A Kabul professor tore up his diplomas live on television in Afghanistan in protest over the Taliban’s barring of women from higher education. The man, named Ismail Mashal, is founder of the private Mashal University in Kabul and also a lecturer at Kabul University. With tears in his eyes and his voice quivering, he ripped up the diplomas during an on-set appearance for the country’s Tolo News on Monday. “From today, I don’t need these diplomas anymore because this country is no place for an education. If my sister and my mother can’t study, then I don’t accept this education,” he said. He added that the diplomas were for his multiple Masters and Doctorate degrees, and that they were the originals. The clip of his appearance has since gone viral, including being retweeted by Shabnam Nasimi, the former policy adviser to the Minister for Afghan Resettlement & Minister for Refugees, based in the UK. “Astonishing scenes as a Kabul university professor destroys his diplomas on live TV in Afghanistan,” tweeted Nasimi, alongside the clip. The Taliban announced on December 20 that university education for all female students had been suspended. This follows the government barring girls from attending secondary school in March of this year. It also comes on the heels of many other limitations placed on women’s freedoms, including their access to public spaces. In November, women were banned for entering all parks in Kabul. The same month, a Taliban official in Kabul announced that women would be barred from using gyms across the country. Women are also required to wear the hijab and dress modestly in public under the Taliban rule Source: CNN News  

Reaching the milestone of providing support to over 15,000 cocoa, vanilla and fisheries-dependant households in the Sepik region in the first nine months of 2022, was the highlight of the Programme Steering Committee’s (PSC) meeting held in Wewak, East Sepik Province. The PSC meeting, attended by high officials from the PNG Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), Department of Agriculture, Department of ICT, Provincial Administrations of East and West Sepiks, the European Union, and representatives from five involved UN agencies, also highlights the need to further strengthen the partnership between implementing partners, counterparts, and stakeholders at national, provincial, and local levels. The high level Programme Steering Committee convenes every six months to review progress and accomplishments and take decisions on the next steps and work plans. Wesley Wellie, the head of DNPM’s National Authorising Officer-Support Unit, in his remarks during the meeting, highlighted the EU-STREIT PNG Programme as “an important investment made by the EU in partnership with the Government of PNG, FAO, ILO, ITU, UNCDF, and UNDP.” He added: “This meeting is convened to review where we currently stand and where the Programme is heading.” Explaining the importance of the Programme, the DNPM Official mentioned that “there are high expectations in the Programme in terms of target outcomes and also sustainability of the results, and we need to focus on strengthening partnership, coordination, and cooperation between all stakeholders.” Wellie concluded his remarks by acknowledging “the support and cooperation from the European Union and the UN implementing partners, which involves extensive dialogue and consultations towards joint decision-making. The EU Ambassador to PNG, His Excellency Jacques Fradin, in his address at the PSC Meeting, also underlined the fact that “the EU-STREIT PNG Programme is an initiative that aims to empower the people of East and West Sepiks to help improve their cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains.” Mentioning the way forward to tackle the existing challenges in the Programme’s implementation, the EU Ambassador highlight “the need to move collectively to solve issues.” The UN Resident Coordinator a.i. in PNG, Marielle Sander, in her speech stated that “the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, as a UN joint project, benefits from the convergence of expertise from the five UN agencies involved in its implementation and also benefits from the experiences and capacity of the PNG partners at the national, provincial and local level government.” She further stressed that “the project is a great opportunity to work together for the benefit of the people of the Sepik and Papua New Guinea.” Mentioning the PSC Meeting, Sander added, “this meeting is to review the project progress and achievements and also to set an agenda and work plan to speed up the delivery.” The FAO Regional Programme Leader, Takayuki Hagiwara, in his address at the PSC Meeting, reassured the participants that FAO, as the lead agency in implementing the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, “has a strong commitment to keep the EU-STREIT PNG Programme on the right track and to speed up delivery in a joint work plan.” Addressing the PSC Meeting, Xuebing Sun, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme Coordinator, emphasised that “the Programme made good progress in 2022 compared to the progress made in 2021.” Adding, “Thanks to strategic guidance and technical support received from all partners and stakeholders, the Programme was able to overcome some remaining bottlenecks and constraints that slowed down the Programme’s implementation progress in the last year.” Sun further emphasised that “the Programme is currently in good shape in terms of picking up progress and delivering the anticipated impacts and desired results.” Rabi G. Rasaily, the FAO Senior Agricultural Officer and Programme Coordinator a.i. in his concluding remarks acknowledged the valuable feedback received from the Co-Chairs and the PSC members for further enhancement in the Programe tailord support to promote and develop inclusive agri-food value chains and agri-enterprises in the Sepik. Rasaily called on all partners, stakeholders and interested partners to join the hands and seize the opportunity to work together to uplift the living conditions of the people through triggering transformative change and sustainable progress in agri-food sector. The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, since January 2022, has reached out and provided technical assistance and support to 15,069 households (90,414 individual beneficiaries) in East and West Sepik provinces. These supports include: Built the capacity of 9,500 cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries farmers. Organised one exposure visit to an international trade show for PNG agribusinesses. Launched an Innovation Fund and received 65 proposals. Developed legislation on Geographical Indication and drafted a manual for the Certificate Authority. Started distribution of 1,400,000 Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) tolerant seedlings. Capacitated 157 nurseries. Distributed 785 cocoa nursery shed clothing. Distributed 2,000,000 polybags. Rolled out support scheme for 900 fermentaries. Trained 400 fermentary owners on cocoa quality assessment. Established a partnership with the New Guinea Binatang Research Centre. Established 13 vanilla vines treatment sheds. Ensured the availability of 130,000 high-quality vanilla vines. Provided 273 sets of vanilla planting and harvesting tools. Established 72 vanilla farming groups. Procured 40 outboard motor engines with the boats for distribution among target groups. Supported 150 fisheries groups. Launched an Agri-MSME Challenge Fund. Established 100 financial services access points. Opened 60,000 financial services accounts. Developed two e-agriculture strategies. Rehabilitated 83.7 km of rural roads. Selected 6 public facilities for the installation of Solar Powered Renewable Energy The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, being implemented as a UN Joint Programme (FAO as the leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region. The Programme aims to help improve the lives of the people from East and West Sepik provinces, by focusing on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through improved economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains while strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers, including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-proof transport and energy infrastructure development.

Trukai Industries recently donated K5,000 to help purchase a CT Scanner for the Buka General Hospital. This assistance demonstrates Trukai Industries’ support for community activities under its health initiatives which is a part of its corporate social responsibility program. This donation was presented to the Bougainville Charity Foundation’s (BCF) fundraising drive to purchase a cancer detection equipment. BCF has helped many remote communities throughout Bougainville in various aspects, which include education and health with its recent fundraising appeal to purchase the cancer equipment for Bougainville’s main hospital. BCF’s Chairman Romulus Masiu described Trukai’s timely donation as a blessing to the people of Bougainville. “I open heartedly accept Trukai’s willingness to assist us and I am very much thankful for this donation,” said Masiu. He added that Trukai rice is a vital food source for areas in AROB where food can be scarce. “Trukai Rice has become a staple food in most households in Bougainville, especially in most outlying Atolls of the Region, and even on mainland Bougainville whereby garden produce is not easily available and comes in seasons. Weather patterns play a very big role in how the people cultivate their land and rice comes in to sustain the people during their time of need.” Trukai Industries’ CEO Alan Preston said the company will remain committed to helping the people of PNG. “Our partnership with Bougainville Charity Foundation shows our commitment to help health facilities like the Buka General Hospital. It is through partnerships like this, that we can be able to assist communities that need that added support,” said Preston. “Trukai, as a part of its corporate social responsibility program is committed to assisting the people of this country and we’ve successfully demonstrated this, not only through cash donations, but primarily through our monthly donations. These donations reach more than 10 different charity organizations, prisons and hospitals nationwide, in turn, this helps the people that truly need our support,” he added.

The Lovongai Peacemakers and Warlords marked the first anniversary of their Declaration of Peace invoked at the Peace and Reconciliation ceremony at Lavongai Catholic Mission last December 2021 to end the terror of warfare and killings on New Hanover at a three-day Retreat held last week at the Ranguva Solwara Skul outside Kavieng. The leaders joined with community elders in prayer and worship and discussions to assess and evaluate the outcome of the ceasefire and the attacks on villagers and killings that flared in some areas of the north after the Lavongai Mission peace ceremonies. The Special Peace Officer and Mediator, John Aini, drew the praise and admiration of the warlords to convene the roundtable meeting for an objective review process despite the threat and terror that appeared to water down the one-year-old Peace initiatives. Aini who mediates between all warring factions has been handling the Lovongai issue delicately and objectively. It’s an issue that is very close to his heart. Every time he talks about troubles on the Island, he always sheds tears. The Peace anniversary consolidates the firm stand by Governor Sir Julius Chan for a Resolution for Peace to be brokered from within the ranks of the warring factions and leaders. The culmination of the exchange of customary offerings and bonfire of dangerous arms and fighting weapons at the Peace and Reconciliation at Lovongai Catholic Mission cemented the leadership and trust as we continue with the Peace process in spite of continuous fighting, commented Sir J in Brisbane who learned of the Peace Retreat. The Retreat held from the 21st to the 22nd of December was the 3rd Commanders meeting attended by seven of the 12 warlords and Lovongai elders and leaders. “These commanders are heads of all the warring tribes and the ethnic groups that were involved in the Lovongai Ethnic crises which started in 2006. “In our search for long lasting peace for Lavongai we continue to hold dialogue. This is one of the ways I reach out to our elders in trying to work with them to find solutions to help us lay peace on our Island,” said Aini. Peace on south west Lovongai is encouraging because the fighting in the north is relatively small and isolated meaning that the peace effort is holding out and eventually must come to an end, was the observation of the Retreat. “There are obstacles and its expected. The fight has been going on for a very long time. It will take time for wounds to heal and so I’m not expecting a miracle. But we are trying.” Aini said the ethnic clashes stem from a number of issues including simple relationship affairs, and then escalated from a number of other complicated issues involving pay back and quarrels over land. Commander Igua Kara of the Metemaran army recalled that he was automatically thrown in as a commander when war broke out in his community in 2017. “We were on the Island when they told us that fighting would begin. So I stood up as commander to set up our boys, and organized all our mothers and fathers to ensure they were protected. I told our people, “We would fight and never allow our enemies entry into our village. We stood our ground. We did that so many times, that it became our normal routine.” Igua Kara said John Aini was the one who laid the path for peace by simply asking them to stop fighting. “ John Aini provided the leadership we needed. My house boy was the first place he visited. Then he went over to the commander of the other army and also asked them to stop fighting. He later came back to us and told us that the other army also accepted peace.” Kara said Commander Lamis Silau of the Tovotakalas army is the champion of peace. He set up a Peace and Good Order committee and we all agreed to contribute five mise, two pigs, and 10 bundles of Taro. We broke spears and burned them and the fight has stopped since then. And we are waiting for other communities to make the same move,” shared Kara. It was also agreed at the Ranguva Solwara Skul Retreat that Lovongais who fled their homes and residing in other parts of Kavieng must return home. Peace talks and reconciliations will continue on the Island. While Former ward 6 member James Matsaling called on the New Ireland Government and the Open member to set up economic opportunities for the people. He said right now the cash flow on the Island is a big problem and the people need economic enabling incentives like transport subsidies and market opportunities to help sell their products and make money. “ We need strong leadership on the Island to drive New Hanover to the next level. ” The New Ireland Government has always stood for peace and understands that lasting peace can only be achieved if the people themselves chose peace for New Hanover. It has contributed to a number of reconciliation ceremonies and is always monitoring the peace process. New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan thanked John Aini for his leadership in the peace process and encouraged all commanders to continue their peace talks and reconciliations for a better New Hanover for future generations.

Robin Fleming is no Stanger to Papua New Guinea and the banking Industry in the Pacific. A well-respected figure in the executive circle hangs his boot after 42 years in the Banking Industry. Originally, from Australia, Robin is a devout man in a deeply Christian country of which he has become a citizen. He lives in PNG with his wife Dora, and three children Cassandra, Liam and Joshua. The Queensland-born is known by his trademark handlebar moustache and mullet hairstyle, but says less about him than it does about PNG’s business community. He is known by many on the streets of PNG as the “BOSSMAN BILONG HAUSMANI” which simply means the “BANK BOSS”. He may be described as a private person and one who recognizes the little things and is attentive to detail. Interestingly, Robin never made it to a university. He only completed college at the St Laurence’s College in South Brisbane, Australia, a Christina Brother’s college. In fact , he tells us of an interesting part of his life where he went out in search of finding himself and ended up homeless and eventually in the ‘land of the Unexpected’. “I wanted to run away from home that is why I came to PNG,” he retells. He started with the commonwealth bank as a teller after college and worked his way up. Robin now holds a MBA and a Master of Management from Charles Sturt University. In 2015, he was made a Companion of the Star of Melanesia (CSM) for his services to banking. More recently, the University of Papua New Guinea School of Business and Public Policy has accorded him the honorary title of Professor for his contribution to the country and the communities. Fleming first came to PNG from Brisbane in 1980 on secondment from Australia’s then government owned Commonwealth Bank, which sent staff to BSP’s state-owned forerunner Papua New Guinea Banking Corp (PNGBC), which Commonwealth once owned. Then in his early 20s, Fleming says he had a choice of working at PNGBC or in a Commonwealth branch in outback Queensland. “I decided that if I was going to do a hardship post, at least have something a bit more exciting and get paid a little bit more,” he recalls. “There was a sense of adventure.” Over the years, he has garnered skills in technical and financial knowledge worthy to that of any tertiary level executive. He has had adventures in spades in PNG. An early posting with PNGBC was to Bougainville, where separatist tensions in the 1980s escalated into a civil war, which has kept closed what was then the country’s biggest earner, the Panguna gold and copper mine, for 28 years. Fleming has led BSP since 2013, taking over from Australian emerging market specialist Ian Clyne. Although he has been BSP boss for ten years, he has invested great values in the bank as well as the communities. It has always been simple for him, treat everyone with respect, give everyone credit they deserve and recognise the business objectives especially in a developing economy. “It isn’t all about profit, it is also about assisting communities and that resonates with staff because they often come from disadvantaged backgrounds, from village. I know what it’s like, the struggles they had to go through so that they can see that,” says Robin. Before appointed as BSP Group CEO, he had been Deputy Group CEO and Chief Risk Officer since 2009. Prior to that, he held senior executive roles as Chief Risk Officer, General Manager Corporate & International, and Head of Risk Management with BSP. He has spent his entire working career as a banker for 42 year, 35 of which he spent working in PNG. In the recent months before his exit, Robin made his final visits to each BSP branches around PNG, the Pacific and Aisa. From the most remote branches of Telefomin in Western Province and Buin in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville to the towns and cities and the countries where BSP operates in, staff farewell him goodbye with gifts and gatherings. He made his last stop in Kimbe with his wife Dora for the last time, visiting the place where it all began for him, his family and career. It was an emotional moment for all, as both set foot once again on the street and the house where it all began for them. Robin Fleming was officially farewelled by BSP Staff & Management today Thursday 29th December, 2022 at the Waigani Head Office , in Port Moresby, PNG. Thank you Robin Fleming. You are certainly leaving behind one of the most difficult personality of a CEO for the staff, management and the industry. Thank you Champ! Your story will live on.

Pelé, the Brazilian soccer legend who won three World Cups and became the sport’s first global icon, has died at the age of 82. “Everything that we are, is thanks to you,” his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote in a post on Instagram, under an image of family members holding Pele’s hands. “We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.” Pelé was admitted to a hospital in São Paulo in late November for a respiratory infection and for complications related to colon cancer. Last week, the hospital said his health had worsened as his cancer progressed. He died on Thursday from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer, according to a statement from Albert Einstein Hospital. For more than 60 years, the name Pelé has been synonymous with soccer. He played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three, but his legacy stretched far beyond his trophy haul and remarkable goal-scoring record. “I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint,” Pelé famously said. Portuguese star forward Cristiano Ronaldo sent his condolences to Brazil in a post on Instagram, saying “a mere “goodbye” to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that currently engulfs the entire football world.” Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain said of Pelé’s death: “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.” Former English soccer player Geoff Hurst wrote on Twitter of his memories of Pelé, calling the late star “without doubt the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside). For me Pele remains the greatest of all time and I was proud to be on the the pitch with him. RIP Pele and thank you.” Pelé’s wake will be held at Vila Belmiro, the headquarters of the Santos FC in São Paulo state, a spokesperson told CNN. The time and date of the event has yet to be announced. Dazzling ability Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações – an inland city roughly 155 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro – in 1940, before his family moved to the city of Bauru in São Paulo. The genesis of the nickname Pelé are unclear, even to the footballer. He once wrote in the British newspaper The Guardian that it likely started with school classmates teasing him for mangling the nickname of another player, Bilé. Whatever the origin, the moniker stuck. Tributes have been pouring in for the soccer legend. Pelé’s first club, Santos FC, responded to the news on Twitter with the words “eternal” shared next to an image of a crown. [caption id="attachment_33381" align="alignnone" width="906"] Exactly how many goals Pelé scored during his career is unclear, and his Guinness World Records tally has come under scrutiny with many scored in unofficial matches.[/caption] As a child, his first taste of soccer involved playing barefoot with socks and rags rolled up into a ball – a humble beginning that would grow into a long and fruitful career. But when he first took up the game, his ambitions were modest. “My dad was a good football player, he scored a lot of goals,” Pelé told CNN in 2015. “His name was Dondinho; I wanted to be like him. “He was famous in Brazil, in Minas Gerais. He was my role model. I always wanted to be like him, but what happened, to this day, only God can explain.” As a teenager, Pelé left home and began training with Santos, scoring his first goal for the club side before his 16th birthday. He would go on to score 619 times over 638 appearances for the club, but it is his feats in the iconic yellow jersey of Brazil for which he is best remembered. The world first got a glimpse of Pelé’s dazzling ability in 1958, when he made his World Cup debut aged 17. He scored Brazil’s only goal in the country’s quarterfinal victory against Wales, then netted a hat-trick in the semifinal against France and two in the final against host Sweden. “When Pelé scored the fifth goal in that final, I have to be honest and say I felt like applauding,” said Sweden’s Sigvard Parling. For Pelé, the standout memory from the tournament was putting his country on the sporting map. “When we won the World Cup, everybody knew about Brazil,” he told CNN’s Don Riddell in 2016. “I think this was the most important thing I gave to my country because we were well known after that World Cup.” Another World Cup victory came in 1962, although an injury sidelined Pelé for the tournament’s later stages. Further injuries hampered his next campaign in 1966 as Brazil exited the competition after the group stage, but redemption came in 1970. “Pelé was saying that we were going to win, and if Pelé was saying that, then we were going to win the World Cup,” Brazil’s co-captain Carlos Alberto said about the tournament. That team – featuring the likes of Jairzinho, Gerson, Tostão, Rivellino, and, of course, Pelé – is regarded as one of the greatest ever assembled. In the final – a 4-1 victory against Italy – Brazil scored arguably the most famous World Cup goal of all time, a sweeping, length-of-the-pitch move involving nine of the team’s 10 outfield players. It ended with Pelé teeing up Alberto, who drilled the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Brazil’s mantra of jogo bonito (the beautiful game) has never been better encapsulated. Pelé, who had considered retiring before the 1970 World Cup, scored a goal of his own in the final and a total of four over the course of the tournament. “Before the match, I told myself that Pelé was just flesh and bones like the rest of us,” Italian defender Tarcisio Burgnich said after his side’s defeat in the final. “Later, I realized I’d been wrong.” The tournament capped Pelé’s World Cup career but not his time in the spotlight. In 1975, he signed a $1.67-million-a-year contract in the United States with the New York Cosmos. One of the greatest players With his larger-than-life personality and extraordinary dribbling skills – a trademark of his game – Pele’s helped the Cosmos win the North American Soccer League championship in 1977 before officially retiring from football. The league, which attracted further big names like Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer, wouldn’t last, ultimately folding in 1984. But around the world, Pelé’s influence endured. He remained in the public eye through endorsement deals and as an outspoken political voice who championed the poor in Brazil. He served as a Goodwill UNICEF ambassador for many years, promoting peace and support for vulnerable children. Health problems persisted for much of Pelé’s later life. He got around with the support of a walker – an item he was filmed shoving around with disdain in a documentary released last year – and in September 2021, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his right colon. [caption id="attachment_33382" align="alignnone" width="906"] Paris Saint-Germain and France national football team forward Kylian Mbappe (R) and Brazilian football legend Pele take part in a meeting at the Hotel Lutetia in Paris on April 2, 2019.[/caption] Pelé’s cancer treatment continued over the past year. He was hospitalized in Sao Paulo in November as the 2022 World Cup was being played in Qatar, prompting an outpouring of support from the global soccer community and beyond. Debate will inevitably rage about whether Pelé is the greatest player of all time – whether it is possible to compare Pelé’s achievements to those of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, who have rewritten soccer’s record books over the past 15 years, or to Diego Maradona, the late Argentinian star who captivated the footballing world in the 1980s and 90s. In 2000, FIFA jointly named Maradona and Pelé as Player of the Century, but to some, the outright winner of the award should have been obvious. “This debate about the player of the century is absurd,” said Zico, who represented Brazil in the decade after Pelé’s retirement. “There’s only one possible answer: Pelé. He’s the greatest player of all time, and by some distance, I might add.” Exactly how many goals Pelé scored during his career is unclear, and his Guinness World Records tally has come under scrutiny with many scored in unofficial matches. In March 2021, he congratulated Portugal’s Ronaldo for passing his “record of goals in official matches” – 767. There is little doubt, however, that Pelé was, and always will be, football’s first global superstar. “If I pass away one day, I am happy because I tried to do my best,” he told The Talks online magazine. “My sport allowed me to do so much because it’s the biggest sport in the world.” Source: CNN News

Trukai Industries has donated 13 tons of rice this festive season through its annual Christmas donation drive to hospitals, prisons and charity organisations. Through its corporate social responsibility program, the company has been able to assist and support these institutions by collaboratively working with NGOs like Save the Children, The PNG Cancer Relief Society, The Salvation Army and with influential industry bodies like the Young Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Trukai Industries CEO Alan Preston said this annual donation drive was to support the less fortunate during the festive period. “Our aim during this donation drive is to show our support by giving back to the community in which we live and operate in,” said Preston. “By working closely with NGOs and other corporate organisations, Trukai Industries helps these groups progress the good work that they are doing in their respective communities and at the same time expand our reach to the disadvantaged communities,” reiterated Preston. The company donated a total of 2.5 tonnes of rice to Port Moresby General Hospital, Angau Memorial Hospital, Mt Hagen General Hospital, Goroka Base Hospital and Nonga Base Hospital. Acting CEO for the Mt Hagen General Hospital Janet Yamu when receiving their donation expressed gratitude for the 50 bags of Trukai Rice. “We are happy to receive this donation again this year and this rice will be stored away to feed the inpatients during the coming weeks. As this festive period is a time to share with family, we know the food we prepare using your donation will help to bring some Christmas cheer to our patients and we are grateful for that,” said Yamu. Trukai Industries also donated 100 kilograms of rice each to Bomana, Buimo, Baisu, Bihute, Boram, Vanimo CS, Kerevat, Giligili, Biru, Barawagi, Biate, Bueibi and Lakiamata prisons. A total of 1.2 tonnes of rice was donated to the prisons which was served as contribution towards their Christmas Day kaikai. Other rice donations were made to corporate organisations for their Christmas drive to feed the less fortunate. While other donations were made to communities impacted by natural disasters and charity organisations who receive a monthly donation from Trukai Industries.

Acting PPC Central Senior Inspector Patterson Birigi said a prison escapee, jailed for killing his pregnant wife was recaptured by Central Police, in Nabuaka village along the Hiritano Highway on Christmas Day. He said police also arrested several suspects along the Hiritano Highway for drunk and disorderly behaviour, but most of them were cautioned and discharged. He said while patrolling along the Magie highway from Hula to Gabagaba Junction and into Kwikila Station, members of Romeo 500 unit arrested two suspects for drunk and disorderly behaviour and grievous bodily harm. The acting PPC said apart from these arrests, no major traffic accidents or criminal activities were reported along the Magie and Hiritano highways, over the Christmas period. The acting PPC said members of Central Police went into some of the communities and worked with the councillors and village court officials to maintain peace and good order over the Christmas period and they will maintain the same spirit into the New Year and beyond. He said the Chiefs in Kairuku have also initiated a program in which, the youth were expected to surrender home brewing equipment and firearms. Mr Birigi said a report on the progress of this peace and good order initiative would be released to the media after New Year. Mr Birigi said the escapee, arrested by police in Doa is 36 year old Au Keta of Mou village in Bereina, Kairuku district. Mr Birigi said Keta was jailed for killing his pregnant wife but escaped from the Bomana prison, until his recapture. The acting PPC said two home made guns were also recovered in the Magie highway operations and the policemen will remain in this part of Central Province until and after the New Year period. Source: Police NCD/Central Divisional Command

The death toll in the New York city of Buffalo has risen to 28, with thousands still without power amid a monster winter storm that has battered North America. Across the US, at least 62 people have died in weather-related incidents. In Buffalo, a state official said that military police are being brought in to help manage traffic in the city, where a driving ban remains in place. Looting has been reported in parts of the city during the emergency. The winter storm has also forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, including about 4,800 on Tuesday morning alone. Thousands of passengers have been left stranded at airports across the country. Conditions are now expected to improve, with very little snowfall on Tuesday and slightly warmer weather on the way. At a news conference on Tuesday, officials in New York's Erie County - which includes Buffalo - said that the death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue. The 28 confirmed dead were all in Buffalo. "All of the numbers have not caught up at this time," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said. "We know that the [Erie] county number is larger." More than 4,000 people in the area remain without power after the storm, which Mr Brown said was "probably" the worst of most residents' lifetimes. At the peak of the storm, about 20,000 people were without power. Mr Brown added that there had been an "improvement" in the city, with very little snowfall and an absence of whiteout conditions allowing officials "significant progress" as they clear vehicles and restore power. Officials warned that the warming temperatures in the region might lead to additional problems, including flooding as snow thaws. In Erie County, city authorities on Tuesday were removing ice and blockages from storm drains ahead of what officials referred to as a "rapid melt". Mark Poloncarz, executive of Erie County where Buffalo is located, said that 100 military police officers and additional state police were being brought in to help control traffic in the area, where conditions remained "ugly" on many local roads. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gragmalia said that looting is "still going on". Four people have so far been arrested. "This isn't people stealing food and medicine and diapers," he said. "They're destroying stores. They're stealing televisions, couches, whatever else they can get their hands on. They're opportunists." On Monday, US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration allowing federal support for New York State. "My heart is with those who lost loved ones this holiday weekend," he tweeted. Neighbouring state New Jersey also sent emergency services to New York state to provide further assistance. State Governor Kathy Hochul, a native of Buffalo, described the storm as "the blizzard of the century". "It is [like] going to a war zone, and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking." Officials in New York have said that emergency personnel were forced to go from car to car searching for survivors of the storm, sometimes finding bodies in cars and snow banks. Mr Poloncarz said that some of the fatalities died from cardiac arrest while ploughing snow, with Buffalo state issuing a "Shovel Smart" warning, notifying people that over-exertion from shovelling snow can cause heart attacks or back injuries. While three additional deaths were confirmed by Tuesday morning, two deaths that had been reported earlier were deemed a "non-storm related", he added. Harrowing tales Some local residents recounted harrowing escapes from the storm over the last several days. One local family with young children - aged two to six - had to wait for 11 hours before being rescued in the early hours of Christmas Day (Sunday). "I was basically just hopeless," the father, Zila Santiago, told CBS News. He said he managed to stay warm by keeping the engine running, and kept distress at bay by playing games with the children. Ditjak Ilunga from Gaithersburg, Maryland, told CBS News he was on his way to visit relatives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his daughters when their SUV was trapped in Buffalo. After spending hours with the engine running he made the desperate choice to risk the howling storm to reach a nearby shelter. He carried six-year-old Destiny on his back while 16-year-old Cindy clutched their Pomeranian puppy, and followed his footprints in the snow drifts. "If I stay in this car I'm going to die here with my kids," Mr Ilunga recalled thinking. He said he cried when the family walked through the shelter doors. "It's something I will never forget in my life," he said. While the largest death toll has been reported in New York, storm-related deaths have been reported across the US, including Vermont, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Colorado. Over the weekend, an estimated 250,000 homes and businesses experienced blackouts, although power has steadily been restored. Still, tens of thousands of people remained without power on Tuesday. Source: BBC

Rain and flooding forced more than 45,000 people into evacuation centres, most of the missing believed to be fishers. The death toll from Christmas day rains and flooding in the southern Philippines has risen to 13, according to the country’s disaster management council, with a further 23 people still missing. Most of the deaths were caused by flash floods after two days of heavy rains over Christmas, which affected more than 166,000 people and forced more than 45,000 to take shelter in evacuation centres, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Tuesday. Images on social media show coast guard, police and firefighters wading through waist-deep floods and carrying residents along landslide-hit areas and out of inundated villages and streets. Twelve roads were flooded by overflowing rivers, and more than 20 areas in the affected region were still without power on Tuesday, according to local news outlet Inquirer.net. [caption id="attachment_33197" align="alignnone" width="966"] Rescue workers help a resident affected by floods in Plaridel, Misamis Occidental Province, Philippines, on December 26, 2022 [Philippine Coast Guard via Reuters][/caption] Unlike previous disaster brought on by tropical storms in the Philippines, the latest torrential rains and flooding was the result of a shear line — an area where warm and cold winds meet and cause huge rain clouds to form. The fatalities included a one-year-old girl and a 64-year-old man who drowned in separate incidents in Camarines Sur province, about 270km (168 miles) southeast of Manila. Four more were reported killed in the southern province of Misamis Occidental, including a 68-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack after being rescued. Those still missing are mostly fishers who went out to sea despite the dangers associated with bad weather, the disaster agency said. Rescue operations are continuing, and damage to agriculture is being assessed, Carmelito Heray, head of the disaster agency in Clarin town in Misamis Occidental province, told DZBB radio station. “The big damage here is livestock,” Clarin town Mayor Emeterio Roa said on the radio. The country’s weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said on Tuesday that the shear line persists and will see heavy rainfall continue in parts of the country, and rain-induced landslides are likely in some areas. “The public and disaster risk reduction and management offices concerned are advised to take all necessary measures to protect life and property,” PAGASA said. Source: Aljareeza.com

It has been a homecoming of sorts for Brisbane-born Edrick Lee, who has returned to Queensland to continue his NRL career with the Dolphins next season. Lee said he was still trying to get used to training in the heat of the Sunshine State after spending the past decade in slightly cooler pre-season climes during stints at the Canberra Raiders, Cronulla Sharks and Newcastle Knights. The 30-year-old made his NRL debut for the Raiders in 2012 after performing well for the club's under 20s side. However, the chance to return home to where it all started at this stage of his career was appealing for Lee, despite having to make small adjustments. “It's enjoyable, but tough, having to adjust to the Queensland weather,” Lee told NRL.com. “I am from here, but have never done a pre-season here, so that's the biggest adjustment. “But it's been good getting to know all the new faces and players, so everyone's gelling nicely. “I haven't been home since probably just over a decade, and I left straight after high school, so to come back home and play in front of friends and family on a day-to-day basis is something that attracted me as well.” While the pull of home was strong, the biggest factor drawing Lee to the Dolphins – where his cousin Brenko Lee is also contracted – was the chance to reunite with head coach Wayne Bennett, who he got to work during Queensland’s successful State of Origin campaign in 2020. A past Indigenous All Stars team representative, Lee has signed on with the NRL's newest team for two seasons, and has been embracing the chance to be part of forming the identity of the competition’s latest team. New Dolphins teammate Sean O’Sullivan recently praised Lee for his energy in and immediate effect he's had on the playing group. It marks an incredible 12-month turnaround for the former Knight, who made a remarkable comeback to the game after missing the 2021 season due to a series of foot injuries. With his career in limbo, he made a return to the field in Round 6 and later entered the record books when he became the first Knight to ever score five tries in a game. The 132-gamer was eager to build on that form at the Dolphins after overcoming a series of setbacks. “Just to be a more consistent player and fingers crossed, touch wood, just to stay injury free,” Lee said when asked what his goals for 2023 were. “I've had a big run of injury the last two years, so this is my first pre-season that I've completed in two years. “[I am] just trying to continue to get better every day and not look too far, and to just focus on the now and hopefully steer in the right direction.” Source: NRL.Com

Prime Minister James Marape, MP, handed over K17 million in cheques to Western Province South Fly District for several projects during a brief stopover, in Daru Town, while on a tour of rural areas of the province. Prime Minister Marape announced before the handover of the cheques that K7 million of the cheques presented is for the upgrading and sealing of the road works in Daru, the provincial capital of Western Province. This cheque was presented to a locally based contractor. He said another K5 million cheque will go towards the start of punching in a new road from Oriomo to Wiem. Another five million kina will go towards improving the Daru General Hospital, therefore he asked the AUSAID team based in Daru, who are coordinating work being done at the hospital, to discuss with the provincial areas that they can contribute towards improving so both the government of Australia and Papua New Guinea can work together for the good of the people. The Prime Minister also presented another cheque of K5 million to the Governor of Western Province, for other impact projects that he would like to implement for the province. PM Marape is touring the Western Province to identify areas that agricultural and livestock projects can be established so that when the missing link of Trans-Fly is built, the people of Western Province and Papua New Guinea can trade with the people of Indonesia. “Western Province has a huge agricultural and livestock and tourism potential that has not been tapped into for many years,” he said. “We have been hypnotized by the thought that mining and petroleum will have an abundance of money to make us all rich yet we remain poor and live in poverty in our own land we have become lazy and unproductive and not doing anything in our land of abundance.” The Prime Minister told the people of Western Province that there are many ways to make money and not only from oil, gold and gas. There is tourism, fisheries, agriculture and livestock. He said going into business in these areas also have the potential for people to earn a living to improve living standards but that will only come about if people work and not just sit around waiting for free handouts. Prime Minister Marape said the Government is working to open access to the Indonesian market for beef, agricultural products, fisheries products and even tourism by building a road link that will go from Daru to Oriomo, then to Wiem and then onto Kiunga and then connecting to Telefomin, connecting the road to the Momase corridor linking Western Province to the PNG – Indonesia Border Post at Wutung and also connecting Western Province to the rest of Papua New Guinea. In supporting the Prime Minister’s commitments to connect Papua New Guinea in the next 20 years, Minister for Works and Highways Solan Mirisim told the people of Western Province that the Trans-Fly missing links are part of the Government’s flagship program called the ‘Connect PNG Program’, which will see 5.6 percent of the Countries annual budget over the next 20 years go towards upgrading exiting roads and building new ones to connect the whole country to the main road that will go from Wutung all the way to Alotau in the Milne Bay Province. The Prime Minister did not travel alone, with him was the Minister for Livestock and Member for South Fly Saki Agisa, Minister for Works and Highways and Member for Telefomin, Solan Mirisim and senior officials from the Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council and the Department of National Planning, who were specifically there to do a site inspection of major impact projects, the government has identified for implementation in Western Province. Prime Minister Marape said the officials are there to ensure work is done and progress is being made on the impact projects. He also appealed again to public servants to keep working if they are called upon during the holidays because there is more work to be done for our people and country to take us where we want to be in the next twenty years and that is everyone becoming financially independent and having access to quality services. The Prime Minister said our country needs to be connected in as far as development is concerned and that no province must be left behind in that area.