Buckingham Palace has released a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II's final resting place within St. George's Chapel following her interment in Windsor on Monday. An engraved ledger stone featuring the name of the late monarch was installed in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, an annex to the main chapel, on Monday evening after a private service attended by her family. The slab is hand-carved from Belgian black marble and features brass letter inlays reading the names of her parents -- King George VI and Queen Elizabeth -- followed by the late Queen's name along with that of her husband, Prince Philip. A garter star separates the two royal couples, and the years of birth and death have been inscribed next to each name. The four royals were members of the Order of the Garter, the country's most senior order of chivalry that dates back to medieval times and the reign of King Edward III. The group's members are personally chosen by the sovereign in recognition of an individual's service to the nation and includes several members of the royal family, former prime ministers and other senior figures. The order's spiritual home is St. George's Chapel. The Queen was laid to rest, after an elaborate state funeral at London's Westminster Abbey attended by leaders from across the world. More than 26 million people in the United Kingdom tuned in to watch the funeral service on Monday, the first to be televised for a British monarch. When the Queen's husband of 73 years Prince Philip died in April 2021, his coffin was initially placed in the Royal Vault, set below St. George's, where it remained until it could be relocated to the memorial chapel upon the Queen's death. The ashes of the Queen's sister Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, are also interred in the chapel. Royal residences, including Windsor Castle, have been closed since the monarch's death on September 8. But the general public will be able to visit the Queen's resting place when the castle reopens on September 29. Some areas within royal residences reopened to tourists on Thursday, including the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Queen's Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland, according to the Royal Collection Trust. However, Buckingham Palace's summer opening of the State Rooms and Royal Mews will not return this year. Additionally, special displays marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse will not reopen to the public, the trust added. A new portrait of King Charles III shows him carrying out official government duties from his red box at Buckingham Palace, London. The photograph of the ledger stone comes a day after Buckingham Palace released a new portrait of King Charles III with the sovereign's signature red boxes. The image was taken by Britain's PA Images and shows Charles at work last week. "The image was taken in the Eighteenth Century Room at Buckingham Palace last week and shows His Majesty The King carrying out official government duties from The King's Red Box," the palace said in a statement. The red boxes contain important papers from government ministers in the UK and from representatives across the Commonwealth and beyond. "The documents are sent from the Private Secretary's Office to The King, wherever he may be in residence, in a locked red despatch box," it added. In the background behind the new monarch is a black and white photograph of the late monarch and Duke of Edinburgh, which was a Christmas gift to the couple from King George VI in 1951. The royal family are observing a further week of mourning after the state funeral at the King's request. Charles III has now reportedly returned to Scotland with the Queen Consort to grieve privately. Source: CNN

Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) has made a final call on the State to settle its K160 million in rental arrears owed to the Members of Namabwan Super, as it prepares to lock out State tenancies occupying NSL owned properties. NSL has given notice to all State tenants that it will commence lockouts of their premises from Monday 26 September 2022 but will endeavor to avoid locking out the Department of Health based on humanitarian grounds, recognising the critical nature of the services that it provides. NSL is aware that the State has allocated K255 million for the reduction of arrears in the supplementary Budget for this year and now asks that these allocated funds be used to settle their long overdue rental arrears. We are reluctantly conducting this lock out, especially as the workers impacted by the lockout are our own Members, however we have had to take this action after many broken commitments for settlement of the arrears over several years. In December last year, the State presented a cheque of K50 million as the first tranche for the agreed payment of the then outstanding K130 million in rental arrears. It was agreed that the State would later settle the outstanding K80 million owed to the Fund through two further installment payments. These two agreed installment payments were never honoured and as a result the outstanding balance has now grown to K160 million. NSL owned properties occupied by State tenants include Revenue Haus (Internal Revenue Commission); Vulupindi Haus (Department of Finance and Department of National Planning); Eda Tano Haus (Department of Lands and Physical Planning); AOPI Centre (Department of Health and Department of Higher Education); and NSL Haus in Lae (Ombudsman Commission, Independent Consumer and Competition Commission, and Auditor General’s Office).

Air Niugini has helped support Wallam, a remote primary school in Ambunti/Drekikir, district of East Sepik Province by airlifting donations by a group of individuals in Port Moresby on Friday 23rd Sept to help the school. The donation included laptop, school stationary, backpacks, reading books, uniform, reusable sanitary pads, solar lamps,TV and sporting gear. Air Niugini General Manager, Commercial Paul Abbot said as part of its community service obligation, the airline is happy to be able to help, transport these items which in turn will help improve learning for students in a remote school. “I must admit, the positive gesture and hard work being carried by individuals here towards the school is commendable. For us it’s a good opportunity to support the work done here which may encourage other organisations to get in behind worthy causes like this.” Abbot said. The group of four individuals in Port Moresby led by Ms Annell Ovia started the fundraising drive in April this year after reading in social media of the challenges Wallam Primary school was faced with in terms of lack of basic school materials and infrastructure. Ms Ovia said “While most of the contribution was from our personal donations and sale of bilums which raised a total K13, 800, we also had business houses and individuals who supported the cause. From the money raised, we bought all these items including a 5000L tuffa tank for the school to ensure clean and safe drinking water for students and teachers.” The group is also looking at buying textbooks for the different grades in the future. Wallam is among 300 primary schools in East Sepik and is one of the oldest in the province.

Santos PNG Orchids centre Belinda Gwasamun and PNG Kumuls centre Brandon Nima will make history today, becoming the first husband and wife to represent PNG in rugby league on the same stage. Both will wear the number 3 jersey for their teams in the Prime Minister’s XIII fixtures against Australia. Gwasamun and her Orchids teammates will take the field first at Suncorp Stadium at 5.50pm, followed by Nima and the Kumuls at 7.35pm. Brandon first represented PNG in the two-match series against England Knights in 2018 when Belinda was taking a break from her rugby league career to look after their newborn son, Hayden. Belinda returned to playing in 2019 and represented PNG in the two-match series against England women that year. “This is the first time a couple has played at the same event representing PNG in rugby league, and I’m so proud we’ve both made history and wearing the same jersey number as well,” Belinda said. “This is something I’ll always remember, and our son will remember it too.” Hayden, who turns four in late October, will be watching today’s matches on TV in the PNG city of Mount Hagen with Belinda’s parents. With Belinda already confirmed in the Orchids squad for the Rugby League World Cup, if Brandon makes the final Kumuls squad, it could be a busy few months for their extended family. Source: Santos PNG Orchids

Fifty years on since its establishment, the students of Kuriva Primary School along the Hiritano Highway in Central Province now have a Basketball Court for Physical Education lessons, thanks to BSP Financial Group’s 2022 Community Project. BSP’s Group Risk Management Strategic Business Unit initiated the project that will see over 500 students benefit from the facility, valued at K38, 000. BSP Group Chief Risk Officer Roger Hastie, thanked the community for welcoming BSP and allowing them to give back through such project. “We thank you for allowing us to go a step further by assisting students of this school open Sumatin Accounts with BSP,” he said. BSP’s Boroko Branch assisted all 85 students from Grade 6 to 8 open Sumatin Accounts – an important step towards financially empowering them by instilling a savings culture for the students. BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming during the project handover said, BSP remains critical in PNG’s transition and is proud to be giving back to schools like Kuriva Primary School in the Hiri Koiari district. “While you are in school, teachers instil the need to not only be good students but Christians as well. We hope that the court will enable you to develop some skills before you complete the 2022 studies and make you look forward to school again next year”, said Mr Fleming. School Head Teacher Mr. Charles Rave thanked BSP for the support on behalf of Central Education Division, Vanapa Community, Parents and Guardians of the students who also turned up to witness the event. “It’s a Blessing. The community has never witnessed such before and I also thank you parents for support, teachers and students for their efforts towards the completion of this projects. “BSP and CEO Mr Fleming, Your contribution towards this school will always be remembered. When we were approached by BSP, Kuriva Primary School chose a Basketball court as it is also a classroom and learning place. While the code of basketball is dying in Central province, know they will produce some best players from this school and place through the court,” he added.

The Penrith Panthers have marched into their third consecutive Grand Final with a 32-12 win over the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium on Saturday night. With Viliame Kikau and Dylan Edwards playing starring roles the defending premiers ran away with the game in the second half as Rabbitohs winger Taane Milne was marched for a high tackle on Spencer Leniu. The Panthers have set up a first ever Grand Final against arch-rivals Parramatta and have the opportunity to become the first team since the Roosters in 2018-19 to win back-to-back titles. The Rabbitohs grabbed the early ascendancy on the back of a Lachlan Ilias grubber which forced a line dropout but a sweeping right side raid came up empty when Latrell Mitchell's long pass was called forward. Come the 11th minute and the Panthers got across the line through Izack Tago but the play was called back for Jarome Luai interfering with Ilias as he tried to collect the bouncing ball from a towering Nathan Cleary bomb. Some brilliant play out of dummy half by Damien Cook put Mark Nicholls into a hole a minute later, the prop offloading a pass which rebounded off Liam Martin into the in-goal and Cody Walker pounced for the game's opening try. The Rabbitohs had their second of the night in the 19th minute when late call-up Richard Kennar crossed in the left corner after slick lead-up from Walker, Mitchell and Isaiah Tass. The Panthers were then denied a second time when Luai was ruled to have run behind James Fisher-Harris and obstructed the Bunnies defence and sending a long pass out for winger Charlie Staines to cross. Kikau then became the third Panther to get across the stripe in the 26th minute but he was also called back when replays showed Tago had knocked the ball forward into the back-rower's hands in an offside position. With three minutes remaining in the half the premiers finally had their first try through Api Koroisau, who had started the game on the bench but added plenty of spark when he was injected into the game. The Rabbitohs had a chance to set up for a field goal to take their lead out to seven points inside the final minute but chose to run the ball, a mistake by Campbell Graham landing in the arms of Brian To'o who sprinted 80 metres to score and the Panthers were level at 12-12. Five minutes into the second term the Panthers had the lead when Cleary put in a grubber from close range and Spencer Leniu trailed through to score his sixth try of the season. Cleary's conversion made it 18-12. A magnificent run by Edwards on a kick return in the 55th minute got the Panthers rolling and Luai finished the movement in style with a deft grubber kick for Tago to follow through and score. The game was finished as a contest with 16 minutes to go when Taane Milne was marched for a swinging arm on Leniu and Cleary landed the penalty goal to make it 26-12. From there the Panthers were able to cruise home, Cleary icing the win with a solo try in the closing minutes when he kicked for himself and followed through to touch down.     Source: NRL. com

A new type of cancer therapy that uses a common virus to infect and destroy harmful cells is showing big promise in early human trials, say UK scientists. One patient's cancer vanished, while others saw their tumours shrink. The drug is a weakened form of the cold sore virus - herpes simplex - that has been modified to kill tumours. Larger and longer studies will be needed, but experts say the injection might ultimately offer a lifeline to more people with advanced cancers. Krzysztof Wojkowski, a 39-year-old builder from west London, is one of the patients who took part in the ongoing phase one safety trial, run by the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. He was diagnosed in 2017 with cancer of the salivary glands, near the mouth. Despite surgery and other treatments at the time, his cancer continued to grow. "I was told there was no options left for me and I was receiving end-of-life care. It was devastating, so it was incredible to be given the chance to join the trial." A short course of the virus therapy - which is a specially modified version of the herpes virus which normally causes cold sores - appears to have cleared his cancer. "I had injections every two weeks for five weeks which completely eradicated my cancer. I've been cancer-free for two years now." The injections, given directly into the tumour, attacks cancer in two ways - by invading the cancerous cells and making them burst, and by activating the immune system. About 40 patients have tried the treatment as part of the trial. Some were given the virus injection, called RP2, on its own. Others also received another cancer drug - called nivolumab - as well. The findings, presented at a medical conference in Paris, France, show: Three out of nine patients given RP2 only, which included Krzysztof, saw their tumours shrink Seven out of 30 who had combined treatment also appeared to benefit Side effects, such as tiredness, were generally mild Lead researcher Prof Kevin Harrington told the BBC the treatment responses seen were "truly impressive" across a range of advanced cancers, including cancer of the gullet (oesophagus) and a rare type of eye cancer. "It is rare to see such good response rates in early stage clinical trials, as their primary aim is to test treatment safety, and they involve patients with very advanced cancers for whom current treatments have stopped working," he said. "I am keen to see if we continue to see benefits as we treat increased numbers of patients." It is not the first time scientists have used a virus to fight cancer. The NHS approved a cold-virus-based therapy, called T-Vec, for advanced skin cancer a few years ago. Prof Harrington calls RP2 a souped-up version of T-Vec. "It's had other modifications to the virus so that when it gets into cancer cells it effectively signs their death warrant." Dr Marianne Baker, from Cancer Research UK, said the encouraging findings might change the course of cancer treatment. "Scientists discovered that viruses could help to treat cancer 100 years ago, but it's been challenging to harness them safely and effectively. "This new viral therapy shows promise in a small-scale early trial - now we need more studies to find out how well it works. "Research suggests that combining multiple treatments is a powerful strategy, and virus therapies like this one could become a part of our toolkit for beating cancer." Source: BBC

Newcastle utility Caitlin Moran is a facing a one-game ban over an offensive social media post referencing the Queen’s death. Moran, a former Jillaroos representative and Indigenous All Star, has since been forced to delete the Instagram post, which featured a picture of Queen Elizabeth II. She deleted the comment from her Instagram story approximately eight hours after posting it. The NRL issued Moran with a breach notice on Tuesday and she has five days to respond. “The breach notice proposes a fine equivalent to 25 per cent of her current NRLW contract, wholly suspended, provided she fulfils a number of conditions,” an NRL statement read. “The breach notice also proposes a one match suspension in the NRLW. The fine will be suspended for a period of 12 months to be payable immediately should the code be further breached in that period. “Rugby league is an inclusive game and has a proud and strong relationship with many communities. Regardless of any personal views, all players and officials must adhere to the professional standards expected of them and on this occasion, the public comments made by the player have caused damage to the game. Radio presenter Ray Hadley described the social media post as “perhaps the most reprehensible thing ever seen connected to rugby league”. “I agonised over whether it should be revealed,” he told 4BC. Moran played against the Roosters on Sunday while under investigation. The 25-year-old wasn’t selected for the opening two rounds of the competition but made her season debut in a two-point win over Parramatta in Round 3. The halfback had previously played for Australia in the 2017 World Cup but has yet to feature in the national competition, having suffered an ACL injury in 2018. Source: Fox Sports

The Eels will have the chance to end their 36-year premiership drought next Sunday, after a 24-20 victory over the Cowboys in Friday night’s Preliminary Final confirmed their spot in the Grand Final for the first time since 2009. Back-rower Shaun Lane and winger Maika Sivo were Parramatta’s heroes in the dying stages, both coming up with a series of clutch plays on either side of the ball, to help their side comeback from 20-12 with 25 minutes to play. Front-rower Reagan Campbell-Gillard scored a try either side of half-time, in a game where the sides couldn't be split across the opening 40 minutes, despite the Eels completing just 61 percent of their sets in a half which saw them make eight errors to North Queensland's three. Parramatta's back-rowers Isaiah Papali'i and Shaun Lane both left the field for head injury assessments in the first half, which they passed, while Cowboys lock Jason Taumalolo spent 10 minutes in the bin for the should charge which resulted in Papali'i's HIA. While the Cowboys dominated the opening minutes, including a first set which saw them travel 95 metres down field, it was the Eels who struck first after a no-look pass from Mitchell Moses in the face of intense defensive pressure led to Will Penisini scoring. The reply was swift and compelling from Reuben Cotter, who powered over Clinton Gutherson to get his side on the board, although seven minutes later the Cowboys cracked under the pressure of playing a man down and Reagan Campbell-Gillard strolled over. Minutes after he saved a try with a tackle in the corner, Waqa Blake spilled a bomb which led to the Cowboys scoring on the next set through Luciano Leilua, and while Valentine Holmes missed the conversion, his penalty just before half-time ensured scores were tied 12-12 at the break. Back-to-back infringements from the Eels gifted the Cowboys a penalty to take the lead 10 minutes into the second half, and a short time later clean hands from Scott Drinkwater and Holmes put Murray Taulagi over in the corner. Reagan Campbell-Gillard's second four-pointer, and another Moses conversion pulled the Eels back to within two points with 20 minutes to play, and they should have drawn even minutes later when Moses pushed a penalty attempt wide. But it didn't matter in the end. Sivo's try off a brilliant pass from Lane gave the Eels the lead with 15 to play, and from there Parramatta defended their line with everything they had, denying Kyle Feldt a try in the corner and surviving a final set from the Cowboys deep inside attacking territory. Source: NRL.com

Papua New Guinea's low mobile network coverage and consistent power black-outs are hindering the work of emergency doctors as they respond to patients. A recent symposium saw 70 doctors from around PNG meet to discuss the future of emergency medicine, and the topic on innovating data collection was front of mind. President of the PNG Society for Emergency Medicine Dr Gary Nou said that access to up-to-date data around patient care could improve health systems around the country. "We could demonstrate our numbers ... we could demonstrate waiting times ... it was just us using spreadsheets and pushing that along," he said. Source: ABC Pacific

Amid concerns the intensity and frequency of weather events across the Pacific Islands are being exacerbated by climate change, now the region is expected to endure more floods and droughts with La Niña continuing into a third year. The Australian Bureau Of Meteorology's declared this month that the climate pattern would continue into another summer. Australia has felt the force of La Niña for the past two summers, with heavy rainfall and devastating floods in eastern parts of the country. But as the tropical cyclone and wet season approaches, some Pacific nations are expected to bear the brunt with flash flashing possible for western countries. Meanwhile, further east, droughts will persist in low-lying atoll nations closer to the equator such as Kiribati, which has already declared a drought disaster emergency. 'We struggled a lot' While flooding is common in many parts of the Pacific, especially severe La Niña downpours in recent years have been catching towns off guard. Komal Naidu, a restaurant owner in the Fiji town of Ba, watched helplessly as about 60cm of water inundated her business last year. The town was submerged twice in a fortnight after heavy rain burst the Ba River's banks in January. Ms Naidu said the town lost power and six of her staff were left out of work. "All the tables and chairs were damaged, and we had to close the business," she told the ABC's Pacific Beat program. "If it's flooded, sometimes no water facilities are available and we lose power … It's the same situation every time now." [caption id="attachment_27139" align="alignnone" width="719"] Businesses in Fiji's flood-prone areas say they are used to extreme weather but are concerned about what a third La Niña will bring. (Tweet: @fiji_force)[/caption] Many nearby businesses experienced similar hardships. Nehe, who is a senior chef at the Ba Town Café Hub, said it took months for her business to recover and even her home was affected. "Our freezers and coolers were destroyed and at home we lost so many chickens and we lost our vegetables," she said. "It was really bad. It destroyed so many things. We struggled a lot." Triple La Niña 'very devastating' La Niña is an atmospheric phenomenon which shifts warmer water to the western end of the Pacific. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme meteorology and climatology adviser Salesa Nihmei said people need to be vigilant and seek advice from local authorities. He predicted a third La Niña will "really have an impact on some of the Pacific Islands". "We are now heading into tropical cyclone season. This can easily create flooding events in the wet season," Mr Nihmei said. "It's very devastating for those countries that have direct impact." The outlook is particularly concerning for the island country of Kiribati, which declared a state of disaster in June. In recent years, there has been below-average rainfall and not enough clean drinking water for the population. "With another La Niña coming, they will continue to experience low rainfall because all of the rain they usually get at this time of the year will all distributed to the western Pacific," Mr Nihmei said. "Similarly, those countries in the western Pacific will have to be careful, in terms of when there is a low-pressure system or a tropical cyclone." [caption id="attachment_27140" align="alignnone" width="862"] Kiribati is surrounded by water, but the country is grappling with an ongoing drought.(Wikimedia commons: Government of Kiribati (CC BY 3.0))[/caption] Earlier this month, UNICEF warned that the Kiribati drought was at a critical stage, saying malnutrition and other illnesses could mount without access to clean water for hygiene. In June, Australia pledged a further $2 million to support Kiribati to maintain drinking water supply during the state of disaster. The funding aims to go towards the installation of a desalination plant, UNICEF water and sanitation packages, and the deployment of technical advisers with expertise in water and engineering. Sally Rimon, Kiribati's acting national disaster management officer, said the country had received immediate support which would help officials distribute supplies to the most vulnerable communities. However, she said the country was concerned not only about La Niña extending until at least March next year, but also the ongoing impacts of climate change. "We will continue to expect more drought events and other climate-related and climate change impacts and frequent and intense disasters for as long as we live," she said. "Like many other small islands developing states, we are still and will continue to explore methods, solutions and ways to enhance the resilience of our people today and in the years to come." She said desalination plants were being considered as way to provide quality drinking water, but authorities needed to consider their maintenance and impact on the environment. How can the region prepare? Mr Nihmei said while it is part of the natural climate system and  "there's nothing much we can do," the early predictions are helping countries to better prepare. "We are able to provide the information in advance to national met services to warn their sectors and their communities," he said. "Information is provided in advance for everyone to take heed and take action." Lemau Afamasaga, the disaster risk management delegate for the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) North Pacific, said the prediction of a third La Niña is unfortunate for the region but there was clear guidance on how to act. The Red Cross takes technical advice from local meteorological partners and weather services and targets the most vulnerable areas, she said. "We look at where the most vulnerable people are living, and whether they are prone [to extreme weather] or in a location where they could be potentially affected by flash floods," Ms Afamasaga told the ABC. "Then we see, do you have an existing plan to relocate somewhere, and whether it's with a family member? And do you have your first aid kit ready?" They also speak to local partners to ensure there is a safe location to set up an evacuation centre. [caption id="attachment_27141" align="alignnone" width="862"] Ms Afamasaga said the international community can help by assisting with preparedness rather than just focusing on response. (Supplied: Vanuatu Red Cross Society)[/caption] Ms Afamasaga said communication remains a challenge, so the best approach was for communities to establish their own early warning systems on ground. Some communities use a system where they raise a coloured flag up a pole to indicate the risk level, she said. "If the water level gets up to a yellow colour, it means it's still safe, but be prepared," Ms Afamasaga said. "When it gets up to an orange colour, then it means that you got to pack your bags right now and get ready to relocate to another area. "As soon as it gets to red, then that's when it's high risk." Ms Nehe said the locals in the Fiji town of Ba were already taking measures to withstand flooding, but she was still worried what the La Niña will bring. "We'll try our best, we are following the news, we are also giving ideas to each other," she said. "But this is a flood town we are living in so most of the businesses will be affected. We are very worried." Source: ABC News

Thirteen years on from their last preliminary final appearance, the Eels head north to face a Cowboys side out to continue their fairytale run in 2022, which has seen them jump from 15th place last year to now be one win away from the Grand Final. North Queensland will be playing a finals match at Queensland Country Bank Stadium for the first time since it was opened in 2020, and should be refreshed from the week off they earned by beating the Sharks in golden point back in Finals Week 1. Parramatta meanwhile reignited hopes of their 36-year Premiership drought finally coming to an end when they demolished the Raiders 40-4 in a one-sided semi-final at CommBank Stadium and they are looking to make it through to a decider for the first time since 2009. In their only prior meeting this season the Cowboys ran out 35-4 winners over the Eels, in what was a Parramatta home game in Darwin. Source: NRL.Com