It's been five years since Taylor Swift last went on tour, during which time she's released four albums, including the Grammy Award-winning Folklore. Her live absence - enforced by the pandemic - was clearly a source of frustration, because her first show back was a three-hour, fifteen-minute extravaganza, including 44 songs from across her career. "I can't even go into how much I've missed you," Swift told fans, as she took to the stage for the opening night of her Eras tour. The star had promised the show would be "a journey through all of my musical eras" and the appetite for tickets was so great that it caused Ticketmaster's systems to fall over. Despite that, the tour broke the record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day, at 2.4 million. About 80,000 of those fans attended the first show at Arizona's State Farm Stadium, where they were treated to a trawl through Swift's hugely varied back catalogue. The set was split into sections, one for each of her 10 albums, tracing her journey from country ingénue to chart-topping pop star to lockdown-era folk singer (albeit with a mixed-up chronology). She opened with Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, a cherished fan favourite from 2019's Lover album, before segueing into the dreamy pop of Cruel Summer. Dressed in a diamond-encrusted leotard outfit and surrounded by dancers with elaborate peacock tails, she soaked up the crowd's applause, declaring: "I don't know how to process all of this and how it's making me feel right now. "[But] let me start by saying you're making me feel fantastic". The show is a massive production, with 16 dancers, multiple set and costume changes and a long, illuminated catwalk leading to a second stage. At one point, she appeared to dive into the stage and swim to the middle of the stadium, before emerging on a rising platform to play her recent single, Lavender Haze. Look What Made You Do was performed against a giant video wall showing Swift in various personas from her 17-year career while Blank Space featured dancers riding blue neon bikes, straight out of Tron. For the more pastoral songs of Folklore, Swift appeared inside a moss-covered country shack, first seen in her 2021 Grammy Awards performance. Later, on the cutthroat revenge fantasy Vigilante, she performed a Fosse-inspired chair routine. But the highlight for many was the full 10-minute version of All Too Well - the song she allegedly wrote about actor and ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal - which was performed in a flowing red overcoat as snowflakes fell across the stage. Throughout, the audience sang every word in devoted adoration. The feeling was very clearly mutual. At one point, Swift interrupted her own stage patter to deadpan: "I'm trying to tell you I love you and I'm babbling." Early reviews for the concert have been enthusiastic, highlighting the extensive setlist and cinematic production values. "The queen of pop reclaims her throne," declared The Times, adding: "If there is a danger that shifting between 10 such different albums could lead to an uneven experience it is somehow avoided here, with Swift managing to produce a cohesive experience despite the constantly changing outfits and backdrops." "She managed to make it look easy, enjoying the journey as much as the Swifties in attendance did," agreed local news outlet Arizona Central. "The Swifties are certainly going to be Enchanted," said Hello magazine, in a review peppered with Swift's song titles. "It's been a long wait back to this moment, but karma is, indeed, a queen - and this was worth the wait." "The achievement is often staggering" concluded Billboard, "with costume changes, set-piece upheaval [and] vulnerable moments in a crowd of thousands and sing-alongs that will rival the scope of any tour this year." The only criticism, from fans and reviewers alike, was that Swift's third album Speak Now was given short shrift, with only one song on the setlist (the understated ballad Enchanted, performed in a ballgown, pictured above). "She paid this album dust," wrote one concertgoer on Reddit. "The dress was beautiful though." Rumours are already circulating that the Speak Now section will be expanded during the tour, with Swift expected to release a re-recorded version of the album as part of her ongoing campaign to regain control of her masters. For now, the 52-date tour is restricted to the US. It is not known whether the extravagant production will come to the rest of the world - but fans are living in hope. Source: BBC

The Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUOT) NCD Students and Staff Association has been finally reactivated just recently after been dormant for the last seven years. The Association had its first official meeting on Saturday, 11th March after being inactive following the protests and boycott back in 2016. During the official meeting, Association Executives were formed, and the association is confident that the strong team will lead the association this year and onwards. The meeting was chaired by the Vice President, Mr. Arthur Kondon. First year students were given the chance to introduce themselves then voting was done to form the association executives. The Association President, Felix Soto later welcomed the first-year students, congratulated the newly appointed executives, and gave updates regarding the scholarship funds from the NCD office. After his important updates, the chairman closed the meeting, marking the end of the first official meeting of the Unitech NCD Students and Staff Association. The 2023 interim executives for the newly revived NCD Students and Staffs Association are as follows: 1. President- Felix Soto (Final year civil engineering student) 2. Male Vice President- Arthur Kondon (Final Year Mining Engineering Student) 3. Female Vice president- Pelina Panda (final year geographic information science Student) 4. Treasurer- Dimmy Kiponge (third year mechanical engineering student) 5. Secretary- Japena Elawi (Final Year geographic information science Student)

The government, in its effort to properly implement development and service provision to the people, introduced a new bill that is now before parliament, to increase the number of Cabinet ministries from 32 to 38. Prime Minister (PM) James Marape introduced the Bill recently to amend the Prime Minister and National Executive Council (NEC) Act to bring up the number of ministries because of increased workload and to cater for the addition in the number of electorates in recent times. PM Marape said more ministers were needed to manage key sectors and address pressing development issues to keep up with the fast-increasing growth rate of the country. “On the eve of the 10th Parliament, we presented the Electoral Boundaries Commission Report and Parliament approved seven new open seats to be included in the 2022 Election and now we have a 118 seat Parliament. “Consistent with the approval last year, by 2027 we will have a further five seats included in this Parliament. This gives us an opportunity to better build up our people’s representation in Parliament and to better distribute the nation’s resources. This increase must be seen in the context of no adjustments since 1977. Our representation was stagnant for a better part of our 48 years as an independent country. “We also have our population growth rate at around 3 percent with an economy growth that is trying to catch up. We now have 97 electorates and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, with five more electorates coming up. “We need to start counter these increases. So, we need to set up new ministries, get competent ministers in, so the Government can concentrate on those sectors that are lying idle or need more focus on, and improve service delivery in these areas,” PM Marape said.

The Broncos set up a top of the table showdown with the Dolphins after piling on four tries in nine minutes to beat the Dragons 40-18 at Suncorp Stadium. The Broncos trailed 16-8 at halftime and the scores were locked at 18-18 until the 71st minute but they finished too strong to ensure an epic build up to the historic clash with their new cross-town rivals on Friday night. However, a two-point field goal on the last play of the first half by Broncos captain Adam Reynolds narrowed the deficit to 16-8 at the interval and it was a different game after the break. Staggs got his second try in the 50th minute after gathering up a Reynolds grubber kick and juggling the ball before regaining control and performing a forward roll as he ground the ball in the Dragons in-goal. A try saving tackle by Sloan denied Cobbo and the Dragons appeared to have steadied when Mikaele Ravalawa burst through the defence from the backfield. Zac Lomax won the race for a deep kick from Ben Hunt, only for the try to be disallowed after replays showed he had put his hand on the touchline as he ground the ball. Cobbo was finally rewarded when he scored eight minutes before fulltime after Reynolds feigned to kick and passed to fullback Reece Walsh, who turned the winger back inside to cross near the posts. Source: NRL.com

Lance Reddick, an actor in the popular HBO series The Wire, has died aged 60, according to US media outlets. Reddick was also known for starring as Charon in the John Wick action-thriller movie franchise. The musician and actor died suddenly of natural causes on Friday in his Los Angeles home, his publicist said. Police were called to the actor's house around 09:30 local time (16:30 GMT), the publicist told US media. "Lance will be greatly missed," his publicist, Mia Hansen, said in a statement. "Please respect his family's privacy at this time." Reddick had been in the middle of a press tour for the fourth instalment of the John Wick movies, which is slated to be released on 24 March. He is also set to appear in the upcoming John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. Reddick, a native of Baltimore, appeared in more than a dozen films and shows during his 25-year acting career. He was Charon, the hotel concierge at a New York criminal underground hub called The Continental Hotel in the John Wick movies. He appeared in the original movie, its two sequels and is set to appear in the fourth instalment. The actor was also known for his breakout role as Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in The Wire, a series that ran from 2002 to 2008 and examined the narcotics scene in Baltimore from the perspective of law enforcement as well as drug dealers and users. Reddick told the Guardian in 2010 that he thought the show would be a "hit" but did not anticipate it "would become this phenomenon". The actor was in the Resident Evil Netflix series and the science fiction-action movie Godzilla vs. Kong. He was known for his voice acting work as well, including for the TV series Rick and Morty. Reddick studied classical music at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York, where he received a bachelor's degree before attending the Yale School of Drama. He earned a SAG Award nomination in 2021 along with fellow cast members for his role in the film One Night in Miami. The actor is survived by his wife, Stephanie, as well as a daughter, Yvonne Nicole Reddick, and a son, Christopher Reddick. Reddick told the Los Angeles Times in 2009 that he felt like an "artist at heart". "When I went to drama school, I knew I was at least as talented as other students, but because I was a black man and I wasn't pretty, I knew I would have to work my butt off to be the best that I would be," he said at the time. His death comes two years after Reddick's co-star Michael K Williams, who played Omar in The Wire, died of an overdose. Last year, four people were charged for allegedly selling the drugs that Williams took before his death. Source: BBC

The Titans emerged 38-34 winners over the Storm on Saturday afternoon in a contest which saw 12 tries scored in sweltering conditions on the Gold Coast. The Titans trailed 24-18 at the break before overcoming the error-prone Storm in the second 40 minutes, with star off-season recruit and chief playmaker Kieran Foran impressing, despite spending 24 minutes on the bench after being substituted in a surprise move by coach Justin Holbrook. Even in his more limited role, Foran set up a try and laid on two line breaks, which included helping rookie winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira to a first-half double. While it was high-scoring, it was also full of errors from both sides, with the Storm coughing the ball up 17 times and the Titans 13, with 12 penalties conceded between them. After taking a six-point lead into the break, the Storm made a horror start to the second stanza, with errors from Jahrome Hughes leading directly to a pair of Titans tries in the first six minutes after half-time. But Melbourne refused to go away, with tries to Hughes and Xavier Coates in the final 15 minutes ensuring the final result went down to the wire. Source: NRL.com

Kiriwina Secondary school in the Milne Bay Province has been a secondary school for the 3rd year now but since getting upgraded to secondary school status, the school has been enrolling more students but there are not enough infrastructures to cater for the students. School Principal, Mr. Cyril Tomodiwaona said that they currently don’t have specialized classrooms such as physics and chemistry labs for the students. “We are a boarding school and we have over 100 girls staying in a dorm that is supposed to cater for only 60 girls.” “Another problem we have is staff housing as we currently have 11 staff houses and 21 teachers at the school, so we don’t have enough houses for our teachers to live on the school premises.” He said that the girls’ dormitory is important and so is staff housing; however, they do not have the funds to build these infrastructures. He said that they have submitted requests for funds to assist the school at the district level and they are now just waiting for a response from the district administration. He added that they haven't reached out to the local member yet. They will only do so if they do not get a favourable response from the District Education Office to ask for funds to build infrastructures for the school. Meanwhile, Tomodiwaona said that the school has a teacher ceiling of 30 teacher, but they are unable to get any more teachers due to not enough staff houses.

The Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs and Member for Kikori, Soroi Eoe, is now the Acting Minister for the Department of Commerce and Industry (DCI). Prime Minister (PM) James Marape appointed Mr. Eoe as the Acting Minister to determine stability while the incumbent Minister for DCI, Mr. Henry Amuli, continues contesting a National Court Decision that declared his seat as a member, null and void. Minister Eoe has met with all DCI divisional heads for a briefing to discuss their departments work status. Minister Eoe encouraged the departmental heads to focus on their mandated task in creating a sustainable socio-economic growth for the country. He said that DCI plays a vital role in growing the country’s economy and that they must maximize both natural and human resources to achieve this. Minister Eoe commended DCI Secretary David Ganai and senior staff for providing their respective briefs. He pledged his support to ensure issues are identified and addressed in his term as Acting Minister.

Five tries between wingers Tesi Niu and Jamayne Isaako lifted the Dolphins to a 36-20 victory over the Knights on Friday evening, which saw them become just the third expansion team to win their opening three games. Niu scored twice in the first half before his third with 12 minutes to go looked to have put the result beyond doubt, only for Felise Kaufusi to then be sent to the sin bin for a late tackle which saw him put on report for the second time in the game at McDonald Jones Stadium. It set up a nervous finish, before Isaako's double inside the last five minutes saw Wayne Bennett's side get past a stubborn Knights side who had three players appearing at NRL level for the first time, with a bench that had just 18 total games of first-grade experience. The Dolphins controlled much of the first 40 minutes to lead 16-12 at the break, but couldn't shake the plucky Knights who were led by an inspired showing from fullback Lachlan Miller, who at one stage looked set to lift his team to victory after scoring five minutes either side of the break. After the Dolphins fought back to lead 26-18 with 11 minutes to play, following the Knights hitting the front early in the second half, Newcastle centre Bradman Best blew a golden chance to put his side back into the game when he dropped a potential try over the line, and minutes later Isaako's quick double ended any debate around the result. Source: NRL.com

Jaxson Paulo played a leading role in the downfall of his former club on Friday night, scoring twice to help the Roosters beat the Rabbitohs 20-18 in a typically fierce encounter between the great rivals. A second-half double from Paulo helped lift the Tricolours to victory, but only after they survived a wild finish which saw the Rabbitohs score with two minutes to play, setting up a hail Mary two-point field goal attempt from Latrell Mitchell which fell short of the posts. Earlier South Sydney raced out to a 10-0 lead after 15 minutes and dominated the opening proceedings at Allianz Stadium. It was a masterclass in interchange management from coach Trent Robinson that changed the game on 24 minutes, with the introduction of Kiwi Test stars Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Brandon Smith, who had reverted to bench roles just before kick-off, wrestling momentum in their side's favour, which included Smith scoring his team's first try. As predicted the opening exchanges were full of emotion, and a heavy collision on the first set saw Hame Sele leave the field for a HIA which he failed, before Joseph Sua'ali'i was placed on report. It didn't take long for the Rabbitohs to settle into their rhythm though, and by the time the clock hit 13 minutes they were up 10-0 thanks to tries from Keaon Koloamatangi and Alex Johnston, the first of which was converted by Mitchell. But Smith's clever try from dummy-half, followed by a peach of a kick from Luke Keary to put Daniel Tupou over, saw the Roosters tie things up, and although a late penalty goal gave Souths a 12-10 lead at the break, the game had turned in favour of the Roosters. Paulo's first try five minutes into the second half gave the Roosters the lead for the first time, before his second – which followed a miraculous try-saving strip from Joey Manu minutes earlier – put them in position to close the game out. The Roosters survived the late comeback from the Rabbitohs to pick up their second win of the year. Source: NRL.com

The Ministerial Vaccine Taskforce visited New Ireland Provincial Health Authority from March 12 – 16 2023 to learn about challenges in managing COVID-19 as well as their successes and experiences. The Taskforce aim is to ensure that 60%-80% of all health facilities with functioning Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) have COVID-19 vaccines by March 2023; And 100% of all health facilities with functioning CCE must have both COVID-19 and routine immunisation vaccines. Starting from March onward, integrating COVID-19 and routine immunisation will be a key focus for the Vaccine Taskforce as it works together with other health authorities and donor partners to normalise the COVID-19 vaccines in Papua New Guinea. Uptake of COVID-19 vaccination is the best way to ensure the protection of one’s health and that of their families. Get vaccinated at an authorised vaccination site near you today to protect yourself and your family. Call the hotline number 1800 200 for more information.  

OpenAI has released GPT-4, the latest version of its hugely popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. The new model can respond to images - providing recipe suggestions from photos of ingredients, for example, as well as writing captions and descriptions. It can also process up to 25,000 words, about eight times as many as ChatGPT. Millions of people have used ChatGPT since it launched in November 2022. Popular requests for it include writing songs, poems, marketing copy, computer code, and helping with homework - although teachers say students shouldn't use it. ChatGPT answers questions using natural human-like language, and it can also mimic other writing styles such as songwriters and authors, using the internet as it was in 2021 as its knowledge database. There are concerns that it could one day take over many jobs currently done by humans. OpenAI said it had spent six months on safety features for GPT-4, and had trained it on human feedback. However it warned that it may still be prone to sharing disinformation. GPT-4 will initially be available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, who pay $20 per month for premium access to the service. It's already powering Microsoft's Bing search engine platform. The tech giant has invested $10b into OpenAI. In a live demo it generated an answer to a complicated tax query - although there was no way to verify its answer. GPT-4, like ChatGPT, is a type of generative artificial intelligence. Generative AI uses algorithms and predictive text to create new content based on prompts. GPT-4 has "more advanced reasoning skills" than ChatGPT, OpenAI said. The model can, for example, find available meeting times for three schedules. OpenAI also announced new partnerships with language learning app Duolingo and Be My Eyes, an application for the visually impaired, to create AI Chatbots which can assist their users using natural language. However, like its predecessors, OpenAI has warned that GPT-4 is still not fully reliable and may "hallucinate" - a phenomenon where AI invents facts or makes reasoning errors. Source: BBC