Hurricane Ian has ploughed into Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force, assaulting the state with howling winds, torrential rain and a treacherous surge of ocean surf. About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate south-west Florida. The category four storm was heading inland, where it was expected to weaken, but residents in central Florida could still experience hurricane-force winds. Before making its way through the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday, killing two people and bringing down the country’s electrical grid. Ian is one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the United States, with sustained winds of up to 241 kilometres per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. The storm's wind speeds put it just shy of a category five designation on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the most severe classification for storms. The landfall zone is home to miles of sandy beaches, scores of resort hotels and numerous mobile home parks, a favourite with retirees and vacationers alike. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Power outages across Florida In total, Ian has affected more than 830,000 customers so far, but power companies have restored some early outages. Cuban officials said they had begun to restore some power on Wednesday after Hurricane Ian knocked out electricity to the entire country when it hit the island's western tip on Tuesday. In Venice, a coastal city of nearly 24,000 residents halfway between Tampa and Fort Myers, rain and wind were already intense before noon. Authorities said it was now too late to get out of harm's way and urged anyone still in the storm's path to hunker down. More than 524,000 homes and businesses were without power in Florida on Wednesday afternoon, according to local utilities. [caption id="attachment_27489" align="alignnone" width="862"] A woman walks her dog in knee-high water in Key West, Florida.(AP: The Key West Citizen/Rob O'Neal)[/caption] Doug Coe was one of the town's residents who chose to ignore warnings and stay put. As he walked through rainfall on Wednesday morning to see how a friend's home was weathering the storm, Mr Coe admitted to never experiencing a storm of this magnitude, but he was unfazed by the prospects of it ravaging his neighbourhood. "You have to be vigilant because you never know what's going to happen with it," he said. "I'm staying vigilant, but trying not to worry." Many streets were flooded, and the steady gale bent palm trees at 45 degree angles and shredded billboards and road signs. Forecasters say Ian would unleash storm surges — wind-driven coastal flooding — of up to 3.7 meters along with intense thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. "This is a devastating storm," said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service. "This is a storm that we will talk about for many years to come, an historic event." 'We're secure and we're prepared for this' Hotels along Interstate Highway 75, which runs up and down Florida's west coast, were jam packed with people seeking shelter. The area is dotted with mobile home parks, which most residents had abandoned, taking refuge in local schools and other facilities being used as emergency shelters. [caption id="attachment_27490" align="alignnone" width="862"] Some residents chose to ignore warnings and stay put.(AP: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)[/caption] The area's numerous assisted-living facilities were mostly evacuated, too. Heartis Venice, an assisted living home north of Venice, was an exception. Of its 107 residents, 98 decided to shelter in place and continue receiving care with help of staff and some family members, general manager Michelle Barger said. The facility, opened two years ago, was built to withstand a category five storm. "Our community is locked down. We're secure and we're prepared for this," Ms Barger said, adding the facility was stocked up with enough food, water and medical supplies to last more than seven days. "We feel pretty confident and safe, as do the residents and families and team members here." Migrant boat sinks, leaving 23 missing US Border Patrol said on Wednesday that 23 people were missing off the coast of Florida after a Cuban migrant boat sank due to Hurricane Ian. The Border Patrol agents responded to a migrant landing in Stock Island, Florida, officials said on Twitter, adding that the US Coast Guard had initiated a search operation for the 23 missing people. Four Cuban migrants swam to shore after their vessel sank due to inclement weather, Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said. Local media said those four were hospitalised. Source: ABC News

Coolio, known for his '90s hit "Gangsta's Paradise" from the movie Dangerous Minds, died on Sept. 28 in Los Angeles. He was 59. TMZ was first to report the news of the rapper's passing. Coolio's manager Jarez Posey confirmed Coolio's death to NBC News, stating, "As far as what I know now is that he was at a friend's house and was in his bathroom. " Jarez said Coolio died of a suspected heart attack, but no official cause of death has been confirmed. Per TMZ, when Coolio didn't respond to his name being called, his friend went inside the bathroom and found him unresponsive on the floor. The friend then called the paramedics, who pronounced Coolio dead upon arriving at the scene. Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania and achieved success in the 90s rap scene. He received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for "Gangsta's Paradise" at the 1996 ceremony. He is survived by his children. Source: ENews!

Nearly one million people in PNG have some form of disability, with only two percent having access to public services, says Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) Secretary Dr. Mange Matui. “Out of the 976, 500 estimated persons with disability, 30,000 people have hearing impairment,” Dr. Matui said. He said it was a wake-up call for government officers to know such vital facts to enable them to develop suitable policies and programs that can also impact the lives of these people. Dr. Matui was speaking at a workshop that marked the International Sign Languages Day on the 23rd of September 2022 under the theme: “Sign Language Unite Us” “The day helps to promote Sign Languages as the fourth language which have been accorded equal status as any other spoken languages,” he said. He said the intention of the government was for Sign Language to be used in all aspects of life and in government programs. Dr. Matui said the day reminded the public service to give prominence to sign language interpreters as well, as awareness on the rights, privileges, challenges, and needs of persons with hearing impairment increase. Dr. Matui said the event was the first for a government sector particularly, the Law and Justice Sector GEDSI (Gender, Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion) Community of Practice to host with the support of PNG Disability Association, the Australian High Commissioner, and Justice Services and Stability for Development (JSS4D) He thanked those stakeholders and other partners for the partnership and support. “To take back PNG, we must all work together to take back our people first from all forms of violence, depressions and suppressions by creating enabling environment where they can progress and actively participate in the economic, social, political and cultural life of the nation,” he said.

In response to the National Newspaper’s cover story on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, we would like to reiterate Nambawan Super Limited’s (NSL) position on the proposed privatization of the State Owned Enterprise, Telikom PNG Limited (Telikom). At this point in time NSL has not made any commitment to purchase shares in Telikom. We will only do so after we have reviewed the investment through our established processes and have deemed the venture to be beneficial to our Members. We congratulate Telikom’s Management and staff on their successful performance this year in generating a profit of K28 million and delivering a K3 million dividend to its shareholders. Despite Telikom’s good performance this year, like all investments considered by the Fund, we must still follow our strict regulatory guidelines before committing to a deal. NSL is the Trustee for over 214,000 hardworking Papua New Guineans and so it is essential that the Fund is prudent in its considerations. We consider all investment opportunities on their own merits in consultation with our Licensed Investment Manager as required under the prudential standards and regulations. This process guides investment decisions and ensures that opportunities to generate returns for our Members are considered against the appropriate level of risk.

National Airports Corporation recently handed over the new Gurney Airport market and toilet facilities, to the Milne Bay Provincial Government to operate, manage and sustain under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Provincial Government. Bearing in mind that Milne Bay Province is a tourist hub, the new market facility aims to encourage and promote community participation in selling products including arts and crafts to airport users including tourists. The facilities are connected to electricity & water supply with a vehicle parking area and security fencing. These facilities were built as part of the Gurney Airport Upgrade Project which was completed in 2020 under the Civil Aviation Development Investment Program (CADIP) at a cost of K30.6 million. Other major improvements which were completed at Gurney Airport in 2020 included the Runway Pavement Strengthening and extension from 1700 metres to 1900 metres, refurbishment of the existing terminal, three NAC staff houses and a new Power House among others. Further upgrade for Gurney Airport is included in the proposed CADIP Phase 2, which include a new terminal building, asphalt surfaced runway, taxiway and apron. CADIP is implemented by the National Airports Corporation and is funded through the Asian Development Bank’s Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) loan and counterpart funding from the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG). The developments taking place through CADIP, are in line with the Government’s Vision 2050 to provide improved airport infrastructure and services that will enable economic sustainability and growth.

The Prime Minister James Marape lead his Papua New Guinea-PNG delegation into the first ever U.S-Pacific Island Country Summit at the State Department Building in Washington DC yesterday (Wednesday, 28th September 2022, 1pm (local time). Mr Marape was accompanied by Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko, Foreign Affairs Secretary Elias Wohengu, Ambassador Max Rai, Representative to the PNG Permanent Mission to UN, Charge de’ Affaires to the PNG Embassy in Washington DC, Mr Cephas Kayo and senior PNG government officials. The Governor of East New Britain Michael Marum, Goilala MP, Casmiro Aia and North Waghi MP, Benjamin Mul are also part of the Prime Minister’s delegation to the Summit. The two day summit was opened yesterday (Wednesday, 28th September 2022, 1pm local Washington time) by US Secretary of State Antony John Blinken at the Franklin Roosevelt Room at the State Department Building. Secretary Blinken welcomed the Pacific Island Country Leaders and said “US to hear out the Pacific leaders and their concerns, on trade and economics, climate change, security and the concerns for the greater Blue Pacific strategy.” Secretary Blinken further applauded the Pacific Island country Leaders for their support and commitment in attending the summit and to discuss issues of common interest with the US and the Pacific region. Issues discussed today at the summit includes “people centred development in the Pacific” amongst others are “Pacific economy and Trade ties” with discussions on climate action, climate resilience, and clean energy transformation”. These are key issues that Prime Minister James Marape addressed when he delivered PNG Country statement at the 77th UN General Assembly in New York last week suggesting that “despite rallying efforts by global community, the world remains on fire”. PM Marape further stressed that “rising sea level continue to inundate and adversely affect coastal communities” and he had reiterated his call for the global north to support submissions that will preserve and protect the rainforests as well as the coastal marine life. Secretary Blinken stressed on the importance of resilient pacific blue economy and safe livelihoods and announced various funding facilities including for the new Resilient Blue Economies program which will strengthen marine livelihoods by supporting sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism. Those present were Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manaseh Sogovare, Prime Minister of Tuvalu Kausea Natano, Prime Minister of Samoa Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, President of Kiribati Taneti Maamau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu Bob Loughman, President of the Federated State of Micronesia David Panuelo, President of Nauru Lionel Aingimea, and Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape. Prime Minister Marape will tomorrow meet US President Joe Biden at the White House with the Pacific Island Country leaders in attendance at the Summit who will close the meeting. It is in a the program too where they will meet Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mr Marape concludes his first meeting here in Washington D.C. on Friday and he returns home to Papua New Guinea.

I want to acknowledge the Government of PNG and the PNG Sports Foundation Management under Mr. Albert Veratau and all his Management Team for the wonderful job they have done so far in ensuring that our Men’s Football Team is taken good care of whilst attending this inaugural revamped MSG PMs Cup 2022 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. I also thank the Marape and Roso Government for their support to our MSG Men’s Football Team in their staying in Vanuatu. Secondly, I would like to congratulate PNGFA’s Coaching Director, Harrison Kamake and all your Coaching & Management Team in ensuring that our Men’s Team has focussed very well all the way through to the final and we are very delighted of the entire Teams performance. Honestly, you all have been our best Ambassadors on the field and off the field and your oneness and strong unity with great determination has taken PNG to this Inaugural revamped MSG PMs Cup Final tomorrow which unbelievable. Thirdly, I want to acknowledge the contributions of our never-ending retiring player and Captain Raymond Gunemba (R7 Gunman) for your leadership which I saw in the first match and knew that you will take our Team right through the Semis and through to the Grand final and bring the MSG Cup to PNG for the first time like our Women’s National Team that did in Fiji. Our Team, we can create another history that can be written down as the 2022 MSG Cup Men’s Champion. Fourthly, I want to acknowledge all our Men’s Team that was made up of both the young and old and you all have blended together very well in your contributions on the field. Coach Harrison, I salute you for believing in the young youths of our players who will one day carry the torch. I also want to say thankyou to PNG Sports Foundation for bringing Alwin Komolong and Nigel Dabinyaba to the Team for the second and the third match and it paid great dividend to reach the final and my big thanks. Lastly, PNGFA and all of our Football family are very proud of your achievement. I believe most of our comments and sayings will have also change and will change to move forward for the betterment. You have done the Government of PNG proud of your achievements and football can now raise its head of moving forward with great anticipations. It is another final day tomorrow and please take it as normal. Believe me Ol Bois, tomorrow that stadium will be flooded tomorrow night for the crowning of the MSG Champions. My words to you...Believe in God and believe in yourselves. Be humble but be strong and lastly be patient and discipline for that winning GOAL that will come to you. Play Strong and Hard until the final whistle. Nogat Les Man. In closing, we thank our God Almighty for the victories. God Bless PNG! Source: PNG Football Association 

Cronulla Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes has capped off a superb season by taking out the 2022 Dally M Medal for the NRL Player of the Year. Hynes' 38 points are the highest tally by an individual player in NRL Premiership history, with the halfback finishing ahead of Roosters fullback James Tedesco (33 points), Dragons halfback Ben Hunt (32 points), Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater (23 points) and Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards (23 points). After shifting from the Melbourne Storm ahead of the 2022 campaign, Hynes excelled in his first season at his new club — playing 25 of a possible 26 matches to help the Sharks to a top four finish in the regular season for the first time since 2018. Named as the Dally M Halfback of the Year in addition to the main award, Hynes ended the season with 21 try assists, 29 linebreak assists and six tries, while also adding 83 goals to finish with 194 points for the season. Hynes also recorded career high totals in kick metres (9,347 metres), offloads, tackle breaks and running metres, averaging 117 metres per game with the ball in hand. No player landed more field goals during the season than Hynes, who also topped the count among all players in the competition for linebreak assists. He is the first Sharks player to win the award since Preston Campbell in 2001. Source: NRL.com

Key landowner groups of the Porgera mine, the Porgera Landowners Association (PLOA) and the newly established Lease for Mining Purpose Landowners Association (LMPLOA) have signed an agreement to provide support for peace restoration efforts in the Porgera valley. The groups have undertaken to fund the logistics, administration and accommodation requirements for a group of identified strategic leaders of the various warring tribal clans to convene in a neutral environment setting to discuss and initiate a way forward for normalcy to return in anticipation for the reopening of the Porgera mine. On Saturday 24 September 2022, PLOA Chairman Tony Mark Ekepa and LMPLO Chairman Timothy Andambo signed a contract with Puluperale Limited, a local company to provide these services. The signing took place at Yoko and was witnessed by members of the Porgera Crisis Management Committee, Restoring Justice Initiative (RJI) and Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL) including the Mineral Resource Authority (MRA) through Porgera Project Coordinator Joe Kak. The contract is for a period of one month and the services will be provided to affected strategic leaders who are identified by the crisis management committee. The landowner group leaders expressed that the tribal conflict which started off near Kairik in 2020 between the Aiyela and Nomali clans has spread to many other clan boundaries and villages leaving in its path, death in the hundreds, destruction of properties in the millions, a shut-down of basic government services, abductions, fear and overall suffering. The landowner group leaders expressed that with the strong public outcry from relatives of victims, the communities and general populace compounded by an obvious lack in leadership from all levels of authority, it was incumbent to initiate this kind of support as leaders on the ground to give confidence back to the Porgera people. “No one is going to come and do it for us. We need our public servants to come back, our employees to come back, our people and leaders to come back, our school children, women and the young to roam freely without fear and intimidation. We need the sporadic killings and guerrilla type warfare to stop and we need the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to fix the ongoing lawlessness. “The only way we will see tangible benefits from the mine is if we do our part to find solutions to fix this law and order crisis in the valley,” Mr Andambo said. The intent of the support being provided by the SML and LMP landowner groups is to have the public servants houses currently being occupied by warring clan members to be vacated and for hired gunmen engaged by the warring clans to be repatriated out from the Valley. PLOA Chairman Tony Mark Ekepa said as the people on the ground they have to take ownership of the law and order problem. “In the absence of authority in the district at all levels, we as people on the ground need to take ownership of the law and order situation. We need to restore the presence of control and leadership to give our people confidence again,” Mr Ekepa said. Both Mr Andambo and Mr Ekepa reiterated that the agreement is in the interest of the SML and LMP landowners including the wider population of Porgera and neighbouring regions to restore peace, and revive the services that were closed in preparation for reopening of the mine.

The Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission, with support from UNDP, are running a national workshop to reflect on the participation of women candidates in the recent 2022 National General Election. Thirty-one women candidates from all over the country have come together in Port Moresby to reflect on their experiences and produce a Statement recommending a range of actions that should be taken by the Government and other partners to ensure election outcomes in 2027 are fair, inclusive and follow the law. At the opening ceremony, the IPPCC Chairperson, Reverend Roger Joseph, stated: “It saddens me that we still don’t have enough of their voices represented in our National Parliament. I encourage all of our male MPs to commit themselves to working to promote women’s empowerment during their term in Parliament. I encourage our political parties to include gender equality and women’s empowerment in their manifestoes and to make it a core part of the policies they try to promote.” Mr Jerry Ubase, Secretary of the Department for Community Development and Religion, also spoke at the opening. He stressed that the National Council of Women is supposed to be the voice for all PNG women, holding the Government to account but hasn’t been operational, and committed his Department to fixing that in the coming months. He also expressed his commitment to establishing a need to review and strengthen the new parliamentary committee on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the National Parliament. A total of 159 female candidates contested the 2022 National General Election with 64 women endorsed by 14 political parties. Twenty female candidates polled in the top five candidates in counting in their respective electorates. This includes the two women declared winners: The Hon. Rufina Peter, Central Province Governor, and the Hon. Kessy Sawang, as the Member for Rai Coast Open. The two women elected to the National Parliament make up less than 2% of the 11th National Parliament’s seats. This is much less than the global average of 25.5% as estimated by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Mr Edward Vrkic UNDP’s Officer in Charge highlighted the importance of expanding women’s representation in the National Parliament stating, “The Parliament is amongst the most important of all national institutions. It shapes a country’s future. Increasing women’s participation is fundamental to delivering in the best interests of Papua New Guinea. International experience tells us, that when this happens, societies are more peaceful and more prosperous.” Key outcomes and findings are intended to inform political parties on ways to better support women candidates in future elections. This Forum is part of the Women Make the Change Project funded by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. This initiative is jointly implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and the Office of Integrated Office of Political Parties.

It’s a complicated world but we all need to eat – without consuming the world in the process Indeed, we live in a world full of competing interests and disagreements.  Yet despite this, there is one underlying, unifying interest that we all share. It is in all our interests to have access to safe, affordable and nutritious food at all times. The question is will there be enough food for all in the not too distant future, and will it be produced sustainably? The answer is not so affirmative without immediate action. Despite our common interest, this region is backsliding into greater hunger and malnutrition. According to one recent UN report, Asia and the Pacific is so off track, it would need an additional 35 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – in 2065. Some of the backsliding is obvious. This year, in Asia and the Pacific, we’ve witnessed droughts and floods, the highest food prices in decades, an armed conflict in Eastern Europe, and a lingering COVID-19 pandemic that continues to threaten health, disrupt supply chains and livelihoods. Together, these have resulted in a crisis of five ‘Fs’ – lack of food, feed, fuel, fertilizer and finance, and it’s predicted there could be reductions of cereal output next year due to fertilizer shortages in some countries in the region. But even before these crises, successive annual reports of FAO’s flagship publication, the State of Food Security and Nutrition, were warning the fight against hunger and malnutrition was stalling, and then failing. In 2021, more than 400 million people in Asia-Pacific were malnourished, most of them in South Asia. In fact, of the billions of people in this region, 40 percent cannot afford a healthy diet. Transforming our agrifood systems is vital to achieving all the SDGs For decades, as the world’s population grew, we took our collective eye off the agrifood food systems ball. The world was producing enough food, and there was little political appetite to upset the applecart. Our agrifood systems were (and still are) a complex, interdependent system, of planting, harvesting, transporting, processing, marketing and consuming. The wakeup call came two years ago with the arrival of a global pandemic. While food production didn’t come to a halt, the lockdowns and supply chain disruptions that followed took a serious toll on this interdependent system. For those of us in Asia and the Pacific, the pandemic and fallout were happening in tandem with other huge disrupters such as climate change, natural disasters, hazards and risks that account for 60 percent of global fatalities and 40 percent of economic losses. And so it became clear we urgently needed to fix our agrifood systems by transforming them to withstand shocks and disruptions, and also use this an opportunity to make nutritious foods and healthy diets more accessible and affordable for all. Last year, the UN Food Systems Summit in New York was the world’s first major attempt to move these plans forward. Now it’s time to get that transformation underway on the ground in our Asia-Pacific region. In other words, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and build a better applecart. But it will take more than just a few of us to do that. Asia and the Pacific – time for action Governments in our region must act through leadership. Asia-Pacific’s private sector, among leaders in technology and innovation, must broaden its customer base to provide affordable solutions to the region’s smallholders. Civil society, while continuing its important role as watchdog, must work more proactively with policymakers and the private sector. Academia must accelerate its research, while resource partners must make this transformation their top priority, because to achieve this massive transformation, our region, indeed the world, must literally, put its money where its mouth is. This transformation is about nature and people More than 80 percent of the world’s smallholders and family farmers live off the land in this region and their interests and livelihoods must be safeguarded. Social safety nets and reskilling programmes to improve employment prospects should form an important part of this transformation. The good news is that, overall, there are plenty, and a variety, of available solutions – policy and evidence-based, regenerative, innovative and technological. These include strengthening actions to sustainably manage natural resources, enhance forest areas and restore landscapes. The Asia-Pacific region benefits from thousands of years of agriculture-based systems and hundreds of generations of traditional knowledge which could be coupled with a fast-growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. For our part, FAO’s mission is to support the 2030 Agenda through helping Member Nations and partners build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems for Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life, leaving no one behind. In order to get this massive region’s transformation underway, FAO is convening an Asia-Pacific Symposium on Agrifood Systems Transformation in Bangkok, 5 – 7 October (in-person and virtual). The response has been impressive, with government Ministers from many Member Nations signing up, along with private sector, academia and civil society joining in as well. Without doubt, this transformation will require massive public and private investment – and the political will to effect the change. But if we fail to act, even the year 2065 may be too optimistic. This time, all eyes are on the ball, as no one doubts what’s at stake. Failing to transform our agrifood systems is not an option – it is an imperative for our future and that of our children’s. Jong-Jin Kim is an Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

After defeating them in the opening match, PNG will face again the Vanuatu Development Team in the grand final of the inaugural Melanesian Spearhead Group Prime Ministers cup this Friday. The two weeks soccer tournament will finally come to a close this week following a battle for supremacy by the five Melanesian countries, PNG, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. PNG beat Fiji 1-0 to book the first semi-final spot while the hosts upstaged favorites Solomon Islands during a penalty shoot-out. The Harrison Kamake-coached side has been boosted by the late arrival and inclusion of Nigel Dabinyaba who scored the only goal through a penalty in the first half of the match at Korman Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu. Knowing how dangerous and effective the Vanuatu Development Team will be, PNG will be banking on their experienced campaigners in veteran striker Raymond Gunemba, midfield maestro’s Emmanuel Simon and Jacob Sabua, and trusty defenders Daniel Joe and Alwyn Komolong to hold the ship steady against a fiery home side. The Kepo brothers, Ati and Kolu continue to be a threat to any teams they face and will be hard to handle. Exciting young talents in Mesa Joe, Pala Paul, Stahl Gubag and Yagi Yasasa continue to impress and will be the face of PNG soccer in the future. In all, it will be a tough battle but PNG is good hands under direction of Kamake and his experienced playmakers. Meanwhile Papua New Guinea Sport Foundation Executive Director has thanked Prime Minister James Marape and Chairman of the National Gaming & Control Board Mr. Clemence Kanau for their support in PNG’s participation at the Inaugural MSG Prime Ministers cup. Mr. Kanau also conveyed his best wishes to the team in the grand final while Mr. Veratau said he will be there to represent the Government of PNG and hopes his presence would be a real booster for the team. PC: PNGSF Media