The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs would like to announce and congratulate our newly appointed Leadership Group, which includes two Game Day On-Field Captains and one Club Captain. The new leadership structure, which consists of a group of six (6) players was announced by Head Coach Cameron Ciraldo this week. Among the newly appointed leaders, Ray Faitala-Mariner has been honoured as the new Club Captain and been tasked to lead the charge on Club culture alongside teammates Josh Addo-Carr, ViliameKikau and Max King. As for the Game Day On-Field Captaincy, Ciraldo announced that the skippers post will be shared between newly appointed Co-Captains Reed Mahoney and Matt Burton. Mahoney, who played junior reps for the Bulldogs and has just returned to the Club in 2023, said he was still trying to process the news: “I’ve never really been involved in a leadership group before. Cam touched on it when I came that he wanted me to come and give my presence when I turn up, and I took that on board. It took me a while to sort of feel comfortable in that, but I just based everything around my actions and training hard. “That’s what’s got me to where I am today – working hard,” he said. Gladly accepting the honour of his new role, there’s no looking back for Reed. “I am just super excited to be a leader within this Group, and this Club – it’s so powerful. When the Club is going this strong, you don’t want to be a part of any other club. I’m really looking forward to what the Club has in store for the future,” he said. We’re all in it together. We’ve got another month or so to go before the season and there’s plenty of work to be done, but it’s been really good, and I am really excited for what’s ahead of us. It’s super exciting for me and I’m just really looking forward to it.   For Burton, his appointment comes just weeks after signing a new agreement that will see him play on in the blue and white for the long-term future (five years). While it didn’t come as a surprise to his teammates, Matt said the news had caught him off guard: “I never thought I would have got the opportunity to Captain the side and it’s obviously a really big honour,” he said. “I am really looking forward to it and it’s great that I’ll have Reed there beside me. It’s new to both of us so it’s going to be a big challenge, but we’re both really looking forward to leading the side.” While both Reed and Matt are new to the Captaincy role, they don’t need to look far for leadership guidance. With a number of alumni, including ex-Canterbury Skippers Andrew Ryan, Terry Lamb and most recently, Josh Jackson still around the Club and working closely with the team. “It’s good to have those guys around just to mentor us and you know, if you ever need anything they are always there. It’s good to have them around, I’ve been asking them a few questions here and there, but our main focus right now is getting it right in the pre-season so that when the season comes around, we’re raring to go. There’s a whole new vibe around the Club. There’s obviously a lot of new staff and a few new faces around the team but it’s been a great feel around the Club so far and I’m just looking forward to the season The Leadership Group will work directly with Andrew ‘Bobcat’ Ryan in terms of Leadership & Culture development: “The new structure of leadership came mostly from the staff but as far as the Leadership Group goes, it was all player voted as well,” he said. “These are players that all lead in their own way naturally. It was a no-brainer to have someone like Ray as the Club Captain with his experience and presence around the Club, just being the person that he is. And now these two guys, Burto [Burton] and Reed in their game day roles, they’ve just been leaders in their own way at training and are both equally in their own right, the right people for the job. It’s a time where there’s all sorts of change happening, so it’s an exciting time for the Club to have this new structure and it’s a perfect fit for our Club and for where we are now. Now to lead the charge alongside Bobcat, Ray Faitala-Mariner said he knew when Josh Jackson announced his retirement that it was time for him to step up. “When Jacko [Josh Jackson] retired and obviously being one of the older ones at the Club, I felt like a few boys needed to step up – there are big shoes to fill for Josh Jackson - so I thought I will be one of those boys to step up. “I knew we had a young crew coming through and because I really love the Club and what they’ve done for me, I thought the best way to give back is to be a leader in my own way and be true to myself.” Source:NRL.Com

Twenty-five students are spending six-weeks at Newcrest Mining Lihir’s gold operations, where they will be doing industrial training. Of the 25 students, nine are from New Ireland of which three are female. There are 11 female students in this batch. Lihir offers a wide range of training opportunities as it embarks on identifying and recruiting the right talents, including building a healthy talent pool. One such programme is the Industrial Training programme, which creates a safe space for students to learn and gain experience through exposure to real work scenarios and hands-on training. The program is part of Newcrest Mining Lihir’s Young Talent Program. “We are committed to developing our talents, as we have done since the mine commenced operations,’’ Alex Rogea, Lihir’s Human Resource Manager said when welcoming the students. “We have a number of training initiatives, one of which is the industrial training program.’’ He encouraged the students to set goals and work towards achieving them. “It’s also good to set personal goals and plans to where you want to be in life, and work according to your plan and your goals. Build relations and your networking, as this will come in very handy.” Industrial trainee Kathleen Aruma completed her studies last year and will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mineral Processing Engineering from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT). She is attached to the Metallurgy section under the Process Plant department. “This is my second time on the Industrial Training Program; I was here last year for a period of six weeks. I am currently four weeks into this year’s Industrial training program, and it’s been just as fun as the first time,” Kathleen said. “I was mostly excited about joining the program because I had heard about the exposure such training provides. That is; exposure to such a diverse workforce and at one of the world’s largest gold mines.” Information about the program caught Kathleen’s attention at a career roadshow, where she made a swift decision to apply straight away. “I knew I was going to learn so much not only in the metallurgical/process engineering space but in other fields as well.” The industrial training program is unique, in that, it creates a complete career pathway for the trainees from the University level to being a graduate development trainee, and on to a professional role at Newcrest Mining Lihir. Through the Newcrest Lihir Young Talent programme, the company provides the pathway for university students who aspire to develop a career in the mining industry. The company is partnering with institutions such as University of Papua New Guinea, Don Bosco Technological Institute, Pacific Adventist University and (PNGUoT) to source and maintain talent supply of quality professionals to meet future demands. A total of 75 students have been through this program since its commencement three years ago.

Police Commissioner David Manning said the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary will do its job without fear or favor in relation to the traffic accident involving Secretary for Justice & Attorney General Dr Eric Kwa. Police Commissioner Manning said, “We will not be swayed by public comments and debates but ensure that the law is applied, and justice prevails. “We have reviewed the evidence with the investigators of the case since and are satisfied with the weight of the evidence to support the charge of “Dangerous Driving Causing Death”. Furthermore, there are separate police actions to be taken on other parties involved in this matter." The Commissioner said he had a brief discussion with Dr Kwa on Friday January 27 to reassure him that due diligence will be taken in perusing the file by senior experienced traffic investigators to ensure that police have: 1. Satisfied the essential elements of the alleged offence; and 2. Ensured all other circumstances leading up to, during and after the incident have been thoroughly investigated. Commissioner Manning said Deputy Commissioner Special Operations Mr Donald Yamasombi was directed to lead a team to facilitate this. “This was done in the interest of justice for both the accused (Dr Kwa) and in the interest of Justice for the late officer. No one is hiding anything. We are just being transparent and professional with the matter. At no time was there any agreement to not pursue the matter through the courts,” Mr Manning said.

ChatGPT is smart enough to pass prestigious graduate-level exams – though not with particularly high marks. The powerful new AI chatbot tool recently passed law exams in four courses at the University of Minnesota and another exam at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, according to professors at the schools. To test how well ChatGPT could generate answers on exams for the four courses, professors at the University of Minnesota Law School recently graded the tests blindly. After completing 95 multiple choice questions and 12 essay questions, the bot performed on average at the level of a C+ student, achieving a low but passing grade in all four courses. ChatGPT fared better during a business management course exam at Wharton, where it earned a B to B- grade. In a paper detailing the performance, Christian Terwiesch, a Wharton business professor, said ChatGPT did “an amazing job” at answering basic operations management and process-analysis questions but struggled with more advanced prompts and made “surprising mistakes” with basic math. “These mistakes can be massive in magnitude,” he wrote. The test results come as a growing number of schools and teachers express concerns about the immediate impact of ChatGPT on students and their ability to cheat on assignments. Some educators are now moving with remarkable speed to rethink their assignments in response to ChatGPT, even as it remains unclear how widespread use is of the tool among students and how harmful it could really be to learning. Source: CNN Business

Two motor vehicles that were stolen on Friday 27th January and Saturday 28th January at two different locations in the National Capital District (NCD) were recovered thanks to the quick action by the police. The police responses in recovering stolen motor vehicles in the city have significantly improved since the establishment of the NCD Sector Patrol Units within the three electorates of NCD. According to police records, every stolen vehicle is recovered the same day, or if not, within ten days, mostly in good condition. The two vehicles reported stolen and recovered by police were seized by criminals in Gerehu and at Konedobu. NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Silva Sika, while commenting on these recoveries, said that to prevent crime the general public must be vigilant and cautious when moving around in places where they can easily become a target for criminals. He said police are doing everything they can to cover all parts of the city, and, they will always attend to crime across the city. Mr. Sika said Port Moresby is a big place bustling with life, but crime like everywhere else around the world remains a threat; therefore, people must be security conscious at all times when moving about the city. He said in many parts of the world law enforcement agencies are using advanced technology to fight crime. He said PNG is behind in terms of technology, but the Constabulary is fortunate to have hard-working men and women who are passionately dedicated to their profession. According to Constable Victor Siapari from Fox 200 Alpha, the vehicle that was stolen and recovered at Gerehu, is a Black Volo. It was stolen at around 6pm and recovered by his team at Gerehu Stage Seven at 7 pm. He said they were doing motorized patrol around the Gerehu area when they received a phone call. The caller said the vehicle was stolen at Gesu settlement and was heading to Gerehu Stage Seven. From instinct and experience, the policemen went to Gerehu Stage 7 and found the abandoned car. He said the vehicle was recovered within one hour and was taken back to the police station. The second vehicle was stolen near the Post Courier office at Konedobu by five armed suspects. According to police officers from Hohola police station, the lone driver who was stationary at Post Courier was approached by the armed men who pointed a gun at him and took the key from him. Police patrol car Sierra 310 from Hohola Police station was driving past and they picked up the stranded victim. They drove up to Ela Makana hill and found the abandoned vehicle. No suspects were arrested in these two crimes, but investigations are continuing.

The University of Technology NCD Students Association will be carrying out education awareness programs for some high and secondary schools in Port Moresby city. NCD Student Association Representative, Mr. Arthur Kondon said that the aim of the Leadership Education Awareness program is to motivate and inspire students. “Basically its to empower students with the right information and challenge them as former students of the particular schools.” “This is our way of giving back to the community and also a way of showing that if we can do it, they can do it too.” The education awareness program is one of the two programs that the students are carrying out during their break. Kondon said that they are only doing the awareness for a few schools as they are using their own resources. He said that they wanted to do awareness at primary schools as well, but they don’t have the funding. Meanwhile, the second program the students association is running is the cleanathon program of which they started the cleanathon at the start of the week from Hohola to Tokarara and then to Gerehu. Mr. Kondon said the cleanathon was a success and he thanked students from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), the Divine Word University (DWU) and a few schools in the city that helped them out.

National airline, Air Niugini has come on board to support the 2023 Hiri Moale Festival, which is scheduled for March this year. The airline is providing travel for the winners and all contestants with the mix of domestic and international tickets at the total value of over K70,000. Air Niugini’s General Manager, Commercial Paul Abbot during the sponsor’s launch on Friday said Air Niugini as the National airline was proud to support the festival, highlighting the cultural significance and the impact the event would have on tourism and the country. He said “The Hiri Moale Festival is more than just a festival as it impacts positively on tourism, the country and its people, especially the younger generations. Part of the vision for the Festival is to protect and preserve the cultural heritage and we are pleased to be able to play our part in this. It’s an event that adds value and inspires the next generation, Air Niugini is pleased to support the festival“ Mr Abbot also said apart from supporting the contestants in the festival, the airline will also look at other opportunities such as future career pathways to support the young ladies after the event. Chairman of Motu Koita Assembly and Deputy Governor, NCD Dadi Toka said Air Niugini has been operating from the indigenous Motu Koita land since its inception and it was only fitting for the airline to support the festival. “This is not the first time Air Niugini has supported the Hiri Moale Festival and we are grateful to have the airline onboard again this year. This festival is not only for the Motu Koitabuans but for everyone” The annual Hiri Moale festival celebrates the culture of the Motu-Koitabu people, who forged unique connections with other tribes and people through seafaring and trade. This year’s festival is scheduled to take place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th March at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby.

A state of emergency has been declared for the Waitomo District with reports of flooding, slips and inundation. Waitomo district mayor John Roberston says the district has experienced widespread flooding and heavy rain. Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region. Police say a number of roads in Te Kuiti have been closed by flooding. Residents affected by flooding are also being evacuated. Waitomo residents are being urged to stay at home and not venture out into the weather. The state of emergency is for the next seven days. MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Wairarapa while Wellington has a strong wind watch. A third death related to the flooding around Auckland has been confirmed this afternoon. Police have confirmed that Fire and Emergency workers at a Shore Rd property that had been hit by a landslide found one person deceased earlier today. Police will now make enquiries on behalf of the Coroner. Two other deaths have been linked to the flooding - one body was found in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley on the North Shore last night and another man was found in a nearby carpark this morning. One person is still missing after being swept away at Onewhero in the Waikato District. Source: Radio New Zealand

Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) will be releasing the results of the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index on Tuesday 31 January 2023. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a composite index that scores and ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be by experts and business executives. The CPI is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing an annual comparative snapshot of 180 countries and territories. The index for 2022 draws on 13 expert assessments and surveys and assess how countries have responded to corruption over time, reviewing progress and failures not just in the last year but over the last decade and beyond. The 2022 CPI also analyses the connection between conflict, security and corruption – taking an in-depth look at how violence and corruption impacts one another around the world.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on Friday (27/01/23) introduced its Pacific Regional Strategy 2023-2027 to the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) and key national, provincial government agencies, development partners, and civil society organizations. The Strategy outlines how GGGI will work with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and development partners to build resilience, create green jobs, and ensure socially inclusive development. The Strategy targets the mobilization of more than USD 650 million in green investments for the Pacific region in the next five years. At the same time GGGI hopes to increase membership in the region. “GGGI’s first Pacific Regional Strategy lays out the support we at GGGI will provide to PICs to transition to a climate resilient, low emission green growth economic model,” said GGGI Regional Director, Katerina Syngellakis. “We aim to do this by combining policy advice, technical assistance, knowledge exchange and partnership brokering with developing bankable projects and attracting the critical volumes of green and climate finance that the Pacific needs,” Ms. Syngellakis added. GGGI will continue to support the Pacific region in many infrastructure and climate mitigation areas, including sustainable energy and transport, water and waste solutions, the application of green technologies, and scaling-up achievement of respective NDC targets and goals. GGGI’s Pacific Regional Strategy will also bring focus in three key areas: mobilizing investment for climate adaptation, strengthening gender equality and social inclusion, and supporting the Blue Economy for a green recovery. Through implementation of the strategy GGGI aims to create over 100,000 green jobs, provide access to affordable reliable, clean electricity to 1.6m people and support 360,000 people with enhanced capacity for adaptation and resilience to climate change impacts while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 44.6 mtCO2. In the Pacific, GGGI has offices embedded within government counterpart ministries in Fiji, Kiribati, PNG, Tonga and Vanuatu which are its five member countries. Through its regional programs GGGI also delivers green growth and climate action support in five partner countries: Nauru, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. In PNG, GGGI has worked with the government as a neutral, trusted adviser embedded in the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) since 2018. Since then, GGGI has implemented projects worth an estimated US$6 million, mobilized over 15m USD for green and climate investments and developed a project pipeline of more than $100m USD to support the Government of PNG to progress its National Development Goals and National Adaptation, Mitigation and Climate Resilient Green Growth priorities. About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Headquartered in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization that supports developing country governments’ transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI delivers programs in over 45 member and partner countries with technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and by helping to build a pipeline of bankable green investment projects. More on GGGI’s events, projects and publications can be found on www.gggi.org. You can also follow GGGI on Twitter and join us on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

A 29-year-old woman has been arrested in New Jersey for allegedly posing as a high school student. The woman, identified by police as Hyejeong Shin, has been charged with using a fake identification document to enroll in New Brunswick High School. Ms Shin attended the school for four days before staff found out her age. School officials said police are investigating the matter, and a review of the district's enrolment process will be conducted. The issue came to light at a local education board meeting on Tuesday, where New Brunswick Public School District Superintendent Aubrey Johnson told attendees that Ms Shin was caught at the school. "Last week, by filing some false documents, an adult female posing as a student was able to be enrolled in our high school," Mr Johnson said. He added that she had been in a few classes and spent some time with guidance counsellors, who tried to find out more information about her. Ms Shin's false age was then uncovered, Mr Johnson said, and the school immediately notified police. She has since been arrested for providing a false birth certificate "with the intent to enrol as a juvenile high-school student", the New Brunswick Police Department has said. Students said the woman had texted some of them, asking them to hang out. One told CBS New York that the girls "never showed up, and she [Ms Shin] started acting weird with them". New Jersey state law allows students to be enrolled in school even without a guardian or without all the required paperwork, police said. This is not the first time an adult has been caught posing as a high school student. A man named Brian MacKinnon posed as a fifth-year student in a high school near Glasgow in 1993 when he was 30 years old. He claimed to be a 17-year-old from Canada. MacKinnon remained enrolled at the school for a whole year. He was exposed a year later when he was a student at Dundee University's medical school, after a newspaper reported on his real identity.   Source: BBC

Archaeologists say they have found a gold leaf-covered mummy sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years. The mummy, the remains of a man named Hekashepes, is thought to be one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever found in Egypt. It was discovered down a 15m (50ft) shaft at a burial site south of Cairo, Saqqara, where three other tombs were found. One tomb belonged to a "secret keeper". The largest of the mummies that were unearthed at the ancient necropolis is said to belong to a man called Khnumdjedef - a priest, inspector and supervisor of nobles. Another belonged to a man called Meri, who was a senior palace official given the title of "secret keeper", which allowed him to perform special religious rituals. A judge and writer named Fetek is thought to have been laid to rest in the other tomb, where a collection of what are thought to be the largest statues ever found in the area had been discovered. Several other items, including pottery, have also been found among the tombs. Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister, has said all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC. "This discovery is so important as it connects the kings with the people living around them," said Ali Abu Deshish, another archaeologist involved in the excavation. Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramid, near where the shaft containing the mummy was found. Thursday's discovery comes just a day after experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor said they had discovered a complete residential city from the Roman era, dating back to the second and third centuries AD. Archaeologists found residential buildings, towers and what they've called "metal workshops" - containing pots, tools and Roman coins. Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, as part of efforts to revive its tourism industry. The government hopes its Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open this year following delays, will draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028. But, critics have accused Egypt's government of prioritising media-grabbing finds over hard academic research in order to attract more tourism.     Source: BBC