Global Pulse

标签： Oceania

大洋洲

  • Optus, Telstra and TPG forced to explain how to call triple-0 during outage in wake of disasters

    Optus, Telstra and TPG forced to explain how to call triple-0 during outage in wake of disasters

    In response to a string of crippling national network failures that have already been tied to preventable deaths, Australia’s three largest mobile network operators have joined forces with the government’s national emergency call oversight body to roll out a critical public education campaign on accessing the 000 emergency line when primary networks go down.

    The joint initiative, launched Monday by industry giants Optus, Telstra and TPG Telecom (owner of the Vodafone network), comes in partnership with the Triple-Zero Custodian, the government office established in 2024 to oversee Australia’s national emergency call system. The campaign is designed to arm everyday Australians with clear, actionable guidance to reach first responders even when their home network suffers an outage.

    “This campaign gives Australians practical, easy-to-find information about how their phones connect to emergency services, and what steps they can take if their regular provider’s network is unavailable,” said Jane McNamara, a corporate spokesperson for Optus, the carrier at the center of the most recent high-stakes outage. “By raising public awareness of existing safeguards like the emergency camp-on system and delivering simple guidance that people can remember under pressure, we are helping Australians better prepare for the moments when reliable access to 000 matters more than anything else.”

    The catalyst for this urgent public outreach is the widespread Optus outage that struck in September 2025, which blocked 000 calls across large swathes of Australia: South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and far western New South Wales. Over the 14-hour outage, 75% of all 000 calls placed through the network failed to connect, and official records have linked two preventable deaths to the communications failure.

    In the wake of the disaster, the Australian Communications and Media Authority launched legal action against Optus, alleging the carrier breached two separate legal regulatory obligations more than 1,000 times. An independent investigation commissioned by Optus itself later traced the outage to multiple overlapping errors that occurred during a routine network upgrade carried out by Optus teams and contractor Nokia.

    The new public campaign breaks down how existing emergency backup systems work, and clarifies the different status messages that iOS and Android devices display when network access is compromised. At its core is an explanation of the “emergency camp-on” function, a pre-existing safeguard that automatically routes a 000 call from an unavailable home network to a competing carrier’s active network, if local coverage from another provider is available.

    The guidance outlines key steps for users attempting to access this backup system: Callers will typically experience five seconds of silence at the start of the first call attempt while the system routes the connection. If the first attempt does not connect, users are instructed to hang up and retry, and on subsequent attempts, to stay on the line for up to 60 seconds to allow the routing process to complete.

    Luke Coleman, chief executive of the Australian Telecommunications Alliance, the national peak body for the telecommunications sector, emphasized that the campaign is intended to address gaps in public knowledge that could cost lives during a crisis. “Our priority is to ensure Australians are equipped with simple advice they can recall and use in a worst-case scenario if they need to call 000 and find their usual network is unavailable,” Coleman explained.

    The campaign also clarifies what different device status messages mean for users: If emergency camp-on access is available, iPhones will display “SOS” or “SOS only” in the status bar, while Android devices will show “Emergency calls only”, “No service – emergency calls only”, or a dedicated SOS icon. If a device displays a plain “No service” message, however, no mobile network coverage is available at all. In that scenario, users are advised to locate a working landline, public payphone, or connect to a Wi-Fi network to place an emergency call.

  • Australian shark attack victim grateful for ‘second chance at life’

    Australian shark attack victim grateful for ‘second chance at life’

    A 34-year-old Australian mother who survived a brutal shark mauling at one of Sydney’s most popular public beaches says she is ready to embrace the new lease on life she has been given, after months of grueling recovery that included emergency surgery and the amputation of one arm.

    Leah Stewart was attacked by the predator during an early morning swim at Coogee Beach back in June, suffering multiple laceration bites across her arms and legs. The incident was one of a string of deadly shark encounters recorded across Australia throughout 2026, which have claimed multiple lives already this year.

    Following the attack, Stewart was placed in an induced coma by emergency medical teams to stabilize her condition, and underwent multiple urgent surgical procedures to save her life – one of which required the amputation of one of her arms.

    In her first public statement since the attack, shared via social media on Monday, Stewart opened up about her challenging recovery journey, and expressed profound gratitude to the thousands of supporters who have rallied around her. An online community fundraiser organized on her behalf has now raised more than AU$550,000, equal to roughly US$394,000, to cover her ongoing medical and living costs.

    “After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this,” Stewart wrote. “I want you to know that I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I’m not going to waste it.”

    Stewart said she had been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from her loved ones and even complete strangers from across the globe, adding that the kindness she has received has inspired her to focus on healing rather than resentment. “You’ve inspired me to get better, not bitter,” she wrote.

    She confirmed that the online fundraiser would be officially closed now that the target has been far exceeded. The funds will allow her to complete her recovery in the comfort of her own home, and will also cover the cost of future adaptive medical treatments and prosthetic care.

    “I still have a long way to go, but my recovery has been remarkable, and a huge part of that is because of the absolute army of love, support, prayers and encouragement surrounding my family and I from all over the world,” Stewart added.

    Stewart’s full account of the attack will be broadcast this weekend on Nine Network’s flagship current affairs program *60 Minutes*. In pre-released excerpts from the interview, she described coming face-to-face with the shark before the attack, saying she will never forget the “horrific” sight of the animal. “I’ll never forget its face – it was a monster,” she said.

    Recounting the terrifying moment the shark latched onto her leg, Stewart said her first and only thought was of her young daughter, August. “I just thought, ‘she’s not going to have a mum. She’s gonna grow up without a mum’,” she recalled. Fighting back tears, she added, “I couldn’t handle that, I didn’t want her to not have a mum. I just thought, I’ve got to fight it, do everything I can to be here.”

    The attack on Stewart comes amid a marked rise in shark encounters along Australia’s coastlines this year. In January, four separate shark attacks were recorded across the country in just a 48-hour window, including one that left a 12-year-old boy dead from his injuries. In May, a spearfisher was killed by a shark off the coast of Queensland, and a father of two died after being attacked by a 4-meter great white shark in Western Australia.

  • ‘Blaize knows’: Panthers face selection headache for finals as Ivan Cleary addresses Kangaroos rumour

    ‘Blaize knows’: Panthers face selection headache for finals as Ivan Cleary addresses Kangaroos rumour

    Veteran NRL head coach Ivan Cleary is navigating two major looming storylines simultaneously: a crunch selection dilemma for his in-form Penrith Panthers side amid a tight minor premiership race, and growing speculation linking him to the vacant Australian Kangaroos head coaching job.

    With just two rounds remaining in the 2024 NRL regular season, Penrith finds itself deadlocked with the New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters atop the ladder on 38 competition points. A slightly inferior for-and-against record drops the Panthers to second place, but two wins from their remaining fixtures against Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Wests Tigers would lock in a second-place finish, guaranteeing two home finals matches to open the post-season.

    This tight ladder position rules out the approach Penrith took in last year’s corresponding round 26 clash with the Bulldogs, when the side rested nearly all of its starting 17. This week, the Panthers will already be without starting five-eighth Jack Cogger, who accepted a three-match suspension for a high tackle against the Melbourne Storm. Cogger opted to accept the ban rather than contest the charge at the NRL judiciary, where a prior earlier-season offence would have pushed the potential suspension to four matches had he lost his appeal. “Three weeks is bad enough, but four’s worse,” Cleary told reporters. “Super disappointed with it, to be honest. But ultimately, we didn’t think we could win.”

    Cogger’s suspension has thrown a last-minute curveball into Penrith’s finals preparations. Only a few weeks prior, Cogger had reclaimed the starting five-eighth spot from young talent Blaize Talagi over ongoing defensive concerns, and Talagi has since lined up for the club’s reserve grade side. While Talagi offers significant attacking upside, repeated defensive misreads have put his selection in doubt for Friday’s clash. The current frontrunner to partner Nathan Cleary in the halves is Jack Cole, who already stepped into the starting role when Cogger was unavailable in round 23.

    Cleary noted that the squad has already addressed Talagi’s defensive gaps, and that the sudden vacancy is just another routine challenge of a long NRL season. “You’d prefer it if you get a little bit more cohesion there, but all the boys that have played there have sort of played enough. It’s just another challenge that you get throughout the season,” he said. “It’s an important position, a big game with top two spots still up for grabs. The team is the most important thing. Whoever fills the job, we have confidence they’ll do it. Injuries and suspensions have hit every side this year, so you just have to be ready for everything, have different contingencies. It’s not all about one guy who starts, there are plenty of other things that you’ve got to work out as well.”

    In additional injury news, starting hooker Mitch Kenny remains sidelined with a serious lower-leg injury and will not return this week, though he is on track to record game minutes in the final round of the regular season.

    Off the field, Cleary remained tight-lipped when asked about speculation linking him to the Kangaroos head coaching vacancy, which opened after incumbent coach Kevin Walters announced he would step down following the 2024 World Cup to take over at English Super League side St Helens.

    Cleary is currently contracted to Penrith through the end of the 2027 NRL season, and recently stepped down from his role as New South Wales Blues head coach, with the NRL locking in Matt King as his replacement several weeks ago. The four-time premiership-winning coach previously served as an assistant coach for the New Zealand Kiwis at the 2013 World Cup, making him a high-profile candidate for the Kangaroos role, alongside Kangaroos legend Cameron Smith.

    “If I’ve been linked to it, I’d be very honoured, but it’s not something I’m thinking about because I don’t know what I’ll be doing,” Cleary said. “I’m still coaching in the NRL, it’s a big enough job, plenty to be worrying about anything else, so that’s what I’m doing. I don’t know why I’m being considered because I don’t know much to it.”

  • Migrants, rescue ships face threats, harassment at sea: aid group

    Migrants, rescue ships face threats, harassment at sea: aid group

    The central Mediterranean crossing route for African migrants seeking entry to Europe has grown far more dangerous in recent months, with armed Libyan factions increasingly threatening and harassing both vulnerable migrants at sea and civilian humanitarian rescue operations, a leading search-and-rescue aid organization has reported.

    Europe’s enhanced cooperation with Libyan authorities and armed groups to block migrant departures has directly fueled this rising hostility, according to SOS Mediterranee, the NGO that operates the prominent rescue vessel Ocean Viking. The organization documented at least seven separate incidents between June and July where boats linked to Libyan actors approached NGO rescue craft at high speed, shadowed them for hours on end, and even chased the vessels into open international waters.

    Beyond these targeted encounters, the group notes a sharp uptick in unmarked speed boats affiliated with multiple Libyan armed groups operating in the crossing region. These unidentified craft have carried out violent interceptions of migrant vessels in distress, including deliberately ramming overcrowded boats and executing dangerous maneuvers that put all people on board at grave risk of death.

    This pattern of aggression is not a new development. Last year, SOS Mediterranee accused the Libyan coast guard of attacking the Ocean Viking while the ship was operating in international waters, with more than 100 rounds fired at the vessel. At the time of the attack, 87 rescued migrants and the ship’s civilian crew were on board, putting every person in immediate danger. Legal cases related to the attack have been launched in Italy, France, and Germany, but the organization says European Union institutions and national authorities across the bloc have refused to comment on the incident, and no perpetrators have been identified or held accountable to date.

    SOS Mediterranee is now calling for a full, independent international investigation into the escalating violence targeting migrants and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.

    Data from the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) released earlier this month supports the aid group’s warnings: while stricter European migration deterrence policies have cut the total number of migrants attempting the deadly crossing, the fatality rate for those who do set out has spiked dramatically. Between January and April of this year, the IOM recorded 821 people dead or missing at sea along the route, a 111% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Over the same timeframe, total migrant arrivals to European shores fell 46% to just 8,577 people.

  • New Zealand moves to ban social media for under-16s

    New Zealand moves to ban social media for under-16s

    Almost 18 months after neighboring Australia introduced what was then the world’s first national ban on social media use for children under 16, New Zealand’s center-right government is officially bringing forward its own sweeping legislation to restrict underage access to major platforms, in one of the most ambitious global attempts to curb youth exposure to online harm. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ruling National Party has spent more than a year reviewing Australia’s policy and designing its own regulatory framework, which is set to be introduced to parliament this coming Monday.

    The core of the proposal, titled the Online Safety Bill, prohibits any child under the age of 16 from creating and using personal accounts on major social media platforms including Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Snap Inc.’s Snapchat. To enforce the rule, the legislation requires platforms to take legally mandated reasonable steps to verify the age of all new users, mandating verification methods ranging from existing account metadata and formal government-issued identification to digital ID services and AI-powered facial age estimation tools. Beyond age checks, platforms will also be required to conduct regular mandatory assessments of the risks their platforms pose to underage users and publish public reports detailing their efforts to mitigate those harms.

    The stakes for non-compliance are steep: platforms that fail to meet their regulatory obligations could face fines equal to as much as 10% of their annual global revenue, a penalty structure aligned with strict digital regulations introduced by the European Union in recent years. Crucially, the bill does not impose any fines or legal penalties on children who access platforms, nor on their parents or caregivers, a clarification Education Minister Erica Stanford emphasized as the government rolled out the proposal.

    Luxon made the case for the controversial legislation in stark terms, framing it as a necessary intervention to protect a generation of young New Zealanders. Citing public health data, he noted that one in three teenagers between 13 and 17 currently spend at least five hours per day on social media platforms. “Social media is exposing them to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with, and it’s affecting their family life, mental health, sleep, and education,” Luxon said. “We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children.”

    Despite the government’s push for the bill, its path to becoming law remains far from certain. The National Party holds a plurality in parliament, governing in coalition with two smaller parties – the libertarian ACT Party and the populist NZ First – both of which have already publicly announced their opposition to the proposal. NZ First cited what it calls the “colossal failure” of Australia’s similar policy, which was implemented in December 2023, to justify its opposition. ACT, meanwhile, has argued the ban is unworkable, claiming that tech-savvy teenagers will easily find ways to bypass age verification checks.

    Critics of the ban can already point to independent research out of Australia that casts doubt on the effectiveness of the under-16 ban. A peer-reviewed study conducted by Australian researchers, published in June 2024, found little empirical evidence that the ban had led to a meaningful drop in social media use among Australian teenagers. New Zealand joins a growing number of countries around the world that are exploring strict age-based restrictions on social media access, as policymakers grapple with rising concerns about the impact of unregulated social media use on youth mental health and well-being.

  • UEFA’s Ceferin tells Infantino to go, but ‘not interested’ in replacing him

    UEFA’s Ceferin tells Infantino to go, but ‘not interested’ in replacing him

    A high-stakes public rift has erupted between the leaders of global football’s two most powerful governing bodies, as UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has publicly demanded FIFA chief Gianni Infantino step down — while explicitly ruling out any personal bid to replace him. The growing crisis at FIFA stems from Infantino’s now-scrapped controversial plan to bring private investment into top FIFA competitions, including the men’s World Cup. The proposal sparked widespread backlash across the global football ecosystem, leaving Infantino facing cascading withdrawals of support from multiple continental confederations and national federations, with UEFA threatening to boycott future FIFA tournaments over the plans. In an interview with *The Rest is Politics* podcast on Monday, the 58-year-old Slovenian UEFA leader laid out his position clearly, confirming he has no ambition to take Infantino’s job. “I’m not interested because of two reasons,” Ceferin explained. “One reason is that I love UEFA and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point… it’s time to also enjoy life a bit. And the second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I’m not interested in the position.” Ceferin has been one of the most vocal critics of Infantino’s privatization plan since it was unveiled, and he argued on Monday that Infantino’s once unassailable grip on the FIFA presidency is now irrevocably weakened. He laid out two possible outcomes ahead of the next FIFA Congress, scheduled for March 2025 in Morocco: Infantino will either voluntarily step down, or he will face a formal leadership challenge when he runs for re-election. The rift marks a dramatic reversal from 2016, when Infantino, a former UEFA secretary general, won the FIFA presidency following the resignation of disgraced former leader Sepp Blatter with broad backing from European football nations. Ceferin also confirmed that the two leaders have not communicated at all since the controversy over the private investment plan erupted. “There are two options,” Ceferin said of the coming months. “One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support, and that’s not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of the football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches. And the second option, that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.” Two leading football administrators have emerged as the most likely potential challengers should Infantino follow through on a re-election bid: CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa. For his part, Infantino has pushed back against the mounting pressure, claiming he continues to hold significant support among the global football community. Over the weekend, he carried on with a scheduled visit to the Dominican Republic for meetings with Caribbean football leaders, despite reports that Montagliani had asked him to avoid the trip, which included a planned appearance at a regional youth tournament. In pre-recorded video remarks released by FIFA on Sunday, Infantino appeared to address the brewing leadership crisis without referencing it directly. “It’s important to engage, to have a dialogue, to express views and opinions,” he said. “A lot has been happening the last few weeks and it’s important that you hear, you listen, and you’re able to also express what your feelings are. So I think overall positive, very, very happy with all the support I get here.” The standoff now sets the stage for a historic showdown over the future of global football governance, just months ahead of FIFA’s key presidential election.

  • AFL 2026: Sydney Swans five will be denied entry to Brownlow Medal

    AFL 2026: Sydney Swans five will be denied entry to Brownlow Medal

    One of Australian Rules Football’s most high-profile annual events will proceed this week with a notable absence: five Sydney Swans players have been formally excluded from the Brownlow Medal ceremony over an ongoing police investigation into alleged sexual misconduct tied to a Melbourne hotel incident.

    The five players at the center of the controversy — Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice — were handed club suspensions last week for violating internal team standards, just days after the squad secured a victory against Essendon. The suspensions will remain in place through the end of the current season.

    The incident unfolded when the group invited several women back to their rooms at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel following the win, prompting a formal investigation by Victoria Police’s sexual crimes unit into sexual assault allegations. Authorities have not publicly named any of the players as guilty of the alleged offense, only confirming that an active inquiry is underway.

    AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon publicly addressed the situation for the first time on Monday morning, speaking to reporters at the official launch of the AFL finals series in Melbourne. He confirmed the organization’s decision to bar the five players from the prestigious Brownlow Medal night, a signature event on the Australian football calendar.

    “ Invitations for the Brownlow will be going out this week — those players won’t be invited,” Dillon told assembled media. While the players are ineligible to attend the ceremony, they retain their eligibility for end-of-season awards, Dillon clarified. Notably, Warner remains in the running for the League’s Goal of the Year honor, which is traditionally presented during the Brownlow Medal event. Collingwood’s Nick Daicos remains the clear frontrunner to claim this year’s Brownlow Medal, the award recognizing the league’s best and fairest player over the regular season.

    Dillon opened the finals launch with a pre-prepared statement emphasizing the league’s commitment to a culture of respect for women. He acknowledged that the high-profile scandal had cast a shadow over the start of the AFL’s championship finals series, but expressed hope that the competition would still unite fans across the country over the coming weeks.

    “I think it is a fair statement that it has overshadowed the build-up to finals, but what we have seen is that footy is a place people can come together,” Dillon said. “It’s a really serious matter being investigated by the police. But I think the finals and footy is a way people can come together.”

    Over the weekend, Sydney played their first match since the allegations became public, defeating North Melbourne in front of a home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Swans finished the regular season second on the overall league ladder, meaning they will host at least two finals matches, kicking off their championship push against premiership favorite Brisbane.

  • Melbourne Lord Mayor calls for federal funds to protect religious events

    Melbourne Lord Mayor calls for federal funds to protect religious events

    As public hearings wrap up at Australia’s Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion, Melbourne’s top local official has made an urgent push for federal financial support to boost security at religious gatherings across cash-strapped municipal jurisdictions.

    Appearing before the inquiry on Monday, Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece emphasized that Melbourne is home to Australia’s largest Jewish community, a group that has been woven into the cultural, social and civic fabric of the city since its founding. He then detailed his firsthand experience responding to a 2023 firebombing attack on a Melbourne synagogue, carried out while families were gathering inside for Shabbat dinner.

    Reece described the scene as one of the most distressing he has ever witnessed: children and families displaced onto the street, emergency responders from the fire service and Victoria Police surrounding the site, and the entire area cordoned off as an active crime scene. “This is not the Melbourne I have known for most of my life,” he told commissioners, adding that the act of violence was terrifying and entirely unacceptable in a democratic Australian city. The attack, he confirmed, has been linked to an extremist conspiracy originating overseas.

    Beyond addressing immediate security needs, Reece also weighed in on the role of local government in debating complex global conflicts, referencing an hours-long council motion held during his time as acting mayor about the Gaza war. He called the process deeply challenging and a poor use of local government resources. While Reece acknowledged that local councils have a legitimate role in international engagement – from supporting cultural exchanges for international students to fostering university partnerships – he argued that nuanced, high-stakes geopolitical conflicts fall outside the core remit of local government.

    Instead, Reece recommended that the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) take the lead in facilitating community input on these global issues, modeling the work of community forums previously run by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). He clarified that he does not oppose councils hosting open community debate on any topic, but DFAT is far better positioned to collect and address community perspectives on international matters.

    Turning back to security for multicultural religious events, Reece noted that the Melbourne City Council has already been forced to add security measures to major public celebrations for Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Diwali to address rising concerns about social fracturing and the threat of antisocial or violent incidents. So far, the extra precautions have not been needed for active incidents, which Reece called a positive outcome, but the need for the measures themselves underscores the growing risk facing faith communities.

    Most critically, Reece stressed that the vast majority of Australian local governments operate under severe resource constraints, with little to no budget available to cover the extra costs of enhanced event security. “I cannot overstate how resource constrained local government is,” Reece told the commission. “Most councils don’t have financial capacity to provide that safety support at some of those events. One of the things the Commission might like to consider is if we do want to see more celebration of faith events, social, multicultural events … then that might be something that requires some funding support in order to deliver.”

    Reece also shared shocking data on the scale of persistent antisemitic vandalism across Melbourne over the past two years: his council has removed more than 3,000 pieces of offensive graffiti, with between 800 and 1,000 of those tagged with explicitly antisemitic messaging. In total, the council has cleared nearly 4,000 square meters of antisemitic graffiti, posters, and stickers, he said. To address the ongoing crisis, the city has launched a rapid response program that aims to remove hateful vandalism within one hour of it being reported, though the service does not cover most private property outside of pre-arranged automatic arrangements for public transport assets like trains and trams.

    Earlier in the hearing, Tony Jackson, president of the Southbank Elsternwick Rotary club, told commissioners he felt he had failed his members after hearing widespread reports of fear and anxiety among club members about rising antisemitism in the local community. The Royal Commission, overseen by Commissioner Virginia Bell, is drawing to a close after months of public testimony from community leaders, officials, and residents across Australia.

  • Shein to make market debut in Hong Kong in September

    Shein to make market debut in Hong Kong in September

    Global fast-fashion e-commerce leader Shein has formally announced its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) will launch on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on September 1, confirming a valuation of nearly $27 billion for the company at the top end of its offering range, according to an official filing released Monday.

    In its regulatory submission to the Hong Kong bourse, the retailer outlined plans to issue 280 million new shares at a price band between HK$47.60 and HK$49.50 per share. If all shares are issued at the upper end of the range, the offering will raise approximately US$1.7 billion (HK$13.86 billion) in gross proceeds. The company will finalize its offer price on August 31, with the listing set to go live the following day.

    Founded in mainland China and headquartered in Singapore since 2022, Shein secured final approval from Chinese regulatory authorities for the Hong Kong listing just last month, marking an end to years of delays that derailed earlier plans to list on either the New York or London stock exchanges due to cross-border regulatory hurdles.

    Unlike many of its fast-fashion competitors, Shein has built its competitive advantage on the back of China’s unparalleled textile manufacturing ecosystem and a hyper-responsive supply chain model. The company’s ability to roll out new product designs in days, paired with its famously low price points, has catapulted it to the top tier of global e-commerce, reaching comparable market standing to Amazon in the U.S. consumer market. As of the end of 2025, the platform counted 156 million average monthly active users across Europe, outranking Amazon and trailing only fellow Chinese cross-border platform AliExpress in monthly user size on the continent.

    Shein confirmed that the net proceeds from the IPO will be allocated to two core priorities: upgrading its technological infrastructure and expanding its global market footprint. The move to Singapore for its headquarters was widely framed by analysts as a strategic step to reduce growing geopolitical and regulatory scrutiny of China-founded global corporations, though the company still retains nearly all of its manufacturing base in China, leveraging the country’s low-cost production capacity and advanced e-commerce logistics network.

    Despite its impressive growth trajectory, Shein has faced mounting regulatory and public scrutiny across major Western markets in recent years. The company reported a full-year net profit of $2.06 billion for 2025, but posted a $99 million net loss in its most recent quarter after the U.S. eliminated a longstanding import duty exemption for small-value packages, a change that directly raised costs for the company’s core cross-border shipping model.

    Regulatory pushback has been particularly sharp in the European Union. Earlier this year, a French appeals court rejected a government request to temporarily suspend a portion of Shein’s French website after illicit childlike sex dolls were discovered on the platform (the products were immediately removed after the discovery). In June alone, French regulators issued two fines totaling more than €22 million ($25.1 million) over violations including inadequate product traceability, incorrect environmental labeling, and non-compliance with delivery transparency rules. Cumulative fines imposed on Shein by French authorities now exceed €210 million, and Italian regulators have also issued fines over allegations of misleading environmental claims.

    Beyond regulatory penalties, the company has faced repeated criticism over its environmental impact, driven by its high-volume, fast-turnover business model, as well as long-running allegations of supply chain human rights violations. Shein’s executive chairman has repeatedly pushed back on these claims, telling Agence France-Presse last year that the company maintains “zero tolerance” for forced labor in its supplier network.

  • Former cricket captains appeal to Pakistan over Khan health care

    Former cricket captains appeal to Pakistan over Khan health care

    In an unprecedented show of cross-border solidarity from the global cricket community, 21 legendary former international cricket captains have added their voices to calls for the Pakistani government to ensure proper, uninterrupted healthcare for imprisoned ex-prime minister and former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan. This open letter, addressed to Islamabad on Sunday, marks the second such appeal from the group, following an earlier statement focused on Khan’s medical access released in February.

    Imran Khan, 73, has been held in custody since 2023, after he and his wife were sentenced to a combined 17 years of imprisonment on corruption charges that the pair have repeatedly and vehemently denied. A former cricket star who led Pakistan to a historic World Cup victory in 1992 before entering politics and serving as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, Khan’s legal and political battles have gripped the nation for more than two years. He was ousted from office in 2022 via a no-confidence vote amid rising tensions between his administration and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, and has since faced dozens of overlapping legal cases on charges ranging from corruption to contempt of court. Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have consistently maintained that all legal proceedings against him are politically motivated, a claim the government denies.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Supreme Court responded to growing concerns over Khan’s deteriorating health, ordering that he be transferred to Islamabad’s private, top-tier Shifa International Hospital for a full medical evaluation. On Friday, just hours after completing court-ordered check-ups, the 73-year-old was sent back to his jail cell, prompting renewed anxiety among his supporters and global observers over his condition, specifically the reported vision loss he has experienced in his right eye.

    The open letter from cricket’s legendary leaders lays out three clear, specific demands to Pakistani authorities. First, the group calls for the Supreme Court-ordered independent medical board to be allowed to complete a full, unimpeded health assessment of Khan, with particular attention paid to his reported eye issues. Second, they urge authorities to fully uphold the court’s ruling restoring weekly family visits to Khan, with no administrative delays or unnecessary interruptions to these visits. Finally, the cricket leaders demand that any treatment the medical assessment recommends be implemented immediately, without political or bureaucratic hold-up.

    The list of signatories to the letter includes some of the biggest names in international cricket history, spanning across major cricketing nations. From India, the signatories include Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, all former captains of the men’s national team. Six former England captains have added their names: Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss and David Gower. Australia’s contingent includes six legendary skippers: Allan Border, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh and Kim Hughes. Rounding out the signatories are Clive Lloyd, the iconic former West Indies captain, and John Wright, former men’s skipper of New Zealand.

    Khan’s arrest in May 2023 sparked massive, widespread protests across Pakistan that saw thousands of his supporters take to the streets, with some demonstrations turning violent. The unrest led to hundreds of arrests of PTI supporters and leaders, and has deepened the ongoing political crisis in the South Asian nation.