Lionel Messi is urging Argentina to unite and deliver a compelling response to the “hard blow” of an opening-match defeat by Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Messi raised the possibility of an Argentina cruise – expected in many quarters – when he converted from the penalty spot after 10 minutes in Lusail. Lionel Scaloni’s team repeatedly threatened to extend their advantage and had three ‘goals’ chalked off for offside. And the courageous Saudis stunned their illustrious opponents with two goals inside five second-half minutes to turn the game on its head – and world football’s established order upside down. Defeat leaves Argentina – whose 36-match unbeaten run went up in smoke – very little margin for error in games against Mexico on Saturday and Robert Lewandowski-spearheaded Poland next Wednesday. “There are no excuses," said Messi. "It is a very hard blow for everyone, we didn't expect to start like this. We are going to be more united than ever. This group is strong and we have shown it. This is a situation we did not have to go through in a long time. Now we have to show this is a real group.” Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia would qualify as a shock by any reckoning. But the result assumes additional significance in the context of the South Americans’ form over the past three years. Coach Scaloni’s side last suffered defeat way back in July 2019, against Brazil. They were seeking to equal Italy’s international record undefeated 37-match sequence on Tuesday – and only last summer beat Brazil in their own back yard to claim the CONMEBOL Copa America and end Messi’s extended wait for international success. Argentina further established their position among the World Cup favourites when they comfortably beat Italy in the relaunched CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions match at Wembley in June. But Messi’s side, who lost a World Cup match they were leading at half-time for the first time since the 1930 final against Uruguay, were left to address a number of shortcomings following their Qatar debut. Saleh Al Shehri levelled for Saudi Arabia three minutes after the restart and a beautiful shot into the top corner from Salem Al Dawsari won the game for a side that had only two victories from 10 matches prior to the tournament. "Things happen for a reason,” added Messi.” We have to prepare for what's coming, we have to win [against Mexico and Poland] and it depends on us. We knew that Saudi Arabia was a team with good players, that moves the ball well and advances the [defensive] line a lot. "We had worked on it, but that's why we had many goals ruled out. Perhaps we did not find the right moment to avoid falling into the trap." Argentina reached the final of the Italy 1990 World Cup despite being similarly stunned by unfancied Cameroon in their opening fixture. And Messi, hoping to feature in six more matches over the next three-and-a-half weeks, added: "It's the first game. It's up to us to correct what we did wrong, [and] try to get back to the base of who we are. Source: FIFA.com

An earthquake of 7.0 magnitude has struck the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, near the south-west region of Malango. No injuries or deaths have been reported yet, but people in the capital Honiara reported significant shaking and tremors for around 20 seconds. Amid immediate warnings of a tsunami, the prime minister's office advised locals to move to higher ground. However, the islands' meteorological service later dropped the warning. A separate authority, the US-supported Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, also said the threat had largely passed. The quake hit just after 13:00 local time (02:00 GMT), at a depth of 15km (9 miles) and 18km south-west of the coast according to the US Geological Survey. It caused power outages and prompted some in Honiara to rush out of buildings. "The building was really violently shaking," a hotel manager told the AFP news agency. "It was really strong, it made you move side to side." The Solomon Islands' attorney-general published pictures on Twitter of overflowing filing cabinets and documents scattered on the floor after the quake. The quake was followed by at least three aftershocks in the same area, with the largest ranked at a 6.0 magnitude. The director of the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service, David Hiba Hiriasia, has urged locals to remain cautious due to expected aftershocks, and to stay alert around tall structures. It comes after an earthquake hit Indonesia's main island of Java on Monday, killing scores of people and injuring hundreds. The Solomon Islands and Indonesia sit on the "ring of fire" area of tectonic activity in the Pacific. Source: BBC News

Prime Minister James Marape has given his support to development of the oil palm industry in Papua New Guinea on a massive scale. PM Marape gave his support after he and East Sepik Governor, Allan Bird, met with representatives of Pacific Elite Palm Oil Group in Singapore on Monday (November 21, 2022). The company currently runs an oil palm project in East Sepik, which it wants to emulate in all provinces, saying that it will be an economic gamechanger for the whole country. The company aims to create the largest agriculture-based wealth in the South Pacific, as well as generate electricity for PNG, using oil palm. Governor Bird told PM Marape that if a long-term oil palm development plan was drawn up, with the aim of economic independence for PNG, one million hectares of oil palm grown all over PNG would bring in an extra K100 billion for the country. “We can double our GDP just from palm oil,” he said. “If we go into downstream processing, this K100 billion could double, so that we could be earning K200 billion on top of our current GDP. “The other flow-on to the economy is power production that fits into the grid, carbon credits, increased cattle production, as well as jobs. “Palm oil is amazing because you can do so much with it, including green energy, which can be generated from the waste of palm oil. “If we have 33 operations throughout PNG, similar to what we are doing in East Sepik, 100,000 jobs would be created “This is brilliant.” Governor Bird told PM Marape that oil palm, when made into biofuel, would save the country millions of kina. “If we produce enough palm oil, we don’t need to go out and buy fuel, as we can produce our own,” he said. “It can also bring inflation down as we are no longer importing inflation. “I’m excited because it provides us an escape plan from all these things that are affecting us.” PM Marape welcomed the proposal by Pacific Elite Palm Oil Group and the ideas of Governor Bird, who has helped to grown the vanilla and cocoa industries in East Sepik, and PNG. “As regards expanding nationwide, I invite you to come to Port Moresby, and I will run the investment figures past the super funds and Kumul Consolidated Holdings,” he told the company’s spokesperson Alexander Tho. “A family of investors can easily mobilise the money required for the project. “I also want you to have a stake in the business, and run it, as we cannot do it on our own, in like what Barrick is doing at Porgera Mine.”

Actor Chris Hemsworth says he is taking a break from acting after learning he has a heightened risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The Thor star made the discovery after undergoing tests as part of his Disney+ documentary series Limitless. He told Vanity Fair the tests confirmed his "biggest fear", adding he will now be trying to take "preventative steps". Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and can cause memory problems, confusion and communication issues. Hemsworth learned that he has two copies of the gene ApoE4, one from his mother and one from his father, making him between eight and 10 times more likely to develop the disease than those without both copies of the gene. About 2 to 3 per cent of the population carries two copies of the gene. "It's not like I've been handed my resignation," Hemsworth said, but added the news "really triggered something in me to want to take some time off". "If you look at Alzheimer's prevention, the benefit of preventative steps is that it affects the rest of your life," he said. "It's all about sleep management, stress management, nutrition, movement, fitness. It's all kind of the same tools that need to be applied in a consistent way." The Limitless series sees Hemsworth test his body and explore ways to live longer and healthier. He explained that he had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, but had been warned of the heightened risk. "It's not a pre-deterministic gene, but it is a strong indication," he said. "Ten years ago, I think it was more thought of as determinant." Hemsworth said the original plan for the series would have seen him receive all his genetic test results live to camera - but series creator Darren Aronofsky told him privately once they got the results. The Marvel star was subsequently given the option of removing any references to Alzheimer's from the show, but decided to include his genetic risk of Alzheimer's to improve awareness and understanding. "My concern was I just didn't want to manipulate it and over-dramatise it, and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy or whatever for entertainment," he said. Hemsworth also confirmed to the magazine his grandfather has also been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The actor will soon be seen in George Miller's forthcoming Mad Max sequel Furiosa, which concluded filming earlier this month. The 39-year-old said he would take a break from acting after finishing the publicity tour for Limitless, along with his other contracted work. He will be going home to Byron Bay in Australia to spend time with his partner, actor Elsa Pataky, and their three children. Source: BBC

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Isi Henry Leonard commended the creativity of female inmates from the Lakiemata Correctional Service prison when he visited their stall at the recently staged Tavur Cultural Show in Kimbe, West New Britain province. The inmates who set up a stall, displayed printed clothing (laplaps), dresses (meri blouses) and designer materials for sale during the Tavur show. Many of the inmates serving time in prison used that period to learn skills on creative arts in sewing, knitting and printing among other activities. The platform provided through the Tavur cultural show was an opportunity for the female inmates to showcase their work. Minister Leonard was impressed by the creativity and imagination of the women in creating wonderful pieces of art and designs on clothing, reflecting their culture. He encouraged the women to continue with their efforts in the arts and craft programs within the CIS while still serving their time rehabilitating in prison. Reminding them that the skills they learnt while in confinement could help them make a living after they were released. The female inmates were grateful that a leader like Minister Leonard could be so humble and take the time from his busy schedule to visit their stalls, talk and mingle with them, which gave them an assurance of hope and support from the government. He visited many of the stalls, checking out colourful displays, while interacting with the people and celebrating the arts and culture of West New Britain. Minister Leonard commended Governor Sasindran Muthuvel for the initiative to host the Tavur cultural show to highlight his people’s culture and traditional practices, dances and attires. Adding that as Tourism Minister he would continue to support Governor Muthuvel and his provincial government in protecting and harnessing cultural tourism in West New Britain.

In a move that shocked Hollywood, Bob Iger, one of the most notable CEOs in the history of the Walt Disney company, is returning to run the media empire. Bob Chapek, who replaced Iger in 2020 as CEO, is stepping down immediately. “We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” Susan Arnold, Chairman of the Board for Disney, said in a statement on Sunday night. “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period.” The announcement, while deeply surprising to the media industry, comes at a time of great evolution for Disney. The company is coming off a lack-luster earnings report that showed growth for its streaming endeavors but at a great cost of $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter. That report sent Disney’s stock to tumble after a year of sluggish to bad performance. Chapek guided the company through the pandemic, one of its most tumultuous periods in its nearly 100-year history, but ultimately Disney decided that its future was in better hands with Iger. Iger has an almost mythical status as the leader of Disney. He spent 15 years as CEO and was instrumental in acquiring major brands like Marvel and Lucasfilm, the home to Star Wars. Iger also kicked off the streaming revolution at Disney with the creation of Disney+ in November 2019. Disney said Sunday that Iger has agreed to serve as CEO for two years with “a mandate from the Board to set the strategic direction for renewed growth and to work closely with the Board in developing a successor to lead the Company at the completion of his term.” Source: CCN news

The Jillaroos have secured their third consecutive Women's World Cup title in style with a comprehensive 54-4 victory over New Zealand at Old Trafford on Sunday (AEDT). With veteran halfback Ali Brigginshaw pulling the strings, Australia were far too good for their Trans-Tasman rivals, extending their winning streak to 16 consecutive international victories with a 10-tries-to-one triumph over the Kiwi Ferns, who have now lost three straight World Cup finals to the Jillaroos. Having scraped past New Zealand by two points just nine days earlier, it was a much more methodical performance from the green and gold this time around as Brad Donald's side rose to the occasion of the final. Star centre duo Jess Sergis and Isabelle Kelly both crossed in the opening quarter of the match to put the Jillaroos on top before tries to Julia Robinson and a second to Kelly just before the break gave Australia a commanding 20-0 half-time lead. Having moved to lock as one of seven changes for Australia's semi-final win over Papua New Guinea, Brigginshaw's return to the halves proved the difference early on, with the co-captain instrumental in her side's opening three tries. Setting up Sergis with a deft short pass for the opening try, Brigginshaw soon broke open the Kiwi Ferns defence for the second — her break allowing Tarryn Aiken to send Kelly over for the first of her two two tries on the left edge. The 32-year-old would then put Broncos teammate Julia Robinson over with a clever kick in behind the defence to extend the Jillaroos' first half dominance. There was no slowing down after half-time either from Brigginshaw or Australia. The veteran playmaker took just eight minutes in the second half to chalk up her third try assist with a clever inside pass for Emma Tonegato to race through and score, before sending fellow co-captain Kezie Apps through moments later — gifting Sergis her second try of the afternoon and the Jillaroos a commanding 32-0 lead. With the green and gold extending their lead to 38-0 when Aiken crossed in the 56th minute, it was fast turning into a disastrous scoreline for the Kiwi Ferns and comfortably their heaviest defeat in international rugby league. There would be a brief moment of joy for the New Zealand fans with Maddison Bartlett finishing off a nice team move on the left wing late on, but it would be a short-lived celebration with Australia finishing the match in style — Kennedy Cherrington grabbing a double in the space of three minutes to bring up the half century for the Jillaroos for the fourth time in five World Cup games. Source: NRL.Com  

Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to 135 months, or just over 11 years, in prison, according to journalist John Carreyrou. She will have to report to prison on April 27th, 2023, and will have an additional three years of supervised release once she’s out, according to Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Keenan. Judge Edward Davila, who has overseen the case, declared that the charges she had been found guilty of made her responsible for defrauding 10 victims out of $121 million, according to The New York Times’ Erin Griffith. Davila said that Holmes’ refusal to accept responsibility for the fraud counted against her in his sentencing decision, according to The Wall Street Journal. A jury found Holmes guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud earlier this year. In the weeks leading up to the former Theranos CEO’s sentencing, prosecutors asked the judge to give her 15 years of prison time and to pay victims more than $800 million. On the day of the trial, the government argued Holmes’ actions put patients in harm’s way, according to the WSJ. Meanwhile, Holmes’ lawyers filed an 82-page document arguing why she should get a much lighter punishment — 18 months of house arrest and community service, at most — and provided well over 100 letters written in support of the founder. Holmes led a company that promised to revolutionize the medical industry by running over 240 tests on a single drop of blood, where traditional panels required much larger samples. But it turned out that the company’s tech didn’t work and gave patients inaccurate results. (Holmes was found not guilty on two counts of defrauding patients and one count of conspiracy to defraud patients.) The trial mainly hinged on whether Holmes knew she was giving out false information. In announcing his decision, Davila cited texts between Holmes and Sunny Balwani, former chief operating officer and president of Theranos, as proof that Holmes conspired to defraud investors, according to NBC News’ Scott Budman. Balwani was also found guilty in a separate trial: 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Unlike Holmes, Balwani was found to have misled both investors and patients. He is set to be sentenced on December 7th. Source:theverge.com

Kate Middleton and Prince William will reportedly join King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla during the monarch’s first state visit next week, and as per reports, the occasion will mark the first time that Kate will be seen in a tiara since 2019! As per OK! Magazine, the British royal family will host the President of South Africa on Tuesday, November 22, with the Prince and Princess of Wales first greeting President Ramaphosa at the Corinthia Hotel before travelling to the Royal Pavilion where they will meet Charles and Camilla. According to royal experts, state visits and banquets are usually grand affairs for the royals and where they are usually seen dressed to the nines in royal regalia. Keeping up with the tradition, Kate is expected to dust off some royal tiaras and show up in one; she hasn’t been seen wearing a tiara since 2019, as there hasn’t been a state banquet since that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years. Royal fans have also been speculating over which tiara Kate would choose to wear, with one taking to social media to suggest, “I’d love to see her wear her wedding tiara again.” Source: The News.com

This Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23th November, Papua New Guinea will welcome the first ever visit of a French Minister in the country. Ms Chrysoula Zacharopoulou is Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships. France, as a Pacific Nation, is ready to increase the bilateral relation with PNG and wants to reaffirms its strong commitment for the development of the region. During this historical visit, Ms Zacharopoulou will have meetings with high levels authorities of the PNG government, meet the key bilateral actors of development in PNG, and exchanges with the civil society. Very committed in the fight against gender based violence and in the promotion of the status of girls and women, the French Minister will meet with CSO and youth representatives who are active in the GBV and SARV areas. A former doctor, Ms Zacharopoulou will also be meeting stakeholders of the health sector, specially in the fields of reproductive health and maternity. In this context, she will visit the Port Moresby General Hospital. Ms Zacharopoulou will also dedicate a large part of her stay to have meetings and exchanges with the PNG authorities in charge of the climate change effects. Following the COP27 held recently in Egypt, it will be interesting for her have in situ the point of view of a Pacific island country, regarding this major issue.

 A bird thought to be extinct for 140 years has been rediscovered in the forests of Papua New Guinea. The black-naped pheasant-pigeon was documented by scientists for the first and last time in 1882, according to a news release from nonprofit Re:wild, which helped fund the search effort. Rediscovering the bird required an expedition team to spend a grueling month on Fergusson, a rugged island in the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago off eastern Papua New Guinea where the bird was originally documented. The team consisted of local staff at the Papua New Guinea National Museum as well as international scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservancy. Fergusson Island is covered in rugged, mountainous terrain – making the expedition especially challenging for the scientists. Many members of the community told the team that they hadn’t seen the black-naped pheasant-pigeon in decades, says the news release. But just two days before the researchers were scheduled to leave the island, a camera trap captured footage of the exceptionally rare bird. “After a month of searching, seeing those first photos of the pheasant-pigeon felt like finding a unicorn,” John C. Mittermeier, director of the lost birds program at American Bird Conservancy and co-leader of the expedition, said in the release. “It is the kind of moment you dream about your entire life as a conservationist and birdwatcher.” The black-naped pheasant-pigeon is a large, ground-dwelling pigeon with a broad tail, according to the release. Scientists still know little about the species and believe the population is small and decreasing. Insight from local residents was crucial for the scientists to track down the elusive bird. “It wasn’t until we reached villages on the western slope of Mt. Kilkerran that we started meeting hunters who had seen and heard the pheasant-pigeon,” Jason Gregg, a conservation biologist and co-leader of the expedition team, said in the release. “We became more confident about the local name of the bird, which is ‘Auwo,’ and felt like we were getting closer to the core habitat of where the black-naped pheasant-pigeon lives.” They placed a total of 12 camera traps on the slopes of Mt. Kilkerran, which is the island’s highest mountain. And they placed another eight cameras in locations where local hunters reported seeing the bird in the past. A hunter named Augustin Gregory, based in the mountain village Duda Ununa, provided the final breakthrough that helped scientists locate the pheasant-pigeon. Gregory told the team that he had seen the black-naped pheasant-pigeon in an area with “steep ridges and valleys,” says the news release. And he had heard the bird’s distinctive calls. So the expedition team placed a camera on a 3,200-foot high ridge near the Kwama River above Duda Ununa, according to the release. And finally, just as their trip was ending, they captured footage of the bird walking on the forest floor. The discovery was a shock for the scientists and the local community alike. “The communities were very excited when they saw the survey results, because many people hadn’t seen or heard of the bird until we began our project and got the camera trap photos,” said Serena Ketaloya, a conservationist from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, in the news release. “They are now looking forward to working with us to try to protect the pheasant-pigeon.” It’s still not clear just how many of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon are left, and the rugged terrain will make identifying the population difficult. A two-week survey in 2019 failed to find any proof of the bird, although it did discover some reports from hunters that helped determine the locations for the 2022 expedition. And the discovery might provide hope that other bird species thought extinct are still out there somewhere. “This rediscovery is an incredible beacon of hope for other birds that have been lost for a half century or more,” said Christina Biggs, the manager for the Search for Lost Species at Re:wild, in the release. “The terrain the team searched was incredibly difficult, but their determination never wavered, even though so few people could remember seeing the pheasant-pigeon in recent decades.” Source: CNN

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Isi Leonard Henry has called on the people of West New Britain (WNB) province to safeguard and protect their cultural, traditional practices and values for the future generations. Many people think our ancient culture and traditions are only for the old people, but it is for everyone from young to old. The preamble of our national constitution says we are to hold on to our ancient ways of culture and traditions and pass it on to the next generation. Minister Leonard made these remarks during the official opening of the West New Britain province Tavur Cultural show in Kimbe this week. Traditional attires, singing, dance and chants echoed by tumbuan groups performed as Minister Leonard and the officials led by WNB Governor Sasindran Muthuvel arrived at the venue. “We have witnessed diverse and variety of cultures in West New Britain in the Tavur Show. Our cultural ways and lifestyles should not diminish as long as we are on earth. “PNG is blessed with more than 800 languages and that is a testament that we have diversity within the country,” Minister Leonard said. “PNG is one of the last frontiers in the world, because people have traversed the whole world and its continents discovering everything on it. “We are one of the only remaining frontiers in the world to explore and experience our diversity of culture, our diversity of tribes, our diversity of languages and lifestyle, Minister Leonard said. He said one of the lasting resources that we have yet to tap into is our culture. Every resource and projects from gold mining, oil and gas, to logging to agriculture has a life span but culture has a lasting resource that the government must now tap into. Adding that culture was here to stay for as long as we harness, maintain, preserve and promote it. He said the promotion of cultural and traditional programs would be a way to address social issues, by getting the youths involved. As Minister for Tourism, Mr Leonard said he was engaging with Governors across the country to promote cultural tourism in the provinces. He identified Enga and West New Britain provinces as two provinces who were outstanding in their commitment in promoting cultural programs and events. “We will support West New Britain provincial government in its cultural programs next year and going forward,” he said. He thanked the Marape/Rosso government for appointing him as the Tourist minister from the 10th Parliament and continuing this term in the 11th parliament and for recognizing the importance of Tourism, Art and Culture. Minister Leonard through the National Cultural Commission presented K10,000 to the Tavur Cultural Show working committee. Accompanying Minister Leonard was the National Cultural Commission (NCC) Director Steven Enomb Kilanda and Minister’s First Secretary Elijah Tapie. The four-day WNB Tavur cultural show ended today in Kimbe.