The body of Queen Elizabeth II has been buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor on Monday evening local time, according to the official website of the royal family. The Queen was buried together with her late husband, Prince Philip, after a private burial service attended by King Charles III and other members of the royal family. Prince Philip’s coffin was relocated today from the Royal Vault of St George's Chapel in Windsor, so that the Queen can be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband of 73 years. The burial service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor. Source: CNN News

Santos PNG Orchids coach Ben Jeffries has confirmed his 20-player PNG Prime Minister’s XIII Women’s squad to face the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII Women in this Sunday’s clash at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. The match will be played with unlimited interchange and all 20 players are expected to feature. With Elsie Albert unavailable for the match due to NRLW semi-final commitments with St George Illawarra Dragons, Orchid #20 Gloria Kaupa will captain the side. Jeffries said the fixture will be hugely valuable for the Santos PNG Orchids, who have not played a match since November 2019 and recently named a 23-player squad for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) featuring many new faces. “It’s exciting to see PM’s XIII back on the international calendar, and this will be a great opportunity for the Santos PNG Orchids squad to get together prior to the world cup in November,” Jeffries said. “We will have nine players making their first international appearance in PNG colours on Sunday, so we are seeing a new era of Orchids come through. For some this will be their toughest career test to date, playing against stars of State of Origin, the Australian Jillaroos and other emerging talent from Australia, however the objectives are to see where we are at as a group so we can plan for the upcoming RLWC. “From an off-field perspective, PM’s XIII will provide our staff and players the opportunity to finally meet each other face-to-face after many months of preparations conducted in local groupings and virtually, to set our objectives and the standards that will assist in driving the Orchids’ RLWC campaign. “It has been a lengthy process to date, but I know everyone is ready to showcase themselves on the big stage and, most of all, enjoy the experience ahead of us.” The team will assemble on the Gold Coast on Wednesday 21 September ahead of Sunday’s match at Suncorp Stadium – part of Footy Fest which also features the men’s PM’s XIII clash between Australia and PNG, plus both NRLW semi-finals. Tickets are on sale for the event via nrl.com/tickets and kids under 15 go free with a paying adult. SANTOS PNG ORCHIDS PM's XIII SQUAD: 1 Joanne Lagona 2 Anika Butler 3 Belinda Gwasamun 4 Sera Koroi 5 Shae-Yvonne De La Cruz 6 Shirley Joe 7 Lilah Malabag 8 Gloria Kaupa (c) 9 Roswita Kapo 10 Talitha Kunjil 11 Carol Humeu 12 Veronica Waula 13 Essay Banu 14 Martha Molowia 15 Jessikah Reeves 16 Michelle John 17 Shellie Long 18 Therese Aiton 19 Bertshiba Awoi 20 Emily Veivers The three other players in the Santos PNG Orchids 23-player RLWC squad are Elsie Albert, Lisa-Mari Alu and Elizabeth Kapa. In one change to the previously announced RLWC squad, North Queensland Gold Stars player Sareka Mooka, who was unable to confirm her eligibility, has been replaced by Emily Veivers, who plays for Brisbane Tigers in the QRLW and was on the list of stand-by Orchids players. The first ever PM’s XIII on Australian soil has been made possible thanks to the support of the Australian Government, through the PacificAus Sports program. The program will support PNG’s Prime Minister’s XIII teams to play in Australia. Source: Santos PNG Orchids FB Page

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape on Tuesday  (200922) paid a courtesy visit on John Swire of John Swire & Sons Ltd, the principal shareholder and parent of Papua New Guinea’s oldest company – Steamships Trading Company. The meeting with John Swire & Sons at their London head office, was to thank the shareholder for keeping their investments going over a long time in PNG and still continuing in the face of everything PNG has gone through. The meeting was also to reassure the investor of the current efforts the Marape-Rosso Government is now putting into expanding the economy through the development of enabling infrastructure, Agriculture and downstream processing. PM Marape said: “Steamships has PNG truly at its heart. It has been operating in the country for over 90 years, with a history that is entwined with the country’s own history. Still, it is going strong. “Swire is a big company globally, with substantial shareholding in Cathay Pacific also. “My meeting with John Swire today was to reassure him that the future of PNG is looking up as we begin on the efforts to expand the economy toward the K200 billion mark within the next 10 years. We are doing this by opening up the rest of the country through infrastructure development, Agriculture and downstream processing. “I also reassured him that my government is more than willing to work with companies that have stood the test of time with PNG, and Swire – through Steamships – is the longest and most loyal. “The Government is looking forward to seeing Steamships and Swire consolidate their positions in PNG, and diversify and expand even further. “Steamships has been with us long before our own Independence and knows the PNG business environment like no other. Nothing would make us happier than to see it expand into the areas we are working at such as Agriculture, downstream processing and building MSMEs among Papua New Guineans,” said PM Marape. The Prime Minister said the Government was working at upgrading enabling infrastructure to support investors through the Connect PNG Program covering roads, bridges, wharves and jetties, airports and airstrips, including electricity which was mentioned by Swire as one of the challenges being faced by Steamships. PM Marape said power supply should be upgraded to full capacity within the next three to four years in the Southern region, and the Lae – Highlands area all the way to Hides utilising gas (Western end) and hydro (Eastern end). The Prime Minister once more gave credence to the link as established through the Commonwealth with the United Kingdom. “The country would know my view by now on maintaining our arrangements with the Commonwealth, especially with UK. UK is just like the United States; it is the capital of the free world, capitalistic society. This is where commerce and trade took off from, with huge markets here. At the moment they buy our oil palm, tuna and exports that find their way into the European market,” said PM Marape.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the southwestern coast of Mexico on Monday, killing at least one person, with shaking reported as far away as Mexico city. The earthquake hit just after 1 p.m. EST, with the epicenter occurring very near the coastline in a sparsely populated region of Michoacan state, according to US Geological Survey data. In nearby Colima, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the epicenter, very strong shaking capable of "moderate" damage was reported, while in Mexico City, roughly 500 km (310 miles) away, "light to moderate" shaking was reported. Local news channels reported that firefighters closed some buildings in Mexico City to the public due to concerns of collapse. One person lost his life in a shopping center in Manzanillo in the western state of Colima after a fence fell, President López Obrador said on social media, citing José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy. There are no known casualties or damage yet recorded in Mexico City, according to the city's mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum. The quake's magnitude was initially reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS) as 7.6. Mexico's national seismological agency later updated the magnitude to 7.7 in a press conference on Monday. According to USGS, the quake struck about 37 kilometers south east of the city of Aquila, with a depth of about 15.1 kilometers (9 miles). A Tsunami warning was initially issued immediately after the quake but has since been revised. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that the tsunami threat has "largely passed." Latest readings by the organization also showed a decrease in wave heights. Waves reaching up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) were earlier predicted to hit Mexico and occur along the Pacific coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru. The news came on the fifth anniversary of the 2017 earthquake that killed 216 people in Mexico City. The epicenter of that 7.1-magnitude earthquake was 4.5 km (2.8 miles) east-northeast of San Juan Raboso and 55 km (34.1 miles) south-southwest of the city of Puebla, in Puebla state, the USGS reported at the time.

A nursing home in southwestern Japan is hiring some unusual new employees: babies. The generous compensation package from the Moyai Seiyukai home in Kitakyushu city includes flexible hours, baby formula and diapers -- and cups of tea at the in-house cafe for accompanying mothers. In return, the new recruits -- who must be age 3 or under -- are being asked to "visit whenever you want" and "walk around as much as you like." The recruitment drive is the brainchild of Gondo Kimie, head of the facility, which is home to about 120 elderly residents. She hit upon the idea after noticing how residents cheered up when her infant grandchild began visiting the home about two years ago. Other staff members sometimes brought their babies to the facility too, and "when elderly residents saw them, they smiled," Gondo said. "The atmosphere was good." So, the home began distributing leaflets around the neighborhood and posting open calls for babies on social media. The program began with just one baby in 2021, and has now grown to 32 infant "employees," mostly from families in the area, Gondo said. And it has been a roaring success among the residents. Many smile just watching the babies from a distance, while some in wheelchairs push themselves over to interact with the children, she added. "Even the people who usually don't speak much and don't smile a lot or don't move, as soon as they see the babies, their facial expressions get brighter," Gondo said. Not only do the visits help to combat the public image of care homes as being depressing and lonely places, they are therapeutic in giving the residents a much-needed source of social interaction, she said. Babies who visit frequently can develop close relationships with the residents, Gondo added. "I hope that when (the children) start going to elementary school or junior high school, they continue to visit this center like their home anytime," she said. Source: CNN

Typhoon Nanmadol has killed two people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate as ferocious winds and record rainfall battered parts of Japan. As one of the biggest storms to hit the country in years, the typhoon disrupted transport and forced a myriad of people to spend the night at gymnasiums and other facilities in a precautionary evacuation. Residential streets were flooded with muddy water from rivers, and swathes of homes lost power after Japan's 14th typhoon of the season made landfall near Kagoshima city late on Sunday. It then battered the western island of Kyushu and roared into the main island of Honshu. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delayed his departure to New York, where he is due to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday to monitor the impact of the storm, media reported. "We need to remain highly vigilant for heavy rains, gales, high waves and storm surges," a Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) official told a news conference. A river in Kyushu's Miyazaki prefecture overflowed, flooding fields and roads, footage from state broadcaster NHK showed. Other video showed a riverside house hanging over a torrent, roofs ripped off buildings and billboards toppled. [caption id="attachment_26929" align="alignnone" width="862"] Local media said more than 300,000 households were without power.(Ap: Kyodo News)[/caption] The storm was centred off the coast north of Shimane prefecture in western Honshu as of 4:00pm local time and was heading north-east at about 35 kph, the JMA said. The storm would track the coast to the north of Honshu into Tuesday before moving out over the Pacific, the agency projected. Up to 400 millimetres of rain was expected in central Japan's Tokai region, the nation's industrial heartland, over the next 24 hours, it said. Toyota Motor Corporation was among manufacturers that said they would idle production at some factories due to the storm, but there were no reports of major damage to industry. Intermittent bouts of heavy rain lashed Tokyo, but businesses in the capital were largely operating as normal. Most schools were closed on Monday anyway for a public holiday. Source: ABC News

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says he is "deeply concerned" after his son was charged with a string of assault and domestic violence offences in Australia. Ratu Meli Bainimarama, 36, has been charged with 17 offences in New South Wales including common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stalking, and intentionally choking a person without consent. He is also accused of destroying or damaging property and intentionally distributing an intimate image without consent. In a statement, the Pacific Island leader said the charges brought against his son were disturbing to him and his wife and sought to distance the matter from his government, which is facing an election later this year. "My son is not a member of the Fijian government and this is not a political or diplomatic matter," Mr Bainimarama said in a written statement. "Of course, Mary and I are deeply concerned and disturbed about the charges. "During my service as prime minister I have openly and routinely condemned violence perpetrated against women and children, and that commitment is unwavering." Mr Bainimarama said it would not be appropriate to comment further while the matter remains before Australian courts. "My focus must be on my duty to secure a safer and more prosperous future for all Fijian families," he said. "In the meantime, I ask the media to allow due process to take its course." Source: ABC News

The Board of Credit Corporation (PNG) Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Director, Dr Albert Mellam as the Company’s new Board Chairman. The stewardship of outgoing Chairman, Mr. Richard Sinamoi over the last year was acknowledged by the Board, on the back of the Credit Corporation Group’s strong half year results and the recent announcement of a half-year dividend payment. The Company has been a strong performer over the past 44 years of operation, and the Board, Management and staff are looking forward to continuing this trend under the Chairmanship of Dr Mellam. Credit Corporation Group CEO, Mr. Danny Robinson, when thanking Mr. Sinamoi, noted that under Mr. Sinamoi’s leadership as Chairman, the Board has set a new strategic direction, worked closely with Management through a year impacted by COVID-19 and has been focused on delivering the outcomes promised to its Shareholders. Mr. Robinson said, “Credit Corporation is looking to the future and the achievement of its strategic intent. Management remains committed to driving these outcomes for its Board, Shareholders, and employees.” Mr. Robinson explained, “that Director Sinamoi’s appointment as Chairman following the June 2021 Annual General Meeting was always for a transitional period to oversee the development of the new strategic pathway and provide the desired stability and continuity following the changes in the Board of Directors.” The new Chairman is the longest serving member of the Board. His wealth of experience and expertise will ensure that the Company continues to deliver positive returns, whilst achieving key milestones in accordance with its strategic plan. Mr. Sinamoi remains on the Board as a Director, will assume the role of Chairman of the Group’  Strategy and Investment Committee, and will continue his important role in supporting management to drive the Group’s strategic intent.

Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston says he will be racing the clock to be declared fit in time for Saturday night's Preliminary Final showdown with the Panthers, after a hip flexor issue forced him from the field early in the second half of last week's win over the Sharks. Johnston won't resume running until later in the week, and while confident he is making good progress, isn't certain he will be able to take the field. "It'll be touch and go to be honest. But I feel pretty confident the way it has recovered yesterday (Sunday) to today (Monday). On that trajectory I think it'll be alright," Johnston said. "I sort of knew when it happened it was a hip flexor thing. "I felt it but I still stayed out there for a while trying to see if I could do my job. " It got to a point there where I was like 'I think it's best to come off and someone can do the job better than me at the moment'.- Alex Johnston "I will be doing everything I can just to get out there... [Monday and Tuesday] is a lot of physio for preparing to run and hopefully start running towards the end of the week." Should the prolific 27-year-old, who in Finals Week 1 scored his 30th try of the year to become the first player in Premiership history to achieve that mark in multiple seasons, be ruled out, Jaxson Paulo or former Panther Josh Mansour shape as the likely replacements for coach Jason Demetriou. Mansour hasn't played an NRL game since round 8 this year, while Paulo has played just once after enduring a horror 80-minute performance against the Panthers in round 23, in which he came up with five errors in his side's 26-22 loss. Source: NRL.com

Air Niugini wishes to advise the travelling public that due to the deteriorating condition of the runway surface at Aropa Airport, Autonomous Region Of Bougainville (AROB), all services to Kieta have been suspended until further notice. Passengers with tickets for Kieta may reroute them to/from Buka at no additional costs, rebook for a later date, or apply for a refund. Air Niugini regrets any inconvenience caused to their customers, however the situation is outside the airline’s control. Safety is always of paramount importance in operations. The airline continues to operate six weekly Fokker jet services to Buka (daily except Sundays)

The Chairman of NCC Board and the Secretary to the NEC and Prime Minister’s Department Ambassador Ivan Pomaleu, Member of the Diplomatic Core, Distinguished Guest, ladies and Gentlemen and all the Fine Artists who are here tonight to officiate at the Second National Contemporary Arts Exhibitions. At this gesture, firstly allow me to convey to my people of Samarai-Murua my sincere appreciation, thank you for mandating me for the second term to the 11th National Parliament. I would also like to appreciate the Marape/Rosso Government for reappointing me as the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture in this current government. I must say that the National Cultural Commission was the best performing agency for 2022 as announced by the Department of Personnel Management under the Executive management of Mr Steven Enomb Kilanda. As the Minister responsible in the last Government and with my reappointment, I must express my appreciation once again to NCC for achieving this recognition that had promoted the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Ladies and Gentlemen, the National Cultural Commission has an overarching mandate for maintaining, safeguarding, protecting, developing and promoting of PNG’s Arts and Culture. It is without prejudice to announce this evening as the Minister Responsible for Tourism, Arts and Culture that this current Government (Marape/Rosso) has delivered the first ever National Cultural Policy 2022-2032 after 47 years of being politically independent. Ladies and Gentlemen this Government is walking the talk of “Taking Back PNG through Culture and Arts”. The National Cultural Policy 2022-2032 addresses failures of past governments. The protecting, safeguarding, developing and promoting of our cultural heritage is a constitutional mandate but these have taken a back seat over the years. Nevertheless, the policy addresses some perennial issues hindering the growth of culture and art sector in Papua New Guinea. In order to achieve the aims of the policy, the policy focuses on four main outcome areas and these are; 1. Production and Performance of Art and Culture. 2. Promoting and Marketing of Arts and Culture 3. Safeguarding and Transmission of Arts and Culture 4. Governance and capacity building of Cultural Institution The first Policy outcome of the National Cultural Policy 2022-2032 is to continue to encourage our people to practice their culture festival, exhibitions, shows and other mediums. The second focus outcome area Promotion, Marketing of Arts and Culture provide the pathway for the development of the Cultural and Creative Industries by applying the Government’s agenda of developing the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. This policy area addresses how best Papua New Guinea’s arts and culture can be promoted and marketed and create specific market for the sale of our art and cultural products. The PNG Contemporary Art exhibition was domain for a very long time here in Papua New Guinea. It has been a long hassle for these street artists for many years to understand the mandate of NCC and how we could make it possible for them to have a fair economical share in their artistic creations. The National Contemporary Arts Exhibition is the way forward to address this long-standing issue and provide a conducive viable, attractive and marketable platform to promote and our market our fine artist locally and internationally. At the same time given the advancement of technological innovations have provided other important virtual spaces and market opportunities. This evening, ladies and gentlemen, this Contemporary Art Exhibition is virtually online on a space known as Creative Hub. This was a partnership between the National Cultural Commission and Artech PNG. I extend my gratitude to Dr Philemon Yalamu for your state-of-the-art ability. The Online Database is virtual in the sense of archival information sharing, cultural knowledge and contemporary heritage. Linking all artists with their profile and their artwork online. That will certainly provide an added advantage for art collectors, museums, art lovers and collectors to appreciate all the Art work exhibited here. The formation of our Contemporary Heritage by Professor Ulli Beier and Georgina had enormous influence through the pre-and and post-independence and Nation Building projects. Engaging artists in projects such as parliament house, literature (Pocket Poems), Performing Arts and other architectural and public art as you may know. That’s when the National Arts School was at its peak and without much if the University’s influence and governance. Timothy Akis was the first PNG Contemporary artist that exhibited at UPNG and that influenced Mathias Kauage to make history with contemporary art. Prior to Akis, the first ever PNG Contemporary Artists of Paua New Guinea were the patients from the Laloki hospital and Georgina exhibited their works in Europe and Africa before the completion of the UPNG structural site. Georgina Beier acknowledges them as the first ever PNG Contemporary Artists in the late 1960s in a book written by Melanie Eastburn called Papua New Guinea Prints. Yes, we hold history dear to our hearts but may have no room in government vision and using a political strategy that favours them and enables us to fully function for the betterment. Ladies and Gentlemen, as Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, I now take this opportunity to declare the 2nd National Arts Exhibition open. Thank you.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 shook southeastern Taiwan on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage and no power outages. The quake had a depth of 7.3 km (4.5 miles) with its epicentre in Taitung county, a sparsely populated part of the island, the Taiwan weather bureau said. Taitung county commissioner April Yao wrote on her Facebook page the quake was "extremely strong", while the official Central News Agency showed a picture of bottles that had been shaken off their shelves in a Taitung shop. Taiwan's fire department said it had yet to receive any reports of damage. State-run utility Taipower said there was no interruption to electricity supply on Taiwan's east coast. The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook briefly in the capital Taipei. The science parks in the southern cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, home to major semiconductor factories, said there was also no impact on operations. Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999. Source: Reuters