New Zealand’s Alice Robinson competes in the Women’s Super G event of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2025-2026, in St. Moritz.FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Alpine skiier Alice Robinson’s hopes of securing a medal at the Super Giant Slalom finals have been dashed after a great start to the season.
However, Robinson did manage to compete the run – a feat which eluded favourites like Germany’s Emma Aicher and Italy’s Sofia Goggia – on Thursday night at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The 24-year-old is competing in her third Olympics, securing her first career win in the opening event of the season in St Moritz, followed by a second-place finish a week later in Val d’Isère.
She became New Zealand’s youngest-ever Winter Olympian when she attended the 2018 games in South Korea at the age of 16.
Italy’s Federica Brignone sealed an astonishing comeback from career-threatening injury to win gold on home snow.
Known as the “Tiger” for her ferocious determination, the 35-year-old had looked doubtful for the Games after a crash last April but fought back to fitness and produced one of her greatest runs on a foggy Olimpia delle Tofane piste.
France’s Romane Miradoli took silver, 0.41 of a second slower, with Austria’s Cornelia Huetter third, according to provisional results.
– RNZ / Reuters
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Citizen journalists bring to our attention the truths that we need to know. Being a witness to such truths is different to doom scrolling. It is about awareness.
This is about knowing the truths that the people who run this deteriorating world, want to hide.
Victims everywhere are begging to be heard and seen. And some people are revealing these truths. Some are trained in journalism, some are freelancing because the mainstream is not the clear clean truth stream, and some are self-trained.
The role of filming and reporting the truth is vital in an era when books are banned, when the names of predators are redacted, when the people at the top are part of an oligarchy that supports murder and rape.
A couple of years ago — almost to the day — I was pepper sprayed by a frontline policeman for filming police brutality against peaceful protesters standing on the footpath in Lyttelton Aotearoa New Zealand.
In that situation police seized people and hurled them to the ground. In other instances, as with human rights activist, John Minto, they seized baffled people and hauled them onto the road.
The men and women in blue vests and black gloves, formed a scrum over each seized civilian. They pummelled and beat them viciously, and hauled them into vans. Minto suffered a gash down his forehead.
Nightmares last longer Others had similar wounds and thanks to the direct illegal use of pepper spray, many suffered a sense like glass in their eyes. In my experience, those painful symptoms lasted weeks. The nightmares lasted longer.
Early last year, I was banned from my own Town Hall for witnessing the State of the Nation speech by Winston Peters. One of that leader’s loyal fans complained that I was taking notes. I produced my press card. Made no difference.
I witnessed a leader inciting hatred. Witnessing. The security guards banned me. The police upheld the ban. I am a multi-award winning reporter who has reported from conflict zones around the world. And I see the conflict increasing.
In the United States, in Europe, in Australia, in Aotearoa New Zealand, what are we learning?
The right to support the right of all human beings to live on their land is decreed a crime by our leaders. Why? Because some have more than others and they want to protect their “more” and push others to have less, even nothing.
These are the actions of totalitarian capitalist regimes intent on retaining power over the land, the rivers, and all the waterways.
We see it in the US with ICE killing a woman who was poet and a mother, we see it in the killing of a nurse, and all the disappearances, people — including children — hauled off streets and “disappeared”.
Police kicking 2 women We see it with police kicking and beating two women wearing abayas in the Netherlands. If they are assaulting women in public we can be certain they are also molesting women behind the public gaze.
We see totalitarian push back against human rights in Germany and France, Australia and New Zealand.
Let’s call this flagrant attack on democracy what it is.
It is imperialism. Yes I know, it sounds like I’m recalling Thatcher. But hey she never went away. Her Daddy abused her friends and she loved him. Thatcher was an abuse enabler.
Like Blair. Like Trump. Like other abusers who hold power. It is no surprise that many of these leaders who were raised by power hungry predators, become predators. They exploit others.
Really it is a very simple equation. Democracy is impossible under financial imperialist capitalism.
Imperialism upholds the right of one people to reign supreme over another. We aren’t talking about something that ended over a hundred years ago. We are talking about something that is being perpetuated now.
Shameful exploitation And by now, those of us who are descended by people who usurped and enslaved, are coming to a difficult conclusion — that it is shameful, this history of exploitation.
As one Quaker researcher said: “What I have learned is that if my ancestors were not as radical for human rights as I have hoped, I can at least be different, be radical for human rights now.”
Greed, predatory behaviour is handed down from predator to predator. It used to favour the oldest son. Now it just faces those prepared to sell out to buy in.
Mercenary capitalist entrepreneurs control society and they govern our countries. The brutes who exploit are connected.
So back to the streets. Back to what some reporters saw and reported and what others who aren’t real reporters, failed to report.
Let’s pick apart the claims of incitement. Incitement for what?
Chanting crime The authorities in NSW deem that it should be a crime for any citizen to chant these words.
From.
The.
River.
To.
The.
Sea.
What next? Will Jews be told they can no longer chant in Hebrew: le shana haba b’yerulashaem. See the parallel.
Next.
Year.
In.
Jerusalem.
Every year Jews around the world chant — as they have for decades and decades — the vow that next year they will be in Jerusalem. They lived in Europe. They lived in the US.
And this they chanted.
Perhaps that is why it bothers Zionists and supporters of genocide. But it wasn’t a return.
Jews who recite this are Europeans and Americans, New Zealanders and Australians.
When they talk of exile, they are talking in mythological proportions, invoking the Bible and tribalism, Goliath and David.
Zionist regime supreme But one group is reigning supreme. The Zionist regime has pushed thousands of Palestinians out of their homes, and murdered tens and tens and tens and tens of thousands, and still this genocide continues.
But has New South Wales deemed it a crime for Jews to chant “next year in Jerusalem”?
No.
Nor should it. People have the right to chant.
But let’s understand the real history, rather than the propaganda pumped out by a multi million dollar US-Israeli think thank.
Thanks to very real anti-semitism, Europe did not want to rehome Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. Britain helped out with an imperialist Zionist strategy that pushed Palestinians out of their homes.
Some Jews fled, refused to do what had been done to them. Good on those Jews. And good on those Jews around the world who stand for societies that care and share, that don’t steal and kill.
I am worried about the implications of any law that bans a chant by exiled people. Will it become a crime for any group of people to chant about their desire to return to lands from which they were exiled?
Governments around the world are leaning that way. They stomp down on Indigenous people, on refugees, on immigrants. They protect their excessive power and privilege.
Blaming immigrants It’s very popular among these regimes to blame immigrants who come from land that was raped and raided by imperialism. Just tune into our ageing playboy Winston Peters.
Make no mistake under regimes such as this, no one is safe. No one.
It is clearly a crime for others to stand alongside those who have been oppressed and exiled, so will it one day be deemed a crime to talk about ALL the stolen children? Like the stolen indigenous children? The children born in a certain place, on certain land, near a river, near the sea.
Will it be a crime to talk about those abused in state homes?
“No peace without justice, no justice without return.” Image: SE
Will the imperialist histories be redacted? Oh they are. The narrative is changed. The victims can barely survive.
I witnessed some of this so I can remind myself and I can remind you.
When I first went to Israel in 1982 the Begin regime invaded Lebanon. Desecrated people dreaming under cypress trees.
The Israeli Offence Force assisted then, in the genocide, of around 3000 children, women, and men — Palestinians — in refugee camps.
Evil massacre It was a bloodbath, an evil massacre carried out under stealth, at night. The victims did not have a chance. They had no one to defend them. They were murdered by mercenary Israeli soldiers.
One Israeli soldier, Ari Folman, later made a film, Waltz with Bashir which depicts how he came to realise he was among the soldiers who surrounded the camps and fired flares to illuminate the area for the Lebanese Christian Philangist militia.
Like most soldiers, he was only “following orders”. It haunted him.
The ghosts of every massacre carried out by every totalitarian state like Israel haunt the world. And every regime that supports it is responsibile.
Imperialism is the bloodstain that won’t wash out until the notion of super and special entitlement due to race or class or religion is extinguished.
It is racist and classist and it is wrong.
I wrote my novel The Seasonwife because I wanted to show the truth — that people down the bottom rungs of the class system were exploited by those at the top to exploit indigenous people.
Criminalised the poor We need to know these truths. And they can be proved. Settler colonialism is not a pretty policy, it was dreamed up by a country that created poverty and criminalised the poor. It sent them out to do its dirty work. Oh some rode on those waves but others were submerged. And Indigenous people lost their rights.
Here in Aotearoa a Treaty was forged, a treaty which clearly gives Indigenous people the right to rangatiratanga. And successive legal acts pushed indigenous people down, breached the principles of that partnership.
When one partner is the abuser the partnership is not equal.
We must remember the crimes of imperialism. We must. Because the past is now.
The massacres of Palestinians is an extension of every colonial crime. The crimes are connected: slavery; forced servitude; exile due to poverty; apartheid, assimilation, extermination.
It is a thread from this ocean to that river to that ocean. From here to there. From Europe to the Levant and the Middle East. All the greed-mongers benefit.
The crimes against Palestinians have been going on for more than seven decades. Research the Nakba. Before the British aided and mounted a violent rape-and-kill takeover, Muslims and Jews and Christians worshipped alongside each other in Palestine. It is easy enough to find documentary evidence of this pleasant land on YouTube.
Look at it now. Look at the difference between Haifa or Tel Aviv and Gaza.
Standing against supremacy Any Jew who has a soul, who has a conscience, will not stand for the slaughter of innocents or for the creation of a white apartheid supremely state. In the US most Jews are against this, and increasingly so are Jews in Australia and New Zealand, standing up against the supremacy of Zionism.
And Christians need to stand too. It is KKK fundamentalist to support the extermination of people. There is nothing holy in supporting theft and expulsion and the gunning down of women, children, and men.
When we invoke laws that support genocide we create a soul-less compassionless society.
A truly Humanist, Animist, any Values-based system will create a society with laws that uphold rather than extinguish, human rights.
It was a white Australian male who used his inheritance to kill 51 people praying at two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand. The Iman who greeted him at the door welcomed him as “a brother”.
It was a Muslim man who risked his life and suffered terrible injuries while tackling two ISIS-inspired extremist gunmen at Bondi Beach in Sydney. That Muslim man stepped in front of a gun to defend Jewish children, women, and men.
I met many such kind, brave, peace-loving men when I lived in the Middle East and I experienced the utmost hospitality from Muslims.
I differentiate between all people and their regimes.
Greed in common The regimes that uphold human rights violations are all connected. They all have one thing in common: greed.
Their rulers are predators.
Israel is a US-supported state responsible for mass murder, for genocide, for apartheid, for stealing children decade after decade.
Every government that has failed to denounce that State of Hate is acting against the right of people — all people — to real and precious freedom.
Once again, I call down my Jewish ancestors who experienced, as I have, anti-semitism — in standing against the supremacism that is Zionism.
I stand with Jews Against Zionism. I stand with Jews for Peace. I stand with Jews Against Genocide.
I stand with Jews who support the right of Palestinians to return. Yes to the land, yes to that beautiful river, and to that precious sea. I stand with their right to live where they want to live.
Right to protest And I stand with the right of all citizens to protest. I stand with the right of citizen journalists to film and report human rights violations.
In my social media posts I continually put aggressive impulsive patriarchal police on notice. I let them know that violence by people who are supposed to protect, is unacceptable. Their actions could lead to them being incarcerated.
Maybe not now, not yet, but one day. Their violent actions could certainly lead to them being jobless.
Their violent actions will be seen over and over again. The truth won’t be erased.
And I say this to mainstream reporters, please do your job. Join a union and oppose the patriarchy that presents propaganda as truth. Some reporters on the ground in Sydney who said they saw violence by the police and no violence from protesters, but the BBC and RNZ changed that narrative.
News presenters who were not present at the scene presented a skewed version provided by their government. They became a mouthpiece for propaganda. And in doing so they supported totalitarianism.
Reporters must not be mouthpieces for what one commentator so aptly described as the Broligarchy. Predators.
Out of police The policeman who pepper sprayed me, two years ago, when I took footage of assaults against peaceful civilians by violent police, is no longer in the force. Perhaps he has joined the great raft of unemployed.
I would like to think he can be educated into compassion, that he can learn, that the hard look in his eye will one day be softened when he holds a brown grandchild in his arms.
Think twice police. Think twice reporters. Think twice every one who reads this.
Would you want your children to support all human rights? Do you think words like river and sea and return should be banned? Do you think the colour of the grass and the colour of a rose should be denounced as evil?
Do you think people should have the right to live on their land unmolested? Do you think the land and the waterways should be respected or bombed to dust, drained for its minerals?
Do you believe in freedom? If you do, then know that those who are upholding the right of one people to strip the rights of others, will not leave it there.
These totalitarian leaders are united. As one commentator put it, they are the broligarchy. They are connected. They are predators. And they will use force to shut you up and shut you down.
But I hold hope.
Moral weapon — the truth Every citizen journalist who films human rights crimes being carried out by the arm of the government is armed with a valuable moral weapon: the truth.
Every citizen journalist reporting these truths is a hero.
The truth might be redacted, those who speak it or shout it might become victims, but in calling it out, they fall on the side of freedom and they will be remembered.
Freedom will come. Because it must. The greed mongers who rule must not prevail.
When the truths of victims is heard, the predators lose the narrative, and then they lose their power.
We are all connected in the lifestream of this tiny, precious blue planet. A spark is born and that spark is creativity, it is the spark that rises from destruction and despair.
Never stop witnessing Harmony. Peace, and Tranquility is possible if our goal is cooperative living.
So be a witness, and never stop witnessing. Raise your voice, raise your heart and your soul. We are all connected and related because we are all brothers and sisters and cousins, spinning on this spinning orb, sparks in the eye of the universe.
Sparks of creativity are born in societies where nurturers are valued rather than predators and exploiters.
In such a world, peace will prevail.
One fine day.
Saige England is an award-winning journalist and author ofThe Seasonwife, a novel exploring the brutal impacts of colonisation. She is also a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.
Melco, with its American depositary shares listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Nasdaq: MLCO), is a developer, owner and operator of integrated resort facilities in Asia and Europe. The Company currently operates City of Dreams ( www.cityofdreamsmacau.com) and Altira Macau ( www.altiramacau.com), integrated resorts located in Cotai and Taipa, Macau, respectively. In addition, the Company operates Studio City ( www.studiocity-macau.com), a cinematically-themed integrated resort in Cotai, Macau. In the Philippines, the Company operates and manages City of Dreams Manila ( www.cityofdreamsmanila.com), an integrated resort in the Entertainment City complex in Manila. In Europe, the Company operates City of Dreams Mediterranean, an integrated resort in Limassol, in the Republic of Cyprus ( www.cityofdreamsmed.com.cy). In South Asia, the Company manages the Nüwa hotel at City of Dreams Sri Lanka ( www.cityofdreamssrilanka.com), an integrated resort in Colombo, Sri Lanka. For more information about the Company, please visit www.melco-resorts.com.
Melco is majority owned by Melco International Development Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, which is in turn majority owned and led by Mr. Lawrence Ho, who is the Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – In February 2026, global attention across the blockchain and crypto industry once again converged on Hong Kong. At the highly anticipated Consensus Hong Kong 2026, Cregis made a strong presence as a core exhibitor, emerging as a focal point for institutional clients, partners, and industry experts. With a full-stack product suite spanning payments, custody, and wallets, Cregis sparked in-depth discussions around the future paradigm of digital asset infrastructure.
Showcasing Core Products to Deliver End-to-End Enterprise Solutions
Located in the main exhibition hall, the Cregis booth (Booth 1808) remained a hub of engagement throughout the event. The team highlighted four cornerstone infrastructure offerings: the Crypto Payment Engine, the Digital Asset Business Operations Suite, MPC Wallet Infrastructure, and Enterprise-Grade Self-Custody Solutions. Together, these components form a comprehensive, closed-loop system covering fund flows, secure custody, and refined operational management.
During on-site discussions, Aaron, CTO at Cregis, shared:
‘What we’re seeing today is that the biggest challenge for enterprises adopting digital assets is no longer a single technical hurdle. It’s a systems-level problem—how to seamlessly, securely, and compliantly integrate complex on-chain operations into existing business workflows. This is exactly what Cregis is built to solve. By creating a secure, flexible, and compliance-first infrastructure layer, we transform fragmented technical challenges into standardized solutions that enterprises can easily integrate and manage.’
Industry Consensus: Compliance and Flexibility Are Critical
Throughout the conference, the Cregis team held extensive discussions with financial institutions, trading platforms, asset managers, and Web3-native projects from around the world. Live demonstrations and real-world use cases reinforced a clear market signal: demand is accelerating for solutions that not only meet stringent security and regulatory requirements, but also deliver high levels of customization and operational efficiency.
Sharing his broader industry perspective, Aaron added that the market has reached a pivotal inflection point. Institutional capital and mainstream use cases are entering at scale, but the maturity of underlying infrastructure will determine how smoothly this transition unfolds. Cregis aims to serve as a trusted partner for institutions at this critical juncture—reducing uncertainty through robust technology and enabling clients to move forward with confidence into the next phase of growth.
Beyond Tools: Cregis as a Strategic Enabler
Consensus Hong Kong 2026 was not only a product showcase, but also a clear statement of Cregis’ enterprise strategy. Through its presence at the event, Cregis reaffirmed its positioning as a one-stop provider of enterprise-grade digital asset management and operational solutions.
Cregis believes the future of digital assets lies in large-scale enterprise adoption. Anchored in security, structured around compliance, and powered by flexible, modular products, Cregis will continue to work alongside global innovators to build a more efficient, interconnected, and trustworthy next-generation digital asset operating ecosystem.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
2025 Revenues: $200.2 million down 10.2% while proactively managing down business from 2 largest clients in 2024; 2025 revenue on balance of business would have grown 2.7% when excluding these 2 clients;
Record-high 7.9% net profit margin despite 10.2% reduction in revenue;
Debt free with record-high US$41.5 million cash balance;
Acquisition of activewear maker AAG’s business positions us for growth in 2026;
Early success of digitalization and platformization helping competitiveness and profitability going forward;
Final dividend to remain at HK$7.0 cents despite the 7.4 % reduction in net profit.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – Lever Style Corporation (HKEX: 1346, “Lever Style”), the world’s premier apparel production platform, today reported financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2025.
For the full year 2025, Lever Style reported revenues of US$200.2 million (a decrease of 10.2% from the prior year) and a net profit of US$ 15.9 million (down 7.4% from 2024). The group also reported a record-high 7.9% net profit margin and maintained gross profit margin of 28.5%. Further, the group was debt-free once again and had a record net cash position of US$41.5 million at the end of the full year 2025.
“In a year when Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs wreaked havoc on the industry, we managed down our business to safeguard our current and future financial health. Revenues retreated 10.2% from the prior year to US$200.2 million for the 2025 reporting period, which was a result of applying stringent credit risk control on our former top two clients from 2024 rather than an across-the-board weakening of demand.” said Stanley Szeto, Executive Chairman of Lever Style.
“Against the tariff backdrop, we did well to have achieved record-high net profit margin and registered growth for the rest of our customer portfolio outside of the former two top clients from 2024. This is a testament to the strength of our versatile, asset-light business model” Mr. Szeto added.
Commenting on Lever Style’s inorganic growth strategy in 2025, Szeto said, “We put more focus on pursuing inorganic growth through acquisitions. In December 2025, we announced our largest acquisition to date, the acquisition of certain assets and businesses of Active Apparel Group (“AAG“), an Australia-based supplier of activewear such as golf shirts, running shorts and yoga leggings. This acquisition is our seventh since our 2019 IPO and will continue to strengthen our activewear capability in a segment important to our growth. As is customary from our past 6 acquisitions, we acquired AAG’s business but not its factory to safeguard our asset-light business model … By concluding the AAG acquisition in late 2025, we put ourselves back on the growth path for 2026 in spite of the challenging economic environment. Future Prospects
On future prospects, Szeto commented “Even though US tariffs on most garment-producing countries have come down to the 20% range, the US economy remains on edge … There is a growing trend of retail bankruptcies, which have knock-on effects on brands and the supply chain.”
“Despite such headwinds, we feel confident that we’ll once again out-perform the industry due to the sustainable competitive advantage provided by our asset-light business model…We are continuing to explore other strategic merger and acquisition opportunities to further strengthen our product category portfolio, expand our production base, and gain scale that creates synergies and operating leverage…With little relief in sight from a US-tariff impacted world, we expect there will be more merger and acquisition opportunities at reasonable valuations.” Digitalization and Platformization
Executive Chairman Stanley Szeto said Lever Style has “embarked on a new phase of digitalization,” using automation and AI for “fully automated factory invoice handling” and “reading purchase orders and translating tech packs,” “saving processing time on some mundane tasks by up to 90%.”
On platformization, he said, “Transforming into a digital two-way marketplace platform which automatically computes costing and digitally matches the optimal factory for each order is a long journey.” and noted “We are enjoying early success with more than 35 factories having joined this platform …”
For more details, please visit: https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0212/2026021200299.pdf
Amnesty International Australia has condemned the “unnecessary and disproportionate” and “shocking” use of force by the NSW police against peaceful protesters demonstrating against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia.
In a statement, it said the human rights organisation strongly opposed the unnecessary and excessive force used by police, and called for an urgent, independent investigation of police conduct.
“The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are protected under international law,” the statement said.
“As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Australia has a clear obligation to respect and uphold these fundamental human rights — this includes facilitating people exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
At least 10,000 people gathered in the Sydney Town Hall Square — although other sources said thousands more were prevented from joining the main demonstration — to protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s four-day visit and to demand justice and accountability for the political leader.
In an earlier statement, Amnesty International said the Israeli President who Amnesty, the International Court of Justice and the UN Independent Commission of Enquiry had determined had overseen and directly incited genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, resulting in more than 70,000 deaths, should be investigated.
At Monday night’s protest in Sydney, at least 27 people were arrested, and many suffered from and were subjected to extreme and unnecessary police violence.
Police targeting Amnesty International Australia said it was “deeply alarmed” by reports of police targeting already vulnerable and marginalised communities.
“First Nations Peoples, Muslim worshippers and leaders, as well as elderly protesters, were among those subjected to police use of force, including the use of pepper spray, police on horseback charging into crowds, and officers boxing protesters in with no avenue to safely disperse before launching attacks.
“The right to protest is protected under international law. What we witnessed last night was a serious assault on those rights and a deeply troubling display of State-sanctioned violence.”
— Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson, Mohamed Duar
“Scenes of police officers using excessive force on Muslim worshippers who were peacefully praying are shocking,” it said.
Amnesty called for accountability and for the protection of freedom of religion. Protesters who had their hands raised and were clearly surrendering were subjected to punches and disproportionate force.
Amnesty activists and supporters, including teenagers, sustained injuries after being surrounded by police at Sydney Town Hall and prevented from leaving, before being charged from all sides.
The excessive use of force by police occurred against the backdrop of recent rushed protest laws passed by the NSW Parliament.
Amnesty warned that these laws risk criminalising peaceful protest and enabling arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, particularly against vulnerable and marginalised communities.
“The events of last night demonstrate that our fears were well-founded,” the statement said.
‘State-sanctioned violence’ Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson Mohamed Duar said: “The right to protest is protected under international law. What we witnessed last night was a serious assault on those rights and a deeply troubling display of state-sanctioned violence.
“Police brutality and the use of excessive force by police have no place in Australia.
“Law enforcement officials should be protecting people’s right to protest, not violently suppressing peaceful protest and harming those demonstrating.
“As Australia rolled out the red carpet for Isaac Herzog, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demand accountability for the genocide he has incited and overseen against Palestinians over the past two years.
“The NSW government is more concerned with punishing those protesting genocide, occupation and apartheid than those responsible for these war crimes.”
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – As real‑world asset (RWA) tokenization shifts from niche pilots to core infrastructure for institutional wealth management, it is redefining how capital flows across borders, asset classes, and generations. On February 9, 2026, FutureOne MENA (“FOM”), a pioneering enterprise focused on connecting family offices with future technology, with a particular emphasis on tokenization and RWAs, enabling them to access, structure, and invest in next-generation finance, and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (“DMCC”), a Government of Dubai authority and the region’s leading global business hub, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during an exclusive family office dinner themed “The Future of Tokenizing Wealth” at Rosewood Hong Kong.
The partnership will create a strategic wealth corridor between Dubai and Hong Kong, enabling institutional‑grade RWA tokenization that connects Middle Eastern capital with Asia‑Pacific opportunities. By combining FOM’s AI‑driven investment intelligence and family‑office expertise with DMCC’s regulated, commodity‑rich ecosystem, the collaboration aims to unlock fractional, cross‑border ownership of high‑value assets, enhance liquidity for traditionally illiquid holdings, and accelerate the adoption of compliant, on‑chain wealth solutions for ultra‑high‑net‑worth investors and family offices.
The event, hosted by FOM with the support of InvestHK, convened over 100 high‑profile representatives from global family offices and institutional investors, including notable participants from Sunwah Group, CT Bright (CP Group), Keyestone Group, Lee Kum Kee Group, MindWorks Capital, Park Capital Group, E Fund Asset Management Hong Kong, K. Wah, and many others.
Dr. Anina Ho, Founder & CEO, FOM, stated “Today we formalize our collaboration on cross-border digital asset and RWA initiatives between Dubai and Hong Kong. This partnership bridges two of Asia’s leading financial hubs, creating institutional-grade solutions for family offices navigating digital wealth transformation.”
Belal Jassoma, Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems, DMCC, added, “This partnership reflects the next phase of digital asset adoption – moving beyond experimentation to institutional‑grade infrastructure. By connecting Dubai and Hong Kong as twin hubs for regulated real‑world asset tokenization, we are strengthening the framework through which family offices and institutional players can operate with confidence. Through DMCC’s Crypto Centre, Wealth Hub and other ecosystems and Dubai’s regulatory frameworks, combined with FOM’s strong family offices network, this collaboration establishes a practical wealth corridor that enhances cross‑border collaboration, transparency, and long‑term business expansion across two of the world’s most dynamic trade centers.”
Key value propositions
1. Establishing a powerful UAE-HK wealth corridor
Under the MOU, FOM and DMCC will collaborate to integrate the Middle East and Hong Kong financial ecosystems, leveraging DMCC’s specialized licensing, corporate structuring capabilities, and free‑trade zone advantages alongside FOM’s cutting‑edge digital asset solutions and connectivity to Hong Kong. This strategic alliance is poised to help family offices and high‑net‑worth individuals (HNWIs) in Dubai and Hong Kong capture the surging demand for compliant, institutional‑grade digital asset and alternative investment solutions, while maintaining strong governance and operational efficiency.
The initiative positions Dubai and Hong Kong as twin hubs for regulated RWA tokenization, connecting Middle Eastern capital with Asia‑Pacific opportunities through secure, transparent, and institutionally robust digital asset infrastructure. For family offices, this means greater diversification, improved risk‑adjusted returns, and streamlined access to global opportunities without compromising regulatory compliance.
2. Enhancing digital asset ecosystem
Through the strategic partnership, FOM and DMCC will develop robust frameworks for tokenizing RWAs including real estate, commodities, and other institutional-grade assets, thereby establishing standards for asset custody, settlement, compliance, and cross-border tokenization operations. This UAE-Hong Kong wealth corridor will not only facilitate capital flows but also provide a transparent and compliant environment for digital asset issuance, trading, and reporting, empowering family offices and institutional investors with confidence and clarity in private‑market deal‑making and public‑market participation.
Shaping the future of RWA tokenization
Following the MOU signing, the event featured insightful panel discussions titled “Turning Real‑World Assets into Digital Wealth” and “Everyday Digital Wealth: Stablecoins, Payments and Tokenized Income,” along with a fireside chat on “The Future of Digital Asset Platforms.” These discussions examined how Dubai and Hong Kong can collaboratively advance regulated structures, stable‑wealth solutions, and real‑world applications for institutional and family capital.
Distinguished panelists and speakers included Dr. Anina Ho, Founder & CEO, FOM; Mr. Belal Jassoma, Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems, DMCC; Mr. Ben Zhou, Co-Founder & CEO, Bybit; Mr. Bernard Charnwut Chan, GBM, GBS, JP; Ms. Denise Zhou, Chief Strategy Officer, FOM; Mr. Henri Arslanian, Co‑Founder, Nine Blocks Capital; Mr. Jesse Guild, Vice President, Product Management, Crypto & Digital Assets, Mastercard; Mr. Lennix Lai, Chief Commercial Officer, OKX; Ms. Lingling Jiang, Partner, DWF Labs; and Mr. Yat Siu, Co‑Founder & Executive Chairman, Animoca Brands. Together, these leaders exchanged insights on how emerging technologies, including blockchain, AI, and quantum computing are reshaping asset management and cross‑border investment frameworks. The event showcased the powerful synergy between Hong Kong’s innovation ecosystem and Dubai’s regulatory excellence, creating the foundation for global RWA leadership.
The strategic partnership between FOM and DMCC unites cutting-edge technology with world-class regulatory framework to establish a UAE-Hong Kong wealth corridor, connecting cross-border capital flows, enabling compliant digital transformation, and powering institutional-grade RWA opportunities for family offices and institutional investors.
Photos and photo captions: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FfQLNGYvDLKEoHWqKNxKyIK64tGU0aAC?usp=sharing
Belal Jassoma (left), Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems, DMCC and Dr. Anina Ho (right), Founder & CEO, FOM sign a MOU during an exclusive family office dinner themed “The Future of Tokenizing Wealth” on February 9, 2026.
Belal Jassoma (left), Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems, DMCC and Dr. Anina Ho (right), Founder & CEO, FOM shake hands after the MOU signing.
Dr. Anina Ho, Founder & CEO, FOM delivers welcome remarks and introduces the event theme “From Theory to Real Use Cases in Tokenizing Wealth Between Dubai and Hong Kong.”
Belal Jassoma, Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems, DMCC shares insights on “Bridging Physical Commodities & Digital Assets as a Global Trade Hub.”
During the panel discussion titled “Turning Real World Assets into Digital Wealth,” moderated by Ms. Denise Zhou (left), Chief Strategy Officer, FOM, Mr. Lennix Lai (center), Chief Commercial Officer, OKX, and Mr. Belal Jassoma (right), Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems, DMCC share their insights on how tokenization is transforming traditional asset ownership and access.
During the panel discussion titled “Everyday Digital Wealth: Stablecoins, Payments and Tokenized Income,” moderated by Mr. Henri Arslanian (first from the left), Co‑Founder, Nine Blocks Capital, Mr. Jesse Guild (second from the left), Vice President, Product Management, Crypto & Digital Assets, Mastercard, Ms. Lingling Jiang (second from the right), Partner, DWF Labs, and Mr. Yat Siu (first from the right), Co‑Founder & Executive Chairman, Animoca Brands explore how digital assets and tokenized products are taking shape in everyday finance.
During the fireside chat moderated by Ms. Denise Zhou (left), Chief Strategy Officer, FOM, Mr. Ben Zhou (right), Co-Founder & CEO, Bybit shares insights on the future of digital asset platforms.
General Disclaimer The press release is distributed solely as a corporate announcement of a strategic partnership and event recap, and not as an offer or solicitation to acquire any specific investment product, token, fund, or securities.
The information herein is based on sources believed reliable but not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. Recipients should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified advisors before investing. No liability is accepted for decisions based on this material.
Hashtag: #FOM
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Sussan Ley always seemed set to be only an interim Liberal leader. If, as is likely, Angus Taylor wins the ballot on Friday morning, he could suffer the same fate.
Taylor as leader would be under intense heat in coming months. He would be stalked by the ambitious Andrew Hastie, who had wanted to be the one taking on Ley, before he was told by the conservative faction’s leadership to step back.
Ley has had much less than a year to try to prove herself. So how did the Liberals’ first female leader find herself on the canvas so quickly and dramatically?
Some of her problems have been self-imposed, reflecting her own limitations. Others have come from the circumstances in which she found herself.
In a nutshell, Ley has failed to project leadership authority. But she is also a victim of the Liberal Party’s deep internal ideological fracture, leaving what it stands for a void. The combination has prompted a huge slump in its support, with the related surge of One Nation.
Add to this the difficulties posed by the Nationals. Ley emerged from the two Coalition splits looking better than Nationals leader David Littleproud. But the crises, especially the most recent one centred on the Nationals defiance of shadow cabinet solidarity, took a toll on her.
From the beginning, Ley faced relentless undermining, from critics within the party, right-wing commentators, and the bad and worsening opinion polls.
In the divided party, the conservatives are dominant. They overwhelm the branches and have a clear edge among the parliamentarians.
Yet Ley, from the small centre-right faction, managed last May to win the leadership, with the backing of the moderates. Many of the conservatives never accepted this outcome.
Ley was quickly taken hostage. Once a supporter of net zero, she had to accept the party’s overthrow of the commitment. The policy change was probably inevitable. But Ley failed to get ahead of the issue, or state her own view before hearing everyone else’s. It left her looking weak.
She has been under constant criticism for not bringing forward policies. Partly this comes from the (accurate) perception that she does not personally have a strong policy framework. She’s a politician who shifts with the sands.
While the demand for policy is to an extent reasonable, it is not entirely so. The Dutton opposition was appallingly inadequate in formulating policy – late and lazy. But it also unrealistic to demand an opposition that’s been substantially wiped out at an election have an extensive policy slate within months.
The opinion polls have been a major weapon used in the assault on Ley. In modern times, polls have invariably been central in leadership choices. Nowadays they operate on steroids, and there are many more of them.
Key conservative James Paterson delivered a stark warning on Thursday:
Almost five million Australians voted for us. They put their trust in us. Over the last nine months, according to the most recent opinion polls, 2.1 million of those people have since deserted the Coalition. That’s more than 200,000 votes a month. It’s more than 50,000 votes a week. It’s more than 7,000 votes a day. This cannot go on. If it goes on, there’ll be nothing left of the Liberal Party by the next election.
There used to be an old line that behind every successful man is a strong woman. In a leadership battle, behind every candidate you’ll find a factional heavyweight or two. The contemporary Liberal Party is as factionalised as Labor ever was, even in its heyday of players such as the late Graham Richardson.
Taylor’s leading factional “second” is Paterson, a senator from Victoria; Ley has Alex Hawke, who as part of the centre-right faction once was Scott Morrison’s “spear carrier” (Morrison’s description).
Paterson in opposition has stood out as a strong performer, inside the parliament (especially in Senate estimates) and in the media.
Recent weeks have highlighted his factional role, most publicly at that Melbourne meeting attended by Hastie, Taylor, fellow right-wing factional player Senator Jonno Duniam, and former MP Michael Sukkar. The meeting had been called to sort out who would challenge Ley. Paterson was central in demonstrating to Hastie that he did not have the necessary support.
Hawke, who once belonged to the hard right in New South Wales, has a chequered history and is deeply unpopular with a wide range of Liberals. He acted for Morrison in delaying some preselections in NSW before the 2022 election (which backfired on the then prime minister). As Ley’s numbers man he helped her win the leadership and has been a tactical adviser in the mounting crisis of recent weeks. One of the key staffers in her office is seen as a “Hawke man”.
People ask: has Ley been a victim of sexism? If we think back to the harsh treatment dealt out to various leaders, probably not in terms of substance. But it is hard to avoid the conclusion she has been treated with more disrespect than a man would have been. The plotting has been extraordinarily open. Those seeking to bring her down haven’t even felt the need to whisper behind their hands.
It’s notable that two high-profile Liberal women have been to the fore in the move on Ley’s leadership: Jane Hume, a moderate, and Sarah Henderson, a conservative. Both are Victorian senators. Each had senior jobs on Peter Dutton’s frontbench: Hume was finance spokeswomen (a role in which she formed a bond with Taylor). Henderson was shadow minister for education. Ley excluded both women when she formed her shadow ministry.
Who is rewarded and who is penalised when frontbench jobs are handed out often has political fallout.
One thing to watch for in a Taylor front bench would be who is not in, and whether they would be likely to cause trouble.
Also significant, in the event of Ley losing, will be whether she says she will stay in parliament for the rest of the term. A byelection in her regional NSW seat of Farrer, if there were a strong independent candidate, could be ugly for a new leader.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A bevy of Liberal frontbenchers supporting Angus Taylor’s leadership challenge resigned their positions on Thursday, ahead of Friday’s 9am party vote.
With momentum moving towards Taylor, his backers and those of Sussan Ley were working on the relatively small number of people whose votes were regarded as in play.
The Ley camp said she would not resign.
The concern for the Taylor camp was not the actual leadership vote, but to ensure support for the preceding vote to get a “spill” of the leadership. A few Liberals committed to voting for Taylor were more equivocal about voting for the spill motion.
The Taylor camp pointed out that if the spill were to fail, it would simply be put again when parliament was back in a fortnight. Meanwhile, frontbenchers who had quit would not go back into the shadow ministry, so the situation would be chaotic for Ley.
The resignations were spread over the day. They included:
James Paterson (shadow minister for finance)
Jonno Duniam (shadow minister for home affairs)
Michaelia Cash (shadow foreign minister)
Dan Tehan (shadow minister for energy and emissions reduction)
James McGrath (shadow special minister of state)
Matt O’Sullivan (shadow assistant minister for infrastructure)
Phil Thompson (shadow assistant minister for the NDIS and defence)
Claire Chandler (shadow minister for cyber security and science)
Leah Blyth (shadow assistant minister for stronger families and stronger communities)
Dean Smith (Shadow Assistant Minister for Energy, Emissions Reduction, Foreign Affairs and Trade).
Paterson, a conservative factional chief, said the polls showed votes had been lost at a rate of more than 200,000 a month. If this went on “there’ll be nothing left of the Liberal Party by the next election”.
Paterson described Taylor as “the smartest policy brain in the shadow cabinet. He is a man of deep conviction and courage and values.”
“Angus understands that this is a change or die moment for the Liberal Party. We must change or we will not continue to exist,” Paterson said.
Taylor issued a video in which he said “I believe we need strong and decisive leadership that gives Australians clarity, courage, and confidence in providing a vision for the future”.
Ley put out multiple social media posts.
The position of deputy leader is being keenly contested, with the present deputy, Ted O’Brien, coming under challenge from Tehan and Senator Jane Hume, a backbencher who was finance spokeswoman last term. The deputy leader gets to choose their own portfolio.
If Hume won, she would be the first deputy to be in the Senate since Fred Chaney, who was deputy under Andrew Peacock in 1989-90.
Fellow Victorian senator Sarah Henderson said Hume “is a magnificent woman. She is very experienced. Of course she is a Victorian senator. She has been a great advocate for our party and for our country. She has a wonderful track record and I do think that we need to promote a senior woman.”
Cash said: “Following the events of recent days I believe the matter of the Liberal Party Leadership needs to be brought to a head.”
She said she was not resigning as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, “a role bestowed upon me by the Senate party room”.
In his resignation statement Duniam said, “I have consistently and publicly said over the last two weeks that the commentary and debate relating to internal party matters, especially the Liberal Leadership, must come to an end”.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Uniting Networks from Over 17 Countries to Drive Cross-Border Collaboration and Sustainable Regional Growth
BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – As design increasingly proves its power to transform creativity into a strategic force of macroeconomic competitiveness, Bangkok Design Week 2026(BKKDW2026), organized by the Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization) or CEA, together with its partners, enters its ninth edition with a bold ambition — evolving from a national design festival into a leading creative platform for Asia. By uniting networks of designers and international partners from more than 17 countries across Asia and Europe, the festival plays a pivotal role in positioning Bangkok as Asia‘s Creative Festival Hub(Creative Hub of Asia).
Under the theme “DESIGN S/O/S,” Bangkok Design Week 2026 highlights design and creativity as practical tools to help societies act, adapt, and survive amid global challenges. The festival significantly expands its international partnerships, opening new spaces for designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge, technology, and business models. These collaborations aim to foster a new creative business ecosystem as one that leads to investment opportunities, business matching, and the development of Thai creative products capable of competing in global markets.
Explore perspectives from international partners, who shed light on the role of design as a universal language — a borderless bridge between cultures that generates tangible opportunities for Thailand’s creative economy in the global arena.
FROM LEGACY TO THE FUTURE.RESTORATION AS A DESIGN PROJECT Sustainable Cultural Asset Management for Future Generations by Embassy of Italy in Bangkok
The first international highlight comes from Italy, through the project Italia Reloaded, presented by the Italian Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Italy in Thailand. The initiative introduces the concept of “Restoration as Sustainability.”
Maria Sica, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, explains “Restoration is not about the past, it lies at the heart of sustainability. It focuses on reusing existing resources rather than producing new ones, guided by the principle of ‘Not Fake’- repairing without imitation. By integrating innovation, restoration preserves the authenticity and living value of cultural heritage. The project also draws on the historical relationship between Florence and Bangkok, inspired by the legacy of Silpa Bhirasri, serving as a foundation for knowledge transfer and hands-on workshops. These activities aim to elevate Thai craftsmanship to international standards while supporting high-quality cultural tourism. Together, these efforts frame restoration as a strategic pillar of urban cultural asset management — revitalizing historic districts, generating economic vitality, and strengthening a creative business ecosystem that grows sustainably from the city’s existing foundations.
LAHI(Heritage):The Philippine Fashion Exhibition Fashion as Cultural Diplomacy and a New Economic Bridge in ASEAN by the Philippine Embassy in Thailand
Representing the Philippines, Bangkok Design Week 2026 serves as the launch platform for “LAHI(Heritage):The Philippines Fashion Exhibition,“ presented through a collaboration between the Department of Trade and Industry(DTI), the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Bangkok, and thePhilippine Embassy in Thailand. Using fashion as a tool of both economic development and creative diplomacy, the initiative underscores Thailand’s role as a strategic partner for the Philippines within ASEAN.
A representative from DTI noted “Bangkok Design Week is a key platform for showcasing Philippine design capabilities to regional and global markets. It also serves as a gateway for cross-border business and investment opportunities, particularly through co-creation.The collaboration explores hybrid products that combine Thailand’s strength in international-standard manufacturing with Philippine design and craftsmanship. This approach not only strengthens the ASEAN brand and elevates products into high-value market segments, but also demonstrates how fashion — when rooted in cultural heritage — can become a competitive economic asset on the global stage.”
Ephemeral Sounds of the Gulf Listening to Impermanence Through Design That Is Meant to Dissolve
The project “Ephemeral Sounds of the Gulf“ by Japanese mixed-media artist and producer Erika Tsuchiya (VCUarts Qatar) examines the tension between permanence and impermanence in contemporary production and consumption. The work experiments with biomaterial records, using physical media as a sonic and conceptual platform.
Erika Tsuchiya explains “The project reflects the continued economic potential of the physical format market even in a digital era — especially in Bangkok, where vinyl culture is experiencing a revival. At the same time, the project functions as research and development for a future green supply chain in the music industry. By recording natural soundscapes from the Arabian Gulf region and distributing them globally through biodegradable records, the work challenges conventional expectations of sonic perfection, while raising awareness of digital pollution and resource-intensive mass reproduction.
“Presently, designers and creators must be conscious of where materials come from and the impact of their choices. Understanding costs and consequences from the very beginning of the supply chain is the foundation of business models that grow not only in profit, but in long-term sustainability.” Tsuchiya concludes.
People Pavilion:Reimagining Streetlights as Urban Landmarks Shade, Light, and Inclusive Design for the Tropical City
Another tangible example of urban innovation is People Pavilion, or Lan Prakai Muang, a collaboration between Urban Ally and HAS design and research, led by Jenchieh Hung and Kulthida Songkittipakdee. The project reinterprets “the Streetlight Pole” an existing piece of urban infrastructure transforming it into a functional and inclusive public architecture.
The design is grounded in a shared perspective that “the tropical climate is not a constraint, but an urban resource.” Drawing from everyday life in Bangkok where people seek shade during the day and light at night, the pavilion upgrades existing infrastructure into usable public space. This approach reduces construction waste while adding value to existing urban assets through the concept of infrastructure upcycling.
The core of the project goes beyond creating a new space. People Pavilion functions as an urban prototype for sustainable city-making, offering alternative solutions to public space challenges without relying on large-scale budgets. Through cross-sector collaboration and inclusive design, underutilized or neglected areas are transformed into places of tangible social and economic impact supporting a more resilient, adaptive, and people-centered city. Ultimately, the project demonstrates that meaningful urban transformation can be achieved through strategic design, rather than heavy financial investment.
HONG KONG:Projecting Future Heritage When Everyday Architecture Becomes Tomorrow‘s Blueprint
The exhibition “HONG KONG:Projecting Future Heritage,“originally presented at the Venice Biennale Architettura in 2025, arrives in Bangkok curated by Hong Kong architects and urbanists Sunnie S.Y.Lau and Fai Au. It offers a perspective on social innovation by re-examining architecture embedded in everyday life. Moving beyond iconic landmarks, it invites critical reflection on ordinary buildings and familiar urban structures.
The two creators explain “Under the concept of Future Heritage, we explore strategic commonalities among historic port cities such as Hong Kong, Venice, and Bangkok. Those highlight the role of urban water systems as foundational infrastructures that have shaped these cities’ transformation from historic settlements into economic centers. We also present local architectures that reflect real everyday life, which may become valuable historical heritage in the next 20 – 30 years.”
From a sustainability perspective, the exhibition proposes an approach to urban development that integrates traditional wisdom with contemporary technology. Rather than viewing existing buildings as obsolete or burdensome, it advocates adaptive reuse — reimagining and repurposing structures without demolition — so they can continue to support living, working, and everyday life in meaningful ways. The exhibition underscores that looking back at what already exists is a crucial key to transforming cultural heritage into economic and intellectual capital capable of sustainable growth in the future.
Elevating Bangkok Design Week as the Creative Hub of Asia
These collaborations represent only a fraction of what unfolds at Bangkok Design Week 2026, taking place from 29 January – 8 February 2026. Through CEA’s strategic direction, the festival is being elevated as an international creative platform connecting designers, cities, businesses, and investors from Thailand and abroad. The goal is clear to transform cultural capital into measurable economic value, while firmly establishing Bangkok as one of Asia’s leading creative festival hubs. Driven by the power of the creative economy and sustained through long-term cross-border collaboration, Bangkok Design Week continues to advance a vision of inclusive, competitive, and sustainable growth for the region and beyond.
Sky TV says it conducted a full investigation into the issue.Supplied / Richard Parsonson
Sky TV is apologising for what it says is a processing error that meant some Sky Sport Now annual pass customers were not given enough information about their contracts rolling over.
RNZ reported last year that some customers were not happy they did not receive notice of the automatic rollover of their contracts, including the information that they would shift from the promotional price of $365 a year to a new rate of $549.
“I emailed within two hours of our card being charged yesterday to see if they would offer us the promotion, but they have not and are sticking to charging us the full $549,” one customer said.
“I am particularly concerned regarding the price aspect here, and whether an annual rollover is fair when the price of the contract increases by 50 percent. We can’t find any notice of that price increase either.”
Sky TV said this week it had looked into the issue and conducted a full investigation.
“Due to a process error, we didn’t send some Sky Sport Now Annual Pass customers – those whose pass renewed between June 6 and December 15, 2025, the usual reminder email before renewal.
“This should have been sent 30 days before payment was taken and would have both confirmed the renewal and notified them of the new Annual Pass price of $549.99 effective from March 21, 2025.
“We’re sorry for this and are taking steps to make it right.”
The Sky TV spokesperson said affected customers had been sent an apology email.
This would also let them know they would receive a $50 refund, which took them back to the standard price before the price increase.
“We have also let these customers know that if they don’t wish to continue with their annual pass, they can choose to cancel their pass early. Customers who opt for this will receive a pro rata refund but will lose access to Sky Sport Now from the day of cancellation.
“Finally, we have let customers to know that we are sorry this has happened, we’ve fixed the issue and have strengthened our renewal notification processes to avoid this happening again.”
The jetboat sank on the Waiau River. File picture.123RF
An investigation is underway into the sinking of a Fiordland Jet commercial jetboat on the Waiau River, Maritime New Zealand says.
It happened on Tuesday afternoon, and Maritime New Zealand staff are talking to people, examining the vessel and the scene of the incident, reviewing documents and gathering information.
There were 13 people on board, including 11 passengers, a guide and the driver. No one was injured.
Once assessments are completed, it will decide if action will be taken.
A beloved early 2000s heart-throb, Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek never shook off the character that shot him to fame.
But how he leaned into it, playing himself in Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 3 and numerous other cameos, enshrined his legacy as one of TV’s most sensitive leading men, baring his soul on and off the screen.
“It’s tough to compete with something that was the cultural phenomenon that Dawson’s Creek was,” he told Vulture in 2013.
“It ran for so long. That’s a lot of hours playing one character in front of people. So it’s natural that they associate you with that.”
James Van Der Beek, star of Dawson’s Creek, has died. The news was shared in an Instagram post.
Instagram
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The school block destroyed in a suspected arson is being demolished.Taupō-nui-a-Tia College
Students from a Taupō secondary school that lost a classroom block in a suspected arson will continue learning from home next week.
Roads around Taupō-nui-a-Tia College, on Spa Road, were closed for about four hours on Sunday while firefighters battled the blaze.
Since Monday the school’s 1200 students have been doing lessons online at home.
Principal Ben Claxton said demolition of the destroyed block began on Tuesday and was continuing – meaning students couldn’t yet return.
“The demolition was expected to take a while and for all sorts of health and safety reasons we’ve asked our students to remain home for the remainder of this week and next week, at this point.
“We’re going to review it on Wednesday.”
Principal Ben Claxton says students will continue to learn online into next week.RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
The destroyed classroom block had 11 teaching spaces, as well as housing the school’s health and counselling services.
Claxton said he expected online learning to ramp up next week, and the school would communicate its expectations about that.
“Learning from home is a good option to have, but nothing beats face to face, so we are literally today starting to look at what we can do for the rest of the year.”
Some students and staff members were affected by what had happened and on Wednesday staff came together to share stories and plan for the future.
Although, Claxton said this week had been negotiated step by step, especially when the school was still in crisis mode.
Firefighters could be seen on the roof at Taupō-nui-a-Tia College during the fire.LES WILLS / SUPPLIED
In the short term some classes could be held in a nearby tertiary institution, which had volunteered its space. Claxton said that was getting finalised.
“The medium to long term is we’re hopeful of getting some form of relocatable-classroom situation onsite, to the number that we need.
“That’s all happening in the background with the ministry at the moment.”
Claxton said rebuilding projects could take time to plan and then begin.
A Ministry of Education spokesperson said it was exploring a range of temporary classroom options.
“The school continues to deliver online learning while the site is cleared and the best approach is determined.
“We understand the significant impact the fire has had on staff, students, and the wider community, and we are working with urgency to make sure any disruption to teaching and learning is minimised.”
The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says the government’s new Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill takes a constructive step towards a modern, risk-based system – but warns several significant issues must be addressed through the submission and select committee process.
EMA Manager of Employment Relations and Safety Paul Jarvie says a risk-focused framework is the right direction. However, there are flaws and inconsistencies that could undermine its intent.
“A modern, risk-based approach is different to what we currently have, but the current approach isn’t working. So it’s worth trying this – a framework successfully used in other jurisdictions around the world.
“We do have concerns about the proposed exemptions for smaller businesses (fewer than 20 employees), as size has no bearing on risk, and some of the proposed exemptions could create new problems rather than solving old ones.”
The proposed bill limits these businesses’ requirements to identify and manage critical risks. Businesses with more than 20 workers, however, would continue to be responsible for managing all risks, not just critical ones.
However, the greatest cause of workplace injuries across all sectors is strains, sprains, and back injuries. These would not meet the critical-risk criteria and therefore would not be required to be identified or managed.
Jarvie says this creates a problematic disconnect.
“It’s vital that businesses collect all this data – for example, incident and near-miss reports – to understand what is potentially going to happen next. Low-level injuries can often help identify a more significant issue. Workplace violence, fatigue, and stress are other examples of issues employers need to identify and manage but which would not meet the critical-risk criteria,” he says.
“Creating a distinction between a small business and a large business doesn’t make any sense when both could have the same risks and injury profiles.”
Another challenge is allowing other legislation to override health and safety requirements if those duties are already covered elsewhere.
Jarvie says this creates uncertainty and could lead to unintended consequences.
“We already see conflicting requirements between agencies – for example, between land transport rules and health and safety guidance. Without clearer definitions, the bill risks widening those gaps.”
The EMA strongly supports the bill’s proposed industry-led Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) and its clearer distinction between governance and operational duties.
However, Jarvie says the absence of draft regulations could add confusion.
“We urgently need regulations to support the current Health and Safety at Work Act. It’s critical that we see them and that they align with and direct the bill’s intent.”
Jarvie says the success of the reforms will rely on a well-resourced, modern regulator that works collaboratively with business, similar to the Swedish system.
“Employers need confidence that they’ll receive consistent, practical advice. Without that, the risk-based model won’t deliver the improvements we all want.”
“Overall, we support the Bill’s intent,” Jarvie says. “But several significant issues need to be addressed to avoid unintended consequences. If we get this right, it will help New Zealand finally shift its stubborn health and safety performance.”
The EMA will continue reviewing the legislation in detail and will provide further guidance to its members in the coming weeks.
12 February 2026 – Partnering with friends or family members can be a great way to get on the property ladder, but it can come with risks, warns the Banking Ombudsman.
Nicola Sladden said a recent dispute investigated by the scheme was a timely reminder for people buying property with others to have a firm understanding of their rights in a partnership.
“Shared financial arrangements can work well when everyone is in agreement about goals and timeframes. But problems can arise when circumstances unexpectedly change,” said Ms Sladden.
“When relationships end, joint accounts, loans and partnerships can become tricky. It’s crucial to understand how your accounts are set up, and what your rights and obligations are. This knowledge can prevent a difficult situation from becoming even more stressful.”
In 2008, Sonia helped her son Nicholas and his wife Laura buy a home. The three formed a partnership to buy the property and jointly borrowed $320,000 from the bank.
When Nicholas and Laura separated in 2023, Sonia and Laura wanted to sell the property, but Nicholas told the bank they were in disagreement about what to do. The bank then refused to act on any instructions from the borrowers until the dispute was resolved. It also refused Sonia’s offer to repay the loan in full so the mortgage could be discharged.
The Banking Ombudsman scheme considered the bank had acted wrongly in refusing to discharge the mortgage. The loan terms allowed any of the three borrowers to repay the loan. Under section 97 of the Property Law Act 2007, a mortgagor has the right to repay a mortgage in full and “redeem” the property. The disagreement between the borrowers did not affect the partnership’s ability to give instructions to the bank because Sonia was able to pass resolutions without the others’ agreement and therefore instruct the bank on the partnership’s behalf.
The bank offered Sonia $10,000 to resolve her complaint, an offer she accepted.
Ms Sladden said the scheme’s guide on relationship breakdowns and banking recommends banking customers:
Discuss in advance how you would divide assets if you separated, and get legal advice if you decide you need formal arrangements.
Make sure you understand your bank account mandates, and that they match what you and the joint account holder have agreed to.
Tell your bank if you believe a joint account holder is using the account in a way you have not agreed to. The bank can freeze the account to keep the money safe, and you can open a separate account for yourself in the meantime.
Te Whatu Ora needs to go back to the drawing board and prioritise worker safety after reversing plans to charge hospital workers market rates for car parks, NZNO says.
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO delegate and Christchurch health care assistant Al Dietschin says NZNO members were angered they weren’t consulted on the draft policy.
“Last year there were several shocking attacks on hospital health workers forced to walk to their cars because they can’t park at or near their workplaces. This includes a Palmerston North nurse being carjacked and a Christchurch nurse being left with a concussion.
“Our members provided robust feedback that charging health workers market rates for car parks was not the answer and would leave those unable to pay up to $100 a week even less safe.
“This is an embarrassing U-turn for Te Whatu Ora, but it is heartening they have listened to our members. Te Whatu Ora now has a chance to get this right and consult on and draft a policy that makes car parking for health workers safe, reliable and affordable,” Al Dietschin says.
The PSA welcomes Te Whatu Ora Health NZ abandoning its plan to privatise parking services across all hospitals for now, but must rule out ever returning to the flawed plan in the future.
“This was a mean-spirited plan, putting profits over patients and health workers and the blame sits squarely on the shoulders of Health Minister Simeon Brown,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“The Government needs to properly fund our public health system, instead Health NZ is being forced to find scarce revenue everywhere. This is not how a public health system that puts the needs of patients and health workers first should operate.
“We are pleased Health NZ has seen sense and acknowledged the financial impact this poorly thought through proposal would have had on patients and health workers when household budgets are already under pressure.
“We call on Health NZ to firmly state that privatising parking services is off the agenda permanently.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahiis Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
A Checkpoint investigation has revealed how easy it is to get potentially dangerous nitrous oxide or nangs in large quantities from dairies, vape stores and convenience stores.
The gas has legitimate medical uses and is also used in catering to whip cream, however it is illegal to supply, possess or use the gas recreationally.
Checkpoint visited 16 stores across three areas in Auckland and found at least half were willing to sell canisters of the gas in a range of sizes with virtually no checks.
One vape store sold 1.1L and 3.3L canisters of the gas, for $50 and $150 respectively. It also offered a “combo” price of $170 for the pair.
At another dairy visited by Checkpoint, the shop keeper had a range of products available to buy – from packs of the small, silver tubes of nitrous oxide to the larger, thermos-sized 1.1L canister. The shop-keeper also said the 1.1L was the most popular size.
Several dairies offered packs of the silver tubes, with prices ranging from $10 for the 10-pack to about $60 for a 50-pack.
The gas was also available to purchase on its own, without cream dispensers. Only one dairy clarified verbally that the canisters were only to be “used for baking”.
Nitrous oxide products available to purchase one of the stores visited by Checkpoint in Auckland.RNZ / Teuila Fuatai
Doctors and community leaders have been particularly concerned about the availability of the thermos-sized 1.1L and 3.3L canisters.
Dr Nicholas Jones is the medical officer of health in Hawke’s Bay, where two cases of nerve damage have recently been linked to huffing of nitrous oxide.
At a recent community meeting on the issue, he said people were alarmed to hear that recycling services in the region were collecting around 300kg of empty canisters a fortnight.
That does suggest “there’s quite a significant amount of this being used”, he said.
Large canisters of nitrous oxide can be easily purchased.Supplied
While nitrous oxide has traditionally been viewed at the lower end of the harm-spectrum for psychoactive substances, Jones highlighted the potential risks around large amounts of the gas being accessible and available.
“What seems to have changed recently is the availability of these large canisters, you know, up to 3.3L of gas, whereas in the past people may have used the small silver canisters about, I think it’s about 8 grams or something, a relatively low amount.”
“You’re able to then actually access 3.3L, you could be using it for a prolonged period of time over a long period of time.”
That increased risks significantly, he said.
Dr Nicholas Jones.RNZ / Anusha Bradley
“Although it’s not known for being a drug that causes, you know, psychological dependence, obviously the longer you use it and the more you use it, the higher the risk of, you know, becoming dependent on it.
“With chronic use you can start developing nerve damage associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.”
He suspected this could become more common, especially as people may not understand the risks of nitrous oxide-use.
“One of the problems is that people may be ringing up with concerns, health concerns, but not necessarily identifying the fact that they’re associated with, you know, the use of nitrous oxide.”
Checkpoint also spoke to a woman whose adult child became a heavy user of nitrous oxide last year.
The woman asked to remain anonymous but wanted to share her family’s experience in the hope more could be done to prevent abuse of the substance.
She said her daughter became hooked the gas and was using the large, thermos-sized canisters.
It caused physical problems for her daughter like anaemia, numbness in the her fingers and toes, and issues with bumping into things, she said.
Her daughter also ended up in hospital because of nerve damage, and the addiction had severe mental health impacts and led to self-harm.
The woman said the family found the gas was being purchased from a vape store.
When they went in to see what checks were in place, they found customers were asked to write down their name and the intended use for their purchase on a piece of paper.
She said people had written down names like “John Smith” and that they wanted the gas for a “21st birthday cake”
The woman said police investigated the store, which was eventually closed down. However, she remained concerned about the availability of the gas, and pointed out the closed-vape shop was simply one outlet selling nitrous-oxide products.
She also said her daughter had recovered after quitting “cold turkey” and getting help. The family now want the government to be more proactive and shut down illegal sales.
For anyone affected by issues discussed in this story, free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor. Or call 0800 Lifeline or text HELP to 4357.
A baby was the person killed in a devastating crash involving a car and school bus in the Hawke’s Bay township of Wairoa.
The collision happened at about 3pm on State Highway 2 on Tuesday, at the intersection of Black Street and Archilles Street.
A person in the car, which RNZ sources have confirmed was a baby, died and two others in it were left fighting for their lives.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said he had heard that a baby had died in the “horrendous crash” and that the close-knit community was completely devastated.
“It has just causes absolute devastation, and Wairoa is a small town, everyone knows everybody.
“The whole town is in shock to be quite honest, we are just here in whatever way or form to look after these families who are really going through a hard time, and that’s even the bus driver as well.
“These families will probably never get over this.”
Little said he had spoken to family, locals and emergency services.
“Everybody is struggling with this one, they are all well known families, good families.”
Little said no one really knows how the crash happened and that it was a very odd accident.
Only minor injuries were reported from the driver and two passengers on the school bus.
The Ministry of Education said it had engaged a traumatic incident team to work with the school that had its students on the bus.