Phase 3 stage 2 builds on the subsea facilities from the Troll Phase 3 project, which came on stream in 2021, reusing design and standardised solutions. This reduces execution time and costs and points the way for future subsea developments. Troll Phase 3 stage 2 comes on stream just over two years after the partnership’s investment decision.

“We start production with excellent HSE results, ahead of schedule and several hundred million Norwegian kroner below the cost estimate. The main reasons are efficient marine operations and a highly efficient drilling campaign, which was completed 25 per cent faster than planned,” says Trond Bokn, senior vice president for project development in Equinor.

Trond Bokn, senior vice president for project development in Equinor
Photo: Arne Reidar Mortensen / ©Equinor

The Troll phase 3 step 2-project was originally scheduled to start up towards the end of the year, and the cost estimate was NOK 12.3 billion.

The eight-well drilling campaign was completed in five and a half months by the Deepsea Aberdeen rig from Odfjell, with services from SLB and Baker Hughes. Templates and manifolds were built by Aker Solutions in Egersund for main supplier OneSubsea and installed on the field by Ocean Installer.

The umbilical, supplied by OneSubsea in Moss, and the MEG line have been extended from the existing facilities. A 28-kilometre, 36-inch pipeline was installed by the world’s largest pipelay vessel, Pioneering Spirit, and the line pipe was stored on Stord. Randaberg Industries delivered spools and pipeline end terminations, and Aker Solutions has carried out modifications on Troll A.

In this way, the project has generated significant ripple effects in Norway. In operations it helps maintain secure gas deliveries to Europe, jobs and revenues for society. More than 90 per cent of the profits from the Troll field go to the state through taxes and direct ownership in the field via Petoro.

Facts

• Partnership: Petoro AS 55.93%, Equinor Energy AS (operator) 30.55%, A/S Norske Shell 8.19%, TotalEnergies EP Norge AS 3.69% and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS 1.64%.

• Troll is the cornerstone of Norwegian gas production and contains around 40% of the gas reserves on the Norwegian continental shelf.

• Gas from Troll alone meets around 10% of Europe’s demand, and the annual energy production from Troll corresponds to three times Norway’s annual hydropower production.

• This year, Troll marks 30 years as Norway’s largest gas-producing field. Its enormous resource base has made it necessary to plan development and production in three phases:

• Phase 1 is the gas in Troll East, which resulted in Troll A, the Kollsnes gas plant and associated infrastructure.

• Phase 2 is the oil in Troll West, which resulted in the Troll B and C platforms and corresponding infrastructure. The oil is sent to the oil terminal at Mongstad.

• Phase 3 produces the gas cap above the oil column in Troll West, while oil production continues. The gas flows to Troll A and onward through existing infrastructure.

The Troll Phase 3 development is being carried out in several steps to ensure timely production of the gas resources in Troll West. Earlier this year, the partners also decided to proceed with the next phase of the development through the TWIN project (Troll West Increased gas recovery North).

Related links

• Find out more about the Troll area: https://www.equinor.com/energy/troll

• EQUINOR@ONS 2026: https://www.equinor.com/about-us/ons

• Downloadable Troll A photo: https://equinor.fotoware.cloud/fotoweb/archives/5020-Press/?q=82FA09CDF8B24B3C%20874696EE03911E0E

Official release: https://www.equinor.com/news/20260825-more-gas-for-30-year-old-troll-a

MIL OSI

Source: Equinor ASA

20 August 2026 10:00 (CEST)

Last modified 20 August 2026 10:05

Equinor has signed an agreement with Poland’s ORLEN for the sale of crude oil from the Johan Sverdrup field on the Norwegian continental shelf. The agreement will run for three years from the beginning of September.

Annual supplies under the agreement will be from 5 million tonnes to over 9 million tonnes. Further commercial terms are confidential between the parties. The agreement also allows for the possibility of supplying other crude grades produced from fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Irene Rummelhoff, executive vice president for Marketing, Midstream and Processing in Equinor.
Arne Reidar Mortensen

“This agreement is another example of how energy from the Norwegian continental shelf contributes to security of supply for Europe. We are very pleased to strengthen our relationship with ORLEN through this agreement for sales of crude to their refineries in Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, says Irene Rummelhoff, executive vice president for Marketing, Midstream and Processing in Equinor.

The agreement expands the energy partnership between Equinor and ORLEN and underlines the continued importance of reliable energy supplies from Norway to Poland and Europe. Johan Sverdrup is the oil field with the highest production on the Norwegian continental shelf, making it a significant contributor to European energy supply. The field is also known for highly energy efficient production with significantly lower CO₂ emissions from production than the global average, mainly due to power from shore.

Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.

“A secure future begins with decisions made in advance. That is why we are strengthening the ORLEN Group’s access to stable sources of crude oil from Norway, which may account for up to one-quarter of our annual demand. Equinor is a reliable partner, with whom we are building a relationship based on shared responsibility for the region’s energy security. This agreement is a concrete response to global market instability and demonstrates that resilience in the energy sector is built through long-term cooperation with partners that provide predictable supplies and operational reliability,” says Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.

Equinor has a broad energy offering in Poland and continues to work with Polish partners across oil, natural gas and lower-carbon solutions. The crude oil agreement with ORLEN builds on this wider cooperation and reflects the role of Norway as a long-term, reliable energy partner for Poland.

In addition to supplying Poland with oil, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), Equinor is building a broader and growing energy position in the country. Together with Polenergia, Equinor is developing the Bałtyk offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea. Equinor’s subsidiary Wento is also expanding its onshore renewables business in Poland, with a growing portfolio of solar and onshore wind assets as well as battery storages. In addition, Wento is developing a project pipeline that includes battery storages.

Official release

MIL OSI

Source: WEAll Aotearoa New Zealand

New polling has found overwhelming public support (82%) for a law requiring governments to consider the long-term impacts of their decisions on future generations when they develop laws and policies.

There was strong support across the political spectrum, with 90% of Greens, 89% of ACT, and 87% of NZ First voters supporting the idea of politicians being legally required to consider the long-term impacts of their decisions.

The polling, conducted by Talbot Mills, was commissioned by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa (https://www.weall.org.nz) (WEAll Aotearoa) as part of their rangatahi-led, non-partisan campaign Tomorrow Together (https://www.weall.org.nz/tomorrowtogether). The cornerstone of the campaign is a call for a Future Generations Act for Aotearoa, inspired by the successful Welsh model (https://weall.org/resource/wellbeing-of-future-generations-wales-act/).

18-year old Nate Wilbourne, Future Generations Lead at WEAll Aotearoa, says the polling result shows the public wants to see politicians required to consider the impacts of today’s decisions on the generations to come:

“This polling shows that Kiwis from across the political spectrum want our politicians to be required to make wise decisions for the long term. This is tradies, retirees, students and small business owners saying that politicians need to govern for a resilient, prosperous future, not just the next three years.”

“A Future Generations Act is common sense and doable. Wales has had a Future Generations Act since 2015, and Scotland, Australia and Finland are following suit.”

“Every big issue we’re grappling with right now – housing, climate, unemployment, cost of living, infrastructure – all these things are harder because we haven’t had strong enough long-term thinking, or enough willingness to make decisions that will take years to pay off. A Future Generations Act would make intergenerational fairness a legal requirement and in turn, push our leaders to plan for the long-run.”

“We are calling for political parties to work across the house to legislate a Future Generations Act.”

Additional polling from WEAll Aotearoa found 71% of New Zealanders believe that New Zealand’s economy is working “poorly” or “very poorly” for young people.

As Nate says, “This is what happens when we stop thinking about the long-term. This tells us we need to change course and start building an economy that works for people today and generations to come.”

Tom Rutherford said: “As one of Parliament’s youngest MPs, I’m conscious that many of the decisions we make today will shape the New Zealand my generation and future generations inherit. We need to ensure long-term thinking is part of our decision-making, particularly on issues that cannot be solved in a single parliamentary term. I’m looking forward to contributing to a conversation about how we can build a better future for all New Zealanders.”

Arena Williams said: “Labour backs young people and is focused on building an affordable future here in Aotearoa with good jobs, healthcare when and where you need it, and warm homes. We must keep involving young people in politics and ensure their voices are included in the decisions that affect their lives.”

Notes to editor

About Nate Wilbourne: Nate Wilbourne is the Future Generations Lead at WEAll Aotearoa. Co-founder of Gen Z Aotearoa, he is a Forbes 30 under 30 change maker, and a globally renowned advocate for his work with young people, nature, and for future generations.

About the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa: WEAll Aotearoa is one of 25 hubs that make up the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance. We are a non-partisan and independent ‘think and do’ tank working to redesign Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy around the wellbeing of our people and te taiao. We use an evidence-informed approach and think upstream to develop practical, long-term solutions for the public good. Through building a new economic system we can address the root causes of major challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

About the campaign: Tomorrow Together is WEAll Aotearoa’s rangatahi-led campaign for a Future Generations Act for Aotearoa New Zealand. It is grounded in the belief that the choices we make today should ensure a thriving future for generations to come. We want to build a governance system that looks beyond short-term political cycles and deeply invests in the future, for the wellbeing of all of us. The campaign has been supported by the youngest MPs from four different parties: Tom Rutherford (National), Arena Williams (Labour), Tamatha Paul (Greens) and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke (Te Pāti Māori), as well as Sir Geoffrey Palmer (https://www.weall.org.nz/videos/palmer), Christopher Finlayson, (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wellbeing-economy-alliance-aotearoa-nz_hon-chris-finlayson-kc-proposes-four-reforms-activity-7442412804533403652-e2qi/) and the late Jim Bolger (https://www.weall.org.nz/videos/bolger).

MIL OSI

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 July 2026 – Green SM today officially launched its fully electric taxi service in Copenhagen, marking the company’s first entry into the European market. The launch represents an important milestone in Green SM’s international expansion, following the successful rollout and operation of its services across Vietnam and several Asian markets.

The launch ceremony was attended by Mr. Do Quang Thai, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the Kingdom of Denmark, together with representatives from leading Danish organizations, including 3F, Dansk Erhverv, DPT and Carnegie Investment Bank, alongside strategic partners and industry stakeholders from the transport, technology, energy, finance and infrastructure sectors.

As one of the world’s leading cities in sustainable urban mobility, Copenhagen was chosen as Green SM’s first European market. Here, the company aims to complement the city’s existing transport network by offering another reliable, fully electric mobility option for residents and visitors alike.

In Denmark, the company operates a fully electric fleet of VinFast VF 6 and VF 8 vehicles, serving a wide range of everyday urban travel needs. Unlike many ride-hailing platforms that primarily connect passengers with independent drivers, Green SM directly owns and manages its fleet and oversees driver operations to help ensure consistent service quality and customer experience. During the initial phase of operations, Green SM will focus on establishing a reliable local operation, ensuring full compliance with Danish regulations, and continuously improving its service based on feedback from customers, drivers, and other stakeholders.

Delivering a safe, professional, and consistent customer experience begins with Green SM’s drivers. Before serving customers, every driver completes comprehensive training in road safety, customer service, operating procedures, and electric vehicle operation. Together with ongoing training and a robust local operations system, this helps ensure every journey reflects the high standards Green SM is committed to delivering.

Customers can book rides through the Green SM app, available on the App Store and Google Play. Fares are displayed before each trip is confirmed, and electronic receipts are issued automatically at the end of every journey. To mark its launch in Copenhagen, Green SM is offering new customers five (5) vouchers worth 25% off each trip, up to a maximum discount of 100 DKK per ride throughout the Grand Launch period from July 30 to September 30, 2026.

Richard Nabil Chahine, CEO of Green SM Europe, said: “Cities shape the future of mobility long before companies do. Copenhagen is one of those cities. That is why beginning our European journey here carries special meaning for Green SM. We come with deep respect for the standards already established here, drawing on what we have learned from serving millions of journeys across Asia. Our ambition is simple: to become a trusted mobility partner by delivering safe, professional and fully electric journeys that people can rely on every day. If we earn that trust, growth will naturally follow.”

Green SM’s expansion into Europe reflects the company’s long-term approach to international growth. Rather than prioritising rapid expansion, Green SM focuses on building well-structured local operations, adapting its services to local market needs, and earning trust through consistently reliable service.

With its fully electric fleet and low-emission operating model, Green SM hopes to contribute to Denmark’s long-standing ambitions for more sustainable mobility while providing another practical transport choice for everyday journeys.

Founded in Vietnam in 2023, Green SM currently operates in Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Kazakhstan. Through its fully electric fleet, technology platform and consistent operating standards, the company is steadily expanding internationally while adapting its services to local market needs.

Hashtag: #GreenSM

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

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

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 July 2026 – There is something remarkable about Copenhagen.Stand in the city centre during rush hour and you will still hear bicycle bells, conversations spilling out from cafés and children walking to school. It is not because the city has fewer people or less traffic. On the contrary, Copenhagen is one of Northern Europe’s most dynamic capitals. What makes it different is that its mobility system is organised so well that it almost disappears into everyday life.

That success has never been built around a single mode of transport. Copenhagen is not simply a cycling city, nor is it defined by its metro or buses. It is an integrated mobility ecosystem where every mode serves a distinct purpose. Bicycles are ideal for short trips. Public transport moves large numbers of people efficiently across the city. Walking remains part of daily life. Taxis fill the journeys that other options do not always serve well, whether it is an early morning airport transfer, an elderly passenger travelling home, a family carrying luggage or visitors arriving in the city for the first time. Rather than competing with one another, each mode strengthens the overall system.

Yet even one of the world’s most successful mobility systems now faces a new challenge.

According to a joint mobility analysis by the Capital Region of Denmark and the City of Copenhagen, the Greater Copenhagen area is expected to generate around 800,000 additional journeys every day by 2035. That growth will be shared across every mode of transport, including approximately 290,000 additional walking trips, 110,000 cycling trips, 80,000 public transport journeys and 310,000 car trips each day.

These figures reveal an important reality. Copenhagen is not expecting people to abandon bicycles for cars, nor is it attempting to replace one mode of transport with another. As the population grows, tourism expands and economic activity increases, demand will rise across the entire mobility system.

The real challenge is therefore not deciding which mode of transport should dominate. It is finding ways to accommodate hundreds of thousands of additional journeys while preserving the quiet streets, public spaces and quality of life that have made Copenhagen one of the world’s most liveable cities.

This philosophy is increasingly reflected in the city’s approach to mobility. Walking, cycling, public transport, cars and taxis are no longer viewed as competing alternatives, but as complementary parts of the same transport ecosystem, each serving different travel needs.

The challenge is not unique to Copenhagen.

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), road traffic remains Europe’s largest source of environmental noise, affecting around 92 million people. The report concludes that electrification alone will not solve the problem. Cleaner vehicles are essential, but so are better urban planning and a more balanced transport system.

In other words, the future of urban mobility will not be determined by how many electric vehicles a city puts on its streets. It will depend on whether every journey is served by the right mode, at the right time and in the right place.

Even the best transport systems leave certain journeys uncovered.

Not everyone can cycle to the airport before sunrise. Elderly passengers may struggle with luggage on public transport. Visitors arriving in Copenhagen for the first time may not feel confident combining several transport options simply to reach their hotel. These journeys represent only a small proportion of daily travel, but they will always exist. This is where ride-hailing finds its place within the mobility ecosystem. It complements public transport and cycling rather than competing with them.

The quality of that service, however, depends on far more than the vehicle itself.

Ultimately, every journey is shaped by the person behind the wheel. A safe drive, professional conduct, punctuality, a warm greeting or a helping hand with a suitcase all contribute to the passenger’s experience. In a city like Copenhagen, these small moments help shape the city’s reputation just as much as its infrastructure.

This is the context in which Green SM enters Copenhagen.

Over the past three years, Green SM has accumulated experience from millions of journeys every day and billions of kilometres travelled in fully electric vehicles across Asia. Yet in Copenhagen, scale alone means very little. The more important question is whether a mobility service can integrate seamlessly into an already successful transport system and make it work even better.

For that reason, Green SM invests not only in an all-electric fleet, but also in rigorous driver recruitment and training covering safety, customer service, operational excellence and local cultural understanding. The objective is not simply to move passengers from one destination to another, but to deliver journeys that reflect the standards Copenhagen has spent decades building.

Perhaps that is why Copenhagen became Green SM’s first destination in Europe.

The ambition is not to introduce a new model of urban mobility. It is to become a trusted addition to one that already works exceptionally well.

Ultimately, success in Copenhagen will never be measured by the number of vehicles on the road. The city does not need more cars simply to fill its streets. It needs mobility services that are available when people need them, complement the existing transport network and quietly step back once their role is complete, leaving the city every bit as liveable as before.

If Green SM can help make thousands of daily journeys more convenient, safer and more reliable, while preserving the rhythm of life that makes Copenhagen unique, that may be success enough.

Hashtag: #GreenSM

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

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

Source: Save the Children

Two thirds of children across Western Europe [1] were exposed to extreme heatwaves between 1 January and 14 July this year, according to new data from Save the Children as temperatures soar and record wildfires ravage parts of Europe. [2]

The child rights organisation said that the number of children impacted by extreme heatwaves during that six-and-a-half-month period was already three times the figure from the whole of 2025 – and more than any entire year since 2003.

Save the Children analysed satellite imagery of surface temperatures covering every part of the world. The aid agency defined an extreme heatwave as three consecutive days experiencing a temperature in the top 1% of all those recorded in that location in the previous 30 years.

The data is particularly stark given the majority of the time period in the analysis covers winter and spring in Western Europe, when temperatures are lower. This suggests that findings for the entire 12 months of 2026 will be even more severe, Save the Children said.

In Germany, the number of children exposed to extreme heat in the first six months of this year was larger than the past five years combined. [3]

In the UK, 10 million children – three quarters of the child population – have been exposed to extreme heat in the first six months of this year. This is more than the total for any single year in the past 30 years. [4]

Children already affected by inequality or discrimination – such as those living in poverty, refugees or children with disabilities or underlying health conditions – are at a unique disadvantage, Save the Children said.

Zainab, 16, a child campaigner with Save the Children UK, said:

“For many people, particularly those living with chronic illnesses, this heat is not simply uncomfortable, it is dangerous. For some, a heatwave means an ice cream, a day in the park or turning on a fan. For others, it’s dehydration, exhaustion, dizziness and pain. Medication can become harder to manage. Existing illnesses becoming more severe.

“I know that because I live it. I have lived with Type 1 diabetes for most of my life. When temperatures rise, managing my health becomes harder. My body does not get to experience extreme heat as a minor inconvenience. The climate crisis does not stay outside my window. It enters through my body. Climate change does not affect everyone equally, but when the temperature rises, inequality rises with it.”

Human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events like heatwaves, drought and wildfires more frequent and severe. Save the Children’s findings reveal that across the globe, extreme heatwaves now reach substantially more children than a generation ago. In the 1990s and 2000s, around one in 10 children worldwide [5] were exposed to an extreme heatwave each year. In the 2020s so far, that average has increased to one in seven children [6]. Two of the four worst years since 1990- the start of the period examined – were in the past three years.

A report by Save the Children and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel last year found that almost a third of the world’s children born in 2020 – about 38 million – would be spared a lifetime’s “unprecedented” exposure to extreme heat [7] if we can meet the 1.5 degrees C warming target by 2100.

The health risks of dangerous heat to young children are acute, due to their ongoing physical development and lower capacity for body temperature regulation. During heatwaves, children are at a high risk of electrolyte imbalance, fever, respiratory disease, and kidney disease. [8]

This kind of unprecedented heat is also disrupting children’s education. In June, schools in France and the UK were forced to close or alter timetables to protect children from dangerous heat as temperatures surged.

Matilde Angeltveit, Senior Advisor and Global Climate Advocacy Lead at Save the Children, said:

“Over the past few months, we have seen the climate crisis unleash unbearable heat on children and families across Europe. Heat like this damages children’s health, disrupts their sleep and schooling, and brings basic services to a standstill. We also fear that crops will fail and food prices surge due to the heat at a time when families are already struggling to cope.

“Children are disproportionately vulnerable to extreme heat, yet they have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis. We know by now that we urgently need to adapt to this situation – but children need us to put their lives, rights and needs front and centre.

“While we need this today, ultimately, in order to safeguard children’s futures, we need to see a rapid phase out of the use and subsidy of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy in an equitable and fair way. We know that this is in our power, and if we do it in the shrinking time window available to us, children’s exposure to these dangers will be curbed dramatically.”

Save the Children is calling for the recognition of children’s unique vulnerabilities to climate change, the delivery of high-quality, affordable funding to lower-income countries, including financing to cut emissions, and the urgent phase out of the use and subsidy of fossil fuels.

As the world’s leading independent child rights organisation, Save the Children works in over 100 countries, tackling climate change across everything we do and putting children at the heart of climate action.

Notes:

More information available here on 28 July.

[1] Countries included in Western Europe in data set: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

[2] Methodology available here – full data available on request

[3] Full data available on request

[4] Methodology available here – full data available on request

[4] an average of 200 to 230 million children

[5] 360 million children

[6] For the research in the Born into the Climate Crisis 2 report by Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Save the Children, scientists have defined a heatwave as: when the daily Heat Wave Magnitude Index of that year exceeds the 99th percentile of pre-industrial Heat Wave Magnitude Index distribution for the specific climate model grid cell. The Heat Wave Magnitude Index measures how intense a heatwave is during a year. It looks at the hottest stretch of at least three days in a row when temperatures are much higher than what was normal before industrial times. The higher the number, the more extreme the heatwave.

[7] Born into the Climate Crisis, Save the Children and Vrije Universiteit Brussel

About Save the Children NZ:

Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

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

MIL OSI

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

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

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 July 2026 – The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has climbed 14 places in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2027 to rank 18th globally, entering the global top 20 for the first time. This milestone reflects significant improvements across key indicators, including employer reputation, international research network, and international student ratio, while retaining a full score in international faculty ratio.

CUHK’s Academic Excellence and Global Research Impact

CUHK’s academic rigour is further recognised in the 2026–27 Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report, where it ranks 28th globally and 5th in Asia, remaining Hong Kong’s top university for the fourth consecutive year. The University features 15 subjects in the global top 50, including five in the top 10, such as Education and Educational Research (#1), Gastroenterology and Hepatology (#2), Computer Science (#7), and Arts and Humanities and Artificial Intelligence (both ranked #9).

CUHK: Where Bold Ideas Become Impactful Research

CUHK provides an exceptional environment for impactful research, supported by approximately 300 research institutes and centres, alongside four state key laboratories approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. Reflecting on the academic environment, Zhamilya Zhirenova, a PhD student in Biomedical Science from Kazakhstan, has deepened her expertise through her involvement with the Centre for Neuromusculoskeletal Restorative Medicine (CNRM), an InnoHK research centre CUHK established with Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.

Unlike traditional research pathways, where students are often confined to a single university laboratory, Zhamilya gained extensive experience at Hong Kong Science Park, a dynamic setting that closely resembles industry. “It feels more like an industrial company,” she reflected, “and that experience has been invaluable.” For researchers with ambitions beyond academia, such early exposure to the pace and expectations of the biotech industry provides a distinct advantage.

Nurturing the Next Generation of Scientific Innovators

Many of CUHK’s scholars are globally renowned experts who have made significant breakthroughs in their respective fields. These experts provide valuable mentorship, cultivating an intellectually stimulating environment for innovative research.

At the Centre for Novostics, an InnoHK research centre dedicated to advancing molecular diagnostics, Yasine Malki, a Chemical Pathology PhD student from Hong Kong, highlighted mentorship as a defining aspect of his experience at CUHK. Benefiting from the mentorship of Professor Dennis Lo, CUHK’s Vice-Chancellor and President, and a pioneer in molecular diagnostics, Yasine collaborates with specialists in molecular technologies, bioinformatics, and clinician-scientists, exemplifying CUHK’s dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to medical science.

Through the latest global rankings, CUHK continues to demonstrate the impact of its research and scholarship. The University offers robust financial support to attract top-tier global talent, such as the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) for the 2027–28 intake, which provides over HK$1.81 million (approximately US$232,420) in funding. Applications open on 1 September 2026.

Hashtag: #CUHK

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

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

Supermarket loyalty cards might seem like the best way to get a bargain, but Consumer NZ is warning they might ultimately lead to higher prices at the checkout.

Supermarket loyalty cards might seem like the best way to get a bargain, but Consumer NZ is warning they might ultimately lead to higher prices at the checkout.

Loyalty programmes like Foodstuffs’ Club+ and Woolworths’ Everyday Rewards allow supermarkets to gather data about individual shopping habits – including clues as to how much each person is willing to pay for a particular product.

This data could allow supermarkets to use increasingly targeted “dynamic pricing”, where prices are changed based on different variables, rather than remaining fixed.

Pricing discrepancies already exist in that different regions can pay different prices for the same item, says Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer NZ’s head of research and advocacy.

“Customers across the country can walk into a store and pay very different prices for the same item. As an example, we found the same tub of ice cream from New World cost $5.99 in Orewa and $8.79 in Queenstown, while Turkish apricots varied between $48.50 per kg and $56 depending on whether you were purchasing at Alexandra or Thorndon.”  

And there’s potential for supermarkets to take this much further, changing prices as often as they like based on market demand and customer behaviour.

This type of dynamic pricing is gaining traction in Europe, where some supermarkets change their prices multiple times throughout the day to discount items that are close to expiry or, in the case of Norway’s REMA 1000, to beat competitors’ pricing.

To do this, they rely on electronic shelf labels – technology that has already been rolled out in many New Zealand supermarkets.

The most extreme and controversial version of dynamic pricing is when items are priced differently for each shopper, based on an algorithmic calculation of how much each individual will be willing to pay.

Last year, an investigation by Consumer Reports found that shoppers buying groceries from several US retailers through Instacart, an online shopping platform, were shown different prices, with some shoppers paying up to 23% more than others.

There’s no evidence of this in practice in New Zealand, but Consumer NZ is concerned that customer data could still be used to drive prices up.

“While some shoppers may love getting a ‘deal’ at the supermarket through loyalty programmes, there is concern that our already highly concentrated supermarket sector could grow more powerful as they push harder to collect increasing amounts of customer data,” Rasmussen says.

“The widespread collection of personalised shopping data could end up being detrimental to customers, as it greatly increases supermarkets’ understanding of how aggressively items can be priced to individuals. Customers could end up paying more.

“Meanwhile, it’s getting harder and harder to access supermarket services without signing up to a loyalty programme. This month, Foodstuffs has followed Woolworths’ lead and made online shopping available to loyalty programme members only.

“New Zealanders need a grocery market that works in their interests. That includes confidence that personal data is not being used in ways that disadvantage shoppers.”

Foodstuffs, which owns New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square, employs UK company Dunnhumby to help it make decisions around pricing.

Dunnhumby’s chief executive has gone on the record saying, “The company [will] help Foodstuffs analyse sales and customer data to make decisions about store locations, product range, pricing, promotions and loyalty programs.

“We have a track record of helping companies in retail, in particular, do this and they typically outperform their peers – in the case of Foodstuffs that’s the goal as well.”

Vulnerable people paying more at the checkout

It’s not just dynamic pricing that has Consumer NZ worried – we’re also concerned that people who don’t have phone or internet access are paying more for groceries, since they aren’t able to access member-only specials.

“We have received several complaints about high prices for non-members unable to access discounts. Some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable are digitally excluded and may be forced to pay higher prices for their groceries,” Rasmussen says.

In response to a query from Consumer NZ on loyalty cards, a Woolworths spokesperson said keeping its services accessible to everyone was “incredibly important”.

“If a customer is facing accessibility barriers or challenges to shopping online, or does not have an email address or mobile phone, we encourage them to contact our Customer Care team. We are committed to working with individual customers to provide support and help them access the benefits of the Everyday Rewards programme.”

However, when Consumer NZ called the Customer Care team and asked if an elderly shopper with no email address could get access to a member card, the customer service representative told us an email address was mandatory. The elderly person could try to get a card at their local store, we were told, but there were “no guarantees”.

Foodstuffs was asked for comment but did not meet the deadline.

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.

MIL OSI