Cristiano Ronaldo will pocket a whopping £177 million a year (more than K500 million) salary at Al Nassr and become the highest-paid athlete in history. The 37-year-old’s move to the Saudi Arabian side was confirmed last Friday with the Portuguese superstar penning a deal until 2025. The former Manchester United forward says he is thrilled about the new experience in a different league and a different country. Ronaldo says he is excited to join his teammates and help his team to achieve more success. Ronaldo will earn more than boxing world champions Canelo [£74m] and Tyson Fury [£51m] combined. Other notable athletes Ronaldo will earn more than include NBA stars LeBron James [£100m], Steph Curry [£76.7m] and Kevin Durant [£76.1m]. Meanwhile, speaking on his decision to join Al Nassr, Ronaldo says the vision with which Al Nassr operates is inspiring and is excited to join his teammates and help them to achieve more success. Source:talkSport

Venus Williams won her first tour-level singles match in a year and a half on Monday, defeating fellow American Katie Volynets 7-6(4) 6-2 in the opening round of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. The 42-year-old Williams, who won the ASB Classic in 2015 and gained a wild card entry for this year’s tournament, came back from a break down in the first set against Volynets to set up a meeting with China’s Lin Zhu in the next round. In a close first set, Volynets was serving to take an early lead in the match at 5-4, but Williams hit back by breaking her opponent to love before going on to take the tie break. She then raced into a 5-0 lead in the second set and had the match wrapped up three games later – her first singles victory since defeating Romania’s Mihaela Buzărnescu at Wimbledon in 2021. “This is one of my favorite places to come, I was so excited that I made it here … I’m happy to get a win today against a great opponent,” Williams, a former world No. 1 and seven-time grand slam champion, said in her on-court interview. Last month, it was announced that Williams, who made her professional debut back in 1994, had received a wild card for the main draw of the upcoming Australian Open, which begins on January 16. Source: CNN News

Jeremy Renner is in critical but stable condition in the hospital after becoming injured while plowing snow outside his Lake Tahoe home. The 51-year-old Marvel star was airlifted to hospital on Sunday after police were called to his rural mansion Lake Tahoe. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain unclear but police described it as a 'weather-related' incident involving a snow plow. A winter storm in the area left 35,000 people without power amid heavy snow fall and winds. Renner was alone at the time. 'We can confirm Jeremy is in critical but stable condition with injuries suffered after experiencing a weather related accident while plowing snow earlier today. 'His family is with him and he is receiving excellent care,' a spokesman said in a statement. Washoe County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Kristin Vietti added: 'Upon arrival, deputies coordinated with Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and REMSA Health to arrange for medical transport of Jeremy Renner via care flight to a local area hospital. Renner tweeted about the huge amount of snow at his US ranch in December, writing: 'Lake Tahoe snowfall is no joke.' His home is in a secluded mountainous area and he has shared numerous social media posts showing snow encasing his cars and even reaching his first floor windows. Fans have said they are praying for the two-time Academy Award nominee, best known for playing Avenger Hawkeye in the Marvel universe, Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy and William Brandt in the Mission Impossible movies. It came as dozens of people were killed across the US amid blizzard conditions. The Arctic blast stirred up heavy winds and snow, trapping some residents inside their houses with snowdrifts and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada down to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. In a video posted to his Instagram account last December, the actor could be seen enjoying driving his industrial-sized snow thrower. 'I have so much respect for Mother Earth, and Mother Nature … I expect to lose the fight but I'll always give it my best shot,' he wrote. Several other pictures and videos posted to social media show him enjoying driving heavy machinery with everything from plows on caterpillar tracks to massive snow plows and other winter weather buggies. In the past Renner has also openly told of how he often spends time working with local fire departments, helping their teams, and has even bought a spare fire engine. 'I work with the fire departments up there and they are pretty awesome. They are teaching me and helping me, and I still have to get some more hours in with them.' Fans took to Twitter to wish for Renner a speedy recovery. 'I hope he pulls through. That's horrifying,' one person tweeted. 'Praying for Jeremy Renner,' said another. 'Sending up prayers for his swift recovery' wrote another well-wisher. The Avengers actor spends time at the ranch with his nine-year-old daughter Ava, who he shares with his ex-wife Sonni Pacheco. Renner and Pacheco wed in 2014 and split later that year, with their divorce finalized the following year. Their split made headlines after Pacheco leveled a number of claims at the Hawkeye actor amid their custody battle for Ava. Pacheco in 2019 said in court docs filed in Los Angeles that Renner had threatened he would fatally shoot her and himself, TMZ reported. She claimed that the actor had been verbally abusive to her and had issues with drug abuse, which Renner denied. A rep for the Mayor of Kingstown actor told US Weekly in October of 2019, 'The well-being of his daughter Ava has always been and continues to be the primary focus for Jeremy. This is a matter for the court to decide. 'It’s important to note the dramatizations made in Sonni’s declaration are a one-sided account made with a specific goal in mind.' The couple's public clash made headlines last year at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when Renner submitted court docs in an effort to have his child support payments lowered, citing a lack of work as the studios had shut down at the time. She subsequently told Page Six in a statement, 'It is very disheartening that in a time of global crisis there is yet another attempt to reduce funds I rely on to provide for our child.' A powerful storm has brought heavy rain and snowfall to much of California, causing traffic jams and closing major roads as the state prepared to usher in a new year. In the high Sierra Nevada, where Renner's home is located, about 2ft of snow fell on New Year's Day - but as much as 5ft was predicted. The Sacramento agency released a map of 24-hour precipitation showing a wide range of totals in the region, from less than an inch in some areas to more than 5in in the Sierra foothills. The US National Weather Service in Sacramento had warned about hazardous driving conditions and posted photos on Twitter showing traffic on snow-covered mountain passes, where vehicles are required to have chains or four-wheel drive. A so-called atmospheric river storm was pulling in a long and wide plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean.  Near Lake Tahoe, dozens of drivers were rescued on New Year's Eve along Interstate 80 after cars spun out in the snow during the blizzard, the California Department of Transportation said. The key route to the mountains from the San Francisco Bay Area reopened early Sunday to passenger vehicles with chains. 'The roads are extremely slick so let´s all work together and slow down so we can keep I-80 open,' the California Highway Patrol said on Twitter. Several other highways, including State Route 50, also reopened. More than 4ft of snow had accumulated in the high Sierra Nevada, and the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area said heavy, wet snow would cause major delays in chairlift openings. On Saturday, the resort reported numerous lift closings, citing high winds, low visibility and ice. Flooding and rock slides also closed portions of roads across Northern California. It was the first of several storms expected to roll across California over the next week. Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento, said the current system is expected to be warmer and wetter, while next week's storms will be colder. Renner is a two-time Oscar nominee, scoring back-to-back nods for The Hurt Locker and The Town. Source: dailymail.com

The Western Pacific University management announces that our 2023 tuition fees are K12,000.00 for all students. In order to be registered for the 2023 academic year and during registration week, both self-sponsored students (continuing and new in-takes)and TESAS students (continuing and new intakes) are required to pay 75 % of the 2023 annual fee for semester one under each respective student category they fall under during registration week in February 2023. Please refer to the fee structure in the table below. Acceptance letters have already been emailed to successful applicants, with relevant information including our account details. Should you have any further questions or need clarification on the tuition fees, contact registrar@wpu.ac.pg . We also encourage successful applicants to respond to their acceptance letter by 31st January 2023 We also take this opportunity to send a reminder to those continuing students with outstanding tuition fees to settle these before the start of the 2023 academic year. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. The Western Pacific University was established by an Act of Parliament in 2014 and is one of the major impact projects initiated by the O’Neill Government to address access issues faced by the Higher and Technical Education Sector, the issue being the annual increasing influx of Grade Twelve (12) students. It became imperative to address the urgent needs of human resource capacity building in Papua New Guinea. Western Pacific University is also a testament to the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology’s (DHERST) commitment to the roll-out of the i-PNG strategy of creating a network of closely linked higher education institutions through digitalization, with each institution providing access and quality through digital education service delivery.    

Melbourne fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen will join Sea Eagles ace Tom Trbojevic in the United States over the pre-season as they look to recover from ongoing knee and hamstring injuries. Both Papenhuyzen and Trbojevic will follow the path of Latrell Mitchell in heading to Philadelphia to work with reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles, who helped the Rabbitohs star get back on the field after his own hamstring setbacks earlier in 2022. Trbojevic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain at training in December with a two-month recovery period expected. The star fullback was otherwise progressing well from shoulder surgery that cut his 2022 season short and remains on track for the season opener against the Bulldogs on March 4. Papenhuyzen, meanwhile, has been sidelined since picking up a knee injury against Canberra in July, and will look to return from the United States in time for the second week of Melbourne's annual pre-season camp in Geelong. Meanwhile, Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton underwent minor ankle surgery following his return from the World Cup but will return to full training in January. Broncos forward Kobe Hetherington is "out for an extended period" after he ruptured his biceps during a training session in December. Hetherington underwent surgery immediately and will aim to return to the field in the middle of 2023.  Source: NRL.Com

Some parts of Western Division are flooded as heavy rain has continued from the weekend. National Disaster Management Office says access along the Kings Highway is currently limited due to flooding of several main access routes. The Ba Main Street and bus stand area is flooded. Western Division Command Centre confirms Varadoli Cemetery Road, Toge Bridge and Manitawa Bridge are flooded. The Yaladro and Balata flats and Qalela Bridge in Tavua are also flooded. Fiji Roads Authority says Navula Road in Lautoka is flooded and currently closed to all traffic. They say parts of Rakiraki including Katudrau Crossing, Drana Crossing, Narara Road, Narara Road Crossing No 1 and Vatukacevaceva Road are flooded. Source: FijiVillage

Youths of Rakival ward on the island LLG of Watom in Rabaul District of East New Britain surrendered six sets of homebrew equipment to police during the special operations currently being conducted in the district. Team leader for Watom festive operations, Francis Tatau said on Monday, January 2nd that he is very happy with the change of mind shown by youths, for a better life. He said social problems witnessed in the communities were a result of homebrew consumption. “This is the way forward as people are supporting the special operations supported by the Rabaul District Administration and Watom LLG Administration in addressing law and order,” he said. Mr. Tatau said for Watom LLG their focus during the special 14 days operation is more on ensuring a safe, peaceful and harmonious festive season. “On Boxing Day, youths from Rakival ward surrendered the homebrew kits to us (operation team) signifying a stop from this illegal activity,” he said. Mr. Tatau said during the operation, they conducted more awareness on homebrew consumption and law and order issues within the wards, including police patrols and also working with ward development committees to collect outstanding fines. “As for the safety of the people, we encouraged boats owners and operators to depart the mainland at Raolo beach by 5pm. Boats caught not adhering to operational orders are charged,” he said. Mr. Tatau said however overall the festive period is trouble free unlike previous years. “This, I believe is due to the collaborative effort by wards through their ward development committees,” he said. The special festive operation for Rabaul District will end on Wed Jan 4.

The Port Moresby General Hospital Labour Ward delivered forty (40) babies during New Year’s Day, Sunday, the 1st of January, 2023. Of the 40 babies, 25 were male and 15 were female; three deliveries were via Cesarean section and the rest were normal births. A set of twins was also delivered where one baby was delivered through normal childbirth but the mother was assisted via vacuum to deliver the second baby. Mother from Simbu, Susan Michael, delivered the heaviest baby for New Year’s Day, a bouncing baby boy weighing a whopping 4.3 kg who was born at 1:10 pm. Dilala Kiniwi, 31, from Southern Highlands Province who delivered her baby girl weighing 3.75 kg said in 2016, she had delivered a set of twins, a boy and a girl on Christmas Day so she’s happy to have another special baby again. “I feel it’s a blessing to me because it’s a double celebration for me. When we are celebrating Christmas, I will also celebrate the birth of my twins and when we celebrate the New Year, I will be celebrating my daughter’s birthday too. So it’s a double blessing with double celebrations for me and my family,” said Ms. Kiniwi. Betty Will, 34 from Enga who gave birth to a baby girl weighing 3.7 kg at 7 pm said that her water broke after the turn of the New Year; however, because they resided at Morata 2, it was difficult to come quickly to the hospital. She said she was in a lot of pain and they had called the St John Ambulance for assistance but due to fighting and rowdy celebration going on in the area, the ambulance team was not able to go in to assist her. “Long moning, mipela kalap long taxi na polis eskotim mipela kam lusim mipela long Waigani na mipela kam long hausik (We got on a taxi in the morning and the police escorted us to Waigani and then we came to the hospital),” said Ms Will. It is believed that the PMGH Labour Ward had the highest number of babies born on New Year’s Day. Photo Captions: 1. Betty Will, 34 from Enga Province with her daughter who was born on New Year's Day around 7 pm weighing 3.7 kg. 2. Dilala Kiniwi, 31 from Southern Highlands Province pictured with her daughter who was born during the early morning of New Year's Day. 3. Olivia Amos, 22, from Western Highlands Province looks lovingly at her baby girl who was born at 1:15 am. Her baby was the first to be recorded being born on New Year’s Day.

New York has become the latest US state to allow so-called human composting. A person can now have their body turned into soil after their death - which is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to a burial or cremation. Also known as "natural organic reduction", the practice sees a body decompose over several weeks after being shut in a container. In 2019, Washington was the first US state to legalise it. Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and California followed suit. New York is therefore the sixth American jurisdiction to allow human composting, following Saturday's stamp of approval from Kathy Hochul, the state's Democratic governor. The process happens in special above-ground facilities. A body is put in a closed vessel along with selected materials such as woodchips, alfalfa and straw grass, and gradually breaks down under the action of microbes. After a period of around a month - and a heating process to kill off any contagion - loved ones are given the resulting soil. This can be used in planting flowers, vegetables or trees. One US firm, Recompose, has said its service can save a tonne of carbon compared with a cremation or a traditional burial. Emissions of carbon dioxide are a major contributor to climate change, because they act to trap the Earth's heat in a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. Traditional burials involving a coffin also consume wood, land and other natural resources. Proponents of human composting say it is not only a more environmental option, but also a more practical one in cities where land for cemeteries is limited. New York's approval of the process was "a huge step for accessible green death care nationwide", one Washington-based provider, Return Home, told the New York Post. But, for some, there are ethical questions about what happens to the soil which results from the composting. Catholic bishops in New York state reportedly opposed the legislation, arguing that human bodies should not be treated like "household waste". Concerns have also been raised about the cost of composting. But the firm Recompose - whose facility in Seattle is one of the world's first - says its $7,000 (£5,786) fee is "comparable" with rival options. The median sum in the US for a funeral with a burial was $7,848 in 2021, or $6,971 for a funeral with a cremation, according to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). Human composting is already legal throughout Sweden. And natural burials - in which a body is buried without a coffin or with a biodegradable coffin - are permitted in the UK. Source: BBC

An earthquake struck Northern California Sunday morning for the second time in less than a two-week span, according to the US Geological Survey. The 5.4 magnitude earthquake occurred about 30 miles south of Eureka and was centered about 9 miles southeast of Rio Dell, the USGS said. The earthquake was a shallow one, occurring at a depth of about 17.3 miles, according to preliminary information from the agency. Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes said the quake shook her house. “It was crazy. The earthquake felt more violent this time,” Garnes told CNN. “It was shorter, but more violent. My refrigerator moved two feet. Things came out of the refrigerator. There’s a crack in my wall from the violence of it.” Garnes said a neighbor’s house also had a crack in the wall from the quake. This is the second earthquake to strike the Northern California region in less than a month. A 6.4 earthquake that shook the region on December 20 left two people dead. Garnes said 27 homes were red-tagged – meaning they were unsafe due to damage – and 73 homes yellow-tagged in Rio Dell from that quake. As of Sunday morning, the USGS said the latest quake is a green pager, indicating there were no estimated fatalities and very low estimated economic losses. Source: CNN

At least nine people have died in a crowd crush during New Year festivities in the Ugandan capital Kampala. A number of children were killed in the incident that unfolded in a shopping center that hosted a fireworks display. One eyewitness explained that people - including his friend - suffocated after getting caught between crowds that were moving in opposing directions. Big gatherings for New Year's Eve were allowed for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Kampala police said people had attended a concert at Freedom City Mall in large numbers. A crowd surge was said to occurred when partygoers tried to head back inside - having gone outdoors to see the midnight fireworks. Five people - described as "mostly children, juveniles" - were said to have been killed after being stepped on. The death toll was later put at nine after a number of people were taken to hospital. An eyewitness, Ramadhan Aphongo, told local broadcaster NTV that a friend was among the victims: "She was enjoying, she was having fun, but due to loss of breath... eventually she died." An investigation is under way. Source: BBC

The arrest of three men in Rabaul for possession of drugs during the festive period has exposed a well-organized drug syndicate in East New Britain. Cleopas Warpit, ward member for Vunadidir ward in Toma Vunadidir LLG in Gazelle District said this when commending and appreciating the efforts of police officers involved in the Rabaul District festive operations. The trio- Tazo Tinoa from Eastern Highlands Province, Raymond Peter from Aperera village, Kainantu, EHP and Tony Walange from Suhumu village, East Sepik Province were charged on Tuesday Dec 27, 2022 after police confiscated 16 kilograms of marijuana drugs from them that was carefully hidden in a bag of sweet potatoes from Lae, aboard the MV Kula. On Friday Dec 30, 2022, Rabaul District Court convicted and sentenced the three men to serve a total of 12 years at Kerevat jail with hard labour. “It is a risky job to investigate, act on tip off and arrest drug dealers but we have to break the cycle. We must continue to discourage youths from taking drugs as it is lethal and a catalyst for disorder,” Mr Warpit said. He said at Vunadidir ward, the ward development committee has been monitoring Raymond Peter’s movement, a notorious drug dealer, as he is married to a local woman from Vunadidir. Peter has previously served time for the same offence. “Raymond Peter is involved in a sophisticated network and his arrest will likely to reveal more,” the ward member said. Mr Warpit said drug abuse in his ward is a threat to his initiated Backyard Sports program. “People are buying K50 worth of marijuana packs and repacking to sell K2 packs". "Many social disorders today in our communities are drug related. Vunadidir ward has a total of 10 mentally disturbed youths between the age group of 12 and 30, a direct result of drug abuse,” he said. The ward member has called on the ENB provincial government to set up a special unit for drugs, put more support into community development sector and recently established ward development committees to work in collaboration to address these critical issues. He said clergies must go one step further. “This is a big challenge as we go in the New Year. If we do not act now, we will have a mentally disturbed generation with chaotic leadership,” Mr Warpit said.