The International Rugby League has announced that Australia will host the most competitive and culturally rich IRL Rugby League World Cup in 2026, featuring Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair tournaments. RLWC2026, which has been awarded to the Australian Rugby League Commission by the IRL Board, will be contested by a total of 26 teams – comprising of ten men’s, eight women’s and eight wheelchair teams - in October and November 2026. The tournament will include matches in Papua New Guinea, and will showcase the cultures of the Pacific, where the majority of men’s and women’s teams hail from. Matches will be staged at first class rugby league venues in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The schedule is expected to include double-headers and triple-headers to give fans added value for ticket prices. With the IRL Board making the decision to reduce the number of men’s teams from 16 to 10, the 17th iteration of the Rugby League World Cup promises to be the most keenly contested yet. First held in France in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup is the second oldest sporting world cup after the FIFA World Cup and has followed a variety of formats, with the number of teams ranging from four to 10 in 2008, 14 in 2013 and 16 in 2017 and 2022. With Tonga’s emergence as a Pacific powerhouse in 2017, Samoa creating history by qualifying for the final of RLWC2021 at Old Trafford, Fiji having been semi-finalists in 2008, 2013 and 2017 and losing narrowly to New Zealand in the quarter-final of the last World Cup, and PNG being on the rise, the international game has never been more competitive. IRL Chair Troy Grant said: “The Rugby League World Cup is the pinnacle of the sport and RLWC2026 promises to be the best and most competitive ever staged." “On behalf of the IRL Board, I would like to congratulate ARLC Chair Peter V’landys, the ARLC Board, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and his team on the quality of their bid and I have every confidence that they will deliver the best World Cup on record." “We have all been impressed by the ARLC’s ventures into Las Vegas, led by Peter and Andrew, and have no doubt that they will elevate the Rugby League World Cup to a new level." “Rugby League has never been stronger in Australia and the Pacific, with sold-out stadiums, record television ratings and much excitement about Pacific expansion." “The 2026 World Cup in Australia, with matches to played in Papua New Guinea, will see the rise of the game in the Pacific reach greater heights and ensure Rugby League is the No.1 sport in the region." “The condensed format at RLWC2026 will mean every single match is competitive, while the possibility of some games being played as double or triple headers represents great value for fans wanting to see the best rugby league talent on the planet." “The culture, diversity and competitiveness of the nations involved will capture the attention of global audiences and grow the game ever further.” Australia has a proud history of hosting successful World Cups in 2008 and 2017, which featured the women’s tournament being played alongside the men’s tournament for the first time. The Wheelchair World Cup was also played simultaneously with the Men’s and Women’s World Cups at RLWC2021 in England and generated huge interest due to the skill, speed and intensity of the game and players. The three tournaments will again be staged together in 2026 in a celebration of inclusion and culture that will cement rugby league’s position as the No.1 sport of the Pacific.

The United Nations in Papua New Guinea strongly condemns the recent brutal rapes and killings of women and children in the Angoram district of East Sepik province, calling on local authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay. At least 26 people were reportedly slaughtered in an outburst of violence following an alleged land dispute in the Sepik River villages of Tamara, Tambari, and Agrumara. Expressing deep shock and grief, United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr. Richard Howard said the latest atrocities were “a profound violation of human rights and dignity.” “This heinous crime is an affront to our shared humanity." “The brutalization of innocent villagers, especially the sexual violence against women and girls, is utterly unacceptable." The highest UN representative in the country said it was imperative that the perpetrators were held accountable, and justice was served for the victims and their families. The UNICEF Papua New Guinea Representative Angela Kearney said the drama was indicative of a disturbing trend of tribal violence aimed at the most vulnerable, particularly women and children. “What happened in East Sepik strikes at the heart of what we stand against— blatant disregard for life and dignity, particularly of the most defenseless among us,” Kearney said. The United Nations’ first priority is to ensure that survivors are protected from further harm and to provide comprehensive psychosocial support to mitigate the risk of lasting mental trauma. Resident Coordinator Mr. Richard Howard said the United Nations stands in solidarity with the affected communities and reinforced his call for swift action from law enforcement agencies to investigate, identify and charge the perpetrators. “We look forward to working with the Government of Papua New Guinea and other partners to ensure that the survivors receive the necessary support, such atrocities do not go unpunished, and underlying conditions in the affected communities are addressed so that these atrocities are prevented in the future."

With the announcement of several impact projects to be implemented in the Samarai- Murua district of Milne Bay Province, MP Isi Henry Leonard announced that one of them will be Alluvial and Hard Rock Mining. Blessed with an abundant of mineral resources, MP Leonard stated that they have registered a company under the name Eastern Star Mineral Resources that will work in partnership with a 100% nationally owned company, Wilhelm Holding Limited along with the landowners. This partnership through the District Development Authority’s (DDA) decision to have these mineralization opportunities to be owned and mined by the resource owners through benefit sharing arrangements, where they will own the license and mine the resources with investment partners providing technical, financial and marketing support. “The idea is that we engage with landowners. People who own the land and the resources and the district company will come and support them. If we give them the right machines and they mechanize Alluvial mining, the yield will be higher and gold recovery will be higher.” “And through our joint venture partners, the Dubai’s will give us support to engage with our people. Increase our yield, we process it, then we export our volume and I believe we can hit the mark. Then we can sell or trade the volume and the money will go back to the people.” “The Alluvial and hard rock mining potentials will exist on Misima, Sudest, Woodlark and Rossel Islands”. The nationally owned company will provide technical and operational support as well as funding and support through venture finance arrangements with foreign investment partners, where the mining operations will be based on Misima Island. The Board also noted that the District Economic Development Stimulus Strategy has the potential to create employment and alleviate poverty by developing the micro economy of the district through the mining project and two other projects ready for implementation. Therefore, the DDA Board approved to allocate a total of K8million to the Samarai Murua District Development Company, Kubwana Limited, to partner with investors to develop the district’s resource potentials in Eco Tourism and Carbon Trade, Fishing and Alluvial and Hard Rock Mining, as part of the Economic Development Stimulus Strategy. In order to facilitate the implementation of the Economic Development Stimulus Strategy and other services for the District, the Board noted the need to have an effective and sound mobility infrastructure, hence the Board approved funds, under the district infrastructure improvement program to rehabilitate basic infrastructure facilities at Misima, the District Capital. “This includes the airport re-grading and upgrade program,” said the MP.

Alternative Prime Minister Nominee and Member for Finschhafen Rainbo Paita is calling for an independent inquiry by ICAC and the Ombudsman Commission into the Government’s actions to transfer funds outside of the budgetary appropriation approved by the National Parliament. Mr Paita expressed serious concerns regarding the actions of the Prime Minister and the Treasurer following the alleged misappropriation of funds allocated to the people of Gulf Province. "In his statement, Governor Sir Chris Haiveta outlined how a Department of Treasury warrant (warrant 07.02 dated 8 July 2024) approved the release of K60 million to the Enga Provincial Government (EPG) was in direct contravention of the 2024 Appropriations Act." Mr Paita said that of the K60 million to be released, K20 million had in fact been appropriated to the Gulf Provincial Government. “Clearly, the K20 million of the K60 million approved for release to EPG rightly belongs to the people of Gulf Province and K30 million was part of the IDG funds budgeted for the people of Hela and Southern Highlands (PNG LNG)." “I am trying to understand why all of a sudden, EPG is more important than the rest of the country right now that, we have to cut and misapply funds allocated for other provinces to cater for expenditures." "This right after I hear in the previous week a K10 million from the Special Intervention Program (SIP) Funds under Department of National Planning was also paid to EPG – thus a total of K70 Million was paid to EPG." Alternate PM candidate added that the actions of the Prime Minister and the Treasurer amount to gross misappropriation of funds and abuse of the office. “The actions of the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are illegal." "Under law, it is an offence to misappropriate funds approved by Parliament in the National Budget." "To act outside of the law is both wrong and arrogant and reflects flagrant disregard to due legal process." Mr Paita said that this incident warrants a full investigation. Mr Paita further stated: “The Prime Minister has been asking State Agencies to investigate use of Funds in Department of Works, Department of Finance and Department of National Planning so now might be a good time to investigate the Department of Treasury especially how the warrants are being done and under whose instructions they are being done – the Treasurer or the Prime Minister?" “As the good Governor indicated in his statement, immediate action must be taken to stop funds that rightly belong to the people of Gulf Province from being redirected." "As Alternative Prime Minister, I am calling for a full investigation, not just in relation to this specific issue, but the actions of the Treasurer and the Prime Minister more generally to determine if there are other instances of misappropriation.” Meanwhile, via a WhatsApp Message, the Prime Minister stated that ‘there was an incorrect wording’. “Now it begs the question, ministerial warrants as we all know are the end product of a tedious process that starts with the warrant officers and up to the Secretary’s office, then to the Minister’s office through various checks and procedures." “Now are we saying Treasury is being run by incompetent people who cannot spell or by those who do not know PNG geography to send Gulf funds to EPG?" “Also, I’m curious to know, how many ‘incorrect wording’ warrants have been done so far and funds disbursed which we do not know yet.” “I also challenge the Government to release a list of all ministerial warrants that have taken place during the VONC period to ascertain whether the government has been using public funds to maintain its grip on power." Paita concluded by saying that these actions are simply desperate play for power at the expense of appropriated funds by Parliament through its leaders on the floor. “The Prime Minister needs to explain to the people of this country, why funds are being diverted at a time like this.”

Frustrated landowners of the Papua Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in Gulf Province are requesting that the government reallocate the K60 million allocated for Business Development Grants to Gulf LO’s. Dominic Evere, Chairman of MEPO Holdings Ltd. and Papua LNG announced that K120 million, of which K60 million was allocated for in the 2024 National Budget, would be granted as a Business Development Grant to the Gulf Papua LNG landowners. The K60 million, he claimed, was budgeted and accessible for the landowners of Papua LNG to engage in economic prospects. However, he added they were shocked to learn that the funds had just been transferred to the Enga Provincial Government. "In the last few days, we were surprised and shocked to learn that our Business Development Grants are now written to Enga Provincial Government." "Why did the Prime Minister in his wisdom direct his Treasurer to write a letter to his Secretary to make a warrant to release this money to Enga Provincial Government?" "Do the Prime Minister, the Secretary, and the Treasurer know the rules and laws that govern the finance management act and the rules and laws that govern the budgetary appropriation?"Mr Evere questioned. "When money is appropriated for a certain project, it has to go to that project, but this is a clear sign of misappropriation." Evere and other concerned landowners are now calling on the Prime Minister to return the money and stop the corruption. Some of their demands are as follows; 1. Prime Minister James Marape to return the K60million. 2. They are calling upon their leaders from Gulf to resign and leave the Pangu Pati. 3. Police Fraud squad and the Ombudsman Commission to arrest the Treasurer and his Secretary for signing the letter for the grants to be released. 4. The treasurer, and the secretary to be arrested for misappropriation. 5. For all Southern region and Papuan MPs from Western, Gulf, NCD, Central, Milne Bay and Oro provinces to do a mass resignation from the PANGU led government. "Our resources are being used yet, and we are not recognized." "Enough is enough. Put an end to all these misappropriations." "We want to tell the Prime Minister and Treasurer in no uncertain terms to return our funds that belongs to us."

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), supported a five-day workshop on community-level sustainable land use planning in Lae from July 8-13. The workshop was led by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Forests for Certain: Forests for Life! (FORCERT) and was attended by representatives from national and provincial level government departments and NGOs. Participants shared best practices in sustainable land use planning, including integrating traditional knowledge, working within existing structures, and applying sustainable land-use approaches at the community level. The workshop was held as part of USAID’s ongoing partnership with the Department of Lands and Physical Planning (DLPP) to support implementation of PNG’s National Sustainable Land Use Policy (SLUP). USAID’s Country Representative Nino Nadiradze reaffirmed USAID’s support for sustainable land use in PNG. “This workshop will equip local communities with the knowledge and skills they need to manage their land sustainably and to promote conservation.” “USAID is proud to partner with DLPP to support the PNG National Sustainable Land Use Policy.” Participants discussed different tools and processes for land use management and shared best practices for supporting participatory land use planning processes at the community, ward, and district levels. FORCERT Manager Cosmas Makamet shared, “We are excited about the excellent collaboration between the Department of Lands and Physical Planning, USAID, and NGOs with experience in sustainable landscape planning at the community level.” “This collaboration will result in a practical and workable system of community SLUP best practices that can be used by local governments throughout the country.” USAID’s PNG Sustainable Landscapes (PNGSL) Program supports the Government of Papua New Guinea’s efforts to improve natural resource management and promote sustainable land use. PNGSL is implemented by Palladium.

Air Niugini’s PX100 cabin crew on the morning flight of Wednesday 17th July, acted swiftly to extinguish the smoke and fire from a damaged mobile phone battery belonging to a passenger and evacuated all 63 passengers. The Board and Management of Air Niugini are very grateful that there were no injuries from this incident. They commended the crew's actions. This shows the high standard of training and experience of our staff. Air Niugini CEO Gary Seddon said, “our cabin crew are first and foremost safety professionals.” “They are well trained to deal with situations such as a fire in the cabin.” “I am very proud of the crew of PX100.” “I am grateful that all passengers and crew are safe.” “The aircraft was evacuated in less than 60 seconds.” “The airport firefighting service came across the tarmac to attend to the situation.” “Senior cabin crew acted fast and skillfully handled the situation and got everyone off the plane. They did a great job.” Mr. Seddon also thanked the emergency services and members of the National Airport Corporation for their support. Airlines have policies for the carriage of lithium-ion batteries on aircraft. Air Niugini prohibits the carriage of lithium-ion batteries that are damaged. If passengers are unsure, they should immediately seek guidance from an airline ground staff or cabin crew.

Rugby League in PNG has received an enormous boost with the news that Digicel PNG, will televise the NRL Bid Academy Tournament on TVWAN 3 on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st July. The tournament, which will take place in Goroka, will see the eyes of the PNG Rugby League world focused on the best school-based U19 males and U18 females in the country showcasing their skills. As part of this historic outcome for the sport, Digicel PNG will televise 16 of the 22 matches in the tournament. Coverage will begin at 9am on Saturday 20th, with eight male and female matches to be shown over the course of the day. On Sunday, Digicel PNG will broadcast several elimination matches, plus all male and female semifinals and finals. In addition, for those unable to access Digicel PNG, the whole tournament will be live streamed through the PNG NRL Bid Facebook page. This means that fans can watch all 22 male and female matches in the tournament. To access the live stream, click on the link below: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556877715213&mibextd=LQQJ4d The broadcasting of the tournament is a major stride forward for the sport in PNG and highlights the level of professionalism that the game is achieving. Fans will now be able to watch the most talented youngsters in the country compete in another major boost for the NRL Bid team as they look to create the structure to carry the sport to the next level. PNG NRL Bid Chief Executive, Andrew Hill, saw the enormous benefit that rugby league would receive through Digicel PNG’s decision to broadcast the tournament: “It is a major boost for our game in PNG when we are able to create a partnership with Digicel PNG that will allow the best young players in the country to showcase their talent to the fans of the game in this country.” “The NRL Bid Academy tournament shows how far we have come in relation to professionalism and player development, and that will be important as we look to become part of the NRL.” “The players taking part in the tournament are the future of the game in PNG and to be able to see them perform in front of a television audience is an enormous boost for our sport.” “I sincerely thank Digicel PNG for their support and look forward to everyone tuning in on the 20th and 21st to see the talent that exists at this level.”

Investing in human capital development is a day-one priority for the Member for Samarai-Murua, Isi Henry Leonard who recently announced the allocation of K1.7million for Samarai-Murua students School Fee Program. Since the roll-out of the program in 2018, they have paid out K9.7million for the School Fee Program for all students from the Samarai-Murua District alone in the Milne Bay Province. "If you want to bring development, you must first and foremost empower your people.” “You must train the next generation” “They must be skilled, knowledgeable and equipped with the experience and knowledge that they will now use to bring development in the respective LLG's and their wards.” The MP said, they have partnered with Mama Bank to do advance payment of K1.7million for students whether residing in the district or living in other parts of the country. Students who get accepted to attend the following institutions: Technical Colleges, Teachers Colleges, Nursing Colleges, University of Papua New Guinea, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea University of Technology and Divine Ward University can apply for the Samarai-Murua School Fee Program. Meanwhile, Mama Bank Chairman Noel Norikgu said, Milne Bay province has a lot of islands and it’s a challenge for many and are happy for this partnership. “We are willing to partner with any one because we bring our service down to the rural population.” And with the understanding of the remoteness of the place, the Member has taken the initiative to pay 100% of the school fees for all students who have the qualified GPA mark to be sponsored in the Samarai-Murua School Fee Program. Leonard further elaborated that he has engaged with an institution in the Philippines to train technical expertise. “That expertise that we don’t see in the country, we bring our students abroad to do short-term courses, ‘Blue Collar Training program’.” “Whether it be under-sea welding, mechanics, marine engineers and even fitter-machinist.”

NSW halves Jarome Luai and Mitchell Moses have combined to lead the Blues to a drought-breaking State of Origin series victory over Queensland. The pair stepped up with Wednesday night's decider hanging in the balance, Luai producing a piece of individual brilliance to break the game open as NSW claimed a 14-4 victory. With his team trailing 4-2 in the 64th minute, the NSW five-eighth slid through the Maroons defensive line before linking up with centre Bradman Best to cross for the opening try of the game. Moses then put the match beyond doubt when he sliced through the Maroons defensive line just three minutes later. It was a historic moment for the Blues, becoming just the third NSW team to win a decider at Suncorp Stadium and the first since 2005. It also marks a significant moment for first-year coach Michael Maguire as the Blues claimed their first series since 2021. The coach built his team on a defensive foundation and it was on show throughout one of the greatest State of Origin matches played in the series' history. It took 39 minutes before the opening points of the game were scored as both sides slugged out it out in an entertaining and high-quality defensive epic. The contest was frantic from the opening whistle, with the Blues almost breaking through in the first set of the match. A left shift saw Best slide through, only to be ankle tapped by a desperate Daly Cherry-Evans. From there, the Blues weathered a fierce Queensland defensive onslaught to slowly gain the upper hand in the territorial battle. The advantage eventually led to a number of attacking opportunities, however NSW were unable to convert their early chances. The intensity did not drop off as the half progressed before tensions boiled over in the 31st minute when Luai and Cherry-Evans locked horns. The melee eventually spilled over on to the Queensland bench, with each team reduced to 12 men after Jeremiah Nanai and Cameron Murray were sent to the sin bin for escalating the situation. The Blues controlled the next nine minutes however they still could not break through as Queensland found an answer to everything their opponents threw at them. Such was NSW's dominance, they had 22 tackles to three inside the attacking 20-metre zone in the first half. In the end the Maroons had the final say after Spencer Leniu was penalised for taking out Cherry-Evans after he kicked the ball. With the half drawing to a close, Valentine Holmes calmly slotted the goal to secure the only points of the opening 40. The Blues' dominance continued in the opening minutes of the second half and it took just five minutes for Zac Lomax to level the scores courtesy of a penalty goal from the sideline. The match started to open up as fatigue set in however points remained hard to come by as each team scrambled desperately. Eventually momentum swung back towards Queensland and three penalties in succession allowed Holmes to make it 4-2 with 18 minutes to play. The lead did not last long, with Luai producing a moment of brilliance to slide through the Maroons defensive line before linking up with Best to beat Dane Gagai and Kalyn Ponga to cross for the first try of the contest in the 65th minute. Lomax nailed the conversion from out wide and suddenly the Blues were up 8-4 The NSW winger drew a penalty in the ensuing set of six to put his side straight back on the attack. This time it was Moses' chance to step up, the halfback stepping his way through a tired Queensland defensive line to extend his side's lead to 10. The match took a sour turn for Moses in the dying minutes when he left the field with a bicep injury. The Maroons threw everything at their openings in the final stages but the Blues stood tall to hold Queensland try-less and secure a famous victory. https://www.nrl.com

A multi-agency delegation made up of representatives from the White House National Security Council, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and USAID arrived in Port Moresby on Sunday led by Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). During their visit, the delegates will meet with PNG government officials, heads of other diplomatic missions, business leaders, civil society groups, and students. The delegates will highlight the range of ongoing areas of cooperation between the United States and Papua New Guinea that both countries discussed at the U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit in 2022 and the U.S. Pacific Islands Forum Summit held at the White House in 2023. The delegation represents the full scope of United States efforts in diplomacy, development, and defense, underscoring the progress made to enhance our cooperation with Papua New Guinea and deepen our partnerships in the areas of the economy, security, health, energy, and regional partnership. Admiral Paparo, a native of Morton, Pennsylvania graduated from Villanova University and was commissioned in 1987. Paparo assumed duties as Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in May 2024. He is the 27th commander of the nation’s oldest and largest combatant command. USINDOPACOM includes 380,000 soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Guardians, Coast Guardsmen and Department of Defense civilians and is responsible for all U.S. military activities in the Indo-Pacific, covering 36 nations, 14 time zones, and 60 percent of the world's population.

The Premier Soccer League Round 2 matches at the PNG Football Stadium saw the United Highlands FC outmatch Lae City FC 2-1 on Saturday 13th July in Port Moresby. Coming out from a draw in the first round against Port Moresby Strikers, the United Highlands FC registered their first win this weekend against top team Lae City FC. Both teams showed promising football work when trying to score at first half of the game but kept the score board zero points all at first half. The visitors, Lae City FC showed more ball possession in the first half, more goal attempts and a great display of dribble work by Nigel Kiaka when attempting to break the egg but were unsuccessful. Coming back from a much-needed rest, both teams played it off under the scorching heat, trying to get ahead of each other in the game. United Highlands FC’s number 15 Logan Biwa scored the first goal, putting his side in the lead 1-0. Followed by their first goal, United Highlands FC took advantage of that boost and tried to score another 2 goals but were unsuccessful. Despite that, United Highlands FC captain Koriak Upaiga came from behind and scored the second goal for the team, putting them in the lead 2-0 at second half. But coming off to finally break the ice, a brilliant display of footy from Lae City FC with an unsuccessful penalty at their defender’s goal mouth lead to a corner kick by Joshua Oscar with a successful goal. Lae City FC tried to level the score board even with an extra 4 minutes added to the clock but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile United Highlands FC Assistant Coach Andrew Apo said, this win is a boost for the boys for them to go up against the next team they play in R3 of the Premier Soccer League. He added that, going forward, they need to do extra work on their defense United Highlands FC’s Derek Kimai also took the Player of the Match Award.