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Israeli Businesses Offered Land

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Israeli Business

Prime Minister James Marape has offered land in a special economic zone in Papua New Guinea for interested Israeli businesses.

Marape extended the invitation to Israel Manufacturers Association to engage in business opportunities in PNG, hours after touching down in Tel Aviv on Monday.

“I would like to offer you land. As you give us land for our Embassy here, we would like to offer you land, not just for your mission in Port Moresby, but a big piece of land for a Special Economic Zone for Israeli businesses to take residence in our country to do business, to mount your satellite, and do business,” said Marape.

The Prime Minister flew to Israel to open PNG’s newest Embassy in Jerusalem.

While there, Marape spoke strongly about PNG’s resources in the oil, gas and mining space and sustainable resources in Forestry, Agriculture, and Fisheries.

“We have natural resources in oil and gas, and in our forestry, fisheries and agriculture. We have more than enough land for you to come in and start your businesses, and I am willing to give you tax-free incentives,”said Marape.

He said with PNG’s geographical location in relation to Asia and its thriving markets, Israeli businesses would do well for themselves to invest in Papua New Guinea.

“We are closest to the Asian markets. We are linked to many Asian countries at a government-to-government level. That is the competitive advantage we have over many other countries,” said Marape.

“Together, we can produce, label these as Israel-PNG produce, and export to the world. PNG is close to the Asian market than you are from Israel,” said Marape.

Israel’s main export commodity item has been High Technology Industries offering solutions to improve business, trade and investment, health, agriculture and education .

Senior Advisor on International Relations at the Manufacturers Association of Israel and President of the Federation of Binational Chambers of Commerce, Dan Catarivas said Israeli’s economic has advanced in the last 75 years.

In terms of business establishments in Papua New Guinea, Israel has invested in the Innovation Agriculture and Farming businesses in Port Moresby, East Sepik and the Highlands Region.

With these established businesses, Marape says PNG could partner with Israel to improve how business is managed and operated..

The delegation that accompanied Prime Minister Marape include State Ministers and senior government officials.

Israeli Business
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International

Discussions begin at the 2023 Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders Summit

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Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders Summit

Vanuatu Prime Minister, Ishmael Kalsakau, official opened the 22nd Melanesian Spearhead Group, Leaders Summit in Port Vila.

Environment and Climate Change, security issues, and trade agreements were top on the agendas discussed ON Wednesday (August 23).

In attendance were Pacific leaders from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, the Fiji, French territory of New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.

The welcome ceremony held at the Vanuatu Convention Centre started with a plenary session and each Pacific Island Leader was given the opportunity to make their statements.

PNG Prime Minister, James Marape in his remarks outlined PNG’s stand on Climate Change Mitigation and called on industrialized nations to make real interventions to assist Pacific Countries facing effects of Climate Change.

“I call on China, the United States and Australia to make real interventions to the Small Island States in the Pacific,” said Marape.

Marape conveyed Papua New Guinea’s support of Vanuatu’s move to seek the opinion of the International Court of Justice on the impacts of Climate Change on the people of the Pacific.

Prime Minister James Marape at the MSG Summit

“I want to offer our support to Vanuatu’s leadership on the initiative to seek an advisory opinion on the International Court of Justice on matters of Climate Change through the United Nations through international law to protect the rights of future generations that are adversely affected. That is correct leadership and I commend Vanuatu,” said Marape.

Marape said Pacific Leaders must continue to represent views within the context of Melanesia and the Pacific.

“We all have interest in dealing with environmental issues, with Climate Change being big among us. We have development challenges; our need to ensure that genuine investors are not here just for today’s need but more importantly for the sustenance of our children after us. These challenges remain our collective voice, if we want to be heard today,” Marape told the MSG member countries.

A Leaders’ Retreat will end the summit for the leaders with an Outcomes Declaration signed on Thursday (August 24).

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International

FRANCE PRESIDENT VISIT

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Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and France President Emmanuel Macron

The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron arrived in PNG on his official state visit, last Thursday. In his visit, France President Macron engaged in various high-level discussions with government officials and Prime Minister James Marape.

The dialogues focused on the areas of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, Economic Co-operation, among others.

Following the Bilateral meetings, several agreements aimed at strengthening partnership and cooperation between the two nations were signed.

The first document signed between the two nations was a declaration of intent to upgrade of PNG Ports Infrastructure.

The agreement will ensure the PNG Ports infrastructures are upgraded with respect to climate change.

The second document signed will foster cooperation with respect to greening financial systems in PNG ensuring resilience to climate related risks as well as channelling finance for conservation and adaptation to climate change.

The agreement was signed between the French Development Agency, The Bank of PNG and Global Green growth Institute.

“That is clearly a demonstration of the French government and people and their continuous support to the Pacific, and more importantly to Papua New Guinea, a country that hosts the third biggest rainforest on planet Earth,” Prime Minister James Marape said.

The third document was a financing agreement between the two nations to mobilize French funding and expertise on energy transition to support renewable energy integration in PNG Power electric systems.

The Partnership amounts to over K3 million.

The fourth agreement was signed between the European Union Delegation to PNG and Expertise France for the implementation of European Union’s Forestry, Climate Change and Biodiversity nexus support program for PNG.

France President Macron concluded his engagements, by showing his support for the Managalas Project.

The Managalas Conservation Project covers over 360,000 hectares of Virgin rainforest.

The project is an initiative of the Managalas People to preserve their natural environment.

“It is a reflection of France and European Union commitment to biodiversity in our country,” Marape said.

The France President in his visit further thanked the European Union for their contribution to the Managalas Project.

He also spoke of the importance of preserving the world’s biodiversity, saying it is an equal partnership.

“I speak in my interest as well, and the interest of French people. Because if you kill your forests, then we will kill everything, so it is my issue as well.”

Related: https://insidepng.com/environment-conservation-and-land-management/ https://insidepng.com/capacity-building-for-environment-conservation/

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Sport

Women’s World Cup Guide: How to watch, schedule and betting favorites

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PHOTO FILE – Team USA celebrates after winning the Women’s World Cup soccer final against the Netherlands at the Stade de Lyon in Decines, outside Lyon, France, Sunday, July 7, 2019. The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at the Women’s World Cup this summer. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at this year’s Women’s World Cup. It won’t be easy for the No. 1 team in the world.

Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer’s most coveted trophy kicks off July 20 and features an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24. There are 64 matches during the tournament.

That means more competition for the two-time defending World Cup champion U.S., which won the 2015 event in Canada and the 2019 tournament in France. The Americans have won four titles overall, most of any nation.

Asked whether he would accept anything less than lifting the World Cup trophy, U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski was incredulous.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “There’s only one thing in mind going to this tournament. Our goal is to win the World Cup. There’s no question about it.”

WHAT’S THE WORLD CUP SCHEDULE AND WHERE IS IT LOCATED?
The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each. Each team plays a three-game, round-robin group stage, running from July 20 to Aug. 3.

The top finishers advance to the round of 16 from Aug. 5-8. The quarterfinals are set for Aug. 11-12 and the two semifinal matches will be played Aug. 15-16. A third-place game is set for Aug. 19 in Brisbane ahead of the final in Sydney.

The final will air at 6 a.m. ET on Aug. 20 in the United States.

The broadcast schedule is complicated by the time difference. The United States is playing in Group E with Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal. The opening match is against Vietnam on July 22 in Auckland, which, because of the time difference, will air in the U.S. on July 21 at 9 p.m. ET.

A rematch of the 2019 final against the Netherlands is set for July 27 in Wellington, airing at 9 p.m. ET on July 26 in the U.S. The last group game against Portugal is set for Aug. 1, airing at 3 a.m. ET that same day.

HOW TO WATCH THE FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Fox holds the English-language media rights in the United States for the Women’s World Cup. Telemundo holds the Spanish-language rights.

Fox will broadcast a record 29 matches over the air on its main network and the rest of the games will be aired on FS1. All matches will be streamed on the Fox app.

FIFA struck a collective deal with the European Broadcasting Union in mid-June, ending a standoff with a broadcasters in five major European television markets. The deal guarantees the games will air in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
There are two distinct groups of players to watch at this World Cup: Veteran superstars and talented youngsters.

Canada’s Christine Sinclair leads a group of veterans that includes Brazil’s Marta, Australia’s Sam Kerr, France’s Wendie Renard and American Alex Morgan.

Sinclair, who is 40 and likely playing in her final World Cup, is international soccer’s all-time leading scorer, among women or men, with 190 career goals.

Young stars include 22-year-old U.S. forward Sophia Smith, 21-year-old Jody Brown of Jamaica and 19-year-old Melchie Dumornay of Haiti.

Smith doubled up last year as both the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Most Valuable Player.

TEAMS TO WATCH
The United States is ranked No. 1 in the world in the latest FIFA rankings. The Americans are a strong team despite recent injuries, but their dominance in international play will be challenged at this World Cup.

Germany, ranked No. 2, won back-to-back World Cups in 2003 and 2007. Third-ranked Sweden knocked the United States out of the 2016 Olympics in the quarterfinals. Seventh-ranked Canada won the gold medal at the Tokyo Games.

Considered a contender, England has been hit by a series of injuries to top players including Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and captain Leah Williamson. All three will miss the World Cup. France switched coaches in March after some players threatened to skip the tournament.

Australia can’t be counted out as co-hosts. The Matildas will be boosted by Kerr, one of the world’s best players.

BETTING GUIDE
The United States is a +240 favorite to win the World Cup, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. England is next at +380, followed by Spain at +650.

There’s also a big group of teams the oddsmakers say have little chance of lifting the trophy, including Jamaica, Vietnam, Argentina, Zambia, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Morocco, Philippines, South Africa, Haiti and Panama. All are at +43,000.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Deep sea mining permits may be coming soon. What are they and what might happen?

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PHOTO FILE - The sun rises over fishing boats in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 8, 2022, off of Kennebunkport, Maine. The United Nations body that regulates the world’s ocean floor is preparing to resume negotiations in July 2023, that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials vital for the green energy transition. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

PHOTO FILE – The sun rises over fishing boats in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 8, 2022, off of Kennebunkport, Maine. The United Nations body that regulates the world’s ocean floor is preparing to resume negotiations in July 2023, that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials vital for the green energy transition. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

By VICTORIA MILKO Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The International Seabed Authority — the United Nations body that regulates the world’s ocean floor — is preparing to resume negotiations that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials critical for the green energy transition.

Years long negotiations are reaching a critical point where the authority will soon need to begin accepting mining permit applications, adding to worries over the potential impacts on sparsely researched marine ecosystems and habitats of the deep sea.

Here’s a look at what deep sea mining is, why some companies and countries are applying for permits to carry it out and why environmental activists are raising concerns.

WHAT IS DEEP SEA MINING?
Deep sea mining involves removing mineral deposits and metals from the ocean’s seabed. There are three types of such mining: taking deposit-rich polymetallic nodules off the ocean floor, mining massive seafloor sulphide deposits and stripping cobalt crusts from rock.

These nodules, deposits and crusts contain materials, such as nickel, rare earths, cobalt and more, that are needed for batteries and other materials used in tapping renewable energy and also for everyday technology like cellphones and computers.

Engineering and technology used for deep sea mining are still evolving. Some companies are looking to vacuum materials from seafloor using massive pumps. Others are developing artificial intelligence-based technology that would teach deep sea robots how to pluck nodules from the floor. Some are looking to use advanced machines that could mine materials off side of huge underwater mountains and volcanoes.

Companies and governments view these as strategically important resources that will be needed as onshore reserves are depleted and demand continues to rise.

HOW IS DEEP SEA MINING REGULATED NOW?
Countries manage their own maritime territory and exclusive economic zones, while the high seas and the international ocean floor are governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. It is considered to apply to states regardless of whether or not they have signed or ratified it. Under the treaty, the seabed and its mineral resources are considered the “common heritage of mankind” that must be managed in a way that protects the interests of humanity through the sharing of economic benefits, support for marine scientific research, and protecting marine environments.

Mining companies interested in deep sea exploitation are partnering with countries to help them get exploration licenses.

More than 30 exploration licenses have been issued so far, with activity mostly focused in an area called the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, which spans 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers) between Hawaii and Mexico.

WHY IS THERE PRESSURE ON THE ISA TO ESTABLISH REGULATIONS NOW?
In 2021 the Pacific island nation of Nauru — in partnership with mining company Nauru Ocean Resources Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canada-based The Metals Company — applied to the ISA to exploit minerals in a specified deep sea area.

That triggered a clause of the U.N. treaty that requires the ISA to complete regulations governing deep sea exploitation by July 2023. If no regulations are finalized, Nauru can submit an application to conduct the mining without any governing regulations.

Other countries and private companies can start applying for provisional licenses if the U.N. body fails to approve a set of rules and regulations by July 9. Experts say its unlike it will since the process will likely take several years.

WHAT ARE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS?
Only a small part of the deep seabed has been explored and conservationists worry that ecosystems will be damaged by mining, especially without any environmental protocols.

Damage from mining can include noise, vibration and light pollution, as well as possible leaks and spills of fuels and other chemicals used in the mining process.

Sediment plumes from the some mining processes are a major concern. Once valuable materials are taken extracted, slurry sediment plumes are sometimes pumped back into the sea. That can harm filter feeding species like corals and sponges, and could smother or otherwise interfere with some creatures.

The full extent of implications for deep sea ecosystems is unclear, but scientists have warned that biodiversity loss is inevitable and potentially irreversible.

“We’re constantly finding new stuff and it’s a little bit premature to start mining the deep sea when we don’t really understand the biology, the environments, the ecosystems or anything else,” said Christopher Kelley, a biologist with research expertise in deep sea ecology.

WHAT’S NEXT?
The ISA’s Legal and Technical Commission, which oversees the development of deep sea mining regulations, will meet in early July to discuss the yet-to-be mining code draft.

The earliest that mining under ISA regulations could begin is 2026. Applications for mining must be considered and environmental impact assessments need to be carried out.

In the meantime, some companies — such as Google, Samsung, BMW and others — have backed the World Wildlife Fund’s call to pledge to avoid using minerals that have been mined from the planet’s oceans. More than a dozen countries—including France, Germany and several Pacific Island nations— have officially called for a ban, pause or moratorium on deep sea mining at least until environmental safeguards are in place, although it’s unclear how many other countries support such mining. Other countries, such as Norway, are proposing opening their waters to mining.

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.

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International

China’s president orders safety campaign after explosion at barbecue restaurant kills 31 people

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PHOTO FILE: In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, members of a team dispatched by China’s Ministry of Emergency Management conduct an inspection at the site of an explosion at a restaurant in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Thursday, June 22, 2023. China’s president Xi Jinping ordered a national safety campaign on Thursday after a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 people and injured seven others on the eve of a long holiday weekend. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via AP)

By ZEN SOO Associated Press
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s president ordered a national safety campaign on Thursday after a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 people and injured seven others on the eve of a long holiday weekend.

The blast tore through the restaurant at around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday on a busy street in Yinchuan, the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people gathered ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The explosion left many people unconscious and they needed to be carried out of the shop, according to the online news site The Paper, which quoted a member of the search and rescue team. Victims included elderly people and high school students, it said.

An hour before the explosion, employees noticed the smell of cooking gas and discovered that a gas tank valve was broken, according to Xinhua. The blast occurred while an employee was replacing the valve.
Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded urgent medical care for the injured and a safety overhaul after the explosion, Xinhua said. He urged efforts to quickly determine the cause of the accident and hold people accountable under the law.

Xi also said all regions and related departments should address “all types of risks and hidden dangers” and launch campaigns to promote workplace safety.
At a news conference Thursday, the deputy party chief of Yinchuan apologized to all people in the city, according to the news site Huanqiu.com. Before the news conference began, participants bowed their heads in silence.

Nine people have been detained by authorities, including the owner of the restaurant, shareholders and employees. Their assets have also been frozen, according to Xinhua.

The blast happened at an outlet of Fuyang Barbecue, a chain restaurant in Yinchuan popular for its grilled skewers and stir-fried dishes, The Paper said. The two-floor restaurant could seat 20 people on the ground floor and offered private dining rooms on the second floor where customers could also sing karaoke.

A video on social media platform Douyin showed rescuers on ladders trying to reach victims on the second floor. People who appeared to have minor injuries waited for help at the side of the road. Other videos showed at least six fire trucks at the scene and some onlookers weeping.

A staff member at the emergency clinic at the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University confirmed that some victims were being treated there but declined to give further information.

The Paper cited a woman identified only by her surname, Chen, as saying she had been about 50 meters (160 feet) from the restaurant when she heard the explosion. She described seeing two waiters emerge from the restaurant, one of whom collapsed immediately, while thick smoke billowed and a strong smell of cooking gas permeated the area.

The central government’s Ministry of Emergency Management said on social media that search and rescue work at the restaurant was completed early Thursday morning and investigators were working to determine the cause of the blast.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a holiday devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats propelled by teams of paddlers. While the majority of Yinchuan’s population is Han Chinese, a third are Hui people, or Chinese Muslims.

Industrial accidents of this type are a regular occurrence in China, usually attributed to poor government supervision, corruption, cost-cutting measures by employers and little safety training for employees.
At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant, and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday.

In February, 53 miners were killed in the collapse of a massive open-pit coal mine in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, leading to numerous arrests, and four people were detained over a fire at an industrial trading company in central China in November that killed 38 people.

The central government has pledged stronger safety measures since an explosion in 2015 at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. In that case, a number of local officials were accused of having taken bribes to ignore safety violations.

AP video producer Penny Wang in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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News

Marape offers condolences to Indian PM after rail accident in India

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PHOTO FILE: People look at the mangled wreckage of the two passenger trains that derailed Friday in Balasore district, in the eastern state of Orissa, India, Sunday, June 4, 2023. The derailment in eastern India that killed 275 people and injured hundreds was caused by an error in the electronic signaling system that led a train to wrongly change tracks and crash into a freight train, officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has offered his condolences to the Prime Minister and people of India following a tragic rail accident that claimed close to 300 lives on Friday 2nd June 2023. The accident reportedly occurred in the Indian state of Odisha, and is believed to be the worst rail crash in 20 years in the country.

PNG Prime Minister, James Marape.

In a statement, Marape expressed sympathy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, as well as to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident. The accident occurred when a passenger train collided with a stationary freight train, resulting in the pile-up of another passenger train travelling in the opposite direction.

Several world leaders have also expressed their condolences to India following the accident. The tragedy has sparked concerns about the safety of the country’s railways, which are said to be outdated and in dire need of an overhaul.

The Indian government has since pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the accident and take steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The country’s railway network is one of the largest and busiest in the world, with thousands of passengers using it daily to travel across the country.

As the world continues to mourn the tragic loss of lives in the Odisha rail accident, the Indian government has assured its citizens that it will leave no stone unturned in finding out the cause of the accident, and in ensuring the safety of the country’s railways.

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What to know as Prince Harry prepares for court fight with British tabloid publisher

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PHOTO FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice in London, Thursday, March 30, 2023. The Duke of Sussex is scheduled to testify in the High Court after his lawyer presents opening statements Monday, June 5, 2023 in his case alleging phone hacking. It’s the first of Harry’s several legal cases against the media to go to trial and one of three alleging tabloid publishers unlawfully snooped on him. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

By BRIAN MELLEY (AP)

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry is going where other British royals haven’t for over a century: to a courtroom witness stand.

The Duke of Sussex is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centered around battles with British tabloids. Opening statements are scheduled Monday in his case.

Harry said in court documents that the royal family had assiduously avoided the courts to prevent testifying about matters that might be embarrassing.

His frustration and anger at the press, however, impelled him to buck convention by suing newspaper owners — allegedly against the wishes of his father, now King Charles III.

If Harry testifies as scheduled Tuesday in his lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, he’ll be the first member of the royal family to do so since the late 19th century, when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, testified twice in court.

The man who would go on to become King Edward VII testified in the divorce proceedings of a woman he was accused of having an affair with (he denied it) and in a slander case involving a man who cheated at cards. Edward VII was the great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, Harry’s grandmother.

A look at Prince Harry’s legal battles:

HARRY’S HISTORY WITH PHONE HACKING AND PAPARAZZI
The Daily Mirror case is one of three Harry has brought alleging phone hacking and other invasions of his privacy, dating back to when he was a boy.

In court documents, he described his relationship with the press as “uneasy” in court documents, but it runs much deeper than that. The prince blames paparazzi for causing the car crash that killed his mother, the late Princess Diana.

He also cites harassment and intrusion by the British Press and “vicious, persistent attacks” on his wife, Meghan, including racist articles, as the reason the couple left royal life and fled to the U.S. in 2020. Reforming the news media has become one of his life’s missions.

News that British journalists hacked phones for scoops first emerged in 2006 with the arrest of a private investigator and the royals reporter at the now-defunct News of the World. The two were jailed, and the reporter apologized for hacking phones used by aides of Harry, his older brother, Prince William, and their father.

A full-blown hacking scandal erupted five years later when it was revealed that the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid eavesdropped on voicemails on the phone of a slain girl, forcing the paper to close and launching a public inquiry.

Since that time, other newspapers have been accused of illegal intrusions that extended to tapping phones, bugging homes and using deception to obtain phone, bank and medical records.

WHO IS HARRY SUING?
The duke is taking on three of Britain’s best-known tabloid publishers.

In addition to Mirror Group Newspapers, he is suing Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and Associated Newspapers Ltd., which owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

The claims are similar: that journalists and people they employed listened to phone messages and committed other unlawful acts to snoop on Harry and invade his privacy.

In a sign of how much the cases matter to him, Harry attended several days of hearings in March in the case against the Mail publisher.

Several celebrities with similar allegations have also filed claims being heard alongside Harry’s, including Hugh Grant in the News Group case, and Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley in the Associated Newspapers case.

Associated Newspapers “vigorously denies” the claims. News Group has apologized for News of the World’s hacking but The Sun does not accept liability or admit to any of the allegations, according to spokespeople.
Both publishers argued during High Court hearings this spring that the lawsuits should be thrown out because Harry and the others failed to bring them within a six-year time limit.

The lawyer representing Harry and other claimants said they should be granted an exception because the publishers lied and concealed evidence that prevented them from learning of the covert acts in time to meet the deadlines.

WHAT’S THE CURRENT TRIAL ABOUT?
At the outset of the proceedings, Mirror Group appeared to fall on its sword, acknowledging instances when its newspapers unlawfully gathered information. It apologized in court papers and said Harry and two of the other three claimants in the case were due compensation.

But the admission involving Harry — the hiring of a private eye to dig up unspecified dirt for an article about his nightclubbing — wasn’t among the nearly 150 articles between 1995 and 2011 for which he claimed Mirror Group reporters used phone hacking and other illegal methods to gather material. The trial is focusing on 33 of those stories.

Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said unlawful acts by reporters and editors at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People were “widespread and habitual” and carried out on “an industrial scale.” He pointed the finger at management, in particular TV personality Piers Morgan, a former Daily Mirror editor.
Morgan has publicly denied involvement in phone hacking, as has Mirror Group in its court submissions.

Mirror lawyer Andrew Green said a substantial proportion of the articles at issue involved a “breathtaking level of triviality” and that with the exception of a few instances of unlawful information gathering, the company’s reporters had used public records and sources to legally obtain information.

The trial is a test case involving four claimants, including two members of Britain’s longest-running soap opera, “Coronation Street.” But the verdict could determine the outcome of hacking claims also made against Mirror Group by the estate of the late singer George Michael, former Girls Aloud member Cheryl and former soccer player Ian Wright.

The case is broken into two parts: a generic case that lasted nearly three weeks in which Harry’s lawyer laid out evidence of alleged skullduggery at the newspapers; the second part, starting Monday, with the four claimants testifying about specific acts targeting them.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER LAWSUITS ABOUT?
Harry’s fear and loathing of the press intersects with two active cases that center around the government’s decision to stop protecting him after he abandoned royal duties.

Harry argued his security is compromised when he visits the U.K., saying that aggressive paparazzi chased him after a charity event in 2021. He sued the British government for withdrawing his security detail.

With that lawsuit pending, he unsuccessfully tried to challenge the government’s subsequent rejection of his offer to pay for his own police protection.

A judge is weighing whether Harry’s libel suit against Associated Newspapers for reporting that he tried to hide his legal efforts to get the British government to provide security should go to trial.

“How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret… then — just minutes after the story broke — his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute,” the Mail on Sunday wrote in its headline.

In past cases, Meghan won an invasion of privacy case in 2021 against the Mail on Sunday for printing a private letter she wrote to her father. That led to a 1-pound settlement for violating her privacy and an undisclosed sum for copyright infringement.

The couple has also settled lawsuits against photo agencies for flying a drone over their California home and a helicopter over a home where they were living in England.

All contents © copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved

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Doubles player Miyu Kato of Japan disqualified for accidentally hitting a ball girl

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PHOTO FILE – Miyu Kato, of Japan, right, serves behind her partner Aldila Sutjiadi, of Indonesia, as they play against Beatriz Haddad Maia, of Brazil, and Laura Siegemund, of Germany, in a doubles semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Friday, March 17, 2023, in Indian Wells, Calif. French Open doubles player Miyu Kato and her partner Aldila Sutjiadi have been forced to forfeit a match when Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck with a ball after a point during their match against Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo on Sunday, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

By HOWARD FENDRICH (AP Tennis Writer)

PARIS (AP) — French Open doubles player Miyu Kato and her partner were forced to forfeit a match when Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck with a ball after a point on Sunday.

In the second set on Court 14 at Roland Garros, Kato took a swing with her racket and the ball flew toward the ball kid, who was not looking in the player’s direction while heading off the court.

At first, chair umpire Alexandre Juge only issued a warning to Kato. But after tournament referee Remy Azemar and Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McEwen went to Court 14 to look into what happened, Kato and her partner, Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia, were disqualified.

That made Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic and Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain the winners of the match.

“It’s just a bad situation for everyone,” Bouzkova said. “But it’s kind of something that, I guess, is taken by the rules, as it is, even though it’s very unfortunate for them. … At the end of the day, it was the referee’s decision.”

Bouzkova said she did not see the ball hit the ball girl, but “she was crying for like 15 minutes.”
She said one of the officials said the ball “has to do some kind of harm to the person affected” and that “at first, (Juge) didn’t see that.”

Bouzkova said she and Sorribes Tormo told Juge “to look into it more and ask our opponents what they think happened.”

During Coco Gauff’s 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1 singles victory over Mirra Andreeva on Saturday, Andreev swatted a ball into the Court Suzanne Lenglen stands after dropping a point in the first set. Andreev was given a warning by the chair umpire for unsportsmanlike conduct but no further penalty.

“I heard about that. Didn’t see it,” Bouzkova said. “I guess it just depends on the circumstances and the given situation as it happens. … It is difficult, for sure.

In the quarterfinals, Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo will face Ellen Perez of Australia and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States.

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Slow start to New York’s legal pot market leaves farmers holding the bag

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By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press

ARGYLE, N.Y. (AP) — Seth Jacobs has about 100 bins packed with marijuana flower sitting in storage at his upstate New York farm.

And that’s a problem. There aren’t enough places to sell it.

The 700 pounds (318 kilograms) of pungent flower was harvested last year as part of New York’s first crop of legally grown pot for recreational use. He also has roughly 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of distillate.

Months later, there are only a dozen licensed dispensaries statewide to sell what Jacobs and more than 200 other farmers produced.

Now, another growing season is underway and farmers still sitting on much of last year’s harvest are in a financial bind.

“We are really under the gun here. We’re all losing money,” Jacobs recently said at his farm on rolling land near the Vermont border. “Even the most entrepreneurial and ambitious amongst us just can’t move much product in this environment.”

New York pot farmers aren’t the only ones struggling with difficult economic conditions. Marijuana growers in western states have also complained that low prices, tough competition from the black market, high state taxes and federal banking and exporting restrictions have made it tough for legal growers to make money.

But the farmers’ plight in New York is directly tied to the bumpy launch of the state’s recreational pot market.

State leaders had always planned to gear up the market in stages, giving a chance for a diverse set of participants to get a toe-hold. The state’s process for licensing new dispensaries, however, has moved at a far slower pace than expected.

Last fall, Gov. Kathy Hochul foresaw 20 new shops opening every month or so to start this year. Instead, one store was open by the start of the year, with 11 more opened since.

Unlicensed shops rushed in to fill the void, especially in New York City, but those outlets aren’t a legal market for the state’s farmers. Federal law prohibits the New York farmers from transporting their crop across state lines.

That means limited shelf space to sell the 300,000 pounds (136,000 kilograms) of cannabis grown in the state last year, much of the product meant to be processed for items like gummies and vapes.

Statewide, there is estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars worth of unsold cannabis, about 80% in the form of cannabis oil, according to the Cannabis Association of New York, a trade group. There are concerns the smokable flower will eventually become too old to sell.

Jacobs keep his bins of buds at Slack Hollow Organics in secure, temperature controlled units. More valuable still is the distillate at various processors he’s waiting to sell. Elsewhere in rural New York, Brittany Carbone, co-founder of Tricolla Farms, said the stock they’re sitting on includes 1,500 packs of pre-rolled joints and about 2,000 packs of edibles.

“What we really need to see is more retailers get open, and that’s going to actually give us the sustainable solution,” Carbone said.

The lack of sales is a particular problem for small farmers who stretched themselves thin financially to produce last year’s crop and now need capital for their second year.

Jacobs, whose brand is Bud & Boro, said he won’t grow plants for distillate this year because of the backlog. Carbone said they are planting on less than the acre they’re legally allowed and are holding off on infrastructure investments, like hoop houses to help with growing.

In New York, many critics blame missteps by state officials in their well-intentioned effort to open the market to a diverse array of entrepreneurs. That meant reserving the first legal pot harvests for struggling hemp farmers. And people with past marijuana convictions were given the chance to open some of the first dispensaries.

Critics say the process has been cumbersome for dispensary applicants. And there have been issues with a planned $200 million fund to help “social equity” dispensary licensees with the costly task of setting up shops.

The fund was supposed to consist of up to $150 million in private investment. But state Dormitory Authority spokesperson Jeffrey Gordon declined to say whether any private money had been invested yet, saying in an email only that “work to raise private capital is ongoing.”

Gordon noted New York’s “complex and unprecedented” effort to create a new statewide enterprise from scratch, which included evaluating 10,000 commercial properties for dispensary locations and arranging for banking, training and other services for the licensees.

The retail rollout also was hobbled by a federal judge’s ruling in November that temporarily barred New York from issuing dispensary licenses in parts of the state, including Brooklyn and Buffalo. The injunction was later narrowed to the Finger Lakes region before a settlement was reached this week.

The Office of Cannabis Management has taken recent steps to boost demand, including the provisional approval last month of 50 new dispensary licenses. And plans are in the works for that would allow groups of growers to join with retail licensees to sell their cannabis at places other than stores, like at a farmers’ market or a festival.

“We know these cultivators are worried about how to sell last year’s harvest as they decide whether to plant a cannabis crop in 2023, and we will continue to support them as more adult-use dispensaries open to sell their products,” cannabis office spokesman Aaron Ghitelman said in an email.

On a separate track, Hochul and the Legislature approved a new law giving regulators broader power to seize weed from the illicit shops competing with the legal shops.

Though frustrated, farmers like Jacobs and Carbone are hanging on. Carbone has gotten her farm’s brand, TONIC, into six dispensaries. Jacobs has received some intermittent payments and hopes the farmers market policy being devised will give him a new avenue to sell his marijuana.

“This all will get worked out,” Jacobs said. “And I want to be there when it does.”

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