National Capital District Commission (NCDC) is continuing to ensure that the road and drainage systems in the Port Moresby city are maintained to high standards and quality. NCDC has engaged contractor Niugini Engineering and Procurement Services Limited (NEPS) to fix the much publicized Hohola tunnel road as part of their ongoing commitment to maintaining roads and drainages. The wet season has wreaked havoc on the roads when the floods overwhelmed the drainage system, affecting local traffic. National Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop said that the municipal government has been held accountable for their mistakes and failures on their part address this issue. “We thank our city residents for holding us to account.It is all our responsibility together to ensure a clean and healthy city.” He also reminded the city residents that the storm water drains were not places to dumb rubbish in because the drainage system is usually blocked during heavy rains due to rubbish being dumped in them by the residents.

The Dragons have bounced back from consecutive thrashings to outclass the Dolphins 38-12 at WIN Stadium on Saturday. After conceding 80 points in their losses to the Broncos and Sharks, the Red V discovered their defensive resolve to restrict the Dolphins to just two tries. As is so often the case, skipper Ben Hunt was the driving force behind the victory with a try, seven tackle breaks and a try assist as the Dragons spoiled the party for rival captain Jesse Bromwich's 300th NRL game. Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako had a chance to open the scoring in the 12th minute after Jacob Liddle was penalised for a strip but the attempt sailed wide. Just a minute later Isaako made amends when he dived into the corner after some nice hands by halves Anthony Milford and Isaiya Katoa. The winger converted his own try for a 6-0 lead for the visitors. The Dolphins then suffered a blow in the 18th minute when Milford left the field with a hamstring injury and shortly after the Red V had their opening try when Jacob Liddle darted over from dummy half. Liddle then turned provider in the 27th minute when he delivered a short ball to Blake Lawrie to power over for his second try of the season. Zac Lomax converted for a 12-6 Dragons lead. A penalty against Jack de Belin for a dangerous tackle late in the half handed Isaako a chance to add two more points and he duly landed the shot to make it 12-8 at the break. Two minutes into the second half the Dragons extended their lead when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow failed to clean up a Talatau Amone grubber and Lomax pounced to make it 16-8. Hunt found his way to the line in the 54th minute as the Dragons opened up a 14-point lead with the breeze at their backs. In the 62nd minute Hunt delivered a superb long ball for Mikaele Ravalawa to steamroll defenders and score out wide as the home side put the result beyond doubt. Dolphins prop Mark Nicholls was sin binned with 13 minutes to play for a professional foul and the Dragons capitalised on their one-man advantage with Jack Bird feeding Ravalawa for the winger's second of the night to make it 32-8. With eight minutes to play the Dolphins hit back with a spectacular long-range try featuring great work by Isaako and finished off by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who now has six tries for the season. Tyrell Sloan then exploded into a hole from 40 metres out and got the ball down for the Dragons' seventh try despite Tabuai-Fidow's best efforts to deny him. Source: NRL.com

At the end of a 90-minute game which saw 12 tries scored, the Sea Eagles and Knights couldn't be split in a 32-32 draw in Mudgee on Saturday afternoon. In what was the first drawn NRL match since Round 3 in 2020, the lead changed hands multiple times, with the Sea Eagles having appeared to have won the game after scoring three tries in the last 22 minutes, before Dom Young got over for his fourth try three minutes from time to force golden point. Both Daly Cherry-Evand and Jackson Hastings had wayward field goal attempts in golden point, but in the end a draw felt like the fitting result. Earlier the Sea Eagles got out to a 10-0 lead before the Knights, off the back of a 95 percent completion rate through the first 40 minutes, battled back to lead 22-16 at the break. After being dropped to reserve grade last week, and initially being left out of the squad for Round 5 before a late call-up, Young was exceptional, scoring four times and running for 227 metres. On the other side of the park tireless Manly forward Jake Trbojevic played every minute in the middle, making 49 tackles including a couple of crucial interventions late in the game. Both sides emerged with injury concerns, with Ben Trbojevic injuring his hamstring and Tyson Gamble failing a HIA. Source: NRL.com

The Broncos continued their unbeaten start to the season with a blistering 46-12 win over Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. The last time Brisbane started a season 5-0 was 1998, when they went on to win the inaugural NRL premiership with current coach Kevin Walters calling the shots in the halves alongside Allan Langer. Playing in his 50th NRL game, Jordan Riki got the scoring started for the Broncos when he stepped past Luke Brooks to dot down for the ninth try of his career. In the 16th minute the home side jumped to a 10-0 lead when Ezra Mam put in a perfectly timed grubber for Kurt Capewell to score before Payne Haas powered over from dummy half to make it 16-0. The Tigers got themselves into an attacking position in the 30th minute but a John Bateman offload was spilt by Isaiah Papali'i and Selwyn Cobbo pounced, racing 85 metres to score Brisbane's fourth. Another try from a grubber came the Broncos' way in the 35th minute when livewire fullback Reece Walsh nudged the ball through for Riki to score his second of the night. Down 28-0 at the break the Tigers found the line four minutes into second half when Brandon Wakeham launched a bomb for Papali'i to follow through and score his first try as a Tiger. The Broncos then went left in the 47th minute and Walsh's speed got him outside Wakeham and he put the ball on a platter for Herbie Farnworth to cross. Adam Reynolds' conversion made it 34-6 to Brisbane. When Walsh surged into a hole and set up Kotoni Staggs for a try the Broncos had raced to a 40-6 lead as they continued to pile on the punishment. The Tigers had a second for the night when Jake Simpkin slid over from dummy half after Adam Doueihi had been held up just short of the line. Doueihi converted to make it 40-12. Wakeham then earned the Tigers a repeat set with a deft kick into the in-goal but the Broncos went the short dropout and Farnworth flew high to tap the ball down to Keenan Palasia. Continuing his dazzling form Walsh got clear with five minutes to play and kicked back infield for Mam but the five-eighth was unable to control the bouncing ball and that chance went begging but the Broncos had their eighth soon after when Reynolds set up Staggs with an inch perfect grubber. Source: NRL.com

A series of avalanches in Norway's far north has claimed the lives of four people, police say. In the most deadly incident, a house and barn were swept into the sea on the island of Reinøya. Two people were confirmed killed and 140 goats were in the barn at the time, according to the authorities. Two tourists were killed in two other avalanches. Both are believed to be foreigners, although their nationalities are not yet known. In the first avalanche, in Lyngen, one person died and two others were hurt. "There were five people of foreign origin that were on an outing in the area. We can confirm that one person is deceased," police spokesman Morten Pettersen told journalists. Two others were hurt, one critically and one with "moderate injuries", the spokesman added. Later in the evening, police said a fourth person had been killed in another avalanche at Storslett in the Nordreisa area. "The person was part of a larger foreign travelling party. Another member of the travelling party who was at the scene located the person and alerted the emergency services," a police statement said. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre described the deaths as "a tragic start to Easter". At this time of year, avalanches occur almost every day in Norway, with as much as 7% of the country's territory at risk, experts say. Earlier on Friday, several small towns in the Troms region were evacuated because of the high risk of avalanches, as authorities warned of snowstorms and strong winds. Source: BBC

The Porgera Gold Mine in the Enga province is a step closer to reopening after the government, Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL) and New Porgera Limited signed an agreement to go ahead with the resumption of operations at the mine, which has been suspended since 2020. The New Porgera Progress Agreement (NPPA), signed yesterday, confirms that all parties are committed to reopening the mine at the earliest opportunity, in line with the terms of the Porgera Project Commencement Agreement and the New Porgera Limited Shareholders Agreement both concluded in 2022. Porgera hosts an orebody with measured and indicated resources of 10 million ounces and inferred resources of 3.4 million ounces. After initial ramp up and optimisation of the Wangima pit, the mine is forecast to produce an average of 700,000 ounces per year, achieving a milestone towards its potential Tier One3 status. The New Porgera project team will now move ahead with the filings for a special mining lease and progressing the other conditions set out in the Commencement Agreement for the reopening of the mine. The equity in New Porgera is shared 51% by Papua New Guinea (PNG) stakeholders, including local landowners and the Enga provincial government. Economic benefits will be shared 53% by the PNG stakeholders and 47% by Barrick Niugini Limited, which will operate the mine. After the signing ceremony, Barrick president and Chief Executive Mr. Mark Bristow said there was strong support from all stakeholders to get Porgera reopened as soon as possible. “It’s been a long journey but in the process we have secured the buy-in of all the stakeholders. For Barrick, the reopening of the mine would represent another victory for our host-country partnership model which has been so successful in Tanzania and has now also been adopted for the new Reko Diq copper gold project in Pakistan,” Bristow said. “ Localization is an essential part of our partnership philosophy so New Porgera will, whenever possible, source the goods and services it requires from businesses genuinely based and owned in Porgera, the Enga province and Papua New Guinea. Similarly, it will give preference to locals in recruiting employees for the reopening mine.”

A stoic defensive effort, led by the tireless work of hooker Harry Grant, saw the Storm edge past the Rabbitohs 18-10 for their third win of the season on Friday night. With their side leading by eight inside the final 10 minutes, Grant and fullback Nick Meaney both produced tackles to save certain tries, headlining a gutsy effort from their side across the 80 minutes. In a high-quality contest at Accor Stadium, which saw both sides complete over 80 percent of their sets, tries were traded through the opening 10 minutes before the Storm eked out a 12-6 lead at the break. It was Cameron Munster's try three minutes into the second half, which came off the back of left-side shift that set Xavier Coates free down the left, which wrestled momentum the visitors' way when they led by six points. While they did give up a try to Campbell Graham on the hour mark, Melbourne soaked up prolonged periods camped on their line in the second half, with their best saved for the final 10 minutes. First Meaney knocked the ball free from the grasp of Alex Johnston on his way to the line seven from time, before Grant took Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson into touch to deny a four-pointer minutes later. The Rabbitohs lost Johnston to a failed HIA, sustained while attempting to score the try stopped by Meaney, leaving him in doubt for the Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs.     Source: NRL.com

The Panthers scored a point per minute in the second half to run out 53-12 winners over the Raiders on Friday night, in what was the biggest score put up by a team so far in 2023. While you wouldn't have known it by watching the second half, the game was closely contested through the opening 40 minutes, and the Panthers led by just seven points after a Sunia Turuva double and a Nathan Cleary field goal. But after an admirable first-half effort, the Raiders had no answer for what the defending premiers came out of the break with, as the Panthers found their attacking mojo and ran in seven tries to their opponent's one. The real damage was done in the first 12 minutes of the second period, during which time Izack Tago scored a quickfire double and Cleary got over for his 50th NRL try to shoot the Panthers clear. Further strikes from Zac Hosking, Tyrone Peachey, Stephen Crichton and Jaeman Salmon made for a miserable night at GIO Stadium for much of the 15,334 in attendance. The result gave co-captain Isaah Yeo a win in game number 200, while improving Penrith to a 2-2 record, having had the bye in Round 3. One potential negative to come out of the win was a knee injury to Test prop James Fisher-Harris, who left the field on 21 minutes and didn't return, although reports suggested he could have if required. Source: NRL.com

The Ministerial Vaccine Taskforce has successfully completed the last leg of its visits to the Southern region in the Northern Province from 27th-30th March 2023. During their supervisory provincial visits around the country, they have indentified both challenges and success stories in terms of Routine Immunisation and Covid-19 Vaccination within the communities. Even though they have found that there was a drop in routine immunisation when the covid-19 vaccination was first rolled out, Saiho Village in the Northern province has seen improvement in both the routine vaccination and the covid-19 vaccination statistics over the last 2 years. This is due to consistent advocacy and community awareness done in the area. Speaking to members of the Ministerial Vaccine Taskforce in Saiho village, Officer in Charge (OIC) Mr Donald Salapwi said all it took was continuous positive advocacy about the COVID-19 vaccine among both men and women that led to the community improving its vaccine rates. “We are proud of the progress we have with our routine immunisation and COVID-19 vaccination here at Saiho. Many young people are voluntarily coming to the clinic to get vaccinated.” “Only yesterday we witnessed 20 young men come in for COVID-19 vaccination.” “Even when mothers bring in their babies for immunisation, we advocate to them and surely, that fear and hesitancy has lessened as we see mothers bringing their babies for immunisation as well as being vaccinated themselves against COVID-19.” Protecting ourselves from COVID-19 takes a collective effort and the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to ensure the protection of one’s health and that of their families.

A small team of Specialist Doctors from Australia flew in over the weekend for the operation Open Heart Program after a three year hiatus. The last time a team of specialist where in Port Moresby was in 2019 and the program came to a halt during the covid-19 pandemic. There were 5 patients (2 children and 3 adults) with congenital heart disease who were operated on and are currently recovering. Surgical Department Coordinator, Dr. Noah Tapaua who is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, said that the teams visit this time was more of a training. “The operations were done by team of local specialists with assistance from the visiting doctors.” “Since the start of the program in 1993, 1, 281 patients have received open and closed heart surgeries from the Operation Open Heart Team.” “Even though Operation Open Heart had a hiatus, we continued to do closed heart surgeries.” Dr. Tapaua said that previously the OOH visits were once a year and they would have a large number of surgeries done; however, they are working towards having more frequent visits from the team of specialists. They are working towards having a local team who can carry out the open heart surgery. He said that they have envisioned that by 2020 they would be able to do that however, due to covid-19, it set their plan back. He added that the Kumul Petroleum Heart Centre has top class equipment that will save people a lot of money by having testing and treatment available at the centre rather than going overseas for treatment. He thanked Kumul Petroleum Holdings (KPHL) limited for the funding assistance that has made it possible for them to purchase essential equipment and also to employ a great team of specialists to care and assist the heart patients. KPHL has allocated K50million to the Heart Centre and so far, they have used over K17million.

Pope Francis will be hospitalized for “a few days” for the treatment of a respiratory infection, the Vatican said on Wednesday, raising concerns over the health of the 86-year-old pontiff. “In recent days Pope Francis complained of some respiratory difficulties and this afternoon he went to Policlinico A. Gemelli for some medical checks,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement, referring to the Rome hospital where popes are normally treated. “The outcome of these [tests] showed a respiratory infection (excluding Covid-19 infection) that will require a few days of appropriate hospital medical therapy.” “Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” Bruni added. After his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Francis was taken to the hospital to undergo a number of tests. Earlier in the day, the Vatican had said that the visit and tests were planned. “The Holy Father has been at Gemelli since this afternoon for some previously scheduled tests,” Bruni had said. Shortly after, he said that Francis’ schedule for Thursday had been cleared “to make space for the continuation of tests should that be necessary.” Bishops in churches across Italy are praying for Francis’ speedy recovery, the Presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference, on behalf of the Italian bishops, said in a statement on Wednesday. “In wishing the Holy Father a speedy recovery, the Presidency entrusts to the Lord the doctors and medical staff who, with professionalism and dedication, care for him and all patients,” it added. The pontiff has a recent history of medical issues. He has often been seen with a walking stick and sometimes uses a wheelchair due to pain in his right knee. Last year, he canceled a trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after doctors said he might also have to miss a later trip to Canada unless he agreed to have 20 more days of therapy and rest for his knee. He ultimately went to the DRC and South Sudan in February. Francis also suffers from diverticulitis, a common condition that can cause the inflammation or infection of the colon. In 2021, he had surgery to remove part of his colon. In December, Francis revealed that he had already signed his resignation letter to be used in the event of him becoming “impaired.” Francis made the comment in an interview with Spanish news outlet ABC when asked what would happen if a pope is suddenly rendered unable to perform his duties due to health issues or an accident. Francis said he wrote the letter several years ago and gave it to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who resigned in 2013. “I have already signed my renunciation. The Secretary of State at the time was Tarcisio Bertone. I signed it and said: ‘If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my renunciation,’” Francis was quoted as saying, adding that this was the first time he had spoken publicly about the letter’s existence. Francis said past pontiffs Paul VI and Pious XII had also drafted their letters of renunciation in the event of a permanent impairment. In 2013, Francis’ immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, made the almost unprecedented decision to resign from his position, citing “advanced age” as the reason and startling the Catholic world. It marked the first time a pope had stepped down in nearly 600 years. The last pope to step down before his death was Gregory XII, who in 1415 quit to end a civil war within the church in which more than one man claimed to be pope. Source: CNN News

Isaah Yeo is the model every club wishes to build their pathway foundations on. Set to play his 200th NRL game in the same week he committed his long-term future to the club, 28-year-old Yeo is seen as the perfect example of the Panthers’ pathway success. It was in 2012 that Panthers pathways manager Lee Hopkins first came across the then-17-year-old centre, who arrived from Dubbo to join Penrith’s SG Ball team, and 11 years on, the two-time premiership-winning skipper still calls Penrith home. Set to become the ninth player to play 200 games for the club and only 45 games from breaking Steve Carter’s record as the most capped Panther, the World Cup winner is already one of the greatest success stories in the club’s history “What ‘Yeoey’s’ done for his career is the perfect model for how we do things with our country kids, which is what we’ve always done well,” Hopkins told NRL.com “We bring them in, we look after them and we want them to stay. "We want them to be 200 gamers not 20 gamers. [caption id="attachment_38062" align="alignnone" width="788"] 2022 Dally M Captain of the Year - Isaah Yeo[/caption] “There’s a thousand things you could pick out about Yeoey which makes him a great player and a great role model. He's a pure gentleman off the field and a fantastic footballer.” But from day one, when a big, tall running centre came down to play SG Ball, it was his dedication that I remember. Panthers Pathways ManagerLee Hopkins Having progressed through the outside backs to become a two-time Dally M Lock of the Year and lead his club to back-to-back NRL premierships, Yeo has achieved on-field success that most players only dream of. But more importantly, Yeo’s journey has shown the next generation of Panthers stars that no matter where you call home, there is always a path to the NRL stage. “I’m pretty sure he was close to one of the first country kids that came through the system and then he was closely followed by the likes of Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin,” the former Penrith and Parramatta forward said. “For every Yeoey, there’s been five or six others that unfortunately didn’t make it but that’s just the nature of rugby league. “Especially country kids, some of the biggest steps they make is moving down here and having a punt on a career. "Yeoey did all that, he moved away from home and now he calls Penrith home. Pathways don’t like taking the credit for too many things, we can get them to a point, but they’ve got to walk through the door. “We’re grateful as a club for every country kid that comes here to give it a shot. We’ll treat them like our own and give them every opportunity to do the best they can but at some point it has to be up to the player,” Hopkins said. “I’ll be extremely proud seeing him run out on Friday night and so will the entire club but the person who should be proudest is himself. [caption id="attachment_38063" align="alignnone" width="788"] In the winner's sheds: Isaah Yeo[/caption] He should be extremely pleased of the person he is, how he carries himself and how he leads from the front. Panthers Pathways Manager Lee Hopkins Yeo joins Penrith royalty on Friday by becoming the ninth man to play 200 games for the club - every one of them a premiership winner. Steve Carter (243) heads the list, which includes fellow 1991 premiership players Royce Simmons (237), Greg Alexander (228) and Brad Izzard (209). Craig Gower is second all-time with 238 games, while his teammates from the 2003 decider Tony Puletua (211), Luke Lewis (208) and Ryan Girdler (204) also make the honour roll. Having already captained his side to back-to-back premierships, Yeo is set to become the most capped Panther having re-signing with the club until the end of 2027. “It’s not something you expect to happen when you first debut but I’m super excited about it and understand how proud it makes my family,” Yeo said earlier in the week. “I don’t know how long that will last (record), there are a few behind me that will be chomping at the bit. “But that’ll be pretty cool, for a club that’s been around for so long, there’s no 300 gamer there so we’ll see how we go.” Source: NRL.Com