Court cases in the West New Britain (WNB) province will now be better dealt with now that the province has a new Court House, which was officially opened in Bialla on Friday 14th April. The Bialla Court Complex, which will house both the District and the National Courts, was built with a funding cost of K9.1million. During his keynote address, Prime Minister (PM) James Marape made a verbal commitment to build the same type of facilities for other districts right across the country. “I am aware of the Judiciary's planned reforms for a three tiered Court system that will see the Court of appeals as well as the District and National Courts brought to the districts closer to the people. With that, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General Pila Niningi, will be bringing a paper to cabinet next week.” PM Marape informed the Chief Justice, Sir Gibbs Salika that he looks forward to receiving the judiciary's plans for reform and committed in principal in order to make available funding to build facilities like the Bialla Court facilities, in districts right across the country. Meanwhile, the PM went on to discourage the people of Nakanai from getting involved in law and order issues that will see them come before the courts. He stated that this will help the government spend the money saved towards improving health and education in the country. He explained that when there is an increase in unlawful activities, the government will have to use the limited financial resources available to pay for police personnel to address issues, leaving limited or no funds to go towards infrastructure development, improved health care and education services. He reiterated the same message he gave to the people of Talasea earlier that when his government came into office after the 2022 National General Election, they had five development agendas that they wanted to see improved. “The five main development agendas are economic development, infrastructure development, improved Health and Education, and Law & Order in which we need to improve." Whilst the government implements the work for infrastructure and improved health, education and economic development, the improvement of law and order is everyone's responsibility, including all levels of government and the public service. Furthermore, PM Marape also pledged to make available funding for the construction of a district hospital for Nakanai in Bialla.

The Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG) made history with a total of ten Government Departmental Head and Heads of Agencies graduate on Friday 14th April under the flagship program, Advanced Diploma of Government Leadership and Management. This included the Acting Secretary for Department of Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology, Dr. Francis Hualupmomi, Secretary of Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, Dr. Mange Matui, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PNG Research, Science and Technology Secretariat, Dr. Kulala Mulung, Director General for National Youth Development Authority, Mr. Joe Itaki, Managing Director of PNG Forest Authority, Mr. John Mosoro, and Chief Censor of the Office of Censorship, Mr. Jim Abani. Also present was the only female graduating under this program, Acting Director of Legal Training Institute, Angeline Paranda, as well as the CEO of PILAG itself, Mr. Michael Barobe. This year’s graduation will also be the last time the institution will carry the name PILAG as it will now be transformed to Somare Institute of Leadership and Governance. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PILAG, Mr. Michael Barobe, whilst speaking at the occasion stated that PILAG’s business of providing quality public sector workforce development program is well aligned to the development plan of the country. Therefore, training these public servants is crucial for the workforce. “We have a high success rate of public servants training and in every year it gradually increases.” Barobe stressed that they plan on ensuring that PNG public servants are systematically trained and appointed on public sector. Meanwhile, Barobe thanked the sponsors and partners of whom have been working side by side with PILAG in creating leadership programs for the trainees. In addition to this special occasion, Public Service Minister, Joe Sungi also congratulated and commended the graduates from both the public and private sector for a job well done in pursuing to further their studies at PILAG. Whilst commending them for their efforts, Sungi also highlighted some of the issues of a public sector and the importance of the value behind going for further studies especially at PILAG. “There are some big areas in which I found lacking in the public sector and for one is that most of us in the leadership and management role are not spending time with our subordinates” “Your job as a public servant is to groom up the next person who will take over from you. The position you have now will not be yours forever.” Sungi challenged the graduates to always be committed and to be competent in what they do in order to perform well what is required of them. “Learn what you have to offer so that when you go back to the organization that you work for, you can put it to good use.” Meanwhile, the theme for this year’s 5th graduation was “Training Champions with Purpose and Integrity.” A total of 388 graduates from last year’s batch flew in from around the country to attain their certificates, diplomas and PHDs.

After announcing in December that she has a rare neurological disorder that affects her singing, Celine Dion is debuting new music. On Thursday, a post on the singer’s legacy verified Instagram account shared the news that Dion’s single, “Love Again,” is now out. It’s the title track to the forthcoming film of the same name starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan. “Mark your calendars, on May 5, the movie hits theatres and on May 12, the full album, featuring 5 new Celine songs, will be available,” the caption on the video reads. The lyric video features scenes from the movie in which Dion makes her film acting debut. She revealed just months ago that she is living with stiff-person syndrome, which affects “something like one in a million people,” Dion said at the time. “While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” she said in an emotional social media post. “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.” Stiff-person syndrome is “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The Grammy winner canceled her planned summer 2023 concerts and rescheduled others for next year. Source: CNN News

Fantasy freaks and noble nerds unite. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday that the ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Harry Potter’ franchises will take on new life at the studio’s newly minted streaming service Max. For those who are eager to soar back into the wizarding world of ‘Harry Potter,’ buckle up because the franchise is coming to Max in the form of a scripted television series. (CNN and Max are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) The series will be a “faithful adaptation” of the beloved “Harry Potter” books by author J.K. Rowling, who will also serve as an executive producer on the project, according to a news release. Rowling’s “Potter” books were published between 1997 and 2007. The television series will feature a cast of fresh new faces to take on the roles made famous in the “Potter” films by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. The series is expected to run for an unprecedented 10 years with the promise that each season “will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core.” [caption id="attachment_38796" align="alignnone" width="788"] (From left) Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington in Season 8 of 'Game of Thrones.'\[/caption] Over in Westeros, Max will launch a second prequel series in the “Game of Thrones” universe, titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Unit” based on author George R.R. Martin’s 2013 “Dunk and Egg” novellas. The prequel is set a century before the events of the original “Game of Thrones,” which ran from 2011 to 2019, and will center on the wanderings of “two unlikely heroes,” Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, according to a news release. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends,” the release said. The announcement for a new “Thrones” prequel comes after “House of the Dragon” debuted in 2022. “Dragon” is also a prequel series, based on the Targaryen civil war and set nearly 200 years prior to “Game of Thrones.” It’s based on Martin’s “Fire & Blood” book from 2018. Release dates for both new series have not yet been announced. Source: CNN News

City Pharmacy Limited (CPL) Group officially opened their second City Pharmacy branch in Kimbe, West New Britain Province. The new branch, located at Hamamas Plaza now complements their existing City Pharmacy branch in the Kimbe Township, offering more availability and access for customers. The opening of Kimbe 2 further strengthens City Pharmacy’s commitment to providing quality and affordable healthcare and wellbeing retail services to the people of West New Britain, and Papua New Guinea. City Phamacy Kimbe 2 was officially opened with a traditional singsing group, led by CPL Chief Executive Officer, Navin Raju, West New Britain Governor, Sasindran Muthuvel and WNB Provincial Health Authority CEO, Dr. Joseph Nali as well as CPL staff. CEO of CPL, Navin Raju said that CPL Group is a publicly listed Papua New Guinean company and to open their second shop in Kimbe is really to provide quality and accessible health and beauty services. “We’re happy to be here as we are now also looking at opportunities with local SME’s and farmers, and we can buy and sell your popular West New Britain Taro in our supermarket, Stop & Shop, in Port Moresby. It just takes a bit of partnership and work, and we’ll get there”. In addition, Governor Muthuvel expressed what a great pleasure it was to welcome the further investment that City Pharmacy has made in the province. “We are thankful for the confidence CPL Group has to place a second shop in our town.” “We also have a big opportunity with our Nakanai and Talasea Taro in Port Moresby, so let’s all work together for the benefit of our people in the opportunities we have with CPL.” The opening of City Pharmacy Kimbe 2 now brings the total number of branches in the New Guinea Islands (NGI) region to seven, with two being in Kimbe, and one each in Lorengau, Kavieng, Kokopo, Lihir and Buka. Customers will also be eligible to sign up and use Real Rewards Plus, the customer loyalty program at the new Pharmacy. City Pharmacy has over 30 pharmacies across the country, strengthening the company’s vision to help Papua New Guineans live better and healthier lives.  

The National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has signed a Sponsorship Agreement with the Ipatas Cup by way of exposing raw talents through the biggest off-season rugby league tournament in the country. The signing of the Sponsorship Agreement stiffens NGCB’s commitment to uphold the pledge of K500, 000 per annum for four years, made by the Minister responsible for NGCB, Manasseh Makiba. Minister Makiba made the pledge on the 05th of March of this year at the Lae Rugby League Oval in Morobe Province during the 2022/2023 grand final between the Homel and Saints of Western Highlands and Morobe Prides. During the Agreement signing, Minister Makiba stressed on the importance of sports and the positive social impact it brings to the livelihood of people. “On behalf of the government and the Prime Minister James Marape as well as the NGCB, I am pleased to sign this Sponsorship Agreement that will pave the way forward for our youths to expose their raw talents in the off-season rugby league tournament.” “The NGCB is proud to support Ipatas Cup and we will be the naming rights sponsor to the competition – NGCB Ipatas Cup starting this year. Thus, the NGCB is proud to announce a sponsorship of K2 million, which will be paid in installments of K500, 000 per year for a sponsorship period of four years.” Minister Makiba expressed his excitement in supporting the Ipatas Cup as something they have seen and witnessed the impact rugby league brings to the lives of people, especially to youths and athletes. The Ipatas Cup competition mainly targets the youths and the unemployed men in rural and suburban areas to involve them in training and play rugby league, so that their talents can be identified, and the players can be selected by the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup Franchises.

The Government has set aside a five day official State Funeral program for Former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and East New Britain politician, Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu who passed on in March, 2023. The program begins tomorrow 13th April for the East New Britain leg and ends on Tuesday 18th of April in Port Moresby for the burial. East New Britain Province will receive the former PM's casket tomorrow on a chartered flight from Port Moresby for a Public Funeral Service to be held at Raluana United Church. The casket will then overnight at Raluana village, the home of late Sir Rabbie's for the last time. On day two (2), Friday, a Public Farewell will be held at the Kalabond Oval before the casket is  transported to the East New Britain Provincial Assembly House to Lay in State. At 12pm on Friday, the casket is transported to Tokua Airport ending the ENB leg of the program for repatriation back to Port Moresby to overnight at the Erima Funeral Home until Sunday. A National Haus Krai will begin the Port Moresby program at the Sir John Guise Stadium on day three (Suday) where invited guests, dignitaries and the public will attend to pay their respect including a Keynote Address from the Prime Minister, James Marape. The casket is then transported from the Funeral Home to the National Parliament on day four (4), Monday 17th April, where the casket will Lay in State at the Grand Hall for all Members of Parliament to pay their respects before being departed back to the Funeral Home. The fifth and final day of the program (Tuesday 18th April)  will be the official Church Funeral Service and Burial. The Church Service is set to take place at the APEC Haus. The service will include a Eulogy to be read by Former Member for Lae, Mr. Bart Philemon and Sir Charles Lepani as well as a Family Tribute by Isaac Namaliu and Rabbie Namaliu Jr. The program will conclude at the Independence Hill for the burial to take place. A keynote address will be made by Prime Minister James Marape before a Final Dedication takes place. The Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu will be finally laid to rest, closing the 5 day program with a 21-gun salute.

CPL Group through their Supermarket brand, Stop & Shop, is pleased to launch the Roots Festival for 2023 for another year running and with that is proud of the partnerships they create, especially with their local SME’s and farmer networks across the country. The festival is a celebration of their farmers that supply local produce, especially root crops such as kaukau (Sweet Potato), Taro, Yam, Radishes, Carrots and many others, to their Stop & Shop supermarkets in Port Moresby. CPL Group Chief Executive Officer, Navin Raju stated that as PNG’s leading retailer, CPL is proud to have a business model that is rooted deeply in partnerships. “This partnership has resulted in over a thousand farmers in our network who maintain a consistent supply of fresh produce from soil to shelf, and that is why we celebrate them in our Roots Festival.” The festival was officially opened by CPL Staff from their Special Projects and Produce teams, with farmers Gerard Arua and Max Bauai, who travelled in from around the Central Province. During the week of festivities, customers can expect fantastic displays of root crops in the produce sections of Stop & Shop, food sampling and even meet and interact with the farmers who will highlight their crops this Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th of April at Stop & Shop Waigani Central. The Roots Festival 2023 will run from Tuesday 11th to Sunday 16th April in Port Moresby. In addition, CPL will feature some of their amazing farmers and celebrate their stories during the week which will be showcased during this week. Stop & Shop operates eight supermarkets across Port Moresby, located at Badili, Downtown, Harbour City, Waigani Central, North Waigani, Rainbow, Boroko and Airways, 7 Mile.

A Sponsorship Agreement has been signed between National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) and Bougainville Pro-Boxing to enhance the partnership going forward. NGCB is proud to announce its partnership to develop the sport in Bougainville as well as driving important messages and awareness to the communities through sports, particularly the code of boxing. In the Agreement, the NGCB will provide a sponsorship of K1.6 million for a period of four years to the Bougainville Pro-Boxing to develop the code, which will be paid in instalments of K400, 000 per year. During the Agreement signing, Minister responsible for NGCB and Minister for Bougainville Affairs, Manasseh Makiba, said the sponsorship from NGCB is a show of unity and it is the way forward for a sustainable and prosperous future for Bougainville in the sport of boxing. “The government through NGCB is proud to sign this Sponsorship Agreement because we believe that the code of boxing is not only regarded as a sport in Bougainville but also as a platform to advocate for peace as a culture for prosperity.” “The NGCB is devoted to honour its commitment of K400,000 per year for four years, which we believe will bear a direct impact to the education and medical services, with the potential as a cornerstone for societal mindset shifts to peace and prosperity.” Makiba said on behalf of the Prime Minister, James Marape and the NGCB, he is pleased to have signed this Agreement with the Bougainville Pro Boxing. The Bougainville Pro Boxing inaugural theme for this year is ‘Peace for Prosperity’ and the Patron himself who is Regional Member for Bougainville and Minister for Internal Security, Peter Tsiamalili Jr., is a long-time advocate and architect in the construct of sport as a unifying tool. Furthermore, the funding assistance from NGCB will back all the programs and events of boxing both internationally and locally for the boxers of Bougainville.

A pair of best friends from Texas are proving that adventure doesn’t have an age limit – even when you’re 81. Ellie Hamby, a documentary photographer, and Sandy Hazelip, a physician and lecturer, toured the world in 80 days, adventuring from the beaches of Bali to the deserts of Egypt. The octogenarian grandmothers started their ambitious adventure on January 11, according to the blog the two have used to document their travels. Their first stop was a location that eludes even many seasoned travelers: Antarctica. Getting to the southernmost continent first required crossing the Drake Passage, the notoriously rough waters between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands. “For almost two days, we were a rocking and rolling and a slipping and sliding through the Drake Passage and we were holding on for dear life,” Hamby said in an interview with CNN. “It was just wild.” “But when we stepped foot on the ground on the Antarctic, you forgot all of that,” she recalled. “The beauty of the Antarctic is just unbelievable to see the penguins and the icebergs and the glaciers – just, this was amazing.” Since that first venture, the pair have visited 18 countries across all seven continents, often while clad in matching T-shirts. They’ve also accrued a loving social media following who track the “traveling grannies” on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Hazelip told CNN that she met Hamby after her husband died in 1999. Before his death, he “planted the seed in my heart that we should start taking our grandsons on mission trips in the summer,” she said. This led her to the Zambia Medical Mission, a project run by Hamby and her husband in southern Africa. The two bonded over their shared interest in travel and commitment to prioritizing unique experiences over comfort and amenities while abroad. Both became closer as widows after Hamby’s husband died in 2005. Hazelip says the idea for their trip originated a few years before they were each set to turn 80. “I just got the idea because we had traveled previously together internationally,” she said. “And so about four years before we were going to turn 80, I mentioned to her one day, ‘Ellie, wouldn’t it be fun to go around the world in 80 days at age 80?’” On their website, Hamby and Hazelip say they dedicated the trip to their late husbands, Kelly and Don. “We miss you and wish you were joining our adventure,” they write. Originally, the two planned to disembark in 2022 when they were 80 years old. “And COVID shut those plans down,” Hazelip went on. “But COVID didn’t shut us down. So we went this year, and our theme was, ‘At 81 and still on the run.’” Over the past three months, the pair have ridden camels in Egypt, met elephants in Bali, danced in Nepal, and observed the Northern Lights in Finland. And despite the challenges international travel presents, the best friends say they finished their trip without any arguments. “We’re both independent, very stubborn. But we seem to allow each other to give space,” said Hamby. “We just understand each other and we know this is a good thing we’re doing and we kind of respect each other’s feelings.” For Hamby, the highlight of the trip was the people they met along the way. “We love all the sights that we saw, but the things that we remember the most are the people that we met,” she said. “We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people in the world. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly.” “We always say when we started this, we did not plan a vacation,” she added. “We planned an adventure. And every single day was an adventure.” Although Hamby and Hazelip have finished their worldly quest and returned home to Texas, the two are already planning for their next trip, they told CNN. And they shared a crucial piece of advice for any travelers worried about the language barrier on their own adventures. “You know, people ask us often about the language, how we manage it,” said Hamby. “We say with Sandy and Ellie, there’s one language and that’s a smile. And we found that worked wonders because we were often aware that there was not English spoken. But a smile covers all languages.” They also encouraged other older travelers to not let age hold them back. Aside from some small concessions – like deciding not to ride a motorbike in Bali because of concerns about falling – they said their age didn’t affect their itinerary abroad. They said felt confident that if they were injured on their trip, their children “would have been at peace knowing that we were doing what we absolutely wanted,” said Hazelip. Hazelip described 81 as “the perfect age” to embark on their trip. “Getting older does give you a little bit of wisdom of making decisions,” she said. “And so that’s the fun part. I think at this age I appreciate so much [of] the beauty and I can really just soak it in. And for me, this was the perfect age to go. I’m so thankful.” Source: CNN News

A university lecturer believes artificial intelligence has the potential to personalise learning and provide students with in-depth feedback. AI-driven technology has been on the rise with open access tools such as ChatGPT, allowing people to ask the bot any question. Students have been able to use the technology to help them write assignments, with some universities introducing ways to detect bot-written work. Alex Sims, an associate professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland, said there are benefits that can come from AI tech within the classroom. "It can give much more individualised feedback; it can take a lot of time to give feedback with 300 assignments to mark. "What we have to do is give students a list of common mistakes, but the students don't think they've made those mistakes." Sims said academics have been able to use AI to tailor far richer comments for the students. Many assignments tend to test students' writing ability rather than how well they know the subject. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="788"] Associate Professor Alex Sims. Photo: Supplied[/caption]   Sims said assessments will start to see redesigns in the future moving away from essay writing which in the end will level the field for students. "I've taught students that have had dyslexia or English as a second language who know the answer but have trouble communicating getting lower marks. "Compared to someone else that doesn't know the content but can write it well, but now we have tools that can write even better than people." There have been courses implementing ChatGPT having students critique the answer given by bots, fact-checking the information. Sims said there are already academics embracing AI, but there will be many that are going to find the change difficult. "For a number of others it's very challenging, what they've learned all their lives has all changed which will be difficult." The plagiarism software Turnitin has now begun updating the tool with the ability to start checking work for AI-generated content. The tool is used across all universities in New Zealand, but academics are sceptical on how accurate it will be. Source: rnz.com

 “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” powered up at the box office with an impressive opening. The movie ran up the score with more than $200 million in the US and Canada for its five-day opening run, according to a news release, and an estimated $377 million worldwide – the latter topping the box office launch record for an animated movie, previously held by “Frozen 2.” It marks the biggest global box office opening of the year, with “Super Mario Bros.” standing ahead of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which brought in the $225.3 million during its February opening. The movie is based on the world of Nintendo’s classic 1985 “Super Mario” video games and stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. [caption id="attachment_38635" align="alignnone" width="788"] Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor Joy, in 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie.'[/caption] Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson and Sebastian Maniscalco round out the cast. Actor Charles Martinet, Mario’s longtime official voice in the games – who many gamer purists felt should have been cast as the titular character instead of Pratt – makes a special appearance in the movie. “Super Mario Bros.” follows Brooklyn plumbers Mario and Luigi as they’re transported down a mysterious pipe while working underground to fix a water main. The brothers wander into a “magical new world” and when they’re separated, “Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi,” according to a synopsis on the movie’s website. The solid opening is a healthy sign for movie theaters headed into the summer box office season, with the next “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie, also starring Pratt, kicking off in May. Source: CNN News