As the Australian town of Shepparton picks up the pieces after weeks of heavy rain and floods, Pacific Islands seasonal workers have also been caught in the disaster. Simon Mack, a Papua New Guinea labour contractor in Shepparton said many seasonal workers are still living in evacuation centres. With farms flooded and no work, Mr Mack said many will not be able to pay rent when they leave emergency housing. Source: ABC Pacific

Democrat Maxwell Frost will be the first member of Generation Z elected to Congress, CNN projects, winning the open seat for Florida’s 10th Congressional District. Generation Z refers to those born after 1996. Frost will succeed Democrat Val Demings, who vacated the seat to run for Senate. The 25-year-old representative-elect told CNN’s Poppy Harlow on Wednesday that when President Joe Biden called to congratulate him, the President recalled being too young to be sworn in as a senator when he was first elected at age 29. “He asked me if it was the same situation. I said, ‘No, Mr. President, you had me beat on that. I’m already old enough to be sworn in on January 3.’ So, it was great to talk with him. You know, he was elected at a very young age, too, so he understands that experience,” Frost said on “CNN This Morning.” Frost, who made reducing gun violence a central part of his campaign, also told CNN that he will work to pass universal background checks in Washington. Source: CNN News

With support from UNICEF, the National Department of Health (NDOH) is holding a training on the Integration of Social and Behaviour Change in Health Promotion Strategies in Port Moresby between 1-11 November. The four-day training programme aims to equip health promotion and communication professionals with the requisite knowledge to design, implement, monitor, and measure the outcomes of effective and creative interventions and materials based on evidence and analysis. During this week’s inauguration ceremony, Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services, Mr. Ken Wai calls for commitment and support of the health workforce, to appreciate the National Government’s new paradigm shift, to bring health services back to the people, where they are, throughout the vast communities of the country. Mr. Wai, also challenges the participants to make a difference in the provinces to transform this nation and take back health for the people. “It will take time to change the behaviors and attitudes of our people to make informed decisions and take responsibility of their health. But it can be done!” says Mr. Wai. “I thank NDOH and UNICEF for this excellent initiative because prevention is better than cure. Let’s apply the science of behaviour change to our healthcare interventions to make our beautiful country a healthier place for our communities”, adds Mr Wai. The training, conducted in two batches, brings together 55 health promotion coordinators and communication specialists from 22 provinces and civil society organizations, including Save The Children, Touching the Untouchables, World Vision, FHi360, The Catholic Church Health Services, Child Fund and Christian Health Services. “This is essential training, to introduce the concept of social and behaviour change and I believe, it will have a great impact on the effectiveness of our health promotion interventions needed to better public health in our country,” says Mr. Judah Iparam, Acting Manager for Health Promotion, National Department of Health. “UNICEF is committed to support the National Department of Health in strengthening the capacity of government and CSO partners health promotion staff in PNG to improve consistent design and implementation of viable social and behaviour change strategies at the national and subnational levels.” says Ban Al-Dhayi, Social & Behaviour Change Manager in UNICEF.

29 Electrical professionals sat for their 2 day Electrical examinations starting today in Kavieng, at the Niu Lodge. New Ireland was chosen as the first province to host a regional examination for the Electrical Licensing examination under the recently established National Energy Authority. The subjects examined are “Theory of Applied Electricity” and “PNG Wiring Rules.” The Electrical professionals work in the resource sector including at Lihir, Simberi, Poliamba and other private contractors. 2 working with PNG Power flew in from Port Moresby. Out of the 29 sitting for the exams 3 are females. “ We will continue to conduct these examinations throughout the other regions of the country. It is of great importance that we have well equipped and certified professionals carrying out electrical installations in the energy sector. Whether its using fossil fuel or renewable energy like Solar power to create electricity we have to be on par with the rest of the world,” said Mr Maketa. Acting Managing Director of NEA Ronald Meketa said the Energy sector and Electricity Industry in Papua New Guinea is coming under stricter regulation after the National Government set up the National Energy Authority in July, 2021. “This means power generating firms and plants will have to adhere to industry best practices and technical standards when setting up operations. Professionals in the electrical sector will also have to be certified or have a license to be able to carry out installation work in PNG.” Mr Meketa said applicants who sat for the exam had to pass a number of criteria’s which included being above 19 years of age, have completed an apprenticeship program, be a holder of an Electrical Trade Certificate, an Electrical Engineering graduate and must possess at least a minimum of five years of work experience. “The electrical Licenses are recognized internationally and have to be renewed after every seven years. While all overseas electrical professionals will also be required to  show the same certification when trying to work in Papua New Guinea. ” The NEA is also striving to get more independent power suppliers on board to help solve the issue of constant power outages which PNG Power has failed to manage. “For better management of Power distribution we have to have separate power producers and distributers. Unfortunately PNG Power has failed because it is doing everything and cannot manage the work load. NEA is on the path to rectify this issue by engaging a wider stakeholder approach which involves Provincial Governments and District Development Authorities too ,” said Mr Meketa. The New Ireland Government and its administration welcomed the hosting of the regional examinations in Kavieng stating that such examinations would ensure that higher standards in safety and quality of work was adhered to when carrying out Electrical installations.  

England and Samoa will face off for the second time this World Cup on Sunday (AEDT), but there's much more at stake for the winner of the semi-final showdown than there was when the two sides met back in the opening fixture of the tournament last month. On that day, it was England who ran riot against an injury-hit and out-of-form Samoa, emerging with a stunning 60-6 over the Pacific powerhouse in Newcastle. Since then, Shaun Wane's side have staked their credentials as one of the teams to beat at the World Cup, brushing aside their group stage games before piling on the points against Papua New Guinea in their quarterfinal match-up. Ahead of their semi-final, England have now won their last four games by an average margin of 52 points; the only time they’ve won more successive games at the World Cup was an eight-game streak from September 1975 to October 1995. Much has changed for Samoa, however, since their sluggish start to the tournament, with Matt Parish's side bouncing back to form against France and Greece before holding on for a thrilling two-point win over Tonga in the quarterfinal. Having won their last three Test matches, Samoa head into their semi-final on their joint longest winning run since a 15-game streak from October 1990 to November 1994, and will certainly fancy their chances at springing an upset on the day. Source: NRL.Com

Following the official opening of the UN Climate Change, Conference of Parties (COP27) this week in Egypt, Papua New Guinea presented a resounding statement on behalf of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CFRN) at the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) session of the COP. Also being the chair of the CFRN, PNG has called for the need for Parties, both developing and developed countries to align their commitments in their current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). NDCs are climate action plans by parties to the Paris Agreement to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate impacts. PNG’s Climate Special Envoy Ruel Yamuna who delivered the statement on behalf of the CFRN expressed that the NDC Synthesis Report and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Gap report, both highlight that current NDCs are not aligned with emissions pathways to achieve the Paris Agreement of keeping global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius. “We must take stock of that reality now”, said Mr. Yamuna. In encouraging Parties to consider this, Mr. Yamuna also highlighted crucial climate change mitigation actions as recommended by CFRN going forward in forestry, land-use and related sectors. “The forest and land-use sectors have huge mitigation potential, particularly in developing countries, and are essential in all 1.5 Degree Celsius pathway. “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report highlights that the (Agriculture, Forestry and Land-Use) AFOLU sectors can provide 20-30% of the global mitigation under the 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway. “We strongly request that developed countries also apply the same national level guidance on any forest related activity in their territories to ensure fairness and balance. It would be inequitable that developing countries are held to a high standard than developed”, said Mr. Yamuna. Mr. Yamuna added that rainforest nations have already delivered more than 9 giga tones of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism. He however said, so far, developing countries have carried that economic burden mostly alone. Mr. Yamuna stressed that Parties must strongly encourage a significant scale up of public and private finance for REDD+, particularly for corporations towards net-zero emissions. “Developing countries cannot be expected to solve a problem they did not cause without finance to implement the Paris Agreement”, said Mr. Yamuna

We are going to be strict on Digicel Cup players taking part in the Lae Biscuit sponsored Snax 9s rugby League tournament. And only six current Digicel Cup players are allowed per team with only two to take the field at anyone time. Snax 9s Tournament Director Steven Malum stressed today to teams participating as the required number of teams to participate in the 2022 tournament reaches the ceiling. Malum said within just two weeks of officially announcing the return of the Snax 9s, they have been bombarded with overwhelming interest and can now confirm that as planned to stage this tournament with 24 teams, the required number his achieved. ‘’24 teams have already paid in their registration for the tournament as of today,’’ Malum said.

Officers from Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) commemorated the World Mangrove Day by taking part in planting 5000 Mangrove seedlings at Dogura Beach in Port Moresby on Wednesday, (Nov 9th, 2022). The Mangrove planting event was hosted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and supported by key partners. Jacinta Kull from CCDA during the event acknowledged TNC for the initiative in organizing such event. “We are happy to be here to represent Government in terms of Climate Change and what we are doing here in PNG. Basically, one of our areas of support is in the REDD+, that is reducing emission from deforestation and degradation. We mainly deal with the policies, to have those right polices in place by the government to enable the implementation,” she said. Mangrove is good for both Adaption and Mitigation. For Adaption it is recommend for coastal areas because it is less cost. It’s the least cost Method for costal protection for developing countries like Papua New Guinea. Other methods for coastal protection like stone walling and others are expensive. For mitigation, Mangroves absorb Carbon Dioxide faster than the trees in the forest. The Nature Conservancy Country Director Jacqueline Nen said this event was supposed to happen sometime in July but because of elections and other reasons it was pushed back. “Our plan is to plant 20,000 Mangrove seedlings over the next 2 years. By the end of 2 years, we will have planted 20 000 Mangroves, so today you are all here to help us and help the community to plant the 5000 Mangroves. This is not something that is impossible to achieve. If we can all do this every year, we can make it a bigger program,” she said. “I want to acknowledge communities here in Dogura because they have taken ownership of the rehabilitation of the Mangrove. It has really been their project we are just supporting them,” Ms. Nen said.

Australia's 10-8 win over New Zealand in the final Women's Rugby League World Cup pool match means Australia top their pool and will play us in the semi-final on Monday 14 November at 5pm UK time (Tuesday 15 November at 3am PNG time) in York. [caption id="attachment_30099" align="alignnone" width="768"] PC: RLWC[/caption] Let's do this! Credit: Santos PNG Orchids 

Some Florida airports and theme parks were halting operations Wednesday and about 2,000 flights were canceled as Tropical Storm Nicole advanced toward the eastern coast of Florida. Orlando International Airport (MCO) said on Twitter that it would halt commercial operations at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. The airport said it was tying down jet bridges and covering equipment at ticket counters in preparation for the storm and communicating with emergency management officials. Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) planned to close by 2 p.m. Wednesday, the airport tweeted. And Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) posted that it would close at 4 p.m. Wednesday. "Please do not come to the airport. The airport is not an authorized shelter," Orlando Sanford airport's tweet said. Walt Disney World parks in Orlando planned a phased closure starting at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday because of the storm, with EPCOT and Magic Kingdom scheduled as the last to close at 7 p.m. ET, according to a weather alert on Disney's website. Universal Orlando Resort made a similar operational decision, with Universal Orlando Resort, including CityWalk, planning to close at 5 p.m. More airports closed or impacted by the storm All flights in and out of Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) had been canceled as of about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a tweet by the airport. Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) said on Twitter that it would close at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The airport said it planned to reopen at 4 a.m. on Friday Miami International Airport (MIA) tweeted Wednesday morning that it was open but that cancellations and delays from the storm were possible. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) said some flights had been delayed or canceled because of the storm. The airport and nearby North Perry General Aviation Airport (HWO) remained opened as of midday Wednesday, Fort Lauderdale airport said on Twitter. Flight cancellations and delays Data from flight tracking site FlightAware showed that as of 2 p.m. ET carriers in the US had canceled more than 900 Wednesday flights and another 1,000 flights on Thursday. American, Delta, Southwest and United Airlines have all issued travel waivers allowing impacted passengers to rebook their flights free of charge. Southwest Airlines, which operates heavily in Florida, "has trimmed operations at a number of airports we serve in Florida," including stopping flights into and out of Palm Beach. "As of now, we plan to resume operations, as weather and infrastructure permit, at those airports tomorrow," Southwest said in a statement on Wednesday. Source: CNN News

The Pan Pacific Masters Games will be trialed as an annual event on the Gold Coast after being a biennial event since 1998, the city's mayor has announced. The 10-day event got underway on Friday for the first time since 2018 due to COVID-19, with 13,000 competitors registered across 42 sports. The trial is in place until 2024. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate made the announcement to the athletes at the opening night celebrations at the Games Village alongside the beach at Kurrawa. "Pan Pacific will be here every year," he said. "Sport really excites and unites. On the Gold Coast, we are exciting and uniting. "It's what the Gold Coast is about: events, excitement and we're moving ahead." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="906"] The Pan Pacific Masters Games have been held on the Gold Coast since 1998. (ABC News: Kirsten Webster)[/caption]   The Pan Pacific Masters Games will be trialled as an annual event on the Gold Coast after being a biennial event since 1998, the city's mayor has announced. The 10-day event got underway on Friday for the first time since 2018 due to COVID-19, with 13,000 competitors registered across 42 sports. The trial is in place until 2024. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate made the announcement to the athletes at the opening night celebrations at the Games Village alongside the beach at Kurrawa. "Pan Pacific will be here every year," he said. "Sport really excites and unites. On the Gold Coast, we are exciting and uniting. "It's what the Gold Coast is about: events, excitement and we're moving ahead." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="874"] There are 42 sports in this year's Pan Pacific Masters Games. (Supplied: Pan Pacific Masters Games )[/caption]   Event chief executive Cam Hart said the organisation had been working towards increasing the frequency of the games. "We've got some work to do," Mr Hart said. "We think it's actually going to be more sustainable going annually instead of having one big one every two years. "We envisage, going annually, each event will be a little bit smaller but over the two-year cycle its going to deliver significantly more benefits to the Gold Coast." Economic boost The event has an estimated $20 million economic impact on the city, with a $1 million injection to grassroots sports on the Coast. Competitor numbers are down compared to the last time the event was held. "In 2018, the last edition, we had 16,000 participants, a lot of internationals and a lot from interstate," Mr Hart said. "We're at 13,000 this year, so we're down slightly, but given where we were and what's happened to everyone over the past two years, it's big. It's the second biggest games we've ever had." Travelling competitors While some competitors said they would not travel to compete every year, others are already putting the next dates in their diaries. "This is fantastic. Now we've got to start booking our accommodation for next year already," football player Mhairi Glover said. "We've just travelled from Western Australia. "We've been coming since the 90s, we just love it." Prisculla Ipu has been travelling from Papua New Guinea to compete in netball on the Gold Coast since 2010. "Our last games was in 2018. We thought we'd come back and just have fun," Ms Ipu said. "It's good team networking and good exposure for us. "We go out on the social events. We've met up with some of our community as well, the Papua New Guineans." Ms Ipu said her netball team usually found a competition to travel to every year, so would welcome an annual Pan Pacific event. "I don't think it'd be a change for us, just the venue," she said. For Canadian Joy Hansen and her softball team, the competition is the start of a month-long Australian holiday. "It was a long trip but we've been waiting to go somewhere since 2017," she said. "There are about 11 of us that are staying on and travelling around. Some don't leave Australia until November 26." Mr Hart said the format was still in discussion, but that the sporting events may be rotated each year. "There's also an option to infusing new sports into the games or alternating new sports from games to games," he said. This year's games run from November 4–13. Source: ABC News

In accordance with recent updated covid-19 travel measures in Papua New Guinea, PNG Air wishes to advise our customers and the travelling public of updates to travel in our operations. The wearing of face masks are no longer mandatory at all domestic airports, and are optional on PNG Air flights. Passengers are also not required to fill out Health Declaration Forms on arrival at your destination. There are also no restrictions on International Travel into PNG. The amendments to the covid-19 travel measures are placed by the Office of The Controller under the National Pandemic Act 2020. PNG Air asks passengers to responsibly observe and maintain the Niupela Pasin guidelines of hand sanitizing or washing of hands regularly, to help minimize the spread of covid-19 in our communities.