Mr Wickremesinghe faces the task of leading the country out of its economic collapse and restoring order after months of mass protests. He roundly defeated his main rival for the job, Dullus Alahapperuma, with 134 votes to 82 in a parliamentary vote. Sri Lanka's ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week. He bolted to the Maldives and then Singapore after thousands of protesters stormed his presidential residences and other government buildings, calling for his resignation. They had also called for the resignation of Mr Wickremesinghe, a close ally of the Rajapaksa political family who was appointed prime minister in May. Protesters last week burnt down his private home and also stormed his prime ministerial office in Colombo in demonstrations against his leadership. On Wednesday, many expressed despair and disappointment over his win. "I am absolutely disgusted at the result… I cannot believe that 134 people - MPs that are supposed to represent the people- have completely disregarded the wants of the people," one activist Jeana De Zoysa told the BBC. Political operator who's managed to cling on in parliament despite his party being wiped out in the 2020 election. It failed to win a single constituency, and its only seat - for which Mr Wickremesinghe nominated himself - was awarded under the party list system reflecting overall votes polled. A former six-time prime minister, he failed in his previous two runs for the presidency. His victory on Wednesday means he will serve out the rest of the presidential term until November 2024. But on Wednesday, after sweeping the vote with the backing of the Rajapaksa's ruling party, he called for unity and bipartisanship moving forward. He told parliament the nation was "in a very difficult situation" and there were "big challenges ahead". Sri Lanka has been wracked with protests for months because the country is effectively bankrupt and facing acute shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies. Mr Wickremesinghe is aiming to restore political stability so the country can resume negotiations with the International Monetary fund for a bailout package. He was involved in these talks last month, and the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramnua (SLPP) party said most of their members had backed him because of his economic credentials. "We feel that Ranil Wickremesinghe is the only person with the experience, the know-how and the capacity to provide solutions to the economic crisis," General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told the Reuters news agency. However, it remains unclear whether he will be accepted by protesters - many of whom say he's part of the political elite behind the country's economic mismanagement. On Wednesday, ahead of the results, barricades were set up around the parliament and soldiers lined the perimeter anticipating crowds. But protesters remained fairly subdued. After the result, some gathered at the Galle Face Green protest site chanted "Ranil Go Home". There are fears among some that Mr Wickremesinghe will now crack down on the movement, which has brought hundreds of thousands of ordinary people onto the streets demanding change. When he assumed the job of acting president last week, he ordered the military to do whatever was necessary to restore public order, following protesters storming and occupying government buildings. He also extended a national state of emergency order this week to stamp out any flare-ups. However, his immediate challenges include sourcing fuel supplies and managing the public discontent - which will mean working on removing the bitterness, anger and disappointment within society. His main challenger in Wednesday's vote was Mr Alahapperuma, a dissident MP in the ruling party who gained the backing of the main opposition. He had pledged to bring a cross-party government to Sri Lanka that would "put an end to the deceitful political culture" but failed to muster enough support. SOURCE: BBC WORLD NEWS

H.E. Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, GCL, GCMG, KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea, is appealing to Papua New Guineans throughout the country to refrain from inciting violence, fighting and destruction to lives and properties as the national general elections draws to a close. Grand Chief Sir Bob has expressed concerns about the recent spate of violence in Port Moresby, Enga and Markham and Kabwum in Morobe province. Grand Chief Sir Bob has appealed to everyone involved in the elections from candidates to their supporters, scrutineers and election officials to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner so that the national general elections may be completed successfully. “Now that elections are in the counting period, I am appealing to everyone from the candidates, their supporters, scrutineers and elections officials to refrain from violence and allow the process to complete in an orderly and peaceful manner. Intending candidates, this is the time to show leadership and example by not allowing your supports to incite violence and destruction to lives and properties. Don’t wait till you are in Parliament to show leadership. Hindering and abetting violence and mayhem is not a sign of leadership and those involved in such should not consider themselves leaders, at all. We are a democratic country and every citizen has a right to express their freedom without fear and intimidation in choosing their leaders to represent them in Parliament. The power to determine political leaders in this country rests with the people who exercise that during elections. Candidates who have issues with the election process have an avenue to raise their complaints through the court of disputed return and should not disturb or interfere with the election process that is underway,” Grand Chief Sir Bob said. Meantime the Governor General has also called on the media to refrain from sensationalizing issues when reporting on election related violence. Grand Chief Sir Bob said, it was unfortunate that a handful of people have taken it upon themselves to instigate violence and cause mayhem while majority of Papua New Guineans throughout the country have had peaceful elections. “Referring to PNG as a war zone is a misrepresentation as it does not represent the whole country and the majority of peace loving Papua New Guineans who have conducted themselves well in the elections. Media must be mindful when reporting on election related violence as it could paint a bad picture of our country and our people to the international community. Refrain from sensational reporting which can cause unnecessary distress to our people and negative publicity of our country,” Grand Chief Sir Bob said. The Governor General has today met with Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai, the latter briefing the Governor General on the progress of elections so far. According to the Electoral Commissioner, eighteen of the 118 electorates have had declarations so far with a 100 more to go as counting progresses. Mr. Sinai said, the election officials are now working on a 24-hour shift to speed up counting with more results expected in the coming days. Mr. Sinai has informed the Governor General that this year’s national general elections was delayed from the beginning due to financial constraints, the untimely death of deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil which delayed the elections by a week, logistics and election officials not turning up on time at their designated areas which he says, has slowed the process. The Electoral Commissioner has recommended to the Governor General an extension of the Return of Writs from 29th July, 2022 to 12th August, 2022. According to Mr. Sinai, the extension of 14 days will allow for counting to be concluded and for results to be declared in all provincial and open electorates. Mr. Sinai has cited special circumstances that warrant the extension of the Return of Writs and has assured that the extension is within “the fifth anniversary of the day fixed for the return of writs for the previous general election…The extension of time is intended to provide time to allow all the writs to be returned accordingly.” The Governor General has accepted the extension of the Return of Writs to 12th August, 2022 at 4:00pm. The Governor General said, he accepts that it would be impossible to have all the Writs returned on July 29th, 2022, the proposed date of the Return of Writs, which is on Friday this week. “It would be impossible to complete all counting by Friday so I accept the extension by 14 days to 12th of August, 2022 at 4pm. The extension will save time and resources which will be costly if we were to start all over again. We can learn from this year’s national general elections to conduct better national general elections in 2027. The election process should start as early as 2023 next year. The Electoral Commission must get its finances and manpower resources organized and introduce a new system of voting that cuts down on time and resources. Introduce the biometric system or other such similar technology so once a vote is cast it is automatically tallied and stored and declarations can be made precisely and immediately. This way we avoid all the problems we have witnessed in this election – hijacking of boxes, disputes and delays in counting and violence. A number of people have lost their lives from election related violence. It is very unfortunate and should not have happened at all. Let’s prepare now to deliver a better Free and Fair elections in 2027,” Grand Chief Sir Bob said.  ”

James Segeyaro will play his first NRL game in over three years after Manly were forced to call up three debutants for Thursday’s game against the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale Oval. The Sea Eagles have only been able to name a 20-man squad when NRL guidelines state they usually must name a 22-player list on Tuesday. The match between the ninth-placed Sea Eagles and the eighth-placed Roosters was pitted as a battle for finals football. But the game has been overshadowed by seven Manly players withdrawing because of their stance on the club’s rainbow-detailed jersey. Papua New Guinea international Segeyaro, who was banned for two years for testing positive to a banned substance in 2019 while at Brisbane, is one of three beneficiaries. Segeyaro will come off the bench, with Alfred Smalley and Fiji international Pio Seci also drafted up from feeder club Blacktown to play on the wing. SOURCE: THEQLDR.COM.AU

This news just in! The PNG Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai has recommended to the Governor General an extension of the return of writs from 29th July to August 12th 2022. Mr Sinai says this extension will allow for counting to be concluded and results to be declared. The Governor General has accepted this extension to the return of writs to 12th August 2022 at 4pm. Keep listening to the news on NAU FM, Yumi FM & Legend FM & follow our news website pnghausbung.com for more on this story.

National flag carrier, Air Niugini has performed exceptionally well in delivering its schedule, outperforming many airlines in Australia and the Pacific.  In June Air Niugini operated 2,260 flights with 2,104 of those serving the domestic market.  When compared with key airlines in Australia for the month of June, Air Niugini’s on time departure performance (flights leaving within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time) sat at 82% as compared with Qantas at 58.7% and Virgin Australia with 59.8%   The cancellation rate for Air Niugini for June was 3.8% while Qantas cancelled 7.5% of all their services and Virgin Australia cancelling 5.8% of their flights.  Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bruce Alabaster said “It’s not easy ensuring schedule integrity and with the difficult conditions under which we operate here in PNG that places further pressure on our schedule. “  “I commend all our staff, those at the check-in counter, traffic officers to operating crew, engineers, catering, flight planning and all those involved for their great teamwork, producing excellent results often under testing circumstances. Our on time performance is something we take very seriously and are always working to improve on, and to be performing at a level higher than our peer airlines in the region is a wonderful result. I encourage the team to continue to maintain the good work”  

Team PNG was officially welcomed to the Games Village on Monday (25/07/2022) by Commonwealth Games Village Mayor David Moorcroft at the University of Birmingham. In receiving the welcoming gift from Mayor Moorcroft , General Management and Team Operations and Administration, Chris Aimini, thanked the Games Organizing Committee for the warm welcome. "Team PNG has settled in well since arrival on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday respectively ", said Amini. Weightlifters into 3rd Training Session Meanwhile, Weightlifting Team Manager Kila Mala has confirmed that weightlifting sensations Dika Toua amd Morea Baru are well into their 3rd training session with four more sessions to go before their competitions start on July 30, 2022. "So far all is going well the two weightlifters in their training and recovery and we are thankful for all the support, particularly head Physiotherapist  Matthew Natusch for all the post recovery work," said Mala.

H.E Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, GCL, GCMG, KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea, has expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family, friends, and relatives of one of Papua New Guinea's esteemed and renewed businessmen Chief Jacob Luke following his passing last week. Grand Chief Bob said Mr. Luke was a unique individual who beat all odds from humble beginnings and started and built his business into a successful business. " Mr. Luke is proof that Papua New Guineans can start a business, manage it and build it into an empire and be successful. Despite the odds and negativities that would deter many from expanding a business venture., Mr. Luke persevered and succeeded. His business now employs hundreds of, if not thousands of people, and has enabled many people to venture into business and private entrepreneurship. He was a businessman who also gave much to others and was well respected in the business community both here and abroad and a pillar to his people and community. He did not rely on handouts or others to build his business. And in the end, he was able to enjoy his success, be his own boss and give back to the community without seeking favors and public office to do so. It doesn't matter who and where we come from, we can be successful in our pursuits by doing so with perseverance, honesty, and hard work. Our youths and young ones can learn from this so that they can make a success of themselves to be useful and productive citizens of our country. Lady Dadae joins me in conveying to the immediate family of the late Mr. Luke our heartfelt sympathies and condolences during this time of difficult time. May God's peace comfort you in your time of mourning," Grand Chief Sir Bob said.

Sitting Member and Pangu Pati Candidate, Timothy Masiu has retained his South Bougainville Open Seat polling 14, 404 votes exceeding the absolute majority of 11, 760.

Kina Bank has issued this advice to customers. Some branches will remain closed until further notice in Port Moresby, these branches are Vision City, Boroko, and Jacksons Airport. As of 10.00 AM, this morning branches to be opened are the Waigani Drive, Port Moresby, and Harbourside branches. Kina Bank will continue to monitor the situation and then advise when they plan to re-open the branches that are currently closed. Kina Bank is advising to please continue to stay safe at this time and keep indoors. The Bank further says customers can utilize digital banking services through Kina Konnect and the Mobile App. Alternatively, you can also contact Kina Bank on toll-free number 180 1525 or Contact Centre on +675 308 3800.

Member-elect for Wabag Open Electorate, Dr. Lino Tom was declared yesterday afternoon after collecting 35,782 votes in the primary counts, surpassing the absolute majority mark of 28,000+1.

The Manly Sea Eagles have been thrown into turmoil ahead of their Thursday night contest against the Sydney Roosters, because of their pride jersey. As many as seven players are reportedly considering pulling out of the contest due to the club’s inclusive jersey. Players are reportedly opposed to wearing the jersey due to religious beliefs and are set to stand down with suggestions they weren’t consulted prior to the jersey announcement, The Daily Telegraph reports. The players in question reportedly include Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu and Josh Aloiai. Manly officials are set to hold an emergency meeting on Monday night with the players as the club faces the damning prospect of contesting the must win game without seven of their stars. The trio of Sean Keppie, Kieran Foran and Reuben Garrick happily posed in the Sea Eagles jersey titled “everyone in league” on Monday. Manly will become the first club in rugby league history to wear a jersey celebrating inclusivity with rainbow colours replacing the traditional white piping. The players in question have reportedly told their managers they’ll stand down if forced to play in the one-off jumper, according to The Daily Telegraph. The Manly Sea Eagles major sponsor is gambling company Pointsbet, while their home stadium, 4 Pines Park, is named after an alcoholic brewing company. Sea Eagles great Ian Roberts, the first rugby league player to come out as openly gay, was hoping to attend the game this Thursday. “LGBTIQA people have always been a part of sport but haven’t always been allowed the visibility,” Roberts said. “Honestly I have been trying to get the NRL to have a pride round for the past three years and it still hasn’t got the traction it deserves. It saddens me because they think having a float at the Mardi Gras is enough and it’s not.” The damning report drew severe social media backlash with fans in uproar over the players potentially standing down because of the jersey. Wide World of Sports’ Matt Bungard wrote: “I don’t want to hear one single thing about ‘respecting other people’s opinions’ or using religion as a crutch to hide behind while being homophobic. No issues playing at a stadium covered in alcohol and gambling sponsors, which is also a sin. What a joke.” Spalk Talk’s Tom Read wrote: “As a manly fan, I’d be more than ok for those players to not play in this game, or ever again for the club.” Townsville Bulletin editor Chris McMahon wrote: “I don’t care if it derails Manly’s season, but if these flogs pull out of this game because of an inclusive jersey, they should be stood down for the season without pay. As a massive @SeaEagles supporter this is enough for me to almost pack it in.” Source: www.news.com.au

Port Moresby General Hospital has stepped up its security measures in light of the spates of violence that are being experienced in and around the city. The PMGH Senior Executive team held an emergency meeting with Clinical Coordinators, Nurse Managers, and Corporate staff to discuss the measures that will be undertaken to ensure the safety of all staff [and patients] until some sort of normalcy is restored in the city. [caption id="attachment_24347" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo Credit: Port Moresby General Hospital[/caption] The security measures include: 1. All vehicles and persons to be searched for weapons before entering the hospital premises; 2. Metal detector search for anyone entering the Emergency Department (ED), Children's Emergency Department (CED), Consultation Clinic, and/or all entry points into the hospital; 3. The ED gate will be controlled by security personnel and no guardians will be allowed in; 4. Staff will be provided security-protected pickup and drop off and security escort; 5. Locks will be placed on all gates, gate at the mortuary, and all gates within the hospital premises; and 6. The Emergency Response team is on standby to receive mass casualties. [caption id="attachment_24348" align="aligncenter" width="593"] Photo Credit: Port Moresby General Hospital[/caption] Meanwhile, an overnight summary from the Emergency Department has reported two (2) casualties stemming from yesterday's incident at Waigani near the Sir John Guise Stadium and Vision City Mall. The casualties are: 1. Bush knife injury / Traumatic Brain Injury; managed and in a stable condition. 2. Bush knife Injury / Limb Injury; managed and treated. Thus far, there are no election-related deaths.