With over 20 years’ experience in Psychiatry in both Papua New Guinea and abroad, Dr Ludwig Nanawar has come up with the initiative to provide mobile mental health and telepsychiatric service. Dr Ludwig Nanawar said that he came up with this service to take advantage of the evolution of tele health. “Telehealth, or in my context telepsychiatry can reach people who can make to to a psychiatrist due to lack of access to one or distance and cost of travel.” “Another advantage is it is conducted in private so it reduces the chance of being stigmatised when attending a crowded clinic.” “I am targeting working class people who don't have time to go queue up in clinics and fear being stigmatised.” “Studies have shown telepsychiatry is as effective as face to face interview but with the added advantage alluded to above.” Dr Nanawar said that for the mobile mental health service, he will go to patients home or office to provide the psychiatric service and Telepsychiatric service, consultation is done on video or telephone call. He added that his services are prepaid so clients can reach out to him and book their appointments then then prepay. There is no fixed cost for the services that he provides as this is fairly new however, after consultation with Dr Nanawar then a cost be set according to the service provided. Dr Nanawar further added that for his clients, he will be providing free consultations between scheduled appointments. For anyone interested to reach out for his service, he can be reached on his social media page or 72012211.

PNG Prime Minister X1 Men Soccer team wonder boy Nigel Dabinyaba scored from the penalty to help PNG secure the first spot in the MSG Prime Minister Cup grand final on Friday. Dabinyaba was rushed into the side after sorting his passport to join the team only yesterday made his presence felt in the game when he combined well with national team playing partner Raymond Gunemba scored the only goal of the First Semi Final match. In fact, Mr Gunemba was fouled in the box and the referee without hesitation pointed for the penalty. In the second semifinals between Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Development Team, the match went down to the wire when both teams drew 1-1 the regulation time. Both teams completed the extra time with no goals found and they went into the penalty shoot-out which host Vanuatu won 5-4. PNG will now meet Vanuatu Development team in the final while Solomon Island will play Fiji in the minor placing play-off on Friday. Coach Harrison Kamake gave credit to the boys for playing smart football to win the match. He applauded Raymond Gunemba for playing a good skipper role which also earned him the Man of the Match in this match. “Raymond played a leading role despite replaced in the dying minutes of the second half. He combined well with Nigel, Pala Paul until replaced and Kolu Kepo upfront but the midfielders the major role in setting the pace of the game. In defence, the midfielders cut down Fiji star player Roy Krishna who had little room to find the opportunity to score,” he said. Skipper Raymond Gunemba said his boys played well every time in these matches during the MSG Cup. “We are improving every game and that is something we have done and will go on to play Vanuatu Development Team on Friday. We beat them 2-1 in a scrapy match in the opening round but we will come better this time.” Source: PNG Football Association

The Bahasa Indonesia language program is proving to be an interesting subject to a group of widows in Port Moresby. The 20 women are members of the Widows, Orphans and Deserted Association , a non-government organization, founded in Port Moresby but has aims to spread to other provinces in the country. Among them are also two men, who are also members of the association. Since a month ago, these people have been attending the program, Teaching Bahasa Indonesia for Foreign Speaker, at the Indonesia Embassy with a hope that this will open doors for them to improve their lives. Founding President of the association Cathy Tani said widows, orphans and deserted children are struggling with no government support going directly to them. For this reason, she has been trying to find avenues to help them, and when she was given this opportunity she grabbed it. “I’m really thankful to God for connecting me to the Indonesian Education Attache. Widows and deserted children are struggling. They have been neglected for many years. Learning a language is the first thing. When you know a language, you will be able to communicate (your needs) with others,’’ she said. Ms Tani said she would like her association to connect with the Indonesian women groups that would be of help to women and children in PNG. The association has 2000 members of which 22 are now attending this program. The next lot of their members to attend this program will be young men and women. Indonesia Embassy’s Education Attache Chaerun Anwar said the Bahasa language program is setting a foundation for those who wish to do business with the people from Indonesia or for those that may want to go for studies in Indonesia. For example, he said this will benefit TVET (Technical Vocational and Education Training) students that the Prime Minister James Marape would like to see connect with institutions in Indonesia. “In future, we may invite some Indonesia businessmen to come and meet with PNG businessmen and women, and so on… “We would also like to support the SME conducted by women.’’ The program is held every Saturdays between 9am to 12 midday at the Indonesian Embassy. It’s a six-month program and has three parts to it. In the second and the third part, the participants are also taught music, dance, photography skills and some cooking techniques. The program is taught by Papua New Guineans. Mr Anwar said the Indonesian Embassy would like to invite young men and women in Port Moresby to attend the program at the embassy. It is for free. He said the program, Teaching Bahasa Indonesia for Foreign Speaker, is also taught at Lae Secondary School, PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment , University of PNG, University of Goroka, Melanesian Institute in Goroka and at the Indonesian Consulate in Vanimo. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the program was also aired on Radio Maria. There are plans to re-engage with this radio station. Mr Anwar said the chances of the participants using Bahasa language for communication is high as it is the 9th common language spoken in the world and is the third largest spoken in the Asia Pacific region. Of the more than 300 Papua New Guineans that have completed the program since it begun in 2012, many have used their new found skill to pursue studies in Indonesia. A number of them have found jobs in companies in PNG where the language is spoken by the company staff such as the Malaysian-owned companies.

Papua New Guinea Sports Media Association is prepared to assist Solomon Islands with their Media & Communications Plan for the 2023 Pacific Games. PNG SMA President Peter Sevara Jr said the onus is on PNG to ensure the “Happy Isles” glean the best from their aspirations. “Both countries continue to benefit from Government to Government relations over the years and it is no different this time around. “While Team PNG will also come to compete, the onus is on PNG to ensure their experiences of hosting big games will come in handy to assist Solomon Islands achieve a successful outcome,” Sevara said. The President and PNG SMA Secretary Isaac Liri are both attending the Pacific Sports Media Dialogue in Honiara in conjunction with the 6th Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Media Summit in Honiara from the 26th to the 30th of this month. The Pacific Sports Media dialogue hosted by the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) has been assisting PNG and four other Pacific Islands to set up its Sports Journalist Association over the past five years. “Collaboration throughout the Pacific region is what we need and I believe we have enough capacity to reach out to our brothers and sisters to offer them a hand in building their preparedness. “We are only as good as those around us so in true Pacific fashion let’s support each other because we understand each other more,” Sevara added. Sevara said the current Melanesian Spearhead Group Prime Ministers Cup hosted in Vanuatu is an example of the region coming together to build awareness on our capacity and foster mutual relationships. The meet was graced by Koroi Hawkins, a part Solomon Islander and Fijian who was employed by Radio New Zealand International straight out of Solomon Islands. Hawkins shared that news from our region has always been negative but said sports reporters in the pacific can change that. He added that the opportunity to use their sport writing skills to change negative perceptions of our region lies on their shoulders because in world news, pacific sports news travels faster and further throughout the world than any other news genre

The Philippines will stop operations of 175 offshore gambling firms and deport about 40,000 Chinese workers, a justice ministry official said on Monday, part of a crackdown on the notoriously opaque online gaming industry. The sector emerged in the Philippines in 2016 and grew exponentially, as operators capitalized on the country’s liberal gaming laws to target customers in China, where gambling is banned. At their peak, Philippine offshore gambling operators, or POGOs, employed more than 300,000 Chinese workers, but the pandemic and higher taxes have forced many to operate elsewhere. “The crackdown was triggered by reports of murder, kidnapping and other crimes committed by Chinese nationals against fellow Chinese nationals,” justice ministry spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said. The POGOs targeted for closure had licenses that either expired or were revoked, for violations like non-payment of government fees, Clavano said, adding the deportation of the Chinese workers would start next month. The government generated 7.2 billion pesos ($122.21 million) in 2020 and 3.9 billion last year in POGO fees alone, according to the finance ministry. Economists estimate considerably larger amounts are being spent on taxes, workers’ spending and office rental. China’s embassy in Manila in a statement said Beijing supports the deportation and crackdown on POGO-related crimes, adding the government “firmly opposes and takes tough measures to combat gambling.” The Philippines regulator, which recently said there were 30 licensed POGO firms versus 60 before the pandemic, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Real estate consultancy Leechiu Property Consultants estimates that a complete exit of the POGO industry would leave vacant 1.05 million square meters (259 acres) of office space – a third of the size of New York’s Central Park – and 8.9 billion pesos ($151 million) in foregone annual rent. The sector employs 201,000 Chinese and 111,000 Filipinos, according to Leechiu’s data, which estimates POGOs deliver 190 billion pesos ($3.22 billion) to the economy each year, a boon to the property and retail sectors. Source: CNN

Queen Elizabeth II's cherished corgis were with her to the end. The late monarch, who died on September 8 at 96 years old, took comfort in the company of her pups -- Sandy and Muick -- as she prepared to say her final goodbyes. The dogs had been given to her as a gift by Prince Andrew, who has now taken over their care, and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. A source tells ET, "Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis were with her in her final hours in her room at Balmoral," adding that the pair "were there to comfort the queen." In addition to her corgis, Elizabeth also was able to see her eldest son, King Charles III, her daughter, Princess Anne, and Charles' wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort, before she died. Other members of the royal family, including her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, traveled to Balmoral upon the news of her declining health, but sadly did not make it in time to see the late monarch before she died. Sandy and Muick were also seen loyally waiting for their late owner as the queen's coffin returned to Windsor Castle before her burial last week. The moment was "a touching" one, said Dr. Roger Mugford -- an animal psychologist who previously worked with the queen's dogs. Elizabeth was long known for her love of dogs, and it's something, Mugford believes, that likely brought her joy as her health declined. "It was so lovely that, in her last couple of years, she had two little corgis and and other dogs around her," he recently told ET, "because there's no doubt that any of us, at any stage in our life, but particularly when our life feels like it's declining and stressful... to be able to reach and stroke and be loved by an uncritical admirer, which is a dog, is a great comfort."   Source: Entertainment Tonight

Hurricane Ian is strengthening rapidly in the Caribbean as it passes over the ultra-warm waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center had predicted the system would rapidly intensify from a tropical storm to at least a category 4 hurricane in less than 72 hours. It is an unprecedented forecast, experts told CNN, but one scientist say is becoming more likely as the climate crisis advances, pushing ocean temperatures higher and laying the groundwork for tropical storms to explode at breakneck pace into deadly major hurricanes. Rapid intensification is precisely what it sounds like – a hurricane’s winds strengthening rapidly over a short amount of time. Scientists have defined it as a wind speed increase of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less. The phenomenon played out with breathtaking speed in the Philippines this weekend. Super Typhoon Noru exploded in strength on its final approach toward the Pacific island nation, going from the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane to a category 5 overnight as residents around Manila slept. Noru’s rapid intensification right before landfall – which was not predicted – likely meant locals had no time prepare for the much stronger storm. Hurricane Ian’s has been in the forecast for days, giving Cuba and Florida the benefit of time. Winds in the storm increased from 45 mph Sunday evening to 80 mph late Monday morning, and more strengthening is in the forecast. Ian could intensify into at least a category 4 before it makes landfall in Florida midweek. Rapid intensification has historically been a rare phenomenon, according to Allison Wing, an assistant professor of atmospheric science at Florida State University. It “is really sort of at the extreme end of how quickly storms can intensify,” Wing told CNN. “Only something like 6% or so of all forecast time periods have those types of rapid intensification rates observed associated with them. And so it’s something that’s by definition, a rare event. Sometimes it only happens a few times per season.” Live updates: Florida braces for Hurricane Ian But human-caused climate change is stacking the deck in favor of more intense storms. So not only are they generating more rainfall and larger storm surge – they are also more likely to be stronger and are intensifying faster. “Climate change is increasing both the maximum intensity that these storms can achieve, and the rate of intensification that can bring them to this maximum,” said Jim Kossin, a senior scientist at the Climate Service. “The intensification rates in Noru and Ian are good examples of very rapid intensification, and there have been many others recently.” Two ingredients must come together for rapid intensification to occur, Kossin told CNN. The first is that upper-level winds around the hurricane need to be weak – strong winds can prevent a storm from intensifying or even tear a storm apart. The second is that warm ocean water must extend well below the surface, going hundreds of feet deep, to provide enough fuel for the hurricane to strengthen. More than 90% of global warming over the past 50 years has taken place in the oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The past five years have been the warmest on record for the world’s oceans. Scientists have shown humans are the dominant cause of the relentless warming trend. Planet-warming emissions from fossil fuels trap heat in the atmosphere, creating an energy imbalance. The oceans, in turn, absorb 90% of the excess heat, which has led to an alarming increase in temperature. And much of that warming has happened in the top levels of the ocean where hurricanes get their energy, said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connections. “Hurricanes and typhoons are heat engines, which means they take heat energy from the oceans and convert it to the kinetic energy that are winds,” Masters told CNN. “So if you increase the amount of heat energy in the ocean by warming it up, you’re going to increase not only the maximum intensity they can get, but also the rate at which they get to that maximum intensity.” A 2019 study found that Atlantic hurricanes in particular showed a “highly unusual” increase in rapid intensification from the 1980s to the early 2000s – a trend that could only be explained by human-caused climate change. And, concerningly, scientists found that the most significant changes were happening to the strongest storms, making the most life-threatening hurricanes even more dangerous. “Climate change increases the odds that you’ll get a rapid intensifier,” Masters said. Some of the United States’ most devastating recent hurricanes were ones that rapidly intensified right before landfall – something Hurricane Ian is not expected to do. Most recently, Hurricane Ida in 2021 strengthened from a category 1 to a strong category 4 in the 24 hours before it made landfall in Louisiana and left a trail of destruction in its wake from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast. Forecasters are getting better at seeing the signs of this phenomenon before it happens, though, which gives people along the coast more time to prepare for the worst. Kossin said there are several reasons for this. One is that meteorologists are becoming more confident in the computer forecast models, which are improving at seemingly light speed. The other is that they have seen more extreme cases of rapid intensification in recent years, which makes it easier to forecast them in the future. Masters told CNN it all adds up to better forecasts. “The forecasts are unprecedented primarily because the [National] Hurricane Center is getting better at doing their job,” Masters said. Weather models “have gotten so much better. And our techniques for forecasting are getting better.” Source: CNN

As part of the organization’s talent quest, National Superannuation Fund (Nasfund) recently participated in the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech) 2022 Career Fair. The event, held on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September 2022, brought together Unitech students, staff, and corporate partners, to showcase the opportunities on offer by Nasfund, to all in attendance. Over the 2 days, close to 1,000 participants passed through the exhibition. According to General Manager Talent & Culture Vincent Lialu, the Fund used this avenue to raise awareness on the importance of superannuation, and at the same time promote the Fund’s Graduate Development Program (GDP) which is a key Leadership Development Program the Fund is implementing as part of its Talent & Culture Framework. “This is to ensure we equip young talented Papua New Guineans to be first-line managers to succeed in our increasingly competitive business and financial environment and to ensure that Nasfund attains sustainable leadership within the competitive superannuation industry. The opportunity to engage with students was to provide some guidance as to what is required for graduates who may want to join Papua New Guinea’s leading superannuation provider. As an equal opportunity employer, the Fund is always on the lookout for talent to provide the next generation of officers to serve our members. Those in attendance were provided guidance on what the qualities that the Fund looks to, when recruiting our staff, whether it be through direct selection, or through our Graduate Development Program (GDP). In addition to this, the Fund also provided awareness on superannuation in general, and the products and services on offer. As a Fund, we believe it is important to educate the next generation of Papua New Guineans on the importance of saving for retirement through superannuation. We would like to thank the administration of Unitech for allowing our participation at this event, and we look forward to working together in ensuring that we promote the important role of superannuation to the next generation of Papua New Guineans.”

CEO of NCD Provincial Health Authority (PHA) Dr Steven Yennnie highlighted this challenge during the recent project handover of an upgraded Pari Health Clinic by the BSP First and BSP Capital Teams in Port Moresby. Dr Yennie said the NCD Provincial Health Authority constitutes of 27 health clinics in the city. Pari Village Clinic is one that serves a population of 15,000 plus patients annually, some from as far as Taurama. “This clinic in Pari plays a critical role in delivering primary health care service. The challenge faced by our clinics in NCD is the facility maintenance and we thank BSP for this project here in Pari which is the refurbishment of the clinic.“ BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming in handing over the completed project said being part of the community means being able to recognise the difficulties some people experience in their community and make way for staff to contribute.“BSP is pleased to continue that support through our Community Projects. I do want to thank our staff who put in the effort to assists with the rehabilitation to this clinic, and off course our contractors and health professionals who have to provide service to our people in difficult situations and not always the financial support they deserve. We hope that the community will look after the facility and what perfect time for this as the country celebrates its 47th Independence this month, “Mr Fleming added. BSP First and BSP Capital Teams in refurbishing the clinic went a step further and equipped the facility with 19 Solar Lighting items from SolarSolutions – a Solar Generator, indoor lighting and Street Lights. Pari Clinic Sister-in-charge Jennifer Puki said the upgrade is moral boosting for her team of five (5) staff and thanked BSP for the support.

Nambawan Super wishes to clarify that we have not told the State to move out of Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) owned properties as was reported in recent media publications. In fact, we value the State’s business and intend to retain them as a long-term tenant. The State is contributing to better retirement outcomes for public servants by doing business with the Fund, as well as through their role as one of our key investment partners and the employer for many of our Members. As such, It is our hope that we can reach an amicable solution to this issue, however Nambawan Super remains firm on our intention to lock out the State tenants occupying NSL properties if no payments are made and no suitable agreement is reached prior to the agreed deadline. The lockout notice is purely a commercial decision to protect the Fund’s investment in these properties. Today, the NSL Management team is meeting with the Departments of Finance and Treasury to secure a significant first payment and an agreed payment schedule for the remainder of the K160 million in rental arrears owed to the Members of Nambawan Super. We have extended the deadline for payment of these arrears to 5pm today, as the State has maintained positive communications with the Fund over the last few days. If this deadline is not met NSL will enforce the lockout notice to all State tenants, excluding the Department of Health. We are reluctantly taking this course of action as we understand the disruptions this will cause to the operations of the State and its services, however, we must act now in order to protect our Members’ funds from further undue losses.

Papua New Guinea’s national petroleum company, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (Kumul Petroleum) announced yesterday that it had made a binding conditional offer to Santos Limited (Santos) to acquire an additional 5% shareholding in the PNG LNG Project. Kumul Petroleum would also assume 5% of the PNG LNG Project debt corresponding with that additional equity. Wapu Sonk, Managing Director of Kumul Petroleum, said, “We have made an offer to purchase another 5% equity in the PNG LNG Project, subject to a number of formalities. This is a massive investment for us, costing approximately US$1.1 billion.” “To secure this offer, open for acceptance until 31 December 2022, we have made a part payment of US$55 million to Santos, and these funds will be held by Santos until the transaction is finalised. This is a very worthwhile investment for Kumul Petroleum; the additional project equity will ensure a boost in our annual cash flow and significantly raise national ownership in the project.” Mr Sonk outlined that following the Kumul Petroleum Board and NEC approval, Kumul Petroleum has been negotiating with Santos to acquire this equity in the PNG LNG Project following the Oil Search:Santos merger in 2021. Mr Sonk continued, “the offer to Santos is irrevocable, Santos will deal exclusively with Kumul, and its progression will require the waiver of certain pre-emptive rights by other PNG LNG Project participants, and will require all necessary regulatory approvals to be complied with.” “The transaction will strengthen alignment for the future development of PNG’s natural gas resources,including undeveloped resources which may at a future point utilise the existing PNG LNG Project infrastructure. We also look forward to progressing a Heads of Agreement with Santos to enable us to work together to advance Kumul’s intentions to become a net-zero regional operator.” After the equity acquisition the PNG State’s participation in the PNG LNG Project would increase to approximately 22 per cent and Santos would retain a 37.5% interest. “The economic development of PNG’s natural gas resources will underpin national development for decades to come, and increasing national content and enhancing the strong cash flows to Kumul Petroleum and other stakeholders will bring huge economic and social benefits to the nation,” Mr Sonk concluded.

Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council Secretary, Ivan Pomaleu has clarified to all government agencies and corporate entities that Papua New Guinea National Flags should already be back at full mast. Secretary Pomaleu said following Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s burial on 19 September, all national flags under the Commonwealth and Realm countries including PNG were to have returned to full mast at 8.00 on the morning after the burial. “All flags should have gone back to full mast the day after the public holiday. The King decreed a further 7 days of mourning for the United Kingdom but that did not affect the Commonwealth and the Realm countries,” he said. “I call on all government agencies and corporate entities to have our country’s flag flown high at full mast, if not done already,” he said. Secretary Pomaleu said the half-mast flag, which symbolizes a time of mourning, revealed our country’s grief during the Queen’s death; however, the PNG flag must now be flown at full mast. He gave that clarification after it was noticed that some institutions and corporate entities are still flying the flags at half-mast.