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

Prime Minister James Marape says the Government will strengthen the role of Permanent Parliamentary Committees to keep check on rural executive government. He said this in Parliament on Friday (October 14, 2022) when announcing the establishment of two important Permanent Parliamentary Committees to oversee Education and Communications. Members of the two committees announced by PM Marape were agreed to by Parliament.   North Wahgi MP Benjamin Mul, founder of Waigani Christian College, one of the largest private education institutions in the country, is Chairman of the Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Education. Other members of the Committee are: • Deputy Chairman Hon. Simon Kaiwi (Jiwaka Regional); • Johnson Wapunai (Ambunti-Drekikier); • Patrick Basa (Kabwum); • Peter Isoaimo (Kairuku); • Michael Marum (East New Britain Regional); and • Anderson Mise (Aitape-Lumi). Wau-Waria   Marsh Narewec, founder of nationally-owned information technology company Kumulsoft, is Chairman of the Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Communications. Other members of the committee are: • Deputy Chairman Hon. Sam Basil Jr (Bulolo); • Sasindran Muthuvel (West New Britain Regional); • Alexander Orme (Sumkar); • Hon. Ricky Morris (Alotau); • Ereman Tobaining Jr (Kokopo); and • Simon Dumarinu (Central Bougainville)   PM Marape said the functions of the two committees shall be to consider and report to Parliament on all matters referred to it, as provided for by Standing Orders, Parliament, respective ministers or on its own initiative. He said the committees would consider any matters of national importance within its jurisdiction and report thereon to Parliament in accordance with the Permanent Parliamentary Committees Act, and report on the functions of respective ministries as are determined by a resolution of Parliament from time to time. PM Marape said the committees had the power to send for persons, papers and records and to meet from place to place and to act during recess. The quorum for a meeting of the committees is four committee members, one of whom shall be the Chairman or Deputy Chairman.

Twenty youths from two TVET institutions in East New Britain are currently undergoing a Commercial Fishing Operations Training. The 10-weeks training held at Rabaul Hotel is facilitated by the National Fisheries College for trainees or graduates from Milmila and Woolnough Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions. ENB Provincial Fisheries Coordinator Dickson Kondaul said the prerequisite for Commercial Fishing Operations Level One (CFO1) Training follows the recent signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the ENB provincial government and National Fisheries Authority for fisheries management and development in the province. The CFO1 is a competent course targeting trainees to seek employment onboard both fishing vessels and merchant ships either working as seafarers or deck-hands and eventually make their way up to be captains or work in the engine room as motorman to chief engineers, he said. The CFO1 Training Package includes; Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS), OBM Operations, Seamanship, Navigation, Fishing Techniques, Gear Rigging (Preparation), Practical Navigation and Fishing onboard NFC FV Pokajam. He said this training is one Key Result Area (KRA) under the National Fisheries Strategic Plan (FSP) 2021 - 2030. ENBs Fisheries Sector's programs and projects have been realigned to FSP 2021 - 2030. As such, NFC as a Business Group or division under NFA would continue to deliver the course package in the province, which is more convenient and affordable for the trainees under co-funding arrangement,” Mr Kondaul said. In a bid to provide more employment opportunities for youths, the ENB Provincial Fisheries sector is strategizing to train more skilled people in ENB as it prepares for the upcoming Rabaul Tuna Terminal project. Mr Kondaul said interested youths who would like to pursue career in the Fishing and Shipping Industry can enquire at the Rabaul Provincial Fisheries Office to get more information.

The U.S Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recently repatriated recovered potential osseous material from a crash site of a United States Army Air Force aircraft lost over Wewak, Papua New Guinea, 78 years ago during World War Two. DPAA, which led the excavation mission in partnership with the National Museum and Art Gallery of Papua New Guinea, hopes that the recovered material and miscellaneous aircraft wreckage will lead to the positive identification of the missing Service Members, and provide answers to their families after so many years. The recovered material will be transported back to the DPAA Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii for further analysis. Speaking at the repatriation ceremony on Friday 14th October, the Chargé d’Affaires Mr. Joseph Zadrozny said the local villagers found the wreckage of an American attack aircraft that crashed into the swamp almost 80 years ago. “Today we honour the memories of those who died and were injured—both during the war itself, and in the years afterward – and we demonstrate our commitment to enduring friendship with the people of Papua New Guinea,” he said. “The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, with the support of the people of Papua New Guinea, are honouring the past as well as forging a stronger relationship between our two countries.” The repatriation ceremony conducted at Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby on Friday 14th October, symbolized the research and investigation into the circumstances of the lost aircraft and whereabouts of the pilot and the crew members. If a positive identification is made based on the material collected, the family of the Service Members will be notified, and they will be given the opportunity to hold a funeral with full military honours. “I want to express my sincere thanks to the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery for its commitment to this humanitarian effort, successfully recovering material that will be sent back to the DPAA laboratory in Hawaii for further testing and identification.” “To my colleagues on the U.S. Team, your service and commitment in returning our unaccounted-for service members to their loved ones is inspiring. You have much to be proud of, and we are proud of you,” he said. DPAA routinely conducts investigations and recovery efforts across Oceania, Asia, and Europe, supporting efforts to account for more than 82,000 US Service Members who are still missing from conflicts dating back to World War Two. There are over 3,200 missing American Service Members in Papua New Guinea still today. Successful missions such as this would not be possible with the assistance and help of the local people.

The United Nations is warning that hunger in one of Haiti's biggest slums is at catastrophic levels, as gang violence and economic crises push the country to "breaking point". Nearly 20,000 people in the capital's impoverished Cité Soleil area have dangerously little access to food and could face starvation, the UN says, Across Haiti, almost five million are struggling with malnutrition. "Haiti is facing a humanitarian catastrophe," a top UN official said. "The severity and the extent of food insecurity in Haiti is getting worse," Jean-Martin Bauer, the Haiti country director for the UN's World Food Programme added. The poorest nation in the Americas is suffering acute political, economic, health and security crises which have fuelled a rise in violence and paralysed the country. Powerful gangs have blocked Haiti's main fuel terminal, crippling its basic water and food supplies. In the Cité Soleil neighbourhood, the UN said levels of food insecurity had reached the highest level on its classification system - Phase 5 - meaning residents have dangerously little access to food and could be facing starvation. Mr Bauer said Haitians "have gone through the gauntlet". Anger at the government's handling of the country's multiple crises have boiled over into anti-government protests. These have escalated to looting with at least one woman reportedly killed in clashes. On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation said there had been 16 cholera deaths and 32 confirmed cases, three years after an epidemic of the water-borne disease killed 10,000 people. Another UN official said 100,000 children under the age of five were severely malnourished and are especially vulnerable to cholera. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has asked for foreign military help, but the call has been criticised by some Haitians who see it as foreign interference. The UN has since called for the immediate deployment of a special international armed force to Haiti, but it is not yet clear which countries would provide the members of such a force and what its task would be. Gangs have taken control of key highways and Varreux, Haiti's largest fuel terminal. With food and fuel deliveries suspended as a result, more and more Haitians are going hungry. Several warehouses run by aid organisations have also been looted, resulting in the most vulnerable going without food and drinking water. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered a number of recent crises, most notably the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021 and a massive earthquake that left more than 2,200 people dead just a month later. Source: CNN

With 10 years of mine life remaining, Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) is committed to enabling a sustainable future for its 158 CMCA (Community Mine Continuation Agreement) communities post closure. OTML Managing Director and CEO Musje Werror said this when he presented at the Community Affairs and Business Development workshop hosted by the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum at the Hilton Hotel on Thursday 13th October in Port Moresby. “Ok Tedi will be the first big mine to close and there will be many lessons that will be drawn from Ok Tedi’s experience, not only from the technical aspects of closure, but importantly from the social and sustainability aspects as well,” he said. “We are developing our social and closure strategy which will address focus areas as identified in our Vision 2025. These include the transfer of public infrastructure assets, for example the maintenance of the Tabubil/Kiunga Highway to third parties prior to cessation of production, creating alternative income generating opportunities for the CMCA communities, sustaining community programs implemented by the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF), increase National and Local content in service contracts, and the nationalisation of leadership roles in OTML.” He added that it will be challenging given the mine related dependencies built over time and the lack of commercial industries operating in the Western Province. OTML funds and operates the mining township of Tabubil which include the Tabubil Hospital at an annual cost of about K150 Million, maintains the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway at K30 Million a year, and provides power, and water and sewerage services in Kiunga at a cost of about K30 Million per annum. “We need to identify new owners that can assume and operate these services well before mine closure so these services can be sustained. Finding the right owners is not easy let alone the ongoing funding to maintain the services post closure,” he said. Despite these challenges, the province is privileged to have major development partners such as the Government, OTDF, Sustainable Development Program Ltd, Incentive Fund, and Innovative Agro Industry who are already implementing sustainable development programs in the province. Mr Werror said OTML will continue to have discussions with these partners including the Fly River Provincial Government to address these challenges. He concluded his presentation by saying that it is time to ensure the people of the Western Province, more so the CMCA communities are better off into the future for they have given their land and waterways to support the development of this country since the commencement of mine production in 1984.

The Kangaroos have launched their World Cup title defence with a 42-8 win over a committed Fiji Bati outfit at Headingley Stadium. A double to winger Josh Addo-Carr and a starring role off the bench by hooker Harry Grant provided the impetus for Australia's victory. Five-eighth Cameron Munster showed his class throughout the Test and was rewarded with the player of the match award. After the Kangaroos conceded a penalty for offside the Bati worked their way down field and came up with a superb try in just the fourth minute when Siti Moceidreke put in a perfectly weighted grubber for Semi Valemei to follow through and score. Valemei was in the action again in the 11th minute when he combined with Maika Sivo to deny Kangaroos centre Murray Taulagi a try in the corner with good scramble defence. The Kangaroos opened their account in the 16th minute when back-rower Jeremiah Nanai celebrated his Test debut with a try on the right edge after some slick passing from Cameron Murray and Daly Cherry-Evans. Nanai went within inches of making it a second in the 22nd minute but he was pulled up just short by Moceidreke and Ben Nakubuwai. Two minutes later Australia had their second try when Josh Addo-Carr produced a length-of-the-field special after a quick shift from Latrell Mitchell. A mistake by Pat Carrigan coming out of Australia's end handed Fiji a chance to hit back but Brandon Wakeham couldn't pick the ball up cleanly after Api Koroisau had grubbered expertly into the in-goal. Angus Crichton grabbed his first Test try soon after as the Kangaroos stretched their lead to 18-4 at the half-time break. The Kangaroos went further ahead early in the second half when Munster handled twice in a left side raid that resulted in Mitchell touching down for Australia's fourth try. A 40-20 by Harry Grant in the 53rd minute to put Australia on the attack and the hooker cashed in on his own good work by darting over from dummy half as the score blew out to 30-4. Skipper James Tedesco produced a trademark weaving run from 10 metres out in the 61st minute to grab his fourth Test try and Australia led 36-4. Fiji continued to fight to the end and Turuva grabbed a try after a deft grubber kick by Wakeham. Play of the Game With the Kangaroos under the pump on their own line in the 24th minute, flying winger Josh Addo-Carr went the length of the field to grab his team's second try of the night. Skipper James Tedesco had cleaned up a grubber kick under his own posts before the ball went to Latrell Mitchell who saw the chance to get Addo-Carr into the clear with quick hands. 'The Foxx' then put it into overdrive and produced a brilliant swerve to evade Sunia Turuva and give Australia some breathing space at 12-4. Source: NRL.com

Knights winger Dom Young scored two spectacular first half tries as England got their World Cup campaign off to the best possible start with a 60-6 win against an injury hit Samoa side at St James Park. Young combined superbly with fellow England rookie Jack Welsby to score in the 24th and 29th minutes as the host nation made a statement about their World Cup ambitions in the opening match of the tournament. Selected on the right wing ahead of England's greatest ever tryscorer Ryan Hall after an impressive Test debut against Fiji in last weekend's World Cup warm-up match, Young had the 43,119 crowd on their feet every time he touched the ball. Roosters lock Victor Radley was named man-of-the-match as England's six NRL players all had an impact. Raiders second-rower Elliott Whitehead scored two second half tries, while Broncos centre Herbie Farnworth crossed for his first England try as Shaun Wane's men dominated a disappointing Samoa outfit. Sharks prop Braden Hamlin-Uele was assisted from the field in the 11th minute with a lower leg injury and there were initial fears he may have suffered a fracture. Former Panthers playmaker Tyrone May suffered a dislocated hip and was taken to hospital, while Cowboys flier Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is also expected to be out of the tournament due to a syndesmosis injury. England led 18-6 at half-time and laid on seven second half tries, including six in the final 16 minutes. Samoa halfback Anthony Milford was sin-binned midway through the second half for a late tackle on England captain Sam Tomkins as discipline and poor ball control proved costly for the Pacific nation. England scored four tries while Samoa were down to 12 men and another two after Milford's return. For England, Welsby was sensational and scored the opening try after former Raiders halfback George Williams burst through Martin Taupau and Junior Paulo before sending the St Helens five-eighth racing away. Panthers centre Izack Tago scored Samoa's only try when he intercepted a Welsby pass and raced 60 metres to score. Play of the game Dom Young bought the crowd to their feet as he raced down the touchline, stepped inside wing opposite Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, swerved around Joseph Suaalii and stepped out of an attempted tackle of Izack Tago to score England's second try. What They Said “I know nobody gave us a chance to win the game but within our group the tight team spirit we have and how we’ve trained, we knew what we could do. We enjoyed all that negativity to be honest. Whatever people want to say about us that’s up to them. I’m not on social media so I don’t hear lots of things but I knew it was quite negative about us." - England coach Shaun Wane “It wasn’t the result we wanted. England played very well and we had a few injuries and setbacks. They got a lot of momentum. Tyrone May disclocated his hip and has gone to hospital here in Newcastle. There’s a few injuries in there that might not take part of rest of the tournament. We’re not looking for excuses or anything like that, we didn’t have much luck injury wise. We rolled in here this morning with a good team and we’ve still got a good team." - Samoa coach Matt Parish What's next The win all but guarantees England will finish top of Pool A  as they play France at Bolton on October 22 and Greece in Sheffield a week later. Samoa are now on a collision course for a quarter-final showdown with Tonga, assuming they finish second in Pool A and their Pacific rivals top Pool D. Matt Parish's team now meet Greece on October 23 in Doncaster and France in Warrington on October 30.   Source: NRL.com

Elon Musk is under a federal investigation related to his $44 billion takeover deal for Twitter. The news came from a court filing made public on Thursday about the latest in ongoing legal disputes between the billionaire and the social network. While the filing said he was under investigation, it did not say what the focus was. "This game of 'hide the ball' must end," the company said in the court filing. Mr Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter - which sued Mr Musk in July to force him to close the deal - said lawyers for the Tesla CEO had claimed "investigative privilege" when refusing to hand over documents it wanted. It also said it had requested that Mr Musk's attorneys produce their communications with federal authorities months ago, but they had not done so. In late September, Mr Musk's attorneys provided a "privilege log", identifying documents to be withheld. The log referenced drafts of a 13 May email to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - the American regulator which enforces the law against market manipulation. It also referenced a slide presentation to the Federal Trade Commission - whose principal mission is promoting antitrust law and consumer protection. The court request was filed on the same day the court granted a stay of litigation to allow Twitter and Mr Musk to close the takeover deal. Questions over the deal The SEC has questioned Mr Musk's comments about the Twitter acquisition. In April, the SEC asked him whether the disclosure of his 9% Twitter stake was late and why it indicated that he intended to be a passive shareholder. Mr Musk later refiled the disclosure to indicate he was an active investor. In June, the SEC asked Mr Musk in a letter whether he should have amended his public filing to reflect his intention to suspend or abandon the deal. Alex Spiro, an attorney for Mr Musk, told Reuters that Twitter's court filing was a "misdirection". "It is Twitter's executives that are under federal investigation," he said. Twitter declined to comment on the statement. The filing comes as the months-long saga of Mr Musk's proposed Twitter purchase continues, during which the billionaire proposed a takeover, went back on the deal, and was then sued by Twitter to stick to his word. The billionaire's side then said he would go ahead with the deal, just days before a trial was set to take place to force the purchase through. Source: BBC

Selina Haoda was a small-town girl who grew up dreaming of fixing and operating machinery and equipment. Who knew that one day she would lead a team of Instrument Technicians in the longest running open-pit copper, gold and silver mine in Papua New Guinea. Now a newly appointed Supervisor Crusher Instrumentation leading a team of four in a male-dominated field, Selina is the first Tradeswomen Supervisor, First Tradeswomen Supervisor from Western Province, and the First female Supervisor Instrumentation, under the Processing Electrical Maintenance Department. Selina started her early education at Morehead Primary School, located in one of the most remote places in South Fly, Western Province towards the Indonesian Border. She made it to Daru Secondary School and continued her studies at the Port Moresby Technical College undertaking a Certificate in Trades – Electronics. Not only did she pass but secured a Higher Education Contribution Assistance Scheme (HECAS) Scholarship relieving some financial burden off her parents. Selina’s greatest motivator was her late Uncle Mervyn Haoda, a Refrigeration mechanic, who was very good at his job and inspired her to take up a Trade. However, she chose to study Electronics because of the change in technology. Her potential to excel in the trade came 14 years ago when she realised she was one of only two females out of 30 apprentices selected through the OTML Apprenticeship Program in 2009. She recalled the day the administration assistant called to advise her that her flight was booked from POM to Tabubil. The humble rural girl laughed and said she resided in Daru. Today, with her hardhat on, her role is to supervise and monitor work performed by her team. “In the field of Instrumentation, our responsibility is to install, calibrate, monitor, repair and maintain various monitoring devices (sensors / transmitters) for machinery, human life and the process itself. The scope of my role covers the crushing and conveying system, which is the primary stage of the process where the mine haul trucks deliver ore.” She said the process of getting accurate measurements is challenging. “We work with heavy equipment in varying weather conditions day and night. For instance, if we do not calibrate the crusher precisely, we feed the wrong size ore downstream, this affects the process and we lose money. As for human life, if I do not calibrate a gas monitor properly someone could die from exposure to high levels of harmful gas. This is why instrumentation is so important we have to ensure it is done correctly,” she said. “What makes it more challenging for me as a female, is balancing my work and home responsibilities,” she added. As the first female tradeswomen Supervisor her advice to other tradeswomen colleagues is, “You are a qualified tradeswoman, believe in yourself and step up. Do not expect special treatment out in the field, be patient, work honestly, ensure good quality work, and always respect your colleagues. These attributes and other values will speak volumes about your performance.” Selina admires her team and manager for inspiring the younger generation while acknowledging the amount of teamwork they put in, the humility each member possess, respect and the attitude of looking out for one another’s safety. “They are basically my family away from home.” Her advice to young women of Western province is “If I can come this far from a rural area, you can do even better. Do not make excuses, work smart and be determined to achieve your goals. Put God first and never forget the people who contributed meaningfully to your life and helped you to get to where you are,” she concluded.

Every match of the upcoming Rugby League World Cup will be available to watch, no matter where you live in the world with unrivalled coverage secured via traditional broadcasters and online streaming platforms. The coverage is so extensive that all 61 games across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair formats is available to watch all around the world, with live match action being broadcast or streamed to 22 territories and totaling more than 150 countries. Rights agreements have been in place in the UK for some time, with every minute of every game being broadcast live on the BBC, while rugby league fans in New Zealand and Australia have known for some time that games there can be watched on Spark and FoxSport respectively. In addition, it has now been confirmed that fans of the sport as far afield as the Asia, Scandinavia and the Middle East will have similar coverage via broadcasters such as Premier Sports and ViaPlay. Any territories not covered by traditional rights-holding broadcaster have the option of live streaming matches via the RLWC2021 App, on a pay-per-view basis purchases can be made via www.rugby-league.com/ourleague or accessing on Apple TV or Roku. “With TV coverage confirmed in 22 territories, which spans an impressive 150 countries, supplemented by streaming services to cater for fans elsewhere, we have an unprecedented opportunity to ensure every rugby league fan can support their nation and also enjoy all of the action," Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive, said. “With all matches being produced to a world class standard by both the BBC and Whisper productions, it’s fantastic we are able to bring the RLWC2021 to a truly global audience, helping us not only to fulfil our commitment to being the biggest, best and most inclusive rugby league world cup in history but also to showcase our brilliant sport to brand new audiences.” Where to watch RLWC2021 American Samoa – PCS Asia – Premier Sports Australia – Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo Sports Baltics – Viaplay Brazil – RLWC2021 App / Fite TV (via Apple TV & Roku) Canada – Rogers Caribbean (inc Jamaica) – Sport Max Cook Islands – CITV Fiji – Fiji TV Finland - Viaplay France – beIN Sports / RMC (Selected Games) Greece – RLWC2021 App / Fite TV (via Apple TV & Roku) Iceland – Viaplay Italy – RLWC2021 App / Fite TV (via Apple TV & Roku) Middle East (inc Lebanon) and North Africa – Premier Sports The Netherlands – Viaplay New Zealand – Spark Sport Pacific Islands – Digicel TV Papua New Guinea – MNL Poland – Viaplay Samoa – TV1 Samoa Scandinavia – Viaplay Spain – RLWC2021 App / Fite TV (via Apple TV & Roku) Tonga – Tonga Broadcasting UK and Ireland – BBC platforms USA – Fite TV (PPV); In Demand (PPV); Direct TV (PPV); Dish (PPV) / Women’s & Wheelchair on FITE+ (Subscription needed) Vanuata – VBTC Source: NRL.com