Digital Jobs & Identity: Western Pacific University students swept PNG’s National Digital ID Hackathon, winning for WokKonek (SevisPass-linked job matching) and SevisBirth (offline birth registration), showing how SevisPass/SevisPay could formalise parts of PNG’s informal labour market. Energy Security & Policy: A new push for a domestic market obligation highlights PNG’s “unsustainable cycle” of exporting crude then importing refined fuel, worsening foreign exchange strain and shortages—while the Napa Napa Refinery sits idle. SME Funding Integrity: Commerce Minister Wake Goi suspended most SME funding transactions amid allegations of about K200m in misuse, with Opposition Leader James Nomane calling for a fully independent investigation. Offshore Oil & Marine Services: ABL secured marine warranty survey work for PNG’s first offshore FSO at the Kumul Marine Terminal under Oil Search (PNG)/Santos’s PNG Oilfields Project, with installation and commissioning support stretching to 2028. Mining Investment Rules: PNG unveiled regulatory, legislative and digital reforms to attract long-term mining investment and improve community outcomes, as Mining Minister Solen Loifa framed “Resources Beyond 50.” Trade & Diplomacy Shock: PNG ordered closure of Taiwan’s representative office, with Taiwan reviewing LNG purchases that supply about one-third of PNG LNG exports. Connectivity Reality Check: Pacific digital access is increasingly limited by power, not satellite—Lightspeed pairs Starlink with portable solar to keep schools and health services online. Agriculture & Food Security: PNG urged stronger local food production to cut import dependence, stabilise prices, and improve health and rural incomes.