Latest news with #MartinWhite
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Disaster': Network 10 could ‘pull the plug' on 10News+ after disastrous first week ratings
Numerous executives at Network 10 reportedly believe that replacing The Project with a hard news show has been a 'big screw up'. 10 News+ began last week on the channel after The Project aired its final episode, but sadly for the network the ratings were lacklustre at best. It reflected on social media too, where criticism of the new show was swift and cutting from viewers. Launching with just 291,000 viewers, it continued to decline throughout the week, eventually being surpassed by a regional offering. According to insiders at 10, the original proposal was to replace The Project with a five-nights-a-week version of The Cheap Seats. However, after much deliberation, bosses at 10 decided to opt for a hard news show instead. 'They screwed up ... and that probably wasn't the right foundation for what was needed to triumph in that timeslot,' 10 insider told Daily Mail Australia. 'Everyone felt rushed. It was clear the format wasn't ready but they needed something fast to replace and justify the budget cuts.' Things have reportedly gone so bad after the show's first week on air that insiders at the network believe the show won't last out the year. 'There's already talk that they'll pull the plug once the ratings come in,' added the insider, while another called the show a 'total disaster' for Network 10. Martin White, vice president of broadcast news at Paramount and EP Daniel Sutton are the two faces thought to be facing the most heat from the new show's poor showing. 'Disaster. An EP who has never produced anything before. Hosts who have never hosted anything before,' they said. 'I watched it last night – it's genuinely terrible. Day one – stillborn. Day two – buried. Martin's masterpiece.'' A spokesperson for Network 10said they recognise that building up an audience is a 'marathon and not a sprint'. 'Daniel Sutton is a seasoned journalist and producer with 25 years' experience. Network 10 is proud to invest in its staff and promote talented executives.' 'Ten is taking a long-term, multi-platform view of audience development. Building a loyal news audience takes time, and we are prepared for gradual growth as audiences discover and connect with our unique approach to news delivery across many platforms. 'Ten is fully committed to 10 News+. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We are investing in building a sustainable, quality multi-platform news service that will grow and evolve with our audience's needs over time.'
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Why Britain is the divorce capital of the world: The reasons wealthy warring couples are flocking to UK to do battle over their finances
It all started with a pair of farmers. Martin and Pamela White got married in 1961 and went into business together, investing £2,000 each in a burgeoning dairy farm. A year later, they bought Blagroves Farm in Somerset - some 160 acres of land, with what was remarked upon as a 'fine Jacobean house' at its centre. All in all, their own little corner of the country cost £32,000, funded by a mortgage and a family loan. The business expanded, growing the land to 337 acres, which the pair owned together and jointly, going as far as to merge their capital accounts. Mr White was a hard-toiling farmer; his wife the homemaker who brought up their children Katherine, Philip and Hilary while also contributing to the farm's running. In short, they did everything together. Until they didn't. In 1994, Mrs White left the farm and filed for divorce, seeking her share of their combined fortune which, when all was considered, weighed in at £4.6million. But a judge gave her £800,000 - less than she wanted to start a new business - after ruling that she should hand all jointly owned assets to her ex-husband. To break up their farming business, he said, would be 'unwise', and the £800,000 he granted should be enough to allow her to continue living comfortably. She appealed - and the Court of Appeal upped the settlement to £1.5million, ruling that she had contributed just as much to the family as a homemaker and was entitled to her fair share. Mr White appealed to the House of Lords, then the highest court in the country, while his wife cross-appealed in a bid for exactly half of the assets. Ultimately, the appeals were dismissed in October 2000 - but not before the Lords made legal history by requiring courts to consider the 'yardstick of equality' as the starting position. Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead considered: 'If (they) by their joint efforts over many years, his directly in his business and hers indirectly at home, have built up a valuable business from scratch, why should... the husband left with a much larger share?' Unlikely as it seems, this agricultural dissolution, and the conclusion that couples share wealth, regardless of who earns it, elevated England and Wales - and London in particular - to the status of divorce capital of the world. 'Before White v White, that idea that the contribution from the homemaker was considered as valuable as the contribution from the breadwinner, was not the approach,' Stacey Nevin, a partner in Kingsley Napley's family and divorce department and a specialist in international family law, told MailOnline. 'The conclusion of the case was that the contribution, the value added to the marital partnership, has equal value. 'So the decisions during the marriage and the assets that are built up during that partnership are considered, as a starting position, to be equal, because it is considered that the decisions were made together as a couple.' These days, divorcees-to-be flock to the capital to take advantage of the precedent set by White v White, which established the jurisdiction as one of the most generous when it comes to 'financially weaker' individuals. It's why London courts ruled on Princess Haya of Jordan's £554m split from Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the ex of Russian oligarch Farkhad Akhmedov as she fought to claim a share of his $1.375bn oil fortune. 'The starting position for the court is an equal division of the matrimonial resources,' Ms Nevin added. 'But the court then looks for reasons to depart from that equality, and that could mean the financially weaker party has a greater share. 'It's that discretionary element that can make England and Wales a very beneficial jurisdiction to the financial weak party. We are known as the divorce capital of the world, particularly London.' In England and Wales, divorce laws permit people who have foreign marriages to file for a split regardless of where it was registered. But they can also launch bids for financial relief if the divorce was granted abroad - so long as the court considers they have grounds for doing so and meet certain requirements. These relate to whether at least one of the parties being domiciled in England and Wales at the time they apply, or being habitually resident for a period of time beforehand. But should a test be met, those who are less well off than their spouses can take advantage of what experts say are some of the most generous settlement principles in the world. And it can often mean the financially weaker party is racing to file divorce papers before their better-off better-half - sometimes, before they even tell them that they want to break things off. In fact, the biggest divorce cases in English legal history have involved foreign couples who were already divorced sometime before papers were filed seeking a division of assets. Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan was awarded £554million by the High Court from her husband, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - the ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed had divorced her under Sharia law in 2019 - before she fled to the UK where, as an ambassador of Jordan, she had leave to remain, and waited a year before filing her claim. And Tatiana Akhmedova - later Soroka - claimed £150million of what was meant to be a £453million award from her ex-husband, Russian gas baron Farkhad Akhmedov. The pair were married for 20 years as he made millions from his early investment in, and subsequent takeover of, energy firm ZAO Northgas. Azerbaijan-born Akhmedov filed for divorce in 2000 - but Akhmedova, who lives in London, did not seek a division of assets until 2013, a year after he sold his stake in Northgas for $1.375billion. Ms Nevin continued: 'Sometimes we see couples divorcing here who are not English nationals and were married elsewhere, but one or both has since moved here. 'It can be suggested that the weaker financial party has re-centred their life here for jurisdictional purposes. More often than not it's because the outcome is likely to be more generous (for them) here. 'We do often see the financially weak party starting proceedings here before the prospect has even been discussed with their partner, because they want to secure the jurisdiction of the court.' Such practice, of browsing for the ideal jurisdiction in which to hear a case, is known as 'forum shopping' or 'divorce tourism'. 'Some people wrongly assume that if you're not from England or Wales, if you're not a national and or you are married elsewhere, then this country can't deal with the divorce. That's not the case,' said Ms Nevin. 'So, in terms of where there might be a race to court to secure the jurisdiction, here we see it a lot where there aren't divorce proceedings yet, and it benefits one person to have the divorce here, and they can attach themselves (to the country). 'Absent of there being a legitimate legal challenge, you're stuck with our far more discretionary court.' Such a challenge came from businessman Vladimir Potanin - a sanctioned Russian businessman worth some £16billion - who was facing a multibillion-pound challenge from his ex-wife Natalia Potanina in London. Lawyers for the billionaire took his bid to stop Mrs Potanina's claim going ahead at a Supreme Court hearing in the capital in October 2023, arguing that Mr Potanin faced 'prolonged litigation' in the English courts, which, they noted, are 'renowned for their generosity' in divorce cases. The case had already been heavily litigated in Russia - giving rise to questions over whether an English court ought to be involved at all. The Supreme Court ruled in Mr Potanin's favour, concluding that earlier rulings were 'wrong in law' and had come amid a 'dystopian situation' in the litigation. Mr Potanin's lawyers have claimed that the ruling could deter 'divorce tourism' in future. Divorce battles like these, fought in public, can be messy affairs that give the public an unflinching look into the inner workings of a marriage gone wrong - a trump card for the aggrieved, perhaps, and an incentive to wrap things up quickly. But some couples are now seeking other means of resolving their differences such as arbitration, a direct alternative to court with more flexibility and, crucially, legally-binding decisions that are kept private. A process such as arbitration may well have been used by former Miss UK Kirsty Roper and her billionaire husband Ernesto Bertarelli in 2021, when they agreed a split after 'amicable' discussions. She walked away with £400million, which included a lump sum and the keys to a £52million home in Switzerland. Courts are now actively encouraging the use of arbitration and other forms of 'alternative dispute resolution', but these require both parties to agree to do so. Some may prefer to go through court regardless, fighting out the terms of their separation in the public eye after taking months to build up their case. 'There can be real tangible benefits to individuals for stepping outside of the court process, particularly with something as painful and as personal as a marital breakdown,' Ms Nevin adds. 'If privacy is important to those clients, then arbitration is an excellent option and is often quicker than the court process. 'But for some people the threat of publicity might be beneficial to them, tactically.' Since White v White, cases have continued to modify and clarify divorce law further - and the latest Supreme Court appeal has given judges another new perspective on how to divide the assets of the rich and not-so-rich alike. This week, Anna Standish failed in her bid to claim half of banker ex-husband Clive Standish's £132million fortune. Ms Standish, described by her ex-husband's lawyers as having 'no significant pre-marital wealth' had been given £25million by the divorce courts, reduced from £45m after Mr Standish appealed. She had wanted to hold onto a greater share of the £80million she was given to be invested into offshore trusts for their children, taking advantage of her non-dom status and avoiding inheritance tax. However, she had not established the trusts before the marriage broke down. Mr Standish had argued that the majority of his assets, including those intended for his children's trusts, were earned before the marriage and were therefore his - a claim with which the court has agreed. It undermines the idea that all personal assets are 'matrimonialised' following marriage: instead establishing that some, but not all, assets may become shared. Kate Clark, head of family law at Mishcon de Reya, said the ruling establishes the idea a 'practical approach' to matrimonialisation. The word itself did not exist in the English language prior to the Standish case coming to court. 'If the parties have treated the non-matrimonial asset as a shared resource over a sufficient period of time, it will be treated as matrimonial,' Ms Clark said. 'It is hoped that this will help reduce lengthy disputes as to exactly how much each spouse has contributed to assets that have clearly become joint resources over time. 'That said, the practical effects of the decision will take some working out.' Lawyers have said the ruling will spark an increase in couples signing pre- and post-nuptial agreements to avoid similarly messy public battles. While they are largely respected by the courts, pre and post-nups have no legal standing in the UK. This could change following a recommendation in December from the Law Commission to give them legal recognition - further driving couples to consider drawing them up. Claire Reid, a partner at Hall Brown Family Law, said today: 'Wealthier spouses will now be alive to the need to formalise the terms of any transfers of cash or other assets even more clearly to avoid falling into the same complicated situation.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Yahoo
Grieving mum told 'move 200 miles from city' as she mourns loss of beloved husband
A grieving mum vowed to live in a tent rather than split her family up - after Birmingham Council identified a new home for her nearly 200 miles from the city. Mum-of-four Geraldine White was stunned to be told she was a potential match for a new home in Hartlepool after her family were forced out of their previous privately-rented home. They had to quit the property in Nechells as they mourned the loss of Geraldine's husband Martin, who died days into the the New Year. READ MORE: Boy, 16, arrested as armed police swoop on Small Heath street where 'gun seen in car' Despite being bounced between a hotel in Walsall, a hostel in Tyseley and even a night sleeping rough in their shed, Geraldine refused the move to the north-east, which would have only included her and her youngest son. But she said a council worker still tried to tempt her - telling her: 'You'll be by the beach'. The authority denied a formal offer was made but said "all-time high" demand for homes in the city "severely restricted" what it could offer. "I'd rather buy a tent and camp on a piece of grass," Geraldine said. "All I have left is my family. "It's breaking my heart. We haven't been able to grieve properly. I've lost my home and my husband and If I wanted to sit beside his grave, I'd have to travel all the way down from Hartlepool." Of the Hartlepool offer, a journey of some 187 miles, she said: "The woman was very abrupt, I said I couldn't move there because it was nowhere near my family, my son's school.' She said: 'But you'll be by the beach.'" Geraldine said the upheaval around their housing meant her children, aged between 17 and 33, had been 'unable to grieve' their beloved husband and father, who died after setting himself on fire. The couple had been celebrating with a friend and two sons when the harrowing incident took place. She recalled: "I saw was a ball of smoke and saw him standing there. He'd got a lighter and set himself on fire." Warned of a four-hour wait for an ambulance, the family rushed him to hospital themselves but nothing could be done and he died on January 3. Geraldine said "nobody knew" why the incident took place. But she stressed it wasn't suicide. "We were in a rented property, we were trying to save up and move somewhere. We were trying to find somewhere smaller." While the family were arranging Martin's funeral, bailiffs turned up at the property as the landlord was served a High Court writ. She said: "We had to get out that day. We had nowhere to go. "Me and my daughter slept in the shed that night. The next day, we went to a Travelodge in Walsall." Now, the family are bidding on three-bed homes where they can "all be together". She added: "I'm not asking for a fancy house, we all want to be together. "The stress is mounting. There's only so much you can handle. I'm trying to stay as strong as I can because I'm trying to sort things out. But everywhere I turn, I'm hitting a brick wall. "We're such a close knit family, with what's happened it's made us even closer. The trauma we've been through, we just want some normality - whatever normal is." Birmingham City Council said: "The country is in the grip of a severe national housing crisis and demand for accommodation in Birmingham is at an all-time high. "The accommodation shortage severely restricts what options we can offer to people in need, and we know many people across the city are in difficult situations and facing a long wait for a home. "The council's housing service looks at all options for suitable homes and we focus on matching families to properties which are both affordable and provide a positive environment for them, meeting their specific needs. "Geraldine was initially placed as a potential match for a property outside Birmingham, however after discussions with the housing team, it was determined the property was not suitable, so an offer was not made. We understand Geraldine is in a difficult situation and are working with her to find suitable housing for herself and her family." Have you been affected by this? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing
7NEWS
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
INSIDE MEDIA: The show set to replace The Project
A video version of this article is available in the player above with vision of the interviews quoted. THE SHOW SET TO REPLACE THE PROJECT This morning, TV Blackbox posted quotes from an email sent by News Director Martin White confirming the appointments. INSIDE MEDIA understands Hitchcock had not revealed to Seven where he was going. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 'Denham is a vastly experienced, internationally recognised story-breaker, and Amelia is a Walkley winner who has worked in Canberra and the United States,' the email by White stated. 'They will both be developing ideas for 10 News with Dan Sutton.' Respected reporter Dan Sutton is the executive producer of the unit, although INSIDE MEDIA believes this is not an investigation unit, but a new unnamed show. And while many are assuming that show will be weekly, something along the lines of 7NEWS Spotlight and 60 Minutes, I have reason to believe the show will be nightly. In fact, even though I have not been able to confirm it yet, I believe this will be the show to replace The Project when the contract with Roving Enterprises expires in a few months. The number of people already associated with this 'unit' already exceeds what would be needed for a once-a-week show. And it makes perfect sense for 10 to go down this path. Let's assume the deal between Channel 10 and Roving Enterprises is a $20 million a year. Network 10 could replace the low rating The Project with a new show for $15 million per year, easily saving a cool $5 million. And there certainly seems to be no love for The Project. Even on my personal TikTok account, a video I made about the future of the show has been viewed more than 26,000 times, with most comments saying the show should be cancelled. A Current Affair on Channel 9 is still one of the biggest shows on TV and Today Tonight was still rating strongly when it was replaced by the 1-hour format of 7NEWS. So, imagine if 10 decided to run a current affairs program at 6.30pm in the old slot formally occupied by ACA and TT. In that timeslot, those two shows were untouchable and were at the top of the ratings every night. That would mean 10 could solve its big issue surrounding The Project's ratings and the fact (as I mentioned last week) that 10 has to hand over all of its news vision to Roving Enterprises, but that company owns all The Project vision. It's a lopsided deal that doesn't make sense in 2025 when owning content is the key to financial success. This new show would allow 10 to once again own its content and might just be the kind of show audiences want at 6.30pm, after they've watched the first 30 minutes of news on Nine and Seven. As long as they don't make it 'worthy' like they did with the George Negus program during the 'news revolution' days and as long as they don't put it on at 6pm, this new show could actually be a gamechanger for the network. The big question then is, would it be 30 minutes or an hour? A 30-minute show would get them to 7pm, which would allow them to try something completely different and move their reality shows into that slot, getting a head start on Nine and Seven. Or they might elect to extend Deal Or No Deal by 30 minutes, but starting reality TV shows at 7pm could be the breaker the network needs. But would they take the risk? Only by taking a big risk do you get big rewards. Either way, here's my prediction: The Project will be off our screens before the end of the year and Channel 10 will launch a new nightly current affairs show. Remember you heard it first. THE FUTURE OF RADIO REVEALED On Saturday night I spoke to Brisbane radio legend Spencer Howson on my McKnight Tonight streaming show. Spencer has had a lot of success, including presenting Brisbane's number one breakfast show on the ABC for many years. Spencer is currently working on a PhD studying the value of local radio and, so far, his findings are quite unexpected. 'Already I'm, I'm seeing this research showing that people are just not as connected to their local town or their local region as they once were,' he told me. You can see my interview with Spencer in the video player above. His point is verified by the fact the number one breakfast show in Mount Isa isn't the local radio show but one beamed in from the Gold Coast – a 20-hour drive away. That same show from the HIT Network is also top of the charts in Toowoomba – a shorter 2-hour drive away. Traditional thinking has always been that 'local is king' but Spencer's research seems to show the opposite. 'People are getting their local information now from the WhatsApp chat of their street, the Facebook community group of their suburb' explains Spencer. But does the same rule apply in big cities? Kyle and Jackie O top the charts in their hometown of Sydney, but have failed to make their mark in Melbourne since their expansion on KIIS FM. Dave Hughes and Ed Kavalee were two popular Melbourne identities who failed to resonate with Sydney audiences on 2DAY FM. So, is localism more important in big cities than in regional areas, even though it would be fair to assume the opposite was true? Having just completed 10 months of his 8-year PhD, there are certainly a lot of questions still to be answered by Spencer. SKY NEWS EDITING FAIL You have to feel sorry for Jack Houghton at Sky News. As the host of The Media Show, he holds the media to account, just like we do here at INSIDE MEDIA. So, imagine how embarrassed he must have been when a blooper that was meant to be edited out aired on his show on Friday night. Houghton was blasting the ABC after a clip was played of Sarah Hanson-Young appearing on the national broadcaster, but he fluffed his lines. 'Ah, sorry, can I redo this? It's two, two stumbles' he asked the control room. Thankfully, there were no expletives and Houghton kept his composure. The editor of the program didn't notice the fluff and kept it in. You can see what happened in the video player above. Here's an old trick for the folks at SKY: When you have a stuff-up, but black to line for a few seconds so that an editor quickly scrolling through can see something has gone wrong. It's obvious that whoever was editing this show was just skipping through and didn't pick up on the mistake. A little trick like this can save humiliation.
Daily Express
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Halliburton and DPI Group partner with local firm for Sabah oil and gas solutions
Published on: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 Published on: Tue, May 20, 2025 Text Size: Two international oil and gas service providers, Halliburton and the DPI Group, have partnered with local company Jalinan Enigma Sdn Bhd to deliver innovative solutions for Sabah's oil and gas sector. A delegation led by Halliburton's Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific, Martin White, shared the collaboration details with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor during a courtesy visit at Menara Kinabalu today. The delegation briefed on the scope of their operations, which include well intervention, sand management, and water handling solutions aimed at boosting production efficiency. Also present were DPI Group Managing Director KY Doucet, Jalinan Enigma Chairman Yong Khen San, and directors Kurunsikumaran, Abdul Fatakh Othman, and Clive Jublee. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
