Aaron Carter’s older brother Nick is heartbroken after the singer’s death at the age of 34, he wrote in a post on Instagram Sunday, saying that despite their “complicated relationship,” his love for Carter “has never ever faded.” “I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed,” Nick Carter, a member of the Backstreet Boys, wrote in a caption alongside photos of the brothers through the years. “Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.” “I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know,” he added. “I love you Chizz, now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth…. God, please take care of my baby brother.” Nick Carter’s statement Sunday comes after a source close to the family told CNN on Saturday that Carter, who found stardom as a young boy with songs like “I Want Candy” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” was found dead in his bathtub. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told CNN it responded to a call for help at Carter’s Lancaster, California, home on Saturday morning around 11 a.m. local time, where a deceased person was found. Nick Carter’s tribute followed another by his sister, Aaron’s twin Angel, who wrote on Instagram, “To my twin… I loved you beyond measure.” “My funny, sweet Aaron, I have so many memories of you and I, and I promise to cherish them. I know you’re at peace now. I will carry you with me until the day I die and get to see you again.” The singer had been open in the past about his struggles with mental health, but once denied having substance abuse issues in an interview with CNN. Carter at times had a fraught relationship with his siblings: In 2019, Nick announced he and Angel had filed for a restraining order against their brother, saying in a statement his youngest brother allegedly harbored “intentions of killing my wife and unborn child.” Aaron Carter had denied the allegations, saying he wished harm to no one. Aside from his siblings, those honoring Carter include Hilary Duff, who played the titular character on Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire,” on which Carter once appeared as a guest star. “For Aaron - I’m deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in-front of the whole world,” Duff wrote on Instagram. “You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent… boy did my teenage self love you deeply,” she added. “Sending love to your family at this time.” Actress Melissa Joan Hart also expressed her condolences, posting a photo of herself with Carter and writing, “Sending love to the family and friends and fans of #AaronCarter. Rest In Peace!” The band New Kids on the Block similarly shared their sympathies in a statement on Twitter: “We are shocked and saddened about the sudden passing of Aaron Carter. Sending prayers to the Carter family. Rest in peace, Aaron.” Source: CNN news

Football Australia will host a four-team invitational tournament featuring three of Oceania’s highly ranked women’s national teams in the 2022 Pacific Women’s Four Nations Tournament in Canberra from November 8-13 2022. The senior women’s national teams of Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands will join the Australia U-20s for a round-robin tournament that will feature the top three finishers at the 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup. Over six days the four teams will participate in a series of double-headers on three match days at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and Queanbeyan’s Seiffert Oval. November’s Four Nations tournament is the result of a partnership with Australian Government and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, through PacificAus Sports. Football Australia CEO, James Johnson said: “We are delighted to welcome the senior national teams of our Pacific neighbours Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands for the first Asia-Pacific cross-confederation tournament activity since the COVID-19 pandemic.” “An initiative through our Legacy ’23 International Engagement pillar, in addition to providing the CommBank Young Matildas valuable match preparation ahead of their bid to qualify for AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2024, the Four Nations tournament will provide female footballers from the visiting Pacific nations with access to quality matches, high-performance facilities and expertise, including capacity-building sessions with Football Australia technical and subject-matter experts. “With our two confederations, the OFC and the AFC, hosting the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™, this tournament underscores Football Australia’s ongoing commitment to genuine, productive engagement as we work to be a centre of excellence for women’s football and a supporting partner in the growth of women’s football in the Asia-Pacific region. “We thank for the Australian Government and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs for their collaboration on this tournament and look forward to working towards more projects in this space.  Football Australia is living its vision to ensure legacy from next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and this impact is felt throughout the Asia-Pacific region.” The CommBank Young Matildas will be led by head coach Leah Blayney with the new cycle of players set to be tested in their first international matches against rapidly improving opponents, including a Papua New Guinea side crowned Oceania champions in July. Papua New Guinea remain in contention to qualify for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ via next February’s inter-Confederation play-off where they will take on Panama in the Group C semi-finals at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland on February 19 2023. The 2022 Pacific Women’s Four Nations Tournament follows up the successful 2019 Pacific Tour, which saw the CommBank Junior Matildas travel to Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga for a series of matches. All matches in the Pacific Women’sFour Nations Tournament will be streamed LIVE via the Football Australia YouTube account, with fans encouraged to attend the final matchday free of charge at Seiffert Oval on November 13 2022. Source: PNG Football Association

Prime Minister James Marape has urged Papua New Guineans not to illegally settle on untitled land in urban centres of the country. He said this today (November 6, 2022) when announcing an exciting plan by Government to help people acquire land in towns and cities starting in 2023. “I appeal to our people not to settle on land in urban centres that is untitled,” PM Marape said. “The Government is working on an exciting programme, spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister and Lands Minister John Rosso, to properly organise all urban areas so that people with proper titles are living on land legally acquired. “I encourage our people not to just go and settle on any land which is not yours. “People are also advised not to enter into any transactions with so-called ‘traditional landowners’, in an informal arrangement, as you may be evicted by someone else who claims to be the ‘proper landowner’. ” PM Marape said starting in 2023, the Government would acquire additional land in towns and cities which would be properly planned, so that working Papua New Guineans or those involved in small business would be given a small piece of land. “This land programme which starts next year, will be very big in our towns and cities,” he said. “This is to enable our people to own a piece of State land on which they have decent accommodation which is connected to electricity, water and other services. “It pains me to see Papua New Guineans being evicted from land which is not theirs, which they moved onto in the first place because of the high cost of rental.” PM Marape said in Port Moresby, the Government would work closely with National Capital District Governor Hon. Powes Parkop, on the ‘Settlements to Suburbs’ programme. “ We will put some money aside for this and will work on it,” he said. “I also call on companies and individuals who claim to have title to land in the city, and have evicted settlers, to immediately develop this land that they claim to own. “Why are people being evicted, as in Garden Hills and Morata, and the land is not being developed? “My warning is that of this land is not developed, it will be forfeited back to the State, and distributed to people in a planned manner.”

Australia clinched a thrilling final 20-17 to claim the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens crown and bring to an end Fiji’s dominance that had seen them take the last five titles in Hong Kong. A pulsating end-to-end final played in an electrifying atmosphere was settled in the final minute when Nathan Lawson scored in the corner to cue wild celebrations from the Australia contingent. It had been 1,308 days since the last final was played in Hong Kong back in 2019, and the highly anticipated comeback edition certainly made up for lost time with a classic encounter between Fiji and Australia. Double Olympic champions Fiji led through tries from Josua Vakurinabili and a pair from Waisea Nacuqu, but Australia hit back through Henry Hutchison, twice, and Tim Clements before Lawson sealed the comeback victory to continue the fantastic form which saw them clinch the 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series title. Fiji were aiming to continue their love affair with Hong Kong with a record breaking sixth straight title but it was not to be for the Pacific Islanders. France were losing finalists last time Hong Kong hosted a Series event in 2019 but had to settle for bronze on this occasion, seeing off Samoa 19-17 thanks to a pair of tries from Stephen Parez Edo Martin and one from tournament top try scorer Aaron Grandidier who ran in 11 tries and 55 points over the weekend. This was perhaps the most hotly contested Hong Kong Sevens in history as two quarter-finals and one semi-final required extra time to separate the teams in highly competitive contests, before the closely fought bronze and gold medal finals. Australia reached the final with a 10-7 win over a valiant France outfit thanks to a finely executed golden point penalty kick from the outstanding Maurice Longbottom following an earlier try from Josh Turner. Longbottom had already shown match-winning exploits earlier in the day, scoring a sensational try in extra time as Australia performed a remarkable comeback from 19-5 down to beat Ireland 26-19 in the quarter-final. Australia had qualified for the knock-out matches thanks to pool victories over New Zealand (24-17) and Hong Kong (43-0) despite a 22-17 defeat to Samao. [caption id="attachment_29845" align="alignnone" width="906"] On day one of the Cathay Pacific/ HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2022 at Hong Kong Stadium on 4 November, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Photo credit: Mike Lee - KLC fotos for World Rugby[/caption] Fiji’s route to the final saw them squeeze past Commonwealth champions South Africa 12-7 with tries from Joseva Talacolo and Jeremaia Matana to clinch in a tense quarter-final, before overcoming Pacific neigbours Samoa 19-7 in a pulsating semi-final, with two scores from Filipe Sauturaga and one from Joseva Talacolo. Fiji had progressed through their pool on Friday and Saturday with free-scoring wins over Japan (59-12), Spain (35-21) and the USA (24-0). Samoa had earlier broken Argentinean hearts with a try from Vaovasa Afa Sua in extra time securing a 19-14 quarter-final victory, while France proved too strong for USA in the last quarter-final with a pair of tries from Aaron Grandidier. The highly experienced Olympic bronze medallists Argentina beat a youthful USA 36-0 to finish fifth. New Zealand bounced back from their disappointment of failing to reach the quarter-finals in Hong Kong for the first time ever, by securing fifth place with a trio of victories on Sunday. The All Blacks Sevens triumphed over Kenya 34-0, Spain 24-7 and Canada 33-5 to finish ninth. Uruguay showed plenty of potential on their debut as a Series core team, recording impressive victories over Great Britain (19-17), Kenya (10-7) and Japan (33-10) to finish in a respectable 13th place. Australia captain Nick Malouf said : “After having done so well last year, to come out here and back it up straightaway and win Hong Kong for the first time since 1988, incredible. I think we're cutting a few years off our coach's life leaving it so late! [caption id="attachment_29847" align="alignnone" width="906"] On day one of the Cathay Pacific/ HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2022 at Hong Kong Stadium on 4 November, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Photo credit: Mike Lee - KLC fotos for World Rugby[/caption] “We knew coming into this weekend that we’ve just got to keep grinding and doing what we've been doing really well, working hard for each other and we know they're going to come for us now so we have got to keep getting better. “There's not much between the teams. This is the Olympic qualifying year, so everyone's going to be coming in red hot and it's going to make for great viewing and tough games on the pitch.” Fiji coach Ben Gollings said: “At the end of the day, we made a final and we've been consistent. It’s bitterly disappointing that we lost. Ultimately 30 seconds of rugby was the difference in the end but credit to the boys was a tough year and they stuck at it and like I said the consistency and being in another final is fantastic. Hong Kong was the first of 11 rounds on the men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023, which promises to be the most competitive and exciting Series to date with more at stake than ever before as the top four ranked men’s and women’s teams will earn Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. At the other end of the table in the men’s competition the number of teams for the 2024 Series will reduce from 16 to 12 to equal the number of women’s teams and align with the Olympic competition structure, meaning fans can expect an intense battle to avoid relegation throughout the 2023 Series with every match and every point counting towards the final Series rankings. Source: Oceania Rugby

Toa Samoa are through to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in history, after emerging 20-18 winners over arch-rivals Tonga in an intense quarter-final in Warrington. After establishing an eight-point lead with 20 minutes to go, Samoa held on bravely as Tonga stormed home and threatened to steal a winning try in the final minute of the match. In a game headlined by clashes in the forward pack, it was Samoa's halves, Anthony Milford and Jarome Luai, who proved the difference, with Milford setting up two of his side's three tries and Luai scoring the other. It sets up a rematch of the tournament's opening game, which saw England thrash Matt Parish's side 60-6. The Pacific showdown promised to be the game of the tournament so far, and from the pre-match Sipi Tau and Siva Tau war dances, to the hard-hitting defence and skill on the ball, it didn't disappoint. After opening the scoring four minutes in, it was Samoa who had the edge through the first 40 minutes and enjoyed the lion's share of possession, but Tonga hung in the game to trail just 12-10 at the break. After a free-flowing first half which saw plenty of scoring chances created, things tightened up in the second 40, with both sides trading penalty goals before Joseph Suaali'i broke the game open with a run which led to Brian To'o's try. In the end that was the play that won the game for Samoa, despite a late surge from Tonga which ensured this game thrilled until the very end. Source: NRL.com

Police manpower will be increased starting next year as the Government starts focusing more on the law-and-justice sector, Prime Minister James Marape announced today (November 6, 2022). He said more judges and magistrates would also be recruited as the sector was moved to the forefront of Government focus amidst an increasing law-and-order problem. The Prime Minister said rundown jail facilities throughout the country would also be improved and rehabilitation for inmates, including through further education via Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE), would be strengthened. PM Marape said Police would embark on a recruitment drive next year to increase manpower to 7000 from the current 5000 at the very earliest, and 10,000 in the medium-term. “We cannot deny that there are so many issues within the Police Force, including lack of manpower, which has allowed it to deteriorate over the years,” he said. “It also doesn’t help when we have an ageing police force which is not resourced properly, including investigation and prosecution, leading to many cases being dropped. “Going forward, we will address these, with increased funding in the 2023 Budget. “Next year, we hope to recruit over 1000 young men and women into the Police Force, who will be sent out into areas like Hela, where there are only 80 officers to serve an important province which houses the PNG LNG Project and has a 400.000 population. “The Police hierarchy can assist by way of ensuring discipline, order and punctuality amongst officers.” PM Marape urged all Papua New Guineans to take ownership of the law-and-order issue starting in their own families and communities, rather than to let it get out of hand, and expect Police to address it. “Our population can contribute towards a better and safer country, which will allow it to grow and prosper for us all, by taking ownership of the law-and-order issue,” he said. “There is no point supporting our PNG Kumuls in rugby league if you cannot, likewise, support a decrease in law-and-order problems by taking ownership of the issue. “Law-and-order should be every Papua New Guinean’s No. 1 responsibility. “Let us support our Police by not breaking the law, and pointing out people who are breaking the law. “Internal Security Minister Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jr and Police Commissioner David Manning, together with senior officers, are in discussion to address all issues affecting the force.”

A disgraced American antiquities dealer accused of running a multi-million-dollar looting network via his New York gallery was this week sentenced by an Indian court to 10 years in prison for smuggling offenses. Subhash Kapoor was convicted alongside five accomplices on charges including criminal conspiracy, burglary and the illegal export of 19 artifacts worth over 940 million rupees ($11.4 million), a police spokesperson confirmed to CNN. The verdict follows a years-long investigation into Kapoor, who stands accused of trafficking thousands of treasures plundered from temples, ruins and archaeological sites across Asia. The Indian American dealer's looting network is believed to have falsified ancient artifacts' authentication documents before selling them through his Manhattan gallery, Art of the Past. following his arrest in Germany in 2011, Kapoor was sent to face charges in India's Tamil Nadu state, where his trial commenced last year. Although the dealer has already spent 11 years in prison, he will not walk free following the sentencing, as he has also been indicted in the US on counts including grand larceny, conspiracy, scheme to defraud and criminal possession of stolen property. As part of an investigation dubbed "Operation Hidden Idol," the Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit — a taskforce of lawyers, investigators and art experts — has seized more than 2,500 looted artifacts, worth an estimated $143 million, that are linked to Kapoor. In addition to the 19 items he has now been convicted of smuggling, the dealer has also been accused of handling thousands of other items from countries including Nepal, Cambodia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told CNN his office was in contact with the US Department of Justice and Indian authorities about the case. "In 2020 the office filed extradition paperwork for Kapoor and we intend to prosecute him in the United States pursuant to our ongoing investigation," the spokesperson added. Kapoor's New York-based lawyer Georges Lederman confirmed that the dealer will remain in custody in India due to the extradition request. Last year, Lederman told CNN that his client intends to contest the US charges on double jeopardy grounds, as "the underlying conduct he is being charged for in New York is the same for which he has already served in India." Institutions in the US and beyond have already repatriated hundreds of stolen items handled by Kapoor. Just last month, Bragg's office gave India 235 items linked to the dealer, including an elaborately carved marble archway that had wound up in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. In 2016, at a Washington D.C ceremony attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, American officials handed India back more than 200 artifacts that had been seized from a shipment imported by Kapoor. The cache, which included religious statues and works of bronze and terracotta, was estimated to be worth more than $100 million at the time. The Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra have also returned items obtained from Kapoor's gallery on several occasions. In 2014, Australia's then-prime minister, Tony Abbott, personally handed over two 900 year-old statues after India made a direct appeal for their repatriation. Source: CNN

Thanks to the many efforts made by the people of East Sepik around the country to campaign against Violence in the province, yesterday the Meni Settlement Community took the initiative to formally surrender their arms and are now coming together for the betterment of the province. Wewak District Administrator, Martin Maingu expressed great delight, stating that all the efforts that they have invested into awareness that was done is now paying off. “We have started awareness for the people and the outcome was that yesterday the first group surrendered their weapons,” Maingu said. He added that since the foundation of the Wewak chapter of the Sepik Social Youth Movement, they have been reaching out to communities within the vicinity of the town and advised them to surrender their weapons peacefully. The items that were surrendered included Wire Catapults, home-made guns and gas bottles that were used in the distillation of homebrew. Just over a week ago, ethnic Sepiks from all walks of life around the country stood together in solidarity to end the tyranny of the Wire Catapult. Fast forward to 7 days later, that vision is slowly coming to fruition. They have now put forward a challenge to the rest of the communities to do the right thing and are urging them to surrender their weapons.

Ishmael Kalsakau has been elected unopposed as the 13th Prime Minister of the republic of Vanuatu by secret ballot. Kalsakau was elected by the 52 members of the country's parliament on Friday 4 November. "Thank you, thank you for the election," Kalsakau said after the vote. The former prime minister and president of the Vanua'aku Party, Bob Loughman, stood up at the session and said his group had no candidate to put forward for prime minister but would vote for Kalsakau. Under the national constitution, a prime minister must be elected by a secret ballot even if standing unopposed. Kalsakau was elected by 50 votes, with two invalid votes. At the time of his election the new coalition government led by Prime Minister Kalsakau was composed of eight political parties and no independents. About The New PM This is Ishmael Kalsakau's first time as prime minister of Vanuatu. He was deputy prime minister in the last government. Kalsakau is a lawyer by profession. Before his involvement in politics, served as the Attorney-General of Vanuatu. He originates from a small island in Port Vila Harbor, Ifira and went to Malapoa College. Kalsakau is the younger brother of the Paramount Chief of Ifira, Matoi Kalsakau. He is not the first prime minister from Ifira. This honour is held by Barak Sope who was prime minister from 1999 to 2001. Kalsakau and his soon to be formed cabinet step into their roles at a crucial time for Vanuatu as the heavily tourism dependent country emerges from the pandemic. His priorities will be spelt out when the government is fully cloaked, he said in an interview following the first session of parliament. First Session Of Parliament Elected representatives from both camps emerged from coalition talks to take their oaths at the first parliamentary session. It follows last month's snap election which was triggered by the dissolution of parliament on 18 August on the eve of a vote of no confidence in the former prime minister Bob Loughman led by former opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu. In the lead up to today's sitting Regenvanu's camp had strong numbers, with 30 MPs on his side. But before stepping foot in parliament the consensus was that Ishmael Kalsakau be put up to lead the government, Vanuatu Broadcasting Corporation senior journalist Simo Warijo said. On the floor, empty seats were noticeable on Bob Loughman's side. Despite Kalsakau's landslide victory Loughman walked into parliament with 22 people in his camp. Numbers don't lie Prime Minister Ishmael Kalaskau is the leader of the Union of Moderate Parties and secured seven seats in the snap election, equal highest with former prime minister Bob Loughman's Vanua'aku Pati. In comparison, Ralph Regenvanu's Graon mo Jastis Pati only managed to secure four seats. MP King Takes First Oath Rapturous applause filled the house on Friday morning as Gloria Julia King, the only woman MP to be elected to Vanuatu's parliament since 2008, stepped up to take the first oath. "I King Gloria Julia, having been elected member of parliament, do swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the republic of Vanuatu…" King has also been appointed third Deputy Speaker a significant role for a first-time MP. Simeon returned as speaker The former Speaker of Vanuatu's parliament, Seoule Simeon has been reelected by the new MPs. He is the MP for Epi constituency and was nominated by former prime minister Bob Loughman's coalition. His contender for the job was MP for Port Vila constituency Ulrick Sumpton who was nominated by former opposition leader, Ralph Regenvanu's camp.     Source: Radio New Zealand

At least one person was killed, and multiple people are missing after tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas late Friday, damaging homes and knocking out power for thousands as officials launch search and rescue efforts. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt issued an emergency declaration on Saturday for Bryan, Choctaw, LeFlore and McCurtain Counties after damaging tornadoes blew through the state. On Saturday morning, Stitt toured the city of Idabel in McCurtain County, in southeastern Oklahoma, which suffered significant storm damage. The governor said more than 100 homes and businesses were destroyed due to the tornado and called the situation “heartbreaking” in a tweet. “I will declare a state of emergency in affected counties to ensure these communities have support and resources from the state. Pray for all those affected,” Stitt said in a tweet. The string of tornadoes has killed at least one person, and the governor identified him as a 90-year-old man in Idabel. “What I saw was Oklahomans coming together. The storm went through last night, but they were already out, helping each other. We’re clearing limbs and debris,” Stitt said in a video message. In southeastern Oklahoma, ‘not good’ McCurtain County emergency manager Cody McDaniel said on Friday there were “multiple missing people.” Late Friday, authorities were trying to determine the extent of damages and injuries, McDaniel said, adding, “It’s not good.” Gov. Stitt said search and rescue teams, along with generators, had been forwarded to the Idabel area, and he added there was “additional flash flooding in some areas.” In Texas, near the state’s border with Oklahoma, at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed in Lamar County as of Friday evening, the sheriff’s office said. Plus, more than 24,000 homes and businesses were without power across Arkansas, Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas as of Saturday afternoon, according to Poweroutage.us Tornado warnings had been in effect in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri Friday night, meaning tornadoes were reported to be on the ground or indicated by weather radar. The weather service recommends residents in warning areas to move to a safe place like a basement or interior room. A preliminary accounting Friday evening from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center shows nine tornadoes formed in Texas, four in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma. Overnight tornadoes can be particularly dangerous because they can be hard to see as they move quickly through an area, and it’s also more challenging to ensure residents are warned during those hours. Most of the reported Texas tornadoes occurred along the Red River border with Oklahoma, with widespread damage reported in two counties. The National Weather Service confirmed late Friday a tornado moving 45 mph was detected over the city of Wrightsville in Pulaski County, Arkansas, just south of Little Rock. The number of tornadoes recorded will likely increase Saturday, and the intensity of each one will not be known until local National Weather Service offices conduct damage surveys, which may take several days. Tornado and severe thunderstorm watches for the region lasted until early Saturday morning. Texas county declares disaster Lamar County officials declared a disaster after at least 10 people were injured when a tornado tore through the area, according to a news release from the county’s sheriff’s office. No deaths have been reported. Two of those injured suffered critical injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Earlier Friday, a first responder was injured during the storms in the county and underwent surgery, County Constable Steven Hill told CNN. “There has been quite a bit of damage and some injuries,” Lamar County Constable Travis Rhodes told CNN Friday night. In nearby Hopkins County, at least four houses were damaged Friday, according to the county’s sheriff’s office. Meanwhile, back in Oklahoma, a Choctaw County woman was injured by a falling tree as she was trying to get to a storm shelter, Lewis Collins, a volunteer at the Choctaw Office of Emergency Management, told CNN. It’s unclear whether a tornado had occurred in the area. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is urging residents to report storm to help damage online their response. Source: CNN

Papua New Guinea are through to the Women's World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history, after a commanding second-half performance saw them down Brazil 70-0. Powerhouse centre Belinda Gwasamun was in devastating form for the Orchids, running in four tries on a night in which she broke 18 tackles and clocked 282 metres in yardage gained. While Brazil did themselves no favours with their expansive style of play in torrid conditions in Hull, they stuck with the Orchids in the first half to trail just 18-0, but had no answer for what happened over the ensuing 40 minutes. The Orchids crossed for 10 tries in the second half resulting in 52 points, with their powerful running through the middle proving far too much for Brazil to handle. With their passage to the knockout stages secure, the Orchids will now close out group play with a clash against England, which will decide who claims top spot out of Group A. Source: NRL.com

The charred remnants of a rocket booster plunged uncontrolled back to Earth Friday morning, an event decried in the West as an irresponsibly risky move by the China National Space Administration. The rocket reentered the atmosphere over the south-central Pacific Ocean just after 6 a.m. ET, according to the US space command, which is part of the Department of Defense. “Once again, the People’s Republic of China is taking unnecessary risks with the uncontrolled rocket stage reentry of their Long March 5B rocket stage. They did not share specific trajectory information which is needed to predict landing zones and reduce risk,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement released Friday morning. “It is critical that all spacefaring nations are responsible and transparent in their space activities and follow established best practices, especially, for the uncontrolled reentry of a large rocket body debris – debris that could very well result in major damage or loss of life.” This hazardous situation marked the fourth uncontrolled reentry for a Long March 5B rocket since China’s space agency started flying it two years ago, as the vehicle was designed without the necessary equipment to steer itself to a safe landing. That fact has repeatedly stirred up controversy and been criticized by space policy experts who say it poses an unnecessary risk. “I want to point out that the lower the acceptable risk is, the more expensive it is to design to that risk. But it’s something that must be done,” said Dr. Lael Woods, a space traffic management expert with the Space Safety Institute, during a news conference hosted by The Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research center. “Imagine the roads today are completely empty,” she continued. “There’s really not much need to have rules or stoplights and so on. But we absolutely — with our population that we have driving around on the roads today — we must have stoplights and traffic signs and rules.” The rocket booster is 108 feet (33 meters) end to end, noted Ted Muelhaupt, a space traffic expert and Aerospace Corporation consultant. Much of the hardware will burn up during the fiery reentry process as the 22-metric-ton rocket plunges back into Earth’s thick atmosphere, but about 10% to 40% is expected to survive. That’s how much debris can make it back into the atmosphere and pose a threat, Muelhaupt said. A Long March 5B rocket has yet to pose a threat to people. Debris has, however, been found on land. Muelhaupt noted that after one of the boosters crash-landed in 2022, debris was found in Malaysia and the Philippines. This specific rocket booster was used on an October 31 mission that carried another piece of China’s new space station, called Tiangong, to orbit. Most rockets flying today are built with a means to ensure that rocket boosters are safely discarded. Some companies ensure rockets are steered back toward the ocean. US rocket company SpaceX even manages to guide its first-stage rocket boosters — the largest, bottommost portion of a rocket that gives the initial thrust at liftoff — back to a controlled, pinpoint landing so they can be refurbished and used again. Muelhaupt noted, however, that equipping a rocket to make such a maneuver is far from trivial. It costs time and development money. The extra equipment also adds mass, and when it comes to trying to escape the crushing pull of gravity and putting precious cargo into space, every pound counts. Muelhaupt added that he doesn’t foresee China attempting to redesign its rocket to add safer landing capabilities, as making that type of adjustment is not trivial. “it can be really difficult to bring together an entire global community, or even segments of the global community to come to an agreement on what those norms should be and for standards like things like acceptable risk,” Woods said. “But while it’s really difficult, we believe that establishing international consensus on these norms for behavior involving space is absolutely a worthy and important endeavor.” In a Friday tweet, US Space Command referred questions about the rocket reentry to the government of China, which did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. At a briefing with China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), however, spokesperson Zhao Lijian referred questions to the department in charge of the rocket booster. “As a matter of principle, I would like to emphasize that China has always carried out activities for the peaceful use of outer space in accordance with international law and international practice, and it is internationally accepted practice for the upper stages of rockets to re-enter the atmosphere,” Zhao said. “The Chinese authorities have been closely monitoring the relevant rocket wreckage orbital parameters. We will release information to the international community in an open and transparent manner and in a timely manner.” Source: CNN