PNG Haus Bung

HUNTERS TO FINALISE TEAM ON EVE OF MAGPIES CLASH

SP PNG Hunters will wait until after Saturday’s final training session before finalising the team to meet the Souths Logan Magpies at Davies Park on Sunday. Hunters coach Matt Church said last Sunday’s loss to Brisbane Tigers in the sixth round of the Intrust Super Cup had left his team with minor injuries and two suspensions which were impacting his ability to finalise the squad for Sunday. Forwards Samuel Yegip and Benji Kot accepted one-match suspensions from a Tigers clash that evened the Hunters’ win-loss record at 3-3 and left them seventh on the ladder, one place above defending champions Burleigh Bears. Church said the Hunters would name a final 17 after he had the chance to weigh up the progress of injured players and to assess the team’s best combinations. “We’re not in a hurry to name the team because we’re playing on Sunday afternoon so that gives us enough time to see how players respond to treatment on injuries,” Church said. “We’ll have that final training run on Saturday when we’ll settle on the best team and our best combinations. “We’re relaxed about this and we have the benefit of knowing that we have excellent medical assistance that will give our players every chance of being fully fit.” Hunters captain Keven Appo is one of the confirmed starters alongside the new Hunters’ record-holder Wartovo Puara Jnr. The decorated hooker last weekend set the record for the most Intrust Super Cup matches for the Hunters at 115. The Magpies will enter the match in 11th place after they fell to a fast-finishing Northern Pride in Cairns last Saturday night. The Pride scored twice in eight minutes to overhaul the Magpies. The Magpies have named some of their high-profile players to take on the Hunters including Karmichael Hunt and Albert Kelly and Broncos-contracted players Tom Dearden, Tesi Niu, Cory Paix, Kobe Hetherington and Isaiah Tass. Picture by: Jesse Domi

Published on May 13, 2021

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Published on May 13, 2021

VICTORIA BECKHAM BRUTALLY MOCKS JUSTIN BIEBER’S GIFT TO HER: ‘I’D RATHER DIE’

If anyone is going to refuse wearing Crocs, it’s Victoria Beckham. But it seems Justin Bieber never got that memo - instead, he thought it would be a fantastic idea to send the fashion icon a sample from his new line of Crocs. The Spice Girls star took to her Instagram Stories to show off the interesting shoes she received from the singer. “A lot of people have been asking me what I’m planning on wearing after lockdown,” she wrote to her 28.9 million followers. “What do we think about this suggestion from @justinbieber?” Beckham then gave her viewers an even closer look at the shoes, which featured a bunch of charms – from Justin’s Drew House collaboration. “OK this is so kind of Justin to send me some Crocs,” Victoria said via voiceover, with palpable disdain. “Never worn a pair of Crocs. This did make me laugh, I mean, it is the thought that counts. Thank you so much.” She went on to thank Justin for the gift, also posting a poll to her fans asking: “Will I be wearing lilac crocs?!” A day later, she returned to her Instagram Story to share the results of her poll. 43 per cent of voters said ‘Yes’, while 57 per cent voted with a hard ‘No’. [caption id="attachment_8580" align="aligncenter" width="814"] Bieber and his Crocs... Picture: Ryan Good for Crocs Source: SuppliedPosh wasn’t having it. Picture: AFP Source: AFP[/caption] “Well that was close!” she wrote alongside the results. “I think I’d rather die but thank you anyway @justinbieber.” It seems Justin also sent the shoes to other members of the Beckham family, as David Beckham and 16-year-old son Cruz Beckham also posted the Crocs. Bieber might be trying to do something nice for his celebrity pals, but a lot of his fans aren't happy with him right now, after he debuted dreadlocks earlier this week. Many people argue that it is cultural appropriation, and that the hairstyle is synonymous with black culture. Many of his 171 million followers were quick to take to the post’s comments to tell the singer “this ain’t it.” “Can you not?” one user wrote. “JUSTIN PLS STOP,” another added. “You did this for what?” someone else asked. “justin bieber gets white people dreads and yall just now realise that hes been appropriating black culture...weird,” another added. “Something is wrong, Justin Bieber is being conveniently ethnic again. Ethnic as in Black...” a third user wrote.

Published on May 13, 2021

AFGHANISTAN SCHOOLGIRL BOMBING: MORE THAN 50 KILLED OUTSIDE SCHOOL

Afghan families have been burying their children who were killed in explosions outside a secondary school in the capital, Kabul, on Saturday. More than 60 people, mostly girls, are now known to have died in the attack that hit students as they left class. No-one has admitted carrying out the attack in Dasht-e-Barchi, an area often hit by Sunni Islamist militants. The Afghan government blamed Taliban militants for the attack, but the group denied involvement. The exact target for Saturday's bloodshed is unclear. The blasts come against a backdrop of rising violence as the US looks to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by 11 September. The neighbourhood in western Kabul where the blasts occurred is home to many from the Hazara minority community, who are of Mongolian and Central Asian descent and are mainly Shia Muslims. Almost exactly a year ago, a maternity unit at the local hospital was attacked, leaving 24 women, children and babies dead. Heather Barr, who works for Human Rights Watch, tweeted a series of videos and photos of what she said was the school in Kabul - including a tour of the site given by one of the students. Ms Barr said the group had filmed a documentary there in 2017. Nobel Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai - who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 - posted about the "horrendous attack" on Twitter. "My heart is with the Kabul school victims' families," she wrote. Emotional scenes The first burials took place at "Martyrs Cemetery", where Hazara victims are laid to rest. Mourners in a state of shock watched in grief as the girls' bodies in wooden coffins were lowered into graves, AFP news agency reported. One of the residents of the area was quoted by AFP as saying: "I rushed to the scene and found myself in the middle of bodies. All of them were girls. Their bodies piled on top of each other." The explosions are believed to have been caused by a car bomb and two improvised explosive devices planted in the area. One survivor, Zahra, told reporters she was leaving the school as the blasts took place. "My classmate died. A few minutes later there was another explosion, and then another. Everyone was screaming and there was blood everywhere," she said. More than 150 people were injured in the attack. Reports from Kabul say the city was busy with shoppers ahead of celebrations for Eid al-Fitr this coming week. The Taliban announced on Sunday that they would observe a three-day ceasefire for the Muslim festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The insurgents said they would be "halting all operations against the enemy to provide a peaceful and secure atmosphere". The Afghan government is expected to reciprocate with a truce. What's behind the increased violence? Afghanistan is seeing increasing violence as the US and Nato prepare to pull out all remaining forces from the country on 11 September. On Saturday the US state department condemned "the barbarous attack" outside the school. Have things got better in Afghanistan? 20 years in Afghanistan: Was it worth it? "We call for an immediate end to violence and the senseless targeting of innocent civilians," it said. The European Union's mission in Afghanistan said on Twitter that "targeting primarily students in a girls' school, makes this an attack on the future of Afghanistan". line Analysis by Secunder Kermani, BBC Afghanistan correspondent So many places in Afghanistan have endured so much pain, but the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood in Kabul has suffered horrendously. The neighbourhood is populated by members of Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic minority. As followers of Shia Islam, the Islamic State group (IS) views them as heretics, and has carried out a vicious campaign, attacking the softest of targets. Dozens have been killed in bombings at sports halls, cultural centres, and places of education in particular. Last year, and in 2018, IS suicide bombers struck tuition centres in the area killing more than 70 people. IS is not part of the peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government, which in any case are currently stalled. As of yet, there's been no claim for the attack on Saturday. However, IS continues to carry out assassinations and bombings in Kabul and the city of Jalalabad, despite having recently lost much of the territory it once controlled in the east of the country. [embed]https://youtu.be/91ca_5y-YQM[/embed] SOURCE: BBC News

Published on May 13, 2021

CAROLINE CROUCH MURDER GREECE: BURGLARS HELD GUN TO BABY GIRL’S HEAD AS THEY KILLED MUM

A British mother has been killed by burglars in Greece who held a gun to her baby’s head after they tied up her husband. Three men strangled Caroline Crouch, 20, after forcing her to reveal where $54,000-worth of cash and jewellery was kept at her home in Athens. Her husband Charalambos ‘Babis’ Anagnostopoulos, 32, a helicopter pilot, survived after he was tied to a chair and blindfolded with duct tape at the home in the Glyka Nera suburb of the city. The robbers forced their way into the two-storey house at 4.30am this morning after breaking a CCTV camera and hanging the family’s dog by its own leash. [caption id="attachment_8567" align="aligncenter" width="849"] Caroline Crouch was strangled by thieves at her home in Athens, Greece. Picture: Social media Source: Supplied[/caption] According to news site Ta Nea, a fourth criminal kept watch outside the suburban home as the other three found the couple sleeping with their child in an attic bedroom. The robbers reportedly held a gun to the 11-month-old girl’s head in a sickening bid to get the mum to reveal where the money was kept. Ms Crouch was tied to the bed using a T-shirt and was strangled to death, reportedly to stop her screaming for her baby’s safety. Some conflicting reports say her husband was found sleeping in another room by the killers. According to The Times, who spoke to a senior police officer, the pilot tried to fight the gang off before he was tied to a chair. [caption id="attachment_8565" align="aligncenter" width="797"] Her husband was tied up and blindfolded during the ordeal. Picture: Social media Source: Supplied[/caption] Once the armed men fled, Mr Anagnostopoulos managed to free himself to find his baby daughter crying beside the lifeless body of her mother, reports say. An investigator said: “The woman appears to have been strangled by the robbers in their bid to locate jewellery and cash the couple may have had in their home. “We are waiting for the coroner’s report to establish if there was any other type of assault.” Local site Proto Thema reports that the distraught husband told police about the moment he was attacked by the three men. He said: “It was shortly after five. I saw three hooded men. One was tall. They shouted and threatened in broken Greek. “They tied me to a chair and then went on my wife.” [caption id="attachment_8566" align="aligncenter" width="771"] Her husband Charalambos and young daughter survived the attack. Picture: Social media Source: Supplied[/caption] The same report quotes the pilot as telling police he was sleeping downstairs during the break-in “When I managed to break free, I rushed upstairs to the attic to find my wife on the floor facing down, and the baby next to her wailing,” he reportedly told police. Mr Anagnostopoulos called the police around 6am. The Greek government has issued a $465,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the men, reports The Dawn. Police said it appears that the robbers were experienced and likely watched the couple for some time before the raid. The gang reportedly broke into the home through a window in the basement before killing the family dog on the first floor of the property. When they fled the home, they left the dead pet hanging from a fence outside the house. Officers are trawling through CCTV to see how the thieves got away and whether they were in the area before the raid. Police spokesman Theodoros Chronopoulos described the murder as a “heinous crime, committed with extreme ferocity”. He said: “We’ve seen several other ugly murders throughout the years. But this was extremely brutal and violent.” The murdered woman was born in Greece but had a British passport, police said. She was a student at the University of Piraeus. SOURCE: News.com.au

Published on May 13, 2021

MEDICAL APPEAL FOR JOEY TAU

The family of Joey ‘J-Keyz’ Tau who is the second son of Papua New Guinea Music Legend Buruka Tau is seeking urgent Medical Appeal to all friends and families of Joey who is in a critical condition suffering from a swell as a result of a tumor in his head and needs an urgent MRI scan to determine his treatment. “Joey currently is off the oxygen and on medication for swelling and seizures and few other antibiotics and he has only been eating fruits and juice”, said his sister Beatrice. 32 year old Joey has been suffering from his epilepsy seizure illness since 2015 and has been in and out of the hospital receiving constant medication whilst enduring this seizures. “He is now at a stage of his sickness that is beyond his medication hence we his family are doing this appeal”, said Beatrice. An epilepsy seizure can cause spasms and uncontrollable muscle twitches which can last a few seconds to several minutes and usually during a stronger seizure, some people become confused or lose consciousness. Beatrice said the family has raised K3,300 and need K1, 700 more and they will proceed with the MRI Scan at the Pacific International Hospital which cost K5,000 to determine the next step. The family is still waiting for funds and if you would like to help the family in donations, below are the account details: Account Name: BSP – Buruka Tau Account #: 7005660217 Joey currently is in Ward 2C at the Port Moresby General Hospital and is still under observation by the Doctors.

Published on May 13, 2021

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Published on May 13, 2021

ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT SPARKS FEARS OF FULL-SCALE WAR AFTER DOZENS KILLED

At least 55 people are dead and there are fears of a “full scale war” after the simmering conflict between Israel and Palestine hit worrying new levels. Relentless rocket fire and rioting in mixed Jewish-Arab towns continues to fuel growing fears that violence between Israel and Palestine could devolve into a “full-scale war”. The conflict has already claimed 55 lives, including 14 children, in the most intense hostilities between the two in seven years. Palestinian militants have launched more than 1000 rockets since Monday and Israel’s army is also responsible for hundreds of air strikes on Hamas and other Islamist groups in the crowded coastal enclave of Gaza. The hostility kicked off after unrest at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. [caption id="attachment_8552" align="aligncenter" width="780"] A destroyed building in Gaza City, following a series of Israeli air strikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip early on May 12. Picture: Mohammed Abed/ AFP Source: AFP[/caption] Nations around the world have expressed growing alarm about the conflict and protests have sprung up in Africa, Europe and the US. Large demonstrations were held in solidarity with Palestinians around the world, including in London, as well as in Muslim-majority countries including Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Tunisia and Turkey. The UN Security Council has also held another emergency meeting on the bloody crisis, as the UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland warned that “we’re escalating towards a full-scale war”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency in the mixed Jewish-Arab Israeli city of Lod, where police said “wide-scale riots erupted among some of the Arab residents”. There were fears of widening civil unrest as protesters waving Palestinian flags burnt cars and properties, clashed with Israeli police and attacked Jewish motorists in several Jewish-Arab towns across Israel. [caption id="attachment_8555" align="aligncenter" width="767"] Pro-Palestinian activists outside Downing Street in London. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFPSource:AFP[/caption] Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have launched more than 1000 rockets, Israel’s army said, including hundreds at Tel Aviv, where air sirens wailed overnight. Of these, 850 rockets have hit in Israel or been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, while the rest have crashed inside Gaza, the army said. Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes at Gaza, the Israeli-blockaded strip of two million people that Hamas controls, targeting what the army described as Palestinian military sites. At least 230 Palestinians have been wounded, many rescued from the smouldering ruins of buildings. On the Israeli side, more than 100 people have been injured, as residents across the Jewish state have been ordered to seek shelter. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged both sides to “step back from the brink” and to “show restraint”. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned that “this is just the beginning” of Israel’s strikes, vowing that the operation, now dubbed “Guardian of the Walls”, would aim to restore peace “for the long-term”. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh threatened to step up its operation code-named “Sword of Jerusalem”, warning that “if Israel wants to escalate, we are ready for it”. Despite Israel vowing to restore peace, the nation’s army spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, said he was expecting the fighting to intensify and, when asked about unconfirmed reports that Hamas might seek a ceasefire, said: “I don’t think my commanders are aware, or particularly interested.” [caption id="attachment_8556" align="aligncenter" width="861"] Palestinians at an anti-Israel demonstration over tensions in Jerusalem. Picture: Abbas Momani/AFP Source: AFP[/caption] The crisis started last Friday when weeks of tensions boiled over and Israeli riot police clashed with crowds of Palestinians at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Nightly clashes since then have rocked the ancient compound and flared elsewhere in east Jerusalem, leaving more than 900 Palestinians injured, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The unrest has been driven by anger over the looming evictions of Palestinian families from the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Adnan, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem, told AFP that rubber bullets fired by Israeli police would not deter him. East Jerusalem, the majority Palestinian part of the city annexed by Israel in 1967, has been hit by some of its worst unrest in years. For 20 year-old Adnan, who like many Palestinians in east Jerusalem refused to give his name for fear of Israeli police retribution, protesters are responding to what he said was as a persistent effort by Jewish settlers to expel them from the city. “We are here, in the street, to say that we are not going leave,” he told AFP. “For years, settlers have attacked us and taken our land but silence is no longer an option.” SOURCE: News.com.au

Published on May 13, 2021

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Published on May 13, 2021

GOVERNMENT URGED TO CLARIFY VACCINE DEADLINE AFTER MIXED MESSAGES

Australians don’t know when they will be vaccinated after mixed messages from the government, and it’s all based on one central budget assumption. The deadline for when all Australians will receive their COVID-19 vaccines remains unclear after mixed messages from the nation’s top leaders. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday delivered a free-spending federal budget based on the assumption a “population-wide vaccination program is likely to be in place by the end of the year”. Mr Frydenberg told reporters on Tuesday: “The assumption is that every Australian who wants to get two shots of the vaccine (will be able to) by the end of the year.” The comments came after Finance Minister Simon Birmingham told the ABC he expected “some Australians will still be getting vaccinated next year”. And during question time on Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison moved to ensure the government was not pinned to the treasurer’s timeline, insisting the measure was “not a policy commitment” from the Coalition. “It is a Treasury assumption that has been put in place and it makes no reference, I note, to second doses. It only refers to doses,” he said. [caption id="attachment_8544" align="aligncenter" width="697"] The government has not committed to a vaccination deadline. Picture: David Caird-Pool / Getty Images Source: Getty Images[/caption] Labor health spokesman Mark Butler accused Mr Morrison of failing to give a “clear answer” on when Australians would be vaccinated. “If the budget’s assumptions aren’t based on policy settings, what are they based on?” he said. Labor treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said the government had used “weasel words” to avoid being held to a specific timetable. “The prime minister has been out and about this morning, we are none the wiser on what his assumptions are about the rollout of this vaccine,” he said. “It’s been one humiliation after another when it comes to the Prime Minister and vaccinations.” Vaccination targets have proved a vexed issue for the government since revelations the AstraZeneca jab was not advised for people under 50. AstraZeneca had been set to make up the bulk of Australia’s rollout, with 50 million doses to be produced in Melbourne. But April’s development saw the Coalition abandon all vaccination targets, as the prime minister warned “you don’t get to set the agenda” during COVID-19. Mr Morrison was then forced to walk back a claim from Trade Minister Dan Tehan, who said the government aimed to offer a first dose to all Australians by the end of the year. “The government has also not set, nor has any plans to set any new targets for completing first doses,” Mr Morrison said. “While we would like to see these doses completed before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved.” SOURCE: News.com.au

Published on May 13, 2021

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Published on May 12, 2021

PNG RECORDS 504 NEW COVID-19 CASES – TOAL CASES AT 13,079

Papua New Guinea has recorded 504 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours ending 12 midday on Monday, May 10, increasing the total number of cases to 13,079. The cases were reported in 19 provinces in which East New Britain reported the highest of 249 cases. Morobe reported 63 cases, NCD 34, Manus 28, Western Highlands 24, East Sepik and Central 15 cases each, Gulf 14, Southern Highlands and Madang 13 cases each, New Ireland 10 cases, Oro seven, West New Britain and Hela five cases each, Milne Bay and Jiwaka three cases each and Western and Enga a single case each. Of the 504 cases recorded, 275 were males and 225 females. Their ages range from two to 86 years. At the time of testing, 366 cases were showing symptoms of COVID-19. The country’s COVID-19 cases now stand at 12,997 with 130 known deaths. So far, a total of 10,915 recoveries have been recorded. All 22 provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 158,940,456 including 629,846 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll is at 3,305,922 including 9,596 new deaths in the last 24 hours.

Published on May 12, 2021