JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 May 2026 – VinFast has officially launched the Early Booking Program for three battery-swapping e-motorcycle models in Indonesia, including the VinFast Evo, VinFast Feliz II, and VinFast Viper. This marks the next step in VinFast’s strategy to expand its comprehensive green mobility ecosystem in Indonesia, reaffirming the Company’s strong commitment to one of the region’s largest two-wheeler markets.

The three new models are designed to meet the diverse mobility needs of Indonesian consumers, ranging from daily urban commuting and business purposes to modern lifestyle aspirations. Accompanying the product lineup is a flexible battery ownership model, allowing customers to choose between battery subscription, battery swapping, or purchasing vehicles with batteries included, depending on their preferences and usage needs.

The Early Booking Program will run from May 20, 2026 to June 20, 2026 via the official website: Vinfastauto.id. Customers can conveniently select their preferred e-motorcycle model and area when placing the deposit, or contact the hotline at 1500083 for assistance.

VinFast has also announced pricing for the three models under the Early Booking Program. Accordingly, the VinFast Evo is priced at 18,980,000 IDR (with battery subscription) and 26,260,000 IDR (including 2 batteries). The VinFast Feliz II is priced at 20,100,000 IDR (with battery subscription) and 27,380,000 IDR (including 2 batteries). Meanwhile, the VinFast Viper is priced at 24,410,000 IDR (with battery subscription) and 31,690,000 IDR (including 2 batteries).

Customers who complete bookings during the period from May 20, 2026 to June 20, 2026 will receive a special discount valued at IDR 1.6 million. The booking fee is IDR 1 million and is non-refundable. The first deliveries to Indonesian customers are expected to begin in June 2026.

Ms. Vo Thi Cam Tu, Managing Director of VinFast E-motorcycles Overseas Market, said: “Indonesia is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic two-wheeler markets, and is also entering a period of rapid transition toward green mobility. The simultaneous launch of three battery-swapping e-motorcycle models demonstrates VinFast’s serious commitment and long-term strategy in building a sustainable mobility ecosystem in Indonesia. We are not only introducing high-quality, smart, and accessible products, but are also investing comprehensively in charging and battery-swapping infrastructure to accelerate and simplify the green transition for Indonesian consumers.”

Among the three new models, the VinFast Viper is designed for young customers who favor sporty styling and modern technology. The vehicle is equipped with a range of smart features, including a Smart Key system with remote vehicle tracking and locating functions, as well as remote on/off control to enhance anti-theft protection.

In addition, the VinFast Viper features a TFT display, projector headlights, and dual rear shock absorbers with external reservoirs, providing enhanced stability and riding comfort across various road conditions.

Meanwhile, the VinFast Feliz II and VinFast Evo inherit the proven strengths of previous-generation models in Vietnam, while being further optimized to better meet the practical needs of Indonesian consumers.

The VinFast Viper, VinFast Feliz II, and VinFast Evo are all equipped with a maximum 5,200W BLDC in-wheel motor, delivering strong performance for urban mobility. The Viper and Feliz II support top speeds of up to 90 km/h, while the Evo reaches up to 80 km/h.

The VinFast Evo, Feliz II, and Viper are all designed with dual battery compartments positioned beneath the seat, optimizing storage space while enabling convenient battery installation and swapping. All three models use modern 2 x 1.5 kWh LFP batteries, known for their durability and high safety standards.

With two fully charged batteries, the VinFast Evo can travel up to 150 km under standard conditions, while the VinFast Viper and VinFast Feliz II offer ranges of up to 145 km. These figures stand out within the urban e-motorcycle segment, providing users with confidence for both daily commuting and longer journeys.

Customers may choose to subscribe to two batteries at a monthly fee of 84,000 IDR/month x 2, or purchase vehicles with batteries included, depending on their needs. Battery swapping fees are set at 6,000 IDR per battery per swap.

In addition to battery swapping, users can also charge batteries directly at home or at public charging stations. Through a strategic partnership with global charging infrastructure developer V-Green, VinFast is actively deploying battery-swapping and charging stations across multiple areas in Indonesia to provide customers with a convenient, fast, and optimized ownership experience.

Notably, all VinFast e-motorcycle models will enjoy free battery swapping at V-Green Battery Swap stations (BSS) for one year (up to 20 swaps per month per vehicle), together with a vehicle warranty of up to 6 years or 72,000 km (whichever comes first), helping to significantly reduce operating costs and encourage consumers to transition to green mobility solutions.

Indonesia is currently one of the world’s largest two-wheeler markets. Combined with supportive clean-energy transition policies from the Indonesian government, the electric two-wheeler market is expected to hold tremendous growth potential in the coming years. With a well-structured investment strategy, a comprehensive ecosystem, and a diverse product portfolio, VinFast aims to accompany Indonesia in building a greener, more modern, and sustainable future for all.

Earlier this year, VinFast announced plans to expand its electric two-wheeler business into international markets, with the first five key markets expected to include the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Malaysia. These markets all possess strong growth potential, high urban mobility demand, and increasingly clear trends toward green transportation solutions.

In recent years, VinFast has established a green mobility ecosystem in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and other markets through partnerships with reputable local companies, alongside strategic ecosystem partners such as GSM, an all-electric taxi operator, and V-Green. In addition to e-motorcycles, VinFast has also introduced a diverse lineup of e-bikes, e-buses, and electric vehicles, further expanding consumer choices in the transition toward sustainable transportation.

https://vinfastauto.id/

Hashtag: #VinFast

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

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

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – During Donald Trump’s high-profile diplomatic visit to China, a state-level welcome banquet was hosted in Beijing, assembling global industry leaders from the semiconductors, consumer electronics, new energy and intelligent manufacturing sectors. Beyond diplomatic protocol, the banquet’s strategic seating arrangement sparked extensive industry discussion, with a dedicated elite tech table becoming the focal point of global industrial attention. Jia Shaoqian, Chairman of Hisense Group, was invited to the exclusive tech table, seated alongside iconic U.S. tech figures including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, and Tyson Jacob. The premium seating objectively validates Hisense’s worldwide technological prowess and authoritative industrial discourse power.

The high-end roundtable establishes a premium communication channel bridging Chinese manufacturing and U.S. hard technology. While U.S. representatives cover artificial intelligence, advanced semiconductors and new energy vehicles, Hisense represents China’s sophisticated technology manufacturing with a multi-dimensional technological layout. Shattering the long-standing stereotype of a conventional home appliance maker, the company has built inimitable technological barriers in high-end display and smart home sectors, maintaining sustained technological iteration and undisputed global technological advantages in 2026.

Empowered by its end-to-end industrial chain capability, Hisense occupies an apex position in the global display industry. The company’s self-developed RGB-Mini LED technology achieves comprehensive leadership in R&D, mass production and technological iteration. Equipped with the pioneering Linglong 4-Core True Colour Backlight system and independently developed Hi-View AI image processing chip, Hisense’s 2026 latest UX series features 110% BT.2020 ultra-wide colour gamut, 10,000 nits peak brightness and 134-bit high-precision colour control, reproducing over 120 million distinct colours. With these innovations, Hisense now has a one-year technological head start over its competitors, enabling the enterprise to set industrial benchmarks and secure rule-making authority within the global display ecosystem.

Hisense remains an undisputed global pioneer in laser display technology, holding full independent intellectual property rights covering laser light sources, optical modules and terminal devices. Continuous investment in underlying optical research enables superior imaging performance with ultra-high contrast, eye-friendly visual comfort and wide colour gamut. The persistent technological edge reinforces Hisense’s dominant market share in the global laser TV industry, consolidating its status as an indispensable Chinese technological powerhouse in the high-end display landscape.

Beyond display technologies, Hisense expands its technological frontier in premium smart home appliances. The self-developed heat pump washing machine adopts an innovative four-in-one integrated heat pump structure, delivering low-temperature fabric-friendly washing and drying while significantly cutting energy consumption. As an original global energy-saving home appliance solution, it embodies Hisense’s green manufacturing philosophy and diversified R&D strength beyond display technology.

During the banquet, Jia Shaoqian engaged in in-depth dialogues with international tech elites regarding technological innovation, transnational industrial collaboration and eco-friendly intelligent manufacturing. The high-level face-to-face communication enhances mutual trust and cooperation potential between Chinese and U.S. technology enterprises. Adhering to a globalised development strategy, Hisense maintains steady overseas revenue and robust independent brand influence, with its technology-oriented products widely recognised across mainstream international markets.

The prestigious seating arrangement serves as compelling proof of global recognition for China’s high-end manufacturing industry. As a leading Chinese tech enterprise, Hisense has obtained equal diplomatic-level dialogue status within the world’s top technological circle. Moving forward, Hisense will consistently invest in independent R&D, continuously iterate RGB-Mini LED, laser display and heat pump appliance technologies, and actively explore global industrial cooperation. Committed to technological empowerment, Hisense will further strengthen the global influence and industrial voice of Chinese high-end manufacturing.

Visit hisense.sg to learn more about Hisense’s innovative products available now in Singapore.

Disclaimer: This article is an objective industrial observation without exaggerated promotional statements. All technical parameters are sourced from Hisense’s official 2026 product releases.

Hashtag: #Hisense

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

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

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – SUBCON Thailand — ASEAN’s largest industrial sourcing expo — closed its 20th edition with an estimated USD 705.5 million in parts trade (approximately 23 billion baht), as manufacturers worldwide pushed deeper into Southeast Asia to broaden industrial partnerships. The event ran May 13–16 in Bangkok, drawing more than 50,000 participants and generating over 9,600 business matching pairs. It is co-organized by the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), the Thai Subcontracting Promotion Association, and Informa Markets Thailand.

“SUBCON Thailand is not only the largest trade exhibition in ASEAN. It is a mechanism the BOI uses to connect Thai entrepreneurs to global supply chains, at a moment when massive global industrial restructuring is forcing every country to build a stronger base for its own manufacturers,” said Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment. “Thai entrepreneurs will be the backbone of Thailand’s economy in the years ahead. We will develop SUBCON into a platform that elevates their capabilities and plants Thailand more firmly on the global industrial supply chain map — in AI, semiconductors, modern vehicles, and automation.”

Companies said SUBCON Thailand let them source across electric vehicles, semiconductors and advanced electronics, automation and robotics, medical devices, and aerospace — finding buyers, suppliers, and industrial partners across all of them — in a single venue.

“SUBCON Thailand serves as a key platform where automotive and electronics companies connect and explore business opportunities. Through business matching sessions, good potential has been identified to deepen collaboration with Thai entrepreneurs and enhance local industry partnerships,” said Mr. Paulino Mendoza, Team Lead Global Processing Manager, BMW (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

“SUBCON Thailand is where Thai manufacturers prove their quality to the world. Business Matching connected us with buyers and partners we would not have found elsewhere. This is how Thai companies build the confidence to compete internationally,” said Ms. Waranchalee Suwanpimolkul, Assistant Managing Director, S.K. Polymer Co., Ltd.

Many BOI-network companies left with concrete results — procurement agreements, follow-up negotiations, and technology partnerships. Business Matching drew the highest satisfaction scores of any activity at the show, reflecting how central buyer-supplier connectivity is to the event’s appeal. The results point to broader confidence: companies at the show said Thai manufacturers are internationally competitive on quality and ready to integrate into global supply chains.

Looking ahead, the BOI plans to widen SUBCON’s scope — targeting AI, advanced electronics, modern vehicles, and logistics. The BOI will also expand Business Matching to reach a broader set of industries and build closer ties between Thai companies and overseas investors.

“SUBCON Thailand is a mechanism the BOI uses to put Thai entrepreneurs at the center of global supply chains — and to keep them there. The world is going through the biggest industrial shift in a generation. Every country is racing to build a stronger base for its own manufacturers. Thai entrepreneurs will be the backbone of Thailand’s economy, and we intend to make SUBCON the platform that gets them there — in AI, semiconductors, modern vehicles, and automation,” Mr. Narit said.

USD conversions based on an exchange rate of 32.6 baht per USD.

https://www.boi.go.th

Hashtag: #BOI #thailandboardofinvestment #SUBCONThailand

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

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

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – In the rapidly evolving logistics landscape of 2026, precision and speed define the ultimate prerequisites for high-value essentials. Leveraging Hong Kong’s unparalleled “geographical superpower”, the ability to reach half the world’s population within a five-hour flight, Cathay Cargo is reinforcing the aviation gateway for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the global market through its specialized Cold Chain Logistics by integrating Cathay Fresh and Cathay Pharma solutions.

Cathay Fresh: Seamless Intermodal Connectivity

The Airport Authority Hong Kong’s Air-Land Fresh Lane (ALFL) initiative has enabled Cathay Cargo to create a seamless intermodal cold chain link for premium perishables, such as live seafood and seasonal fruits, into the Greater Bay Area. Under a single air waybill, these shipments travel seamlessly from overseas via HKIA directly to the GBA within a unified cold chain ecosystem.

The ALFL’s strategic brilliance lies in its simplified import process: by utilizing a specialized transshipment certificate, shipments bypass complex re-registration on the Chinese Mainland and access refrigerated Customs facilities in Zhuhai directly. This ecosystem ensures end-to-end integrity: products are protected by “Cool Dollies” on the tarmac before being transferred to GPS-tracked, temperature-controlled trucks. This streamlined process significantly accelerates delivery, ensuring nutrient density and food security for consumers.

Cathay Pharma: Technical Excellence in Life Sciences

As pharmaceutical products demand absolute thermal stability, Cathay Pharma offers a technical vanguard and sets the industry benchmark for life sciences. Operating the largest dedicated Pharma Handling Centre at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Cathay Pharma supports four distinct temperature ranges (FRO, COL, CRT, ERT) and offers Asia’s most extensive selection of cool containers through six strategic partners.

The key to this reliability is Ultra Track, a near-real-time data-logging system that empowers shippers with full visibility into cargo status and enables proactive interventions. With over 70 qualified pharma handling stations globally, Cathay Pharma ensures that life-saving vaccines and biologics maintain their efficacy throughout the journey.

An Integrated Total Cold Chain Vision

Cathay Cargo offers a Total Cold Chain Solution tailored to distinct temperature-sensitive sectors. By applying IATA CEIV Fresh-assured protocols to perishables and utilizing world-class pharmaceutical facilities that meet IATA CEIV Pharma requirements for life sciences. Cathay Cargo ensures that every temperature-sensitive shipment, whether premium seafood or critical medicine, meets the highest global standards for safety and integrity.

Hashtag: #CathayCargo #ColdChainLogistics

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

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

MIL OSI

Survivors of abuse and violence may soon have an effective new therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder which can be delivered by trained health coaches, GPs and other non-psychologists.

Survivors of abuse and violence may soon have an effective new therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) available in Aotearoa New Zealand, thanks to research led by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Written exposure therapy has already proven effective in high-quality international research.

“Evidence is positive from randomised trials – whether it’s war trauma, motor vehicle trauma, sexual trauma or violence, all the big ones, the ones that really mess people up,” says lead researcher Professor Bruce Arroll, a part-time GP at the Auckland City Mission.

Written exposure therapy is designed to be delivered by non-psychologists and offers patients an effective treatment outside of specialist services.

Currently, people may have to wait a long time for a specialist appointment and therapy can require a long course of sometimes costly treatment.

Written exposure therapy is a brief intervention that involves five half-hour sessions of writing about a traumatic experience and its impact, with a trained therapist providing feedback and keeping participants on track.

The therapy works by reducing avoidance, which is one of the key mechanisms that keeps PTSD going, says Arroll.

“The way I explain it to people is ‘Think about the thing you least want to write about and that’s what you have to write about, if you want to get rid of the PTSD.’

“People with PTSD are trying to avoid the memory, which makes complete sense – but until you stop avoiding it, it will keep haunting you.”

Arroll is now leading a trial at the Auckland City Mission to test whether written exposure therapy is most effective when delivered once or twice a week.

The goal is a two-arm trial with two groups of 14 patients randomised to either schedule.

So far, around 15 people have formally participated in the research project, with more than 20 others accessing the therapy.

Standard questionnaire-based evaluations have shown significant improvements in participants’ PTSD symptoms.

Participant feedback has also been strongly positive. Comments include: “For the first time, I believe in myself and trust myself and like myself. It’s amazing… took 60 years.”

Another participant described changes in their relationship with alcohol: “I can’t change anything in the past… I’ve just got to learn to find better techniques to process it, because it hasn’t really been processed, it’s only been drowned.”

Patients trust the City Mission as a place where they feel safe, says Eunice Tao, a fourth-year medical student who focused on the research during her honours year.

Tao says that, while reading about participants’ traumatic experiences could be confronting, it was protective to know the intervention was helping people heal, and that Arroll’s supervision was available throughout the process.

Arroll says GPs traditionally try to stay clear of treating PTSD.

GPs are able to screen for PTSD using a brief set of questions but often feel they lack the time and resources to treat it, particularly within 15-minute appointments.

However, PTSD can also complicate the treatment of other conditions.

“We deal with the depression and anxiety that comes with it; but it’s pretty hard to fix depression if you’ve got PTSD,” says Arroll.

Arroll has been training and supervising health coaches and some GPs to offer the therapy in general practices across the country.

With strong evidence and a model designed for primary care, written exposure therapy could help close a treatment gap for PTSD at a time when demand for clinical mental health services frequently outstrips capacity to provide them.

MIL OSI

A Coroner says the deaths of two fishermen in Northland highlight the importance of wearing lifejackets while rock fishing – as well as the need for warning signs and flotation aids in dangerous areas.

Sarath Kumar Sasidharan-Nair, 37, and Ferzil Babu, 34, drowned when they were swept off rocks at The Gap, a fishing spot at Taiharuru, east of Whangārei, two years ago.

Sasidharan-Nair’s body was found in the water two days later, while Babu’s remains were only found late last year when they washed up on Coppermine Island in Bream Bay.

According to a report released on Monday by Coroner Janet Anderson, the friends travelled together to Taiharuru on the afternoon of 1 May 2024.

Other friends arrived at the same fishing spot later that afternoon but did not recognise Sasidharan-Nair’s vehicle. They assumed the pair had decided not to go fishing because the water was so rough and went home.

The men’s wives raised the alarm when they failed to return and did not answer their phones.

Police found some of the men’s property on the beach that evening and started a large scale search the next day.

Coroner Anderson ruled that both men had died by accidental drowning and noted that neither owned a lifejacket.

According to evidence provided by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand (SLNZ), 16 people – all men – had died while fishing from land in Northland between 2011 and 2024.

SLNZ said rock fishing could be “rewarding and exhilarating” but required careful preparation and a strong focus on safety.

The chief risks were large waves overtopping rocky platforms, knocking fishers off their feet and sweeping them into the water; and slippery rocks near the water’s edge, where fishers could easily fall while retrieving a catch or a snagged line.

Coroner Anderson said the men’s tragic deaths again illustrated the need to war life jackets and have access to flotation devices while rock fishing.

In November 2025 she called on the Whangārei District Council to install warning signs and flotation aids at The Gap.

The council told her it had done so, working with hapū to get the right wording, but the sign had since been removed by an unknown person.

Coroner Anderson urged the council to urgently reinstate signage so people would be aware of the danger.

Responding to the report, Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Glen Scanlon said a lifejacket could be the difference between life and death while rock fishing.

“The very harsh reality shown by so many drownings is that we need to help each other make decisions which help us enjoy the water and get home safe. Rock fishers need to wear lifejackets and never underestimate the conditions.”

Scanlon said 237 people had drowned while fishing from land in New Zealand since 1980. Of those, 150 occurred while fishing from rocks.

A spokeswoman for the Whangārei District Council said the missing sign was being reinstated, and contractors would monitor it to make sure it remained in place.

The council was working with Surf Lifesaving New Zealand on installing floatation devices and additional safety signs at the site, she said.

Sasidharan-Nair was a registered nurse who had just started a new job in the emergency department at Whangārei Hospital.

Babu’s wife also worked at the hospital while he was seeking work and looking after their young son.

Coroner Anderson included SLNZ’s “five ways to survive” tips for rock fishing in her report. They are:

• Know how to float: Only go fishing from rocks if you know how to float well. Always wear a lifejacket and take a flotation device, like a life ring or a bucket, with you. Lifejackets will increase your chance of survival if you fall in.
• Find the safest place: Check conditions: tide, swell, weather, and local hazards. Always face the ocean and be alert for large waves which can knock you off the rocks.
• If in doubt, stay out: If the weather or conditions look dangerous don’t go fishing – wait for another day.
• Take care of yourself and others: Always fish together. If something happens, the other person can help. Wear light, warm clothing, a lifejacket and shoes with grip (not gumboots).
• Know how to get help: Always take a mobile phone; in an emergency call 111 and ask for police.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/two-men-who-drowned-rock-fishing-werent-wearing-life-jackets-coroner-says/

First Person – You could feel something special building for days, even before the NZ Warriors took the field.

On Air New Zealand planes to Brisbane, the cabins were filled with blue and green jerseys. Pilots and cabin crews dispensed “Up the Wahs”. In this city, Warriors jerseys were omnipresent.

On Friday, a line snaked down the shopping precinct on Queen Street as fans lined up to buy merch from the Warriors pop-up store – and meet former halfback Shaun Johnson.

New Zealanders like Brisbane; there are more of us there than in Dunedin, but this was high visibility Kiwidom. It felt like every local train had someone wearing a Warriors cap with its distinctive Tiki; every cafe had someone in a Warriors jersey, every sports bar a knot of Warriors fans.

On the opening night of the NRL Magic Round, it felt as if there were more Warriors supporters in the stands than fans of any of the other teams playing.

One estimate put the Kiwi contingent at more than 8000 in a stadium whose capacity is a little over 50,000, one of the biggest and certainly the most visible of the travelling groups of fans of the 16 teams playing.

An hour and a half before Sunday’s kick-off, Caxton Street leading down to Suncorp Stadium was packed. Police had already closed the roads with barricades.

Word had gone out that Warriors fans would meet at the Lord Alfred hotel, a watering hole both legendary and apparently historically significant for its Victorian pub architecture, to march – or hikoi as the fan organisers said – to the ground en masse. By 2.45pm, there were so many people outside the Lord Alfred, it took time for the leaders and drummer to get to the front and set everyone off. Slowly.

Then with flags flying, drums beating, the crowd of green and blue set off, chanting, to the stadium, past the gawking pubs and bars, past the watching police and security staff, the merch tents, and sponsors’ sideshows, into the ground.

There we congregated mostly in the northern stand, Kiwi territory, it was a mass of voluble partisan fans, The facing southern stand was more disputed, a stalemate of barrages from Warriors and Broncos fans.

Magic Round-goers are a festive bunch. The fans of 15 out of 16 teams travelled from around Australia for a good weekend; Warriors fans travelled from overseas and were there to make the most of every second.

The noise level on Sunday was staggering. It was enough to trigger warnings on iPhones. We were a long way from the image of New Zealanders as reserved, the “passionless people” of 1970s thinking.

This was the loudest game of Magic Round by a long way; when it was over and the Panthers played the Dragons in one last, ultimately dreary encounter, it sounded like a poorly attended Super rugby match at Eden Park – near silent. But for this game, fans sang, chanted, cheered ever Warrior move, jeering their opponents with gusto, toasting plays, bantering with neighbours, riding every tackle, every shift in the match.

“Ooh, aah, up the Wahs”, the stands chanted.

This was a crowd, working together and determined to tell their players they were there. A wall of noise for the Broncos, a wall of electricity for the Warriors. The body language of players suggested they were aware.

In defence, the Warriors were ferocious. In attack, they were unforgiving.

The Broncos were simply swept away.

This was no longer their Suncorp, their Lang Park.

At half-time the stadium played Poi E. Then the Warriors crowd sang Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi.

There may have been a few moments in the second half when the Broncos struck back, and their own partisan supporters matched the Warriors’ supporters for intensity, but it didn’t last. The Warriors were disciplined, the crowd vociferous.

Ten minutes from the final whistle, the crowd were lifting the roof off the stand as time ran out for the Broncos.

“Oh, oh, we’re halfway there”; they sang.

“Oh oh, living on a prayer…”

With four minutes left, the crowd were on their feet.

“Hey, hey ya baby, Ooh, aah, I want to know, will you be my girl?”

When it was all over, the Warriors team remained on the field. They hadn’t won at Suncorp against the Broncos since 2018. Now they had claimed it and it was theirs by right.

As a final act, they came together and stood before the northern stand to acknowledge their crowd. The crowd surged forward like waves of the sea. Then it was the turn of hip hop artist Savage to perform for the fans, his Warrior Nation.

“Get up and shout, say it till the end, we are the Warriors 100%.”

The crowd of green and blue exulted.

Double try-scorer Dallin Watene-Zelezniak thanked the crowd: “There were so many fans here, it felt like Auckland”.

Tomorrow, there will be questions. There will be the routine worries of injuries and suspensions and next games to play, all the ongoing huff and puff of sport. There’ll also be time for the nagging question that always dogs the Warriors – can they actually win this thing?

But at that moment, in that place, there was only a wild swirling outpouring of energy and noise and purpose. A cacophony of joy and a shout of resolve.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/warriors-fans-in-brisbane-a-wild-swirling-outpouring-of-energy-for-nrl-magic-round/

Is this the most beautiful commute in the world?

Maybe that is going too far but for the hundreds of cyclists who for the first time on Monday morning pedalled along the new Te Ara Tupua cycling and walking path between Ngauranga and Petone it might have seemed so.

The sun came up over the Hutt’s eastern hills around 7.30am as a plane was going overhead towards Lyall Bay, a ferry was making its way towards Somes Matui , the Waterloo-to-Wellington train was rattling past and the traffic was going at better-than-congealed pace along SH2 into town.

So far, so usual.

But the other transport link, the other commute, was far from usual.

“I’ve been actually dreaming of this,” said one rider as they prepared for their inaugural trip to work off of Petone Esplanade.

He rode off into the barest of southerlies and with the sun coming up over his shoulder.

The wind test for manual bikers versus electric, particularly into a stalwart northerly on a path further out from the lea of the hill, has yet to come.

The first 100m and the cyclist had already covered about $8m or so worth of track-building. The 4.1km trail came in at a $349m price-tag Transport Minister Chris Bishop had noted on opening day he wasn’t happy with.

That, and the lack of toilets halfway to Ngauranga, or at Ngauranga, might be the only quibbles.

Bishop who lives in Days Bay can now ride from his front door to Parliament and barely touch a road.

But until now commuter riders did not see it, focused tightly as they had been on their front wheels avoiding debris and staying well within the shoulder of the motorway.

Now they get to look up and out towards Baring Head. The logging trucks that had been on their right shoulders were now well away on the other side of Metlink’s Hutt Valley Line.

“Beautiful,” said one arriving atop the gentle slope of the bridge at the southern end the vaults the rail line. “Every day’s a happy day.”

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/cyclists-commute-at-sunrise-on-the-beautiful-te-ara-tupua/

Motorists are being advised to expect delays following a crash on Auckland’s Southern Motorway.

Police were called to the two-vehicle incident near Randwick Park shortly before 6am on Monday.

Fire and Emergency said crews were working to extract one person from their vehicle.

State Highway 1 citybound between the Takanini and Hill Road on-ramps was down to one lane while emergency services responded.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/delays-after-crash-on-aucklands-southern-motorway/

A cat rescuer who tames, desexes and rehomes stray felines is worried a bureaucratic battle could put his operation on pause.

Tony Hitchcock has run Feral No More from the small Rangitīkei town of Marton for the past three years with no issues or complaints.

But a move to Eketāhuna is proving problematic because, so far, the Tararua District Council says he hasn’t met the requirements to make him exempt from its three-cats-per-property bylaw.

Hitchcock said he wasn’t sure why. He had rehomed several hundred cats down the years, although he had kept some, such as ginger female Pay Back.

“She’s one of the best rodent control ‘office-furs’ in the whole of the North Island. I’ve had her five years. She was supposed to be given away twice, but the people didn’t show up for the adoption.”

Hitchcock’s packing up from his leased land in Marton – the lease has run out – after buying a section in Eketāhuna, where he wants to continue running his rescue. The move hasn’t been as simple as he’d hoped.

“In Marton, I moved here approximately three years ago. I’ve taken hundreds of cats out of the area, mainly from the outskirts of town.

“Cats are a big problem in the rural towns, especially around the outskirts of them. There’s fields for miles around, which provide a food source. There’s rats and rodents.”

He captures the cats using cages, slowly luring them in with food so they don’t suspect a thing.

He then gets them microchipped and desexed, mostly out of his own pocket, before finding homes for them. He registers the cats under his name, transferring ownership when they’re adopted.

It’s not always easy work and he has scars to prove it – one finger is completely bent.

“Four or five operations on that from one cat mauling. The cat’s still here. He’s a good guy, now. He wasn’t at the time.”

Council bylaw sticking point

Hitchcock said he liked cats, he just didn’t think there should be millions of them running wild.

So ahead of his move, he approached the Tararua District Council.

He said he met with officials only on Friday the week before last. After telling them of his plans, including building a small cattery, and providing references, the council had now told him his operation fell foul of its bylaw.

The council in Marton had a similar bylaw limiting cat numbers, but Hitchcock said his work wasn’t a problem there, and he usually had between a dozen and two dozen cats on his land.

In a statement, the Tararua council confirmed it met with Hitchcock to discuss the requirements of its bylaw about keeping animals, including meeting animal welfare standards and the effect on neighbours and surrounding property.

“Information received so far has shown that these requirements are currently not being met,” the statement said.

“[The] council has also received community concerns regarding the operation of the proposed cat rescue within a residential area.

“Once we have received satisfactory information showing appropriate hygiene, housing and other animal management arrangements are in place, we are happy to receive and consider an application from Mr Hitchcock for a permit.”

The council said it was “continuing to engage” with him.

He said he was told he wouldn’t get a permit and that was that. He wasn’t happy with this, saying he hadn’t been given a chance to discuss issues the council raised.

Mini Vadke runs a cat and dog rescue in Palmerston North, and said she hadn’t come up against red tape there.

It all depended on the local council, however, she said.

“I think that’s what Tony’s council needs to realise – if you’re not going to help him or fund him, the least you could do is leave him alone.

“He’s not hurting anyone. The cats are all snipped and chipped. They’re going to not reproduce, and provide rodent control.”

The council bylaw exempts registered charities that operate like the SPCA, but partly due to head injuries from playing sport Hitchcock said he hadn’t applied for this status because he wasn’t good with paperwork.

He was now considering it, although it wouldn’t happen quickly.

“I’m rather stressed and anxious for what I see is no good reason,” he said. “Having a nine-week delay on things is bad enough. It’s not my livelihood but it is my life.”

Hitchcock is trying to find short-term foster homes for some of the rescue cats.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/bureaucratic-battle-could-put-cat-rescuers-operation-on-pause/

MIL OSI

Police are urging the public to stay vigilant following recent vehicle offending across Dunedin.

Around 1.30pm, Police saw a vehicle that had been reported stolen on South Road. When signalled to stop, the driver fled and due to the manner of driving, Police did not pursue the vehicle.

Senior Sergeant Brian Benn says Police are conducting area enquiries to locate the vehicle and offenders; however, this is not an isolated incident.

“Recently, we have received a few reports of vehicles being stolen across Dunedin, or items being stolen out of vehicles.

“It appears the offenders are youths, who are then driving recklessly and evading Police,” Senior Sergeant Benn says.

“We are urging the public to please report any suspicious activity in or around vehicles, as well as any dangerous driving, immediately to 111 in order to give our officers the best chance at catching these offenders.

“We also urge you to lock your vehicles and if they need to be parked on the street, try park them in areas that are of high visibility and never leave valuable items in clear view in your vehicle”.

If you have any information on recent vehicle offending and those involved, please contact 105 – you can also provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

High Court jurors have been told they need to be sure the man who killed a Nelson police officer had murderous intent when he drove at her to find him guilty of murder.

Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming and Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay were on foot patrol in Buxton Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day last year when they were hit by a car driven by Hayden Tasker.

Tasker, 33, was on trial in Christchurch for murdering Fleming and seriously injuring Ramsay. The jury retired to consider its verdict shortly before 12.30pm on Monday.

Tasker’s defence argued he was drunk and depressed and crashed into the officers in a failed attempt to take his own life.

The Crown argued Tasker was motivated by anger towards the police and intentionally used his car as a weapon to mow them down.

In summing up, Justice Cameron Mander told the jury to put emotion aside in reaching a verdict.

“Feelings of sympathy for the deceased and her family are inevitably aroused but you must simply put such feelings to one side,” he said.

“Similarly you need to put aside feelings of prejudice or shock that may have been engendered in you from in some respects being eyewitnesses to Senior Sergeant Fleming’s death as a result of viewing the CCTV and other video footage.

“Any negative feelings or for that matter sympathetic feelings you may have for Mr Tasker’s living situation or the way he was living his life at the time similarly need to be put to one side.”

Over two weeks the jury heard from more than 40 witnesses including members of the public and police officers who were in the central Nelson car park at the time of the crash.

Mander told jurors they needed to be sure Tasker had murderous intent when he hit Fleming with his car.

“It is not disputed that Senior Sergeant Fleming’s death resulted from Mr Tasker driving his vehicle in a dangerous manner,” he said.

The Crown and the defence gave their closing arguments on Friday.

A ‘grandiose fantasy’

Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber told the jury Fleming was “senselessly and needlessly” killed when Tasker deliberately used his Honda Odyssey as a weapon, accelerating as hard as he could towards the officers at an estimated speed of 45km/h, shortly after 2am.

“Hayden Tasker sitting in his car, drinking wine saw the two police officers. He watched them. He was angry at the police and he made a series of conscious decisions. To start his car, to leave his headlights off, to pull out of that parking space and manoeuvre his car around to the south, then to the west to accelerate, to drive straight into Lynn Fleming and Adam Ramsay,” he said.

Webber said the pair had done nothing to provoke or antagonise Tasker, apart from the fact that they were police officers in uniform.

“They were on duty, doing their job, keeping others safe and ironically, one of the risks that they had been considering that night was the risk of a vehicle intrusion attack,” he said.

Webber said Tasker’s actions did not fit the claim that he did not intend to hurt or kill the officers but wanted to take his own life.

“[He] didn’t stop, he didn’t jump out to see what had happened or to check on the people he had just hit,” he said.

Tasker’s behaviour during and after the collisions was inconsistent with a suicide attempt, he said.

“It was going to be glorious, like a movie. It was a rather grandiose fantasy that he might talk about, but had no real intention of ever carrying out,” he said.

‘Despicable’ behaviour doesn’t make Tasker a murderer – Defence

Defence lawyer Marcus Zintl said the crash was a “terrible, terrible, terrible tragedy” that “should not have happened”.

Tasker had already admitted three charges of dangerous driving.

Zintil said Tasker was driven by a desire to end his own life in a police chase rather than intending to kill or hurt police.

“He was suicidal, he was on medication for depression, he was living in his car,” Zintl told the jury.

“He was alone, he had no close family support and virtually no actual friends.”

Zintl said Tasker’s father died when he was 16. His long-time girlfriend had recently dumped him, he was unemployed, on a benefit and had nothing going for him.

“He wanted to end the painful, pointlessness and pitifulness of his life that he was experiencing at that time, which is why he wanted to end up himself in a police chase,” he said.

Zintl said Tasker “drank himself silly” with a bottle-and-a-half of red wine, he was three-and-a-half times over the breath alcohol limit and filled his car with petrol before arriving in the car park that night.

The first collision, when Tasker drove into Fleming and Ramsay, happened six seconds after he started his car.

The second collision, when he rammed the white police patrol car, was around 26 seconds later in what Zintl said was a moment of madness, desperation, stupidity and empty-headedness.

The court was earlier played footage of Tasker’s first police interview around 11 hours after the crash.

Zintl said Tasker’s state of mind could be ascertained from his admission to police in that interview.

“I didn’t think of the consequences. I was in a bad headspace but that doesn’t give me an excuse,” Tasker said.

The jury saw how he broke down in tears and vomited during that interview after learning Fleming had died.

Tasker said it “should have been me that died that day”.

“I never thought I’d kill anyone… didn’t really think it through,” he said in the interview.

Zintl told the jury Tasker’s actions were “despicable, deplorable and dreadful” but that did not make him guilty of murder.

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

Thieves after fuel targeted a vegetable stall and a mechanic’s workshop around the rural Southland township of Winton within a 12-hour period last week.

New Zealand Police are investigating if the two fuel theft reports on Great North Road on Wednesday evening and another, fewer than 10 minutes drive south on State Highway 6 on Thursday morning, were connected.

It came amid soaring fuel prices as a result of the US-Israel war in the Persian Gulf, with brent crude oil up to $109 USD a barrel on Friday.

Wilson’s Vege Stall co-owner David Wilson said an offender used a power drill to bore a hole in the vegetable truck’s fuel tank to collect its diesel.

“I got to work in the morning, and could smell the smell of diesel. They’d taken the diesel cap off,” he said.

“I had a look under, and all the diesel had poured out of the tank. They’d bored a hole in the bottom of the tank.”

Wilson said the shop’s security cameras picked up the offender arriving in their vehicle around 6.45am.

“This road is really busy with people going past at that time in the morning,” he said.

“We’re just hoping somebody’s seen them. Like, there are lights in front of the shop, so the lights would be shining on their vehicle as well, so they’ve been pretty brazen to have a go at it.”

Wilson said most of the diesel was spilled onto the ground in the car park.

He said the truck’s damaged fuel tank would have to be replaced, and he would likely have to seek insurance.

“That’s a real pain in the bum because now I’ve got to get the tank fixed.

“It’s the inconvenience.”

For the farm side of the business, Wilson said one of the ways they were working to conserve fuel was by doing shorter trips.

“But hey, it’s sort of disappointing when someone dumps your fuel on the ground.”

Wilson said a local mechanic experienced a similar theft recently too, where the vehicle’s fuel tank was drilled into.

Police confirmed it received another report of a fuel theft from a vehicle at a premises on Great North Road in Winton at 9.30pm on Wednesday evening.

“Enquiries are underway to determine if these incidents are connected,” acting sergeant Daniel Munro of Otautau said.

He said anyone with information could contact police on 105 quoting file number 260514/1519.

“If people have information or footage that may assist with our enquiries, we would appreciate hearing from them.”

Police said it was taking a hard line against fuel thefts and associated offences.

“Overall we are not noticing a particular change in rural fuel theft but this is a timely reminder for everyone, especially those in rural communities, to look at their security, especially around fuel.”

Wilson and his wife Kathy Wilson had ran the vegetable stall and farm shop for more than 35 years.

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

This story discusses suicide.

Loaded weapons and a Nazi uniform were found by police at the home of a man who died following a police stand-off in Christchurch, an inquest has heard.

Artemiy Dubovskiy, who was known as Troy, is suspected of killing himself early on March 27, 2019.

His death came less than two weeks after the mosque terror attack that killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, and at a time when the country was on high alert for the possibility of further attacks.

Coroner Heather McKenzie was examining the circumstances of Dubovskiy’s death during an inquest in Christchurch.

On Monday. counsel assisting the Coroner, Josh Shaw said police searched Dubovskiy’s home on March 26 after receiving information he was supportive of the mosque shootings.

Officers found a loaded semi-automatic rifle and pistol, a substantial quantity of ammunition and items carrying Nazi symbolism, including a SS uniform.

Shaw said there were fears of a wider terror network and the possibility of copycat attacks after people were shot at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre on March 15, 2019.

“The terror alert was increased to high for the first time in our nation’s history, the first time it had been above low in our nation’s history,” he said.

“It was in that climate of heightened alert and risk that Mr Dubovskiy became a person of interest.

“Police received information that he had said to a family member that he was not going to prison, he would not be taken in and he may take his own life.”

A senior sergeant spotted a car linked to Dubovskiy late on March 26, 2019.

“This wasn’t a pursuit, I should say, but rather a following. It came to the point that the driver, who was Mr Dubovskiy, knew he was being followed,” Shaw said.

Dubovskiy pulled his Mitsubishi Pajero into a no-exit street in the Shirley/Burwood area.

More officers were called to the area and a stand-off ensued.

Shaw said Dubovskiy remained in his car and spoke to a police negotiator by phone.

“The immediate response from Mr Dubovskiy when he learns he was speaking to a police officer is he says it would be best for the police to kill him or take him out because he wasn’t going to jail,” he said.

“The response was that no-one had to get hurt, there was a way out.”

During the almost two-hour long phone call Dubovskiy and the negotiator discussed family, politics and the state of New Zealand.

Dubovskiy was also communicating with his family using a second phone.

The negotiator’s call to Dubovskiy cut out, possibly because Dubovskiy’s phone battery ran low.

Three further calls of a short duration were made but by 3am the calls were not connecting, Shaw said.

A Defence Force light vehicle moved near Dubovskiy’s Pajero.

He was seen to slump backwards and then forwards with tactical police officers then moving in.

“Tear gas is deployed into his vehicle, he is extracted from his vehicle by officers with the assistance of a police dog who has Mr Dubovskiy by the leg,” Shaw said.

Once he was removed from the car it was clear he was critically injured and his breathing was light and shallow.

A paramedic gave him medical attention and a second medic arrived by helicopter.

“Those efforts persist for as long as they can but it is apparent they are not successful and Mr Dubovskiy is declared dead at the scene sometime after 4am,” Shaw said.

The police response to information about Dubovskiy and the events that followed had to be taken in the context of the Christchurch terror attack, Shaw said.

But it also raised questions by the family about whether police took a heavy-handed approach culminating in Dubovskiy’s death and possibly leading to delays in his receiving medical treatment, he said.

Lawyer for police Pip Currie said Dubovskiy’s death “is not the outcome police wanted”.

A Dubovskiy family member, whose name was suppressed, said they were not aware of his terrorist sympathies and he was a helpful person who was always there for his family and friends.

“I never heard any plans from him about any terrorism or anything like that,” they said.

“I think he had a good chance to surrender that night. I feel like the family could have convinced him. We were shocked by the mosque shooting and as a family we donated money to them at the time.”

Police witnesses would be called at the inquest.

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
• What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
• Healthline: 0800 611 116
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463
• Aoake te Rā bereaved by suicide service: or call 0800 000 053

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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

A Decade of Milestones | Live Hackathon Showdown | Comprehensively Promoting Computational Thinking Education

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

Northland Police are reminding retail and small business owners about the importance of having CCTV installed at their premises.

Motion detection and live imagery is often alerting victims to offending taking place.

Late last month it meant a prompt response to a building site in Morningside.

Sergeant Craig Curnow, Whangārei Police, says a security camera gave Police a real-time look at a recent burglary in progress and helped them to arrest four people.

“At around 2.40am on 28 April the site manager contacted Police and reported suspicious behaviour after security cameras were activated,” he says.

“Police went to the property but when they arrived no one was located.”

A short time later the manager called again, and reported he could see a trailer was being loaded with timber, wooden trusses and material for roofing.

“The CCTV camera gave us real time information on what was happening,” Sergeant Curnow says.

“Officers were able to stop the vehicle as it was leaving the address.”

A search of the vehicle uncovered the stolen materials, as well as a knife, methamphetamine, cannabis and utensils for drug use.

The four occupants of the vehicle were arrested, and the building materials were returned to the site.

“In this case CCTV provided real-time situational awareness, allowing us to respond quickly, plan effectively, and achieve a safe and positive outcome,” Sergeant Curnow says.

“If securing materials on-site is not always possible, installing CCTV is a highly effective deterrent.”

Three men aged 37, 40 and 56, and a 43-year-old woman have appeared in the Whangārei District Court on a variety of drug, theft and firearm offences.

ENDS.

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

A driver who allegedly turned his lights off before attempting to flee from Police will now appear in court.

At about 8.20pm, officers signalled for a vehicle traveling on State Highway 20, Māngere to stop.

Auckland Motorways Manager, Senior Sergeant Bill Russell says instead of pulling over, the driver allegedly turned their lights off and fled, exiting at Coronation Road, Favona.

“Units did not pursue and a short time later, the Police Eagle helicopter spotted the vehicle as it travelled along Awhina Place, Māngere Bridge at speed and with no lights.

“The single occupant was taken into custody immediately and without incident.

“Police work hard to stop and prevent dangerous driving because we know this can, and does, result in catastrophic consequences,” Senior Sergeant Russell says.

A 44-year-old man had his vehicle impounded for 28 days and has been charged with failing to remain stopped and dangerous driving.

He will appear in Manukau District Court on Thursday.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL OSI

is investigating the source of the attack near a nuclear power station.

A drone strike triggered a fire near a nuclear power station in the emirate of Abu Dhabi on Sunday, authorities said, reporting no injuries or impact on radiation levels.

The UAE’s ministry of defence said the drone that targeted the facility was one of three that “entered the country from the western border direction”.

The projectile struck “an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra area”.

“Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the attacks, and updates will be disclosed upon completion of the investigations,” the ministry added.

Iranian-backed armed groups equipped with drones are based in Iraq, while Tehran’s allies in Yemen — the Houthi rebels — also possess combat-grade UAVs.

The UAE “condemned in the strongest terms the unprovoked terrorist attack” and “will not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances”, a foreign ministry statement said.

“These attacks constitute a dangerous escalation, an unacceptable act of aggression and a direct threat to the country’s security,” it added.

The Barakah Nuclear Power Plant began operations in 2020 and is 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi, near the borders with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

It provides up to a quarter of the oil-rich country’s electricity needs, the state-owned operator Emirates Nuclear Energy Company said in 2024.

“No injuries were reported, and there was no impact on radiological safety levels,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office said. “All precautionary measures have been taken, and further updates will be provided as they become available.

“The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) confirmed that the fire did not affect the safety of the power plant or the readiness of its essential systems, and that all units are operating as normal.”

Sporadic attacks

An official from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), which operates the Barakah plant, said there were no casualties and the plant had not been damaged.

“It does not appear that there was a direct attack on the nuclear plant we manage and operate. It seems a fire broke out at other power facilities on the outskirts,” the official said, quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

“In the case of one reactor, operations were briefly halted as a precaution to ensure safe operation,” the KEPCO official added.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear agency, condemned the attack.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a social media post that Grossi expressed “grave concern about the incident and says military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable”.

The United Arab Emirates was the second country in the region to build a nuclear power station, after Iran, and the first in the Arab world.

The Abu Dhabi statements did not say from where the drone was launched, but the United Arab Emirates has recently accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy and economic infrastructure.

Tehran launched retaliatory strikes across the region after the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28, killing senior leaders and triggering a broader war.

Iran has accused the UAE and other US allies in the Gulf of allowing US forces to carry out attacks from their territory. The UAE has angrily denied Iranian reports that it has actively carried out attacks of its own.

Washington and Tehran agreed a truce on 8 April but peace negotiations have stalled and sporadic attacks have continued.

– AFP

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

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

A partnership to get green hydrogen trucks up and running in New Zealand says there is renewed interest in the technology as diesel prices remain high.

Hydrogen fuel company Hiringa and heavy vehicle leasing business TR Group have faced delays getting their model up and running, but say they are now close to getting a dozen hydrogen fuel cell trucks on the road.

They, and other advocates for sustainable transport, say they offer a helpful alternative to battery electric vehicles for heavy freight.

However, not everyone sees hydrogen as a viable way to decarbonise heavy vehicles, with some critics saying New Zealand should focus on building out battery technology instead.

Transport is New Zealand’s second-largest source of greenhouse gases after the dairy industry, accounting for 18 percent of total emissions in 2024.

Uptake of electric passenger vehicles slowed after the government ended the Clean Car Discount, although spiked again recently after the conflict in Iran sparked an ongoing fuel crisis.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) delivery and partnerships manager Richard Briggs said the heavy vehicle fleet had proved even tougher to decarbonise.

“There’s been a lot of tyre-kicking, literally, and early adopters are looking at both battery electric and hydrogen, but really only those with relatively deep pockets who are prepared to take a risk and invest are looking at this.”

Five years ago, TR Group and Hiringa signed an agreement to establish an initial network of both hydrogen trucks and refuelling stops.

The government contributed $6 million for the purchase of 20 trucks, through the Covid Response Fund, and loaned Hiringa $16m to build four refuelling stations in Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton and Palmerston North.

Hiringa’s compressed gas is made and stored onsite at the refuelling stations, by using electrolysis to split water back into its components of hydrogen and oxygen.

The company uses off-peak renewable energy for the process, to make it as cheap as possible -TR Group said it was currently paying less for it per kilometre than diesel.

A battery fuel cell onboard each truck then converted the gas back into energy with water and heat as the by-products, with no tailpipe emissions.

Renewed interest after slow uptake

A handful of hydrogen heavy vehicles have been making use of the refuelling stations, including a New Zealand Post truck that has clocked a quarter of a million kilometres.

However, difficulties in procuring trucks after TR Group’s initial US supplier went bust had delayed getting the additional 20 trucks.

TR Group’s project manager Grant Doull said Rolleston-based company GVB had instead completed conversions of nine diesel trucks to hydrogen, with the final 11 due to start arriving at TR’s depot in Auckland from July.

The company had been training drivers and extensively testing routes since the first trucks arrived.

The delivery delays, combined with a post-Covid recession and cost-of-living crisis had “slowed progress” in securing commercial leases, Doull said.

“But we’ve definitely seen a massive uplift these days with the current fuel situation.”

The company was now in final contract negotiations to get 12 of the trucks out on the road.

Hiringa chief executive Andrew Clennett – whose business relied on having a fleet of vehicles to supply fuel to – said uptake had been slower than Hiringa would have liked.

“Obviously, sitting there with a network that’s been underutilised has put some pressure on,” he said.

That was changing now, he said.

“The market is definitely showing a lot more interest now. I think the penny’s dropped a little bit, that with the Ukraine war, we had a fuel crisis, we’ve got another one which is bigger and worse and longer, and it would be a brave director of a company that would bank on not having this again.”

Battery electric or hydrogen?

Doull said TR Group was already leasing out battery electric trucks and vans, which were a good zero-emissions choice in many cases.

“Let’s say if they operate the truck, four or five hours, maybe – it could be 500, 600 kilometres a day – say they have a depot where they’re loading and unloading and they’ve got good charging infrastructure at that depot, then it’s probably something that’s going to get solved with a battery electric truck quite easily.”

However, the battery on an electric truck could weigh several tonnes, limiting the rest of the payload, and long-haul trucks that operated round the clock could not easily be charged, he said.

The other advantage hydrogen offered at the moment was that the infrastructure was already available.

“The reality is there’s no heavy vehicle fast charging for trucks in the country at the moment,” Doull said.

“There are, however, four high-speed heavy commercial vehicle hydrogen refuelling sites.”

University of Canterbury Sustainable Energy Research Group co-leader Rebecca Peer said the previous hype of green hydrogen as a “Swiss Army knife” for decarbonisation had passed.

However, heavy transport was a “niche” that still had potential in New Zealand.

“The advantages I see for the hydrogen vehicles are particularly acute when you have very long distance or highly variable routes with unpredictable fuelling times,” she said.

From her perspective, it was not an either-or argument.

“My answer, as a researcher who looks at energy transitions, is yes to both.”

Briggs said because hydrogen had to be created, stored, and then converted back into energy, it was three to five times less efficient than battery electric.

Battery electric vehicles were also cheaper – with some good-quality models now achieving parity with their diesel equivalents, once EECA subsidies were included.

“On the surface of it, you say, it’s a no-brainer – why on earth would you consider hydrogen?”

There were other aspects to consider, though, including the “huge investment” needed for charging infrastructure, especially as megawatt batteries become available, Briggs said.

Like Peers, he believed there were still some good use-cases for hydrogen.

“There’s going to be more and more battery technology emerging in the next 10 years… but certainly from what we’re seeing I don’t think it’s yet game over for hydrogen,” he said.

“That long distance heavy haulage where you’re carrying maximum payload weights, where you’re needing to double-shift a vehicle – so refuelling time is needed in minutes, not hours – is still a use application for hydrogen.”

However, the time had passed where it was seen as a good answer to decarbonising passenger cars.

“Hydrogen doesn’t really make sense, largely because every car can be charged at home, and also the car battery then can be an integral part of the home energy system,” Briggs said.

“That’s just not a thing that hydrogen vehicles can replicate.”

EECA said the data collected from Hiringa and TR Group, once trucks were on the road carrying full pay-loads, would be shared with other operators considering purchasing or leasing a hydrogen vehicle – together with its existing data on battery electric heavy vehicles.

There is still $24m remaining in its low-emissions heavy vehicle fund, which provides companies with a subsidy of up to 25 percent of the cost of a hydrogen or battery electric heavy vehicle.

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Wing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has scored a try double, as his NZ Warriors dominated reigning NRL champions Brisbane Broncos 42-12 at their Suncorp Stadium home for ‘Magic Round’.

The superb win – their fifth in a row – came at a high price though, with star halfback Tanah Boyd likely sidelined for the season, with a knee injury suffered in the seventh minute.

Boyd’s form this season had been a revelation, persuading coach Andrew Webster to keep highly rated Luke Metcalf out of the line-up. This week, Metcalf signed with St George-Illawarra Dragons for next season.

With Boyd’s exit, veteran Te Maire Martin came off the interchange bench and played an influential role in the victory, providing a looping pass to Watene-Zelezniak for the opening try.

On top from the start, the Warriors piled on 22 unanswered points in the first half, but the Broncos struck first after the break to send a scare through the ‘Wahs’ fanbase that had taken over the stadium.

Veteran half Adam Reynolds scored two tries in an attempt to inspire a comeback, but both were answered by centre Ali Leiataua and then Martin himself.

Watene-Zelezniak provided the final flourish, intercepting a floating pass from veteran hooker Ben Hunt on his own goal-line and running the length of the field, before diving over in the corner.

The result put the Warriors level with Penrith Panthers atop the competition table, although the Panthers were still to play the winless Dragons in the Magic Round finale.

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

A Whangārei driver who performed a burnout in front of police is now facing charges.

Sergeant Shawn Parker, of the Whangārei Youth Crime Unit, said police were monitoring a gathering of car enthusiasts at the Okara Shopping Centre on 2 May.

He said officers were speaking with youths in the area at about 10pm, when one of the vehicles left the meet.

“A white Honda Accord exited the carpark and performed a burnout through multiple gears along the road,” Sergeant Parker said.

“The driver appeared to be unaware Police were nearby.”

The car returned to the gathering a short time later and was stopped by officers, who arrested the 26-year-old driver. His vehicle was also impounded.

The man is due to appear in Whangārei District Court on 27 May, charged with operating a motor vehicle with sustained loss of traction.

Sergeant Parker said the incident served as a reminder that police would not tolerate this type of behaviour.

“Illegal street activity puts not only those involved at risk, but also members of the public,” he said, noting, in this case, there were young people nearby.

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

Last year’s win of a prized trophy for Māori farmers is still sinking in for Northland farm trustee Wess Wetere.

“Having a million-dollar herd and having made a profit was something we looked forward to in five years, not three – none of us were really farmers.”

The farm, owned by the Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust, was awarded the Ahuwhenua Trophy in 2025 for its beef operation near the settlement of Whangaruru on a finger of land jutting out from Northland’s east coast.

“We knew what a cow was and a bull was, but we didn’t know whether we’re going to milk cows, whether we were going to do what the previous tenant did,” Wetere told Country Life during a tour of the farm.

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In 2020, with the help of a $900,000 Provincial Growth Fund grant, the trust turned a calving operation on a degraded block of land into a beef fattening farm running 950 young bulls on 350 hectares.

The 1100-hectare block also includes native and exotic forest and wetlands.

They were able to bring the land back from the brink, tidy it up by removing 60 hectares of gorse, setting up a 40-kilometre network of pipes to supply troughs and put in 57 kilometres of fencing.

It was the culmination of decades of alienation from the land for some 1300 Ngātiwai shareholders.

“We basically had no fertiliser for many years, there was only one or two troughs, the fencing was in poor state, gorse took up over a third of the farm,” Wetere said,

“It’s taken a lot to get the pasture quality up and control our gorse as well, but we’re getting there,” farm manager Matthew Payne said.

But just as the farm was rehabilitated, it was hit by a devastating deluge in January, a huge setback, but one Payne and his team have taken in their stride.

“It ripped out a lot of infrastructure, laneways, fences, water pumps, and we just got a lot of mud pulled out of swamps and blocked access ways to the farm.

“We had to do a lot of walking and a little bit of kayaking to shift cattle.”

Shifting cattle was a 40-minute job instead of five minutes “when we kind of didn’t have a lot of time”.

The farm was still recovering during Country Life’s visit in the autumn. Larger culverts had been installed and roads were being rebuilt with material from the on-farm quarry.

Payne said the new drains had helped the farm come through more heavy rain events over the past few months.

The team is aware climate challenges will not be going away but still sees “heaps of potential” for the whenua, Wetere said.

Aside from beef, horticulture and agritourism – such as mountain biking on the forest tracks – were some of the ideas being floated.

Analysis pointed to a more tropical environment, with even crops like mangoes a possibility, he said.

Learn more:

• Find out about the Ahuwhenua Trophy here

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