Typhoon Nanmadol has killed two people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate as ferocious winds and record rainfall battered parts of Japan. As one of the biggest storms to hit the country in years, the typhoon disrupted transport and forced a myriad of people to spend the night at gymnasiums and other facilities in a precautionary evacuation. Residential streets were flooded with muddy water from rivers, and swathes of homes lost power after Japan's 14th typhoon of the season made landfall near Kagoshima city late on Sunday. It then battered the western island of Kyushu and roared into the main island of Honshu. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delayed his departure to New York, where he is due to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday to monitor the impact of the storm, media reported. "We need to remain highly vigilant for heavy rains, gales, high waves and storm surges," a Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) official told a news conference. A river in Kyushu's Miyazaki prefecture overflowed, flooding fields and roads, footage from state broadcaster NHK showed. Other video showed a riverside house hanging over a torrent, roofs ripped off buildings and billboards toppled. [caption id="attachment_26929" align="alignnone" width="862"] Local media said more than 300,000 households were without power.(Ap: Kyodo News)[/caption] The storm was centred off the coast north of Shimane prefecture in western Honshu as of 4:00pm local time and was heading north-east at about 35 kph, the JMA said. The storm would track the coast to the north of Honshu into Tuesday before moving out over the Pacific, the agency projected. Up to 400 millimetres of rain was expected in central Japan's Tokai region, the nation's industrial heartland, over the next 24 hours, it said. Toyota Motor Corporation was among manufacturers that said they would idle production at some factories due to the storm, but there were no reports of major damage to industry. Intermittent bouts of heavy rain lashed Tokyo, but businesses in the capital were largely operating as normal. Most schools were closed on Monday anyway for a public holiday. Source: ABC News

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says he is "deeply concerned" after his son was charged with a string of assault and domestic violence offences in Australia. Ratu Meli Bainimarama, 36, has been charged with 17 offences in New South Wales including common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stalking, and intentionally choking a person without consent. He is also accused of destroying or damaging property and intentionally distributing an intimate image without consent. In a statement, the Pacific Island leader said the charges brought against his son were disturbing to him and his wife and sought to distance the matter from his government, which is facing an election later this year. "My son is not a member of the Fijian government and this is not a political or diplomatic matter," Mr Bainimarama said in a written statement. "Of course, Mary and I are deeply concerned and disturbed about the charges. "During my service as prime minister I have openly and routinely condemned violence perpetrated against women and children, and that commitment is unwavering." Mr Bainimarama said it would not be appropriate to comment further while the matter remains before Australian courts. "My focus must be on my duty to secure a safer and more prosperous future for all Fijian families," he said. "In the meantime, I ask the media to allow due process to take its course." Source: ABC News

The Board of Credit Corporation (PNG) Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Director, Dr Albert Mellam as the Company’s new Board Chairman. The stewardship of outgoing Chairman, Mr. Richard Sinamoi over the last year was acknowledged by the Board, on the back of the Credit Corporation Group’s strong half year results and the recent announcement of a half-year dividend payment. The Company has been a strong performer over the past 44 years of operation, and the Board, Management and staff are looking forward to continuing this trend under the Chairmanship of Dr Mellam. Credit Corporation Group CEO, Mr. Danny Robinson, when thanking Mr. Sinamoi, noted that under Mr. Sinamoi’s leadership as Chairman, the Board has set a new strategic direction, worked closely with Management through a year impacted by COVID-19 and has been focused on delivering the outcomes promised to its Shareholders. Mr. Robinson said, “Credit Corporation is looking to the future and the achievement of its strategic intent. Management remains committed to driving these outcomes for its Board, Shareholders, and employees.” Mr. Robinson explained, “that Director Sinamoi’s appointment as Chairman following the June 2021 Annual General Meeting was always for a transitional period to oversee the development of the new strategic pathway and provide the desired stability and continuity following the changes in the Board of Directors.” The new Chairman is the longest serving member of the Board. His wealth of experience and expertise will ensure that the Company continues to deliver positive returns, whilst achieving key milestones in accordance with its strategic plan. Mr. Sinamoi remains on the Board as a Director, will assume the role of Chairman of the Group’  Strategy and Investment Committee, and will continue his important role in supporting management to drive the Group’s strategic intent.

Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston says he will be racing the clock to be declared fit in time for Saturday night's Preliminary Final showdown with the Panthers, after a hip flexor issue forced him from the field early in the second half of last week's win over the Sharks. Johnston won't resume running until later in the week, and while confident he is making good progress, isn't certain he will be able to take the field. "It'll be touch and go to be honest. But I feel pretty confident the way it has recovered yesterday (Sunday) to today (Monday). On that trajectory I think it'll be alright," Johnston said. "I sort of knew when it happened it was a hip flexor thing. "I felt it but I still stayed out there for a while trying to see if I could do my job. " It got to a point there where I was like 'I think it's best to come off and someone can do the job better than me at the moment'.- Alex Johnston "I will be doing everything I can just to get out there... [Monday and Tuesday] is a lot of physio for preparing to run and hopefully start running towards the end of the week." Should the prolific 27-year-old, who in Finals Week 1 scored his 30th try of the year to become the first player in Premiership history to achieve that mark in multiple seasons, be ruled out, Jaxson Paulo or former Panther Josh Mansour shape as the likely replacements for coach Jason Demetriou. Mansour hasn't played an NRL game since round 8 this year, while Paulo has played just once after enduring a horror 80-minute performance against the Panthers in round 23, in which he came up with five errors in his side's 26-22 loss. Source: NRL.com

Air Niugini wishes to advise the travelling public that due to the deteriorating condition of the runway surface at Aropa Airport, Autonomous Region Of Bougainville (AROB), all services to Kieta have been suspended until further notice. Passengers with tickets for Kieta may reroute them to/from Buka at no additional costs, rebook for a later date, or apply for a refund. Air Niugini regrets any inconvenience caused to their customers, however the situation is outside the airline’s control. Safety is always of paramount importance in operations. The airline continues to operate six weekly Fokker jet services to Buka (daily except Sundays)

The Chairman of NCC Board and the Secretary to the NEC and Prime Minister’s Department Ambassador Ivan Pomaleu, Member of the Diplomatic Core, Distinguished Guest, ladies and Gentlemen and all the Fine Artists who are here tonight to officiate at the Second National Contemporary Arts Exhibitions. At this gesture, firstly allow me to convey to my people of Samarai-Murua my sincere appreciation, thank you for mandating me for the second term to the 11th National Parliament. I would also like to appreciate the Marape/Rosso Government for reappointing me as the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture in this current government. I must say that the National Cultural Commission was the best performing agency for 2022 as announced by the Department of Personnel Management under the Executive management of Mr Steven Enomb Kilanda. As the Minister responsible in the last Government and with my reappointment, I must express my appreciation once again to NCC for achieving this recognition that had promoted the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Ladies and Gentlemen, the National Cultural Commission has an overarching mandate for maintaining, safeguarding, protecting, developing and promoting of PNG’s Arts and Culture. It is without prejudice to announce this evening as the Minister Responsible for Tourism, Arts and Culture that this current Government (Marape/Rosso) has delivered the first ever National Cultural Policy 2022-2032 after 47 years of being politically independent. Ladies and Gentlemen this Government is walking the talk of “Taking Back PNG through Culture and Arts”. The National Cultural Policy 2022-2032 addresses failures of past governments. The protecting, safeguarding, developing and promoting of our cultural heritage is a constitutional mandate but these have taken a back seat over the years. Nevertheless, the policy addresses some perennial issues hindering the growth of culture and art sector in Papua New Guinea. In order to achieve the aims of the policy, the policy focuses on four main outcome areas and these are; 1. Production and Performance of Art and Culture. 2. Promoting and Marketing of Arts and Culture 3. Safeguarding and Transmission of Arts and Culture 4. Governance and capacity building of Cultural Institution The first Policy outcome of the National Cultural Policy 2022-2032 is to continue to encourage our people to practice their culture festival, exhibitions, shows and other mediums. The second focus outcome area Promotion, Marketing of Arts and Culture provide the pathway for the development of the Cultural and Creative Industries by applying the Government’s agenda of developing the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. This policy area addresses how best Papua New Guinea’s arts and culture can be promoted and marketed and create specific market for the sale of our art and cultural products. The PNG Contemporary Art exhibition was domain for a very long time here in Papua New Guinea. It has been a long hassle for these street artists for many years to understand the mandate of NCC and how we could make it possible for them to have a fair economical share in their artistic creations. The National Contemporary Arts Exhibition is the way forward to address this long-standing issue and provide a conducive viable, attractive and marketable platform to promote and our market our fine artist locally and internationally. At the same time given the advancement of technological innovations have provided other important virtual spaces and market opportunities. This evening, ladies and gentlemen, this Contemporary Art Exhibition is virtually online on a space known as Creative Hub. This was a partnership between the National Cultural Commission and Artech PNG. I extend my gratitude to Dr Philemon Yalamu for your state-of-the-art ability. The Online Database is virtual in the sense of archival information sharing, cultural knowledge and contemporary heritage. Linking all artists with their profile and their artwork online. That will certainly provide an added advantage for art collectors, museums, art lovers and collectors to appreciate all the Art work exhibited here. The formation of our Contemporary Heritage by Professor Ulli Beier and Georgina had enormous influence through the pre-and and post-independence and Nation Building projects. Engaging artists in projects such as parliament house, literature (Pocket Poems), Performing Arts and other architectural and public art as you may know. That’s when the National Arts School was at its peak and without much if the University’s influence and governance. Timothy Akis was the first PNG Contemporary artist that exhibited at UPNG and that influenced Mathias Kauage to make history with contemporary art. Prior to Akis, the first ever PNG Contemporary Artists of Paua New Guinea were the patients from the Laloki hospital and Georgina exhibited their works in Europe and Africa before the completion of the UPNG structural site. Georgina Beier acknowledges them as the first ever PNG Contemporary Artists in the late 1960s in a book written by Melanie Eastburn called Papua New Guinea Prints. Yes, we hold history dear to our hearts but may have no room in government vision and using a political strategy that favours them and enables us to fully function for the betterment. Ladies and Gentlemen, as Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, I now take this opportunity to declare the 2nd National Arts Exhibition open. Thank you.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 shook southeastern Taiwan on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage and no power outages. The quake had a depth of 7.3 km (4.5 miles) with its epicentre in Taitung county, a sparsely populated part of the island, the Taiwan weather bureau said. Taitung county commissioner April Yao wrote on her Facebook page the quake was "extremely strong", while the official Central News Agency showed a picture of bottles that had been shaken off their shelves in a Taitung shop. Taiwan's fire department said it had yet to receive any reports of damage. State-run utility Taipower said there was no interruption to electricity supply on Taiwan's east coast. The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook briefly in the capital Taipei. The science parks in the southern cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, home to major semiconductor factories, said there was also no impact on operations. Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999. Source: Reuters

Police in Enga will bring all suspects in recent sorcery related violence and murders to justice say Enga Provincial Police Commander Acting Superintendent George Kakas. Mr Kakas said police investigators have worked tirelessly in the two recent sorcery related violence which has resulted in five deaths and are ready to make arrests. “We know the ring leaders and those involved and are working tirelessly to apprehend them. We have ample manpower with a company of 120 soldiers from the 1RPIR in Enga assisting and we will search until we locate and arrest the perpetrators. “They can run but they cannot hide. We will catch up with them sooner or later so I am appealing to all neighboring tribes within and around the scene of the two sorcery related violence and killings to cooperate with police and not aid and abet the suspects evade police arrest. “This is an evil which will affect each of us if not addressed now so everyone must help to end this,” Mr Kakas said. PPC Kakas added that Police Commissioner David Manning has recognized that sorcery related violence is having a negative and dangerous effect on the country and has pledged the Constabulary’s commitment in ending all forms of family sexual violence and sorcery accusation related violence. “To ensure that the Constabulary takes action swiftly on sorcery related violence the Commissioner is holding individual policemen and women responsible should they fail to swiftly deal with FSV and SARV,” Mr Kakas said. The PPC said that sorcery related violence and killings is a new law and order problem that is taking a stranglehold on almost all communities in Enga province. Mr Kakas said, “In fact, it is a new phenomenon which was not practiced 10 to 15 years ago. It was introduced through marriage to other provinces and through Engans living in other provinces for long periods of time and becoming immersed in other cultures and influences and bringing it home to their communities. Now it has spread like wildfire through the length and breadth of the Enga province. “From 2014 to 2018 in my first stint as PPC Enga, I saw this upsurge in sorcery accusations as a real law and order problem and set up a unit called the "Sorcery Accusations Related Violence Unit" (SARV). “I was very passionate about addressing this scourge and law and order problem because of nonsensical accusations made against innocent people, especially old women and weaklings who could not fend for or defend themselves in the society. “The people who are being tortured are almost always vulnerable women, children and men, especially the sick and disabled. The victims were not people of strong influence, usually single women, widowers and those who had no one to stand up for them. “SARV against women is often particularly brutal and sexualised, with the violent acts specifically targeting the victim’s womanhood, in the case of females. “I set up the task force unit to basically attend to any and all false accusations, torture and killings related to sorcery. Its primary mission at that stage was to respond to any sorcery cases to save the victim and relocate them somewhere safe and then to arrest perpetrators. “The unit functioned well with the little resources we had. Our biggest help was the connection to the Churches and NGOs such as the Catholic and Lutheran Churches and the PNG Tribal Foundation. These NGOs were really helpful especially when it came to health care and relocation of the victims to safe houses. However, the unit disbanded right after I took up a new post in late 2018. “Recently in June 2022, as soon as I was reappointed PPC Enga, the two recent sorcery related incidents occurred under my watch. The first one was the case involving the death of trucking icon, Jacob Luke. When he passed on, nine women were blamed for performing "sanguma" and were rounded up and tortured. “Four died and five were rescued personally by me and taken to hospital and later to church-run safe houses for safety. “The second incident was at Wapenamanda two weeks ago where a woman was tortured after she was accused by her dying son of having performed sorcery on her. She was rescued by Wapenamanda Police and Church volunteers, but later succumbed to her injuries. “In both these cases, the entire community seems to condone these acts. Village leaders such as magistrates, councilors and even pastors are completely silent on the issue and not cooperating with police to report these crimes or name suspects. Even the victims themselves and close relatives of the victims are too afraid to report or name suspects fearing a backlash from the community. “This has prompted me to revive the provincial SARV unit to address these issues relating to sorcery or "sanguma" beliefs. “We as a law enforcing body have a lot of challenges within the province but this will not discourage me or my men, as we will do everything in our power to bring these perpetrators to face the full force of the law. As Police Commissioner Manning has rightly stated, we can stop sorcery related violence if we hold perpetrators accountable under the law through effective investigations and prosecutions. “I have now set up this task force on the 12th of September 2022. I have appointed Senior Inspector Richard Koki as the commander of this unit to address all sorcery related violence cases. I am appealing to all churches, NGOs and stakeholders to partner with us through this unit to address and stop sorcery related violence. “For those who are afraid to come to the police station or want to be discreet because of the stigma and community backlash, please contact Mr Koki on 73751999 or the PPC on 71173573 and we will be more than happy to assist. “This is a new dimension in our crime fight to eradicate this evil scourge from eating away at the fabrics of our society and must be addressed collectively and at all levels. It is a spiritual, cultural as well as a law and order issue, and proactive action such as widespread awareness will be untaken by my command going forward. “I have instructed my officers of the SARV unit to start doing awareness on the law as part of our crime fight strategy. “On that token, I will call for the initiative taken in the recent Sorcery National Action plan (SNAP) instigated by the Government to mitigate and address sorcery issues at district, provincial and national levels to be brought forward and given some level of prominence at the national setting. “In conclusion, this is everyone’s fight. We must all act collectively now to address this evil that is now being practised by many communities throughout the country but predominantly in the Highlands. Failure to act will allow this evil act to be accepted as normal.”

Papua New Guinea Rugby League is pleased to confirm the Prime Minister's XIII squad for the upcoming friendly match against our Australian counterpart. Twenty players have been invited to take part in the week leading into the PM's XIII in Brisbane, with camp commencing on Wednesday, September 21. Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) Chief Executive Officer Mr Stanley Hondina, on behalf of the PNGRFL Board, congratulated the team and commended coach Stanley and his support staff for the great work done. “We have every confidence in the team and know they will do us proud on Sunday,” Mr Hondina said “ We also extend our appreciation to the NRL and DFAT for hosting this event, especially after what has been a tough three years with not much international football. This game is bigger than just football, it’s about our shared heroes and history, bilateral relationships and most importantly the people-to-people connection we have that is even stronger with this sport.” “Our domestic partners in PNGLNG, Digicel, KPHL, NGCB and BSP, without your support this wouldn’t be possible and PNGRFL is greatly indebted by that,” Mr Hondina stressed. With players whose clubs are deep into finals footy unavailable for selection, the opportunity for incoming squad members to put their best foot forward at the camp to enhance their bid for selection in the World Cup becomes very real. In light of that, Papua New Guinea will retain eight of the seventeen that made the field in their convincing Pacific Test victory against Fiji Bati earlier in the year at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney. When Coach Stanley Tepend was asked if there was any more pressure or a higher expectation of these players he responded. "These eight did their job against Fiji and that's why they have been given another opportunity at this level. Playing Australia in this match will be no different. Every player selected was the best we could pick considering all the clashing finals on same weekend and injuries to key players recently were factors out of our control during this selection process. However, we hope to carry on from what we built in the Pacific Test and give our boys a competitive hit-out before the World Cup Squad is announced,” said Stanley. Papua New Guinea can lean on a solid defensive structure, showcased against Fiji with a close-knit group of players from the Queensland Cup. Including Central Queensland Capras trio Zev John, Nixon Putt and Mckenzie Yei, who are fresh off a high-intensity final series in the Hostplus Cup. Coach Stan has also injected new blood from the Digicel Cup into the squad, with in-form player Leon Undupia (Mendi Muruks). Undupia has been a standout player in the Digicel Cup and with his team now out of finals contention he becomes available for selection. With other players considered from both Agmark Gurias and Hela Wigman made unavailable with finals. "I will be looking at the new players coming into this game, with each of them a genuine chance at making it into the World Cup squad. We have spots available, and this is their opportunity to prove that no matter what we face or what situation we are put in, we rise together,” said Stanley. We will be coming up against a good Australian team and playing at the best Rugby League stadium. So, it's important for this group of boys to not let the occasion get to them but play the way we want to." The 2022 Papua New Guinea Men’s Prime Minister’s XIII is as in alphabetical order as follows: Keven APPO [PNG Hunters] Edene GEBBIE [Townsville Blackhawks] Zev JOHN [Central Qld Capras] Epel KAPINIAS [Wynnum Manly Seagulls] Francis KISH [PNG Hunters] Kyle LAYBUTT [Townsville Blackhawks] Sylvester NAMO [PNG Hunters] Jimmy NGUTLIK [Western Suburbs Magpies] Brandon NIMA [PNG Hunters] Wartovo PUARA [PNG Hunters] Nixon PUTT [Central Qld Capras Judah RIMBU [PNG Hunters] Dan RUSSELL [Brisbane Tigers] Rodrick TAI [PNG Hunters] Sherwin TANABI [PNG Hunters] Cruise TEN [Souths Logan] Wesser TENZA [PNG Hunters] Leon UNDUPIA [Mendi Muruks] Emmanuel WAINE [PNG Hunters] Mckenzie YEI [Central Qld Capras] Coach: Stanley Tepend

Another killing in the Porgera Valley immediately after the country’s independence celebrations has once again sparked anger and outrage amongst locals and fear in residents with calls again for both provincial and national governments to intervene immediately. A village court magistrate from the Lukal area who had been actively involved in facilitating peace efforts for the ongoing tribal disputes was killed on 17 September while he was out in the garden gathering food with his wife and a female in-law. Unconfirmed reports are that the two women have been taken hostage and are yet to be located. [caption id="attachment_26889" align="aligncenter" width="578"] Security personnel and Lukal community looks on as Mr Yambi (left) addresses the people after the killing of his brother, late Mr Wake.[/caption] Nine days earlier, the now deceased Lopan Wake had led the Paiam community in a staged protest calling on the government to declare a State of Emergency (SOE) after a man from the same Lukal village was killed.'   Frustrated family members, relatives and the Paiam community expressed their frustrations by blocking the highway and staged a haus cry for the deceased on the open road. They urged the government and relevant authorities to intervene and put an end to the spill over of killings of innocent people in the valley. Immediate family and relatives of the late Magistrate Wake say they want the law and government to deal with the matter. Family spokesperson Kelly Yambi said there have been many spill-over conflicts in Porgera that there is confusion as to establishing what tribal groups are responsible for the Lukal killings. “I am not sure who is really responsible for the initial tribal conflicts but all I know is that the spillover of the conflict is affecting my people and we are falling victims… We signed a covenant with God and we do not want to take revenge. We have buried two men already and now I will bury my brother”, Mr Yambi said. Mr Yambi, also a landowner from the Lease for Mining Purpose (LMP) also raised concern that the operation of the Porgera mine will be affected if such brutal killings continue in Porgera region. In addition, a local leader and committee member of the Porgera Crisis Management group Sam Angai called on the Enga provincial government to fulfil its commitment as a beneficiary of the Porgera mine. “I want to appeal to our good governor Sir Peter Ipatas; you had been disputing for the 5% share of the Porgera mine but what is so hard about you declaring at least a special operation like a curfew for few months in the valley to cool down the situation? You can only spill the guts for a cut of the Porgera mine’s share as if you are the landowner of the Porgera mine, but people are now dying while waiting for the mine to reopen”, Mr Angai expressed. [caption id="attachment_26891" align="aligncenter" width="617"] Family members surrounding the lifeless body of late Mr Wake while grieving at the haus cry that was staged on the open road.[/caption] Porgera Police Station Commander (PSC) Jack Kimala expressed during the security forum in Porgera earlier this month that the local police did not have the capacity nor the resources to deal with the current tribal conflicts that have infiltrated into the Paiaim township and neighbouring communities. He said the initial report filed through to the police hierarchy following the September 9 law and order protest in Paiam is still pending an approval.

Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico‘s southwest coast on Sunday as it unleashed landslides, knocked the power grid out and ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around. Forecasters said the storm would cause massive flooding and threatened to dump “historic” levels of rain, with up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) possible in eastern and southern Puerto Rico. “The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” said Gov. Pedro Pierluisi. “I urge people to stay in their homes,” said William Miranda Torres, mayor of the northern town of Caguas, where at least one large landslide was reported, with water rushing down a big slab of broken asphalt and into a gully. The storm also washed away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado that police say was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. Fiona was centered 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Mayaguez with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving to the northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). Fiona struck on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm. The storm’s clouds covered the entire island and tropical storm-force winds extended as far as 140 miles (220 kilometers) from Fiona’s center. U.S. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in the U.S. territory as the eye of the storm approached the island’s southwest corner. Luma, the company that operates power transmission and distribution, said bad weather, including winds of 80 mph, had disrupted transmission lines, leading to “a blackout on all the island.” “Current weather conditions are extremely dangerous and are hindering out capacity to evaluate the complete situation,” it said, adding that it could take several days to fully restore power. Health centers were running on generators – and some of those had failed. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said crews were working to repair generators as soon as possible at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Fiona hit just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that struck on Sept. 20, 2017, destroying the island’s power grid and causing nearly 3,000 deaths. More than 3,000 homes still have only a blue tarp as a roof, and infrastructure remains weak. “I think all of us Puerto Ricans who lived through Maria have that post-traumatic stress of, `What is going to happen, how long is it going to last and what needs might we face?”’ said Danny Hernandez, who works in the capital of San Juan but planned to weather the storm with his parents and family in the western town of Mayaguez. He said the atmosphere was gloomy at the supermarket as he and others stocked up before the storm hit. “After Maria, we all experienced scarcity to some extent,” he said. The storm was forecast to pummel cities and towns along Puerto Rico’s southern coast that have not yet fully recovered from a string of strong earthquakes starting in late 2019. Officials reported several road closures across the island as trees and small landslides blocked access. More than 780 people with some 80 pets had sought shelter across the island by Saturday night, the majority of them in the southern coast. Puerto Rico’s power grid was razed by Hurricane Maria and remains frail, with reconstruction starting only recently. Outages are a daily occurrence. In the southwest town of El Combate, hotel co-owner Tomas Rivera said he was prepared but worried about the “enormous” amount of rain he expected. He noted that a nearby wildlife refuge was eerily quiet. Rivera said his employees brought bedridden family members to the hotel, where he has stocked up on diesel, gasoline, food, water and ice, given how slowly the government responded after Hurricane Maria. “What we’ve done is prepared ourselves to depend as little as possible on the central government,” he said. It’s a sentiment shared by 70-year-old Ana Cordova, who arrived Saturday at a shelter in the north coastal town of Loiza after buying loads of food and water. “I don’t trust them,” she said, referring to the government. “I lost trust after what happened after Hurricane Maria.” Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, activated the National Guard as the Atlantic hurricane season’s sixth named storm approached. “What worries me most is the rain,” said forecaster Ernesto Morales with the National Weather Service in San Juan. Fiona was predicted to drop 12 to 16 inches (30 to 41 centimeters) of rain over eastern and southern Puerto Rico, with as much as 25 inches (64 centimeters) in isolated spots. Morales noted that Hurricane Maria in 2017 had unleashed 40 inches (102 centimeters). Pierluisi announced Sunday that public schools and government agencies would remain closed on Monday. Fiona was forecast to swipe the Dominican Republic on Monday and then northern Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands with the threat of heavy rain. It could threaten the far southern end of the Bahamas on Tuesday. A hurricane warning was posted for the Dominican Republic’s eastern coast from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo. Fiona previously battered the eastern Caribbean, killing one man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floods washed his home away, officials said. The storm also damaged roads, uprooted trees and destroyed at least one bridge. St. Kitts and Nevis also reported flooding and downed trees, but announced its international airport would reopen on Sunday afternoon. Dozens of customers were still without power or water, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Madeline was forecast to cause heavy rains and flooding across parts of southwestern Mexico. The storm was centered about 155 miles (245 kilometers) south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes Sunday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). Source: Global News

Interest rate hikes by central banks around the world could trigger a global recession in 2023, the World Bank has said. Central banks have raised rates "with a degree of synchronicity not seen over the past five decades" to tackle soaring prices, it said. Raising rates makes borrowing more expensive to try to bring down the pace of price rises. But it also makes loans more costly, which can slow economic growth. The warning from the World Bank comes ahead of monetary policy meetings by the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England, which are expected to increase key interest rates next week. US mortgage rates hit 14-year high as inflation soars World Bank boss warns of global recession threat On Thursday (16/09/22), the World Bank said the global economy was in its steepest slowdown following a post-recession recovery since 1970. It said a study found that "the world's three largest economies - the US, China and the euro area - have been slowing sharply". "Under the circumstances, even a moderate hit to the global economy over the next year could tip it into recession," it said. Signs of economic difficulties are already emerging. On Thursday, delivery giant FedEx warned investors that a sharp and unexpected slowdown in activity, especially in Asia and Europe, would cause revenue to be hundreds of millions of dollars short of forecasts. The firm said it planned to close dozens of offices and reduce service in response to the drop in demand. The news sparked a widespread sell-off of FedEx shares, sending them down more than 20%. Shares in other delivery firms, including Amazon, Deutsche Post and Royal Mail, also fell. In the face of recession risk, the World Bank called on central banks to coordinate their actions and "communicate policy decisions clearly" to "reduce the degree of tightening needed". Inflation, which is the rate at which prices rise, hit a 40-year-high in the US and UK in recent months. This was driven by higher demand as pandemic restrictions eased, and as the war in Ukraine boosted energy, fuel and food prices. In response, central bank policymakers have raised interest rates to cool demand from households and businesses. However, big rate increases increase the risk of recession as it can cause an economy to slow.   Source: BBC