Having named a vastly different side to the 17 that went down to Penrith in last year’s Grand Final, Eels coach Brad Arthur is looking forward to the opportunity of testing new combinations in Thursday’s season opener against the Storm. It’s not the time of year a club wants to be staring down the barrel of a top 30 dispensation but the departure of several stars, followed by an injury-cruelled pre-season, has left Arthur looking to several new names to face a team that hasn’t lost in Round 1 since 2001. With Ryan Matterson (suspended), Nathan Brown (hamstring) and Shaun Lane all out, Arthur said the Storm game brings an opportunity to test new combinations in the heat of battle. “We’ll probably have to apply for a couple outside the Top 30. But every team has to go through it (injuries),” Arthur told the media. “Maybe it’s because we had a bit of a shortened pre-season for some of the guys… but we’ve got five or six blokes that won’t be available for selection. “It is exciting because it gives other blokes an opportunity and someone hopefully steps up that we mightn’t have known about, especially in the back row where we’ve got some new players getting an opportunity. "I don’t know what our best combinations are at the moment but we’ll sort that out in the first couple of weeks." How the Eels will fill the void left by Reed Mahoney, Isaiah Papali’i, Oregon Kaufusi and Marata Niukore has been a subject of debate during the off-season but off the back of an impressive recruitment drive, Arthur has named a forward pack capable of matching it with Storm's big men. Bryce Cartwright will start in the back row after recovering from a broken jaw alongside Bulldogs recruit Matt Doorey in his club debut, while J’maine Hopgood will start at lock after making the move from Penrith in the off-season. Meanwhile, Warriors signing Jack Murchie and Newcastle recruit Jirah Momoisea will make their debut in the blue and gold earlier than expected after being named on Parramatta's bench. “Matt Doorey played 50 minutes in the second trial and he’ll get an opportunity to start,” Arthur said. “Jirah will come off the bench and will get an opportunity in the back row at some stage and Murch will come off the bench for us too and he can play a bit at middle or on an edge. “Carty’s (Jed Cartwright) is coming off an injury and hasn’t played any footy or done a lot with the team since had a broken jaw but he’s a season campaigner and has been in our system for a while now so he’ll also start for us.” Handed the first opportunity in Parramatta’s vacant right-edge position, Arthur said he holds big expectations for 22-year-old Doorey, who made a move from Belmore at the end of last season. “What I like about Doorey is he’s a Parramatta junior and I know he left but now he’s back and I think that’s good for our club,” Arthur said. “He’s had a few injuries but he’s had a really good pre-season and got through most of the sessions so it’s a good opportunity and good challenge for him. “He hasn’t done a lot of work in the NRL as an 80-minute player and that’s going to be our requirement and expectation for him at some stage. Although I don’t expect that for Round 1. "It’s exciting for him, he’s just a good, tough player. No frills, he’ll run a good hard line for us, so he’ll be playing alongside Mitch (Moses)." Source:NRL.Com

The Canadian government is banning TikTok from official electronic devices, making it the latest to announce restrictions on the short-form video app in light of cybersecurity concerns. The ban is set to take effect on Tuesday. Government-issued devices will be blocked from downloading TikTok, and existing installations of the app will be removed, according to a statement by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. “Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” the statement said. The statement by Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the decision is consistent with those of “our international partners.” The US federal government, along with more than half of US states and the European Commission, have all announced similar TikTok restrictions on devices they manage or permit on official networks. In a statement responding to the ban, TikTok said it was “curious” that Canada had announced the move “only after similar bans” in the EU and the United States, and without contacting TikTok about the concerns. “We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.” US and allied officials have expressed concerns that TikTok or its Chinese parent, ByteDance, could be forced by the Chinese government to hand over the personal information of TikTok users. Independent security experts have said that type of access is a possibility, though to date there has been no reported incident of such access — something the Canadian government emphasized on Monday. “While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised,” the statement said. Source:  CNN

Karate and Self-defense classes will soon be available in Port Moresby for all ages. Owner of NB Fitness and Wellness, Mr. Nigel Bana, Pacific Games Gold medallist in Karate will be providing karate sessions for kids, teens and adults as well. Mr Bana said he saw that people needed access to quality affordable fitness and karate training. “There is a need to provide solutions in the community for basic self defense training so people can be able to defend themselves on a daily basis.” “I want to encourage and promote the growth of karate in the country.” He also added that through his programmes he wants to encourage Papua New Guineans to live a healthy lifestyle because he saw that lifestyle diseases are a major concern in the country. So far Kundu International Academy has partnered with NBFW for Karate Classes to be part of their Value-Added Courses. “Karate classes will start on the 4th of March 2023 at the Taurama Aquatic Centre (Outer Concourse).” “The annual membership for the training program is K100 and K10 per training session for members and K15 for casual or non-members.” Meanwhile as a young business owner, Mr Bana had this advice for youths, “If they have an idea, be brave, be courageous and bold in pursuing their ideas into becoming a reality.”

“Government must be sensitive to Mainstream Media roles and responsibilities before drafting a National Media Development Policy.” These were the comments made by Deputy Governor of New Ireland Province Sammy Missen after sighting a draft copy of the National Media Development Policy which has been circulating for the public to see. Speaking on behalf of the New Ireland Government, he noted that the Department of Digital Transformation, Media and Communication would be overseeing  monitoring and evaluation of the media industry through regular data collection and monitoring media content. He said, “While it was important for the Media is to be responsible in its reporting, it should not be made to feel restricted or oppressed and forced to fit into a mold created by the government.” “The mainstream media, especially news organisations are already self-regulating and have code of ethics for Journalists to follow.” “If there is a greater time for the Media to be more vibrant and speak out about the state of the country, that time is NOW,” said Missen. He said the role of the Media as the fourth estate in a democracy should not be undermined and must bear equal standing as the Executive arm, Legislative and Judiciary. “Media being the fourth Estate acts as a Watchdog over our Constitution. It plays a crucial role in ensuring there are checks and balances in all areas of society. When we formed this country, the media was with us from day one. Thanks to institutions like the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) a thousand tribes united to the beat of one drum, One song, to form one nation, one country,” said Missen. He further added that it does not make sense that an institution that is the mouthpiece of the Government and covers almost all Government programs and events should be stripped off of funding and still be expected to carry out its expected roles and responsibilities. “If anything, mainstream media should be left alone and more focus put into regulating the general distribution of information on social media sites and applications.” “More awareness and education is needed for ordinary Papua New Guineans who are not familiar with the ethics and consequences using such social media platforms for improper conduct or malicious reasons.” The New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan had fallen victim to the malicious use of social media where persons with ill intent had intentionally released false information about him, leading to undue distress to his family, his supporters and the general public. Missen further urged the Government to direct its attention to other areas like the Office of Censorship which is currently governed by an outdated Act 1989, that does not regulate the internet and other forms of modern technology incl

Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) is building a cancer centre that can treat all cancers and people have a higher chance of having their cancers cured if diagnosed early. The Mammogram machine was purchased by Kumul Petroleum Holdings as their support towards the PMGH Modern Cancer Centre. Port Moresby General Hospital has been providing free breast screening for women since the Mammogram was installed last year. After visiting the Port Moresby General Hospital on Monday, the Secretary for the Department of Personnel Management Ms Taies Sansan encouraged women 40 years and over to go for a free breast screening at PMGH. “I’d like to encourage a lot of women out there, our public servants, especially those over 40 years of age, even though they are not feeling anything in their breasts, it’s good to come and have a check-up just to be on the safe side.” “The reason I came to have this breast check-up here at Port Moresby General Hospital is because I am in my mid-40s so I thought it was the right time to come and have a breast check-up.” “I have been given the all-clear by the doctors here at Port Moresby General Hospital so I am very happy indeed.” 56 mammograms have been conducted so far and most of them were confirmed as having breast cancer. Meanwhile, PMGH Chief Executive Officer Dr. Paki Molumi said that it is estimated that 600 women are diagnosed per year which means 2 women a day a diagnosed with cancer. “If you are over 40 years of age and you feel lumps or pain in your breasts, you can come for a mammogram and also have a scan to correlate.” “If you are under 40 and have similar symptoms, you will be sent to have an ultrasound and you will be managed from there.”

Representative stars Nicho Hynes and Joey Manu join high-profile Broncos recruit Reece Walsh as the big names who will miss Round 1 of the new Telstra Premiership season through injury. Reigning Dally M Medal winner Hynes, who was the best player on the field in the NRL All Stars clash in February, picked up a calf injury at training last week and joins prop Royce Hunt (elbow) as the major omissions for the Sharks. The Roosters and Broncos meanwhile have opted not to risk their backline talents, who both suffered facial fractures recently. But it is believed the approach is a cautious one and both Manu and Walsh are good chances of taking the field in week two. While those established players will miss the start of the season for their respective clubs, a rising star will get his first chance in the big time at Suncorp Stadium, when the Dolphins host the Roosters in their first ever NRL match. In what promises to be a memorable debut regardless of the result, Isaiya Katoa has been named to be the club's inaugural No.6 ahead of veteran Anthony Milford, following an impressive couple of games for the club in the Pre-season Challenge. Manly custodian Tom Trbojevic will play for the first time since Round 11 last year, after an off-season which included time spent in America with renowned injury specialist Bill Knowles to strengthen his troublesome hamstring. He joins a Manly side which includes new signing Kelma Tuilagi in the second row and former Storm squad member Cooper Johns, who is in a injury replacement for Josh Schuster. After talk that he could be rushed into the side in similar fashion to the way Lote Tuqiri was in 2010, Wests Tigers recruit John Bateman will sit out their opener against the Titans after arriving in Australia last week. The new-look Knights spine will be rolled out for the first time in Wellington against the Warriors, with the much-discussed move of Kalyn Ponga to five-eighth and the first outings for new signings Jackson Hastings and Lachlan Miller, who will line up at halfback and fullback respectively. They'll take on a Warriors outfit who have named seven new faces who weren't at the club last year. Some of the other positional battles of interest saw Hayze Perham win the fullback job at the Bulldogs, Sebastian Kris beat Jordan Rapana to the vacant No.1 jersey at the Raiders and Bryce Cartright named to make his first NRL start since September, 2021. Source: NRL.Com

Twitter has laid off at least 200 staff in another round of cuts, according to reports in the New York Times. It said the tech giant had cut 10% of its current workforce, which it estimated at 2,000 people. This is the latest round of job losses at Twitter since chief executive Elon Musk sacked about 50% of its 7,500 employees when he took over in October. As staff learned of their fate, Mr Musk tweeted: "Hope you have a good Sunday. First day of the rest of your life." Esther Crawford, chief executive of Twitter Payments, who oversaw the Twitter Blue verification subscription model, said she was "deeply proud of my team" in a tweet after being among those released. And senior product manager Martijn de Kuijper, who founded newsletter tool Revue which Twitter acquired in 2021, said he found out he had lost his job after being locked out of his work emails. It's been a while since my phone blew up on a Sunday because of news about Twitter - not because there hasn't been any, but because we've all got used to it. More divisive user-experience changes to the platform, more provocative tweets from its owner Elon Musk... we are familiar with that drill. But nobody was expecting Esther Crawford, who had established herself as an influential figure in so-called Twitter 2.0, to be laid off. In November, she shared a picture of herself lying down inside a sleeping bag and wearing an eye mask on the floor at Twitter HQ. She has tirelessly cheerleaded the firm's path under Mr Musk. Some thought the product manager might even become the company's next chief executive. Mr Musk said weeks ago that he would stand aside in the role as soon as he found a replacement. It demonstrates once again this new brutal environment in which even the most loyal are unprotected. It will be familiar to many in the commercial sector and it's increasingly the way big tech is going as budgets start to bite. Esther herself tweeted that it was "a mistake" to think that her "optimism and hard work" had been a bad decision. "I'm deeply proud of the team for building through so much noise and chaos," she wrote. She probably wouldn't have called it "noise and chaos" this time last week. Source: BBC

Police in Ecuador have found almost 8.8 tonnes of cocaine in a shipment of bananas bound for Belgium. Police commander Fausto Salinas said the drugs would have been worth an estimated $330m (£275m) had they reached their destination. Ecuador has become one of the main transit countries for cocaine produced in neighboring Peru and Colombia. Last year, more than 200 tonnes of the drug were seized in the Andean country, much of it in the port of Guayaquil. With Ecuador the world's largest exporter of bananas, smugglers often try to hide their illegal consignments among the fruit which is shipped from Guayaquil to destinations all over the globe. This latest haul was found inside a container full of banana cases destined for Belgium. The seizure coincides with a visit by Belgium's Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson to Ecuador and Colombia. The two officials want to strengthen cooperation with the two South American nations in the fight against drug trafficking. Belgium has become the country where the largest quantities of cocaine have been seized within the European Union in recent years, with the port of Antwerp the main entry point for the illegal drug. The director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Alexis Gosdeel, said earlier this month that the "growing flow of cocaine now threatens the entire European Union". "I am deeply concerned that the expanding EU cocaine market is bringing a rise in violence and corruption on public institutions and governance," he warned. In Ecuador, violence linked to drug smuggling has skyrocketed as powerful Mexican cartels have infiltrated local gangs to gain control of the lucrative business. Prisons are overflowing and fights between rival gangs behind bars have left scores dead. Source: BBC

A New Zealand-based media research and publication group has called for an “urgent rethink” on Papua New Guinea’s draft media development policy, saying its proposed regulation plan for the country’s media council and journalists threatened a free press. The Asia Pacific Media Network Inc. (APMN), publishers of the research journal Pacific Journalism Review, said in a statement that it supported the Community Coalition Against Corruption (CCAC) plea for more time to be granted for public consultation. The CCAC is a loose coalition of NGOs chaired by Transparency International-PNG and the PNG Media Council and is supported by churches, chambers of commerce, the Ombudsman Commission and the Office of the Public Solicitor. While noting that the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology had initially granted an extra week following the original 12 days for submissions on the draft National Media Development Policy 2023, the APMN said this was still “manifestly inadequate and rather contemptuous of the public interest”. “In our view, the ministry is misguided in seeking to legislate for a codified PNG Media Council which flies in the face of global norms for self-regulatory media councils and this development would have the potential to dangerously undermine media freedom in Papua New Guinea,” the statement said. The statement was signed by the APMN Chair Dr Heather Devere; Deputy chair Dr David Robie, a retired professor of Pacific journalism and author, and a former head of journalism at the University of Papua New Guinea in the 1990s; and Pacific Journalism Review editor Dr Philip Cass, who was born in PNG and worked on the Times of Papua New Guinea and Wantok newspapers. “The draft policy appears to have confused the purpose of a ‘media council’ representing the ‘public interest’ with the objectives of a government department working in the “national interest’,” the statement said. Risk to PNG media freedom “If the ministry pushes ahead with this policy without changes it risks Papua New Guinea sliding even further down the RSF World Press Freedom Index. Already it is a lowly 62nd out of 180 countries after falling 15 places in 2021.” The statement made reference to several principles for media freedom and media councils, including Article 42 of the Papua New Guinea Constitution, the M*A*S systems of media accountability and ethics pioneered by Professor Claude-Jean Bertrand, and the 2019 declaration for press freedom of the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum. It said the ministry needed to consult more widely and take more time to do this. The APMN called on the ministry to “immediately discard” the proposed policy of legislating the PNG Media Council and regulating journalists and media “which would seriously undermine media freedom in Papua New Guinea”. It also asked the ministry to extend the public consultation timeframe with a “realistic deadline to engage Papua New Guinean public interest and stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue”. It added that “essentially journalism is not a crime, but a fundamental pillar of democracy as espoused through the notion of a Fourth Estate and media must be free to speak truth to power in the public interest not the politicians’ interest”. Source: Asia Pacific Report

Broncos prop Thomas Flegler will fulfil his contract with the club until the end of the 2023 season. Broncos Coach Kevin Walters said: "Tom has made his decision and I respect that - he has spoken to me and has assured that he will be ripping in for us for the rest of the season. Broncos prop Thomas Flegler will fulfil his contract with the club until the end of the 2023 season. Broncos Coach Kevin Walters said: "Tom has made his decision and I respect that - he has spoken to me and has assured that he will be ripping in for us for the rest of the season. Source: Brisbane Broncos. com.au

The first trial match between the SP PNG Hunters and the Central Queensland Capras at the Santos National Football Stadium ended with the Capras defeating the Hunters. This was the first home game for the Hunters since the start of the pandemic, which saw the Hunters having to base in Australia for the duration of the pandemic period. The hunters were leading at halftime with 8 points to 4; however, the Capras fought back in the second half and scored 3 tries. Benji Kot scored a try in the second half but the boys couldn’t manage to score any more tries so the they lost the match 12-20 to the CapraThe SP PNG Hunters coach Stanley Tepend said that the boys were really looking forward to the game yesterday. “Even though it’s a trial game, we’ll go back and work on areas we need to before round 1.” “I haven’t seen any of those injured players yet, so hopefully they are all minor.” Coach Tepend said that they had to rest some of their players due to injury so they didn’t have a full-strength team. He said now they will go back to training and preparing for the Hostplus Cup season to start in 2 weeks time.

An earthquake has shaken parts of Wales, with tremors felt for 100 miles. The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the 3.7 magnitude quake was at 23:59 GMT on Friday and was 2.2 miles (3.6 km) under the Earth's surface. The epicentre was north of Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, and west of Crickhowell, Powys, but people on Twitter reported feeling it as far away as Birmingham. Gwent Police said it received multiple calls overnight but it was "business as usual" for the force. BBC journalist Alex Humphreys said she felt the "mini earthquake" in Cardiff, 30 miles (50km) away. "My whole bed shook," she tweeted. Others described it as a "scary" experience. Brian Baptie, BGS head of seismology, said it was the largest earthquake in south Wales since a 4.6 magnitude quake about 25 miles (40km) west, near Swansea, in February 2018. He added that, on average, Britain only gets about one earthquake with a magnitude of 3.7 or greater each year. The largest earthquake ever recorded in the UK was in the North Sea on 7 June 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1. The epicentre was in the Dogger Bank area, 75 miles (120km) north-east of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Wales' most powerful quake was on the Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd, in 1984 - measuring 5.4, it began at a depth of more than 12 miles (20km). The BGS said smaller quakes were not unusual in Wales, with 70 measuring more than 3.5 between 1727 and 1984. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Swansea in 1906 was one of the most damaging British earthquakes of the 20th Century, with damage to chimneys and walls reported across south Wales. In Ebbw Vale shoppers said they had been left shaken and stirred. Gerald Davies called the moment "strange", adding: "It freaked me out a bit but I didn't realize it was an earthquake until this morning when I heard people taking about it on the buses. "We're not used to feeling earthquakes here." Alison Stephens said: "I live in a house that house that has a cellar underneath and I thought something in the cellar had collapsed. "But my daughter and husband were in the living room and went, 'oh my god did you hear that?' "Then everyone was out in the street going, 'oh my God, was that an earthquake'?" She said it was "quite a rumble". Caroline Davies thought nothing of it until people started messaging on Saturday. "My husband was sat on one sofa and I was sat on the other... and it just wobbled," she said. Listeners told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that they felt the "earth shake" in Ebbw Vale, which brought people out of their homes and into the streets. Robert Griffiths, from Rhiwbina, Cardiff, said he had just sat down to watch TV after a night out when "all of a sudden the whole house shook". "The ceiling creaked, we immediately turned the television off and thought 'what on Earth was that?' "It was kind of like 20 trucks had driven in front of the house so it was most unusual and quite strange." Stephanie Palfrey from Blackrock, near Abergavenny, said she "thought the mountain right behind the house was sliding down". "Other villagers came out of their homes to see what the noise was," she said. "We live in an old cottage. You could hear it rattling. It was quite something." Geoffrey Davies described an "almighty bang" at Llangattock, near Crickhowell. "Initially we didn't know what to think. It was the sort of bang I had never heard," he added. "When someone says 'it shook you to the core', it was that kind of feeling." Elsewhere, Cat said she "thought we were going mad" in Blaenavon, Torfaen, as her "bed and house shook side to side". Dr Ian Stimpson, a senior geologist at Keele University, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, said such events "happen relatively infrequently" in the UK. "They are a big shock. An earthquake of this size, probably the UK has about three of them a year on average," he said. "These earthquakes are way smaller than the Turkish earthquake for example - that was a million times more powerful than the earthquake last night." Other recent earthquakes in Wales were much smaller than Friday's. The BGS reported a tremor with a magnitude of 0.9 in Llwynmawr, near Chirk, Wrexham, on 4 February, one of 1.1 at Llandybie, Carmarthenshire, on 20 January and one with a magnitude of 2 at Llanbedr, Powys, on 27 December.   Source: BBC