A small team of Specialist Doctors from Australia flew in over the weekend for the operation Open Heart Program after a three year hiatus. The last time a team of specialist where in Port Moresby was in 2019 and the program came to a halt during the covid-19 pandemic. There were 5 patients (2 children and 3 adults) with congenital heart disease who were operated on and are currently recovering. Surgical Department Coordinator, Dr. Noah Tapaua who is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, said that the teams visit this time was more of a training. “The operations were done by team of local specialists with assistance from the visiting doctors.” “Since the start of the program in 1993, 1, 281 patients have received open and closed heart surgeries from the Operation Open Heart Team.” “Even though Operation Open Heart had a hiatus, we continued to do closed heart surgeries.” Dr. Tapaua said that previously the OOH visits were once a year and they would have a large number of surgeries done; however, they are working towards having more frequent visits from the team of specialists. They are working towards having a local team who can carry out the open heart surgery. He said that they have envisioned that by 2020 they would be able to do that however, due to covid-19, it set their plan back. He added that the Kumul Petroleum Heart Centre has top class equipment that will save people a lot of money by having testing and treatment available at the centre rather than going overseas for treatment. He thanked Kumul Petroleum Holdings (KPHL) limited for the funding assistance that has made it possible for them to purchase essential equipment and also to employ a great team of specialists to care and assist the heart patients. KPHL has allocated K50million to the Heart Centre and so far, they have used over K17million.

Pope Francis will be hospitalized for “a few days” for the treatment of a respiratory infection, the Vatican said on Wednesday, raising concerns over the health of the 86-year-old pontiff. “In recent days Pope Francis complained of some respiratory difficulties and this afternoon he went to Policlinico A. Gemelli for some medical checks,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement, referring to the Rome hospital where popes are normally treated. “The outcome of these [tests] showed a respiratory infection (excluding Covid-19 infection) that will require a few days of appropriate hospital medical therapy.” “Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” Bruni added. After his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Francis was taken to the hospital to undergo a number of tests. Earlier in the day, the Vatican had said that the visit and tests were planned. “The Holy Father has been at Gemelli since this afternoon for some previously scheduled tests,” Bruni had said. Shortly after, he said that Francis’ schedule for Thursday had been cleared “to make space for the continuation of tests should that be necessary.” Bishops in churches across Italy are praying for Francis’ speedy recovery, the Presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference, on behalf of the Italian bishops, said in a statement on Wednesday. “In wishing the Holy Father a speedy recovery, the Presidency entrusts to the Lord the doctors and medical staff who, with professionalism and dedication, care for him and all patients,” it added. The pontiff has a recent history of medical issues. He has often been seen with a walking stick and sometimes uses a wheelchair due to pain in his right knee. Last year, he canceled a trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after doctors said he might also have to miss a later trip to Canada unless he agreed to have 20 more days of therapy and rest for his knee. He ultimately went to the DRC and South Sudan in February. Francis also suffers from diverticulitis, a common condition that can cause the inflammation or infection of the colon. In 2021, he had surgery to remove part of his colon. In December, Francis revealed that he had already signed his resignation letter to be used in the event of him becoming “impaired.” Francis made the comment in an interview with Spanish news outlet ABC when asked what would happen if a pope is suddenly rendered unable to perform his duties due to health issues or an accident. Francis said he wrote the letter several years ago and gave it to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who resigned in 2013. “I have already signed my renunciation. The Secretary of State at the time was Tarcisio Bertone. I signed it and said: ‘If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my renunciation,’” Francis was quoted as saying, adding that this was the first time he had spoken publicly about the letter’s existence. Francis said past pontiffs Paul VI and Pious XII had also drafted their letters of renunciation in the event of a permanent impairment. In 2013, Francis’ immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, made the almost unprecedented decision to resign from his position, citing “advanced age” as the reason and startling the Catholic world. It marked the first time a pope had stepped down in nearly 600 years. The last pope to step down before his death was Gregory XII, who in 1415 quit to end a civil war within the church in which more than one man claimed to be pope. Source: CNN News

Isaah Yeo is the model every club wishes to build their pathway foundations on. Set to play his 200th NRL game in the same week he committed his long-term future to the club, 28-year-old Yeo is seen as the perfect example of the Panthers’ pathway success. It was in 2012 that Panthers pathways manager Lee Hopkins first came across the then-17-year-old centre, who arrived from Dubbo to join Penrith’s SG Ball team, and 11 years on, the two-time premiership-winning skipper still calls Penrith home. Set to become the ninth player to play 200 games for the club and only 45 games from breaking Steve Carter’s record as the most capped Panther, the World Cup winner is already one of the greatest success stories in the club’s history “What ‘Yeoey’s’ done for his career is the perfect model for how we do things with our country kids, which is what we’ve always done well,” Hopkins told NRL.com “We bring them in, we look after them and we want them to stay. "We want them to be 200 gamers not 20 gamers. [caption id="attachment_38062" align="alignnone" width="788"] 2022 Dally M Captain of the Year - Isaah Yeo[/caption] “There’s a thousand things you could pick out about Yeoey which makes him a great player and a great role model. He's a pure gentleman off the field and a fantastic footballer.” But from day one, when a big, tall running centre came down to play SG Ball, it was his dedication that I remember. Panthers Pathways ManagerLee Hopkins Having progressed through the outside backs to become a two-time Dally M Lock of the Year and lead his club to back-to-back NRL premierships, Yeo has achieved on-field success that most players only dream of. But more importantly, Yeo’s journey has shown the next generation of Panthers stars that no matter where you call home, there is always a path to the NRL stage. “I’m pretty sure he was close to one of the first country kids that came through the system and then he was closely followed by the likes of Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin,” the former Penrith and Parramatta forward said. “For every Yeoey, there’s been five or six others that unfortunately didn’t make it but that’s just the nature of rugby league. “Especially country kids, some of the biggest steps they make is moving down here and having a punt on a career. "Yeoey did all that, he moved away from home and now he calls Penrith home. Pathways don’t like taking the credit for too many things, we can get them to a point, but they’ve got to walk through the door. “We’re grateful as a club for every country kid that comes here to give it a shot. We’ll treat them like our own and give them every opportunity to do the best they can but at some point it has to be up to the player,” Hopkins said. “I’ll be extremely proud seeing him run out on Friday night and so will the entire club but the person who should be proudest is himself. [caption id="attachment_38063" align="alignnone" width="788"] In the winner's sheds: Isaah Yeo[/caption] He should be extremely pleased of the person he is, how he carries himself and how he leads from the front. Panthers Pathways Manager Lee Hopkins Yeo joins Penrith royalty on Friday by becoming the ninth man to play 200 games for the club - every one of them a premiership winner. Steve Carter (243) heads the list, which includes fellow 1991 premiership players Royce Simmons (237), Greg Alexander (228) and Brad Izzard (209). Craig Gower is second all-time with 238 games, while his teammates from the 2003 decider Tony Puletua (211), Luke Lewis (208) and Ryan Girdler (204) also make the honour roll. Having already captained his side to back-to-back premierships, Yeo is set to become the most capped Panther having re-signing with the club until the end of 2027. “It’s not something you expect to happen when you first debut but I’m super excited about it and understand how proud it makes my family,” Yeo said earlier in the week. “I don’t know how long that will last (record), there are a few behind me that will be chomping at the bit. “But that’ll be pretty cool, for a club that’s been around for so long, there’s no 300 gamer there so we’ll see how we go.” Source: NRL.Com

Reigning Dally M Medal winner Nicho Hynes returned with a bang for the Sharks, as Cronulla savaged local rivals St George Illawarra with a dominant 40-8 win to close out Round 4. Hynes made his presence felt from the get go, but really let loose in the second half as the Sharks ran riot, outscoring the Dragons with seven tries to two in the match. The Sharks didn't have the best start to the game, with their completion rate sitting at only 61 per cent at halftime and remarkably, the Dragons were leading 8-6 midway through the first half. However, a diabolical second half, where they continually turned over the ball to gift their opposition possession meant they were held scoreless from the 25th minute of the game. There were plenty of highlights to choose from the Sharks who showed their attacking prowess, with their back three of William Kennedy, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa also contributing hugely to the outcome. Despite a patchy opening few moments, the Sharks were the first on the board with a try that foreshadowed what was to come from Hynes. The halfback showed his vision to throw a fantastic pass out to his left to hit in-form winger Mulitalo, who sprinted down their left side and let off a deft kick back inside for a chasing Kennedy, who ran in to score his fifth try of the season. The Dragons then hit back soon after through their skipper and main attacking weapon Ben Hunt, who again tried hard for his team. The Queensland representative's try was all his own work, running the ball and feeding a dummy to the Sharks defenders who left him space to run over and score. The Dragons then hit the front thanks to the weight of possession they were enjoying at the time, with Jaydn Su'A running in to put the home side in front. Dragons centre Zac Lomax missed both conversions which kept the scores tight. While it made no difference in the end, Dragons fans were unhappy with the try that saw the Sharks initially go ahead, with some questioning if fullback Tyrell Sloan was impeded in his attempt to field a Hynes kick, which eventually ended up in the hands of Cronulla centre Jesse Ramien who touched the ball down for his first try of the night. While the Sharks lifted in the second half to showcase some great rugby league, including a seamless return of the smooth combination between Hynes and second rower Briton Nikora, it also highlighted a worrying trend for the Dragons who have fallen away dramatically in the second half two weeks in a row, despite working hard to get themselves in front early in matches. The win was a return to form for the Sharks who had shown indifferent form to start the season to lift them to fifth on the ladder with two wins from their four games. Source: NRL.Com

Search and rescue efforts are continuing in Mississippi after a deadly tornado hit the US state. At least 25 people have died in the state, and one in Alabama, with dozens more left injured by Friday's tornado. The storms devastated several rural towns, with Rolling Fork in western Sharkey County almost completely wiped out. Mississippi state governor Tate Reeves has declared a state of emergency to help respond to the damage. US President Joe Biden also described the images coming out of Mississippi as "heartbreaking", and said the federal government would "do everything we can to help". "We will be there as long as it takes. We will work together to deliver the support you need to recover," he said in a statement. More storms are predicted to hit parts of Alabama and Georgia early on Sunday and potentially bring large hail. The storm system which ripped through Mississippi produced a tornado that has caused catastrophic damage to communities across the state. The biggest twister obliterated dozens of buildings in several small towns, flipping cars on their sides and toppling power lines. The small town of Rolling Fork, located in Sharkey County in western Mississippi, has essentially been wiped out, according to its mayor. "My city is gone," Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN. "But we're resilient and we're going to come back." He added that lots of families in his community were "affected and hurting", and all he could see was "devastation". Rolling Fork residents said windows were blown out of the back of their homes. Local resident Brandy Showah told CNN: "I've never seen anything like this... This was a very great small town, and now it's gone." Drone footage of Rolling Fork, shared with the BBC, shows the devastation inflicted on the town. Trucks and trees are shown piled on top of buildings, with detritus scattered over large areas. Cornel Knight told the Associated Press that he, his wife and their three-year-old daughter were at a relative's home in Rolling Fork and that it was "eerily quiet" just before the tornado struck. He said the sky was dark but "you could see the direction from every transformer that blew". He said the tornado struck another relative's house, where a wall collapsed and trapped several people inside. Mississippi state governor Tate Reeves has visited Silver City and Winona to meet with affected residents who had been hit by the tornado's fury. Sharing an update on Twitter, Mr Reeves described the situation as a "tragedy", writing: "We are blessed with brave, capable responders and loving neighbours. Please continue to pray." It is not yet clear whether one or several tornadoes hit the area on Friday night. Although yesterday the National Weather Service warned that several tornadoes were forecast, it is possible the devastation was caused by a "skipping tornado" - a single twister that lifts from the surface only to touch down again. Sam Emmerson from the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma said that the "extremely high-calibre" tornado lofted debris above 30,000ft (9144m). One local weather forecaster, concerned at the strength of a tornado about to hit the town of Amory, momentarily paused his TV forecast to offer a prayer for the residents of the town. Source: BBC

Simbu Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Epenes Nili has said that he will come down hard on any police officer in the province who steps out of line. PPC Nili said this following the arrest of a policeman who is attached to the Kundiawa Police Station for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and knocking over four men along the Kundiawa Highway recently. The PPC said that the policeman was one of the officers engaged in his removing home brew and illegal drugs in the Kundiawa program and was driving a vehicle given by the Provincial Government. “The four victims were taken to the Kundiawa Hospital.” “Three were discharged from the Hospital whilst one victim who sustained a broken leg is still recovering in the hospital.” Nili said that it is was fortunate that no one had lost their lives. The Policeman is in custody, and he will be charged appropriately once all witness statements are collected. He added that the Officer in Charge of Traffic is currently monitoring the victim from the hospital and has assured relatives of the victim that the policeman will be charged appropriately. Nili further added that police officers are supposed to follow the law and set good examples. Meanwhile, the PPC has issued four dismissals so far to several police officers for wrongful conduct and will continue to charge officers administratively or criminally.

A golden point field goal to young halfback Lachlan Ilias has steered the Rabbitohs a 13-12 win over the Sea Eagles on an emotional night at Accor Stadium. With scores locked 12-12 at the end of a draining 80 minutes, a Manly mistake in the first set of golden point gave Ilias his chance and he did not disappoint. After absorbing plenty of early pressure the Sea Eagles found space on the left side but Campbell Graham muscled up in defence to take Reuben Garrick into touch before Manly's Brad Parker returned the favour on Izaac Tu'itupou Thompson. In the 13th minute of the match the crowd rose to their feet for a minute of applause in honour of Rabbitohs legend John Sattler, who passed away this week at the age of 80. The Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Cody Walker produced a miraculous put-down inches from the dead ball line after chasing a Damien Cook grubber. Latrell Mitchell converted for 6-0. A mistake by Jacob Host on the first set after points gave Manly a chance to hit back and it was Haumole Olakau'atu flying high to pull down a Daly Cherry-Evans kick with one hand and touching down to make it 6-6. After having a try to Tom Trbojevic denied on a tight forward pass call the Sea Eagles then got across the line in the 35th minute but Tolu Koula spilled the ball in a last-ditch tackle by Isaiah Tass. In the shadows of half-time Cherry-Evans intercepted a Cameron Murray pass on his own side of halfway and went the distance to give the Sea Eagles a 12-6 lead at the break. Some slick passing by Cameron Murray and Lachlan Ilias gave Walker some space in the 50th minute and he dragged Parker over the line with him to get the Rabbitohs back within two points. The Sea Eagles then took control of field position and forced Souths to come off their own line for several sets before a mistake by Christian Tuipulotu gave the Rabbitohs a sniff and a high tackle penalty gave Mitchell the chance to tie it up at 12-12. With 50 seconds to play Mitchell had a shot at field goal but he hit it poorly and Manly worked their way down field for Cherry-Evans to have a shot and his kick was charged down and the match headed to golden point. A dropped ball by Josh Aloiai in Manly's first set in golden point handed Souths a golden opportunity and Ilias stood tall with the first field goal of his career to hand the Rabbitohs a 13-12 win against the same club Sattler had played in the 1970 grand final when he defied a broken jaw to lead his team to the premiership.     Source: NRL.com

The Prime Minister (PM), Jame Marape, who was impressed by the work done the officers in the PNG Customs and the police in busting a counterfeiting operation in Lae city, commended the two law enforcement agencies for the great effort in ensuring businesses and the public are not cheated by counterfeiters. The illegal import operation in Lae saw the counterfeiting of the WasWas Soap brand, which was primarily produced by Lae company, Panamex Pacific (PNG) Ltd. Panamax last week reported to Lae Police that a foreign-owned company in Lae was involved in the sale and distribution of counterfeit Waswas Soap product. “I commend Police and Customs for their success in this joint operation and subsequent arrests,” PM Marape said. Marape said this is not the first time for such illegal operation happing in the country and admitted that such operations continue in parts of the country, something which law enforcement agencies need to crack down on because the country will stand to lose millions of Kina, should such counterfeiting operations continuing without discovering them and putting an end to them. “Let this serve as a warning that our country will not be a place for illegal traders. Police, customs and Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) will be closely monitoring our ports and coming down hard on those involved.”

The Broncos have taken bragging rights in the inaugural battle of Brisbane with an 18-12 win over the Dolphins in a pulsating clash at Suncorp Stadium. In front of a mammoth crowd of 51,047 on Friday night it was Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs who sealed the win with a 100-metre try in the 79th minute as the Dolphins threatened to steal victory. Both sides could hold their head high after a high-quality contest that had it all from bone-rattling defence to long-range tries and courageous efforts to defy injury. It was the Broncos who took the first shot on the right edge when Reece Walsh found Selwyn Cobbo but a superb cover tackle by Tesi Niu defused the situation for the Dolphins. The Broncos then reloaded again down the right edge but skipper Adam Reynolds' pass to Cobbo was too high and the ball went into touch. Two forward passes out of dummy half by young Dolphins hooker Mason Teague handed Brisbane a chance and they capitalised through left winger Jesse Arthars after sweet lead-up work by Kurt Capewell, Walsh and Herbie Farnworth. The Dolphins then lost bench hooker Kodi Nikorima with a head gash in the 27th minute after a heavy collision with teammate Tom Gilbert. With six minutes to play in the half the Dolphins created space on the left but Walsh came across to shut it down with a strong tackle on Niu, who was clearly hampered by a leg injury. Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam then came up with a brilliant cover tackle of his own to deny Jamayne Isaako in the opposite corner. The Dolphins had the final shot at points when Connolly Lemuelu powered into the back field and found Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who went close only to be denied by more Broncos scramble. Ten minutes after the break the Broncos had a second when Walsh delivered a magnificent cut-out pass to put Cobbo over in the corner and Kevin Walters' men led 8-0. Midway through the second half the Dolphins struck back when Jarrod Wallace took a pass from Ray Stone and powered over from close range to make it 8-6. Dolphins halfback Sean O'Sullivan was forced off with an injury with 19 minutes to play but veteran playmaker Anthony Milford stood up with a perfectly weighted grubber for Tabuai-Fidow to chase through and score. With 10 minutes to play Reynolds produced a show-and-go to bust the Dolphins and send Capewell on a 40-metre charge to the line to tie it up at 12-12. The skipper converted from touch to put Brisbane ahead 14-12. A mistake by Walsh gave the Dolphins a late shot at victory but Staggs collected a Milford grubber on his own tryline and outpaced the chasers to put the finishing touches on Brisbane's fourth straight win. Source: NRL.com

Not even the most optimistic Dolphins fans could have envisaged their team would be unbeaten as they headed into their historic first meeting against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. The promoter's dream pits master mentor Wayne Bennett against Kevin Walters, the man he shared five premierships with as coach and player at the Broncos between 1992 and 2000. Former Broncos Jamayne Isaako, Tesi Niu, Brenko Lee and Kodi Nikorima will be out to get one over on their old club as the Dolphins look to continue their fairytale start to their debut season. The battle in the middle between Jesse Bromwich and Payne Haas promises to be a beauty with the Broncos enforcer already churning out 210m per game in 2023 and the former Storm man leading by example with 29 tackles and 115m per match at the Dolphins. In front of a heaving Friday night crowd at the home of Queensland rugby league this promises to be a memorable clash between two sides looking more than capable of playing finals in 2023. If Bennett's men can get past their crosstown rivals they can set their sights on a clash against another one of their coach's former teams in St George Illawarra and a very real shot of starting their debut season with five wins on the trot. Source: NRL.Com

Even the most passionate, rusted on Parramatta fans in bay 113 sat there and applauded. Mitchell Moses may have been the hero on Thursday night but Nathan Cleary’s 45-metre field goal stunner to send the game into golden point will go down as one of the clutch efforts of the year. Parramatta thought they were doing the right thing by using their captain’s challenge on Junior Paulo’s high tackle to give themselves a quick breather and slow the play down. In doing so though it also allowed Cleary time too – against all odds – to set up from a tap restart, shun the Eels defenders applying kick pressure and sink a two-pointer to send CommBank Stadium into a sea of silence momentarily. Eels skipper Clint Gutherson, a former NSW teammate, could only watch Cleary's clutch play sail over from under the sticks. “My bottom lip dropped a second watching it the whole way,” Gutherson said post-match. “When he hits it like that you can’t do much. We had kick pressure on him but he’s just a great footy player, clutch moment and he’s done it all his career. “[We’re] lucky it went our way tonight ... great game of footy.” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has seen his son do nearly everything in the game but slotting that effort under pressure was a new level of owning the moment. “It was pretty cool, it’s a shame because he missed one against the Broncos and he got it tonight but we still didn’t get the win,” Cleary said. “We’re just not quite getting those close games which all add up. It’s early days, we’re playing well and it was a good game tonight. “I was impressed by both teams. I liked how we fought back from eight points down twice.” Meanwhile, opposite half Moses looks set to put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Eels in the coming days according to reports on Friday afternoon. Eels coach Brad Arthur commended the way Moses had handled himself in the past week with the external noise around his future stealing the headlines. “He responded the best way possible, especially on the back of Nathan icing that 45-metre field goal – I don’t know where that come from,” Arthur said. “If we got beat tonight there wasn’t much more we could’ve done footy-wise to try and win it. “The effort from both teams was through the roof. Both teams scrambled hard, it was just end to end and as I said, hardly any errors, 10 lost plays in the game. “That’s massive, so both teams should be proud of themselves and we were fortunate to get the win.” Source: NRL.Com

COVID-19 vaccinations are consistently being carried out for the people of Alotau at the Alotau Urban Clinic. This was noted during a recent visit to Milne Bay Province by the COVID-19 Ministerial Vaccine Taskforce. Alotau consistently vaccinates patients daily assuring its responsibility to protect its people from COVID-19 even though there are still big improvements that need to be made in terms of awareness on increasing COVID-19 Vaccination rates in the province. Since January 2023, the Alotau Urban Clinic has vaccinated 124 adults which is a big number considering the high level of vaccine hesitancy that currently exists within the province. Milne Bay is a province that clearly shows responsibility in terms of managing COVID-19 within the province and sets a good example for other provinces that have become complacent with COVID-19 preventive measures. Sister-in-Charge of Alotau Urban Clinic, Sr Jane Raurela said that it was great seeing more than 2 people voluntarily visiting the clinic to get vaccinated for COVID-19. “We are vaccinating every day and it’s thanks to our good staff and the community who help us with positive advocacy messages that encourages people around town and surrounding communities to take up the COVID-19 vaccination.” “We (health care workers) are all vaccinated here at Alotau Urban Clinic and that’s key to advocating to the communities to be vaccinated, because we are vaccinated ourselves.” Meanwhile, Milne Bay Director for Public Health, Dr Jacob Morewaya stated that it was a must for Milne Bay health authorities and the people to take COVID-19 seriously as being a new infectious disease. “We are all only learning about this disease and since preventive measures had been issued by the National Control Centre for COVID-19 (NCC), we have not stopped since as a province, in ensuring our people are protected from this disease.” “While we don’t apply mandatory wearing of masks anymore as per directions from NCC, we still continue our routine temperature checks at our airport and seaports. This helps us monitor any instances and signs of COVID-19 from visitors entering Milne Bay by air or sea.” As a maritime province, high on tourist visitation, it is highly recommended that such public health safety practices continue and that this encourages other provinces in similar settings to follow suit.