Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Equinor

9 October 2026 14:00 (CEST)

Equinor and Shell have signed an agreement under which Shell will acquire a 30% interest in the Bay du Nord project offshore Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. The transaction supports the continued maturation of Bay du Nord towards an investment decision currently targeted for early 2027.

Equinor will retain a 70% interest and remain as the operator of the project.

“We are pleased to welcome Shell as a partner in Bay du Nord. This is a strategic project for Equinor, with a high-quality resource base and the potential to create significant long-term value. Shell’s entry strengthens the project as we continue to mature it towards a final investment decision,” says Philippe Mathieu, Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production International.

The transaction supports Equinor’s approach to portfolio management, capital allocation and risk sharing in large-scale developments.

Bay du Nord is located in the Flemish Pass basin, approximately 500 kilometres offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. The development concept is based on a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) with subsea tiebacks and broader resource potential across the basin.

The project is currently finalising the front-end engineering and design (FEED), with continued work focused on strengthening capital efficiency, execution planning, and overall project robustness. Constructive engagement with provincial and federal governments has supported progress through key milestones and will remain important as the project continues to advance.

Equinor and Shell will continue to mature the project towards an investment decision subject to market conditions, regulatory approvals and the companies’ internal decision processes.

Project facts

• Discovery: Bay du Nord 2013, Cambriol 2020
• Location: Approximately 500 km east of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Basin: Flemish Pass
• Water Depth: 600–1,170 metres
• Discoveries included in the initial phase: Bay du Nord and Cambriol
• Potential future tiebacks: Cappahayden, Harpoon, and Baccalieu
• Concept: Phased subsea development tied back to a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO)
• Estimated recoverable resources (initial phase): >400 million barrels of oil
• Investment: ~CAD $14 billion
• Final Investment Decision: planned early 2027
• First Oil (expected): 2031

Official release

Source: Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

October 9, 2026

(Washington, D.C., October 9, 2026) – In response to the Trump administration's imposition of new institutional sanctions against the entire the International Criminal Court, DAWN issues the following statement:

“By sanctioning the entire International Criminal Court, the Trump administration has taken a sledgehammer to the most important development in international justice in half a century,” said Omar Shakir, DAWN's Executive Director. “U.S. sanctions threaten to shut the last viable road to justice for millions of victims of serious crimes, from Gaza and Sudan to Afghanistan and Ukraine – all to shield Israeli officials who have perpetrated a genocide from justice.”

“In applying tools reserved for the most serious criminals to the world's only permanent international court, the U.S. is claiming the power to jail for 20 years Americans who represent a victim, submit evidence, or handle payroll for the Court,” said Raed Jarrar, DAWN's Advocacy Director. “We have taken the Trump administration to court, because such brazen declarations trample the fundamental constitutional rights of millions of Americans. No president has that power.”

“The EU has a tool built exactly for when rogue states use sanctions to further political aims: a blocking statute that can shield the Court and Europeans from U.S. sanctions. If states won't act now to protect the Court as they have repeatedly vowed to do, then when? Every day they wait, European banks move closer to abandoning the court out of fear of Washington,” said Isabelle Hayslip, DAWN's Advocacy Associate. “ICC prosecutors also have tools when a state intimidates or retaliates to stop Court officials from doing their jobs: the Rome Statute makes this a crime. They should investigate and prosecute Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and other senior administration officials for obstructing justice.”

Background

The Trump administration imposition of sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an entity today marks a major escalation in its campaign against the Court. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added the International Criminal Court itself to its Specially Designated Nationals list on October 9, 2026, placing the court in the same category as violent criminals and drug cartels. The designation blocks any court property within US jurisdiction and bars US citizens, companies, and banks from any transaction with the court, its staff, or its operations, absent a Treasury license, on penalty of up to twenty years in prison. OFAC simultaneously issued four general licenses carving out narrow exceptions for telecommunications and enterprise software, pension payments, certain transactions related to ICC detainees, and an unspecified set of “certain transactions” involving the court. The issuance of these narrow licenses indicates that the Trump administration is prohibiting all other engagement with the Court, including banking, insurance, procurement, and the processing of salaries to its employees.

The administration acted pursuant to Executive Order 14203, issued in February 2025. The executive order grants administration officials the power to impose sanctions on foreigners for supporting the ICC's investigations into U.S. and Israeli nationals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide and makes it a federal offense to provide a “service” to—or receive one from—a sanctioned individual or entity. It does so by declaring that such investigations constitute a “national emergency,” based on false claims that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over crimes committed by U.S. and Israeli nationals and that those countries “strictly adhere to the laws of war.”

Under Executive Order 14203, the Trump administration has sanctioned ICC prosecutors, judges, and other officials, as well as leading Palestinian human rights groups al-Haq, al-Mezan and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and the UN Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights Situation on the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese. US persons who violate the order face up to twenty years in prison and a one million dollar fine.

DAWN and the Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide sued the Trump administration on July 15, 2026, in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging that Executive Order 14203 violates Americans' First Amendment rights to speak, associate, and engage in Palestine-related human rights advocacy. Both organizations had sought assurance that from the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control that their proposed work was permissible and received no response. The suit seeks a court order barring the administration from using the executive order to prevent from supporting investigations into U.S. and Israeli abuses, and from sanctioned human rights defenders. Courts have already in several other cases ruled against the government's interpretation of the sanctions. Separate legal challenges have also been brought by three sitting sanctioned ICC judges and several other human rights organizations.

The European Union's Blocking Statute, Council Regulation 2271/96, prohibit EU persons from complying with listed foreign sanctions, nullifies their effect in European courts, and allows Europeans to recover damages they cause. Its annex currently covers only US measures on Cuba and Iran. The Commission can add Executive Order 14203 by delegated regulation, as it did for US Iran sanctions in 2018. It has not done so. Slovenia raised the need for an EU response at the Foreign Affairs Council in June 2025. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for activating the statute on May 6, 2026. UN human rights experts demanded on August 28, 2026, that Washington withdraw its sanctions and expressly called on the EU to activate the statute. The Commission has still not acted.

Article 70 of the Rome Statute criminalizes offences against the administration of justice, including impeding, intimidating, or corruptly influencing an official of the court to force that official not to perform their duties, and retaliating against an official on account of duties performed. The article contains no nationality requirement, and it carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. The court has used it before. In 2016, Trial Chamber VII convicted former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba and four associates under Article 70 for corruptly influencing witnesses, the court's first convictions for obstructing its own proceedings. The ICC President has previously described sanctions as an attack on its independence. The prosecutor has the authority to open an Article 70 investigation into the US officials responsible for these sanctions.

Source: Paddock to Pantry

9 October 2026

A $25 million expansion programme by an independent New Zealand grocery retailer is set to create up to 1,000 jobs and bring greater supermarket competition to underserved communities nationwide over the next five years, as the business sets its sights on becoming the country's third-largest grocery retailer.

The company is also calling for the establishment of a government-backed Supermarket Growth Fund to provide low-interest loans to privately owned grocery operators, arguing it would be a comparatively low-cost way to accelerate competition by helping existing independent operators expand more rapidly.

Paddock to Pantry, which recorded a 197% increase in sales over the past year, plans to open more than 20 new grocery stores at a rate of approximately one every three months, beginning with Kinloch, near Taupō, in December 2026, followed by new locations on the North Island's East Coast and South Auckland in the first quarter of 2027.

The expansion would take its physical retail network from two stores in Karaka and Kahawai Point, Glenbrook, to more than 22 nationwide, while transforming the business from a predominantly online grocery operator into a national bricks-and-mortar supermarket chain.

E-commerce currently accounts for around 90% of the company's sales, but is expected to fall to approximately 33% within five years as its physical network grows.

The company will target communities underserved by existing supermarket competition, introducing the same competitive grocery promotional pricing across its stores regardless of location. The company says this will help reduce geographic price disparities and put pressure on established supermarket operators in areas where consumers have limited choice.

The five-year investment programme includes approximately $10 million in new retail stores, a proposed 5,000sqm distribution centre and an expansion of the company's delivery fleet to 25 vehicles.

John Kennerley, Paddock to Pantry business manager, says changes to supermarket competition settings have provided the foundation for independent operators to compete with the major grocery chains, but the rate at which privately owned businesses can expand remains constrained by access to capital.

He says the company has already established the distribution infrastructure, supplier relationships and purchasing scale needed to support a larger retail network, meaning further expansion is primarily a matter of securing premises, fitting out stores and recruiting staff.

“The groundwork has already been done through the changes to supermarket competition settings. Those reforms have opened the door for independent operators like us to compete, and we've demonstrated that the model works.

“We've already done much of the heavy lifting. We have the distribution infrastructure in place, direct relationships with the major grocery manufacturers and a pricing model that allows us to compete.

“Suitable retail sites are available, and we've identified locations where we believe there's sufficient demand for another supermarket.

“Scaling from here is largely a matter of securing the capital to fit out stores, stock shelves and employ local people.

“That's why access to low-interest funding could make such an immediate difference. We're not asking the Government to fund the creation of a new supermarket business. We're talking about helping established operators replicate a model that's already working,” he says.

Kennerley says a Supermarket Growth Fund could allow New Zealand's second tier of privately owned grocery competitors to double or triple their expansion rates, bringing forward investment, employment and pricing benefits that might otherwise take years to achieve.

He says the Government would not need to build or operate supermarkets itself, but could instead provide commercially assessed, repayable loans to businesses with established operations and credible expansion plans.

“Unlike the major supermarket groups, privately owned operators don't have access to the same financial resources, so expansion has to be funded progressively.

“With access to low-interest, repayable loans, we believe we could at least double our current rollout and potentially triple it. That would mean more supermarkets opening and more jobs being created over the same period.

“We don't necessarily need another major overhaul of supermarket competition policy. The existing settings are starting to work, but it takes time for independent competitors to build scale.

“Rather than waiting for another international supermarket chain to enter New Zealand and establish a national network from scratch, we could accelerate the growth of businesses already operating here.

“For a relatively modest financial commitment, the Government could unlock substantially greater private investment and bring meaningful competition to underserved communities much sooner,” he says.

Paddock to Pantry's first new store will be a 500sqm grocery outlet in Kinloch, with larger supermarket-format sites planned for the East Coast and South Auckland.

The company is seeking sites ranging from 500sqm to 1,800sqm, with larger stores expected to employ around 50 people each. The programme could create up to 1,000 retail jobs, alongside additional employment in warehousing, transport and distribution.

Kennerley says the strategy is focused on locations where limited supermarket choice has historically reduced competitive pressure on grocery prices, including both regional centres and metropolitan suburbs.

Paddock to Pantry's growth follows changes to wholesale grocery access arrangements, which enabled the company to establish the purchasing volumes needed to negotiate directly with major manufacturers.

The business recorded a 197% increase in sales in the 12 months to 31 July 2026, off a multimillion-dollar sales base, and now processes thousands of orders daily, carries more than 2,000 products and sources more than 99% of its purchasing by value directly from manufacturers.

Kennerley says these supplier relationships and the scale of its existing online operation provide the foundation for its physical store expansion.

“We're not building a handful of specialty food stores. Our ambition is to become New Zealand's third-largest grocery retailer and provide a genuine alternative to the two dominant supermarket groups.

“We've demonstrated that we can compete online on price, range and service. The next stage is translating that into a physical network that brings those benefits directly into more communities,” he says.

The retailer's established foodservice operations will also help support the expansion, allowing smaller stores to combine traditional grocery retailing with prepared food and other services suited to local demand.

Larger sites will operate more closely to a conventional supermarket model, while smaller stores will have greater flexibility to tailor their offerings to individual communities.

Kennerley says improved road infrastructure between Auckland, Hamilton and Taupō has also helped make expansion more commercially viable by allowing more efficient distribution across wider geographic areas.

The company's proposed new 5,000sqm distribution centre will increase capacity beyond its existing infrastructure, servicing both its growing brick-and-mortar network and nationwide online grocery operation.

“Every new supermarket represents local employment, investment in commercial property and additional demand for transport and distribution services, as well as greater choice for consumers.

“We believe New Zealand's next major source of supermarket competition can come from the privately owned operators already in the market. The opportunity now is to give those locally owned businesses the means to grow much faster,” he says.

Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission

To mark Mental Awareness Health Week 2026, Te Hiringa Mahara is calling for an independent online safety regulator to help address online harms and make digital communities safer for young people. Safer online spaces can support belonging and connection, both of which are protective factors vital to young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

‘Belonging matters’ is the theme of this year’s mental health awareness week. For many rainbow, disabled and geographically isolated young people, online spaces provide connection, affirmation, identity and belonging that may not be available offline.

“Young people consistently tell us they use online spaces to connect with friends and whānau, explore their identity, express themselves creatively, learn, advocate, and participate in their communities,” says Te Hiringa Mahara Director of Wellbeing and Insights, Dr Ella Cullen.

“Rainbow and disabled young people aged 13-to-19 years are less likely to feel a sense of belonging to New Zealand than other young people. Research consistently shows that for many rainbow and disabled young people, online communities are a vital source of support and inclusion.

“Of course, we acknowledge the online harms experienced by young people are real. Rainbow young people experience high rates of online bullying. Disabled young people are disproportionately targeted by online harassment. Rangatahi Māori are more likely to encounter harmful content, including racism.

“To be crystal clear, this is not an argument for fewer online spaces, but for safer ones. Safer online spaces mean we keep the benefits for young people like belonging and social connection”

“Young people should be listened to, respected, and supported. The onus of safety online should not rest on their shoulders.

“Rather than restricting access to online communities, we should be requiring age appropriate platforms and algorithms that do not cause harm to young people. An independent online safety regulator could provide oversight, enforce standards, and help create safer digital environments without cutting young people off from the connection and support they rely on.

“Belonging is one of the strongest protective factors for youth mental wellbeing that we need to strengthen and support. Alongside robust education and designing solutions with young people, that's where an independent regulator for online spaces comes in,” says Dr Cullen.

Notes for editors

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 12-18 October. Find out more: https://mhaw.nz

Key facts

• A third of young people aged 13-19 years spend 5 or more hours a day on social media (YHWS 2026)
• Fewer rainbow and disabled young people aged 13-19 years feel safe online compared to young people who are not in these groups (YHWS 2026)
• Rainbow and disabled young people aged 13-19 years are less likely to feel a sense of belonging to New Zealand than young people not in these groups (YHWS 2026)
• Young people aged 15-24 years who interact with specialist services are less likely to report a sense of belonging to New Zealand compared to young people who don’t interact with services (GSS 2023)

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders

[Amman / Jerusalem, 9 October 2026] – Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warns that Israel is progressively asphyxiating Gaza and continuing its genocide: the space in which people can live is vanishing, while the conditions people need to survive are being systematically destroyed through continued violence, the deliberate blockade of essential supplies, and the destruction of healthcare and vital infrastructure.

In the past year, the physical trapping of people in Gaza has been made increasingly definitive by the establishment of Israel's Yellow Line. Originally presented as a temporary, first-phase military withdrawal position and a key part of maintaining the so-called ceasefire – it is now reinforced by military positions, berms and ongoing demolitions and has continued to move west, squeezing people into a smaller and smaller area. Israeli forces now occupy approximately 65 per cent of Gaza, using the line to draw a clear border around this area.

As the Yellow Line moves, the threat to people living nearby becomes increasingly immediate, compounded by the uncertainty of approaching a line that is not clearly or consistently demarcated. People risk being shot by Israeli forces when they approach it, and MSF teams continue to treat people with gunshot wounds sustained nearby. Its encroachment is also disrupting the delivery of essential assistance: MSF water trucking has had to stop when shooting occurs near communities living close to the Yellow Line.

“The Yellow Line cannot be treated simply as a line on a map.” says Amande Bazerolle, MSF head of emergency response in Gaza, Palestine. “It has become a mechanism of encirclement and ethnic cleansing, while cutting communities off from the infrastructure, healthcare, water and other essentials they need to survive.”

Nor is violence confined to the areas around the Yellow Line. In June and July alone, despite a so-called ceasefire, MSF teams treated more than 1,200* cases of violent trauma across Gaza, including blast injuries, burns, gunshot wounds and injuries resulting from physical assault. Over the past three years, our teams have treated more than 200,000 trauma cases*, including injuries resulting from intentional physical violence, while Israel's military offensive has killed more than 74,000 people, including more than 20,000 children.

As Israel confines Palestinians into increasingly limited areas, families are being pushed into overcrowded and unlivable conditions, without sufficient access to clean water, sanitation, shelter or healthcare. These conditions are contributing to the spread of disease. MSF teams have treated more than 11,000 cases of skin diseases such as scabies this year alone, while seeing more than 1,500 cases of chickenpox in June and July. MSF distributed around 2.1 million litres of drinking water per day in August, yet the scale of need remains far beyond what can be met under these restrictions.

“Most people have less than six litres of domestic-use water per day and limited access to basic hygiene items such as soap and detergent,” says Dr Murad Asaliyya, medical activities manager in Gaza. “We are treating gastroenteritis, acute respiratory infections, a lot of skin conditions, hepatitis, bacterial skin infections, scabies and lice. At the same time, we are facing severe shortages in terms of medical supplies. Even the cream we need to treat scabies has been restricted by the Israeli authorities.”

Over the past three years, access to healthcare has deteriorated dramatically, with hospitals increasingly running out of basic supplies and patients unable to access essential medicines and treatment. Restrictions on essential supplies such as engine oil and spare parts are also crippling the infrastructure needed to keep hospitals, ambulances and water systems running, with generators already breaking down and water-trucking operations reduced.

The destruction of Gaza's healthcare system, damage to more than 80 per cent of all structures in Gaza, alongside the lifelong physical and mental health impacts of repeated violence and displacement, will extend far beyond the present and prevent any meaningful recovery for years to come.

Nor is this crisis limited to Gaza. Since 2023, violent settler attacks, military operations and raids on homes, displacement camps and agricultural land, illegal settlement expansion, displacement, home demolitions and movement restrictions have rapidly escalated across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, particularly this year. Patients at MSF clinics tell teams about homes being demolished by Israeli forces, attacks by settlers and livestock being stolen. The policies of violence, harassment and forced displacement affecting Palestinians extend beyond Gaza, causing further fragmentation of the occupied Palestinian territory.

“It will take generations to recover from the harm that has already been done over the past three years, and in the preceding decades, while the excruciating consequences of Israel's ongoing genocide are still being felt every day,” says Bazerolle. “Destruction, displacement and deprivation have become normalised – practices Israel is carrying out with impunity. Governments must act now to ensure Israel stops the destruction and killing, prevents ethnic cleansing, and stops denying Palestinians the means of survival.”

* This refers to cases not patients, including new or follow up consultations.

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit https://msf.org.au

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand

Palestine Forum of New Zealand (PFNZ) is calling on communities across Aotearoa New Zealand to join the Global Day of Action for Palestine on Saturday 10 October, standing alongside people around the world demanding an end to the ongoing devastation of Gaza, the dispossession of Palestinians, military complicity and the failure to enforce international law.

The Global Day of Action brings together communities, organisations and movements around four shared demands:

1. END THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA

   Protect civilians, uphold international humanitarian law, and address Israel’s genocide.

   The killing and suffering of Palestinians cannot be normalised or treated as an unavoidable consequence of conflict. Civilians must be protected, humanitarian obligations upheld, and those responsible for violations of international law held accountable.

2. PROTECT PALESTINIAN LAND

   End land seizures, settlement expansion, settler violence and forced displacement.

   The dispossession of Palestinians is not confined to Gaza. Across the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Palestinians continue to face land seizures, settlement expansion, settler violence and displacement. These practices must end.

3. END MILITARY SUPPLY LINES

   Examine and halt transfers and relationships contributing to military operations and violations.

   Governments must examine their military, technological, financial and institutional relationships and ensure that no support, equipment, transfers or cooperation contributes to violations of international humanitarian law or human rights.

4. ENFORCE INTERNATIONAL LAW WITHOUT EXCEPTION

   Reject political selectivity and ensure universal accountability for alleged war crimes and violations.

   International law cannot be applied selectively according to political alliances. The same standards must apply to all states and all alleged violations. Accountability must be universal, independent and free from political double standards.

Aotearoa New Zealand must act

PFNZ says New Zealand has both an opportunity and a responsibility to demonstrate that its commitment to a rules-based international order applies consistently.

“New Zealand cannot call for international law to be respected while remaining silent or passive when Palestinians are subjected to mass civilian suffering, dispossession and violations of their fundamental rights,” said Maher Nazzal, Chair of the Palestine Forum of New Zealand.

“10 October is an opportunity for people across Aotearoa to make four simple demands clear: end the genocide, protect Palestinian land, end military supply lines that contribute to violations, and enforce international law without exception.”

PFNZ is urging the New Zealand Government and all political parties to move beyond statements of concern and take meaningful action, including examining New Zealand’s relationships and supply chains for any contribution to violations of international law and ensuring that New Zealand's foreign policy is consistent with its obligations under international law.

“This is not about applying one standard to Israel and another to everyone else. It is about applying the same standard to everyone,” Nazzal said.

“International law either means something for everyone, or it becomes a political instrument applied only when convenient.”

Join the Global Day of Action

PFNZ encourages Palestinians, tangata whenua, community organisations, trade unions, faith communities, human rights advocates and members of the public across Aotearoa New Zealand to participate in events and actions taking place on Saturday 10 October.

The Global Day of Action is a collective call for solidarity, justice and accountability and a reminder that silence and political inaction are not neutral responses to grave violations of human rights and international law.

Four demands. One message: justice for Palestine.