Police Commissioner David Manning has accepted the government's sentiments of dissatisfaction in the wake of recent ethnic clashes and killings in the nation’s capital of Port Moresby. Mr Manning highlighted these issues at the 2022 national general election security debrief conference in Lae, Morobe Province, Monday (17/10/22) morning. “As many of you are aware, our performance has been a point of discussion on the floor of Parliament recently. “As your leader I ultimately will and have accepted the responsibility of these sentiments of dissatisfaction. I accept it of course with grave concern. “What was argued on the floor of parliament is a “Call to Action” of the Police Force by our national leaders…the RPNGC will respond to this call. “We have commenced this process in Headquarters, and we remain committed to ensuring we secure the necessary support from our government, and of course our development and bilateral partners. “In doing so, I have directed certain reforms that need to be initiated, focused on bettering ourselves in order to meet the expectations of our stakeholders. “This includes improving performance accountability, strengthening processes, ensuring an organizational mind set shift to ensure compliance and more effective service delivery at both the national and sub national levels. “Let me put on record that if we do not take necessary steps to address our operational gaps and resolve them at least two years before 2027, we will not be in a position to ensure the delivery of the electoral process come 2027. “Time has called for all partners to develop a single planning document that is not only understood by all but is able to be implemented across a multi-agency environment through multi-agency concurrent activities to deliver a shared desired and agreed outcome. This document sets out clear planning and operational and administrative guidelines that allow for effective use of assets and resources all the while enhancing effective collaboration. “We will continue to be faced with limited resources; this does not however diminish our responsibility to ensure our best efforts to support the electoral process. We must continue to be innovative, establish and maintain relationships, and above all provide the strong leadership that is generally lacking in the public service,” Commissioner Manning said.

Prime Minister James Marape says Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE) offers a second chance in life for thousands of school leavers throughout Papua New Guinea and is a major achievement of his Government. He said this today (October 17, 2022) when commending FODE Grade 8, 10 and 12 students who are sitting for their final examinations this week and next week. The grades 8 and 10 sit for their final exams this week while the 12s do theirs next week. PM Marape said the students had role models in Education Minister Hon. Jimmy Uguro, Community Development Minister Hon. Jason Peter, Defence Secretary John Akipe – all school leavers – who were offered a second chance in life through FODE. He cited the success story of Hope Institute in his Tari-Pori District where many school leavers who completed Grade 12 last year were now in universities and tertiary institutions around the country. “I wish all the grades 8, 10 and 12 students – many of them adults catching up on what they missed out on earlier in life – all the best as they sit for their exams,” PM Marape said. “One of the biggest achievements of our Government since we took office in 2019 was putting back more than 50,000 students into classrooms to have a second chance to complete their grades 8, 10 and 12. “It is now compulsory for all students to at least have a Grade 12 certificate for personal identification, link to SME programmes and labour mobility in Australia, National Volunteer Service, and various other programmes of Government . “We want all our young people, who are out in society doing nothing, to make use of FODE to at least have a Grade 12 education so that they can move on in life. “This is also a direct intervention by our Government to address the law-and-order problem over the long term.” PM Marape said the Government was now moving to make grades 8 and 10 certificates redundant with only Grade 12 to be recognised. “It is heartwarming to see school leavers returning to classes to complete their grades 8, 10 and 12, including adults who have been out of the education system for many years,” he said. “This shows the determination and fighting spirit within them to achieve what they missed out on earlier in life.”

Breast cancer education programmes in rural areas are important to enable women to go for early screening and treatment, says a midwife. Antenatal and Family Planning Officer for the Rabaul Urban Town clinic, Ivy Tewe said with limited medical resources and treatment options, awareness and education on breast and other cancers was crucial. Ms Tewe said this when conducting “Pinktober” breast cancer awareness at the island LLG of Watom in Rabaul district. She said the breast cancer awareness program began this month randomly at the town clinic’s outpatient ward but mainly it was conducted at Watom Island during maternal health care and school outreach program The awareness covered the 8 wards especially mothers who brought in their babies for immunization and to the three primary schools for upper grade female students and female teachers. She said when cancer was detected at an early stage, it could be treated early. “Women must be educated on what to look out for and basic self-examination of the breast is something women should do regularly. Know how your breast looks and keep an eye out for lumps, change in skin colour and other signs,” she said. Ms Tewe said the aim of awareness is to let women and young girls know the real risk of cancer and breast abnormalities and where to go referred to as referral pathway. “For the last seven years, have been distributing self-examination forms on how you can check your own breasts at home. We do demonstration of how to check for abnormalities and coming to the health facility for clinical workers to do health examination on the breast.”

The year 2023 is projected to be another very busy year for Athletics PNG and athlete Terence Talio has his sight on responding to the challenge in more than one way. Terence is doing a short-term training stint in the United States, based in New Mexico. After winning bronze in the 200 meters at this year’s Pacific Mini Games and with other top PNG athletes focused on the Commonwealth Games, the 28 year old was rewarded for his dedication and commitment with selection to represent PNG at the World Championships in Oregon, USA. Talio ran the 200m quite well in Oregon clocking a time of 21.76 seconds however he was disqualified for stepping on the line as he ran the curve. Delayed flight back to Los Angeles for the flight home resulted in a missed connection which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Talio as Athletics PNG President Tony Green began communicating with New Mexico based former PNG rep Sharon Kwarula about extending his stay in the USA. After his contribution to the relay events at the Mini Games and most recent exposure, Talio is interested in excelling in both the short and long sprints. “During his time in Roswell and Hobbs, New Mexico Terence is experiencing training conditions as high as 6,000 feet above sea level and 35 degrees celsius on synthetic and road surfaces; and will build a foundation for a long season” said Kwarula. Talio is training under Coach Dior Lowry who spent three years in PNG from 2017 to 2019. “ In addition to physical requirements preparing for longevity, he is currently working on the technical aspects of his primary and secondary events allowing him to conserve energy in multi-round competition” added Lowry Talio will return to PNG mid November and in the short term is targeting the PNG Air National Championships from December 9 to 11 with personal goals, and building momentum leading into 2023. With Benjamin Aliel making a return to the sport, training with Leroy Kamau under Nelson Stone in Port Moresby, some exciting competition is expected in the mens sprints at the National Championships

Roosters superstar Joey Manu stole the show with a magical performance for the Kiwis in a 34-12 victory over Lebanon, who showed true grit in the loss and played the final 20 minutes a man down after the sending off of Adam Doueihi. Manu was at times untouchable in his second Test as New Zealand's fullback, scoring a try, setting another one up and burning the opposing defence with his powerful running. New Zealand led 30-12 at the point of Doueihi's dismissal for dissent just before the hour mark, but the send off could have severe consequences for the rest of Lebanon's campaign, as they seek to to beat Ireland and Jamaica to the second spot - assuming the Kiwis win next week - out of Group C. After Lebanon stunned the Kiwis with a try inside the opening minute, after they went short on the kick off, New Zealand found their way back into the contest and scored through Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Peta Hiku, to lead 18-6 at the half. But New Zealand soon found their way back into the contest and led 18-6 at the break thanks to tries from Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Peta Hiku, all of which were converted by Jordan Rapana. Lebanon opened the scoring in the second half, but that was the end of it, as the Kiwis piled on 16 further points to finish comfortable winners, although Lebanon coach Michael Cheika will likely have plenty of positives to take from the defeat.   Source: NRL.com

As part of its strategy to improve services offered on its e-Banking channels, NCSL has made enhancements to its Member Online Portal to enable instant internal account transfers. The Society is pleased to announce that with this function it is now possible for NCSL members to transfer funds instantly to third party accounts within NCSL and to other banks which means, payments can be made without delays. NCSL Chief Executive Officer, Vari Lahui said the initial introduction was made by the Bank of Papua New Guinea via Retail Electronic Payments System that enables all the members or customers of participating financial institutions to transfer funds between accounts held in these financial institutions. “The main reason for the introduction of this facility is to make life easier for the customers who may want to transfer funds to their loved ones at a much lower cost,” he added. Manager e-Banking, Vavine Iamo, said the transfer from a member’s poro account to another poro account or to another bank account is instant and members don’t have to wait. “We are excited about this product as our members receive funds instantly unlike before.”. “The current function only allows transfer of funds from Poro to Poro, from Poro to MiBank and Poro to PMBL only while waiting for BSP, Westpac and Kina Bank to join the process,” she said. NCSL encourages its existing members to register online to access the Member Online Portal to check balance, eligibility, download statement, or follow through on the process of their loan or withdrawal applications. NCSL continues to invest in technology to bring services closer to our members and make life easier for them. The Online Portal can be accessed from any android device and anywhere in the world where internet services are available.

Ireland got off to a winning start at the World Cup by downing tournament newcomers Jamaica 48-2 in Leeds, with Roosters playmaker Luke Keary leading the way in a player of the match showing. The Reggae Warriors were valiant in defeat, scrambling well to deny their opponents a number of would-be tries, but couldn't match the class of Ireland, who should have clocked up an even bigger score, if not for poor goalkicking which saw them convert just four of their 10 tries. In his Test debut, Keary had 166 run metres, made two line breaks and was involved in three of his side's tries before being rested for the final 20 minutes of the match. Keary's halves partner Joe Keyes was strong too, running for 190 metres and steering the side around the park well. Ireland crossed four times for an 18-2 lead at the break, with Jamaica kicking a penalty right on the siren to mark their first ever points at a World Cup. The Wolfhounds added a further five tries in the second period, with forwards James McDonnell, James Bentley and Frankie Halton all scoring inside the final 10 minutes as the Jamaica pack began to wear down. Although his side won comfortably in the end, a concern for Ireland coach Ged Corcoran will be the 16 errors made by Ireland, which saw them complete just 69 percent of their sets.   Source: NRL.com

A three-week lockdown has been declared in two districts of Uganda as the country battles an Ebola outbreak. Bars, nightclubs, places of worship and entertainment venues will be closed in Mubende and neighbouring Kassanda, and a curfew will come into force. The move is a U-turn for Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who previously said there was no need for such measures. This latest outbreak has killed 19 people among 58 recorded cases. However, the real number of deaths and cases may be higher. The outbreak began in early September in Mubende, about 80km (50 miles) from the capital Kampala, and has remained the epicentre. President Museveni had previously ruled out lockdowns, saying Ebola was not an airborne virus so did not require the same measures as Covid-19. But on Saturday he halted all movement in and out of Mubende and Kassanda districts for 21 days. Cargo trucks will still be allowed to enter and leave the areas, he said, but all other transport will be stopped. "These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola," he said in a televised address. "We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time." Why is Uganda's Ebola outbreak so serious? Why Ebola keeps coming back The president had already ordered police to arrest anyone suspected of having the virus who refused to isolate. And he has forbidden traditional healers from trying to handle cases. In previous outbreaks, healers have been associated with hotspots for spread of the virus. The first recorded death in this outbreak was a 24-year-old man in Mubende. Six members of his family also died. It later reached the capital Kampala, with one death recorded in October. But health officials said the city remained virus-free, as the man who died had travelled from Mubende. This latest outbreak is of the Sudan strain of the virus, for which there is no approved vaccine. The Zaire strain, which killed 11,000 people in an outbreak across West Africa from 2013-2016, can be vaccinated against. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated material. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases internal or external bleeding. The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and the virus can be associated with other illnesses, such as malaria and typhoid. Source: BBC

Underdogs Italy stunned Scotland with a dominant 28-4 victory at Kingston Park in their opening World Cup fixture in Group B. Winger Jake Maizen scored a hat-trick on his Italy debut, having bombed a chance in the first half. He was joined on the scoresheet by team-mates Dean Parata and Luke Polselli, while captain Nathan Brown impressed just two weeks after he featured in the NRL Grand Final for Parramatta Eels. Scotland failed to play any fluent rugby in attack and looked nervous throughout the fixture in Newcastle, with their only try coming from Lachlan Walmsley in the dying stages of the match. Match report Nathan Graham named an experienced Scotland side that included Salford’s Ryan Brierley at full-back. Euan Aitken and Kane Linnett featured in the back-row, with St Helens’ James Bell at loose forward. 29-year-old Brenden Santi featured for Italy, having won promotion to the Championship with club Keighley. Barrow’s Anton Iaria, Swinton’s Richard Lepori and London’s Parata all starting.  Italy opened the scoring on nine minutes against the run of play, with full-back Luke Polselli grounding a grubber kick from Radean Robinson just before the dead-ball line for a four-pointer. Parata extended Italy’s lead with ease on 22 minutes. The 31-year-old going himself from dummy-half to stretch out and score under the posts.  Both Italy wingers Lepori and Maizen bombed try-scoring opportunities in the first half which could have seen their side with a comfortable lead at the break.  Captain Dale Ferguson was sent to the sin-bin just before the break for a dangerous tackle. Source: Love Rugby League

Prime Minister James Marape says the Government is well aware of prolonged drought in several provinces of the country and is on standby to assist. He said this in Parliament on Friday (October 14, 2022) when answering a question from Daulo MP, Ekime Gorosahu, on the drought conditions in his electorate. MP Gorosahu said four months of drought had seen many food gardens drying up and his people were asking if Government would assist. PM Marape said East New Britain, New Ireland, Manus and parts of Morobe were also affected by the drought. “We are looking at how best we can have relief, however, each district should in the meantime look at how best it can support its people,” he said. “The National Government will have a holistic approach to this issue of prolonged drought, especially in the northern part of our country and New Guinea Islands. “I can assure you that we will look at this and we will have a programme to assist our people in drought-affected areas.”

Russia is using rape and sexual violence as part of its “military strategy” in Ukraine, a UN envoy said this week. The claim follows data released by a panel of UN experts recently that verified “more than a hundred cases” of rape or sexual assault incidents reported in Ukraine since February. “When you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it’s clearly a military strategy,” Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said in an interview with AFP on Thursday. She added that many cases involved children and also said that the true number of victims was likely to be far higher than official figures suggested because sexual crimes are often “under reported.” Since the Russian invasion began, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Moscow’s forces of sexually abusing women and children, claiming they are using rape and other sexual acts as weapons of war. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko in June said that police received around 50 complaints of sexual crimes committed by Russian soldiers. Prosecutors are also investigating rape allegations in the Kharkiv region after Ukrainian forces recently recaptured territory there. CNN has spoken with Ukrainian women, one of them a pregnant 16-year-old, who shared harrowing accounts detailing sexual assault. CNN could not independently verify the latest claims by the UN. Russian authorities have denied allegations of war crimes in Ukraine. Source: CNN

Nigeria is suffering its worst flooding in a decade, forcing 1.4 million people from their homes. The central city of Lokoja is in one of the worst-affected areas - Kogi state - and residents here are doing their best to cope. For the past three weeks, Mohammed Sani Gambo has been using a canoe to get into his home. The fisherman and father of 11 is one of the lucky few in his neighborhood of Gadumu. Living in a two-storey building meant he was able to move his family and belongings to the top floor, away from the flood water. "When the water first started rising we thought it wouldn't be this serious", he says, "but by the next day the whole place was flooded." There are now 27 people living in two rooms at the top of his house. They are squashed between mattresses, sofas, pots and pans - anything they could carry away from the rapidly rising water. "Not everyone living here right now is my family," he adds. "I also took in some neighbours that had no places to go. I couldn't leave them out there, so I took them in." He has lived in this area for over a decade and is used to the flooding, but this year has been different. "The volume of the water this year has been higher than in previous years. The water is higher. Because of the volume of the water we've seen snakes and other rodents."     Source: BBC