Nations have reached a historic agreement to protect the world's oceans following 10 years of negotiations. The High Seas Treaty aims to place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, to safeguard and recuperate marine nature. The agreement was reached on Saturday evening, after 38 hours of talks, at UN headquarters in New York. The negotiations had been held up for years over disagreements on funding and fishing rights. The last international agreement on ocean protection was signed 40 years ago in 1982 - the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. That agreement established an area called the high seas - international waters where all countries have a right to fish, ship and do research - but only 1.2% of these waters are protected. Marine life living outside of these protected areas has been at risk from climate change, overfishing and shipping traffic. These new protected areas, established in the treaty, will put limits on how much fishing can take place, the routes of shipping lanes and exploration activities like deep sea mining - when minerals are taken from a sea bed 200m or more below the surface. Environmental groups have been concerned that mining processes could disturb animal breeding grounds, create noise pollution and be toxic for marine life. The International Seabed Authority that oversees licensing told the BBC that moving forward "any future activity in the deep seabed will be subject to strict environmental regulations and oversight to ensure that they are carried out sustainably and responsibly". Rena Lee, UN Ambassador for Oceans, brought down the gavel after two weeks of negotiations that at times threatened to unravel. Minna Epps, director of the IUCN Ocean team, said the main issue was over the sharing of marine genetic resources. Marine genetic resources are biological material from plants and animals in the ocean that can have benefits for society, such as pharmaceuticals, industrial processes and food. Richer nations currently have the resources and funding to explore the deep ocean but poorer nations wanted to ensure any benefits they find are shared equally. Dr Robert Blasiak, ocean researcher at Stockholm University, said the challenge was that no one knows how much ocean resources are worth and therefore how they could be split. He said: "If you imagine a big, high-definition, widescreen TV, and if only like three or four of the pixels on that giant screen are working, that's our knowledge of the deep ocean. So we've recorded about 230,000 species in the ocean, but it's estimated that there are over two million." Laura Meller, an oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Nordic, commended countries for "putting aside differences and delivering a treaty that will let us protect the oceans, build our resilience to climate change and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of billions of people". "This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics," she added. Countries will need to meet again to formally adopt the agreement and then have plenty of work to do before the treaty can be implemented. Liz Karan, director of Pews Trust ocean governance team, told the BBC: "It will take some time to take effect. Countries have to ratify it [legally adopt it] for it to enter force. Then there are a lot of institutional bodies like the Science and Technical Committee that have to get set up." Source: BBC

Wayne Bennett's Dolphins have produced a spectacular NRL debut, defeating competition heavyweights Sydney Roosters 28-18 at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The NRL's newest franchise simply outclassed an error-riddled Roosters in front of over 32,000 as Bennett's side capped off celebrations honouring the late Arthur Beetson. Former Bulldogs hooker Jeremy Marshall-King starred to link well with halves Sean O'Sullivan and Isaiya Katoa seamlessly while veteran forwards Jesse Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Mark Nicholls showed age is no barrier in 2023. With scores locked at half-time, the Dolphins produced an incredible second half of football, running in three tries in 10 minutes to run away with victory. The Roosters kicked off proceedings in the 10th minute after Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako knocked on a Luke Keary bomb in the in goal and centre Joseph Suaali'i managed to get a hand on the ball. The newcomers struck back when Marshall-King sliced through the Roosters defence before finding Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in support who made history to score the Dolphins' first-ever NRL try. Dolphins five-eighth Katoa had a moment to forget after the try when he knocked the ball on off the kick-off, enabling the Roosters to capitalise when James Tedesco put Drew Hutchison through from close range. Come the 35th minute and a seesaw battle began to play out when Marshall-King grabbed his second try assist, sweeping left to find former South Sydney prop Nicholls who crashed over the line. After Wayne Bennett's message was 'keep it simple' at half time, the Dolphins returned to score back-to-back tries through forward Connelly Lemuelu and Isaako to steal a 24-12 lead early in the second half. The Roosters looked to hit back when a Keary cross-field kick created an opportunity for Daniel Tupou in the corner but the veteran winger fumbled the ball over the line. Four minutes later and the Dolphins blew the game wide open when Katoa saw the Roosters defence scrambling and found Isaako out wide who strolled over the line and the home side had a 16-point lead. Things went from bad to worse for the Roosters when second rower Egan Butcher was sin-binned for dangerous contact moments before forwards Victor Radley and Matt Lodge were ruled out with head injuries. With 14 minutes to play, Keary kicked again for Tupou and this time the flyer got a favorable bounce to bring the scores 28-18 but that's as close as the visitors came to reducing the deficit.     Source: NRL.com

Ni-Vanuatu residents have emerged battered but still standing after Cyclone Kevin swiped the country with a strong backhand. "It was quite exhausting. Dealing with two cyclones in three days is pretty draining, you know," Vanuatu journalist Dan McGarry told RNZ. He said the gale-force winds have been rough. He woke early on Saturday morning to try and get a sense of the extent of the damage. He went outside in the dark to charge his phone, and when the sun came up it was a real eyesore. "Our own laneway is blocked off. We've got tree limbs all the way up and down," he said. After clearing the way, he was able to get out and about and have a look around. Port Vila had been badly knocked about. McGarry came across a mango tree that landed directly on top of a minibus. "And then the wind lifted the entire tree and dumped it a metre-and-a-half away," he said. Fuel was in short supply and a boil water order was in effect, McGarry said. Many people were at the few hardware stores that were open, trying to buy tools to repair their properties, he said. On Saturday evening, the Fiji Meteorological Office said the severe tropical storm remained a category five, and was centred in the ocean near Conway Reef. Tafea province in Vanuatu, which was under a red alert as Kevin tracked south-east, had been given the all clear. An Australian Air Force reconnaissance flight over Tafea province was reported to have shown some intact settlements and still some greenery. No casualties had been immediately reported but hundreds of people fled to evacuation centres in the capital Port Vila, where Kevin blasted through as a category four storm. Foreign aid needed Vanuatu needs support from its international partners. "There is going to be a significant need - this is not something Vanuatu can do alone, so the assistance of these partners is going to be critical to a speedy and effective response," McGarry said. He believed cooperation from donor partners was needed. France has already received a request to send a patrol plane, he said. "I expect that New Zealand would be putting a P3 in the air before very long. Australia has already committed to sending a rapid assessment team." Stephen Meke, tropical cyclone forecaster with the Fiji Meteorological Service, said cyclone response teams and aid workers wanting to help should plan to travel to Vanuatu from Sunday onwards, as the weather system is forecast to lose momentum then. "Kevin intensified into a category four system," Meke said. "It was very close to just passing over Tanna. So it's expected to continue diving southeastwards as a category four, then the weakening from from tomorrow onwards." A UNICEF spokesperson said its team is preparing to ship essential emergency supplies from Fiji, in addition to emergency supplies already prepositioned in Vanuatu. "These include tents, tarpaulins, education, and health supplies to support immediate response needs in the aftermath of the two devastating cyclones." New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was working with Vanuatu's government and partners to see what help it could offer. An MFAT spokesperson said New Zealand had first-hand experience of the challenges Vanuatu faced in the coming days and weeks. It had been challenging making contact with people because of damaged communications systems, they said. Sixty-three New Zealanders are registered on the SafeTravel website as being in Vanuatu. Parts of Vanuatu have plunged into a six-month-long state of emergency. Source: Radio New Zealand

A second half hat-trick by front-rower Junior Rop underpinned the PNG Hunters’ strong 26-12 win over the Kaiviti Silktails to claim the inaugural Melanesian Bowl at Fiji’s Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka on Saturday. The Silktails led 12-4 at halftime but Rop’s take-no-prisoners running style helped the PNG team pile on 22 unanswered points in the second term. His tries in the 56th, 59th and 67th minutes punched holes in the Silktails defence that they weren’t able to mend. The match was heavy-going for both sides with a water-logged pitch from several days of rain. The second half started in a downpour, which lasted 15 minutes. When Hunters winger Siki Konden scored his side’s first points in the 15th minute he created quite a spray of water near the corner post to underline the tough conditions. The home side were on top early, scoring two tries in the opening half, where possession was at a premium. The slippery ball caused a several handling errors. The Silktails’ second try to winger Tomasi Seru came off a Hunters mistake when Robert Nauci made a 50-metre break upfield from a loose PNG carry. The ensuing play had the Silktails spin the ball across the backline to Seru. The Fijians’ opening try was quick-thinking by hooker Naisa Toko close to Hunters line. He caught the markers offside and ran straight at them to score near the posts. In the second half, three straight penalties gave the Silktails some good field position. But Hunters prop Epel Kapinias made a barging run to lift his side. He was held up over the line but his front row partner in Rop took a leaf out of his book and got the Hunters back in the game in the space of three minutes. The conversion of his second try by Jamie Mavako put the PNG side in the lead for the first time (14-12) after 60 minutes. Rop drove low and hard in the 67th minute to get his hat-trick as the Silktails appeared fatigued. Two Silktails players had to leave the field with cramp but the Hunters kept powering on. Winger Brandon Nima scored their fifth try in the final minutes, off a sublime flick pass from Julius Yakopa. Coach Wes Naiqama will want to stiffen up the Silktails try-line defence before their opening game of the NSWRL’s Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup against Penrith Brothers on 19 March. PNG Hunters 26 (Junio Rop 3, Siki Konden, Brandon Nima tries; Jamie Mavako 2 goals, Trevor Solu goal) def Kaiviti Silktails 12 (Naisa Toko, Tomasi Seru tries; Seru 2 goals).   Source: New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL)

The Brisbane Broncos produced a stunning upset to beat the defending premiers 13-12 at BlueBet Stadium on Friday night. Back-to-back tries by young gun Herbie Farnworth in the opening half put the visitors out to an early lead and a sweetly struck field goal by skipper Adam Reynolds in the 71st minute iced the Broncos' first win at Penrith since 2009. It was the Panthers who were first to open their 2023 campaign with a spectacular team try from beyond halfway. Dylan Edwards, Nathan Cleary and Liam Martin all had a hand in the right-side shift before Stephen Crichton raced away to touch down in the southern corner and hand Cleary his 500th goal. Come the 17th minute and the visitors hit back through Farnworth who stepped around Crichton, who only had eyes for an intercept, and crashed his way over the line to level the scores. Just two minutes later and it was Farnworth again who found himself in a race with Panthers winger Brian To'o and managed to get his hands on the ball first to go back-to-back for Brisbane and put Broncos in front 12-6. Martin and new recruit Luke Garner both crossed the line before half-time but were unable to capitalise through errors and the visitors went into the break with a six-point lead over the reigning premiers. The game developed into an arm wrestle in the second half with both sides unable to add to the score until Reynolds landed his one-pointer to make it 13-6. Penrith missed another opportunity to reduce the deficit with five-eighth Jarome Luai putting the ball down just short of the goal line in the 72nd minute. But the home side refused to lie down and hooker Soni Luke brought his side back within reach when he burrowed over from dummy half. Cleary converted for 13-12. Cleary had a long range shot at a two-point field goal which fell short and Selwyn Cobbo cleaned up but the Broncos fullback lost possession and it appeared the premiers would get another chance but Luai was ruled offside in the chase and a penalty to the visitors got them out of the danger zone. Source: NRL.com

A state of emergency has been declared for areas of Vanuatu impacted most by severe tropical cyclone Judy. It comes as the country deals with a second cyclone, called Kevin, which is bearing down on the country. At 2am local time the now category 3 cyclone was about 165km south-west of Santo and 225km west north-west of Malekula. Red alerts are in place for Sanma, Malampa, and Penama, with damaging gale force winds expected to affect those provinces within the next 12 hours. Yellow alerts are in place for Torba and Shefa. Meanwhile, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake has struck just offshore of Vanuatu. The US Geological Survey reports the quake struck just after 5am local time, and was 10km deep. No tsunami warning has been issued. Action plan announced by PM Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said declaring a state of emergency will allow the islands most affected by Judy to receive help immediately. "I am pleased to announce that the Council of Ministers has met this afternoon (Thursday) and it has approved a request from the National Disaster Committee to ask the President of the Republic of Vanuatu to declare a State of Emergency for the islands that have been highly affected and impacted by Tropical Cyclone Judy - effective this evening. "We have had two opportunities to meet with our partners and I am pleased to reveal everyone that has approached us are standing by to assist us in regard to conducting assessments and a quick response and whatever we require them to help us with. "Therefore, on behalf of the people of Vanuatu and the Government, I want to say to all these people thank you so much. To all our development partners who even as the Tropical Cyclone [Judy] started to approach us had already reached out and said they were standing by and ready to assist us. "Our officials are working around the clock to try and assess the impact of the cylone [Judy] on all the provinces in the country. At this stage they are still compiling an official report that we will be able to work with and which will enable our development partners to appreciate the level of assistance that we will require from them. "As we speak aerial assessments are being undertaken along with other assessments on the ground to enable us to declare disaster zones in areas that are highly affected." He said development partners have also offered help with assessments or quick responses to the most affected communities, or any help required by the Vanuatu government. [caption id="attachment_37251" align="alignnone" width="888"] Photo: Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department[/caption] Aid group 'gearing up' to help The country director for World Vision Vanuatu, Kendra Derousseau, said they stand ready to help in the recovery. "We are gearing up for some key response areas that we know happen after severe cyclones. "That is emergency shelter provisions, such as tarps and also hammers and nails, and also hygiene kits to ensure that basic needs are met, as well as jerry cans so families can have access to clean water. And we will be standing by ready to go with those when the government approves us to respond," she said. Derousseau said said while the capital Port Vila lost power its water service was quickly restored. She said most of the city's infrastructure appears to have stood up to the storm but not some residential housing. "So anyone who was living in either a tradtional house with a thatched roof or a less sturdy house than those with cyclone strapping and nailing would have suffered significant damage to their houses." Derousseau said the big concern now is Cyclone Kevin expected to arrive midday Friday in Port Vila. Meanwhile, 11 babies from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Vila Central Hospital have a new refuge following damage caused by Cyclone Judy. The babies have been moved to the former outpatient section in tho colonial hospital after the ceiling in the maternity Ward was damaged, causing leaks, making the ward unsafe for the babies in incubators. There were also leaks in the children's wards forcing a similar evacuation. Source: rnz.com

The Melbourne Storm dug deep to down Parramatta 16-12 in a golden point thriller at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night, stretching coach Craig Bellamy's remarkable winning streak in round one matches to 20. With Cameron Munster nursing a dislocated finger in the second half and Xavier Coates injuring a shoulder, the Storm stayed in the fight long enough to take the game to golden point before Kangaroos hooker Harry Grant scooted over from dummy half to break the deadlock in the 84th minute. The Storm have not lost an opening round match since Bellamy took the helm in 2003 and this will go down as one of their gutsiest victories given the loss of a number of stars in the off-season and the injury to Munster. The home side opened the scoring in the fifth minute through a Mitch Moses penalty goal after Storm back-rower Eliesa Katoa went on report for late contact on the Eels halfback. Some slick ball movement by the Eels then created opportunities for wingers Maika Sivo and Isaac Lumelume but the Storm defence scrambled superbly. Sivo got across the line in the 17th minute and looked to have the season's first try but the final pass from Dylan Brown was called forward. A penalty against Alec MacDonald for late contact on Moses handed Parramatta an opportunity for another shot at goal but they chose to take a tap and keep the pressure on but came up empty. A big blow for the Storm in the 28th minute when star five-eighth Munster was forced off with a serious finger injury and two minutes later the Eels opened the scoring through Will Penisini. Munster remarkably returned to the field after the break and, perhaps inspired by his courage, they grabbed their opening try in the 47th minute when Josh King delivered a sweet offload for Nick Meaney to score. The fullback converted his own try for 6-6. A big play by Sivo in the 58th minute when he rag-dolled Jahrome Hughes into touch gave the Eels field position for hooker Josh Hodgson to send Junior Paulo over for a try. No sooner had the Eels gone out by six than the Storm hit back through Young Tonumaipea after majestic lead-up by Munster, who passed the ball to himself before putting his centre over in the left corner. Meaney converted for 12-12. With six minutes to play a mistake by Tyran Wishart opened the door for the Eels but Sivo kicked on tackle one and the ball went dead to let the Storm off the hook. Moses then had a shot at field goal charged down with three minutes to play and Bryce Cartwright spilled a pass as the Eels mounted a right side raid. The game went to golden point and Meaney was the first to miss a one-point attempt before Grant's class got the Storm home in a high quality contest. Source: NRL.Com

Slow internet could soon be a thing of the past in the Pacific's most isolated locations with Elon Musk's Starlink said to be looking to enter the regional market. The tech-billionaire's company promises to deliver high-speed internet to the remotest regions, by using thousands of satellites orbiting close to the planet to deliver the service. Cook Islands Competition and Regulatory Authority chair, Bernard Hill, said Starlink wanted to enter the Cook Islands "as soon as they can". "There's a lot of interest in having the option of a Starlink antenna and having direct to the sky access," Hill said. "That includes the Pa Enua, the outer islands, and the Northern Group Islands in particular, which have very small populations, something like Starlink could be quite a game changer." Three companies currently provide internet services to the Cook Islands with Vodafone being the biggest. Hill said another company joining the market was good for competition. "What's necessary is that there is an option for some people and that tends to lead the market in terms of people's appreciation of quality and value, and has a price impact as well." Vanuatu's telecommunication regulator was also working in collaboration with Starlink to get the company a licence to operate. 'Ideal internet solution' for remote areas Paul Brislen, who is the CEO of the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum, said low-earth orbit satellite companies like Starlink were an ideal internet solution for people living in remote areas. He said it was far more cost effective than building a fibre connection to an isolated property. "I think we're going to see satellite coverage in parts of the world that have never had voice or data services before and that's very exciting for people who are working at the extreme edges of civilisation," Brislen said. He said people who never previously would be able to, would now be able to stay in touch, call for help when needed, share remote research and study without needing to move to a big city. "I think it's tremendously exciting to finally have a solution that works so well for rural and remote communities." However, Brislen said there were limitations to low-earth orbit satellite providers including services getting congested if there are too many users in the same area. He also said "rain fade" could be a problem, which is when signal is unable to travel through the atmosphere to deliver the content. Brislen said it would be especially difficult if the satellite signal had to get through areas with a lot of ash in the atmosphere. Vanuatu warning to local Starlink users In Vanuatu people are already using Starlink despite the company not being approved to operate. The country's telecommunication regulator earlier this month warned that any of the company's equipment brought into the country would be confiscated until it gets a licence. The regulator's competition and consumer affairs manager, Roger Jimmy, said people were using the service illegally. "We have a number of people who told us they're using Starlink and at the moment we're working closely with the customs department to inspect all of the equipment entering the country," Jimmy said. He said Starlink did not know how this could have happened. "They told us that they have no idea of what's going on or why people are bringing their devices to Vanuatu. It seems people possess this from either from New Zealand or Australia and bring it to Vanuatu." Starlink told RNZ Pacific the company was focused on rolling out the service "around the world" and did not specify when the Pacific would be connected. Source: rnz

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