As Australia look to secure their first Test series win over South Africa on home soil since 2005-06, cricket fans flocked to the MCG to honour the legacy of late bowling legend Shane Warne. Victoria Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulous joined Cricket Australia chairperson Lachlan Henderson at the ground to encourage fans to wear Warnie's iconic floppy hat and zinc as Day 1 of the second Test gets underway. [caption id="attachment_33101" align="alignnone" width="906"] Shane Warne's statue outside the MCG.(Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)[/caption] The "King of Spin" had made the Boxing Day Test his own, notably claiming a hat-trick during the 1994 Ashes and taking his 700th wicket at the MCG 12 years later. Before this Test match, the Australian and South African teams paid their respects wearing Warne's signature floppy hats, ahead of the national anthem, while Warne's own items were featured on a plinth as text flowed around the stadium's electronic boards. "Shane is an icon to cricket fans globally for the greatness of his cricketing achievements, his charisma and his infectious enthusiasm for the game," Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said. "His place as a legend of Australian and world sport is assured. Whilst we continue to mourn his passing, it is fitting that we honour Shane at his beloved Boxing Day Test at the MCG. "Shane became recognisable, not only through his genius and mastery of the art of leg spin, but also [for] his floppy hat and zinc. So we encourage fans to remember Shane [the same way]." [caption id="attachment_33102" align="alignnone" width="878"] Shane Warne's iconic hats and red ball were displayed on the field during the anthems.(Getty Images: CA/Daniel Pockett)[/caption] Warne's Test cap number, 350, was also painted on grass square of the wicket, while a graphic of the Victorian great will be displayed on the MCG's big screen at 3:50pm followed by a special highlights package. On Monday morning, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) announced that the Men's Test Player of the Year award will be renamed the Shane Warne Men's Test Player of the Year at the annual Cricket Awards on January 30. Cricket fans took to social media to post their own tributes, including hand-made signs, iconic shirts and DIY floppy hats as cricket remembers the legacy of one of its greatest ever figures. Source: ABC News

The National Fisheries Authority, Papua New Guinea - NFA is supporting Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) with a funding of K10 million to establish a kidney center after both parties signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) recently. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is one of the five (5) leading diseases that contribute to the admissions and deaths of patients at PMGH and building this kidney center will ensure all kidney services including dialysis and kidney transplant is provided for the people of Papua New Guinea and also Pacific Island nations. Managing director Mr. Justin Ilakini said the National Fisheries Authority is honoured to be contributing to the welfare of the people of Papua New Guinea through this project. Mr. Ilakini said the NFA has been supporting hospitals and health centres over the years including a recent donation of K60, 000.00 to the PNG Kidney Foundation, but he believed that they could do more for the health sector. Mr. Ilakini said after receiving a proposal from PMGH chief executive officer Dr. Paki Molumi for assistance to establish the kidney center project, he decided to take the proposal to the NFA Board for deliberation. “I eventually took it to the NFA Board on their last Fisheries Board meeting for 2022 and they unanimously approved it,” said Mr. Ilakini. “For NFA, through the Minister (for Fisheries and Marine Resources), we’d like to see that our assistance through the signing of this MOA will eventually translate to one day seeing our very own people getting that kidney transplant in-country.” Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Hon. Jelta Wong, formerly the Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS himself, said that this is the first time that the country would advance its kidney services. “The Kidney Foundation has been around for a long time but we’ve never advanced to a stage where we can actually start treating people with kidney disease and dialysis, all this, all in one", said Minister Wong. "It’s a very expensive exercise. Today, for us it’s historical and I thank the Board and Management of NFA for having this vision to make sure that the health services that we provide in our country is adequately funded,” stressed Minister Wong. Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS Hon. Dr. Lino Tom said more and more people are dying from lifestyle diseases such as cancer, stroke, heart and kidney diseases, so this funding is a timely intervention to establish a centre that can provide a holistic kidney service. “Unfortunately, the people who are more at risk from lifestyle diseases are the elites of this country. The people who are contributing meaningfully to this country are the ones that are succumbing to lifestyle diseases simply because of lifestyle changes,” said Minister Tom. “When this project is complete, we would have addressed lifestyle diseases not totally but at least the major ones that we will need to address.” Meanwhile, PMGH CEO Dr. Molumi said he hopes to achieve many of the expected outcomes once the program kicks off. “We should be able to reduce the number of Chronic Kidney Disease patients diagnosed each year. We should be able to offer affordable kidney dialysis service and kidney transplant service,” said Dr. Molumi. Dr. Molumi said investing in health is not only a social contribution but an economic one to drive medical tourism in the country. “We should be able to attract our Pacific neighbors to seek treatment here so that we can grow our economy…when we drive medical tourism, and that’s a direction we want to go,” said Dr. Molumi. Dr Molumi highlighted that this is a big investment in the health sector and he urged both Ministers to make sure that this Kidney program is sustained and that both Ministers including Port Moresby General hospital can deliver the objectives and the outcome of the MOU that was signed.

Josh Reynolds isn’t sure whether he’ll break into Canterbury’s top squad and feature in the NRL in 2023, but for the time being he’s feeling like a Bulldog again after his return to Belmore. Once a fan-favourite in blue and white, Reynolds is going about his business in a quiet, yet effective manner after returning to Australia following two seasons in the Super League. The Bulldogs have three spots left in their top 30 roster and while there are no guarantees, the 33-year-old is hopeful to return to where it all started in the NRL next season. The original departure A crowd pleaser, an entertainer and a passionate clubman who would always get under the skin of rivals. Reynolds was a Bulldog through and through with his departure at the end of 2017 sending shockwaves through the NRL. Reynolds was flocked by fans and carried off the Belmore turf in his final game at the venue after he confirmed earlier in the season he’d signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Wests Tigers. It was a move largely motivated by money - the joint venture offering up the type of coin that any player would be silly to knock back - and Reynolds was given a blessing to take up the deal. Canterbury didn't make the finals that year, and they haven't since either with Reynolds watching on from afar. [caption id="attachment_33084" align="alignnone" width="998"] Josh Reynolds' original departure from the Bulldogs in 2017 was an emotional time for the club.[/caption] "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t watching them from afar when I left," Reynolds told NRL.com. "I still had mates here that I’d played with. Players like Jacko (Josh Jackson) and Ray [Faitala-Mariner]. "Those guys, you’ve got to take your hat off them to stick around in those tough times. "You don’t want to see anyone go through a rough patch – not just them personally but the club itself. "My time at the Tigers wasn’t how I wanted it to pan out or how I envisioned it would all go down when I left. "I almost came back to the Bulldogs after that contract but ended up over in the UK." Why the Super League Reynolds had a year left on his contract with Hull FC but with an option in his favour he called it quits mutually with the club to return to Australia in June. While his time in the UK didn't work out entirely as planned, Reynolds came back in a much better mind frame than when he originally left. His departure from the NRL in 2020 came after 12 months of turmoil that included a domestic violence case - in which he was later cleared - in an event that was played out so publicly. Two years on and Reynolds now has a new fiancé and has put his time at the Wests Tigers behind him. "It’s quite true that when your off-field life is in check then your on-field life tends to go well too," he said. "Life’s good. It’s the happiest I’ve ever been off the field with my new fiancé, and just being back home with my mates. "It’s so much easier when you haven’t got the outside pressures weighing you down. "That’s one thing I do speak up to with the boys, to make sure the off-field life is in check because it does flow into training and on the field. "You can’t let it affect the way you train and play." The body factor At 33, Reynolds will be one of the oldest players in the NRL next year if he goes on to land a contract. His body was a hot topic at the Wests Tigers with the former NSW five-eighth playing just 22 games in three seasons. He was dogged by a few more injuries in the Super League before he sought a release. "I’m feeling a bit older in my brain but my body, it’s a bit tougher to recover," he said when asked about his physical shape. "I’ve got to do everything right, and that’s not just coming off the field and throwing the boots in the locker room. "It’s about the ice baths, stretching. I’ll be brutally honest, I didn’t do it enough when I was younger. It had a bit of an effect on the body when I did get older. "But now, I don’t rush home, I hang around and I talk to the coaches with Bobcat (Andrew Ryan), Steve Turner, Ogre (Mark O'Meley) and Mase (Willie Mason) – guys I used to play with or look up to. "For the first time I’m taking pre-season as I do. It’s not about waking up every day thinking how hard it’s going to be or what my scores are going to be in fitness drills. "It’s more about getting in there and enjoying it because you don’t know what’s going to happen." The Bulldogs homecoming Reynolds got on the phone to Phil Gould a few months ago when he returned to Australia. He also spoke to retiring captain Josh Jackson. Both were eager to see him return to the club in some capacity. "I said to 'Gus' I’d love to be a part of what they’re building here, whatever that looked like," Reynolds said. "It is a young squad. I had a chat to 'Jacko' about it and thought it wasn’t a bad idea that I try and give it a crack. "I had a lot of older guys say to me you’re retired for a long time and that stuck with me a bit. When the wheels did get rolling I was very excited. "I still don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s going to come of it but at the same time it’s just nice to be home to a club that I love and that’s heading in the right direction. "If there’s one thing I do know it’s what it takes to be a Bulldog. We’ve got a loyal fanbase and all they want is effort. That’s what Cam [Ciraldo] wants too. "He’s made sure we all know that the hard workers and talkers will get in his team." The reality As it stands, Reynolds is on a three-month train and trial contract with no guarantees of a full-time deal at the end of January. "I want to play, that’s my priority," he said. "But I also walk into the sheds and there’s 18-year-old kids training with us and I know how daunting that can be, to walk into a first grade team. "It’s my 13th year in the NRL and any sort of tips I can give to those boys I’m happy to do that and if that's the role that's needed I'll be OK with that. "Hopefully I can have a little impact on the group in this pre-season and we'll see what happens from there." Source: NRL.com

The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has ordered all local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to stop their female employees from coming to work, according to a letter by the Ministry of Economy sent to all licensed NGOs. Non-compliance will result in revoking the licenses of said NGOs, the ministry said. The ministry in the letter – whose validity its spokesman Abdul Rahman Habib confirmed to CNN – cites as reasons for the decision the non-observation of Islamic dress rules and other laws and regulations of the Islamic Emirate. “Lately there have been serious complaints regarding not observing the Islamic hijab and other Islamic Emirate’s laws and regulations,” the letter said, adding that as a result “guidance is given to suspend work of all female employees of National and international non-governmental organizations.” Earlier this week, the Taliban government suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan. A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education confirmed the university suspension to CNN on Tuesday. A letter published by the education ministry said the decision was made in a cabinet meeting and the order would go into effect immediately. In a televised news conference on Thursday, the Taliban’s higher education minister said they had banned women from universities for not observing Islamic dress rules and other “Islamic values,” citing female students traveling without a male guardian. The move sparked outrage among women in Afghanistan. It marks yet another step in the Taliban’s brutal crackdown on the freedoms of Afghan women, following the hardline Islamist group’s takeover of the country in August 2021. Though the Taliban has repeatedly claimed it would protect the rights of girls and women, it has in fact done the opposite, stripping away the hard-won freedoms they have fought tirelessly for over the past two decades. Some of its most striking restrictions have been around education, with girls barred from returning to secondary schools in March. The move devastated many students and their families, who described to CNN their dashed dreams of becoming doctors, teachers or engineers. Source: CNN

Work on setting up the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is moving steadily ahead as appointments were made this week  for the three top positions – Commissioner and two deputy Commissioners. Although no names are being announced at this point until letters of formalization have been exchanged, Prime Minister  James Marape called it “a historic decision” as he oversaw the appointments at the ICAC Appointments Committee meeting he convened this morning in his capacity as Chairman. The meeting saw him receive the report containing the recommendations from the Independent Interview Panel, headed by Chairman Peter Aitsi. He said: “It is a historic decision today. We have made the appointments for the Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. We are now in the process of issuing the letter of appointments and finally completing the process. “This is a good Christmas gift to the people of Papua New Guinea since the late Siaguru talked about setting up ICAC in the late 1980s, and seven prime ministers before me have passed through with no ICAC delivery. “But under my time, the ICAC Bill was taken to Parliament and passed, and I want to thank the leaders who stood with me on the 30 November 2020 to pass this law which went through the process in 2021, and now it is progressing to the full appointment of the three commissioners. “It has taken us seven months for the process to be completed. We needed to do it above politics in a fair, open and transparent manner. “An independent recruitment agency was appointed, well over 229 applications received, both locally and internationally, and processed through an independent appointments committee headed by Transparency International chairman Peter Aitsi and assisted by Department of Personnel Management Secretary. “Six names have come to the Appointments Committee and three were picked. “Let me also indicate that this was also the first time that a process of appointment had to use a computerized psychometric test on the ability of the candidates to deliver on the expected outcomes to fight corruption. “In my commendation to the Appointments Committee, I said this law is my generation of leaders' best gift to the country. “I am working to build roads, classrooms, and all those others but setting up this law, in my view, is the best thing I could have done for the country. We need to fight corruption and prosecute those who commit corruption in our country. “So finally, before Christmas 2022, we have made the appointment for the three commissioners – one Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners. “Next year, we will fully fund ICAC and have it up and running in full,” said the Prime Minister. The Appointments Committee comprises the following office holders: • The Prime Minister • The Leader of the Opposition • The Chief Justice • The Chair of the Public Services Commission and • The Chair of the Papua New Guinea Council of Churches To ensure a credible and arms-length process in the recruitment of ICAC commissioners, the Appointments Committee decided to invite a panel of five (5) highly qualified and reputable people to form the Independent Interview Panel and to engage an external recruitment agency CC Pacific Ltd via a competitive tender process to manage, coordinate and conduct the recruitment of ICAC commissioner. The recruitment notice was widely advertised in Papua New Guinea’s major daily newspapers as required in the OLICAC Act and also published in newspapers in Australia and New Zealand. These advertisements were further supported by posts on online recruitment platforms as well as direct approaches to anti-corruption agencies and similar types of law enforcement agencies. A total of 229 applications were received – 104 from PNG and 124 from overseas candidates to fill the positions of Commissioner and the two Deputy Commissioner roles. The recruitment firm undertook the initial screening to arrive at a long list and this list was further assessed by the Independent Interview Panel to settle on a short list to progress to the interview stage. At all times, the Independent Interview Panel members conducted themselves in a highly professional manner, demonstrating individuality of thought and being very mindful of the importance of their task. The Independent Interview Panel consisted of the following people: • Mr. Peter John Aitsi MBE – Chair • Ms. Taies Sansan – Vice Chair • Dame Meg Taylor DBE – Member • His Honour Justice Les Gavara-Nanu OBE CSM – Member • Mr. Frawley Terrence DPS, QPM – Member “The panel is confident the process undertaken has been rigorous and comprehensive, culminating today with the handing over of the final report and recommendations to the Appointments Committee. We commend the report to the Ap

King Charles is set to include a tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his first Christmas message as monarch. An image of Charles delivering his speech, which is due to be broadcast on Christmas Day at 15:00 GMT, shows the King in St George's Chapel, Windsor. In her final Christmas message, the late Queen spoke of "passing the baton" to the next generation. And her son's first Christmas Day message will remember her legacy. This will be the first televised annual royal Christmas Day broadcast not to be presented by the late Queen, who appeared in the first TV message in 1957. The photo of the King shows him recording this year's message in the chapel where a committal service was held during the Queen's funeral in September. Both his mother and father, Prince Philip, are buried in the George VI Memorial Chapel within St George's Chapel. The picture, released by Buckingham Palace, shows King Charles standing in front of a Christmas tree with plastic-free, recyclable decorations and arrangements of holly and ivy in the background. This year sees the King and Camilla the Queen Consort return to the tradition of spending Christmas in Sandringham, Norfolk, after concerns about Covid and Queen Elizabeth's health kept the Royal Family in Windsor last year. The Prince and Princess of Wales are among the senior royals expected to be with King Charles for Christmas. In her 2021 Christmas message, the Queen gave a highly personal tribute to her "beloved" Prince Philip, who died in April of that year. Her broadcast was the most watched programme on Christmas Day in 2021, drawing almost nine million viewers. The King's Christmas Day broadcast continues a tradition going back 90 years. The first royal Christmas broadcast was a live radio speech in 1932, delivered from Sandringham by George V, with the script written by the author Rudyard Kipling. In 1957, Elizabeth II delivered the first televised message, saying that it was a technological landmark that "television has made it possible for many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas Day". The message became part of many families' Christmas celebrations and the first televised broadcast in 1957 set a familiar pattern. The national anthem was followed by the monarch speaking directly to the camera, with a speech that included Christmas greetings, a religious lesson, support for the Commonwealth, a round-up of the royal year and a moral message for the times. In 1957 it meant a warning about values in public life, criticising a culture of "self-interest". The timing of the Christmas broadcast was originally set for 15.00 GMT as best for reaching the most countries in different time zones around the world. Source: BBC

A Los Angeles jury on Friday found rapper and singer Tory Lanez guilty of three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles County District Attorney told CNN. Lanez had pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, according to prosecutors. The jury convicted him on all three counts. Megan accused Lanez of shooting her in the foot after she exited a vehicle they had been riding in following an argument. In her testimony during the trial, Megan said things were tense in the car between her, Lanez, and her former friend and assistant, Kelsey Harris, Billboard Magazine reports. The artist testified Lanez wanted her to come clean with Harris about the fact that the two of them had been intimate. But Billboard reports Megan was uncomfortable doing so because she knew Harris had a crush on the Canadian singer and rapper. Megan said she had exited the car when Lanez shot her. “I started walking away and I hear Tory yell, ‘Dance, b***h,” she tearfully testified, according to Billboard. “I froze. I just felt shock. I felt hurt. I looked down at my feet and I see all of this blood.” Megan “showed incredible courage and vulnerability” during her testimony “despite repeated and grotesque attacks,” LA County DA George Gascón said in a statement to CNN following the verdict. “You faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face and you have been an inspiration to others across LA County and the nation,” he said, in reference to Megan. “Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed. This trial, for the second time this month, highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women,” Gascón added, referring to Harvey Weinstein being found guilty of three out of seven charges on Monday. He also thanked the jurors for “their time and thoughtful deliberation.” Lanez did not take the stand in his defense during the nine-day trial. The jury, comprised of five men and seven women, began deliberating Thursday and a verdict was reached on Friday afternoon. Lanez was taken out of the courtroom by bailiffs in handcuffs after the verdict was read, according to CNN affiliate KCBS. He faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison and possible deportation back to his native Canada. Source: CNN

The Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) announced the commencement of a comprehensive tax audit into two major mining companies operating in Papua New Guinea. Commissioner General Sam Koim made the announcement on Friday (23/12/22). Mr. Koim said, “We have been profiling these two companies (names withheld for confidentiality reasons) for over a year. The letters formally notifying them of the audit were signed and served. We understand that mining is a capital-intensive operation and requires significant investment. Be that as it may, our mineral resources are finite and non-renewable, and we will run out one day. The Government needs to extract a substantial proportion of the value of the resources extracted for the benefit of its citizens, present and the future.” This involves the design and implementation of an appropriate contractual and fiscal system. The one we have is a concessionary fiscal regime where, amongst others, mining companies pay taxes if they make a profit. The regime creates higher incentives for operators to inflate their costs. The Commissioner General said, “That is the reason why the Marape Government is driving the “Take back PNG” agenda to get more from our natural resources’ endowment. Whilst the Government is negotiating better deals for our people in the new mines, IRC has a responsibility to ensure that the existing mines are paying their fair share of taxes. IRC’s role in giving effect to the “Take Back PNG” agenda is to make sure that every taxpayer, and in this particular case the mining companies, pay their fair share of taxes under the existing law.” PNG has a self-assessment tax regime where the taxpayer assesses its own liability, declare that on oath to the tax office and pays on time. That is the tax regime that predominantly exists all over the world where most of these multi-national corporations operate. If the tax office considers that the taxpayer has made false declarations or substantially reduced the liability without justification, the tax office audits that taxpayer with a view to amending the assessment. Mr. Koim assured the taxpayers, “we are not introducing a new law but simply enforcing the existing laws. Entities in the extractive sector had not been scrutinised by the tax office, assuming that they were always doing the right thing. The patterns of abuse are worrying hence we are taking these compliance audits. Abusive transfer pricing and tax treatment of stripping costs, are amongst the areas we are looking into.” He added, “Whilst the mineral prices continue to soar and the production has increased substantially, the Corporate Income Taxes continue to be miniscule. Some even don’t declare of pay any CIT at all for a number of years. Through these audits, we intend to establish whether the taxes they’ve declared and paid are the right amounts. We have completed audit on one mining company, and we are now commencing the two. We are profiling two others. We are also profiling a few oil and gas companies for potential audit.”

The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission ("ICCC") announces that it will not oppose the proposed share acquisition and restructure in Digitec ICT Limited ("Digitec"), (the 'proposed transaction'). The proposed transaction would involve an indirect transfer of 49 per cent shares owned by Austel Investments Pty Ltd ("Austel") to Vodafone Fii Pte Ltd ("Vodafone Fiji") who already has 51 per cent shares in Digitec. Vodafone Fiji proposes to purchase all of Austel's shares in Digitec through its wholly owned subsidiary, ICT Holdings Limited ("ICT Holdings"). According to the ICCC Commissioner and CEO, Mr. Paulus Ain, "the ICCC will not intervene in the proposed transaction and restructure in the share ownership of Digitec". Commissioner Ain started that "the ICCC, after assessing all the available information, considered that the proposed transaction does not meet any of the mandatory notification thresholds stipulated under section 81 (1) of the ICCC Act". Mr. Ain said, "the transaction is also not likely to raise any serious competition issues in any relevant markets that Digitec operates in". Based on available information and taking into consideration the relevant provisions of the ICCC Act, Commissioner Ain stated that "the ICCC refrains from taking any action to prevent the proposed transaction at this time". When announcing this, Commissioner Ain also encouraged businesses in the country to inform and discuss with ICCC on an similar transactions before proceeding any further.

People’s Alliance Leader, Sitiveni Rabuka has been elected as Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji. He received 28 votes in a secret ballot in parliament. Rabuka was nominated for the post of Prime Minister by SODELPA Leader, Viliame Gavoka. FijiFirst Leader, Voreqe Bainimarama was nominated for the PM’s post by FijiFirst MP, Alvick Maharaj. He received 27 votes. The People’s Alliance/NFP/SODELPA coalition has 29 seats in total in parliament while the FijiFirst Party 26 seats. This means one coalition member voted for the FijiFirst Party nominee. Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka is now at State House to get sworn-in by President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere. While leaving for the State House, Rabuka said he feels humbled after being elected as the country’s Prime Minister. Rabuka returns as Prime Minister after 23 years. He lost the prime ministership after his SVT/NFP/GVP coalition lost the 1999 elections. Parliament will resume later today to elect the Leader of the Opposition. Parliament will resume later today to elect the Leader of the Opposition. Source: fijivillage

Metal forceps were left inside a patient in a so-called never event at a Worcestershire hospital. The error occurred during a complex seven-hour abdominal operation at Alexandra Hospital on 23 November. The patient spent the night in intensive care at the site in Redditch when the six-inch (15 cm) object could not be retrieved the same day. The hospital trust has apologized unreservedly and said it would share the findings of an investigation. The instrument was an arterial clamp resembling a large pair of scissors. Under normal circumstances, all instruments should be counted and checked twice before the patient is closed. There is also a process of "signing out" at the end of an operation to confirm they are all accounted for. A source claimed such an incident - known as a never event - should not be able to happen. It was also claimed that nothing like this had happened at the hospital for at least 15 years. The BBC understands that following the lengthy operation, the device was found to be missing and was confirmed to be inside the patient, via x-ray, while they were still under anesthetic. When it was not possible to remove the forceps, the patient was transferred to intensive care overnight. A further operation was carried out the next day to remove the clamp and the patient returned to intensive care where they were described as stable. Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We are aware of an incident which involved a surgical instrument being left inside a patient following surgery. "There are clear and well established processes in place to protect patients from this kind of event, which are exceptionally rare. "We are currently carrying out an investigation into what happened. The patient and their family have been informed as part of our duty of candour. "We have apologized unreservedly to the patient and promised to share the findings of our investigation with them once it is completed."   Source: BBC

Six male suspects were arrested in a dawn raid and police recovered a factory made shot gun, two home-made rifles, some bullets and several knives at Port Moresby's Talai and Gorobe settlements this week in their festive operation. A police team comprising members of Sector Patrol Fox 100 units and Badili Police stormed into several homes at Talai and Gorobe settlements this week, nabbing the suspects and confiscating the weapons. The raid was conducted early morning on Friday 23rd December after some settlers from Hela Province reported a case of shooting, in which some suspects allegedly fired gunshots into a residential premises. NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Silva Sika said, police responded swiftly by conducting the raid at around 4am and the six suspects from Hela province were arrested and detained in the cells at the Badili Police Station. Mr. Sika said the suspects will be charged by CID and the Badili Police Station Commander Inspector Obert Jerry. His team will re-visit the settlements yesterday to conduct awareness on peace and good order. The Met-Supt also warned the community affected by this incident to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and allow police to investigate this matter. He said police will maintain regular patrols in Talai and Gorobe settlements from yesterday onwards until the conflict between the two factions is fully resolved.