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.  

The Port Moresby based West Eagles Australian Football League (AFL) club has secured grand final spots in both the Reserve and A Grade division after a tough 2022 season. President of the Port Moresby AFL Association Mr. Douglas Lai confirmed that in the Reserve the Eagles will meet the Gordons Kokofas, while in the A Grade the Eagles will meet Concept Koboni. “ The club has performed very well this season through some good management of the teams,” said the president. Meanwhile, this grand final showdown will be the first time after two years since the last proper grand final match was held. Mr. Lai said since the government endorsed the COVID-19 restrictions, the Port Moresby AFL Moni Plus competition did not have proper seasons in 2020 and 2021 which led to the competition having to call off the grand finals. However, all these has changed this year and he is pleased to finally have a grand final match on Saturday. According to the schedule for this weekend, the Reserve grand final is expected to take place at 12pm while the A Grade grand final match, which is the main event, is expected to be played out 2pm. All the matches will be played out at the home of Port Moresby AFL, the Colts Oval.

The Nadzab Airport in Lae Morobe Province has received a new Rosenbauer Panther Fire Truck to strengthen the Airport’s Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) capabilities. The new fire truck was procured as part of the Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Project (NARP) which is funded by the PNG Government through the JICA ODA Loan. ARFF is an important service provided by the National Airports Corporation at major airports including Nadzab. The addition of the new fire truck, now increases the number of fire trucks at Nadzab to three. With a modern design and optimized features, including an enhanced extinguishing power, the new fire truck will enable the Rescue and Fire-Fighting team at Nadzab Airport, to respond faster and more efficiently to any emergency situations at the airport. Training will also be provided aimed at familiarizing the ARFF Team at Nadzab Airport with the functional features of the new fire truck. Nadzab Airport is currently undergoing significant developments through the NARP which is funded by the PNG Government with support from the Japanese Government through JICA. The developments taking place at Nadzab include the construction of a new state of the art passenger terminal, a new fire station as well as the upgraded airport runway, taxiway and apron. Upon completion of the project in 2023, Nadzab will serve as an alternate international airport to the Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby. Investment in this area underscores the National Government and the NAC’s commitment to safety and compliance at Nadzab Airport.

England overcame a tough start to the first half to overcome a committed PNG Orchids side and confirm their spot at the top of Pool A. The home side ran in eight tries overall to claim a 42-4 victory- which means they will next face the second placed team from Pool B in the semi finals, which at this stage based on current standings is New Zealand. The Orchids however started the game the stronger with the forwards, in particular skipper Elsie Albert, laying a platform to see fullback Martha Molowia open the scoring. From there however, England settled into their game and were able to turn their 14-4 lead at halftime into a comfortable win. What's next Having won their two preceding pool matches, both England and the Orchids had already secured their spots in next week's semi-finals, with this match only deciding who would top the pool. Having claimed the win to finish first in Pool A, England will face off against New Zealand in the double header at LNER Community Stadium, York, on Tuesday November 15, while PNG will likely meet Australia. Source: NRL.com

French authorities have opened an investigation into one of highest-ranking members of France’s Catholic church, who admitted to sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl when he was a parish priest, more than three decades ago. French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, 78, made the stunning admission in a written statement which was read by the President of Conference of Bishops of France, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, during a press conference in Lourdes on Monday. The cardinal wrote in the statement that his behavior had been “reprehensible” and had “led to serious and lasting consequences for this person.” Ricard said that he had asked for forgiveness from the victim, whom he said he abused 35 years ago, and her family. He added that he would be going on retreat to pray. On Tuesday, Marseille prosecutor’s office said it has opened a preliminary investigation into the cardinal. The cardinal’s admission has “shocked” Catholic bishops in France, Moulins-Beaufort said. It has also renewed scrutiny into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, which has been shrouded with multiple reports detailing decades of sexual abuse, systemic failures and cover-ups across multiple countries. Source: CNN

Eminem has joined the ranks of some of the world’s greatest entertainers as an inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The bestselling rapper was inducted into the hall of fame by his longtime collaborator Dr. Dre on Saturday (Nov. 5). The West Coast rap icon signed Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, in March 1998. Since then, the Detroit native has sold more than 200 million albums. During his induction speech, Dre recalled being shocked to learn that music executive Jimmy Iovine wanted him to work with a white rapper.  “That f**ked me up,” the former N.W.A member said of the memory before revealing that other industry figures had attempted to sway him from joining forces with Eminem. “I knew that his gifts were undeniable. Each of us was what the other one needed — and I was willing to bet my entire career on it,” Dre said.  After the speech, Slim Shady took the stage to perform of some of his popular hits, including “Forever,” “Not Afraid,” and “My Name Is.” With his latest honor, the animated wordsmith joins a short list of hip-hop artists who have been inducted into the hall of fame.  “I know that I’m a rapper, and this is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and there’s only a few of us right now who have been inducted in already,” Eminem said in receiving the honor. To date, the only other rappers to be inducted include Run-D.M.C., N.W.A, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Continuing his speech, Em said: “My musical influences, when they say it takes a village to raise a child, well, it took a whole genre and culture to raise me. They say success has many fathers, and that’s definitely true for me. So whatever my impact has been on hip-hop music, I never would’ve, or could’ve, done this s**t without some of the groundbreaking artists I’m about to mention.” He then went on to name his fellow hip-hop inductees, as well as other hip-hop acts he also believes should be inducted, such as 2 Live Crew. Earlier this year, Eminem earned his first Emmy alongside Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige for their 2022 Super Bowl halftime performance. The 15-time Grammy Award winner is now only a Tony Award short of becoming an EGOT.  Source: Revolt tv

Prime Minister and Pangu Pati Leader James Marape says the Registrar of Political Parties has extended the deadline for MPs to declare their election financial returns by a month. He said this today (November 9, 2022) in response to a front-page report in the Post-Courier that 91 MPs were yesterday (November 8, 2022) declared to have trespassed the Leadership Code by failing to declare their election financial returns. The report claims that the MPs are “guilty of misconduct in office”. “The headline gives the impression that leaders deliberately didn’t file their returns,” PM Marape said. “Contrary to this, we have been informed by the Registrar of Political Parties that there is a one-month extension for MPs to file their election financial returns, so the headline is misleading “The winning MPs did not fail to comply with the deadline as the Registry of Political Parties has extended the deadline for filing of returns by a month. “Most leaders, I am aware, are now working on completing their election financial returns.” PM Marape said Pangu had over 50 MPs, and with late return of writs and many of them facing election petitions, everyone had sat together to complete their returns. “The one-month extension notice ensures that all 50-plus Pangu MPs will complete their election financial returns,” he said.

Michael Maguire has been telling his players for five years that they could be the best in the world and the Kiwis aren’t shying away from their No.1 ranking ahead of this weekend's World Cup semi-final against Australia. While some in the Kangaroos camp have spoken out about the IRL World Rankings, in which Australia were fourth heading into the World Cup, New Zealand captain Jesse Bromwich said his side was comfortable about being labelled favourites. After losing to Tonga and then being eliminated by Fiji in the quarter-final of the 2017 World Cup, the Kiwis have been working for five years under Maguire towards lifting the Paul Barrière Trophy for just the second time since the inaugural tournament in 1954. New Zealand players admitted that last weekend’s 24-18 win against the Bati after trailing at half-time was a reminder of their spectacular fall from grace in 2017 and has sharpened their focus towards retaining their No.1 ranking by winning the World Cup final at Old Trafford. “I think all of the credit has to go to our coach, Michael Maguire,” Bromwich said. “I remember the first day he came in and him just talking about being the best in the world, constantly. [caption id="attachment_29991" align="alignnone" width="906"] Match Highlights: New Zealand v Fiji[/caption] “At every meeting he spoke about being the best in the world. He was planting seeds in the boys’ heads and just making sure that we moved on from what happened at the World Cup in 2017. “I am really proud of how far the team has come and obviously Madge and the coaching staff have done a terrific job. "A lot of players have gone back to NRL level after playing for the Kiwis and really turned themselves into elite players of the competition. “It is something we are all really proud of, and it is a place we want to be – the favourites – and to be able to call yourselves the best in the world after this competition would be very special. “I think Madge has been talking about it for so long that we believe in what we are doing at the moment.” Bromwich has added motivation after being banned from the 2017 World Cup by the NZRL over an off-field incident in Canberra after the mid-season Test against Australia. The 33-year-old Dolphins-bound prop, who won three premierships with the Storm, also knows the World Cup is likely to be the last time he plays in England with the Kiwis. “Obviously, I made a mistake in the past, but I have worked really hard to get myself back in this position and it is something I am really proud of,” Bromwich said of regaining the New Zealand captaincy for the World Cup. “With the COVID situation of the last few years I wasn’t sure that another World Cup was going to be possible for me and a couple of us other older fellows. [caption id="attachment_29992" align="alignnone" width="906"] One red hot minute: Joseph Manu[/caption] “It is a pretty crazy team to be a part of, and I am really grateful for the opportunity. It will probably be my last tour.” With Joey Manu among the favourites to win the Golden Boot award after starring for the Kiwis at fullback, Brandon Smith at hooker and the halves pairing of Jahrome Hughes and Dylan Brown, many consider New Zealand’s spine to be the best they have ever fielded. The Kiwis also have arguably the best forward pack in the world, with the availability of Bromwich, James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota, Joseph Tapine and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves giving Maguire the option of playing Nelson Asofa-Solomona on an edge. “If I look at the depth of the squad it is one of the strongest teams we have had in a long time,” Bromwich said. “I think especially our spine players. Those guys have really taken over at NRL level the last few years. “I just think the longer the tournament goes the better we will gel together. We don’t have State of Origin, so we don’t get a lot of games together.”   [caption id="attachment_29993" align="alignnone" width="906"] Rapana: We need to be better[/caption] If the Kiwis win the World Cup, Bromwich said Maguire deserved much of the credit for his work over the past five years, along with the coaching staff, which includes Kiwis greats Stacey Jones and Thomas Leuluai, Sharks assistant Steve Price and new Panthers assistant Ben Gardiner. “He has been constantly in contact with all of the boys, and always offering support and a different perspective on how you are playing at your club,” Bromwich said. “He has been a really good coach for us at a Kiwis level and I don’t really recall any other coach constantly talking about being the best in the world. I know we have got a really good group of guys who are willing to play hard for each other. Source: NRL.com

PNG now has additional molecular testing capabilities with another one successfully established at the Goroka General Hospital last week. This is a significant achievement for the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health (NDoH) and PNG and is part of the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan, to ramp up resources to strengthen the public health laboratory system. With support from Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL), PNG Institute of Medical Research (IMR). The Health Facility Standard Branch from NDoH, WHO and other partners, the laboratories now able to perform molecular testing this year include, the Angau Hospital, the Mt Hagen Hospital, and now, Goroka Hospital. These laboratories now support the existing CPHL and IMR laboratories to ensure molecular testing capacity in all four regions, Southern, Momase, Highlands and New Guinea islands to be able to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health pathogens. The NGI region will see a laboratory set up in East New Britain’s Nonga Hospital to meet the needs of the region. The Goroka Hospital Management welcomed the achievement, a milestone for the province in public health preparedness and response. The management thanked the NDoH, NCC, PNGIMR, CPHL and WHO for making this happen. Source: Papua New Guinea Department of Health

Capital is pleased to announce its newly formed partnership with Asigau Mortgage Brokers effective as of Monday 07 November. Founder of Asigau Mortgage Brokers, Mr. Nou Asigau welcomed the team from Capital Insurance Group, consisting of Group COO, Mr. Roger Baweja, the Head of Underwriting and Claims, Mr. Udu Vai, and Channel Partner, Ms. Pamela Taligatus who took part in the official launch of this partnership. The launch took place at the Mortgage Broker’s office at Aopi Centre, Waigani. Capital’s Group COO, Mr. Baweja in his address said, “it’s an exciting opportunity for Capital to help local Papua New Guineans get acce ss to affordable insurance services via Asigau Mortgage Brokers. The goal for us at Capital is to allow local Papua New Guineans get easy access to our insurance products that are ultimately designed to enrich life, support businesses and create a sustainable economy. Our commitment to our local agencies such as this makes us a proud local insurance agent partner. We are committed to Papua New Guinea and our insurance product(s) is a promise of financial support to our clients during or post an adverse (loss) event." Nou Asigau welcomed this partnership and thanked Capital for having confidence in this development and being the first Insurance Company to collaborate with them. Being a local company, Asigau Mortgage Brokers hopes to see this relationship grow for the benefit of our local people and communities. Asigau Mortgage Brokers can now provide home insurance quotes directly with Capital, which should reduce the waiting time for clients seeking home insurance. Asigau Mortgage Brokers is a locally owned company founded in 2020 as the First Mortgage Broker in Papua New Guinea. They specialize in two main areas including Mortgage Brokerage and Housing schemes for both the private and public sectors in PNG. They have also established key banking partnerships including BSP Financial Group, Kina Bank Limited, and Westpac Bank. With Capital now on board, the dynamics of this locally-based partnership are positive with both parties eager to see it grow and thrive.

New Zealand held on to book a fifth Rugby Union World Cup final meeting with England, winning an intense semi-final 25-24 against France. The Black Ferns, who first trailed Les Bleues in the fifth minute, took the lead in the 57th and did not relinquish it, although Caroline Drouin had a late chance to win it for France. Drouin’s last-minute penalty drifted wide of the left hand upright and the Black Ferns were able to regain possession and run down the clock. It means their quest for a sixth Rugby World Cup title continues. New Zealand have played England in four previous Rugby World Cup finals and have won them all. The majority of the fans packed inside Eden Park had arrived in hope of a home win, but it was France who started on the front foot. New Zealand withstood multiple phases of early French pressure on their own line, however, they conceded a penalty in doing so and Drouin sent it through the posts to give Les Bleues a 3-0 lead. France stretched their advantage to 10 points in the 23rd minute as Romane Ménager powered over to score the first try of the match and Drouin added the conversion. The Black Ferns, of course, had been forced to come from behind in their opening match against Australia at Eden Park, and they got on the scoreboard with a Renee Holmes penalty. The hosts were growing into the match and after being held up over the line for a second time, Drouin kicked the resulting goal-line drop-out straight into touch. That gave the Black Ferns a scrum, from which they won a free kick that was tapped quickly by Kendra Cocksedge, who combined with Ruahei Demant to put Stacey Fluhler in enough space to score. Holmes’ conversion levelled the score at 10-10. However, if anyone expected that to shift the momentum decisively then they were disappointed as Les Bleues went up the other end and restored their seven-point advantage. It was centre Gabrielle Vernier who supplied the finishing touch, picking a devastating line to score next to the posts. Drouin’s conversion made the score 17-10 at half-time. The Black Ferns again found a way back into the contest at the beginning of the second half, as Ruby Tui raced onto a Holmes grubber kick, beating the French defender and touching down just before the dead ball line. Holmes missed the conversion and a penalty soon after that would have given the home side the lead, but New Zealand did hit the front with a little under 24 minutes remaining. Following an impressive drive from the Black Ferns forwards it was centre Theresa Fitzpatrick who provided the scoring touch. Demant converted and five minutes later, added a penalty to give the hosts a 25-17 lead. Again, though, France refused to give in and narrowed the deficit to a solitary point as Ménager scored her second try of the match. Les Bleues were reduced to 14 players with a little under 11 minutes left at Eden Park as Safi N’Diaye was shown a yellow card. When Black Ferns replacement prop Santo Taumato was sin-binned late on it gave Drouin the opportunity to claim victory, but her kick sailed wide. Source: Oceania Rugby