Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) welcomes the appropriation of K50 million to commence work at Central Provincial Hospital. PMGH is currently overburdened by patients from the National Capital District (NCD), Central and Gulf Provinces as well as referrals from outside Port Moresby. Patients lining up in cues to receive healthcare services are always a concern at PMGH. Once the Central Hospital is completed, PMGH will be able to offload 300 of its current 1, 200 beds, reduce the loads at the maternity section, Emergency Department and many other sections of the hospital. The National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA), National Capital District Commission (NCDC) and the Government of Papua New Guinea also need to start work on the NCDPHA Level 5 hospital to offload another 300 beds. Offloading of primary and secondary care will allow PMGH to deliver its tertiary health care as mandated under the National Health Plan (NHP) 2021-2030. Quality specialized health care can be provided to the people of PNG with a manageable bed number of 600-700. Source: Port Moresby General Hospital

A Manhattan jury has found two Trump Organization companies guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records connected to a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by failing to report and pay taxes on compensation for top executives. The Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp. were found guilty on all charges they faced. Donald Trump and his family were not charged in this case, but the former president was mentioned repeatedly during the trial by prosecutors about his connection to the benefits doled out to certain executives, including company-funded apartments, car leases and personal expenses. The Trump Organization could face a maximum of $1.61 million in fines when sentenced in mid-January. The company is not at risk of being dismantled because there is no mechanism under New York law that would dissolve the company. However, a felony conviction could impact its ability to do business or obtain loans or contracts. The guilty verdict comes as Trump is under scrutiny by federal and state prosecutors for his handling of classified documents, the effort to overturn the 2020 election results, and the accuracy of the Trump Organization’s business records and financial statements. He is also facing a $250 million civil lawsuit from the New York attorney general alleging he and his adult children were involved in a decade long fraud. The attorney general is seeking to permanently bar them from serving as an officer or director of a company in New York state, among other penalties. Trump Org. attorneys said they plan to appeal. “This was a case about greed and cheating,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “The Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level executives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities to avoid paying taxes. Today’s verdict holds these Trump companies accountable for their long-running criminal scheme.” CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig said Bragg’s approach has been vindicated. “Obviously, this is a setback for the Trump Org. – a major setback for the Trump Org. They’ve now been found guilty of criminal conduct, criminal tax fraud,” Honig told CNN’s Victor Blackwell on “Newsroom.” “It’s also a victory of sorts for the Manhattan district attorney,” Honig said. “Their theory, now, that part of the income for employees, including Allen Weisselberg, was paid through fringe benefits in order to avoid tax liability – that theory has been vindicated.” Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury in closing arguments that Trump “explicitly sanctioned” tax fraud and urged them to reject the defense’s argument that former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was a rogue employee motivated by his own personal greed. “This whole narrative that Donald Trump is blissfully ignorant is just not true,” Steinglass said. The jury heard that Trump agreed on a whim to pay the private school tuition for his Weisselberg’s grandchildren and signed a lease for a Manhattan apartment to shorten the executive’s commute. Trump personally signed his employees’ bonus checks at Christmas time and he initialed a memo reducing the salary of another top executives, which prosecutors said suggested he knew all along about the fraudulent scheme. Prosecutors alleged for years top executives reduced their reported salaries by the amount of company-issued fringe benefits to avoid paying the required taxes. Weisselberg, who is on paid leave from the company, spent three days on the witness stand. He pleaded guilty to 15 felonies for failing to pay taxes on $1.76 million in income. As part of his plea deal, he will be sentenced to five months in jail if the judge finds that he testified truthfully. Trump Org. attorney Susan Necheles pledged to appeal, laying all the blame for any wrongdoing on Weisselberg. “Why would a corporation whose owner knew nothing about Weisselberg’s personal tax returns be criminally prosecuted for Allen Weisselberg’s personal conduct, for which they had no visibility or oversight? This case was unprecedented and legally incorrect,” Necheles said in a statement. “We will appeal this verdict.” Weisselberg’s key testimony In his testimony Weisselberg admitted he should have paid taxes on compensation, totaling roughly $200,000 in one year, which included a luxury Manhattan apartment overlooking the Hudson River, two Mercedes Benz car leases, parking, utilities, furniture and private school tuition for his grandchildren. He also testified that he paid himself and other executives’ bonuses as though they were independent consultants – enabling the Trump companies to evade paying taxes on them. Weisselberg testified that he pulled off the scheme with the help of his underling, Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney. McConney, who received immunity for testifying before the grand jury, admitted to some of the illegal conduct in his testimony. After Trump was elected president, Weisselberg testified, there was a “clean up” and many of the illegal practices stopped. He revealed conversations he had with Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., but told the jury when questioned by the Trump attorneys that he did not scheme or conspire with anybody in the Trump family. Weisselberg became emotional at times, telling the jury he was “embarrassed” by his conduct and that he “betrayed” the Trump family, who has been his employer for 49 years. Prosecutors and defense attorneys called out Weisselberg’s split loyalties – wanting to live up to his plea deal and serve a lower jail sentence and his loyalty to the Trump family, who could pay him $1 million in compensation this year. ‘In behalf of’ To prove the company’s guilt, prosecutors needed to demonstrate that Weisselberg or McConney was a “high managerial agent” who committed the crimes in the scope of his employment and “in behalf of” the company. Prosecutors and defense lawyers went in circles arguing over what “in behalf of” meant. Judge Juan Merchan also struggled over how to explain the phrase to the jury and turned to two legal treaties to fashion a definition. The judge explained it to the jury, saying, “Under the definition of ‘in behalf of,’ it is not necessary that the criminal acts actually benefit the corporation. But an agent’s acts are not ‘in behalf of’ a corporation if they were undertaken solely to advance the agents own interest. Put another way, if the agent’s acts were taken merely for personal gain, they were not ‘in behalf of’ the corporation.” Alan Futerfas, an attorney for the Trump Payroll Corporation, told reporters following the verdict the conclusion was incorrect. “A novel and really interesting issue developed during the trial. Obviously, the definition of ‘in behalf of’ – what that means. And we filed a lot of papers, the defense team, about what those words mean,” Futerfas said. “The judge recognized there was not a lot of definition on that at all and surely that will be one of the arguments we will make.” Weisselberg walked a fine line in his testimony, telling the jury he never wanted to hurt the company, he was driven by greed and mainly wanted to pay less in taxes. But, he also said, he knew at the time the company would benefit to some degree from his schemes. In his testimony Weisselberg said, “It was a benefit to the company but primarily it was due to my greed.” He told the jury that the company saved money by paying less taxes on his off-the-books compensation and acknowledged when asked by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger if, while his primary goal was to avoid taxes, it also created a benefit to the company. “To some degree, yes,” Weisselberg testified. Weisselberg said he and McConney knew at the time that the company would pay less payroll taxes through the scheme although he said they never discussed it explicitly. The Trump attorneys argued, repeatedly, to the jury that “Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg” to emphasize that he was motivated solely by his personal greed. On cross examination, Weisselberg agreed that the decision to not pay taxes was his and made solely to benefit himself. “That was my intent,” Weisselberg said when questioned by the Trump attorneys, “to benefit myself.” The lawyers for the Trump entities called just one fact witness, the real estate companies’ long-time accountant Donald Bender from Mazars USA, which dropped Trump as a client earlier this year. Trump attorneys said Bender was either aware of the off-the-books compensation or should have caught the tax fraud and they accused him of lying on the stand. When questioned by prosecutors Bender testified that he trusted and relied on Weisselberg, who testified that he hid the illegal scheme. Steinglass, the prosecutor, told the jury the Trump companies were guilty, and the illegal scheme was concocted “so the employees can get more net pay while costing the Trump Corporation less. It’s a win-win – unless you’re the tax authorities.” Source: CNN News

67 government officers from the East New Britain Provincial Government (ENBPG) are now certified Training of Trainers (TOT) under the Center for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI). The officers from Kokopo, Gazelle and Rabaul districts graduated yesterday afternoon after undergoing a three weeks-long training in Kokopo. The participants covered two modules Savings and Budgeting. The training was facilitated by CEFI principal trainer Jill Pijui while representatives from CEFI Special Project Manager Jeremiah Wenogo were present to witnessed the graduation and present the certificates. Doing the welcome remarks yesterday for the official opening of the program Advisor of the division of Commerce Rosemary Murure said that upon the ENBPG expression of interest in financial literacy as a fundamental skills capacity in financial education for the average people in communities, the PEC passed a policy in May 2021, for ENBPA to participate in the roll out of Financial Inclusion Services in the province in collaboration with finance institutions. Mrs Murure said the training is the first so far in the province following the signing of MOU between the ENBPG and CEFI last year. On behalf of the provincial government she said they are thankful that finally the province got CEFI onboard as one of the development pathway in the province which the ENB Financial Inclusive Policy is currently rolled out with anticipated total commitment and participation from the four districts and the 18 LLG administrations. “If ENB is talking about ward focus development than financial inclusion is a basic financial management tool for our ordinary people in the villages” she said. Mrs Murure added that if the province is talking about growing the local economy and this program is important so that families are equip with skills on how to manage their finance. She congratulates the participants and challenged them to go back to their own wards and run similar financial literacy training to people at the ward. Mr Wenogo explained that the training is not another normal training but it is derived from a national government policy and one of the key strategy is that CEFI has to deliver is the financial literacy training. The financial literacy training is one of the major activities among other activities CEFI is rolling out and urged all to make use of the skills and knowledge to others and in their wards.

The National Superannuation Fund (nasfund) this week engaged with its membership representatives at the 16th PNG Mining & Petroleum Investment Conference. Nasfund Chief Executive Officer Ian Tarutia led the Fund delegation to this event, which brought together organizations from across the Resource & Energy sector in Papua New Guinea. “The 16th PNG Mining & Petroleum Investment Conference & Exhibition provided an opportunity to engage once again with industry organizations, most of whom are our contributing employers on behalf of their staff. The event also provided a venue for Prime Minister Marape and key Ministers for Investment & Trade, Mining and Petroleum to outline Governments policy and support for the mining and petroleum sector. Through the theme “PNG Resources: Securing the Next Wave of Responsible Investment” the Fund was fortunate to meet with Industry leaders to understand the current state of play as well as changing dynamics of this critically important economic sector. It was pleasing to note that activities in the industry are slowly picking up, in anticipation of the commencement of operations for several projects. As the leading superannuation provider in PNG, nasfund stands ready to support the resource & energy industries to provide retirement savings services to our membership, both present and future. This event also allowed the Fund to gauge the level of interest in investing in PNG, which allows us to consider investment opportunities, which can provide long-term returns for members. We would like to commend the PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum for facilitating this event.

Nambawan Super officially opened its recently relocated Daru Branch today, as part of its continued focus on improving Member access to superannuation services in rural centers around the Country. The Branch was opened yesterday, by Nambawan Super Member representatives including Nurses, Police and Teachers, alongside Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) CEO, Mr. Paul Sayer. The Branch is now conveniently located in the Callan Services Resource Centre, Daru. Mr. Sayer advised that, “the Nambawan Super Daru Branch is now within walking distance to local schools, Government offices, key state institutions and several other businesses which employ many of our Members in Daru”. “The relocation exercise and opening of this Branch is part of the Nambawan Super strategy to bring services closer to our Members’ doorsteps.” “The Branch has also been upgraded to improve on Members’ experience and ensure our staff have everything they need to deliver quality services. It will have the same welcoming look and feel that is now the standard for all our Branches Countrywide, to ensure that our Members receive the same level of services wherever they are”. “The Branch is able to accommodate up to 15 Members with 3 counters attended by our Member Service Officers; 1 self service counter for ease of access; and 1 comfortable meeting room that provides privacy for Members when discussing their superannuation benefits and retirement savings with us.” “The Branch is also fully air-conditioned, has improved staff and Member amenities, and it utilises a backup genset for the best Member experience for our over 3000 plus Members that live and work in Daru and the wider South Fly District within Western Province”, he added. Nambawan Super has 22 offices across the Country which play an integral role in bringing valuable superannuation services to Members in both rural and urban settings “Western Province is a significant contributor to the economy of Papua New Guinea, and Daru has a high potential for growth. We aim to continue supporting the people of Daru and Western Province by accessing our valuable superannuation products and services”, Mr. Sayer noted. “The Fund works hard through its investments to generate strong returns on Members’ savings so that the money they save today, grows over the long-term to help Members achieve their best retirement outcomes”, he concluded.

Eight communities in Torokina District, located in a remote part of South Bougainville - without road access to major centres - have benefitted from small community projects valued at over K270,000 funded through the Australian government’s Bougainville Community Grants Scheme. The people of Ukoto ward built two poultry sheds, fully equipped with drinkers, feeders, lamps and stock feed which has increased economic activity in the area and will provide opportunities for investment in other income generation activities. Torokina district’s six wards had their sports facilities improved including upgrades to six soccer fields, purchase of sports equipment and training courses in sports administration and refereeing for sports personnel. These developments will support community cohesion in the wards. And in Laruma ward, a water and sanitation system was installed counting twenty water tanks that have improved access to clean drinking water for the estimated 500-plus community members as well as the construction of toilets which provide better sanitation for the community. President of Laruma Women’s Group, Lynette Variatsi said: “Long makim maus bilong ol mama, mi tok bikpela tok tenkyu tru igo long Australia gavman long bringim twenty-pla wara tenk na tripela VIP toilet ikam insait long Laruma komuniti. Em i pes taim mipela kisim kain project na dispela i bringim planti bikpela senis tru ikamap.” [On behalf of the mothers, I would like to convey our gratitude to the Australian government for bringing twenty water tanks and three VIP toilets into Laruma community. This is the first time we have received such a project which has brought about many big changes]. “Mipela mama i amamas tru bikos em i daunim hevi bilong wokabaut longpela distens tru long painim gutpela wara. Taim mipela kisim dispela ol services, mipela lukim olsem sik dairea where ibin planti tru bipo na i afektim tru planti pikinini, i ipinis nau.” [We, the mothers, are very happy because these facilities have eased the burden of having to walk long distances to look for good drinking water. Since receiving these services, we have seen a reduction in diseases such as diarrhoea which was affecting many of our children.] The two wards and the district sports association are among 60 successful community groups who were awarded funding from the Bougainville Community Grants Scheme. Australian First Secretary for Bougainville Development, Dr. Anthony Mason, who attended the launch of these projects said, “the grants are part of Australia’s long-term commitment to help Bougainville communities establish projects that will support economic development and improve the health and general wellbeing of women, men and youth”. The grant scheme is administered by the Bougainville Partnership, on behalf of the Australian Government, in partnership with the ABG’s Department of Community Development. Applications for the grants are open until 15 August 2023. For further information contact District Offices or the Bougainville Partnership offices in Buka or Arawa.

Minister for Education Jimmy Uguro, MP has thanked the staff of the Ministry of Education for a successful 2022 academic year despite many challenges and difficulties. The Ministry of Education is made up of the Teaching Service Commission, the Office of Libraries and Archives and the Department of Education. “Despite the many challenges and difficulties experienced, including being locked out of your office due to rental issues, you all have performed well our core functions, roles and responsibilities as expected." "Because of your commitment, hard work and perseverance, we have successfully implemented a number of our policies and programs and also achieved a number of our targets including the presentation of the 2021 Annual Report for the Department to the Parliament on Wednesday, November 30. I sincerely thank you all.” Minister Uguro also thanked the Government for the funding allocated to implement education programs and policies in 2022. “I also thank the Marape/Rosso Government for its unwavering commitment and support to the education sector by fully funding the tuition fees and project fees for this year." "I have instructed the Department not to release funds for the project fees this year because the academic year closes in a few days’ time. I have also asked the Department to liaise with the banks to close all school bank accounts when schools close for the holidays and open them again when the academic year opens in 2023.” The Minister also thanked all the teachers, students and parents for their support throughout the year and added that he looked forward to their continued support in 2023. “I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy new year."

Fake News! The New Ireland Government and its people have slammed the constant fake news and rumors of the passing of its leader and Governor Sir Julius Chan. Acting Governor Sammy Missen said this time the New Ireland Government will take action against individuals who have without restraint or any moral compass gone out of their way to spread rumors through social media. “We will collect all numbers and Facebook profiles that have contributed to the unwarranted anxiety to the general public and Sir J’s family, and they will face thefull force of the law under the cyber-crimes act,” said Sammy Missen. The Deputy Governor confirmed that Sir J is alive and well and is currently recovering from an operation undertaken in Brisbane, Australia. “If there is any real news it will come from Sir J’s family and then from his official office. So all you rumor mongers just shut up and respect the founder of our Nation. You rats can’t seem to win at the polls so you revert to character assignations! ” said Missen.

Morocco continued its stunning run at Qatar 2022, beating Spain on penalties to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in its history. Spain missed all three of its spot kicks as Moroccan goalkeeper Bono made himself the hero of the shootout, saving efforts from Sergio Busquets and Carlos Soler, while Pablo Sarabia hit the post. Achraf Hakimi, who was born in Spain, buried the winning penalty with the cheekiest of Panenkas, chipping the ball gently into the middle of the goal to send the thousands of Moroccan fans inside Education Stadium into dreamland. Defeat for Spain continues its wretched World Cup record since lifting the trophy in 2010, with La Roja managing just three tournament wins – against Australia, Iran and Costa Rica – in the three editions since that triumph. Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Spain coach Luis Enrique said that he had given his players “homework” a year ago to practice 1,000 penalties at their clubs, but when the heat of the moment arrived, Busquets, Soler and Sarabia cracked under the pressure. [caption id="attachment_31878" align="alignnone" width="906"] Achraf Hakimi's cheeky penalty sealed Morocco's place in the quarterfinal.[/caption] Not so Hakimi, whose nerveless dink sparked wild scenes on the pitch as the Paris Saint-Germain full-back was mobbed by his teammate and coaching staff, who celebrated Morocco becoming the first Arab nation to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. This Morocco team has been a revelation this tournament, defending valiantly and attacking with verve and fans of the North African national team will rightly feel confident of getting past either Switzerland or Portugal in the next round to create yet more history. Spain stutters Spain produced arguably the most eye-catching result of the opening round of fixtures, dismantling Costa Rica 7-0 in an utterly dominant performance to put all the other World Cup contenders on notice. In its next two matches, however, Spain stuttered to a draw against Germany and was then shocked by Japan, eventually qualifying for the round of 16 in second place behind the Samurai Blue. Morocco, then, could be forgiven for feeling slightly aggrieved at drawing Spain in the knockout stages after qualifying comfortably top of its group. But the Atlas Lions have been without a doubt among the most impressive performers so far in Qatar and will have justifiably felt no fear at all going into this clash against La Roja. Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui had told his players before this game to “aim for the sky” and they started the match with an intensity that showed they were not going to be overawed by the occasion or their World Cup-winning opponent. [caption id="attachment_31879" align="alignnone" width="906"] Spain continued its terrible World Cup record since lifting the trophy in 2010. [/caption] Red Moroccan shirts were snapping into tackles inside 30 seconds, never allowing the Spanish players a moment’s peace on the ball. Morocco’s fans – who have been some of the best in Qatar, making each game almost feel like a home fixture – responded vociferously, roaring on every Moroccan tackle and jeering loudly every time Spain was in possession of the ball. Morocco looked like the most dangerous team inside the opening 20 minutes, too, causing Spain’s defense problems on the break, with one of those counterattacks forcing Busquets to bring down Sofiane Boufal. Hakimi, who was born in Spain to Moroccan parents, flashed the subsequent free-kick over Unai Simón’s crossbar. Perhaps Morocco’s early dominance perhaps made its players overconfident, as some casual passing out from the back resulted in a glorious chance in front of goal for Gavi, but goalkeeper Bono recovered brilliantly to tip the forward’s effort onto the crossbar without knowing the linesman’s flag had gone up for offside. It was a first warning for Morocco that any lapse in concentration could be punished at any moment by Spain’s talented front line. [caption id="attachment_31881" align="alignnone" width="906"] Achraf Hakimi was mobbed by his teammates after his winning spot kick.[/caption] Just three minutes before half time, Morocco had the best chance of the game so far. Created by wide man Boufal, who had impressive match, his cross to the far post was headed over the crossbar by Naif Aguerd, who really should have at least got his effort on target. As brilliant as Morocco had been in the first half, finishing the opening 45 minutes with a flourish, Spain had been equally as disappointing. As so often in this World Cup, Enrique’s side had enjoyed considerably more possession, but most of it had been ponderous passing 10 yards from the Moroccan penalty area. Moroccan history There would have likely been a few choice words at half time from Enrique to his players, who came out in the second period with considerably more intensity. Morocco barely had a touch of the ball in the attacking half, as the light blue Spanish shirts swarmed their opponents every time they lost possession. Though Morocco’s defense was certainly looking more stretched – Aguerd at one point put in a brilliant last-ditch tackle on Alvaro Morata inside the penalty area – for all of Spain’s possession, which reached a staggering 85% in the second half, Bono in the Moroccan goal was yet to be seriously troubled. It took until the 81st minute for Spain to conjure its first chance of note, as substitute Nico Williams’ through ball set Morata away but the forward’s flashed shot across goal was poked away by Bono’s toe with not another Spanish player anywhere near the Moroccan goal. It felt increasingly inevitable that this game was heading to extra time, but Spain did have one final chance to win it. Dani Olmo’s whipped cross into the box missed Williams’ toe by millimeters and Bono was able to punch the ball behind for a corner. In what was a predictably cagey first half of extra time, Morocco had a glorious opportunity to take the lead but substitute Walid Cheddira hit his effort straight at Simón after being put through one-on-one by Hakim Ziyech. [caption id="attachment_31890" align="alignnone" width="906"] Morocco players celebrates after the team's victory in the penalty shootout against Spain.[/caption] Bizarrely, Spain finally seemed to wake up in the dying moments of extra time, heaping pressure on the Moroccan goal until Rodri’s brilliant cross found Sarabia unmarked in the box, but the Paris Saint-Germain forward struck his volley against the far post. Sarabia was made to rue that miss as his night went from bad to worse, striking his penalty in the shootout against the post with Spain’s first effort. It was a sign of things to come for Spain, with Busquets and Soler also failing to score. Despite Badr Banoune missing his penalty for Morocco, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Ziyech and then, coolest of them all, Hakimi buried their spot kicks to book their place in Moroccan football folklore. Source: CNN.com

The outgoing Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML) Musje Werror boarded the OTML Charter one last time on the 5th December 2022 as he was farewelled at the Tabubil Airport. It was an emotional atmosphere at the Tabubil airport as employees, business partners and Tabubil residents turned up to farewell Mr. Werror. Mr. Werror embraced and said goodbye to everyone in a guard of honour which lined from the terminal to the aircraft, followed by a water cannon salute as the aircraft taxied to the runway. A dinner was held last weekend where OTML management, employees, business partners and community leaders paid tribute to Mr. Werror’s service and contribution to OTML. OTML Board Chairman, Dr. Roger Higgins, said in a letter read at the dinner that Mr. Werror deserved all the congratulations and accolades for his many achievements and that he still had more to offer beyond OTML. “You have much more to give to Papua New Guinea and the mining industry internationally. I have no doubt you will have opportunities to do this in the coming years,” said Dr. Higgins. OTML Acting CEO, Mark Thompson, said in his farewell speech to Mr Werror that “you should leave in the knowledge that you have made an extraordinary contribution to OTML and to the people of the Western Province and Papua New Guinea. It has been a privilege to with and for you, and be assured that we will all continue to work together in the spirit of ‘One Team, Wan Pasin’ to realise the journey you have commenced.” Mr. Werror encouraged those who gathered during his farewell dinner, as well as various teams he visited before his departure, to continue to support OTML’s vision to make OTML the leading mining company in PNG. Mr. Werror added “This is the opportunity for Papua New Guineans to show what we can do. I believe that we can and we will become the leading PNG mining company. Mr. Werror’s tenure as MD and CEO ended formally on 1st of December concluding 34 years of service with OTML.

Dika Toua, whose appearance in Tokyo last year made her first female weightlifter to compete at the Olympic Games five times, has started her attempt for Olympics number six. No athlete, male or female, has ever done that. Dika Toua, whose appearance in Tokyo last year made her first female weightlifter to compete at the Olympic Games five times, has started her attempt for Olympics number six. No athlete, male or female, has ever done that. Toua, who has a 16-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, lifted on the opening day of the 2022 IWF World Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, the first qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Four of the 11 lifters in her session were aged 17, which is 21 years younger than Toua. If she qualifies she will lift in Paris aged 40. Toua made five of her six attempts for 70-95-165 in the women’s 49kg C Group. With 22 rivals to come in the A and B Groups, Toua believes her best chance of qualifying is not by finishing in the top 10 in the rankings but through continental representation as Oceania’s highest-placed athlete. Toua became a weightlifting history-maker as a 16-year-old when she was the first female  ever to lift at the Olympic Games at Sydney 2000. That was when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) first welcomed women on to the Olympic weightlifting programme. “I was very nervous and I missed that first lift, but I soon came out and made the second one,” she said. In Sydney, Toua lifted in the old 48kg category, and here she is 22 years later weighing only 1kg more. “I have never weighed more than 53kg in my life,” she said. Asked what gets harder as the years go by, Toua said it was not so much gym work as recovery. “I tend to sleep a lot, it’s the only recovery I really get,” she said in between posing for photos with her teenage fellow-competitors. “But I always did sleep a lot so it hasn’t changed much. “The hard part is after training. It might be ice packs, sitting in a cold bath or going for a swim – depending on the weather of course. You don’t want to be in the sea in winter in Melbourne!” Toua, whose husband Willie Tamasi is Papua New Guinea’s national coach, splits her time between her home village of Hanuabada and Melbourne, where her long-time coach Paul Coffa is based. Coffa, who has coached more than 100 medallists at major championships, became the first coach to be inducted into the IWF Hall of Fame at the weekend After returning from Colombia, Toua will spend a few weeks in Papua New Guinea before heading to Melbourne in January with the entire family to prepare with Coffa for more qualifying events, including the Pacific Games in the Solomon islands in November. Her son Paul – already as old as his mother was when she first lifted at the Olympic Games –   is not a weightlifter but her daughter Anigeua recently competed at the national championships for the first time, aged 12. “She’s into netball, athletics and weightlifting so we’ll go with the flow and see which sport she likes best,” said Toua. Toua carried the flag for Papua New Guinea in Tokyo last year and also at the Athens Games in 2004. Another honour was having a grandstand at the Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s capital, named after her in September. She might already have competed at six Olympic Games but she took a break to spend more time with her children in the years before Rio 2016 and did not try to qualify. She had been close to death in 2013 when she was diagnosed with tubercolosis and had to spend nearly four months in isolation in a hospital in New Caledonia, where she was training at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute. “It’s hard being a mum and a weightlifter at the same time, but I don’t know when I will stop,” Toua said. “Weightlifting is in my blood.” Source: iwf.sports

Actress Kirstie Alley, a star in both television and film, has died after a short battle with cancer at age 71. Alley shot to fame in the TV comedy Cheers, set in a Boston bar, going on to have starring film roles in Look Who’s Talking and Star Trek II. Alley’s death was confirmed by her two children, True Stevenson, 30, and Lillie Parker Stevenson, 28, who posted the sad news on her Instagram page today. “We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered. Following the news of her death, her former co-star John Travolta – who she starred with in Look Who’s Talking - paid tribute with a post on his social media acknowledging their relationship as “one of the most special” he has ever had. Alley rose to fame in 1987 after starring as Rebecca Howe in the NBC show Cheers and went on to win an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in 1991 and a Golden Globe for best actress. Over the course of her career, Alley - who would have turned 72 next month - earned 76 acting credits. The star, while mainly an icon in the 90s, continued to make an impact in pop culture in recent years after she competed on America’s Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer. Source: nzherald.com