Australia clinched a thrilling final 20-17 to claim the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens crown and bring to an end Fiji’s dominance that had seen them take the last five titles in Hong Kong. A pulsating end-to-end final played in an electrifying atmosphere was settled in the final minute when Nathan Lawson scored in the corner to cue wild celebrations from the Australia contingent. It had been 1,308 days since the last final was played in Hong Kong back in 2019, and the highly anticipated comeback edition certainly made up for lost time with a classic encounter between Fiji and…
Author: PNG Haus Bung
Toa Samoa are through to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in history, after emerging 20-18 winners over arch-rivals Tonga in an intense quarter-final in Warrington. After establishing an eight-point lead with 20 minutes to go, Samoa held on bravely as Tonga stormed home and threatened to steal a winning try in the final minute of the match. In a game headlined by clashes in the forward pack, it was Samoa’s halves, Anthony Milford and Jarome Luai, who proved the difference, with Milford setting up two of his side’s three tries and Luai scoring the other. It sets…
Police manpower will be increased starting next year as the Government starts focusing more on the law-and-justice sector, Prime Minister James Marape announced today (November 6, 2022). He said more judges and magistrates would also be recruited as the sector was moved to the forefront of Government focus amidst an increasing law-and-order problem. The Prime Minister said rundown jail facilities throughout the country would also be improved and rehabilitation for inmates, including through further education via Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE), would be strengthened. PM Marape said Police would embark on a recruitment…
A disgraced American antiquities dealer accused of running a multi-million-dollar looting network via his New York gallery was this week sentenced by an Indian court to 10 years in prison for smuggling offenses. Subhash Kapoor was convicted alongside five accomplices on charges including criminal conspiracy, burglary and the illegal export of 19 artifacts worth over 940 million rupees ($11.4 million), a police spokesperson confirmed to CNN. The verdict follows a years-long investigation into Kapoor, who stands accused of trafficking thousands of treasures plundered from temples, ruins and archaeological sites across Asia. The Indian American dealer’s looting network is believed to…
Thanks to the many efforts made by the people of East Sepik around the country to campaign against Violence in the province, yesterday the Meni Settlement Community took the initiative to formally surrender their arms and are now coming together for the betterment of the province. Wewak District Administrator, Martin Maingu expressed great delight, stating that all the efforts that they have invested into awareness that was done is now paying off. “We have started awareness for the people and the outcome was that yesterday the first group surrendered their weapons,” Maingu said. He added that since the foundation of…
Ishmael Kalsakau has been elected unopposed as the 13th Prime Minister of the republic of Vanuatu by secret ballot. Kalsakau was elected by the 52 members of the country’s parliament on Friday 4 November. “Thank you, thank you for the election,” Kalsakau said after the vote. The former prime minister and president of the Vanua’aku Party, Bob Loughman, stood up at the session and said his group had no candidate to put forward for prime minister but would vote for Kalsakau. Under the national constitution, a prime minister must be elected by a secret ballot even if standing unopposed. Kalsakau…
At least one person was killed, and multiple people are missing after tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas late Friday, damaging homes and knocking out power for thousands as officials launch search and rescue efforts. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt issued an emergency declaration on Saturday for Bryan, Choctaw, LeFlore and McCurtain Counties after damaging tornadoes blew through the state. On Saturday morning, Stitt toured the city of Idabel in McCurtain County, in southeastern Oklahoma, which suffered significant storm damage. The governor said more than 100 homes and businesses were destroyed due to the tornado and called the situation “heartbreaking” in a tweet.…
Papua New Guinea are through to the Women’s World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history, after a commanding second-half performance saw them down Brazil 70-0. Powerhouse centre Belinda Gwasamun was in devastating form for the Orchids, running in four tries on a night in which she broke 18 tackles and clocked 282 metres in yardage gained. While Brazil did themselves no favours with their expansive style of play in torrid conditions in Hull, they stuck with the Orchids in the first half to trail just 18-0, but had no answer for what happened over the ensuing 40…
The charred remnants of a rocket booster plunged uncontrolled back to Earth Friday morning, an event decried in the West as an irresponsibly risky move by the China National Space Administration. The rocket reentered the atmosphere over the south-central Pacific Ocean just after 6 a.m. ET, according to the US space command, which is part of the Department of Defense. “Once again, the People’s Republic of China is taking unnecessary risks with the uncontrolled rocket stage reentry of their Long March 5B rocket stage. They did not share specific trajectory information which is needed to predict landing zones and reduce risk,”…
A new study by UNICEF has revealed that child food poverty is increasing in the Pacific. The highest rate has been recorded in Kiribati with 91 percent of children living in food poverty. This is followed by Samoa at 80 percent, Tuvalu at 71 percent, and Tonga at 47 percent. Fiji follows with 45 percent of children living in food poverty. Child food poverty is a state where young children are not fed the bare minimum number of food groups they need in early childhood. UNICEF defines children living in food poverty as the percentage of children under five years…