The Western Provincial Health Authority (WPHA) delivered 18 cartons of medical drugs to the Mougulu and Nomad health facilities in the North Fly District over the weekend. These much-needed drugs include basic supplies of Paracetamol, Amoxicillin, Aspirin, RDT for Malaria, Chloramphenicol, Septrin, etc. It has been a struggle for health workers to continue treating patients with very limited drug supplies at these facilities. Sally Llyod from the Strickland Bosavi Foundation based at Mougulu said that the timely delivery of these vital medical drugs is a major relief to the health workers who can now treat patients. WPHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Niko Wuatai thanked the Fly River Provincial Government for funding the cost of freight and the dedicated North Fly District Health Team for delivering the medicines on time. “I look forward to working in partnership with Fly River Provincial Government, the District Development Authorities, Churches and other partners to deliver positive health outcomes for the people going forward,” Dr. Wuatai added. WPHA remains committed to providing accessible and optimal healthcare services to the people of Western Province.

In 2007, the U.S. Congress designated January 11th as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. People who are trafficked are considered victims of a crime under international law. The U.S. government is steadfast in its commitment to prevent human trafficking around the world and to protect survivors of all forms of human trafficking. Human trafficking occurs worldwide, including in Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, human traffickers exploit women and children in sex trafficking and in forced labor in domestic service, the tourism sector, manual labor, forced begging, and street vending. According to international NGO research, approximately 30 percent of Papua New Guinean sex trafficking victims are children younger than the age of 18, with some as young as 10 years old. Immediate family or tribe members reportedly exploit children in sex trafficking or forced labor. Some parents force children to beg or sell goods on the street, and some sell or force their daughters into marriages or child sex trafficking to settle debts, resolve disputes between communities, or support their families. (For more information on human trafficking in Papua New Guinea, please visit https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/papua-new-guinea/) Everyone needs to learn about human trafficking, as it robs millions of their freedom and dignity, inflicts untold harm on society, undermines the rule of law and public health and spurs crime. Human trafficking involves exploitation through the use of force, fraud or coercion, and can affect anyone, including you or your loved ones. Human trafficking can take many forms including sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, forced child labor, domestic servitude, and the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers. It affects men, women, transgender individuals, and children both across borders and internally within a country. The international community responded in 2000 with the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. That same year, the United States passed the ground-breaking anti-trafficking law called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act which established the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to lead U.S. global engagement on human trafficking and support the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts across the U.S. government. Since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, the United States’ commitment to combat human trafficking has only grown. Since 2010, every U.S. President has dedicated the month of January to National Human Trafficking Prevention by Presidential Proclamation to raise awareness about the different forms of human trafficking and how to identify and address this crime. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act requires the State Department to submit a report to Congress by June 30 of each year on the degree to which governments of countries with trafficking victims meet the law's minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. This TIP Report comes out each year and ranks government actions to combat trafficking in persons by a tier ranking system. The 2023 TIP Report will cover efforts by governments during the reporting period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 and will be release in July 2023. Below are stories of modern slavery from around the world. Malaya’s husband became very sick and could not work in their home country of the Philippines, so she sought work abroad to support them both. An employment agency found her a job as a domestic worker in Qatar, where her employer paid her less than the agreed upon salary in her work contract and refused to give her time off. The employer refused to allow Malaya to leave her job and physically and emotionally abused her. Finally, her employer took Malaya to the UK to work for his sister where she was also trapped in domestic servitude, not allowed outside, and had to sleep on the floor. One day while her employer was asleep, Malaya escaped to a nearby church where members of a Filipino workers’ union provided her shelter and referred her to victim services. Amira was a Palestinian transgender woman living on the streets in a city in the West Bank. She was a sex trafficking victim who had been blackmailed and threatened when she tried to leave. When she was 19 years old, she fled to Israel because of her fear of persecution as a member of the LGBTQI+ community and sought recognition as a trafficking victim. However, she was deported because of her illegal immigration status. A year later, she again fled the West Bank and returned to Israel where authorities arrested her on immigration charges and detained her for three months. With the help of an Israeli NGO, authorities granted Amira a temporary stay permit, but did not give her a work permit. Officials also did not recognize her as a trafficking victim, which would have afforded her a work permit, housing, legal aid, and other forms of assistance under law. She constantly lived in fear of deportation when her residency permit would expire. After months of living in various NGO shelters without the right to legally work or make money of her own, she died by suicide. Several Israeli NGOs continue to provide assistance to Palestinian LGBTQI+ individuals who flee the West Bank, but they face challenges assisting this community because of discrimination and lack of legal protection frameworks for this vulnerable population. Alejandra and Leticia left their home in Tijuana when a local recruiter promised to find them good jobs in California. The recruiter provided them with fraudulent documents and allowed the young women to stay with her for three weeks after arrival, but when the jobs never materialized, the recruiter forced them to leave her house. The women left with nothing and to survive took a loan from a local farmer in exchange for performing farm work. The employer took their identification documents until they could pay off their debt and charged them for transportation and other fraudulent fees. He threatened them with deportation if they did not work faster. The young women sought assistance from a labor organization in the community that called the local police. Eventually, authorities arrested the perpetrators, identified the two women as trafficking victims, and referred them to organizations to receive assistance and care. Silkworm factory owners forced Aabharana and her mother to work 11 hours a day in terrible conditions to pay down a family loan while paying them only 200 rupees (US $2.69) a day. Eventually, the factory owner doubled the amount of their debt and forced them to continue working through threats and physical violence. While Aabharana and her mother were initially fearful, they shared their story with government officials and requested a certificate of release from the factory. The authorities ruled in their favor and issued the release certificate providing proof that their debt was cancelled. The officials then escorted them from the factory. Chichima left her home in Nigeria when she was offered a monthly salary of US $1,000 for a teaching position in Lebanon, but the offer was a lie told by a trafficker. Upon arrival, the trafficker forced Chichima to work as a domestic worker, laboring long hours for little pay. When she tried to leave, her employer said that he had “purchased her” for US $1,000 and that she had to do what he said. Making things worse, Chichima discovered that under Lebanon’s sponsorship system, she could not leave the country without her employer’s consent, meaning Chichima’s employer could legally restrict her freedom of movement. Chichima is among thousands of people without freedom of movement or employment due to the sponsorship system in the Middle East, which inhibits trafficking victims from leaving their exploitative situations.

Meet Gene Kelly, 23 years of age who hails from the beautiful Tsoi Islands in the Lavongai LLG and kol peles Goroka in the Eastern Highlands province. Gene who spent most of his life in New Ireland discovered his gift for art when he was in grade three. “I found out I was good at drawing when I began sketches using pencils. Then as time went by I was introduced to painting after watching the boys doing face painting during Blues and Maroons games,” said Gene. In 2012 was when Gene’s gift was further elevated to painting portraits. “My first serious portrait painting was when I painted the late former Kavieng MP Ben Micah in 2012. From there I saw I could make money out of my gift. I have also painted portraits of James Marape and Walter Schnaubelt,” said Gene. He said he usually doesn’t put an exact price on his portraits but is greatful for the proceeds from his work. His latest master piece is a portrait of the last Man Standing and Governor of New Ireland Sir Julius Chan. The artwork is spiritually captivating and cuts deep into the soul, bringing out Sir J’s New Ireland heritage. Gene has managed to remove all the western accolades and titles bestowed upon Sir J to show him in a much more simple yet enigmatic state. Gene is currently building his art collection and hopes to host an art exhibition soon to showcase his art to the public. He also aims to sell his art online in the future. Although Gene did not complete his grade 12 at Namatanai Secondary due to school fights at the time, he has chosen not to give up on himself. Choosing to perfect his passion for drawing and painting portraits .

The Indigenous boy who broke Australia's hearts in distressing footage will hit the big screen alongside one of the world's biggest stars as his own movie career takes off. Quaden Bayles, 12, is yet to start high school but already has a thriving life as a movie star and influencer, less than three years after he was bullied so badly he wanted to die. The Queensland boy made headlines in early 2020 when his mum Yarraka posted a heartbreaking video of him sobbing and asking for 'rope' to kill himself after being bullied at school due to his dwarfism. High-profile names around the world and back home rallied around Quaden, including Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller, who gave him a role in his latest blockbuster Furiosa, the fifth film in the Mad Max franchise. It will tell the backstory of Fury Road's fearsome heroine Furiosa, played in an earlier movie by Charlize Theron. Quaden will star alongside Australian Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth and actress Anya Taylor-Joy when the action blockbuster hits the cinemas in May 2024. [caption id="attachment_34156" align="alignnone" width="728"] Rapper The Kid Laroi (left) is among many of Quaden's high profile fans[/caption] 'Can’t wait to watch on the big screen next year,' Quaden told his 273,000 Instagram followers on Monday. He was quickly inundated with message of support. 'Going to be an epic film my bro, you absolutely rocked your role,' a follower commented. Another added: 'Congrats Quaden. You are such a wonderful young man. Can’t wait to see this myself. Furiosa was filmed in New South Wales and was expected to become the biggest movie ever to be made in Australia. Filming wrapped up in September. Furiosa won't be Quaden's first appearance on the big screen. His acting debut was an extra alongside Hollywood heavyweights Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton in Miller's most recent film Three Thousand Years of Longing. At the premiere in August, Quaden stole the show on the red carpet. 'I love acting, I want to do heaps,' Quaden told NITV News  at the time. 'I can't believe I'm in Mad Max. I never knew what it was, my brother was the one who showed me what it was and it blew my eyes. 'I was like ''wow that's crazy'', and I love working with George Miller. 'It's a really great job for me because of what I've been through.' The filmmaker described his young star as 'very film savvy' and skilled. 'Like everyone else, I saw the footage that his mother put up. I was incredibly moved by it,' Miller said. 'And I thought, ''If one good thing can happen out of bullying''... and we offered him a little part in the movie. He's wonderful to work with.' 'It was good for us and it was good for him,' Miller said. 'And he did such a good job that's he's got a small role in Furiosa.' [caption id="attachment_34157" align="alignnone" width="788"] Quaden Byales (pictured with mum Yarraka) celebrated his 12 birthday in December[/caption] Quaden was born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism. In 2020, harrowing footage was shared of Quaden sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to kill himself after being bullied at school. 'I just want to stab myself in the heart... I want someone to kill me,' he cried He was then trolled again over the viral video, being falsely accused of being an 18-year-old actor who had lied about his age as part of a scam to raise money. Quaden was just nine-years old-at the time. He was pictured looking happy and care-free as he celebrated his 12th birthday last month. 'Can’t believe my baby boy is 12 years old and off to high school next month,' his mum wrote. Source: dailymail.com.uk  

In an effort to promote agriculture as a profession (Agribusiness) among youths in Papua New Guinea, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is supporting an initiative by Wosera High School to engage students as well as the surrounding communities in sustainable cocoa value chain development. Following appraisal visits and a review of their business plan, the Programme supported the school’s newly initiated cocoa project through the provision of cocoa husbandry tools and materials, including polybags, shades cloths, pole pruners, wheelbarrows, pruning saws, shovels, tie wires, watering cans, measuring tapes, and budding tapes. “The EU-STREIT PNG also supplied 3,000 cloned seedlings that will be followed by a training on cocoa bud-grafting for subject matter teachers and lead students to produce seedlings for planting and community distribution”, highlighted by the FAO National Cocoa Production Officer, Odrick Urum. “Many are called, but few are chosen. With a visionary person like the principal of Wosera High, the Programme supports these initiatives to serve as an encouragement for other schools and communities,” said Ms Patu Shang, the Programme’s International Gender and Youth Inclusion Specialist, during the presentation of tools and materials. The school, through its own initiative, had already planted 1,200 Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) tolerant seedlings, and the support of the EU-STREIT PNG will further boost the students’ and staff’s morale to produce more cloned seedlings in their new nurseries, thereby increasing their farming capacity as well as for distribution to local communities.  According to the School Principal, Joseph Jangwan, the plan is that every Grade 7 student will be in charge of 20 cloned cocoa seedlings on the school farm. The skills and knowledge imparted under the Programme will help the students to grow these seedlings. The resulting cocoa beans once sold, will serve as a source of income for the students (30%) and for the school (70%). These students will open an account at MiBank, a partner of the UNCDF under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, to save their income. Upon graduation, they will not only depart with a certificate, but also with a savings account, 15-20 cloned seedlings to set up in their respective communities, and the knowledge and skills to improve their cocoa farms. The establishment of a fermentary is also envisioned as part of the plan for the school cocoa business project. “Not all students will find a place for higher learning, so some of the students can take up farming as a profession. The income from cocoa farming can be a means to other ends, including furthering their education,” explained the very enthusiastic Principal Jangwan. “I see this as a sustainable self-reliant project which will be of immense benefit to the students, the school and the communities at large, and I recommend other schools to follow this pathway,” said Agriculture Teacher Tai Luke. “This is the first initiative for a high school in the Sepik region, with the support of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, and I’m very excited,” said a Grade 9 student Hillary Makain. In addition to the school farm project, Wosera High School has an ICT centre, which is now earmarked as a resource centre to be supported by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, under the ITC component of the Programme, led by the International Telecommunication Union. The resource centre will serve as an information and knowledge hub for students and communities. This package, thereby, serves as a one-stop shop for the exemplification of a sustainable cocoa value chain development approach. The EU-STREIT PNG is being implemented as a UN Joint Programme (FAO as the lead agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as implementing partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the Country and the Pacific region. It focuses on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through increasing the economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains and strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers, including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-resilient transport and renewable energy infrastructure development.

The National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has donated K200, 000 as emergency fund to support thousands of people that were displaced in Nipa Kutubu District in Southern Highlands Province due to the post-election violence. The post-election related violence displaced more than twenty thousand people and they were in dire straits, mostly women and children. NGCB Chief Executive Officer Imelda Agon said the donation by the Board to the people of Nipa Kutubu shows the organization’s concern over the displacement-affected communities. “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate election-related violence and the NGCB, as an organization owned by the 8 million plus people of this country, is committed to provide emergency funds to restore peace, law, and order in the affected areas. “We stand behind the Marape-Rosso Government and the Nipa Kutubu District Development Authority and pledge our support to eliminate all forms of violence befalling in our communities. “On behalf of the Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, Minister responsible for NGCB Hon. Manasseh Makiba, NGCB Chairman Clemence Kanau and the board members, I am pleased to announce NGCB’s support towards this cause”, Mrs. Agon said. The cheque was handed over to the Member for Nipa Kutubu Hon. Dr Billy Joseph by the Minister Responsible for NGCB Manasseh Makiba. Hon. Dr Billy Joseph thanked the Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, Hon. Manasseh Makiba and NGCB for the emergency fund donated to the people of his electorate and said the funding will assist Nipa Kutubu DDA to restore peace and law and order in the district. The donation was made through NGCB’s ‘Give Back Program’, aimed at improving the lives of people and the communities in Papua New Guinea.

Cyclone Hale is now hitting Northland, Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island and is also forecast to reach Marlborough and the North Canterbury coastline, from tomorrow morning. Northland is being battered by heavy rain, as Cyclone Hale approaches New Zealand. A fallen tree has closed a section of State Highway in Dome Valley, while severe surface flooding has closed Kokupu Road in Whangārei. Police were advising motorists to stay clear of the area until further notice. Police also advised motorists to avoid travelling in Northland unless it was urgent due to the continued heavy rain. A heavy rain warning remains in place for the region till 7pm today. The council said large slips have closed the 309 Road near the waterworks and Colville Road near Amodeo Bay. It was hoping to reopen Port Charles Wharf Road, which has been blocked by fallen trees since last week. The council has also received reports of flooding, tree fall, and slips along various sections of State Highway 25. Thames Valley's Civil Defence controller Garry Towler said the weather in the Coromandel region has deteriorated, with widespread flooding, power and cellphone outages. MetService is now forecasting heavy rain from Cape Campbell to Kaikoura and the Seaward Kaikoura Range from 5am tomorrow. More than 100 homes in Coromandel are without power as Civil Defence staff and contractors this morning assess the initial damage wrought in the region by severe weather. "We had quite a lot of impact last night," Towler told Morning Report. The eastern seaboard has been most affected, he said, and it was highly likely the entire eastern seaboard would close after high tide, he said. "We've got widespread flooding, we've got a number of slips all the way from Hikuai all the way up to Whitianga. Widespread phone and power outages as well. "The impact is quite dramatic in terms of what is still to come but also we've got to keep this in context because we had over 400mm of rain last week and there's just no capacity to absorb some of this stuff." In Whitianga 136 properties in the town of Whenuakite have been without electricity since 2am today. The network company is investigating the cause of the outage. At 11am police advised residents to stay indoors and away from the coast as high tide was due at 11.15am. Several roads in Thames-Coromandel district have been closed because of the storm. As well as Coromandel, wide impact is also expected in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay as the weather front that was originally known as Cyclone Hale fans out across the island. MetService issued severe weather warnings for Gisborne, Coromandel, Northland up to the Bay of Islands, Auckland including Great Barrier Island, and Hawke's Bay. It forecast heavy rain, gale-force winds and storm surges. The rain is predicted to peak in most areas this afternoon. It has also now added a heavy rain warning for Marlborough and the Canterbury coast from Cape Campbell to Kaikōura. There are flooding and slips on Aotea Great Barrier Island. Aotea Great Barrier Local Board chairperson Izzy Fordham said there are a few slips being dealt with by contractors, but campgrounds on the island had already cleared out after last week's storm. The local emergency management team is on call and Fordham said residents are hunkered down, waiting for the storm to pass. In Tairāwhiti, between 200 and 250 millimetres of rain is expected through to 2am tomorrow, along with four to six metre swells. Unpaved roads are closed, campers near the coast have headed home, and Tairāwhiti Civil Defence is asking people to check on their neighbours. Gisborne District Council is urging extreme caution on the region's roads after several people were rescued when their vehicle became stuck in a flooded stream. The council posted on social media that police and the fire service were called to help those trapped in the vehicle after severe weather hit last night. Cyclone Hale is predicted to continue to lash Tairāwhiti and other areas of the North Island today. Gisborne businesses are waiting to hear if unsealed roads will be reopened to trucks today. Tairāwhiti Civil Defence announced the 24-hour closure, which kicked in at 8pm yesterday, because of Cyclone Hale. Forestry company Ernslaw One has backed the decision. Regional manager Bill Wheeler said workers were meant to return from holiday yesterday, but that has now been delayed until Thursday. Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management controller Ian Macdonald said his region was expecting heavy rains and strong winds from tonight. Emergency services were co-ordinating preparations and residents should stay home during the worst of the weather, he said. Source: Radio New Zealand

Gibson Seseru was an energetic teenager with ambitions of becoming a politician or business leader when he first noticed numbness in his legs. As the months progressed, he found it increasingly hard to walk, eventually requiring a wheelchair for mobility. Gibson found attending school difficult, eventually resulting in the heartbreaking decision to leave. Gibson recognised the lack of representation of people with disabilities at all levels of government. He decided to organise community outreach programs, advocated for improved support and utilised data collected from a PNG-Australia Partnership-supported survey to form the Bulolo Disability Association (BDA) - an organisation that serves as a voice for change. Gibson says that through the formation of the association, people with disabilities have developed a voice and are more aware of their rights to access government services including law and justice services. Bringing people with disabilities together to form an association was not easy. People have different disabilities and varying needs that all need to be addressed to ensure participation. The most significant challenge is people’s mindsets, negative attitudes, and the assumptions many make about people with disabilities. “Most people think we want money,” Gibson says. “The public’s view is shallow, so I clarify that this [association] is a voice and vehicle for change and not for charity.” “We advocate for equal treatment of all persons with disability. They are part of the community.” With support from Australia through the PNG-Australia Partnership, BDA assisted the Morobe Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee last year to organise training for people with disabilities on leadership and financial literacy, including a separate workshop designed to equip people with disabilities, their families and carers with the skills and knowledge needed to enrich their lives. There is much to do. Unemployment and illiteracy among people with disabilities is high. “I want to see change and persons with disabilities empowered through the association’s activities and projects we carry out,” he says. Gibson backs the National Government’s vision of ensuring that no one is left behind and says the BDA is keen to seize this opportunity to enable people with disabilities to contribute to the development of their communities, the district, and the province.

China has taken down more than 1,000 social media accounts - some with millions of followers - that criticised the government's Covid policies. Social media platform Weibo said it had suspended or banned accounts for what it described as personal attacks against Chinese Covid specialists. Weibo did not specify which posts had prompted the action. China scrapped its strict zero-Covid policy in December and has seen a rapid surge of infections and deaths. Online criticism has until recently largely focused on the strict enforcement of Covid regulations, including lockdowns that required people to stay at home in isolation for weeks. But recent posts have taken aim at experts who have defended the sudden decision to drop restrictions, despite supporting them just weeks ago. Weibo said it had spotted almost 13,000 violations, including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers. Temporary or permanent bans have been handed to 1,120 accounts. "It is not acceptable to hurl insults at people who hold a different point of view, or publish personal attacks and views that incite conflicts," Weibo said in a statement. Any kind of move that is destructive to the [Weibo] community would be handled in a serious manner." Since China abandoned key parts of zero-Covid following historic protests against the policy, there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed. But China has stopped publishing daily cases data and has announced only 22 Covid deaths since December, using its own strict criteria. On Saturday, China marked the first day of the 40-day period of Lunar New Year, known as the world's largest annual migration of people. The Ministry of Transport said it expects more than two billion passengers to travel over the next 40 days, an increase of 99.5% year-on-year and reaching 70% of trip numbers in 2019. This has led to widespread concerns that the festival may see another wave of infections, especially in rural areas that are less well-equipped with ICU beds and ventilators. From Sunday, China will drop a requirement for travelers coming from abroad to quarantine, meaning many Chinese will be able to travel abroad for the first time in almost three years.   Source: BBC

China has reopened its borders to international visitors for the first time since it imposed travel restrictions in March 2020. Incoming travelers will no longer need to quarantine - marking a significant change in the country's Covid policy as it battles a surge in cases. They will still require proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of travelling. The move has been welcomed by many eager to reunite with family. In Hong Kong, 400,000 people are expected to travel into mainland China in the coming weeks with long queues for flights into cities including Beijing and Xiamen. On Sunday, double-decker coaches packed with travelers arrived at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to catch buses to the Guangdong province - among them were college students returning home. One man told the BBC he hadn't seen his extended family in three years and could not hold back his excitement, having just bought a ticket back to China. A woman told news agency Reuters she had not seen her parents in years - despite one of them suffering from colon cancer - and said she was "so, so happy". The country's reopening comes at the start of "Chunyun", the first period of Lunar New Year travel. Before the pandemic, it was the largest annual worldwide migration of people returning home to spend time with family. Two billion trips are expected to be made this Lunar New Year, double the number that travelled last year. Li Hua, who travelled from the UK to China - where her family lives - for the festival said it had been "too long" since she had returned, "I'm so happy to be back, and breathe Chinese air. So happy, so happy". Mark Clayton returned home to Zhuhai, in Guandong, with his wife and baby after visiting Hong Kong. He told the BBC his trip home had been "nearly as smooth as it used to be pre-Covid". "We didn't even show them the PCR, we simply scanned a code and put in a very quick customs declaration... And then straight through," he said. But there is concern from some that opening the borders will result in more transmission of Covid-19. Some local bus drivers told the BBC they are worried they might get the virus from incoming travelers, and want their companies to provide them with more protection. Over the past three years, China had one of the world's strictest Covid health policies that saw numerous lockdowns, frequent testing requirements and had a significant impact on the nation's economy. The government recently walked back that policy after mass protests across the country, triggered by a fire in a high-rise block in the Xinjiang region that killed 10 people. Many Chinese believed the long-running Covid restrictions contributed to the deaths, but authorities denied this. Since China abandoned the key elements of its Covid zero policy there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed, but the country has stopped publishing its case numbers and reported only two deaths on Saturday. On the same day, the Chinese government banned over 1,000 social media accounts critical of its handling of the virus. The anticipated surge in cases and travel out of China has prompted many countries - including the UK - to impose requirements for a negative COVID-19 test on people arriving from China, drawing the ire of the Chinese government.     Source: BBC

The East New Britain provincial administration has received K43, 875 as their 2022 dividend payment today from Gazelle International Hotel (GI). The cheque was presented to Governor Michael Marum and East New Britain acting provincial administrator Levi Mano by the Hotel Manager Luis Gomes and chairman of the hotel Professor David Kavanamur. The dividend following an 8.75 share own by the provincial government and the hotel management has been paying dividend since 2014 which is a total of K15 million has been paid over the period of years to all the shareholders. According to Mr Mano he thanked GI hotel for their dedication and commitment in paying the dividend to the provincial government stating that business environment is not so good but this payment has come from the hard work and effort of the chairman of the hotel and team. He said it is important that the people of the province know this as people need to know that some business operations in the province are actually giving back to the people and to the province. “We appreciate all your support since 2014 it is hard to come up with such amount but we are thankful and we can always work together in the future,” he said. Governor Marum also extended his appreciation to the hotel management and look forward to assist in upgrading the hotel. He said these funds will go a long way in assisting the people of the province. Hotel General Manager Luis Gomes said GI is a proud recipient of the provincial government and has been performing well over the years. He said of the K15 million shared between all shareholders K1.3 million of those is for the provincial government. He said GI has been paying constant dividend since 2014 and although the dividend is paid to the provincial government the linkages through the local economy is much more than the dividend itself because it provides the link to the local economy where service providers provide service to the hotel. Mr Gomes said GI is one of the best investment for the provincial government and the purpose is to contribute to the economy development of the province. He further stated that they are looking forward to province infrastructures development and the growing business in the hotel upgrade and keeping and raising the standard of tourism and hospitality in the province.

Vanuatu residents have been left rattled following Sunday night's magnitude-7 earthquake. Five aftershocks followed the first long and strong jolt that struck 23 kilometres west-north-west of Port Olry at a depth of about 28 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. Tsunami alerts had been issued but were lifted soon after. Property owner in Sanma Province, Lily Lui said she could barely stand when she was trying to escape. "It was 11:40 and I was fast asleep. I just fell from my room," she said. "It's like somebody digging out the house and trying to move the house from where it is placed so I was like, what's going on? "When I woke up, I found everything lying down on the floor and I was rushing down the stairs trying to find a way to get out. "Everybody was scared and ran out of the house because we are close to the sea and everybody was looking at the sea," Lui said. It was a similar story for tourism operator, Oka Vocor Harris, who said his children all ran to him scared and cuddled him. He then ran out to check on his customers in his bungalows. "When the earthquake comes over, they all get around me holding me tight, it sounds like a big machine moving, heavy machine, bulldozer, it sounds like the earth is trembling," Harris said. Both of the residents did not report any serious damage, Lui said she does have cracks in her house but nothing major. Santo Hardware general manager Leighton Shearer and his family also felt the earthquake. They are from New Zealand where they experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kaikoura in New Zealand's South Island. "It was certainly a big shake. You could hear it coming and that woke my wife. "We managed to get under a door frame before it hit but our 13-year-old son slept through it. "He also slept through the Kaikoura quake in 2016…it's his superpower…lol.. "We had no damage at our house apart from an extractor fan/light falling out of the ceiling of a bathroom. The pool lost a fair bit of water and a few pictures moved. There were quite a few aftershocks, reminiscent of the Kaikoura quake," Leighton Shearer said. Source: Radio New Zealand