Villagers in the north-west of Vanuatu's Santo island urgently need clean drinking water after the area was hit by Cyclone Gabrielle. Malpoi has been severely impacted by landslides and mud. The Santo Sunset Environment Women's Network (SSEWN) said the village's main water-source is contaminated and houses and gardens have been destroyed. Chairman of the network Allan Taman said the villagers need water and building materials. "The main thing they need is water because their water source is destroyed. They said because they have relocated out of the village to the new sites they need materials to build houses." Taman also said the villagers need long-term financial support as their plantations were destroyed in the landslide. "In that village they use cocoa and they plant Kava to earn money but the landslide has taken away all of that," he said. "So, now they have no incomes, they can plant now but it needs more years to come for them to harvest their product to earn money again but for now for a while they need something to help them." Meanwhile, Three metre swells are expected for New Caledonia's west coast until Tuesday as the tail-end of Cyclone Gabrielle threatens the area. Strong swell warnings are in place for 16 districts, and residents on the coast and Pine Island have been advised to stay vigilant. After Cyclone Gabrielle passed near New Caledonia, 14 boats were damaged and one boat has sunk due to wind and swells. Vice-director of the Port Brunelet, Brice Kiener, told La Premiere they will start an evacuation plan for the damaged ships. "As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle there have been strong west coast winds which has resulted with the most important swell tides of the year. Specifically in the areas of Orphan Bay, an evacuation plan is underway for those ships with the help of the Noumea City Council." Norfolk Island appears to have avoided the worst of Cyclone Gabrielle which was initially forecast to pass over it. Winds have cut power, brought down trees and blocked roads on the island but it appears to have been spared the worst. Source: Radio New Zealand

Huon Gulf MP and Community Development Minister Jason Peter on Thursday 9th February 2023 urged Morobe Governor Luther Akisawa Wenge to send audit and evaluation teams down toward level to check on funding released for projects. Minister Peter emphasized that every year big budgets are being passed down yet a lot is not known if work has been done, half completed or no work at all. “ Olegta yia yumi pasim Budget tasol dispela moni yumi no save em mekim wok or nogat.” Minister Peter made these strong remarks at Tutumang Assembly during the Morobe Province 2023 Budget Session yesterday passed by Morobe Provincial Government. “ Plis Gavana Wenge yumi mas Salim evaluation team igo daun lo LLG na ward level na sekim wok I kamap or nogat. Mani go daun lo ples mas mekim wok lo helpim pipol blong yumi.” Minister Peter whilst thanking Governor Wenge for passing the K644 Million Budget , welcomed the huge funding appropriation towards education. However Minister Peter said Law and Order problems in the community is still a great challenge and therefore students being sponsored must take full responsibility of coming back to serve their people in the province and district’s. “ MI laik tok tenkiu lo Gavana Wenge lo funding igo lo edukesen. Tasol lo na oda hevi yumi mas stretim pastaim. “ Minister Peter further acknowledged the funding allocation from MPG to all districts of Morobe Province saying his district will work closely with the Provincial Government to realize projects for the people to benefit.

One-time registration is now available for NCSL members to have immediate access to all NCSL's electronic and online services including sms banking, Online Portal, and Biometric Identification System when they sign up. Members can manage their accounts and transactions securely online with these electronic services upon registration. Manager e-Banking, Vavine Iamo said the function on the online portal that enables members to self-register is now disabled and members are encouraged to visit any NCSL branch to register. “Members will go to the branch with a valid ID card so due diligence check is done over the counter before registration,” she said. “This also gives them an opportunity to have a one-on-one interaction with our officers to assist with their other queries. “Previously members had to register separately for these services, however, the newly introduced concept now makes it convenient for members to register for all service at one time,” she said. The one-time registration allows members to have access to their account 24/7 where they are able to view their account and perform transfers or transactions on any of these services anytime, anywhere using any compatible device. Members who wish to register for any of NCSL's  electronic service can visit their nearest NCSL branch.

A late try to Laitia Moceidreke on the stroke of full-time has helped the Cowboys salvage a 22-22 draw in a thrilling finish against the Dolphins at Barlow Park in Cairns. The Dolphins appeared set to have stolen victory after coming from behind earlier in the match before the Cowboys crossed late to level the scores with Zac Laybutt unable to convert from out wide. Young stars Jack Bostock and Isaiya Katoa stood tall for Wayne Bennett while Tom Chester and Thomas Duffy put their hand up for future selection at North Queensland. The Dolphins got out of the blocks early with a pinpoint Anthony Milford grubber bouncing perfectly for Illawarra Steelers junior Jack Bostock who touched down in stunning fashion just inside the line to score. But just four minutes later, thanks to a pinpoint kick from Ben Hampton, young flyer Moceidreke hit back for the Cowboys and Duffy converted to put the Cowboys in front 6-4. Six minutes later and Cairns Brothers junior Robert Derby intercepted a looping pass from Isaiya Katoa to run the length of Barlow Park, crashing over the line despite a valiant chase by Euan Aitken.

 NICTA CEO KILA Gulo-Vui has been nominated as the Chairman of the Pacific ICT Dialogue The announcement was made following a vote at the high-level discussions at the Gazelle International Hotel in Kokopo today. Mr. Gulo-Vui is a renowned ICT expert and a well-respected figure in the Pacific region. He has served in various capacities in the ICT sector, both in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific. His nomination as the Chairman of the Pacific ICT Dialogue is a testament to his exceptional leadership skills and experience. The decision has been welcomed by the delegates and the technical teams, who believe that Mr. Gulo-Vui will provide the necessary guidance and direction to ensure the success of the event. The Pacific ICT Dialogue is a critical event that seeks to address some of the challenges facing the ICT sector in the Pacific region. The discussions will cover various topics, including digital literacy, internet access, and cybersecurity. We will continue to monitor the event and provide updates on the outcome of the discussions.

Parents and guardians won't have to pay additional fees when transferring students from one school to another in the Morobe province. The Provincial Education Division (PED) has advised that no school is allowed to charge fees to any parent of  students that have been transferred in from another school, as these fees have been captured in the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS). “Transfer-in students coming from other schools or provinces are not to be charged transfer-in fees. It’s all covered for country wide and should not be imposed by any school at all.” PED Schools Advisor, Mr. Keith Tangui, sternly advised that any school principal charging parents and guardians fees, will be charged and reprimanded. He further stated that it is the decision of the government of the day and Morobe province will standby this decision. Meanwhile, Tangui also confirmed that the 1st quarter of the GTFS has been received and paid out to all eligible schools. Mr. Tangui also said that after the receipt of the GTFS they have issued a stern warning to all eligible schools to not charge any additional fees. Only secondary schools, under particular circumstances have been allowed to charge extra fees, but not exceeding K300. All secondary schools in the province have been given leeway to outsource funding should they need more resources to undergo further development and for the payment for uniforms.

The Titans and Broncos have played out a 24-24 draw in a game of two halves for both coaches to ponder at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Sunday. The Broncos hit the accelerator in the first half with four tries to one setting up a 24-6 lead against a Titans outfit who were without new recruits Kieran Foran and Sam Verrills for the match. The Titans hit back, however, as the Broncos opted to rest several of their key players in the second half with Alofiana Khan-Pereira scoring twice to level the scores late. Neither team were too desperate to opt for a one-pointer in the dying stages ahead of their final Pre-season Challenge matches next week. Broncos fullback Reece Walsh made a stellar return to the Broncos, opening the scoring with a solo effort on the right edge before producing a goal-kicking masterclass in breezy conditions at the venue. He did, however, leave the field in the second half after a facial knock that may require scans on Monday in the only concern for Broncos coach Kevin Walters, who would otherwise have been buoyed by what he saw from Walsh's efforts. Walters played most of his stars named for the first 40 minutes while Justin Holbrook left star back-rower David Fifita on the paddock for 60 minutes. Holbrook also tinkered with Jayden Campbell's position, using the 23-year-old at left centre with Keano Kini playing most of the match at fullback, in a possible sign the Titans coach may start Campbell in the centres with Brian Kelly suspended. Kini was superb for the Titans at the back, taking his opportunity in a performance that may be enough to have him included in the final NRL trial against the Dolphins next week. A double to Jordan Pereira, including a stunning effort before half-time, had the Broncos on the front foot but the Titans hit back twice in the second half through Jojo Fifita and Vaka Sikahele to make it a 12-point ball game.

Netflix (NFLX) has extended its crackdown on password sharing to Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. Users in these countries will now have to pay to give people they don’t live with access to their account, after similar rules were trialed in Latin America last year. Under the new rules, subscribers to Netflix’s Standard or Premium plans will be able to pay for up to two people outside of their household to use their account. The cost of adding a new person will be $7.99 Canadian dollars ($5.96), $7.99 New Zealand dollars ($5.09), and €3.99 ($4.30) and €5.99 ($6.45) in Portugal and Spain respectively. Netflix started introducing the change last year in Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It plans to roll out the new rules “more broadly” sometime before March, it said in a letter to shareholders last month. The streaming giant, which suffered heavy subscriber losses last year, said in a blog post Wednesday that password sharing hurt its revenues and therefore limited its ability to invest in new content. It estimates that more than 100 million households worldwide share an account. “Over the last year, we’ve been exploring different approaches to address this issue in Latin America, and we’re now ready to roll them out more broadly in the coming months, starting today in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain,” Netflix said in the post. The company, which has turned a blind eye to password sharing for a number of years, said there was “confusion” among users about “when and how” they could share their accounts. As part of the latest changes, users in the four countries will be asked to set a “primary location,” which ensures that all members of a household watch from the same account. A new “manage access and devices” page will allow members to more easily control who has access. Users will still be able to access their accounts from their tablets or phones, or from new TVs when they travel, Netflix said. In its letter to shareholders, Netflix said that, based on its experience in Latin America, it expected a proportion of users to cancel their subscriptions once the changes were rolled out, but forecasts that the overall number of users would grow over time. Netflix shares plunged more than 50% last year due to concerns about streaming subscription fatigue and increased competition from the likes of Disney (DIS) and Apple (AAPL). But the stock has rallied 24% since the start of the year, lifted by the falling value of the US dollar. Netflix generated over half of its revenue in 2022 from outside the United States, so whenever the dollar loses value its international sales and earnings get a boost once translated back into the currency. Source: CNN Business

Harry Styles was the big winner at the BRIT awards, Britain's pop music honours, on Saturday, winning all four categories he had been nominated in, a week after his triumph at the Grammys. Styles took home the coveted album of the year for "Harry's House", song of the year for his synth pop hit "As It Was", best pop/R&B act and artist of the year, one of two gender-neutral categories introduced last year after BRIT awards organisers got rid of female and male distinctions. The contenders for that prize were all men, which had irked many in the industry and on social media. "I'm really, really grateful for this and I'm very aware of my privilege up here tonight," Styles said in his acceptance speech, dedicating the artist of the year award to a list of female singers. Styles, who rose to fame on talent show "The X Factor" as a member of boy band One Direction, last week won two Grammy awards, including album of the year. "This night has been really special to me ... Thank you so much for the welcome home," Styles said on Saturday after his final win, for best album. "I'm so, so proud to be a British artist out there in the world. I'm so proud to be here tonight celebrating British artists and British music." A statement on the BRIT Awards' website said the gender-neutral categories had been introduced so artists were judged "solely on the quality and popularity of their work, rather than on who they are, or how they choose to identify." But it added that organisers "acknowledge and share in the disappointment" of no women making the list. "A key factor is that, unfortunately, there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women in 2022 compared to those by men." "Of the 71 eligible artists on the longlist, only 12 (17%) are women. We recognise this points to wider issues around the representation of women in music that must also be addressed." Singer Rina Sawayama welcomed the change to gender-neutral categories but said the list of nominees should be longer. "If you have more nominees then you’re going to see a cross section of what has happened throughout the year and who has made an impact," she told Reuters on the red carpet. Indie rockers Wet Leg won group of the year and best new artist. Music star Beyonce was named international artist of the year and her hit "Break My Soul" won international song of the year. Source: Reuters

Storm centre Justin Olam is in doubt for Round 1 after suffering a suspected broken arm in his side's 32-24 loss to the Roosters in Geelong on Sunday. On a day the Roosters were unveiling star signing Brandon Smith against his own club, it was the PNG international who sent a scare through Storm camp when he left the field in the sixth minute. Smith didn't enter the fray until the second half with Trent Robinson choosing to blood several young guns in the club's first Pre-season Challenge match. After the Roosters were denied an early try, Melbourne got the scoring underway when hooker Bronson Garlick made a break and found Tyran Wishart in support who crossed for the Storm. The Roosters kicked away through converted tries to Lebanon international Elie El-Zakhem and former NSW Under 19's rep Tyler Moriarty. But three minutes later an error from Ethan King inside their own 10m line handed Storm winger Will Warbrick an easy try to level the scores 12-12. Jake Turpin then stamped his class on the match when he put William Fakatoumafi over with a perfectly weighted kick to the left corner which put the Roosters in front 18-12 at the break. Source: NRL.com

Northland has declared a state of emergency and the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed as steady rain and strong winds from Cyclone Gabrielle hit, but MetService says this is just the beginning. The Northland Regional council said a precautionary state of emergency has been declared for an initial period of seven days, as part of the regional response to Cyclone Gabrielle. It said emergency declarations were relatively rare in Northland, with only six emergency declarations in the past 50 years, some of which affected only parts of the region. Meanwhile, Waka Kotahi confirmed all lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge were closed due to strong winds at 3.40pm. Its website says the closure is "until further notice" and motorists are urged to delay their journey or use detours such as the Western Ring Route. A red heavy rain warning has been issued for Coromandel, Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, and Auckland, including Great Barrier Island and other islands in the Hauraki Gulf, while strong wind warnings are also in place - including a red one for Coromandel Peninsula, Northland and Auckland. Speaking at today's official update, MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said even with significant wind gusts in Northland already being reported, the weather today was just the start. "This is the entree. This is not the impact day." She said they had not seen pressure this low in 40 years. "This is a serious event for New Zealand." Source: Radio New Zealand

Security risks put a handful of search and rescue operations on hold on Saturday, as the death toll of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey surpassed 25,000. Germany and Austria have suspended rescue operations in Turkey, citing security concerns. Meanwhile, rescue efforts in the rebel-controlled areas in north and northwest Syria have ended, announced volunteer organization Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, on Friday. After searching for 108 hours, the group said it believes no one trapped under the rubble is still alive. Syria has been ravaged by civil war since 2011, and 4 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid in the worst-affected parts of rebel-controlled country before Monday’s disaster. As many as 5.3 million people in Syria could have been affected by the quake and be in need of shelter support, according to preliminary data from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which has been trying to distribute supplies to vulnerable populations. However, the country’s political set-up complicated rescue efforts, with some of its most impacted areas controlled by the internationally-sidelined, heavily-sanctioned regime, others by Turkish-backed and US-backed opposition forces, Kurdish rebels and Sunni Islamist fighters. It took three days after the quake struck for the first UN convoy to cross through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which is the only humanitarian aid corridor between Turkey and Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma visited rescue teams and civilians in affected regions on Saturday, including injured survivors in a hospital in the city of Latakia. On Friday, he had criticized the lack of humanitarian aid from Western countries, stating that they “have no regard for the human condition.” The Syrian government approved sending aid into the rebel-held territories Friday but did not provide a specific timeline. Rescue work could take two to three years to complete in Turkey, but five to 10 years to just get underway in Syria, according to Caroline Holt, director of disasters, climate and crises at the International Federation of the Red Cross. Syrian-American actor Jay Abdo expressed frustration on Saturday, telling CNN: “Earthquakes, they have no borders. So why do borders and politics deprive Syrian civilians in the northwest of the country from their human rights to be rescued?” He called on the international community to “act immediately” as “there’s no time” and “civilians are not receiving any support, aid or attention.” The World Health Organization’s director-general arrived in Syria’s earthquake-hit Aleppo city on Saturday on a plane carrying more than $290,000 worth of trauma emergency and surgical kits. ‘Worst event in 100 years’ The extent of devastation is “unprecedented,” according to Belit Tasdemir, UN liaison officer at AKUT Search and Rescue Association, who was working in Turkey. He told CNN on Saturday that “freezing” temperatures and “extreme fatigue” was beginning to affect rescue workers as they approach the end of the rescue window and the probability of finding survivors becomes lower. Some astonishing rescues still provide a glimmer of hope, however. Sezai Karabas and his young daughter were found alive in Gaziantep, southern Turkey, 132 hours after the earthquake struck. A 70-year-old survivor, a woman named Menekse Tabak, was pulled out from the rubble in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, 121 hours after the quake hit. Yet attempts at search and rescue have also been hampered in Turkey. The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief stopped its rescue and relief work due to security concerns in the Hatay region, the organization said in a statement Saturday. German rescue operators, who had been working in coordination with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), said they “will resume their work as soon as AFAD deems the situation to be safe.” The Austrian Army made a similar decision, citing “increasing aggression between groups in Turkey,” but said they will “keep our rescue and recovery forces ready.” Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that those looting and committing other crimes would be punished, and that university dorms would be used to house victims made homeless, with classes going online. United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths described the earthquake in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria as the “worst event in 100 years” to hit the regions, and said that a “clear plan” to give “an appeal for a three-month operation” would be set out on either Sunday or Monday. Source: CNN