Dede Sophie

 Santos PNG Orchids coach Ben Jeffries confirms his 20-player PNG Prime Minister’s XIII Women’s squad will 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. Elsie Albert is unavailable for the match, due to NRLW semi-final commitments with St George Illawarra Dragons, but Orchid number 20, Gloria Kaupa, will captain the side. Jeffries says this is a valuable opportunity 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. Nine players will be making their first international appearance in PNG colours on Sunday, so they are seeing a new era of Orchids come through.  Coach Jefferies says this will be their toughest career test to date, playing against stars of State of Origin, the Australian Jillaroos and other

A new Chinese electric car has gone on sale in Ireland with a name that will certainly cause instances of “a what?” response when owners mention their new motor, writes Brian Byrne. The Funky Cat is built by Ora, an electric cars subsidiary of Great Wall Motors and is being distributed here by the IM Group. There are currently dealers in Dublin, Cork and Galway — the Linders Group, Blackwater Motor Group, and Connolly Motors respectively. Available with two range options, the model prices start at €31,995 after subsidies for the 300 PRO 48kWh version with a rated range of 310km. A 400 PRO+ version has a rated range of 420km from its 63kWh battery and costs €39,995. A 5-year unlimited mileage warranty is standard, and the battery is warranted for eight years or 160,000km. The styling is retro in places, especially the front end which has a deliberately soft look to keep with the marketing emphasis on the Funky Cat being a ‘companion’ and ‘friend’ for its owner. In size, while the stylin