Concerns on the forced extraction of roadwork material without payment by a road contractor along the Trans Island Highway in Central Province will be looked into and addressed soon. Works Minister Michael Nali gave this undertaking during Question Time in Parliament today. The issue was brought up by Kairuku Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo who said the controversial contractor brought rogue police officers with high powered firearms and chased away the landowners of the gravel pit from Aipiana village in Mekeo without paying them. “Is this the kind of attitude we want to display to our Papua New Guineans?” Mr Isoaimo asked. “Every human being is unique and so when you provoke them, they will treat you in the same manner and fashion.” Minister Nali in response said no road contractor has the right to extract road-based materials from a customary land without making a payment to its landowners. He further said he will enquire into the matter and make a response on the issue in this term of Parliament Sitting. “There are provisions there to buy materials, so if any contractor is doing things the other way, then that is totally wrong.” “I guarantee the Member that I will enquire and find out who that contractor is and why it has not been paying the locals for the extraction of materials from their land,” said Nali.

On Monday 28 February 2022, the EU Delegation to PNG signed an agreement with St John Ambulance which renew the EU's engagement of St John as the primary domestic emergency medical evacuation and retrieval service for its delegates. St John will also assist EU delegates with home medical services to help them access health care when it’s urgent, but not an emergency. In an important step to promoting emergency preparedness, St John is helping the EU in upgrading all its existing first aid kits and installing defibrillators (AEDs) at all its worksites in Port Moresby. Partnerships like this provide delegates with the comfort that quality emergency medical care is only one call away. CEO Matt Cannon said, the St John Ambulance Service stands ready to support government departments, businesses, and other delegations with the same level of close partnership. Any spare toeas raised by St John through important partnerships, like this one, are reinvested to improve the free public ambulance services.

A grade 8 student, 15 years old, was hacked to death by his step father over the weekend at Kuriva in Central Province. Central Provincial Police Commander Superintendent John Midi told PNG Hausbung that the incident happened following an argument and the family are from Goilala. “It is very sad and unbecoming of our society these days when people resort to violence too quickly,” Mr Midi said. Following the incident, relatives took sides and were in the process of attacking each other when police intervened. The step father was apprehended and is now in custody while police work on processing his charge. Police investigations into the incident is ongoing. Picture courtesy: Hon. Robert Agarobe MP (FB page)

In a first since the COVID-19 pandemic, the heads of Papua New Guinea’s 22 Provincial Health Authorities (PHA’s), key health personnel and partners are gathered in Port Moresby to address the challenges of the national COVID-19 Vaccination rollout program. Led by the National Department of Health through the National COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, a 3-day workshop is currently underway to give a voice to each province’s challenges in the COVID-19 response. ”This is an opportunity for provincial health leaders and health workers to have their voices heard, share experiences and lessons learned, and discuss a way forward, together,” said Mr Api Kassman, Executive Director for the National Vaccine Taskforce. Secretary for health, Dr. Osbourne Liko, in opening the workshop thanked all the PHA’s for their hard work over the past two since PNG declared its first case of COVID-19. “I know this has entailed many long and stressful hours with depleted staff and plenty of hardship. I thank you and deeply appreciate your efforts”. Dr Liko acknowledged the importance of listening and learning from lessons learned. And he reiterated the importance of COVID-19 vaccination to prevent severe illness and death. “The facts tell us time and again. We do not know when the next wave will hit, but we do know those who have been vaccinated have withstood current outbreaks of COVID much better, much stronger,” said Dr Liko. The participants shared practical experiences for community engagement and stressed on the importance of health care workers to vaccinate themselves ahead of others. One participant highlighted a common challenge facing many provincial health authorities was the limited human resources. “We need human resources. One of our root causes is we’re down with manpower. This hinders us to go out and get the job done to ensure our people are vaccinated”. Key themes that were raised on Day #01 included strategic and community based advocacy, identifying vaccine champions, coordinated efforts and strengthening partnerships. The workshop is supported by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Papua New Guinea - Australia partnership and partners. Findings from the workshop will inform the National COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce on the course of action on future vaccine rollout efforts in the country.

PREPARATIONS are well underway for the hosting of the annual Kopen Take Pii Cultural Festival and Ecotourism Conservation exhibition which commence next Tuesday in Enga Province. The three days cultural festival and ecotourism products exhibition has been simultaneously postponed last year due to upsurge in the World Global pandemic Covid-19 delta variant that claimed many lives around the country. Chairman Luke Lucas Lale said preparations of both cultural festival and ecotourism products exhibition including construction of stalls as well as cultural groups dancers are all set to roll. The Cultural Festival and Ecotourism Products Exhibition will start from 8th – 10th with the official opening on Tuesday and closing on Thursday by the PNG National Cultural Commission Executive Director Steven Enomb Kilanda and Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas respectively. Mr. Lale said PNG has got very diverse and unique cultures, music and art. He said the festival and ecotourism products exhibition has become a vehicle on which the communities will all stand together to promote domestically. “The Kopen Take Pii Cultural Festival will be different from any other festival hosted around the country in which we will interpret Enga proverbs, perform rituals, interpret myths, scared sites visitation like historic caves, legendary lakes, church tourism project sites, bird watching, trekking among others,” he said. He said hosting of such cultural festivals and tourism products development will enhance socio-economic activities and curb escalating law & order issues, address Gender Base Violence Inclusive Disabilities and other forms of Discrimination in the communities, whereby young men and women will actively participate to create enabling conducive environment. Mr. Lale reiterated that the Kopen Ecotourism Conservation project was started 20 years ago, however due to lack of funding it could not progress further. “Now we have opted to revive these significant projects which we have partnered with the PNG National Cultural Commission, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority and Enga Provincial Government through their Provincial Division of Commerce, Culture and Tourism to develop, safeguard and promote because we see that our cultural heritages and tourism products are beneficial. “Culture is the only standalone tourism product in the country and must be embraced at all times. Culture is our greatest economic asset freely at our disposal, and we must embrace it because once our non-renewal resources have fully depleted, we will still have our both tangible and intangible cultural resources to fall back,” he said. Project Director Samson Kendeman shared the same sentiment saying culture provides belonging and an arena in which residents can make a difference. “Culture contributes to exclusionary practices and has been seen as a drag on development efforts. “We want our village to be a Tourism Model Village within the Wabag Local Level Government,” Mr. Kendeman said. He said management have already implemented some of their tourism products which all started at Kopen as phase one. “Beginning this year and going forward we will further develop tourism projects like Punar Waterfall, construct bush treks, bird watching, scared sites and other cultural heritages up in the Walum rainforest that will definitely promote both domestic and international tourist that can enhance socio-economic activities and alleviate poverty concurrently,” he said. Mr. Kendeman said the concept will also enable the village to tap into economic benefits of tourism, agriculture and forestry to develop small businesses in communities to sustain and empower youth including marginalized women and girls’ population taking the lead. “We urge both national and sub-national governments to support us as well as development partners in such cultural and tourism development industry where our target is to involve youth population to contain the consumption of alcohol and poisonous homebrew that presently leading to law and order issues,” he said. The Management and Festival Committee would like to thank the major sponsors of PNG National Cultural Commission, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, Enga Provincial Government/Administration, Margaret Potane the Director of Provincial Division of Commerce, Culture & Tourism, Air Sanga Limited, National Airports Corporations, Lorma Construction Limited, Yani Hire Cars & Logistics, The National newspaper, Ribito Hotel & Restaurant, Joe Chen (Chen Trading), Ipali Limited, My Kids Inn, Porgera Sai Lodge, Kawai Lodge, Individual sponsors like Wabag Town Mayor Cr. Felix Poko, Milfred Wangatau and Kennedy Kiak.

The Kina Bank Board is pleased to announce an underlying NPAT (Net Profit After Tax) of PGK 96.2m, with a statutory NPAT of PGK 70.8m. This result is a solid increase of 27% on the previous financial year’s NPAT growth of 27%. Kina’s CEO and Managing Director Greg Pawson said “The results demonstrate our ability to grow organically, maintain costs and execute on strategic priorities”. Kina Securities Limited (ASX:KSL|PNGX:KSL) is pleased to provide the following update on its full year 2021 results. Kina Bank has announced an underlying NPAT of PGK 96.2m, an increase of 27%, with a statutory NPAT of PGK 70.8m. This result is a solid increase of 27% on the previous financial year’s NPAT growth of 27%. Notably, one-off costs associated with the Westpac acquisition termination impacted this growth. In good news for shareholders, The Board has declared an unfranked final dividend for the 2H21 of 0.7 cents (AUD) per share and 26.8toea (PGK) per share. The full year unfranked dividend is 10.0 cents (AUD) per share / 26.8 toea (PGK) per share. Kina’s CEO and Managing Director Greg Pawson said, “These results demonstrate our ability to grow organically, maintain costs and execute on strategic priorities.” He added “Throughout 2021, everyone on our team has been focused on delivering strong growth in all target segments, while maintaining disciplined cost management and ensuring our communities remain safe in a pandemic. The implementation of our Corporate Banking strategy and response in developing digital solutions for our customers, has helped build a sustainable growth profile.” Kina’s capital position remains well above the regulatory target of 12% with Total Capital adequacy of 23.3%. Performance snapshot: · Underlying NPAT increased by 27% to PGK 96.2m. · The Loan book delivered a 21% growth. · Foreign Exchange (FX) revenue grew by 19%. · Net Fees and Commissions increased by 17% to PGK 89.3m. · The performance in non-interest income from fees and commissions and foreign exchange income contributed 18% to Kina’s strong revenue growth. · Cost to income ratio (underlying) maintained at 58%. · Reduction in impairment cost to PGK 6.5m. · Kina’s Funds Administration business achieved NPAT of PGK 10.1m, which reflects a 22% improvement. Delivering on the Kina’s 2025 Strategic Plan All strategic initiatives have progressed well. In FY21 the focus was on simplifying the business, building digital capability, creating a competitive Corporate bank and having a compelling home loan product and offering. Kina delivered: · Digital capability across core banking which saw an uplift in Digital usage by 95%, year on year.· Competitive deposit products such as fee-free online banking helped deliver 8% Customer acquisition growth. · Effective management of loan levels well within industry benchmarks. · An expanded suite of products and services for SMEs including transaction accounts, concessional rate loans, online banking enhancements, digital payments gateways and with future partnerships such as Xero integration planned. · A refresh of the Brand and Marketing strategy including a new website that will underpin customer acquisition in FY22. · An improvement in executive diversity, with women in 60% of first line management and level one senior managers roles. · Financial inclusion through MiBank (microfinance partner) onboarding 66,829 new customers in 2021. Banking grows For the banking division, strong lending growth of 21% was achieved. Total loans and advances increased to PGK 1,950.5m. Kina improved market share in total loans and advances by 2% to 15%, ahead of Westpac and ANZ, positioning Kina as the second largest bank by loans and advances in PNG. The deposit base has increased by 19% with a 23% uplift in at call accounts. The improvement in On Call accounts is attributed to growth in net customers by 8%. NIM reflects a mix of increased lending to the corporate sector, strong deposit growth to maintain the loan to deposit ratio at less than 70%, and our strategy to grow FX revenues with the resources sector. While interest earning assets saw a 20% increase over the prior year, 69% of this growth was recorded in the second half. We expect NIM to normalise in the first half of 2022, well within the target range of 6-8%. The impact on NIM is offset by a strong performance in non-interest income which includes FX revenues and channel fees. Overall, fee income increased to PGK 57mn, a 24% increase. The largest contributor was Merchant facilities fees achieving strong growth from the increased distribution of Point of Sale terminals. Funds Under Administration Another positive year for Kina Funds Administration with NPAT of PGK 10.1m, a 22% improvement on the prior year. This is due to an increase in Funds under administration and growth in the membership base. Strategy and Outlook Kina’s purpose is to constantly improve the prosperity of the people, communities, and markets it serves. The bank achieves this by being the most dynamic, progressive, and accessible financial services organization in the Pan Pacific. To deliver on our purpose the bank developed a series of priorities. 2022 Priorities overview · Digital partnership platforms including e-KYC onboarding, payment system and digital wallets. · Deliver propositions to target segments, Prime home loans, Prime Plus (Employee referrals) and Private Bank · Developing ESG framework and renew commitment to micro finance partner MiBank. · Selectively build the brand into regional areas with the greatest growth opportunities. The BPNG’s outlook for economic growth is positive, with forecast GDP real growth of 5.4% driven by mining sector activity. Commodities such as coffee and palm oil are also forecast to grow, supporting Kina’s corporate proposition and target segments. COVID-19 continues to present a systemic risk for PNG with low vaccination rates. In order to support our customers, communities and staff, we will drive to deliver a more accessible and inclusive financial services business. This will include the implementation of key digital programs to ensure our customers can bank anywhere, anytime. Bank CEO and Managing Director Greg Pawson outlined Kina Bank’s growth plan, “Our customer growth, brand recognition and commitment to our communities has established the group as a leading diversified financial services company in PNG. 2021 was the start of our growth agenda. We have a strategic plan that sets out our opportunities to grow sustainable revenues and build on our digital capabilities and partnerships. Leveraging our assets and our people across financial services in the Pan-Pacific region, backs our vision to deliver value for all our stakeholders”.

Twelve Villages of Erap Ward 7 & 8 receive training and funding support to be models of the Intervention Program. Sunday 27th February 2022, Dinsu Village in Ward 7 of Erap LLG, Nawaeb District saw graduates of 12 villages presented funding support after completion of Healthy Village & Good Governance Concept of the Morobe Provincial Government. The Concept promotes proper Hygiene and preventative Healthcare for rural villages and Good Governance systems that steers proper planning of all Village systems to be models of Morobe Province. Present at the occasion was Morobe Governor Ginson Goheyuc Saonu, Morobe Province Deputy Governor Willie Simbisi, Wain/Erap LLG President Kunump Ameke, MPG Healthy Village & Good Governance Program Coordinator & Initiator Mr Justin Ruameng along with his Trainers and Ward Councilors of Wards 7 & 8 of Wain/Erap. The funding support presented will provide the capacity to rollout the program in the respective 12 villages in the area. Governor Saonu said this Intervention Program is to foster Good health practices for the people and is a preventative method in reducing burden & strain to the health facilities. He said the Good Governance training encourages Ward Committees to be strengthened as well and be more proactive in the areas that really affect the people. Similar Roll out of this program has touched, Bulolo, Nawaeb, Huon and Markham Districts capturing the other Districts of Morobe Province. MPG HV&GG Coordinator Mr Justin Ruameng commended the support of the Leadership of Governor Saonu so far. Mr Ruameng is focused that the Program will instill better coordinated practices of living at Village level up and contributes to better standards of living at Provincial Level. K1000 funding (K12,000) was given to respective 12 villages to kick start the program in their villages this year. The Program is being supported as well by Nawaeb DDA, Australia DFAT, Lutheran Church.

For thousands of years, bilum weaving has been handed down from mothers to daughters across Papua New Guinea (PNG). It is an integral part of PNG’s cultural heritage and an important source of income for artisan women, especially those facing significant social and economic disadvantage. Yet despite bilum’s omniscient presence in PNG, its commercial and artistic value has remained relatively hidden, until recently. The bilum story is an incredible example of the transformative power of the creative and cultural industry. It shows just what is possible when emerging entrepreneurs are given effective access to international markets, are supported to strengthen their supply chains and are empowered to share their creativity and culture with the world. Over the years Australia, through the PNG-Australia Partnership, has supported entrepreneurs like - Florence Jaukae Kamel and her vision for the Goroka Bilum Festival, and provided strategic capacity building along the bilum value chain. Pacific Trade Invest Australia helped Florence and key artisans to take bilum to the world stage and find international buyers. With a little help, the entrepreneurship and vision of these women can lead to great commercial success and inclusive economic growth. Many in the international market have become attracted to the unique beauty of the bilum and have contributed to the growth of international sales, through boutique fashion designers to several large international fashion retailers. Capacity building along the bilum value chain, has in turn supported the growth of the industry and enhanced its financial sustainability. There is now a network of over a thousand weavers across the country, exporting bilum to the world, while increasing their income and wellbeing through culture and community. “Our weavers are single mothers, women who people think have no value in the family. They are raising their children, paying their school fees, medical bills and building their own houses. And they are succeeding through bilum.” Florence Jakaue Kamel While much has changed in ten years, the bilum story continues to unfold, with its full potential yet to be realised. It has taken ten years of experimentation, persistence and forging of relationships to get the bilum industry to where it is today. But for it to grow as a significant export opportunity for PNG it needs another 5-10 more years of strategic support to strengthen the supply chain and grow the industry. And the demand is there, as Jessica from Bilum & Bilas shares, “The creative industry in Papua New Guinea is an untapped resource. There’s a real demand now in the marketplace for sustainable, ethical products with deep meaning and stories, that also give back to the makers.” Culture and art are a source of identity, and can inspire creativity, innovation, and community-based entrepreneurship. The right investment into the creative and cultural industries could see it become a powerful driver of inclusive economic growth - empowering women, creating jobs, and fostering a stronger, more connected community. “My hope is to see the Creative and Cultural Industries stand on their own, in their own right. Not [just] be rolled out when there’s a meeting or gathering but a real appreciation for the art and the intrinsic value that it adds to the national identity. It is the perfect vehicle for economic empowerment.” shares Ruth Choulai, Cultural Industry Advisor, Abt Associates. The Australian High Commission sponsored film ‘The Bilum Story’ tells this story and it has been released for special viewing from 24 Feb – 10 March 2022 on www.thebilumstory.com

The Acting Secretary for the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology Dr Francis Hualupmomi has strongly condemned a bullying incident at the PNG University of Technology that resulted in a student’s room being totally ransacked by fellow students. Dr Hualupmomi said his office is fully aware of the incident and he is hoping the University management can address this incident within their own capacity. “University of Technology is an academic institution and not a place for rogue students.” “I am confident that the University management will address this issue within their by-laws.” The Secretary further clarified that the Department has no power to intervene in such matters as universities are established by the Act Parliament, and therefore they operate within their by-laws to address matters of concern such as bullying. He said the Department addresses such matters through a quality assurance process whereby institutions are advised to establish policy and by-laws to protect the safety of students in accordance with the Higher Education General Provisions Act 2014 and quality assurance guidelines. “I encourage all institutions of higher learning to develop strong policies or by-laws to prevent bullying, including sexual harassment.” “In doing so, they protect the security of students and enhance the quality of learning.” Meanwhile the PNG University of Technology Administration has refused to comment on the incident nor advise on the actions they are taking to deal with the students involved. The family of the student who are based in Port Moresby have notified this Newsroom that they will be flying over to Lae to formally lodge a complaint with police and with the University Administration.

Members of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) met in the margins of the current parliamentary session to prepare for the second round public hearings which will be held by the Committee on Thursday 3 March and Friday 4 March 2022. Charles Abel, Chairman of the Committee, made clear that the Committee will use the hearing to encourage Government Ministers and officials to stay focused on addressing GBV, even in the lead up to the June 2022 national general election. On Thursday 24 February, when speaking in the House on a Bill that sought to criminalise sorcery accusation related violence (SARV), Chairman Abel used his speech as an opportunity to highlight the work of the Committee to address a range of critical issues, including and in addition to SARV. In his speech to Parliament, he stated: “Our Committee produced a report last year, which listed 71 recommendations. In our report, which has been endorsed by the Government, we highlighted 7 urgent reforms – including the establishment of a permanent GBV committee, to convert the current special committed into a permanent one. I have given the Leader of Government Business a draft motion to make that recommendation happen and trust the Leader to action that.” Hon Abel noted that other recommendations included the establishment of the National GBV Secretariat, counselling services, addressing SARV, providing more support for family planning and ensuring access to justice for GBV survivors. The importance of reserved seats for women was also highlighted as an urgent priority recommendation, but Hon Abel noted that the Government appears to be running late in tabling legislation to push through those reforms. The second round of public hearings by the GBV Committee will be held in Port Moresby from Thursday 3 March to Friday 4 March. They will be used to ask Ministries about how they have implemented the recommendations made by the Committee in their August 2021 Report. To enable the public to watch and participate, the public hearings will be broadcast on the Committee’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PNGParlCommGBV. At a meeting of Committee members discussing the next hearings, Governor Powes Parkop a member of the Committee stated: “At our hearings next week, we expect to be hearing from government officials working across the spectrum, from health officials who provide crisis support services, to the police, prosecution and courts services who are responsible for investigating and prosecuting GBV crimes. We want to know what they have done since our last hearings to fix the many gaps we identified in our August GBV repot in the national response to GBV.” He stressed: “I am particularly concerned that the Government needs to urgently approve the establishment of the National GBV Secretariat, which has been tasked with driving the national GBV response. Although the Government allocated 7.93 million Kina to the Department for Community Development and Religion in the 2022 National Budget, it wont be spent if there isn’t a National GBV Secretariat, with a properly qualified cohort of staff who can effectively manage that funding for the benefit of GBV survivors across the country. This must be done immediately.” The Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV was set up in 2020 by the National Parliament. It has six members, in addition to the Chair: Deputy Chairman Hon Allan Bird (Governor East Sepik), Hon Powes Parkop (Governor NCD), Hon Aiye Tambua (Goroka MP), Hon Michael Dua (Governor Chimbu), Hon Allan Marat (Rabaul MP) and Hon Ginson Saonu (Governor Morobe). For more information on the Committee, see Coalition of Parliamentarians to End GBV: https://www.unitedforequalitypng.com/. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is providing technical support to the Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV as part of its gender programming and the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. This support aims to address Gender-Based Violence and support longer term efforts to promote women’s participation and leadership in the Parliament.

Kina Bank is proud to support Susu Mamas with a K30,000 donations. This donation will contribute to the organizations work providing free primary health care services to the children and women. Executive General Manager, Banking, Lesieli Taviri, says ‘’we at Kina Bank will continue to navigate through the uncertainties and challenges presented by COVID19 to provide much needed essential services and support to our customers and clients. We recognize the important work of Susu Mamas and we at Kina Bank feel that our assistance in this cause will continue to change, impact and save lives of women and children in the communities they live in. Our Staff access your services and it’s important we help you to help our people’’. We are happy to support the work. Chair of the fund raising committee of Susu Mamas, Lata Milner, is grateful that this assistance will go a long way for Susu Mamas. ‘’With the increase in number of people attending the clinics since the COVID-19 pandemic started, staff have had to be increased from 50 to 150. Now Susu Mamas desperately needs funding to be able to continue to provide these much needed services. Funding cuts and policy change has affected our operations as attention was shifted to covid19’’. On behalf of Susu Mamas, our mothers, young children and family, I’d really like to express our gratitude to Kina Bank for supporting us in a very enormous way. I can’t tell you how fabulous this is and how many lives will have changed and for Kina Bank to support us is fantastic and I’m very supportive as it means a lot to us,’’ says Lata Milner. Susu Mamas PNG has been providing free primary health care services to communities in seven provinces for the past 30 years. This includes adult and paediatric health care, HIV and Sexual reproductive health, family planning, maternal and child health (immunization, nutrition screening) and Covid vaccines.

Russian football clubs and national teams have been suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa after the country's invasion of Ukraine. The world and European football governing bodies said they would be banned "until further notice". It means the Russian men's team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women's team have been banned from this summer's Euro 2022 competition. Spartak Moscow have also been kicked out of the Europa League and their last-16 opponents RB Leipzig will advance to the quarter-finals. Uefa has also ended its sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom. "Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine," Fifa and Uefa said in a joint statement. "Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people." Fifa and Uefa decided to take action after Russia, supported by Belarus, launched a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine last Thursday. The Russian men's team had been scheduled to face Poland in a World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March. Russian football's governing body, the RFU, said it "categorically disagreed" with the decision and would challenge it "in accordance with international sports law". Fifa had previously ruled that Russia must complete their upcoming games in neutral territory, under the title Football Union of Russia, and without their flag and anthem. However, the announcement drew criticism - and Scotland and the Republic of Ireland joined several other nations, including England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, in refusing to play against Russia. Russia are in Northern Ireland's European Under-21 Championship qualifying group and their meeting in March will be cancelled. On Monday, Scottish FA president Rod Petrie wrote to his Ukrainian counterpart "to send a message of support, friendship and unity", with those two nations due to meet in their World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March. The 2022 Champions League final, originally due to be played in St Petersburg on 28 May, has been moved to Paris while numerous clubs have taken their own steps to disassociate themselves from Russia. Manchester United has terminated its sponsorship deal with Russia's national airline Aeroflot while Bundesliga club Schalke has cancelled its partnership with main sponsor Gazprom, having last week removed the Russian energy company's logo from its shirts. "I can't understand why it took them 24 hours to make this decision," said Jim Boyce, former Fifa vice-president and honorary life president of the Irish FA, speaking to BBC Radio Ulster. "What is happening is absolutely deplorable. Quite honestly, every possible sanction that can be imposed on Russia at the minute has to be done. I applaud Fifa and I applaud Uefa for the decision that they have made today." Speaking on Monday, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said: "The whole world has to be compact and show [it is] solid against the stupidity of the people." He added: "I think it's right to express our disappointment about the stupidity about some decisions. Football and Uefa has to be compact and to show to be strong."