One-time registration is now available for NCSL members to have immediate access to all NCSL's electronic and online services including sms banking, Online Portal, and Biometric Identification System when they sign up. Members can manage their accounts and transactions securely online with these electronic services upon registration. Manager e-Banking, Vavine Iamo said the function on the online portal that enables members to self-register is now disabled and members are encouraged to visit any NCSL branch to register. “Members will go to the branch with a valid ID card so due diligence check is done over the counter before registration,” she said. “This also gives them an opportunity to have a one-on-one interaction with our officers to assist with their other queries. “Previously members had to register separately for these services, however, the newly introduced concept now makes it convenient for members to register for all service at one time,” she said. The one-time registration allows members to have access to their account 24/7 where they are able to view their account and perform transfers or transactions on any of these services anytime, anywhere using any compatible device. Members who wish to register for any of NCSL's  electronic service can visit their nearest NCSL branch.

A late try to Laitia Moceidreke on the stroke of full-time has helped the Cowboys salvage a 22-22 draw in a thrilling finish against the Dolphins at Barlow Park in Cairns. The Dolphins appeared set to have stolen victory after coming from behind earlier in the match before the Cowboys crossed late to level the scores with Zac Laybutt unable to convert from out wide. Young stars Jack Bostock and Isaiya Katoa stood tall for Wayne Bennett while Tom Chester and Thomas Duffy put their hand up for future selection at North Queensland. The Dolphins got out of the blocks early with a pinpoint Anthony Milford grubber bouncing perfectly for Illawarra Steelers junior Jack Bostock who touched down in stunning fashion just inside the line to score. But just four minutes later, thanks to a pinpoint kick from Ben Hampton, young flyer Moceidreke hit back for the Cowboys and Duffy converted to put the Cowboys in front 6-4. Six minutes later and Cairns Brothers junior Robert Derby intercepted a looping pass from Isaiya Katoa to run the length of Barlow Park, crashing over the line despite a valiant chase by Euan Aitken.

 NICTA CEO KILA Gulo-Vui has been nominated as the Chairman of the Pacific ICT Dialogue The announcement was made following a vote at the high-level discussions at the Gazelle International Hotel in Kokopo today. Mr. Gulo-Vui is a renowned ICT expert and a well-respected figure in the Pacific region. He has served in various capacities in the ICT sector, both in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific. His nomination as the Chairman of the Pacific ICT Dialogue is a testament to his exceptional leadership skills and experience. The decision has been welcomed by the delegates and the technical teams, who believe that Mr. Gulo-Vui will provide the necessary guidance and direction to ensure the success of the event. The Pacific ICT Dialogue is a critical event that seeks to address some of the challenges facing the ICT sector in the Pacific region. The discussions will cover various topics, including digital literacy, internet access, and cybersecurity. We will continue to monitor the event and provide updates on the outcome of the discussions.

Parents and guardians won't have to pay additional fees when transferring students from one school to another in the Morobe province. The Provincial Education Division (PED) has advised that no school is allowed to charge fees to any parent of  students that have been transferred in from another school, as these fees have been captured in the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS). “Transfer-in students coming from other schools or provinces are not to be charged transfer-in fees. It’s all covered for country wide and should not be imposed by any school at all.” PED Schools Advisor, Mr. Keith Tangui, sternly advised that any school principal charging parents and guardians fees, will be charged and reprimanded. He further stated that it is the decision of the government of the day and Morobe province will standby this decision. Meanwhile, Tangui also confirmed that the 1st quarter of the GTFS has been received and paid out to all eligible schools. Mr. Tangui also said that after the receipt of the GTFS they have issued a stern warning to all eligible schools to not charge any additional fees. Only secondary schools, under particular circumstances have been allowed to charge extra fees, but not exceeding K300. All secondary schools in the province have been given leeway to outsource funding should they need more resources to undergo further development and for the payment for uniforms.

The Titans and Broncos have played out a 24-24 draw in a game of two halves for both coaches to ponder at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Sunday. The Broncos hit the accelerator in the first half with four tries to one setting up a 24-6 lead against a Titans outfit who were without new recruits Kieran Foran and Sam Verrills for the match. The Titans hit back, however, as the Broncos opted to rest several of their key players in the second half with Alofiana Khan-Pereira scoring twice to level the scores late. Neither team were too desperate to opt for a one-pointer in the dying stages ahead of their final Pre-season Challenge matches next week. Broncos fullback Reece Walsh made a stellar return to the Broncos, opening the scoring with a solo effort on the right edge before producing a goal-kicking masterclass in breezy conditions at the venue. He did, however, leave the field in the second half after a facial knock that may require scans on Monday in the only concern for Broncos coach Kevin Walters, who would otherwise have been buoyed by what he saw from Walsh's efforts. Walters played most of his stars named for the first 40 minutes while Justin Holbrook left star back-rower David Fifita on the paddock for 60 minutes. Holbrook also tinkered with Jayden Campbell's position, using the 23-year-old at left centre with Keano Kini playing most of the match at fullback, in a possible sign the Titans coach may start Campbell in the centres with Brian Kelly suspended. Kini was superb for the Titans at the back, taking his opportunity in a performance that may be enough to have him included in the final NRL trial against the Dolphins next week. A double to Jordan Pereira, including a stunning effort before half-time, had the Broncos on the front foot but the Titans hit back twice in the second half through Jojo Fifita and Vaka Sikahele to make it a 12-point ball game.

Netflix (NFLX) has extended its crackdown on password sharing to Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. Users in these countries will now have to pay to give people they don’t live with access to their account, after similar rules were trialed in Latin America last year. Under the new rules, subscribers to Netflix’s Standard or Premium plans will be able to pay for up to two people outside of their household to use their account. The cost of adding a new person will be $7.99 Canadian dollars ($5.96), $7.99 New Zealand dollars ($5.09), and €3.99 ($4.30) and €5.99 ($6.45) in Portugal and Spain respectively. Netflix started introducing the change last year in Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It plans to roll out the new rules “more broadly” sometime before March, it said in a letter to shareholders last month. The streaming giant, which suffered heavy subscriber losses last year, said in a blog post Wednesday that password sharing hurt its revenues and therefore limited its ability to invest in new content. It estimates that more than 100 million households worldwide share an account. “Over the last year, we’ve been exploring different approaches to address this issue in Latin America, and we’re now ready to roll them out more broadly in the coming months, starting today in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain,” Netflix said in the post. The company, which has turned a blind eye to password sharing for a number of years, said there was “confusion” among users about “when and how” they could share their accounts. As part of the latest changes, users in the four countries will be asked to set a “primary location,” which ensures that all members of a household watch from the same account. A new “manage access and devices” page will allow members to more easily control who has access. Users will still be able to access their accounts from their tablets or phones, or from new TVs when they travel, Netflix said. In its letter to shareholders, Netflix said that, based on its experience in Latin America, it expected a proportion of users to cancel their subscriptions once the changes were rolled out, but forecasts that the overall number of users would grow over time. Netflix shares plunged more than 50% last year due to concerns about streaming subscription fatigue and increased competition from the likes of Disney (DIS) and Apple (AAPL). But the stock has rallied 24% since the start of the year, lifted by the falling value of the US dollar. Netflix generated over half of its revenue in 2022 from outside the United States, so whenever the dollar loses value its international sales and earnings get a boost once translated back into the currency. Source: CNN Business

Harry Styles was the big winner at the BRIT awards, Britain's pop music honours, on Saturday, winning all four categories he had been nominated in, a week after his triumph at the Grammys. Styles took home the coveted album of the year for "Harry's House", song of the year for his synth pop hit "As It Was", best pop/R&B act and artist of the year, one of two gender-neutral categories introduced last year after BRIT awards organisers got rid of female and male distinctions. The contenders for that prize were all men, which had irked many in the industry and on social media. "I'm really, really grateful for this and I'm very aware of my privilege up here tonight," Styles said in his acceptance speech, dedicating the artist of the year award to a list of female singers. Styles, who rose to fame on talent show "The X Factor" as a member of boy band One Direction, last week won two Grammy awards, including album of the year. "This night has been really special to me ... Thank you so much for the welcome home," Styles said on Saturday after his final win, for best album. "I'm so, so proud to be a British artist out there in the world. I'm so proud to be here tonight celebrating British artists and British music." A statement on the BRIT Awards' website said the gender-neutral categories had been introduced so artists were judged "solely on the quality and popularity of their work, rather than on who they are, or how they choose to identify." But it added that organisers "acknowledge and share in the disappointment" of no women making the list. "A key factor is that, unfortunately, there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women in 2022 compared to those by men." "Of the 71 eligible artists on the longlist, only 12 (17%) are women. We recognise this points to wider issues around the representation of women in music that must also be addressed." Singer Rina Sawayama welcomed the change to gender-neutral categories but said the list of nominees should be longer. "If you have more nominees then you’re going to see a cross section of what has happened throughout the year and who has made an impact," she told Reuters on the red carpet. Indie rockers Wet Leg won group of the year and best new artist. Music star Beyonce was named international artist of the year and her hit "Break My Soul" won international song of the year. Source: Reuters

Storm centre Justin Olam is in doubt for Round 1 after suffering a suspected broken arm in his side's 32-24 loss to the Roosters in Geelong on Sunday. On a day the Roosters were unveiling star signing Brandon Smith against his own club, it was the PNG international who sent a scare through Storm camp when he left the field in the sixth minute. Smith didn't enter the fray until the second half with Trent Robinson choosing to blood several young guns in the club's first Pre-season Challenge match. After the Roosters were denied an early try, Melbourne got the scoring underway when hooker Bronson Garlick made a break and found Tyran Wishart in support who crossed for the Storm. The Roosters kicked away through converted tries to Lebanon international Elie El-Zakhem and former NSW Under 19's rep Tyler Moriarty. But three minutes later an error from Ethan King inside their own 10m line handed Storm winger Will Warbrick an easy try to level the scores 12-12. Jake Turpin then stamped his class on the match when he put William Fakatoumafi over with a perfectly weighted kick to the left corner which put the Roosters in front 18-12 at the break. Source: NRL.com

Northland has declared a state of emergency and the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed as steady rain and strong winds from Cyclone Gabrielle hit, but MetService says this is just the beginning. The Northland Regional council said a precautionary state of emergency has been declared for an initial period of seven days, as part of the regional response to Cyclone Gabrielle. It said emergency declarations were relatively rare in Northland, with only six emergency declarations in the past 50 years, some of which affected only parts of the region. Meanwhile, Waka Kotahi confirmed all lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge were closed due to strong winds at 3.40pm. Its website says the closure is "until further notice" and motorists are urged to delay their journey or use detours such as the Western Ring Route. A red heavy rain warning has been issued for Coromandel, Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, and Auckland, including Great Barrier Island and other islands in the Hauraki Gulf, while strong wind warnings are also in place - including a red one for Coromandel Peninsula, Northland and Auckland. Speaking at today's official update, MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said even with significant wind gusts in Northland already being reported, the weather today was just the start. "This is the entree. This is not the impact day." She said they had not seen pressure this low in 40 years. "This is a serious event for New Zealand." Source: Radio New Zealand

Security risks put a handful of search and rescue operations on hold on Saturday, as the death toll of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey surpassed 25,000. Germany and Austria have suspended rescue operations in Turkey, citing security concerns. Meanwhile, rescue efforts in the rebel-controlled areas in north and northwest Syria have ended, announced volunteer organization Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, on Friday. After searching for 108 hours, the group said it believes no one trapped under the rubble is still alive. Syria has been ravaged by civil war since 2011, and 4 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid in the worst-affected parts of rebel-controlled country before Monday’s disaster. As many as 5.3 million people in Syria could have been affected by the quake and be in need of shelter support, according to preliminary data from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which has been trying to distribute supplies to vulnerable populations. However, the country’s political set-up complicated rescue efforts, with some of its most impacted areas controlled by the internationally-sidelined, heavily-sanctioned regime, others by Turkish-backed and US-backed opposition forces, Kurdish rebels and Sunni Islamist fighters. It took three days after the quake struck for the first UN convoy to cross through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which is the only humanitarian aid corridor between Turkey and Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma visited rescue teams and civilians in affected regions on Saturday, including injured survivors in a hospital in the city of Latakia. On Friday, he had criticized the lack of humanitarian aid from Western countries, stating that they “have no regard for the human condition.” The Syrian government approved sending aid into the rebel-held territories Friday but did not provide a specific timeline. Rescue work could take two to three years to complete in Turkey, but five to 10 years to just get underway in Syria, according to Caroline Holt, director of disasters, climate and crises at the International Federation of the Red Cross. Syrian-American actor Jay Abdo expressed frustration on Saturday, telling CNN: “Earthquakes, they have no borders. So why do borders and politics deprive Syrian civilians in the northwest of the country from their human rights to be rescued?” He called on the international community to “act immediately” as “there’s no time” and “civilians are not receiving any support, aid or attention.” The World Health Organization’s director-general arrived in Syria’s earthquake-hit Aleppo city on Saturday on a plane carrying more than $290,000 worth of trauma emergency and surgical kits. ‘Worst event in 100 years’ The extent of devastation is “unprecedented,” according to Belit Tasdemir, UN liaison officer at AKUT Search and Rescue Association, who was working in Turkey. He told CNN on Saturday that “freezing” temperatures and “extreme fatigue” was beginning to affect rescue workers as they approach the end of the rescue window and the probability of finding survivors becomes lower. Some astonishing rescues still provide a glimmer of hope, however. Sezai Karabas and his young daughter were found alive in Gaziantep, southern Turkey, 132 hours after the earthquake struck. A 70-year-old survivor, a woman named Menekse Tabak, was pulled out from the rubble in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, 121 hours after the quake hit. Yet attempts at search and rescue have also been hampered in Turkey. The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief stopped its rescue and relief work due to security concerns in the Hatay region, the organization said in a statement Saturday. German rescue operators, who had been working in coordination with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), said they “will resume their work as soon as AFAD deems the situation to be safe.” The Austrian Army made a similar decision, citing “increasing aggression between groups in Turkey,” but said they will “keep our rescue and recovery forces ready.” Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that those looting and committing other crimes would be punished, and that university dorms would be used to house victims made homeless, with classes going online. United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths described the earthquake in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria as the “worst event in 100 years” to hit the regions, and said that a “clear plan” to give “an appeal for a three-month operation” would be set out on either Sunday or Monday. Source: CNN

After watching Nicho Hynes claim the Preston Campbell Medal as best on ground in the men's NRL All Stars clash, while playing out of position back at fullback, Indigenous All Stars coach Ronald Griffiths heaped praise on the 26-year-old Sharks star. Following a shift from halfback – the position he won the Dally M Medal in last season - to fullback where he started his Telstra Premiership career, Hynes stole the show in Rotorua with a performance which included a try, try assist and 207 run metres in his side's 28-24 win. Post-match Griffiths said Hynes had been a huge figure in camp throughout the week.  "On Tuesday before we went out to train we threw him a curveball and said 'we want you to start at fullback'... Nicho took that in his stride," Griffiths said. "He doesn't walk past anyone without saying hello with a smile. Above all else he is a beautiful person and he's destined for greatness away from rugby league I believe. "The way he brings everyone together, it might have been the males or the females, or the staff." Another star in the victory was hat-trick hero Selwyn Cobbo, who bounced back from a disappointing first half to propel his side to victory with a huge final quarter. The 20-year-old Origin representative's first touch of the game was a dropped kick which led to a Māori try on the next set, while a short time later he spilled the ball with an open try-line in front of him, before redeeming himself with three tries in the space of 12 minutes to close the game out. "I spoke to Selwyn at half time and I said 'when you are playing football and you make a mistake, it doesn't matter'," Griffiths said. "Then he goes out and does that after it. "The sky is the limit for Selwyn." Meanwhile both Griffiths and captain Cody Walker paid tribute to some of their backline squad members who stepped up to play in the forward pack during the game. "We knew coming in that we weren't blessed with all this forward pack, so they just had to make do," Walker said. "We had a lot of outside backs that had never played second-row. Isaiah Tass is a perfect example. Albert Kelly has never played prop in his life, but he wanted to take it off the kick-off. "It just shows how much it means."   Source: NRL.com

The Governments of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand are working on strengthening their bilateral relations through a more streamlined outlook on strategic people-to-people initiatives. Amongst these pertinent initiatives is the Labour Mobility Program that will be a main point of discussion between Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko MP and his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta MP. Minister Tkatchenko, in an official press conference this morning, said the purpose of the trip is to discuss ways of enhancing the current status of the labour mobility program to include more Papua New Guineans across various industries in the New Zealand market - an objective that mirrors that of Australia. Minister Tkatchenko added the departments of Labour, Immigration and Foreign Affairs were handling this program and it is anticipated that the quota will increase. “We will also negotiate with the Victoria University to have diplomacy classes for our Foreign Affairs Department personnel that will greatly improve the standard and professionalism of our country’s Foreign Service.” “Fifty positions have been made available for our Papua New Guineans to be trained as part of the Foreign Affairs Department.” “We want to roll that over five years to have about 250 young men and women from being taught in Diplomacy in Victoria University and we are going to finalize that program during this official visit,” Minister Tkatchenko said. Minister Tkatchenko also highlighted that Regional Security was high on the agenda of discussions. “New Zealand has always done well in promoting, training and implementing capacity building for our PNG Defence Force and many other avenues so we will be talking about the continuation of our mutual Defence Cooperation as well.” “We will also be visiting the Papua New Guinea Female Football Team currently in New Zealand for the finals to give them moral support.” “Four days of activities in Auckland and Wellington, and I will be catching up with our Foreign Minister for New Zealand and we will also have a chance to meet the new Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.” “From there we will head straight across to Canberra, Australia to the National Parliament for the Ministerial Forum where some of my colleague ministers will be following me there.” “We will be discussing and finalizing the Bilateral Security Treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea.” “We will also be discussing, finalizing and getting outcomes for our visa system between Australia and Papua New Guinea.” “There will also be a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of “Foreign Affairs in Australia and PNG Forestry, besides discussions on areas such as Education, Internal Security, Policing and Defence Force.” “It’s going to be a very busy but productive trip. I don’t take these trips for nothing, there must be positive outcomes, and it’s about making things happen between our two countries for the long-term benefit of our people in PNG. “We will continue to strengthen our relationship between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea and of course this with Australia. “There will be nine ministers from Australia participating with us in this ministerial forum.” “These relationships will only be bigger and better after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Official Visit to Papua New Guinea earlier this year.” “We look forward to these 10 day of official trips with lots of outcomes for the benefit of the people of Papua New Guinea,” Minister Tkatchenko ended.