May 15 2026 – Donald Trump leaves Beijing declaring success after two days of high-level talks with Xi Jinping, but the absence of concrete detail from the summit between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is where investors should focus their attention, according to Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group.

“The headlines sound reassuring, but the substance underneath them remains remarkably thin.

“Markets heard promises of stronger ties, major purchases and stabilised relations. What they did NOT hear was, perhaps, far more important.”

Trump claimed China would buy 200 Boeing aircraft, alongside significant increases in purchases of US agricultural goods and energy exports. Yet no formal agreement has been released publicly by Beijing, no timetable has emerged, and no financial framework has been disclosed.

“Global investors are being asked to price optimism without documentation,” notes the deVere CEO.

“Aviation orders, agricultural commitments, and trade pledges only matter if there’s enforceable detail attached to them. Right now, there’s very little of that.”

US-China trade exceeded $575 billion last year despite years of tariffs, export controls and strategic hostility.

China remains central to global manufacturing supply chains, while the US remains one of China’s most important export destinations. Financial markets have been desperate for signs that tensions between Washington and Beijing are easing in a meaningful way.

Nigel Green argues the summit delivered optics rather than resolution.

“Unfortunately, there was no serious public breakthrough on tariffs, semiconductors, export controls, rare earth minerals or industrial subsidies,” he says.

“Those are the core disputes shaping the economic relationship. None of them disappeared because the language between the two leaders softened.”

Rare earths remain among the most strategically sensitive issues.

China controls roughly 70% of global rare earth production and close to 90% of processing capacity. Those materials are essential for semiconductors, EVs, military systems, aerospace manufacturing and advanced tech infrastructure.

Yet despite months of pressure from US industry groups and mounting concern over supply-chain vulnerabilities, the summit produced no detailed framework around future access or export guarantees.

“Rare earths sit at the centre of the global industrial race,” explains Nigel Green. “Washington wanted stability. Markets wanted visibility. Neither emerged from Beijing.”

Semiconductors represent another major silence.

The US continues restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China, while Beijing accelerates efforts to build domestic alternatives and reduce reliance on American tech.

The deVere chief executive says the omission carries enormous implications for investors globally.

“AI has become one of the most powerful investment themes in the world economy,” he says.

“But the infrastructure behind AI is increasingly shaped by geopolitical confrontation. The summit offered no indication that either side is prepared to retreat.”

Taiwan also remained unresolved beneath the diplomatic theatre.

Xi Jinping reportedly reiterated Beijing’s hardline position during private discussions, while Trump avoided major public escalation. Markets interpreted the restraint positively, but Nigel Green warns the underlying tensions remain acute.

“Taiwan is one of the single biggest geopolitical risk factors facing global markets. Any deterioration would instantly hit semiconductors, shipping routes, defence spending, commodity prices and global equities.”

The summit also failed to produce meaningful clarity around the future of tariffs imposed during the original US-China trade war.

Average US tariffs on many Chinese goods remain significantly above pre-2018 levels, while Beijing has maintained retaliatory measures across multiple sectors. Global manufacturers have spent years restructuring supply chains around the uncertainty.

Nigel Green says businesses were hoping for a clearer direction.

“Corporate leaders wanted evidence of a longer-term framework for economic engagement,” he says.

“Instead, they received broad political language designed to calm sentiment without addressing the structural fractures underneath.”

He also points to the contradictions inside the economic announcements themselves.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke about large future agricultural purchases from China, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested some key commodity arrangements had already effectively been settled under earlier agreements.

“Mixed messaging creates more uncertainty, not less,” concludes Nigel Green.

“Washington and Beijing may have lowered the temperature publicly, but the unresolved economic conflict beneath the surface remains very much alive.”

deVere Group is one of the world’s largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

MIL OSI

• Telix to partner with companies developing advanced minimally invasive and image-guided ablative technologies for prostate cancer.
• Initial focus on patient selection, treatment planning and post-treatment monitoring; evidence generation to inform best practice.
• Aim to accelerate adoption of novel therapeutic workflows to enhance clinical decision making and patient outcomes.

MELBOURNE, Australia and INDIANAPOLIS, May 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, NASDAQ: TLX, “Telix”) today announces that it has entered into letters of intent to pursue collaborations with EDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ: EDAP, “EDAP”) and Profound Medical Corp. (NASDAQ: PROF, TSX: PRN, “Profound”), leading companies developing advanced minimally invasive and image-guided treatment ablative technologies for prostate cancer, including focal, subtotal, and whole-gland treatment approaches. These initiatives reflect Telix’s commitment to advancing the integration of molecular imaging into the evolving prostate cancer treatment landscape to help inform clinical decision-making.

The collaborations will explore the investigational use of Telix’s PSMA-PET¹ imaging agents Gozellix® (kit for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide) and Illuccix® (kit for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide) with robotic high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and other image-guided therapies designed to treat localized prostate cancer, such as transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA).

Telix’s intention is to work with select partners to explore how PSMA-PET imaging may support emerging therapy workflows, which aim to preserve healthy tissue and minimize the risk of side effects such as incontinence and impotence. Collaborative activities will focus on non-promotional scientific, educational, and research engagement².

“We are uniquely designed to enable the integration of PSMA-PET imaging with Focal One’s real-time ultrasound and fully robotic energy delivery to optimize treatment efficacy while minimizing side effects,” said Ryan Rhodes, EDAP Chief Executive Officer. “As the market leader in robotic focal therapy, with a growing global installed base, this collaboration will accelerate the development and standardization of treatment strategies to further personalize focal therapy treatments using Telix’s PSMA-PET imaging agents and Focal One Robotic HIFU.”

“Emerging clinical evidence suggests PSMA imaging may support prostate whole-gland, partial-gland, and focal ablation workflows, from treatment planning through post-treatment monitoring,” said Arun Menawat, Profound’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. “In collaboration with Telix, we look forward to exploring optimized workflows and generating clinical evidence that may help establish best practices and accelerate adoption of PSMA-PET imaging and the MRI-guided TULSA Procedure.”

“Precision medicine requires precision treatment strategies,” said Kevin Richardson, CEO, Telix Precision Medicine. “As disruptive technologies continue to transform prostate cancer care, we believe PSMA-PET imaging has the potential to play an important role in helping inform clinical decision-making across a range of minimally invasive and image-guided treatment approaches. We are excited to explore collaborations with market leaders in EDAP and Profound that may further advance personalized care for patients.”

About EDAP TMS SA

A recognized leader in robotic energy-based therapies, EDAP TMS develops, manufactures, promotes, and distributes worldwide minimally invasive medical devices for various conditions using ultrasound technology. By combining the latest technologies in imaging, robotics, and precise non-invasive energy delivery, EDAP introduced the Focal One® in Europe and the United States as a leading prostate focal therapy platform controlled by urologists, with the potential to expand to multiple indications beyond prostate cancer. For more information on the Company, please visit focalone.com.

About Profound Medical Corp.

Profound is a commercial-stage medical device company and an innovator in interventional MRI procedures. The company’s flagship platform, TULSA-PRO®, enables MRI-guided, incision-free prostate ablation. Physicians use the TULSA Procedure to see, ablate, and confirm therapy in real time, supporting personalized treatment strategies across the continuum of prostate care—from whole-gland to subtotal, hemi, multifocal, and focal treatment. This approach enables individualized care using prostate tissue ablation, while minimizing the potential of the side effects that are typically associated with surgery or radiation, such as urinary incontinence and/or erectile dysfunction.

Profound Medical’s technologies are approved across major global markets. TULSA-PRO is cleared by the FDA in the United States for transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) of prostate tissue. In addition, TULSA-PRO is cleared for use in various jurisdictions including Europe, Canada, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia/New Zealand, and the UAE. 

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (GOZELLIX)

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Risk for Misinterpretation
Image interpretation errors can occur with GOZELLIX PET. A negative image does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer, and a positive image does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. Gallium Ga-68 gozetotide uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur with other types of cancer as well as non-malignant processes such as Paget’s disease, fibrous dysplasia, and osteophytosis. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation of the suspected prostate cancer site, is recommended.

Imaging Prior to Initial Definitive or Suspected Recurrence Therapy
The performance of GOZELLIX for imaging of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels and by site of disease. The performance of GOZELLIX for imaging of metastatic pelvic lymph nodes prior to initial definitive therapy seems to be affected by Gleason score.

Radiation Risks
Gallium Ga-68 gozetotide contributes to a patient’s overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk for cancer. Ensure safe handling to minimize radiation exposure to the patient and healthcare providers. Advise patients to hydrate before and after administration and to void frequently after administration.

Hypersensitivity Reactions to Sulfites
Ascorbic Acid Stabilizer contains sodium metabisulfite, a sulfite that may cause allergic-type reactions including anaphylactic symptoms and life-threatening or less severe asthmatic episodes in certain susceptible people. The overall prevalence of sulfite sensitivity in the general population is unknown and probably low. Sulfite sensitivity is seen more frequently in asthmatic than in non-asthmatic people.

ADVERSE REACTIONS
The safety of gallium Ga-68 gozetotide was evaluated in 960 patients in the PSMA-PreRP and PSMABCR studies, each receiving one dose of gallium Ga-68 gozetotide. The average injected activity was 188.7 ± 40.7 MBq (5.1 ± 1.1 mCi). The most commonly reported adverse reactions were nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness, occurring at a rate of

DRUG INTERACTIONS
Androgen deprivation therapy and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway, such as androgen receptor antagonists, can result in changes in uptake of gallium Ga-68 gozetotide in prostate cancer. The effect of these therapies on performance of gallium Ga-68 gozetotide PET has not been established.

Please note that this information is not comprehensive.

Please see the Full Prescribing Information here.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (ILLUCCIX)
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Risk for Misinterpretation
Image interpretation errors can occur with Illuccix PET. A negative image does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer, and a positive image does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur with other types of cancer as well as non-malignant processes such as Paget’s disease, fibrous dysplasia, and osteophytosis. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation of the suspected prostate cancer site, is recommended.

Imaging Prior to Initial Definitive or Suspected Recurrence Therapy
The performance of Illuccix for imaging of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels and by site of disease. The performance of Illuccix for imaging of metastatic pelvic lymph nodes prior to initial definitive therapy seems to be affected by Gleason score.

Radiation Risks
Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide contributes to a patient’s overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk for cancer. Ensure safe handling to minimize radiation exposure to the patient and healthcare providers. Advise patients to hydrate before and after administration and to void frequently after administration.

ADVERSE REACTIONS
The safety of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide was evaluated in 960 patients in the PSMA-PreRP and PSMA-BCR studies, each receiving one dose of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide. The average injected activity was 188.7 ± 40.7 MBq (5.1 ± 1.1 mCi). The most commonly reported adverse reactions were nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness, occurring at a rate of

In the VISION study, 1003 patients received one dose of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide intravenously with the amount of radioactivity 167.1 ± 23.1 MBq (4.52 ± 0.62 mCi). Adverse reactions occurring at ≥0.5% in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who received gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection in the clinical study were fatigue (1.2%), nausea (0.8%), constipation (0.5%), and vomiting (0.5%).
Adverse reactions occurring at a rate of

Injection site pain has been identified during postapproval use of ILLUCCIX.

DRUG INTERACTIONS
Androgen deprivation therapy and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway, such as androgen receptor antagonists, can result in changes in uptake of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide in prostate cancer. The effect of these therapies on performance of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide PET has not been established.

Please note that this information is not comprehensive.
Please see the Full Prescribing Information here.

You are encouraged to report suspected adverse reactions of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report adverse reactions to Telix by calling 1-844-455-8638 or emailing: pharmacovigilance@telixpharma.com.

About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

Telix is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of radiopharmaceuticals with the goal of addressing significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne (Australia) with international operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland) and Japan. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX) and the Nasdaq Global Select Market (NASDAQ: TLX).

Visit www.telixpharma.com for further information about Telix, including details of the latest share price, ASX and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, investor and analyst presentations, news releases, event details and other publications that may be of interest. You can also follow Telix on LinkedIn, X and Facebook.

Legal Notices

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. 

You should read this announcement together with our risk factors, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC, or on our website.

The information contained in this announcement is not intended to be an offer for subscription, invitation or recommendation with respect to securities of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (Telix) in any jurisdiction, including the United States. The information and opinions contained in this announcement are subject to change without notification. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Telix disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any information or opinions contained in this announcement, including any forward-looking statements (as referred to below), whether as a result of new information, future developments, a change in expectations or assumptions, or otherwise. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained or opinions expressed in the course of this announcement.

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as “may”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “outlook”, “forecast” and “guidance”, or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on Telix’s good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect Telix’s business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix’s business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress, completion and results of Telix’s preclinical and clinical trials, and Telix’s research and development programs; Telix’s ability to advance product candidates into, enroll and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals for Telix’s product candidates, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; Telix’s sales, marketing and distribution and manufacturing capabilities and strategies; the commercialization of Telix’s product candidates, if or when they have been approved; Telix’s ability to obtain an adequate supply of raw materials at reasonable costs for its products and product candidates; estimates of Telix’s expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix’s financial performance; developments relating to Telix’s competitors and industry; the anticipated impact of U.S. and foreign tariffs and other macroeconomic conditions on Telix’s business, including as a result of war or other geopolitical conflicts; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix’s product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix’s actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Trademarks and Trade Names. All trademarks and trade names referenced in this press release are the property of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (Telix) or, where applicable, the property of their respective owners. For convenience, trademarks and trade names may appear without the ® or symbols. Such omissions are not intended to indicate any waiver of rights by Telix or the respective owners. Trademark registration status may vary from country to country. Telix does not intend the use or display of any third-party trademarks or trade names to imply any affiliation with, endorsement by, or sponsorship from those third parties.

©2026 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. All rights reserved.

^{______________________________________
1} Imaging of prostate-specific membrane antigen.
² PSMA-PET imaging is not currently approved for specific treatment-planning indications associated with these emerging therapies.

– Published by The MIL Network

MIL OSI

The Government is strengthening plant variety rights (PVR) to protect investments underpinning high‑value exports, regional jobs and global demand for New Zealand produce, Trade and Investment and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer say.

“High‑value horticulture relies on years, often decades, of breeding, testing and commercialisation. Strengthening the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 gives New Zealand the intellectual property settings it needs to compete internationally, protect our investment and grow export returns,” Mr Brewer says.

“From drought-resistant grass seed that benefits pastoral farmers, to higher-yielding and better-tasting produce for New Zealanders and our export markets, these changes will provide vital support for growers,” Mr McClay says.

“In 2024, 75 per cent of the $3.5 billion in export returns from kiwifruit and an estimated 55 per cent of the $979 million in export returns from apples came from plant variety rights‑protected varieties. This shows the vital contribution that new plant varieties make to growing export earnings and taking us closer to New Zealand’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years.

“A successful sector means thriving communities, economic growth, secure jobs and a prosperous economy.”

“Zespri’s projections show that extending the PVR term by five years for SunGold Kiwifruit alone would mean additional revenue of around $1.8 billion over five years from the time of the extension, to the kiwifruit industry and the Biosecurity Science Institute,” Mr Brewer says.

“Growers will also benefit from additional returns as PVR varieties maintain their market value for longer, allowing growers to continue to build high value demand ahead of supply.

“Directly and indirectly we all benefit when our domestic growers are thriving. 

“Breeding and importing new varieties can be a long, expensive and uncertain process. Breeders and importers take a significant risk, and we need to ensure they are supported in this process.”

The Government is also restoring provisional protection, so breeders are covered from day one of their rights application instead of when it is granted.

“This means plant breeders can take immediate legal action if new varieties are stolen and commercially exploited during the application process, which can take up to five years and sometimes much longer,” Mr Brewer says.

“By providing greater certainty and support, we are empowering plant breeders to keep innovating – driving economic growth and ensuring New Zealand remains competitive on the world stage,” Mr McClay says.

“The National-led Government is fixing the basics and building the future by making common-sense changes for industry that help support more opportunities for New Zealanders.” Mr Brewer says.

MIL OSI

Fast-track approval has been granted to a significant Wellington infrastructure project which will safeguard the International Airport’s long-term operations, protect critical assets, create two kororā (little penguin) colonies, and generate hundreds of jobs.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager says the Wellington International Airport Southern Seawall Renewal project, valued at more than $100 million, will renew and maintain the airport’s ageing southern seawall and bring significant regional benefits.

“This is a major long-term resilience project for the capital, with enabling works commencing this year to upgrade 400 metres of the airport’s southern seawall,” Mr Meager says.

“Renewing and strengthening sections of the existing southern seawall will improve its resilience to coastal processes and extreme weather events, while supporting the airport’s continued safe operation.

“Two new penguin colonies will also be created to support habitation and breeding. It will include purpose-built nestboxes, wind shelter and vegetation to provide suitable habitat. They will also be fenced to protect from dog attacks and disturbance by people. 

“Importantly, this project will deliver major economic benefits for local communities, through the creation of 114 jobs annually throughout the construction period. The project has a strong estimated cost-benefit ratio of 2.6, with gross benefits of up to $690 million forecast.”

Wellington International Airport Ltd lodged its application in October 2025, with approval taking around six months following the commencement of the independent expert panel.

“This is yet another common-sense Fast-track decision. Wellington Airport facilitates annual expenditure of $3.9 billion, supports more than 14,500 full-time equivalent jobs, and contributes around $2 billion in GDP to the region’s economy annually. This project will help protect and future-proof this important asset,” Mr Meager says.

MIL OSI

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 May 2026 – Fuutura has introduced a unified trading protocol that combines self-custody, on-chain identity, and access to multiple asset classes within one connected architecture. At the centre of the design sits a single rule: each user verifies once, holds their own keys throughout, and operates independently across every product the platform offers.

Where much of the crypto industry has pursued visibility through disconnected tools running on competing chains, Fuutura has worked outside the spotlight for years. The team has been engineering the foundational infrastructure required to deliver financial access to the billions whose participation has been blocked by the legacy system.

The launch brings three products to market under the Fuutura name. Fuutura Identity, Fuutura Wallet, and Fuutura Trade have each been designed to stand alone while reinforcing the capabilities of the others.

Fuutura Trade has been described by the team as the trading layer crypto has spent fifteen years trying to build. The protocol is non-custodial and multi-chain, engineered for traders unwilling to compromise on architecture. On-chain execution. Cross-chain liquidity. A revolutionary single environment for the full range of on-chain digital assets: cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, governance and utility tokens, liquid staking tokens, wrapped assets, LP tokens, and other digital and tokenised assets. The protocol already knows the trader is verified, recognises the keys they hold, and trusts them to act on their own behalf.

No platform-managed orderbook. No off-chain matching. No third party with the keys.

The protocol works for the trader. Not the venue. Not the custodian. Not the intermediary.

That’s the difference.

“We didn’t set out to build another exchange. We set out to build the trading layer that’s missing from crypto. Non-custodial, on-chain, multi-chain, with identity attestation handled at the protocol layer rather than at every product. Once you build that architecture, the rest of the ecosystem becomes possible. Wallet, Identity, Trade. They all run on the same foundation, and that’s why the protocol can recognise the user and trust them to act on their own behalf without intermediaries getting in the way,” said Ellis McGrath, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Fuutura.

The Fuutura Identity product sits beneath the wider ecosystem as its trust layer. Verification runs through biometric authentication and liveness detection, paired with document recognition and AML screening, before producing an on-chain attestation linked directly to the user’s wallet. That attestation is then recognised across every product Fuutura operates. A single verification covers all subsequent interactions, with compliance happening within the protocol rather than at the entry to each individual product.

This is what gives Trade the ability to identify its user without running KYC a second time. It is also what allows Wallet to function with no intermediary involvement. Identity becomes the architecture itself.

Fuutura Wallet sits at the centre of the ecosystem as its custody and control layer. The wallet is non-custodial and multi-chain. Users retain their keys, direct the movement of their assets, and authorise their own transactions. It operates across blockchains and serves as the entry point to every Fuutura product, without surrendering custody to a third party at any stage.

The principle is simple: ownership is not delegated.

“The promise of crypto has always been that users could participate in finance without giving up custody, identity, or access. The reason that promise hasn’t delivered is that the architecture wasn’t there. Identity, custody, and execution have lived in separate places, and the user has paid the cost. Fuutura is being built so they live in one place, at the protocol layer, where they belong,” said Oliver Cook, Co-founder of Fuutura.

Three products are ready for launch. Additional products are under active development, each engineered to broaden identity usage, deepen wallet integration, and expand the reach of the ecosystem as Fuutura scales.

This is the broader vision Fuutura is working toward: a compliance-first financial ecosystem designed to deliver inclusion at a global scale, with the user positioned at its centre.

Digital asset risk.

Digital assets are high-risk and their value may fall as well as rise. Trading digital assets involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Forward-looking statements.

This document contains forward-looking statements regarding Fuutura, its technology, products, business plans and future conduct, including statements relating to the phased rollout of the ecosystem, regulatory engagement and licensing outcomes, geographic expansion, and market ambitions. Forward-looking statements are identifiable by words such as “building,” “plans,” “intends,” “expects,” “designed to,” “anticipates” and similar expressions, as well as by statements regarding future outcomes, ambitions or strategic direction.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those expressed. These include, without limitation, changes in the regulatory environment across jurisdictions; the availability and timing of licensing or authorisation; developments in digital asset markets; technological and cybersecurity risks; operational risks; counterparty and third-party risks; the pace of product development; and other factors beyond Fuutura’s control.

No offer or advice.

Nothing in this document constitutes an offer to sell, a solicitation to purchase, investment advice, or a recommendation in respect of any digital asset, crypto-asset, token, security, or financial product or instrument. Fuutura’s products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions and may be subject to regulatory restrictions. Access to Fuutura’s platform is restricted to residents of jurisdictions where its services are permitted.

No duty to update.

Fuutura undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Restricted Jurisdictions.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO, OR USE BY, PERSONS IN RESTRICTED JURISDICTIONS.

This communication is directed exclusively at persons outside, and must not be acted upon by any person in or resident of, the United Kingdom, the European Union or European Economic Area (including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), Switzerland, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Japan, any FATF-listed high-risk or monitored jurisdiction, or any jurisdiction subject to comprehensive United Nations, European Union, United Kingdom or United States sanctions (the “Restricted Jurisdictions”). It is not an offer, solicitation, inducement or recommendation in respect of any digital asset, token, security or financial product. Fuutura holds no regulatory authorisation in any Restricted Jurisdiction; its products and services are not available to persons in or resident of any Restricted Jurisdiction; and access to Fuutura’s platform is restricted at the onboarding and protocol level.

https://fuutura.com/

Hashtag: #Fuutura

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

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

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 May 2026 – The finance industry in Southeast Asia is changing very rapidly, Singapore’s long-standing dominance giving way to the emerging technology markets of Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Vietnam alone saw domestic securities trading accounts climb to 12.26 million by February 2026, according to VSDC.

Gone are the days when traders used their desktop terminals. Now, all of this can be done through a smartphone. The use of mobile internet increases day by day, owing to cheap smartphones and improved connections. While Singapore and Malaysia have become the leaders in terms of fintech adaptation, countries like Indonesia and Vietnam are predominantly mobile-first.

Moreover, financial literacy increases in the region every single day, particularly when it comes to young generations. As one can see from statistics, in the Philippines, for example, the proportion of retail investors aged 18–29 equals 26.5%. In Indonesia, over half of all 16.2 million registered investors are under 30.

Factors Driving the Mobile Trading Boom

Here are some factors behind the popularity of mobile trading:

• Availability – a trader can start without high capital and expensive equipment;
• Speed – instant execution and live updating allow reacting to market shifts rapidly;
• Functionality – modern applications offer tools such as charts, indicators, and AI support for analysis;
• Localization – applications offer local payment methods like GCash, OVO, and GrabPay, as well as language support.

All this makes trading more accessible to the wider community of users.

JustMarkets Meeting the Region’s Demands

Brokers have an important part in driving the process. JustMarkets offers all of the advantages described above in its trading app for Southeast Asian clients:

• Integrated TradingView charts for in-depth analysis;
• Instant and efficient execution even in tough market conditions;
• Ability to trade with a leverage of up to 1:3000;
• Localized service that offers regional payment options, different language packs, and support 24/7.

JustMarkets delivers the tools and support for traders at every level to trade on their own terms.

New Habits of Traders

Investors in Southeast Asia are mostly mobile-first and rely heavily on technology. This is clearly visible in Thailand, where internet trading now accounts for 24.61% of all stock exchange activity, supported by 6.82 million active online trading accounts as of February 2026. Many traders do not limit themselves to trading only, finding it necessary to combine this activity with entrepreneurship or freelancing.

Also, governments are actively involved in the growth of fintech companies, working on regulating and improving the infrastructure of the industry in the region.

The Next Chapter in Southeast Asia’s Trading

Technology will always remain the main driver of trading. Artificial intelligence, automation, and analysis of consumer sentiment will provide personalization of this activity for clients. Blockchain technology and new generation mobile connections will make it much faster and more transparent. This will help traders across Southeast Asia align their financial ambitions with the tools to achieve them.

Risk Warning: Trading financial instruments involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Market conditions can change rapidly, and losses may exceed deposits. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

Hashtag: #JustMarkets #trading

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

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

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 May 2026 – Kenanga Futures Sdn Bhd (“Kenanga Futures“) is proud to launch its inaugural 2026 campaign, “Shining in Global Futures,” running until 31 July 2026. More than just a campaign, this initiative calls on the new-gens of investors to broaden their access to global derivatives markets through selected Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME“) futures products with lower entry barriers and enhanced learning support.

Powered by interactive tools, strategic insights and guided learning, “Shining in Global Futures” equips participants with practical tools, market insights and guided learning to better understand and navigate global futures trading. Aligned with Kenanga Futures’ motto of “Building a Smart Derivatives Trading Community”, the campaign combines education, risk awareness and seamless market access to promote confident and responsible engagement in CME-listed derivatives.

“As global markets become increasingly dynamic, navigating volatility requires more than just access, it demands insights, discipline, and confidence. Against this backdrop, ‘Shining in Global Futures’, aims to make global futures markets more accessible while equipping traders with the K-Economy they need to manage risk and participate more effectively in,” said Azila Abdul Aziz, Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Director and Head of Listed Derivatives of Kenanga Futures.

To encourage broader participation, account opening fees during the campaign period are reduced to a nominal RM10, significantly lowering the barrier of entry for newcomers to capitalise on the current market landscape. Participants will also stand a chance to win prizes with a total value of up to RM20,000 across all winners.

The first 20 participants with successful account openings who trade a minimum of 30 CME products will be entitled to RM500 Poh Kong Gold cash vouchers, while the top three traders with the highest trading volumes exceeding 100 CME contracts will be rewarded with a cumulative total of RM9,000 worth of Poh Kong Gold cash vouchers.

In addition, the campaign introduces a virtual trading challenge conducted on the enhanced Kenanga Futures Virtual Trading platform (“KFVT“), which allows participants to experience real‑time market conditions and compete for rewards without incurring actual trading risk. Designed with accessibility in mind, KFVT also provides a practical and engaging entry point for new traders to gain hands‑on exposure, test strategies, and build confidence in navigating global markets. As part of this challenge, the top 10 participants who achieve the highest simulated profits will receive RM100 e‑shopping vouchers.

Looking ahead, Kenanga Futures plans to expand this initiative over the next year with the inclusion of advanced modules, collaborative learning opportunities and partnerships with industry leaders, as it continues its commitment to creating a thriving community of informed, confident and future-ready traders. Visit https://www.kenangafutures.com.my/shining-in-global-futures/ to start your trading journey today.

-Terms and conditions apply.

Hashtag: #KenangaFutures

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

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

Indian negotiators threatened to walk out of trade talks with New Zealand over its persistent efforts to include dairy, New Zealand’s chief trade official says.

Vangelis Vitalis revealed the detail to MPs on Thursday to help explain the “big disappointment” of the Indian free trade agreement (FTA), that being the limited gains for the dairy sector.

Appearing before Parliament’s trade select committee, Vitalis said India “flatly refused to even engage” on typically orthodox elements of trade negotiations, like butter, cheese and milk powders.

“There were moments when there were threatened walkouts, including at ministerial level, when we persisted in seeking an outcome for dairy.”

Vitalis said the talks were “extremely difficult” on that point, noting that no other country had ever secured access for those products.

He said New Zealand did manage to eliminate tariffs on bulk infant formula and some protein-based products. “It’s not nothing.”

Vitalis also talked up the gains in other areas, noting progress on products which were “super sensitive” in India, like apples, kiwifruit and honey. All three products will face reduced tariffs up to a certain quota under the deal.

He said the deal also put New Zealand on “even footing” with its key competitors like Australia, which had pulled ahead of New Zealand in key products like sheep meat since securing its own agreement in 2022.

Before then, New Zealand accounted for 85 percent of India’s imports of sheep meat. That had since dwindled to just 9 percent.

Vitalis said the FTA would give New Zealand exporters greater options in an increasingly challenging environment.

“The jungle is certainly growing back. Things are becoming more turbulent, more uncertain, and all of the major trading blocs in the world are increasingly ignoring or breaking those international trade rules on which we’ve relied for so long.

“The system is battered and bruised… but it is not yet broken.”

Questions about migration, investment

Vitalis also faced questions from MPs on two key aspects of the FTA which have proved contentious across Parliament.

New Zealand First triggered the coalition’s agree-to-disagree clause, allowing it to oppose the deal, arguing it would have “ludicrous immigration implications”.

With encouragement from National MP Tim Costley, Vitalis stressed the FTA contained “important safeguards” around migration.

The FTA introduces a dedicated pathway for up to 5000 Indian professionals over three years through Temporary Employment Entry (TEE) visas.

Vitalis said those applicants had to undergo all the usual character and health tests, and find work only in areas with a “genuine shortage” of workers. There was also no pathway to permanent residence or citizenship – and a three year stand-down.

“After you’ve had your visa for three years, you must leave, and you cannot reapply for three years.”

Vitalis also played down any changes around student benefits, saying Indian students were currently allowed to work 25 hours a week while they studied. He said the agreement included an guarantee that would never fall below 20 hours.

Both Labour and NZ First have also expressed concern about a commitment to promote up to US$20 billion of New Zealand private sector investment in India over 15 years.

Vitalis said the commitment was “very carefully drafted” and India “well understood” that it related only to promotion.

“It is not to reach the target…. We do need to show and demonstrate to India that we are promoting investment there. But it is clear that the New Zealand government cannot give or invest 20 billion US dollars.”

Asked whether India could revoke concessions if it deemed New Zealand had not lived up to its obligations, Vitalis said he did not believe that would occur.

“If we were in that situation, then, more fundamentally, the bilateral relationship with India is in serious trouble.”

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

The Government has signed a City and Regional Deal with Western Bay of Plenty councils, establishing a long-term partnership between the Western Bay of Plenty and central Government Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts say. 

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says the Deal marks another major milestone in the Government’s City and Regional Deals programme, following last month’s signing of a Deal with Auckland.

“Establishing City and Regional Deals are a commitment under the National and ACT Coalition agreement and are about central and local government working together to unlock the potential of our cities and regions, boosting economic growth and improving living standards across New Zealand.

“The Western Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s economic powerhouses. From kiwifruit and forestry exports to freight, logistics and manufacturing, the region helps drive growth and jobs right across the country.

“The Western Bay of Plenty Deal brings together Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council with the Government in a shared commitment to plan, invest and deliver together for the long-term benefit of the region and New Zealand.

“When Western Bay of Plenty does well, New Zealand does well. The region is a critical export gateway for our primary sector, connecting growers, exporters and businesses to international markets through the Port of Tauranga and key freight corridors.

“The Western Bay of Plenty Deal builds on the work the existing SmartGrowth partnership is already doing, making sure the region’s approach to housing, transport, and infrastructure growth is aligned. SmartGrowth will help coordinate and advise on implementation and delivery of the Deal.”

“The Western Bay of Plenty Deal is centred around six pillars:

1. Partnership for Growth – a coordinated approach to investment across the Western Bay of Plenty
2. Transport Infrastructure – commitments to enable a coordinated approach to transport investment to unlock urban growth
3. Land and Housing Development – enabling urban grown through intensification and greenfield expansion
4. Social Infrastructure – supporting the provision of health and education in line with urban growth
5. Export Growth – focusing on the region’s export potential
6. Economic Diversification – enabling diversification including exploring opportunities in the Maori economy

“The Deal reflects core government priorities across planning and resource management reform, utilising new infrastructure funding and financing tools, unlocking land for housing, and building new transport infrastructure.”

“As part of the regional combined plan for Bay of Plenty, the new Western Bay of Plenty sub-regional spatial plan under the new planning system will focus on three initial areas for growth – the Eastern Corridor (where housing growth can be maximised around the Tauranga Eastern Link), the Northern Corridor (developments in Omokoroa and Katikati) and the Western Corridor (Tauriko West).

“Growth in these areas and in existing urban areas is estimated to support 12,000 greenfield homes and 3,000 infill and intensified homes over the next 10 years, aligned with transport, water and community infrastructure.

“The government has invested heavily in the past in the region through the Eastern Link toll road, and the Takitimu North Link is currently under construction. The Deal identifies the Takitimu North Link Stage 2 and the Tauriko West Roads of National Significance as priority projects which will be reflected in the next Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2027.

“An innovative feature of the Deal is an agreement for the government and the Western Bay of Plenty to jointly fund agreed projects using proceeds from local asset recycling plus a Crown uplift, with funding amounts and rates considered case by case and subject to standard government approvals. These partnership projects aim to improve productivity along State Highway 2.

“Delivering new social infrastructure alongside housing growth is a key focus. Health NZ and the Western Bay of Plenty will form an independent joint planning group to agree a plan that meets anticipated growth needs. The same will occur for education facilities.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts says the Deal will support long-term growth, productivity and resilience across the region.

“The Western Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions and plays a critical role as a trade and export hub. This Deal is about ensuring growth is well planned, well connected and backed by the infrastructure communities need.”

“The deal also includes establishing a 10-year partnership guided by a 30-year vision for the Western Bay of Plenty as New Zealand’s Global Trade Gateway.

“More families are moving to the Western Bay every year because of the opportunities the region offers, but rapid growth also brings pressure on roads, public services, housing supply and local infrastructure.

Mr Watts says delivery of the Deal will be supported by a strong governance and implementation framework.

“A Western Bay of Plenty Deal Oversight Board will provide coordination and accountability for delivery, alongside an Implementation Plan to be developed within six months of signing.”

MIL OSI

Children with serious illnesses and their families will be better supported with compassionate, specialist paediatric palliative care closer to home, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“Families caring for a child with a life-threatening illness are facing some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Parents and their children deserve to know they will have access to the specialist care support they need, wherever they live in New Zealand,” Mr Brown says.

Around 300 New Zealand children die each year from life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, and up to 3000 may require paediatric palliative care support. While general palliative care is already provided through local health services, some children with highly complex needs require additional specialist input.

“As Health Minister, improving access to specialist paediatric palliative care support has been a priority for me, because no family should have to face these challenges without the right care around them.”

Budget 2026 invests $15.5 million over four years to establish a nationally consistent specialist paediatric palliative care service, delivered through dedicated specialist teams in both the North and South Islands. 

These teams will include specialist paediatric palliative care physicians, clinical nurse specialists, social workers, clinical psychologists, and nurse practitioners. They will work alongside health professionals nationwide, supporting and training local care teams so children can receive the best possible care in their homes and communities.

Importantly, the funding also provides for national service coordination and one registrar training position each year in specialist paediatric palliative care, helping build the workforce for the future.

Currently, Health New Zealand funds just one specialist paediatric palliative care physician based at Starship Children’s Hospital, limiting nationwide coverage, after-hours support, and community-based care.

“Paediatric palliative care specialists support some of New Zealand’s most medically fragile babies, children, and young people. Many have complex daily care needs, frequent outpatient appointments, and extended hospital or ICU stays.

“Our focus is on reducing the emotional, physical, and financial strain on children and their families as much as possible. This investment will allow more children to be cared for at home, surrounded by their families and loved ones, rather than spending long periods in hospital.”

The new services will begin rolling out from mid-2027, with both specialist teams expected to be fully operational by mid-2028.

In addition to the two new specialist teams, Health New Zealand has committed funding to Rei Kōtuku, a specialist paediatric palliative care service in Wellington, through a contract starting 1 July 2026 to provide care while the national specialist service is established.

“I want to acknowledge the dedication of Rei Kōtuku and the extraordinary work they do supporting children and families through some of life’s hardest moments. This funding will ensure families in the lower North Island continue to have access to vital specialist support while the nationally coordinated service is established.

“Supporting families through some of the hardest moments of their lives is exactly why the Government has been so focused on responsible fiscal management – so we can continue investing in the health services that matter most to New Zealanders, including specialist paediatric palliative care.

“Every child deserves care delivered with dignity, comfort, and compassion, and every family deserves to feel supported during the most difficult times imaginable. This investment is about building the future of a compassionate health system that supports children and families with the care they need, where and when they need it most.”

MIL OSI

• Submissions on legislation highlight fears about compliance powers, appeal rights
• Law Society said its views were not properly represented in regulatory impact statements
• Lawyer questions how staff will identify what makes someone look like they might be breaking immigration rules

The Law Society says an immigration bill extending search powers and curtailing appeal rights should not proceed in its current form.

Campaigners and immigration lawyers said proposed compliance measures were reminiscent of random stops and risked breaches of the Bill of Rights Act.

The immigration minister Erica Stanford said immigration officers would only be able to demand identification when they already have a legitimate reason to be at a site and a reasonable basis to suspect someone is liable for deportation or breaking immigration rules.

“It empowers immigration officers to demand identification papers from everyone, with only a “good cause” threshold, and anyone who fails to comply, citizen or not, will be arrested,” said a submission from the Council for Civil Liberties on the immigration bill. “The Council believes that the time has come to end ‘immigration police’ within our borders.”

The council recommends changing wording from a “good cause to suspect” to a “reason to believe” standard for compliance officers demanding identification. It calls for a new Bill of Rights assessment, saying the current one put immigration’s ‘core duties’ over people’s rights.

The Law Society, which was consulted ahead of the bill being introduced, said its objections were not well represented in regulatory impact statements. “While some aspects of this consultation are referenced in materials relating to this Bill, they do not clearly identify where the Law Society objected to proposed changes, or reflect concerns that were raised by the Law Society.”

Its submission said further policy work was needed to avoid “disproportionately harsh and unfair outcomes” for visa holders, and inconsistencies with New Zealand’s obligations under domestic and international law. Limitations on natural justice in appeal rights were not identified or discussed in the justice ministry’s advice on the bill’s consistency with the Bill of Rights Act, and criteria for searches were too broad.

From this month, migrants face automatic deportation liability if they get a discharge without conviction for less serious crimes such as traffic offences. Under the new proposals, migrant workers, students and visitors would have no right of appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT) for those offences, and residents’ deportation liability would increase from the current two years after gaining residence.

The Council of Trades Unions’ submission said an offence with a maximum sentence of three months would seldomly involve a custodial sentence. “Suffering deportation on top of a minor sentence for a lower-level offence could be seen as disproportionate, and extending the time this can affect a resident visa holder out to five years is unhelpful.”

Lawyer Richard Small, of Pacific Legal, said the changes were a “hammer looking for a nail”. “You’re getting into people who end up in deportation from, not quite a parking ticket, but just one step above that, such as obstruction. These are minor, minor offences. There’s no proportionality. There will now be no humanitarian appeal.”

He said abolishing the right of appeal to the IPT for overstayers who were previously on visitor visas left no accessible recourse for people with humanitarian reasons to stay.

“The ombudsman now has a very minimal role, and any suggestion that the ombudsman looks at humanitarian factors is misguided. All they look at is Immigration New Zealand’s record-keeping, and that they have made a note on paper of humanitarian obligations. If they have done that, they will not look further.

“So the idea that the ombudsman provides a meaningful remedy is very misplaced. They don’t review humanitarian circumstances. We’ve seen a 90 percent plus drop in the ability to go to the ombudsman since a law change in 2015 took away reasons for unlawful decisions. So that is not a real option. And the minister has absolute discretion. People don’t get reasons for decisions there.”

Random stops

He said greater powers for compliance officers came despite concerns about their existing ones.

“We have had cases of residents arrested or detained because of mistaken identity. It is a real thing. Again, we have no transparency, no statistics, and no independent oversight, effectively, of these actions. They may start with a good intention, but they tend to stick and be reapplied in the future.

“And it really does bring back to mind random stops, because if there’s no threshold to suspect someone, what kind of characteristics will compliance think might make a person liable for deportation?”

Lawyers had advocated for compliance officers to use digital recording on their work cell phones to ensure they use interpreters, tell people their rights and act fairly, but that had been rejected, he said.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) national compliance manager Fadia Mudafar said staff make written notes of what occurs.

“Clients are always offered an interpreter, and their rights are explained to them to ensure full understanding and transparency. There are no plans to make it a requirement for a compliance officer, during deportation activity, to record their interactions on a smartphone. Compliance officers use notebooks to record observations as well as documenting what was said and what was done. Notes are recorded as soon as practicable and copied onto the client’s file.

“If a person is detained, they are advised of their rights at the time of detaining by both the compliance officer and by police (when custody is transferred from compliance to police).”

Misleading information

‘Broadening the net’ to catch and punish people who provide false or misleading information to immigration authorities overlooked INZ’s own role, said Small.

He said INZ did not discharge its obligation under the Immigration Advisors Licensing Act not to accept applications from unlicensed Pacific advisors, such as travel agents.

“It affects people who had an expired conviction in another country where the unlicensed travel agent never discloses that. That will now be interpreted as fraud. There’s a whole range of stuff.

“Someone who didn’t understand the concept of partner in their Pacific cultural context, and did not tick that they were in an early-stage relationship until they were officially married because of cultural and religious beliefs. Those people are going to be criminalised.”

INZ deputy chief operating officer Jock Gilray said travel agents are able to submit applications on behalf of applicants and perform administrative tasks as part of that process, and it was aware that was a common practice in the Pacific.

“However, travel agents cannot provide immigration advice to the applicant. Where we are concerned they have offered immigration advice, we remind agents of their responsibility. If this behaviour continues, we can take steps to ensure they do not continue this behaviour, including refusing to accept applications.”

Makes existing power workable

Stanford said a ‘reasonable suspicion’ for requesting identification would depend on what staff see when they arrive at premises, when they already have a legitimate cause to be there.

“For example, that could be as if an individual tries to hide or escape when immigration officers arrive – previously Immigration has not be able to do anything about this. The proposed change is not a general stopping power, does not change standard deportation processes, and doesn’t allow officers to stop random people or conduct street checks.”

The change is intended to make an existing power workable, she said.

“It is not correct that failing to comply with a request for identification would result in arrest. Immigration compliance officers do not have powers of arrest. If someone does not comply with the immigration officer’s request without reasonable excuse, they could be temporarily detained for up to four hours.

“The immigration officer is required to warn the person of this when they are asking for their identity-based information or documents and even at that point, detention is not automatic and is not a decision that is taken lightly. Compliance officers must record in writing when they use these powers and why they had good cause.”

The bill was assessed as being consistent with the Bill of Rights, and additional proposals would go through an assessment if they were included in the legislation.

Deportation liability could still be cancelled or suspended by decision makers, she said.

“Some offences that may appear minor, like obstruction, can carry a maximum penalty of up to three months’ imprisonment, meaning they could meet the threshold for deportation liability.”

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

Health NZ has confirmed one of the New Zealanders on board a cruise ship struck by hantavirus does not usually live in New Zealand.

One New Zealand citizen left the ship before the hantavirus outbreak was revealed, while another disembarked on Monday and is now being quarantined in Australia.

Director of Public Health Dr Corina Gray said the first New Zealander to leave the ship was in fact a dual national and did not live in New Zealand.

“We can confirm New Zealand authorities have been in contact with a dual New Zealand national, not normally resident in New Zealand, who has been exposed to hantavirus,” she said in a statement.

“On Thursday last week, New Zealand authorities alerted the public health services where this person normally resides. We have also alerted health partners in the country where this person is currently located.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was in contact with the person.

“We are providing consular assistance to a dual national who ordinarily resides outside New Zealand, who has sought help from MFAT today.”

On Tuesday, the ABC reported the Australian Federal Health Minister Mark Butler as saying the Kiwi due to quarantine in Perth with five Australians was in “good health” and “relatively good spirits” despite the situation.

Three passengers on board the ship – a Dutch couple and a German national – have died after contracting the virus.

As of Tuesday, Butler told the ABC that a French national – also from the cruise – was in critical condition in hospital after testing positive for the virus.

What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus is typically spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings.

This particular strain, the Andes virus, is endemic to Argentina, and is the only strain of hantavirus that has been known to have human to human transmission – typically through very close contact such as sharing a bed or food.

Its symptoms typically include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms.

No vaccines or specific treatments exist for hantavirus, but quick hospital care can often prevent symptoms turning deadly.

Hantaviruses are found in small mammals such as rats, mice, voles, shrews and lemmings, but no New Zealand rodents carry these viruses, University of Auckland associate professor of infectious diseases Dr Mark Thomas said.

“The only way a New Zealand resident could become unwell with a hantavirus infection would be as the result of travel to a country where the virus is present.”

WHO has said the investigations so far suggest possible exposure to rodents during bird watching activities.

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

Good evening, everyone. Thank you to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs for the invitation to deliver this year’s annual lecture. It’s a pleasure to be here.

I would like to acknowledge NZIIA Patron and former Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, members of the diplomatic corps, distinguished guests. I would also like to acknowledge the outgoing members of the NZIIA Board, Dr James Kember and Suzannah Jessep and new board members Rosemary Banks and Dr Julia Macdonald.

The NZIIA has been asking hard questions about New Zealand’s place in the world for over seventy years. Tonight those questions are as relevant as at any point in that history.

I want to start with a simple observation. New Zealand is a trading nation. Not in the casual sense that politicians invoke when they want to sound economic – but fundamentally, and structurally.

One in four jobs in this country depends on our ability to sell to the world. A quarter of our GDP is generated offshore. We know that exporters pay higher wages at home and are more productive than domestically focused firms. We are geographically remote, domestically small, and globally dependent. That is not a problem to be solved. It is the defining condition of our economic prosperity.

And the system that has underwritten that economic life – the rules-based international trading order – is under more pressure than at any time since it was constructed after the Second World War.

The Global Trade Landscape
Two developments in the past twelve months have made that pressure acute.

The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global supply chains in ways our exporters are feeling directly. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz – which carries around 20% of the world’s daily oil supply – has driven up fuel costs and made getting products to market harder and more expensive.

The ceasefire is welcome, but the situation remains fragile, and the impacts on our exporters are real. They are navigating challenges with sourcing key inputs, maintaining competitiveness in the face of rising production and distribution costs, and finding reliable routes to market.

And even before that conflict, our exporters were already navigating a fundamentally changed approach to tariff policy from the United States. And the US is not the only one. Just ask our dairy exporters to Canada. The major economies really are playing outside the rules with very sharp elbows. These shifts are the clearest signal yet of a broader global trend: we are moving from a world governed by shared rules to one increasingly shaped by power.
For a small trading nation, that shift matters more than it does for many other countries.

I want to be clear about the stakes. Our exports rose 11.8% last year in 2025 – growth that happened because Kiwi exporters are world class and consumers will pay a premium for what we produce. That is a remarkable achievement in a difficult environment.

But it is not an achievement we can take for granted. It depends on continued access to markets, continued investment in relationships, and a continued commitment to the rules that provide certainty and transparency and enable our exporters to compete on a level playing field.

Tonight I want to talk about how this Government is responding to that challenge. Not reactively. Not defensively. But with a clear plan. Our plan has three parts: 
•    shoring up and creating new rules that underpin our trade. 
•    building resilience so our exporters can weather disruption. 
•    and innovating – because in a world where the old rules are contested, New Zealand has to earn its seat at the table.

Shoring Up Trade Rules
For a small trading nation like New Zealand, the rules-based system has always mattered more to us than it does to the large economies that can apply asymmetrical bilateral leverage.

Kiwis believe in fairness and the rules deliver exactly that. They level the playing field. They give our exporters the certainty, the transparency, and the market access that no amount of diplomatic relationship-building can substitute for.

It is worth remembering that despite everything, 72% of world trade still takes place under WTO rules. The system is battered. But it is not broken – and New Zealand has a clear national interest in saving as much of the multilateral furniture as possible.

That said, we are pragmatic. Progress at a multilateral level moves slowly. Too slowly for our exporters, who need better and certain access now. Which is why this Government has invested heavily in free trade agreements – the bilateral and regional deals that lock in the access we need and provide certainty that WTO processes alone cannot deliver.

FTAs
In 2025, 71% of New Zealand’s exports were covered by 17 high-quality FTAs. That is not an accident. It reflects a sustained, deliberate investment in trade architecture over 25 years – and this Government has moved faster and further than any that came before.

The results are tangible. Since our EU FTA entered into force in May 2024, New Zealand’s exports to the EU have grown by NZ$3 billion. Our exports to the UK grew 13% in the year to December 2025, following the conclusion of our UK FTA. 
Our exports to the UAE have seen record growth of 33% following that agreement’s entry into force.

And we have now concluded a deal with India – the world’s soon-to-be third largest economy, with 1.4 billion people and within the next 5 years a middle class of 700 million. That’s greater than the entire population of the EU or ASEAN.

When our Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement enters into force, 75% of New Zealand’s exports will be covered by FTAs. These are not theoretical gains. These are the binding international treaties that are the building blocks of long-term prosperity for New Zealand.

Shoring up trade rules is not only about securing new FTAs – equally important is investing in existing FTAs to make sure they continue to deliver for the evolving needs of our exporters. This means upgrading and expanding these FTAs. We upgrade them by negotiating new rules to meet the new issues and challenges our traders are grappling with – for example last year an upgrade negotiation for Asean- Australia New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) was informed by the COVID supply shock experience and delivered outcomes which make trade of essential goods easier and more efficient during times of crises.

We are working energetically to expand our plurilateral FTAs through accession negotiations. This brings more economies within the umbrella of FTA rules our exporters rely on and provides new preferential market access. CPTPP already consists of 12 economies that represent around 16% of global GDP, and we have concluded accession negotiations with Costa Rica, with an ever-growing list of countries queueing up to join.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is the world’s biggest FTA globally by population and total GDP, and we are working to expand it further including into important markets where New Zealand does not currently have FTAs, such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

WTO
These agreements will continue to be an essential component of New Zealand’s economic resilience strategy. And we will continue to prioritise the WTO which provides the foundation for the global system of trade rules that matters so much to New Zealand.

But let me be direct about the WTO. The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon was deeply disappointing. And I say this as the Vice Chair of the Conference and as the facilitator for the negotiations on reform.

The absence of multilateral outcomes – extending WTO reform, on the e-commerce moratorium, on agriculture and fish subsidies – reflected the entrenched positions of major economies unwilling to compromise. That is a real setback, and we should not pretend otherwise.

New Zealand will not walk away. We will continue to be a constructive, pragmatic broker. We will continue to push on agricultural trade reform, harmful fisheries subsidies, trade-distorting industrial policy, and digital trade rules. Because in a world shifting from rules to power, every institution we can support and every norm we can embed makes New Zealand safer. The alternative – abandoning the multilateral system – is not an option for a country like ours. And we will invest in the institution. I am delighted that the 165 WTO members have endorsed the appointment of the New Zealand Ambassador to Geneva to lead the WTO peak body, the General Council.

Building Resilience
Trade rules alone are not enough. Our second pillar is resilience – the ability to keep New Zealand’s trade flowing when the system is under stress. I see our resilience agenda through three lenses: engagement with our exporters, diversification in our international relationships, and the unglamorous but high-value and critical work of removing non-tariff barriers.

Engaging our exporters
When the US tariff announcements hit, we moved immediately to get real-time information out to exporters and to hear from them directly. We have run regular, well-attended webinars since then. And MFAT’s website contains 754 market intelligence reports for New Zealand traders.

I have already done five India FTA roadshows around the country over the past few months with more to come. Getting out and hearing from our exporters and the public – not just in Auckland and Wellington, but across the regions – is one of the most valuable things I do as a Minister. It shapes our priorities and it builds trust.

We will continue to prioritise this kind of engagement, particularly in the current tumultuous environment. Kiwi exporters have shown time and again that they are resourceful and resilient. Our job is to make sure they have the information, the access, and the support they need to make the most of the opportunities we have secured for them.

Take for example an ice cream company that established a New Zealand and Asian plastic packaging supply chain following COVID 19.  Given the low stocks, they are now exploring how cardboard could be used instead.

Investing in relationships
This Government has prioritised both investing in our partnerships and diversifying our trade relationships.  This has included more international visits than any previous government in a parliamentary term to build and strengthen New Zealand’s relationships with key partners.  

Trade missions are about opening doors for New Zealand exporters – helping them build relationships, understand markets, and turn opportunities into real contracts, and the trade missions we’ve achieved to date have helped deliver over 200 commercial outcomes valued at more than NZ$2 billion. Those are not just numbers. They represent new connections, new contracts, and new confidence for Kiwi businesses in markets they might not have entered alone.

Our Saudi Arabia mission is a good example. We unlocked five commercial deals worth over $100 million. The 21 businesses who came with us opened doors in premium food, technology, services, construction, and the creative industries. Those doors opened because we showed up.  We invested in the relationship, and we demonstrated that New Zealand is a serious partner.

Our relationship with Singapore tells a similar story. New Zealand’s original trade agreement with Singapore was one of our first. We have invested in that relationship for over two decades. And that investment recently produced something genuinely new – the world’s first Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies, designed specifically to keep essential goods moving in times of crisis. It delivers better fuel predictability for New Zealand and food security for Singapore. 
It only became possible because we had built the relationship long before we needed it.

Not only have we prioritised engagement with our long-standing partnerships – such as Australia and the EU- but we are also future-proofing our trade resilience through diversification, which can help open alternative markets and sources of supplies.

This is why we saw the China market as a good opportunity back in 2008 – when no other developed country had an FTA with China. China is now New Zealand’s largest export market and the value of our exports to China has soared from between $2 to $3 billion to around $23 billion per annum.

Another approach we have taken to strengthening partnerships is through our leverage of CPTPP to establish formal dialogues with the EU and ASEAN – something the PM and I have prioritised in these challenging times.  This provides a valuable opportunity for large trade blocs (with the EU and CPTPP representing a third of global trade) to move on issues that are currently paralysed at the WTO.

And our partnerships with the Pacific, through the PACER Plus agreement, are essential to the prosperity and resilience of our region. That is why our government, alongside Australia, has invested NZD 38 million in Aid for Trade initiatives that strengthen countries’ trade capacity under the agreement.
I will also continue to strengthen relationships with Pacific Island Countries that have yet to join PACER Plus, including Fiji, because regional economic integration through trade makes us all more resilient.

Removing non-tariff barriers
Our relationships are also critical to resolve many of New Zealand’s non-tariff barriers (NTBs) – from certification requirements, labelling rules, testing regimes, to environmental regulations – these issues slow growth.

NTBs currently affect almost NZ$9 billion worth of New Zealand’s exports across more than 50 markets, and this government is committed to finding solutions. 
Last year alone, we resolved NTBs affecting around $600 million of exports. Some examples include unlocking access to China’s $200 million cosmetics and skincare market, signing and implementing a deer velvet arrangement with China providing market growth worth $64.5 million in the year to December 2024, and expanding access for New Zealand dairy products and blueberries to Korea worth $5 to $10 million, and $5 million, respectively.

We are also progressing a new plurilateral arrangement with like-minded partners to tackle NTBs in third markets cooperatively. This work does not generate headlines. But it directly affects whether Kiwi exporters can compete.

Innovation: Securing Our Seat at the Table
Our third pillar is innovation. I have heard the phrase: “New Zealand needs the world to trade, but the world doesn’t need New Zealand.” That just means we have to earn our place. And innovation is how we do that.

New Zealand has a record of bringing trade ideas to the world that larger countries haven’t thought of yet. The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement – DEPA – is a clear example. New Zealand, Singapore, and Chile created the world’s first standalone digital economy agreement, covering everything from business facilitation and digital trust through to AI and digital inclusion. The Republic of Korea has since joined. Costa Rica and Peru are seeking membership. That agreement started as an idea from three small, like-minded countries, and it is now shaping the architecture of global digital trade.

Similarly, we are working to maximise the commercial value of indigenous business connection through the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPECTA).

Our leadership in institutions like APEC, the OECD, and the Small Advanced Economies’ Initiative has gradually found its way into the hard rules of agreements like CPTPP. That is how small countries shape the world.

We are building on that legacy with the Green Economy Partnership Agreement. Working with Chile and Singapore, GEPA will make the green transition easier for producers, exporters, and investors, and position Kiwi businesses to compete in a global green economy projected to be worth US$11 trillion by 2040.

And through the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership – FIT-P – New Zealand is working with 16 like-minded, trade-dependent economies with a global reach ranging from Norway to Rwanda to Malaysia. Our approach is to cooperate on practical solutions for supply chains, paperless trade, non-tariff barriers, and trade-distorting subsidies. This initiative came about when I got together with trade colleagues from Switzerland, Singapore and the UAE. We knew we needed to find a way to support each other, reinforce the rules-based system, and work together to create new rules that give our traders more certainty.

Most recently at MC14, Eleven FIT-P members released a Joint Statement on maintaining open and resilient supply chains given the impact on global trade of the Middle East conflict. New Zealand and these FIT partners have committed to working together to identify disruptions to the trade of essential goods and exchanging information on how we will approach and mitigate these.

I will host my fellow trade ministers at the next FIT-P Ministerial in Auckland later this year. That is a leadership role, and we intend to use it to find new ways to support our exporters and their jobs, incomes and productivity in New Zealand.

The Long Game
Our goal is ambitious: to double the value of New Zealand’s exports in ten years. That requires growth in trade relationships – but it also requires growth in investment.

New Zealand is well below the OECD average for foreign direct investment as a share of GDP. That gap has a direct cost in productivity and wages. That is why this Government established InvestNZ – New Zealand’s first dedicated foreign investment agency – to attract more capital into sectors with the highest growth potential: renewable energy, technology, data infrastructure, advanced manufacturing. More capital means higher productivity. Higher productivity means better wages for New Zealanders.

And we are also seeing our export base diversify in ways that are genuinely exciting. Technology, commercial services, and education are growing fast. Companies like Auror – which exports retail crime prevention software to Australia, the UK, and North America – and Halter, exporting high-tech livestock management solutions globally, are proving that New Zealand innovation can compete anywhere. These are exactly the kinds of businesses we want to see more of, in more markets, with more support behind them.

We also want to venture deeper into global markets that are bursting with opportunities – like Latin America, which is fast becoming a key growth market for New Zealand exporters, with our exports to the region rising by 41% since 2021.  

This Government has already started making inroads – the Minister of Foreign Affairs led a Parliamentary and large business delegation to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay earlier this year to strengthen our partnerships, deepen our people-to-people links, and boost our profile.  

The visit was a huge success, with a range of New Zealand exporters announcing new commercial agreements with companies in Argentina – fostering connections, and growing partnerships.  

We’re also exploring additional markets in Asia and looking at opportunities in Africa.  Diversification is not just an economic strategy – it is insurance.

Conclusion
Let me finish with this.

The world New Zealand trades in today is harder and much more uncertain than the one we were trading in five years ago. The rules are more contested. The relationships are more complex. The disruptions are more frequent. I do not expect that to change anytime soon.

But this is not a new challenge for a country like ours. New Zealand has always had to work that much harder and smarter than larger economies to secure and protect its access to markets. We have always had to be more creative, more constructive, more persistent, and more present.

What this Government has done is bring that same mindset – and more energy, and more urgency – to the task.

That’s why this Government has run more trade missions than any previous administration in a parliamentary term.

That’s why this Government established New Zealand’s first dedicated investment agency.

Because 400 million people around the world get around 10% of their diet from New Zealand. Our farmers, our food producers, our tech companies, and our service exporters are among the best in the world. They deserve a government that fights for them on the world stage.

We are fighting for them. And we are not finished.
 

MIL OSI

Winston Peters has taken a fresh crack at Christopher Luxon over immigration, asking how the prime minister can talk about the need for a “careful” approach while also signing up to the India free trade agreement (FTA).

It’s the latest example of internal coalition friction as New Zealand First continues to rail against the FTA’s “ludicrous immigration implications”.

In a speech to Auckland business leaders on Wednesday afternoon, Luxon signalled a tightening of immigration policy, warning that the wrong settings would only stoke the “politics of division” seen abroad.

“You should expect to see careful policy on immigration from National as we get closer to the election,” Luxon said. “When faced with a choice between social stability and your bottom line, I will choose the former every single time.”

Asked about Luxon’s remarks on his way into Parliament, Peters responded with disbelief.

“How do you reconcile that with the Indian free trade agreement? Go and reconcile that quote with the Indian free trade agreement,” Peters said.

“The prime minister needs to reconcile that to you now … I’m asking you to go and ask him, ‘How can you say that … and yet write the free trade agreement in the way they have?’”

Luxon directly referenced the India FTA in his speech, arguing the temporary work visas it granted were evidence of a robust approach targeted at workforce shortages.

Speaking to reporters after his speech, Luxon said the debate over the trade deal had become “perverted” into a “fear of mass migration”.

“That is just factually incorrect,” he said.

“These are Kiwis who have left everything they know, chosen to come to this country, they work incredibly hard, they send their kids to school, they don’t go on welfare. And they are fantastic Kiwis.”

Luxon said New Zealand did not have the same problems as other countries because of its “very smart, targeted, fair immigration system”.

“It’s not like [Nigel] Farage and railing against it in the UK, or Pauline Hanson in Australia, or other countries that we’re dealing with. We have legal migration, but … it requires a dynamic approach where you are constantly making sure those settings are optimised and are linked to our economic strategy and our infrastructure.”

Back at Parliament, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told media immigration should not be a major election issue because the government had done “such a good job” getting the settings right.

“In an election year, there’ll be people who say things that might whip up some sentiment, that’s unfortunate,” she said.

“But in my world … I’ve made sure that our immigration system is fit for purpose and working for New Zealanders.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said all three coalition parties were lining up some “very ugly anti-migrant rhetoric” for the election campaign.

“From Shane Jones talking about a butter chicken tsunami, to David Seymour talking about the character of New Zealand being changed forever, it’s clear this government want to blame migrants for the economic position the country is in.”

Responding, ACT leader David Seymour said Labour was partially to blame for the wider frustration growing in the wider community.

“They had hundreds of thousands of people through the border before Covid. They shut the border, and then they gave nearly a quarter of a million people residence with no questions asked,” he said.

“It’s creating a lot of problems, and the Labour Party have that firmly at their door.”

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

Working people in the greater Wellington region face yet another cost increase from Friday, when Metlink fares rise 3.1 percent and the Snapper off-peak discount drops from 30 to 20 percent.

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi President Sandra Grey says the timing could not be worse.

“Like all Kiwis, Wellingtonians are already being squeezed from every direction. Groceries are up, electricity is up, and we are in the middle of a fuel supply crisis. Now the bus and the train are going up too. Something has to give, and right now it is working people’s wages,” Grey says.

“This hike hits shift workers hardest. Cutting the off-peak discount from 30 to 20 percent is effectively a tax on the cleaners, hospo workers, nurses, and security staff who travel outside the 9-to-3 and after-6:30pm windows because that is when their work demands it.”

A Wairarapa commuter travelling from Masterton to Wellington will pay an extra 56 cents each way at peak – close to $290 a year for a five-day-a-week commuter.

Greater Wellington’s decision was made on 19 February, before the recent fuel price increases. They have said they are monitoring the impact of fuel costs on transport.

“Greater Wellington needs to revisit this decision in light of the fuel crisis. And the Government needs to step up. Public transport is essential infrastructure – not a user-pays luxury. The funding settings that force councils to keep raising fares are broken,” Grey says.

Grey says the CTU is calling on central government to lift its share of public transport funding so that councils around the motu are not forced into a cycle of annual fare hikes that hit working people hardest.

MIL OSI

The Government is tackling deceptive business practices with the introduction of the Fair Trading Amendment Bill, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer say.

“It’s very simple, the price that Kiwis see on the shelf or in the supermarket aisle should be the price they pay at the checkout,” Nicola Willis says.

“We know that New Zealanders are watching every dollar, but too many shoppers are being misled. Whether they’re being charged more than the advertised price or being sold a ‘special’ that isn’t really a saving – that’s not acceptable.

“That’s why we’re lifting penalties for misleading pricing and conduct – so big businesses can’t treat breaking the law as a cost of doing business, instead facing consequences that match the harm caused and the profit gained.

“The maximum penalty for breaches of the Fair Trading Act is currently $600,000. Following these changes, companies could be liable for up to three times the value of the commercial gain, the value of the transactions, or $5 million.

“Most businesses follow the rules. Some don’t, which is where we’re seeing misleading pricing and promotions that short-change shoppers.”

This work follows Consumer NZ’s “Price it Right” petition, which showed how widespread pricing inaccuracies are. The Commerce Commission also estimated pricing errors could be costing New Zealanders tens of millions of dollars a year. 

The Bill does three things:

• increases penalties for breaches of the Fair Trading Act.
• introduces a new ‘safe harbour’ legal defence to support the takedown of scam websites.
• streamlines the process for the update of product safety standards. 

“Kiwis should have confidence they are being treated fairly by the businesses they buy from. These changes provide strong incentives for businesses to follow the law and increases the consequences for those that don’t,” Mr Brewer says.

“The Bill establishes a new legal defence called a ‘safe harbour’ allowing online service providers to take down suspected scam content quickly, provided they take reasonable precautions.

“Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and this safe harbour defence, developed with industry support, gives providers the confidence to stop them.

“The Bill also addresses long‑standing issues with product safety regulation, allowing us to keep pace with international standards and reducing unnecessary costs for businesses while maintaining safety.

“The Bill will shortly be referred to Select Committee for six months, and we encourage businesses and consumers to have their say.

“Our message to dodgy traders is simple: follow the law or pay the price.”

“These changes back honest businesses by making sure competition is based on playing by the rules, not cutting corners. When people can trust what they’re buying, and those who cheat face real consequences, it lifts confidence and supports a stronger, more competitive economy,” Nicola Willis says.

MIL OSI

New Zealand consular staff in the US are talking to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials about the case of the New Zealander who has been held in ICE custody for over a month.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ office said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (MFAT) consular team have been in contact with ICE officials to clarify what Everlee Wihongi has been charged with.

This is the first time the government has confirmed any direct contact with US officials since Wihongi’s detention on 10 April.

Wihongi is a New Zealand citizen, but has lived in the US for decades and holds a green card. She was detained upon re-entering the US following a three-week visit to New Zealand.

The update comes after RNZ’s questions to Peters’ office after Everlee Wihongi’s lawyer pointed out the minister was incorrect to say that she was being detained for not declaring a previous conviction, and the fact Wihongi and her family were still in the dark about what she had been charged with.

Wihongi’s lawyer Marc Christopher told RNZ she had been detained due to a decade-old conviction for a felony offence of marijuana possession, but he said it remained unclear what deportable offence she had now been charged with, despite that she appeared before a judge on 28 April.

Christopher said Peters was wrong to say Wihongi was detained due to hiding her previous conviction.

When RNZ put the comments to Peters’ office, a spokesperson said in a statement: “We have no further comment as a legal process is in play.

“MFAT’s consular team is in contact with Everlee Wihongi’s legal team, along with ICE officials seeking clarification on the exact nature of the charges.

“I am copying in MFAT who will be best placed to provide you with any further updates”.

MFAT has been approached for comment on what they found out from any communication with ICE officials and Wihongi’s legal team.

Wihongi’s family has repeatedly called for MFAT and the minister to do more to help.

MFAT and Peters had previously said the government could not interfere in immigration decisions of another country.

Asked for his thoughts on Wihongi’s recent transfer from California to Arizona – which her relative said was a gruelling journey where she was denied food and not allowed to shower – a spokesperson from Peters’ office said in a statement: “I am forwarding these queries to MFAT as they very much pertain on the consular efforts by their team in the States”.

The statement also said there had been no ministerial contact with US authorities.

“In the first instance consular support is the appropriate course of action,” the statement said.

Christopher told Midday Report he had spoken to New Zealand consular staff and they had been concerned with Wihongi’s healthcare and her treatment. However, he said he was not sure what they had been able to do for Wihongi.

Ministers not communicating with US officials

Meanwhile, official responses to written Parliamentary questions lodged by Green MP Teanau Tuiono revealed multiple ministers and their offices had neither sought nor received communications with US authorities about Wihongi’s case.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford’s office said it had seen no advice, reports, briefings, emails or documents relating to Wihongi’s detention. Her office also confirmed there had been “none” in terms of correspondence with the US embassy or US officials.

The same response came from Māori Development and Te Arawhiti Minister Tama Potaka’s offices, which said neither the minister nor staff had seen documents on the case or communicated with US officials.

Peters’ claim a ‘falsehood’ – aunt

The disclosures come as Wihongi’s family said her situation has become increasingly alarming after she was abruptly transferred from an ICE detention facility in Adelanto, California.

In a letter sent directly to Peters, Wihongi’s aunt Jenny Hewett-Sauauga accused the minister of publicly misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding her niece’s detention.

“I was highly disappointed to hear you say that Everlee had not declared her previous records, and that is why she was detained,” Hewett-Sauauga wrote.

“As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I would have expected you to have looked into this matter with due diligence before putting this falsehood out into a public forum.”

Christopher: ICE ‘flushed with money’ and going after minor cases

Christopher told Midday Report that while in the past ICE enforcement was limited by its budget, they’re now “flushed with money” and pursuing people with minor previous convictions.

He said as of July 2025, ICE has increased its detention facility budget by over 400 percent.

Christopher said in the past ICE focused on people who had committed more serious crimes, and it was rare that they would detain someone for months over a possession of marijuana conviction, but that had now changed under the Trump administration.

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MIL OSI

• With the inclusion principle integrated into main innovation projects, Ant International now links 2 bn user accounts with 150 mn merchants through multi-layered partnerships, provides global account services to 1.6 mn SMEs, and helps over 30 mn underserved businesses and individuals access quality credit.
• As its global payment, global account and embedded finance services expand rapidly, it is accelerating investments in compliance capabilities and advanced security technologies to tackle evolving regulatory and risk environments.
• From basketball courts in New York to marine protection in Java Indonesia, we build extensive partnerships to protect the environment and empower local communities.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 May 2026 – Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider, today published its 2025 Sustainability Report, the 2nd since the Company began independent operation.

This is also the first year Ant International integrated sustainability metrics into the management’s performance evaluation framework. As Eric Jing, Chairman of Ant Group and Ant International said, “Accountability must be structural, not aspirational. When sustainability outcomes are valued as much as revenue growth or operational efficiency, the whole organisation is more likely to align accordingly-just like how it might work with entire economies.”

In the Company’s 6Ts Sustainability Framework (Travel, Trade, Thrive, Tech, Talent, Trust), Inclusion remains the critical objective. “Our success relies on our ability to innovate for small businesses and emerging markets to thrive above social and technological shifts. Doing great by doing good should be our strategic differentiator,” said Peng Yang, CEO and Douglas Feagin, President at the Report’s launch.

• Alipay+ and Antom, the Company’s Global Payment pillars, now connect 2 bn user accounts globally to over 150 mn merchants. This vibrant ecosystem of interoperability links up more than 10 national QR systems and supports 300+ payment methods in over 220 markets, including all card schemes, and 50 digital wallets, bank apps and BNPL apps.
• Beyond payment, WorldFirst and Bettr, our Global Account and Embedded Finance services, support over 1.6 mn SMEs and provide credit access to 30 mn MSMEs and underserved users, integrating new AI and blockchain capabilities.
• The inclusion metric was built systemically into major innovation projects, for instance, more SME-friendly agentic payment and AI commerce tools, AI-as-a-Service platform for emerging markets, and the EPOS SME AI solutions.

“We will continue to double down on responsible innovation and collaboration to achieve our shared vision: a more inclusive, prosperous, and trustful global economy,” said Yang.

In 2025, Ant International’s sustainability work focused on 3 priorities across the 6T arenas:

Ant International rolled out various AI tools to ensure emerging markets and SMEs need to be able to leverage AI without massive infrastructure or capacity investments.

Payment AI & Agentic Commerce :

• Antom Copilot 2.0 completes payment integration, onboarding, risk and chargeback resolution in secure, automated workflow.
• Antom Agentic Payment Solution enables AI agents to securely initiate and complete card- and APM-based transactions in a pioneering payment mandate model.

FinAI Capacity Building:

• FinAI-as-a-Service platform, the GenAI Cockpit gives toolkits to fintechs, such as Malaysia’s TNG eWallet, and easypaisa, Pakistan’s first digital bank, to build flexible and autonomous AI commerce solutions, from customer-service assistants to sales copilots.
• Custom-made agentic AI assistants such as Alipay+ Voyager, an agentic AI travel companion embedded in super apps.
• Open-sourced AI FX solution delivers FX forecasts with up to 93% prediction accuracy across complex, volatile currency markets.
• EPOS360, an AI-powered SME operation and financing platform, rolls out in Southeast Asia.

The Company invested heavily in 2025 on technologies and partnerships on AML and security.

• SHIELD 3-in-1 Transformer model, supported by 7 bn parameters, identifies high-risk transactions with over 95% precision, while raising payment success rates by up to 13.5%.
• Digital Wallet Guardian Partnership shares risk tech, anti-fraud and funds protection solutions among wallet partners to protect consumers and merchants.
• The Alipay+ Privacy Enhancing Technology (PET) programme was cited by Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission in its practical guidance for industry application.

Meanwhile, advanced technology application must be harnessed by rigorous compliance standards and practices. In 2025, we further expanded:

• Our Risk Management Committee mechanism, which implements a comprehensive risk governance framework from the corporate down to the ground unit level.
• Our 3-layered Anti-Money-Laundering programme is anchored in a global baseline of minimum control standards to ensure consistency and integrity across all markets. We also use AI-powered risk detection and security review tools to improve accuracy and efficiency.

The Company plans to accelerate investments in global and local compliance capabilities to meet evolving regulatory and risk environments.

3. Digitalising Public Participation to Drive Social Impact

In 2025, working with partners from New York to West Java, our people started new grassroots efforts to support youth, environment and community projects with digital expertise.

• As the Innovation Partner for Sustainability of the New York Liberty, Alipay+ began supporting New York Liberty, the WNBA champion team on Liberty Sneaker Drives for underprivileged groups, Math Hoops project to build youth skills, and Threes for Trees project in NYC and Brooklyn.
• AlipayHK launched a main digital channel for charity fundraising after the Tai Po fire, raising HK$200 million from 450,000 super app users in first three days.
• Ocean Buddy, an in-app mini-programme for whale-shark protection in Indonesia, was launched in collaboration with DANA and Konservasi Indonesia, leveraging gamification to connect users’ everyday digital activities to marine protection.
• 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion, a joint initiative with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and over 50 global partners, has certified 9,504 since 2018, 55% of whom are women.

“Sustainability is increasingly becoming our primary driver of responsible innovation, “said Leiming Chen, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, “we will work together to ensure that as we expand globally, our progress remains inclusive, measurable, and impactful for the communities we serve.”

Find the full Report on our website: www.ant-intl.com

Hashtag: #AntInternational

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

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

SANTIAGO, CHILE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 May 2026 – XTransfer, the world’s leading B2B cross-border trade payment platform, participated in the Chile Fintech Forum 2026 as Platinum sponsor and introduced X-Net in Latin America for the first time. X-Net is a globally unified B2B cross-border settlement network and risk management platform designed to connect banks and financial institutions with SMEs, supporting more efficient, secure, and inclusive cross-border payment solutions as China–Latin America trade continues to expand.

Despite rising trade volumes, SMEs still faced “last-mile” friction in cross-border payments. Fragmented domestic rails and local banking practices often required payments to pass through multiple intermediaries and currencies, increasing cost, processing time, and operational failure points. Reliance on USD settlement further added double-conversion fees and FX constraints that could trap working capital and reduce margin predictability. Meanwhile, tighter fraud controls and stricter Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements made compliance checks more complex and harder to scale, which could leave legitimate businesses facing friction with onboarding difficulties, account restrictions, or frozen funds.

Introducing X-Net
XTransfer developed X-Net as an infrastructure purpose-built for B2B cross-border trade. The hybrid network works with regulators, banks, and payment institutions to advance standards for fund-flow design, product integration, and risk control. As a settlement and risk-control layer linking financial institutions to import-export enterprises, X-Net aims to standardise collections, payouts, and compliance workflows across participants, helping SMEs access secure, compliant, and seamless payment infrastructure once reserved for multinationals.

The LatAm market potential
Latin America is growing and upgrading fast. XTransfer data shows collections from the region rose 94% year-on-year in 2025, outpacing China’s 8% export growth there and signalling a shift toward secure, compliant collections. The XTransfer Export PMI, a sample survey of XTransfer’s 800,000 SME users, selecting over 3,000 companies nationwide, also points to strong fundamentals, with Latin America’s export order index at 56.47 and price index at 57.81 in March 2026, above global readings of 53.85 and 56.15.

Violas Xiao, Singapore and LatAm CEO of XTransfer, said, “Emerging markets are central to XTransfer’s expansion, and in Latin America. Next, we’ll deepen coverage in Brazil and Mexico while expanding into growth markets like Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina, improving minor-currency liquidity and risk automation so SMEs can pay and collect more predictably and compliantly.”

https://www.xtransfer.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtransfer.cn
https://x.com/xtransferglobal
https://www.facebook.com/XTransferGlobal/
https://www.instagram.com/xtransfer.global

Hashtag: #XTransfer #Chile #FintechForum #Crossborder #Payment #SMEs

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

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

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Trade Minister Todd McClay said he was expecting the United States government to announce it was launching a trade investigation into New Zealand and Australian lamb imports in the coming weeks.

New Zealand lamb exports to the US have grown in recent years, with more than $600m of sheep meat – including lamb sold to the US – in 2025.

US Trade officials are thought to be launching investigations into so-called unfair trade practices, as a way to reintroduce tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.

“We know they are doing investigations at the moment, so-called investigations, they are looking for other ways to put that tariff wall back up,” McClay said.

McClay said an investigation into lamb was likely and it was possible that if the president needed to shore up votes in some states, he could hit New Zealand and Australia with tariffs.

He said that his officials were talking to their US counterparts and reminding them that New Zealand was providing good product, was not flooding the market and was helping US farmers grow the market for lamb.

“But the nature of it is when the president decides, the president decides, and so if he decides, you know, that if he’s had a bad lamp chop or something, who knows what’s going to happen”

Most New Zealand exports to the US face the blanket global tariff rate of 10 percent.

This was imposed after an earlier 15 percent tariff on New Zealand exports was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.

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Police 111 calltakers are stepping in to take fire calls for Wednesday’s one hour strike at Fire and Emergency.

Unionised FENZ communications centre workers and firefighters would strike for an hour from 4.30pm on Wednesday, in addition to the ongoing Friday one-hour strikes.

FENZ told staff about it on Monday.

“This is a temporary public safety continuity measure only,” Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said in an email.

“To date ComCen Leadership have been able to manage the response during strike periods but they are unable to on this occasion.”

The professional firefighters’ union said it understood two leaders had been allowed to go to Australia for a conference.

“They could’ve managed their staffing better,” the union’s national secretary Wattie Watson said.

Public safety was always a factor due to failure to resource the front line, she said.

FENZ said police would only take the calls then transfer them to fire ComCen leaders not on strike for dispatching any crews and trucks.

The calltakers/dispatchers shared office space in close quarters often.

“Importantly, police are not replacing Fire and Emergency staff and are not involved in employment, bargaining or industrial matters,” Stiffler said.

“They must not be asked to explain, justify or defend this arrangement.”

Police said they were meeting their obligations as a statutory public safety agency.

The “predicted call volume over that hour is a small amount compared to police’s call volumes, and as such, the arrangement is not expected to significantly impact our ability to meet our own demand”, police said.

What callers would have to do, and support and advice, had been offered, acting director of emergency comms and dispatch Mike Higgie said.

“Both organisations have communicated clear expectations about the ongoing professional conduct expected from our respective people.”

Watson said the union had limited information but it appeared this was a one-off for this Wednesday.

“We’ve asked for an explanation, we’ve yet to receive a response from them.”

FENZ was not bargaining so strikes were continuing to try to get them back to the table with a new offer, she said.

Stiffler said in a statement to RNZ, “We have continued to urge the [union] to call off their strikes because they put lives at risk.

“An example of this was last Friday when a commander responded during the paid firefighters’ strike rescuing a person from their smoke-filled home.”

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