The Australian government on Wednesday turned down a proposal for a new open-cut coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, invoking environmental laws and the risk of “irreversible damage.” The mining project, proposed by controversial Australian businessman Clive Palmer, would have been located less than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the reef on the Queensland coastline, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) northwest of Brisbane. Tanya Plibersek, the minister for the environment and water, indicated last year that she intended to reject the mine and formalized her decision on Wednesday. She said it was the first time a federal environment minister had used their powers under environmental laws to reject a mine. In turning down the project, Plibersek cited significant potential environmental dangers to the reef, which is already heavily threatened by climate change. “The risk of pollution and irreversible damage to the reef is very real. The project would have had unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows,” Plibersek said in a video posted on social media. She said that during the public consultation period, her department had received 9,000 public comments about the mine in just 10 business days. The government has been under pressure from UNESCO to better protect the reef and in 2022, it pledged one billion Australian dollars ($700 million) for efforts to protect the fragile ecosystem, including climate adaptation measures and water quality programs. Last year, the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometers (1,429 miles), experienced its sixth mass bleaching event, due to warming waters caused by climate change. The government, elected in 2022, came to power promising stronger action on the climate in a country still heavily wedded to fossil fuels. But its climate policies are rated “insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker, which found Australia is not on course to meet targets to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The government has rejected calls from the country’s Green Party to turn down all new fossil fuel projects. Central Queensland Coal, Palmer’s company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

King James is now the king of NBA scoring. LeBron James became the association’s all-time leading scorer in the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, surpassing the record that six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had held for 39 years. With 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter, James sank a fadeaway jumper from the left elbow – scoring his 36th point of the game and 38,388th of his career. He stretched his arms in celebration as the supercharged crowd at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena went into a frenzy. Officials paused the game to honor him on the court, where his mother, wife and children met and embraced him. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver congratulated him, and Abdul-Jabbar – in attendance and clapping as James neared the record – raised a basketball aloft before handing it to James as if relinquishing the scoring crown itself. “I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind,” James said into a microphone. He asked the crowd to give Abdul-Jabbar a standing ovation. “Everybody that’s ever been a part of this run with me the last … 20-plus years, I just want to say I thank you so much, because I wouldn’t be me without y’all.” James scored two more points in the fourth quarter in a 133-130 loss – a disappointment for a team now two games behind the Western Conference’s final slot for the NBA’s play-in tournament. But the night – like so many moments in his career – belonged to him. The 38-year-old needed fewer games than the legendary goggles-wearing center to hit the top of the scoring list – 1,410 to Abdul-Jabbar’s 1,560. James’ record-breaking feat is even more impressive given he’s widely considered a pass-first player in the league, recently claiming the fourth spot in the NBA’s all-time assist list. The record fulfills one more promise that James seemed to hold when he made the jump from high school to the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers as a highly touted 18-year-old hoops prodigy in 2003 – a year after a Sports Illustrated cover story dubbed him “The Chosen One.” The accomplishment comes alongside his four NBA championships and four league MVP awards. Silver released a statement congratulating James “on breaking one of the most hallowed records in all of sports.” “It’s a towering achievement that speaks to his sustained excellence over 20 seasons in the league. And quite amazingly, LeBron continues to play at an elite level and his basketball history is still being written,” Silver’s statement reads. A legendary status After the game, TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal asked James about whether he was the greatest player of all time. “I am going to let everybody else decide who that is or just talk about it. It’s great barbershop talk,” James responded at first. When O’Neal pressed, James said: “I am going to take myself against anybody who has played this game. But everyone is going to have their favorite, everyone is going to decide who their favorite is. I know what I bring to the table every single night and what I can do out on this floor.” “I always feel like I am the best to ever play this game, but there are so many other great ones that I am happy to just be a part of their journey.” James told TNT he still has more in the tank. “I know I can play a couple more years. The way I’m feeling, the way my body’s been reacting to me throughout this course of the season, I know I can play a couple more years.” “It’s just all about my mind. If my mind is still into it, if I’m still motivated to go out and try to compete for championships, because I feel like that’s what I can still do for any group of guys, for any franchise. I can go out there and still help win multiple championships or win a championship.” The scoring record was “something I never made a goal of mine or set out to do – it just happened,” he said, and credited great teammates and great coaches that allowed him to be “me.” Luminaries from the NBA and beyond, including Dwight Howard, Paul Gasol and boxer Manny Pacquiao saluted him on social media. Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who was at Tuesday’s game and helped lure James to the Lakers in 2018 when he was the team’s president of basketball operations, hailed James on Twitter as “such an amazing man on and off the court.” “I want to personally thank you LeBron for trusting & believing in me & the Lakers in 2018 … Everything you said you would do, you’ve done; led the Lakers to a championship, elevated the Lakers brand, & gave back to the city of LA!” Johnson tweeted. The Miami Heat, with whom James won two NBA titles, tweeted: “Congrats @KingJames! What a time. What an accomplishment. Proud of you, #ScoringKing.” Source: CNN News

PNG will be represented by six male and five female athletes at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst NSW on 18 February. Siune Kagl , Dilu Goiye , Abel Siune , Israel Takap , Aquila Turalom and James Kuadua make up the mens team whilst Scholastica Herman , Ongan Awa , Mary Tenge , Aina Goir and Mary Kua make up the womens team. Athletics PNG President Tony Green who will take the team to Bathurst said he was very proud that PNG were able to field teams in both the Open womens 10km and Open mens 10km events as well as the mixed relay. He said that a lot of work had gone into preparing the team over the past two years and that significant funding from World Athletics through the Athletics Olympic Dividend Project combined with support from the National Sports Institute, PNG Olympic Committee, PNG Air and Prima Smallgoods. “We would have liked to have had 14 athletes in total Green added, but we lost Wilford Baia who was in great form at the PNG Air National Championships and the two newcomers that were identified late in 2022 could not complete their travel documents in time. Mary Kua and Aina Goir will fly into Sydney from the USA on Friday this week to allow time to get over jet lag whereas the other nine team members with Coach Philip Kamane will fly in from the Gold Coast on Wednesday 15 February. The City of Gold Coast through its Sports Attract Programme as well as Oceania Athletics are assisting Athletics PNG with their final preparations for the Championships. The nine athletes have been training at the Gold Coast since mid December. Following the late withdrawal of coach Bernard Manau, Head Coach Brett Green has been taking the athletes for their key track workouts and providing guidance for their other sessions prior to the arrival of Kamane. A number of other Pacific Island nations are taking up the opportunity to have their athletes participate in what promises to be a wonderful experience at Mt Panorama , Bathurst including Fiji (with 9 athletes), Solomon islands (5) and with Guam NMI , Kiribati and Tahiti each sending one male and one female. Green said that he will be encouraging the athletes to go out and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy themselves. The opportunity to compete in a world championships is a once in a lifetime occurrence for the vast majority of athletes and this is only the second time the WXC has ever been held in the Oceania Region. Since this is a World Championship our athletes know we are up against the best in the world. Whilst our times are obviously not going to challenge these athletes the PNG athletes have been training hard and will always give their best. The Championships are an experience and opportunity for our distance runners to observe and learn from the best. We have a much stronger squad of middle and long distance runners as a result of this programme, especially in the mens division,so we expect to see a better performance in the distance events at the Honiara Games this year than at any full Pacific Games since the 1980’s

Since supporting the Men Of Honour Awards since season one, Atlas Steel has renewed its sponsorship for the 7th season by becoming a regional sponsor with support of K25,000. The Men of Honour Campaign is a peace building initiative by Digicel PNG Foundation that focuses on positive behavior with the aim to break the cycle of violence in PNG. To date, the Men of Honour Campaign has awarded 95 men across the nation on the outstanding work they are doing in their communities to build peace and address drivers of violence in their community. This year, the campaign is in its seventh season. Three ambassadors will be selected from each of the four regions, with one ‘Unsung Hero’ award going to an ambassador from each region. Atlas Steel PNG Branch Manager Peter Browne mentioned that Atlas Steel PNG is pleased to remain a proud sponsor for the Men of Honour Awards since the beginning of the campaign in 2014. ‘ ’This is the seventh year the company is supporting, now with a sponsorship of K25,000. Additional support includes merchandise packs for each of the three selected ambassadors for the Momase Region.’’ Digicel PNG Foundation CEO Serena Sasingian thanked Atlas Steel for the continued support when receiving the cheque. She acknowledged Atlas Steel for their unwavering commitment in supporting the Men of Honour Campaign from the start. “Partnerships with companies in the private sector is vital in our agenda to advocate against violence and promote positive behavior through recognizing positive role models in our communities. We value our partnership with Atlas Steel, and appreciate its commitment in showing recognition to ordinary men doing outstanding work through this platform.’’ Nominations are open until 17th February 2023; click here to get a nomination form: https://bit.ly/3zn2902

Petroleum Resource Kutubu (PRK) presented a mock cheque of K120 million- to mark the completion of its legacy taxes. PRK’s had tax disputes since 2011, and in 2019, all of these issues were resolved, resulting in a total tax liability of K120,758,504. Given that this was a considerable amount to pay, the Commissioner General placed them on a structured payment plan based on their cash flow. The final monthly repayment was made in January 2023, marking the complete settlement of the debt. PRK is a subsidiary of Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC). It was incorporated in 1989 under the Companies Act to hold the landowners and provincial government equity interest in the Kutubu Petroleum Project. PRK currently holds a 6.75% stake in Petroleum Development License 2 (PDL2) and 1% of PNG LNG. At a small but significant press conference held today at the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC), the Managing Director of MRDC, Mr Augustine Mano, expressed his relief after this huge payment debt and assured all the companies under his watch are also reordered to be tax compliant. Mr Mano thanked the Commissioner General for putting PRK and all their companies through a payment arrangement to settle their outstanding debts. PRK Chairman John Kappi Natto said, “sometimes, people think that landowner companies will not be paying taxes, but today we are showing that we can pay our fair share of the taxes. Today, it reflects the governance of the landowner companies who continue to pay their taxes.” Mr Kappi Natto expressed concern that although so much is extracted from their resources and they are paying these taxes, they are not seeing basic government services like roads, schools and hospitals being provided to the resource landowners. He urged the Government to look back at the resource owners as the Oil and Gas were going to run out. He thanked Mr Mano and MRDC for running the resource companies and ensuring that the companies under MRDC continue to comply with their tax obligations. He committed to continue to comply with their tax obligations. IRC Commissioner General Sam Koim acknowledged and thanked PRK and MRDC for completing the payment of their legacy tax liability. He expressed his gratitude that on top of allowing the extraction of their natural resources for the benefit of all, the resource owners are also considerate to pay their fair share of taxes to be further redistributed through the taxation process for the benefit of all. The Commissioner General praised PRK as demonstrating exemplary compliance behaviour and urged all taxpayers with legacy tax problems to discuss their tax problems with the IRC to establish similar payment plans to suit their cash flow. He urged taxpayers to follow similar due processes to resolve their legacy tax problems.

After appearing in 30 top-flight games in a season which stretched over 10 months for him last year, James Fisher-Harris could have been forgiven for thinking about giving this week’s NRL Harvey Norman All Stars clash a miss. In total the 27-year-old’s workload last year included over 4300 running metres and 908 tackles, as he helped the Panthers to a second-straight Telstra Premiership title, in addition to earning representative honours with the Māori All Stars and Kiwis. But Fisher-Harris, who will co-captain the Māori on Saturday alongside fellow big man Joseph Tapine, said the thought of sitting out the 2022 All Stars event on home soil never entered his mind. “Every year I want to play this game. It means a lot to me and that’s why I am here; to me it’s pretty simple,” he said. “I have had the same pre-season the last three years, the same break. I am fortunate to have made three Grand Finals in a row which has meant my pre-season has been pushed back a bit. “It is a pretty brutal game, very physical, but this will be something pretty special. We always wanted this to happen in New Zealand and it’s finally here, so we have just got to embrace it and enjoy it, because you don’t know when it’ll be back here. James Fisher-Harris With three All Stars appearances under his belt, Fisher-Harris is very much a veteran in a side set to be made up predominantly of players who have less than 50 NRL games to their name. “Some of those boys got called up late, but they are here for a reason and I think they’ll step up for the jersey and find that confidence,” Fisher-Harris said. “I’ll just do what I do and try and help them out where I can. “I have done this a couple of times now, so I know what to expect.” On Saturday night Fisher-Harris will fly the flag for Te Rarawa as their sole representative in the men’s side, while he’ll be one of six players in his side with links to Ngāpuhi. Source: NRL.Com

PNG Power and Puma Energy have come to a mutual understanding that will ensure power supply is restored in most of its centres who rely on diesel fuel to run its power stations. Puma reached out to the PNG Power management to resolve the issue despite the large amount of outstanding payments due from PPL. Puma has agreed on an exceptional basis to release further fuel supply to PNG Power starting today and for the rest of the week. This is to ensure power supply is restored fully for our valued customers, the general public and the business community in most of the centres like Wewak, Aitape, Alotau, Kerema, Daru and Arawa which have been greatly affected. As part of this agreement, PNG Power has committed to pay portions of its dues to Puma no later than Friday February 23, 2023. Should PNG Power make this payment in full, we are hopeful that power supply through our diesel power stations will continue on normally in the following weeks. On this note, PNG Power also apologises to the business community, our consumers and the general public in the centres affected for the lack of electricity supply or heavy load shedding in the in the last few weeks. PNG Power will ensure to work along with Puma to ensure there is fuel available for constant power supply in the affected centres.

The SunRice Group and the PNG University of Technology recently commemorated the development of eight hectares of land given as a training farm for participants of Trukai’s Smart Farmer Program. The ground-breaking ceremony was officiated by SunRice Group’s CEO Rob Gordon, Trukai Industries’ CEO Alan Preston and Unitech’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr. Garry Sali. Trukai Industries is a subsidiary of the SunRice Group which owns two-thirds of the company with the remaining shares held by the people of Papua New Guinea through the Melanesian Trust Services Limited who manage the Pacific Balanced Fund. SunRice Group CEO Rob Gordon was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the event as it demonstrated SunRice’s and Trukai’s core values of innovation, sustainability and community. “As leaders in our industry here in PNG, it is our responsibility to develop programs that benefit the places we operate in and its people. This collaboration with Unitech, who has been one of our longtime partners, reinforces this commitment to the people of Papua New Guinea,” said Gordon. He added that this partnership also demonstrated the company’s support for local rice farmers through Trukai’s Smart Farmer Program and is their contribution towards rice development in PNG. It is one of many past rice projects that Trukai Industries has supported or led in partnership with Unitech and NARI. The ground breaking ceremony will commence the construction of two dome sheds, two silos, a rice drying facility, mini seed cooling room and an office space. This is part of the five-year private-public partnership agreement that Trukai Industries had signed with Unitech last October. Unitech’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr. Garry Sali emphasized on Unitech’s role in the development of Papua New Guineans, stating that it is their vision to grow world-class technocrats for the real world. “Unitech in partnership with Trukai Industries is focused on serving this purpose and we look forward to being a part of this expansion of the rice industry that will impact the lives of our people,” said Dr. Sali. Trukai Industries with the support of the SunRice Group has been supporting Agriculture in PNG since 1989. This has resulted in the company spending millions of kina in investments in local rice farming, testing of different agricultural crops, training of local farmers and providing sustainability kits for subsistence and semi commercial farming.

The PNG National Rugby League Competition (PNG NRLC), yesterday confirmed the 12 teams that will be participating in the 2023 season of its flagship competition, also known as the Digicel Cup. The highly anticipated announcement comes after months of deliberation with key stakeholders and the Board of the PNG NRLC. PNG NRLC Board Director, Lorna McPherson confirmed the participation of 11 franchises from the 2022 competition, noting the exclusion of Jiwaka franchise, Waghi Tumbe, and announcing the inclusion of the new franchise, the Sepik Pride. The 2023 participating teams are: ● Kroton Hela Wigmen ● Agmark Rabaul Gurias ● PRK Mendi Muruks ● Lae Snax Tigers ● PRK Gulf Isou ● CPG Central Dabaris ● Kimbe Cutters ● Bintangor Goroka Lahanis ● EPG Enga Mioks ● Wamp Nga Mt. Hagen Eagles ● NCDC-Moni Plus Vipers ● EMK Sepik Pride (New) McPherson in welcoming the new franchise said, “The PNG NRLC is determined to see the game grow. It was not an easy decision to make but a necessary one. Whilst we want to see the game grow it is important that the standards we have worked hard to have in place over almost a decade is not compromised.” “With this inclusion of another team we are excited to see a new brand of rugby league that will be played and brought in by the Sepik Pride. This brings to two teams now from the Northern confederate, after the Lae Snax Tigers,” she added. The inclusion of the Sepik Pride, came after Waghi Tumbe’s participation in the competition was terminated, leaving an available slot in the 12-team roster. The Jiwaka Franchise’s termination of participation was the result of failure to participate in round 17 of the 2022 season on August 28th, with no notice, that was to be played in Lae. “The necessary processes were undertaken in providing an opportunity to the Tumbe to show cause and appeal the PNG NRLC’s decision to terminate their license to participate. It is unfortunate that we see a team take leave from the competition, but the PNG NRLC has not seen a forfeiture of this nature and this was a serious breach of our Participation Agreement, to which all teams consent to when signing,” PNGRFL CEO Mr Stanley Hondina said. Both the Waghi Tumbe and the Sepik Pride were appropriately notified of this NRLC Board decision.

On behalf of the Cricket PNG Board & Chairman Michael Harrison, we are pleased to announce the Final Selection Squad of the Cricket PNG Men’s Academy (The CPNG Academy feeds the Barramundis and Lewas and is a step above the Under 19 Squad) and the Kumul Petroleum PNG Lewas Women’s Cricket Team participating in the Pacific Island Cricket Challenge (PICC) 2023 that will be Co-Hosted by Australian Defence Force Cricket and Cricket Fiji in Suva- Fiji from the 05th -18th of March 2023. The Teams competing in the tournament are: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, The Cook Islands, New Caledonia and The ANZAC Barbarians . There will be a Skills Development Program that runs from the 05th to 09th of March,2023 followed by T20 Tournament: 10th March-Opening Ceremony and 11th March PNG plays against Fiji The Tournament finishes on the 18th of March 2023. The Format is a T20 Round Robin and Grand Finals will be played on the 18th of March 2023. Streaming Details To Be Confirmed.  Kumul Petroleum PNG Lewas Women’s Cricket Team are: In Blue -Cricket PNG Men’s Academy 1.Vicky Araa’a                                                   1. Doko Rupa 2.Kaia Arua-Captain                                          2.Malcolm Aporo 3. Hollan Doriga                                                3.Travis Vuivagi      4.Kevau Frank                                                     4. Jason Kila - Captain 5. Sibona Jimmy                                                 5. Govea Airi 6.Ravini Oa                                                          6.Aue Oru 7. Erani Pokana                                                  7. Tau Nou 8. Tanya Ruma-Vice Captain                           8.Christopher Kilapat 9. Pauke Siaka                                                    9. Junior Morea 10. Brenda Tau                                                 10. Michael Charlie 11. Henao Thomas                                           11. Lega Siaka 12. Geua Tom                                                   12. Jack Gardner 13.Isabel Toua                                                  13. Vani Vagi 14. Naoani Vare                                                14. Nosaina Pokana NON-TRAVELLING RESERVES                        MANAGEMENT 1. Melanie Ani                                                 1. RODNEY MAHA -ACADEMY COACH 2. Hane Tau                                                     2. RARUA DIKANA - MANAGER Staff: Kath Hempenstall –Lewas Head Coach Mahuru Dai – Assistant Coach Pauke Siaka - Playing Coach Mikayla Haddow - Physio                                                   We congratulate each of you in making the final squad for Fiji, To everyone, keep an eye out on our Facebook page and through our local media for updates,

Zoom on Tuesday said it will lay off about 1,300 employees, or approximately 15% of its staff, becoming the latest tech company to announce significant job cuts as a pandemic-fueled surge in demand for digital services wanes. In a memo to employees, Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan said the layoffs would impact every part of the organization. Yuan also said he and other executives would take a significant pay cut, after acknowledging he made “mistakes” in how quickly the company grew during the pandemic. “As the CEO and founder of Zoom, I am accountable for these mistakes and the actions we take today– and I want to show accountability not just in words but in my own actions,” he wrote. “To that end, I am reducing my salary for the coming fiscal year by 98% and foregoing my FY23 corporate bonus.” Yuan said members of the executive leadership team will reduce their base salaries by 20% for the coming fiscal year and forfeit their fiscal year 2023 bonuses. Shares of Zoom rose nearly 9% in midday trading Tuesday following the announcement. Zoom, more than most companies, came to define the early days of the pandemic, as many turned to its platform to video chat with friends and colleagues during lockdowns. By mid-2020, Zoom reported skyrocketing revenue fueled by a spike in business customers from the many companies forced to turn to remote work. Yuan said the company staffed up “rapidly” during the early days of the pandemic to support the boom in demand as many turned to its platform to video chat with friends and colleagues. “Within 24 months, Zoom grew 3x in size to manage this demand while enabling continued innovation,” Yuan wrote. Zoom stock declined significantly last year, however, as more workers returned to office life. Zoom is far from the only pandemic darling to experience a sharp comedown. Peloton, for example, has gone through several rounds of layoffs. Much of Big Tech, which also grew fast during the pandemic, has since announced layoffs, too. And late Tuesday, eBay (EBAY) said in a regulatory filing that it would cut about 500 jobs globally — about 4% of its employee base — during the next 24 hours. Source: CNN

The discovery of 81 bales of cocaine will land a "major financial blow" to illegal drug market, Police Commissioner says. New Zealand authorities have intercepted more than three tonnes of cocaine from a vessel in the Pacific Ocean. A media conference is being held at Police National Headquarters detailing the bust. Operation Hydros - a joint mission by police, Customs and the Defence Force - seized 81 bales of the drug, totalling 3.2 tonnes, with an estimated street value of half a billion dollars. The shipment is destined for destruction, having since made the six-day journey back to New Zealand aboard the Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said given the large size of the shipment it would have likely been destined for the Australian market. [caption id="attachment_35776" align="alignnone" width="788"] No arrests have been made yet. Photo: NZ Police / Supplied[/caption] "There is no doubt this discovery lands a major financial blow right from the South American producers through to the distributors of this product," Coster said. "This is one of the single biggest seizures of illegal drugs by authorities in this country. While this disrupts the syndicate's operations, we remain vigilant given the lengths we know these groups will go to circumvent coming to law enforcement's attention." Operation Hydros started in December 2022, as part of the police's ongoing work with international partner agencies to identify and monitor suspicious vessels' movements, he said. "I am incredibly proud of what our National Organised Crime Group has achieved in working with other New Zealand agencies, including New Zealand Customs Service and the New Zealand Defence Force. The significance of this recovery and its impact cannot be underestimated." While no arrests have been made at this stage, enquiries were continuing internationally. [caption id="attachment_35777" align="alignnone" width="788"] The cocaine was intercepted from a vessel in the Pacific Ocean. Photo: NZ Police / Supplied[/caption] New Zealand Customs Service acting comptroller Bill Perry said his agency was pleased to have "helped prevent such a large amount of cocaine causing harm in communities here in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere in the wider Pacific region". "The sheer scale of this seizure is estimated to have taken more than half a billion dollars' worth of cocaine out of circulation. "It is a huge illustration of what lengths organised crime will go to with their global drug trafficking operations and shows that we are not exempt from major organised criminal drug smuggling efforts in this part of the world," he said. New Zealand Defence Force joint forces commander Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour said they had "the right people and the right capabilities to provide the support required". "We were very pleased with the result and are happy to be a part of this successful operation and are proud to play our part in protecting New Zealand." Source:rnz.com