Mason Greenwood was detained on suspicion of rape and assault on Sunday after a woman alleging incidents of violence posted pictures and videos on social media. Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood has been further arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and threats to kill. On Sunday he was detained on suspicion of rape and assault after a woman alleging incidents of violence posted pictures and videos on social media. The 20-year-old was suspended from playing or training with the club following the weekend allegations. [caption id="attachment_18808" align="aligncenter" width="929"] Investigators at Mason Greenwood's mansion in Bowden, Greater Manchester[/caption] In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "Detectives have been granted further additional time to speak to a man in his 20s who was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault of a woman. "The suspect was detained in custody on Sunday (30 January) afternoon after we became aware of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence. "He continues to be questioned after magistrates authorised an extension until tomorrow (Wednesday 2 February). "Following enquiries so far, he has since been further arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and threats to kill." The allegations were posted on Instagram on Sunday morning and included videos, photographs and a voice note which claimed to be a conversation between Greenwood and the woman. They have since been deleted. [caption id="attachment_18810" align="aligncenter" width="909"] Police arrested Greenwood after being made aware of the allegations on social media[/caption] Manchester United said in a statement: "Manchester United reiterates its strong condemnation of violence of any kind. As previously communicated, Mason Greenwood will not train with, or play for, the club until further notice." The striker, from Bradford, made his debut in 2019 and has since made 129 appearances for Manchester United. He made his senior England debut in 2020. A spokesperson for sportswear giant Nike, which sponsors Greenwood, said in a statement: "We have suspended our relationship with Mason Greenwood. "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation." The striker has also been removed from FIFA 22 by EA Sports. A spokesperson said: "Mason Greenwood has been removed from active squads in FIFA 22 and has also been suspended from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) packs and Ultimate Draft." SOURCE: SKY NEWS

The Secretary for Education has announced today the payment of K211 million to all schools in the National Education System while he welcomed more than 2.2 million students and 65,000 teachers in 12,700 schools nationwide to the new school year. “The K211 million has already been paid as of yesterday and schools should access these funds this week. Schools can use these funds to assist with their operations and also pay off credits from last year,” Secretary, Dr. Uke Kombra said. The K211 million is outstanding from 2021. The Secretary also announced the further processing of K158 million for Term 1 which should be paid this week. Despite the economic challenges, the Marape/Basil Government is fulfilling its commitment and I on behalf of the parents and schools commend the government for the appropriation of K632 million for 2022 and the release of the K158 million last week. We have received a warrant of K316 million and are expecting the next payment of K158 million soon. The provinces which the GTF functions have been decentralized are urged to make sure that schools receive their payments as soon as the funds hit the provincial trust accounts. “The GTFS calculations are done based on the enrolment data that is received from the schools. Schools that have not submitted their enrolment data for 2019, 2020 and 2021 would have payment issues” Dr. Kombra said. The provinces that are very poor in submitting the 2021 enrolment data are Manus (39%), New Ireland (41%), Gulf (43%), Madang (51%), EHP (51%), whilst the better provinces are Morobe (61%), East Sepik (62%) and West New Britain (65%). Principals are once again reminded of every student’s right to education and warned that no student is refused enrolment or attending school for want of school fees.

BSP Financial Group Limited having the biggest customer base in the country ensures Covid-19 protocols are implemented internally amongst its staff and externally to customers. BSP Retail Group General Manager Daniel Faunt in responding to health concerns raised around the long bank queues said the use of facemasks are mandatory inside the banking chambers. BSP also manages queues outside the branch by encouraging customers to observe all Covid-19 measures adding the onus is on customers to adhere to these measures. “Recognising that this is a peak period for school fee payments, BSP had selected branches open since Saturday 22nd January, 2022 for Saturday Banking to manage the increased traffic to the branches. Saturday Banking runs for six Saturdays and ends on 26th February at 16 main BSP branches: Alotau, Goroka, Kimbe, Kiunga, Kokopo, Kundiawa, Lae Top Town, Madang, Popondetta, Tari, Wabag, Waigani Banking Centre, Wewak, Buka, Mt Hagen Branch and Banz Hybrid Sub-Branch. Customers can deposit school fees as well as apply for Personal Loans. School Fee Payment service is also available through BSP Mobile Banking *131#. BSP offers schools and institutions the ability to accept instant school fee payment from parents and guardians through BSP Mobile Banking *131#. Payments are only accepted through schools that are registered as BSP Mobile Merchants. Each school is issued a School Code that allows parents and students to reference when making school fee payments via BSP Mobile Banking *131#. The full list of registered schools is on the BSP website www.bsp.com.pg “We encourage our customers to use BSP Mobile Banking to pay school fees directly to the schools at the comfort of their home or office. Alternatively, customers can use BSP Internet Banking to pay fees directly to these schools”, Mr Faunt added. Furthermore There are also safer ways of banking during this time and BSP has rolled out alternate, safe and convenient banking options such as Mobile Banking, Internet Banking, BSP Customer Self Service App, BSP Pay and IPG payments to name a few. Meanwhile BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming said digital banking channels are available to all customers, these digital banking options would reduce physical visits to the branches. “We must embrace change and adapt to digital banking channels made available through digital banking. Our staff have been encouraged to get vaccinated to protect themselves, especially the front line staff. While Covid has been around since 2019, customers are encouraged to continue practicing Social Distancing and wearing of masks not only when accessing our branches but also when out in any public space.,” he added.

Consortium of Leadership Excellence (COLE) will now be able to accept payment of school fees using ncsl’s EFTPOS terminals when the academic year starts. This arrangement was made possible through a partnership between ncsl and COLE Group of companies. CEO and Managing Director of COLE Group, Mr. Shivalinga Prasad said the two terminals will be utilized to facilitate school fee payment for students. “Primarily these EFTPOS Machines will be used by parents of our students to pay for their fees without any problem,” Mr Prasad said. He continued, “the EFTPOS will be used at our Educational coordination office where our parents come to register their children for various courses. They will be used to collect fees.” The installation of the terminals means school fee payments can now be made using debit cards from other commercial banks and micro banks besides ncsl’s poro card. More merchants around the country are now opting to use EFTPOS machines to minimize the risk of carrying cash. CEO Prasad said that the terminals provide cashless transactions making it safer and more convenient for their business and the customers. The installation is the first for this year as ncsl continues to roll out its EFTPOS terminal installations around the country. The Society urges interested merchants and registered SME’s to contact the e-Banking Department for EFTPOS installation on 313 2073 or email ebanking@ncsl.com.pg. For more information on this article, please contact Ms. Louise Mary Kodor – Media & Communications Officer on 313 2055 or email lkodor@ncsl.com.pg.

Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom has voiced concern over a possible rise is COVID-19 cases in schools. “My concern is kids going back to school and in overcrowded schools, schools are expected to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. This is due to Omicron,” said Dr Daoni. He said Omicron has shown to infect young people and children more than the other variants. He said, “Schools must prepare and put in place measures to cover for teachers in the event that a lot of teachers get infected and miss schools. “At the same time, schools must work closely with parents to ensure that the spread among kids or children is minimized. “We are also expecting a lot of kids to be absent from school if they become infected. Omicron has been shown to infect young people and children and this will happen in PNG.” Dr Daoni said Omicron, one of the five variants of concern, is easily transmissible so a lot of people will become infected so he advised that people who have flu-like symptoms and cough must get themselves tested. Knowing one’s status will enable people to access care and prevent themselves from spreading the virus. He also strongly advised those 18 years old and above to get vaccinated. “Omicron will spread very fast and a lot of people will become infected,” Dr Daoni said.

Four men are in police custody tonight after cowardly attacking an ambulance at Sabuia village near Gaire in Central Province. The Saint Johns ambulance was responding to a distress call when it was attacked this evening. Two ambulance workers were on their way to aid and transport a pregnant woman to Port Moresby General Hospital when they were unscrupulously attacked by a mob. A group of drunk and violent men broke the ambulance windscreen and attempted to pull the key from the ignition, but the two medics escaped by driving towards Kwikila before raising the alarm. Fox 101 was dispatched when the Police operations centre was alerted this evening. The prime suspect in the centre of this crime is an elderly man. He was arrested with three others and conveyed to Port Moresby today. The four men were initially charged for provoking a breach of the peace and held in police custody. This matter will be referred to CID and more relevant charges are likely to be slapped on them. [caption id="attachment_18780" align="aligncenter" width="517"] The main suspect, an elderly man is now in police custody.[/caption]

Home gardens look best when it features both exotic and native tropical plants and thankfully for PNG, there are heaps to choose from. Here at the Nature Park, we have a variety of beautiful native trees available for sale that can do wonders in any home garden – one such tree is the ‘Lilly Pilly’. Lilly Pilly trees are typically grown as ornamental plants for their attractive glossy foliage. Lilly Pilly trees can grow to a height of 10m and are the perfect plant for hedging and screening purposes as they can be easily managed through regular pruning to maintain density. Lilly Pilly trees grow best in warm climates such as our typical Port Moresby climate experienced year-round. So if you’re someone that loves plants that require low maintenance yet put up a stunning display in your front yard, a Lilly Pilly tree might just be the plant for you! Now selling for under K20, visit the Port Moresby Nature Park and enquire with our Nursery team today or send us an email to reservations.pomnp@gmail.com on how you can purchase one or more for your home garden. Our nursery team has been hard at work preparing plants for our upcoming Plant Sale Weekend coming up on Saturday 12 – Monday 14 February and we thought you should be the first to know! Thank you for supporting your Nature Park and see you soon at our Plant Sale Weekend next month!

THE long, unmanaged queues at the banks pose a risk for the spread of COVID-19, says Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom. “I’m concerned at seeing that there’s been long queues at the banks; people standing in queues are not wearing masks, both inside and outside the bank,’’ said Dr Daoni. “You see these happening all over the country in the banks. “Bank buildings are confined areas that can also be a hub for the spread of COVID-19 infections, including the Delta and Omnicron variants.’’ He urged the management of the banks to ensure the queues inside the banks are minimized and everyone must wear a mask. “They must also ensure that all the bank employees are vaccinated to protect themselves, their work colleagues and families,’’ he said. The Deputy Controller has also urged the bank management to make sure the queues are managed at the ATMs, and the ATMs are sanitized as they are used by a lot of people. “The surfaces at the ATMs can be a reservoir for COVID-19 as they are used by a lot of people,’’ he said. “Currently, most ATMS are not sanitized. People frequently touch surfaces of ATMs where they can contract COVID-19.’’ He urged the bank management to liase with the National Control Centre and come up with Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 workplace safety and operations to minimise the spread of the virus in the bank workplaces. He also urged people to make sure they are vaccinated as they can get COVID-19 in crowded places like banks or even spread the virus to others.

Papua New Guinea’s leading anti-corruption civil society organization Transparency International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) marked its 25th Anniversary in Port Moresby on Thursday 27th January 2022, with an event recognizing the importance of its individual and organizational supporters. The silver jubilee celebrations by TIPNG, under the theme “Rise to the Occasion”, were also an opportunity to reflect on the efforts of Papua New Guineans 25 years ago to establish an association that would empower citizens to take action against corruption where it occurred, whether that be in the personal, public or private spheres of life. “This 25th anniversary of TIPNG existence is not just a milestone for the organization, but more importantly it is an opportunity for us to reflect and recognize the enduring courage and commitment of many Papua New Guineans who have made it possible. It is a celebration of their courage and their shared desire to see a much better PNG free of corruption,” said Peter Aitsi, TIPNG Board Chair in his official remarks at the event. To commemorate its 25th Anniversary, TIPNG presented certificates of appreciation and recognition to the following individuals and organizations: • European Union Delegation to Papua New Guinea • Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade • Transparency International Asia Pacific Desk • PNG Sustainable Development Program • Johnston’s Pharmacies • Jeff Undah and Family • Mr. Arthur Luluai, TIPNG Individual Member • National Parliament of Papua New Guinea • PNG Correctional Services • Department of National Planning and Monitoring • City Mission • Pacific Adventist University • Ms. Yvonne Ngutlick, TIPNG Deputy Director Communications In addition to acknowledging supporters, TIPNG’s 25th Anniversary event also saw the launch of a commemorative logo marking the occasion, and a new look website that has for the first time been fully developed within TIPNG by its own team. The event commences a year-long campaign of celebrating the efforts of people and organizations in Papua New Guinea that have taken steps to oppose corruption and promote integrity in the last 25 years. TIPNG will be using the #RiseToTheOccasion to promote these outputs which will include blog posts, video interviews and new digital content.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape says his Government is committed to rural development throughout Papua New Guinea. He said this at Ponowi Village in Ialibu, Southern Highlands, on Friday (January 28 2022) when officiating at the launching of Siwi Utame Agro Technical High School and Siwi Utame Loop Road. Both are projects of the Southern Highlands Provincial Government of Governor Hon. William Powi with support from the National Government. “My Government is visiting the most-remote parts of Papua New Guinea,” PM Marape said before leaving by helicopter for Kapuna in Kikori, Gulf, to open a new Level 4 hospital. “We want to tell our rural people that all hope is not lost yet. “Just because not much development has been taking place in rural areas over the last 46 years does not mean a gloomy future for us. “The future of this country is in our own hands, especially in places like Ponowi, where there are no tribal fights." “Such places will receive more recognition from the Government in terms of roads, schools, and others services.” PM Marape said government at national, provincial, district and local level should align and deliver services to the rural people. He said a case in point was the Southern Highlands Provincial Government of Governor Powi which was delivering impact projects like the East Pangia Road, Wiru Loop Road and other smaller road projects. The Prime Minister commended Governor Powi for setting up the road and school to better serve the people, and assured of his Government’s support to these initiatives which will serve over 50,000 people. “For many years, before we took over government in May 2019, there was little support to Southern Highlands Provincial Government (SHPG) from Waigani, but that has improved and in the last two years, SHPG has invested in roads and schools and other rural projects consistent with Government policies," PM Marape said. “That is the reason why I am here at Ponowi today to compliment and support a working Provincial Government to continue these two important projects” PM Marape said. He also commended the local people for allowing use of their land for these vital services. PM Marape said for any land claims, proper survey and valuation would be done before payments were made, as was done recently to the Walume Station land. The Prime Minister also assured the people that his Government would continue on with projects started by the previous Government "if the projects are beneficial to the community and country like we have been supporting the Western Pacific University outside of Ialibu Station" .

Schools around the country commenced their first day of school today and Gordon Secondary School in Port Moresby was no exception to this. A total of 700 plus new intakes (Gr9 & Gr11) were taken through registration this morning at the school. Deputy Principal Mr Saju Francis said that this year, the competition to secure spaces at their school has been very tough with only 350 spaces being made available for Grade 9 students out of a pool of more than 1700 students from the feeder schools of Wardstrip Demonstration Primary, Coronation Primary and Hohola Demonstration Primary School competing for a space at the school. Mr Francis when addressing the new intakes (Gr 9s), mentioned that the students must not take for granted their space at the school as there are many other students out there waiting on the reserve list for a space at the school. “You must be thankful that you now have a place at Gordon Secondary to continue your educational journey.” “You are privileged to be among the best students selected out of more than 1700 students to study here at Gordon Secondary School and so you must wear the school uniform with pride and be good ambassadors of the school,” Mr Francis said. Meanwhile, Deputy Principal Student Services Ms Martha Pitpit has confirmed that with the first day of school successfully commencing today, the school has not yet received the government’s first quarter fee component for the year let alone the fee component for the last quarter of 2021 as promised. This has prompted the school to stick to their original arrangements of the parental component fee payment which was communicated to parents last year well before the government’s announcement of the tuition free policy. Under the school’s parental component fee arrangement, students in the lower secondary are required to pay K495 while students in the upper secondary are required to pay a fee of K544.50. “Late last year, we communicated the parental component fees to students and parents and this has also been communicated to the District Education Board for implementation this year.” “With the government’s payment portions not coming through on time, we are now calling on parents to pay their parental component fees so as to allow us to continue operations smoothly at the school,” Ms Pitpit said. “While this may be the case for school fees, we are not turning any students away from class but are only asking that parents also step in to share the responsibility of educating their children,” the Deputy Principal said. Ms Pitpit further confirmed that the school will commence proper classes on Wednesday after registration and orientation has been completed for all students by Tuesday 1st of February 2022.

Prime Minister Hon James Marape is very pleased with the performance of the K92 mine in Eastern Highland Province. The PM said it was pleasing to note that K92 Mine’s 2021 performance was outstanding with a total of PGK67 million Corporate Tax expected to be paid to the State, and PGK85 million is estimated for this year 2022. In addition, the mine has invested significant sum for its capital expenditure for its underground development and expansion, whilst continuing massive investments of K40-50 million is planned for 2022 exploration. The mine continues to pay royalty to its stakeholders. The year 2021 saw PGK 12 million paid to the stakeholders and PGK3 million for production levy. Details of the performances outlined by CEO John Lewins were as follows:- Corporate Tax § 2021 Paid to date PGK48 million, with another PGK19 million due this quarter as final instalment for total of PGK67 million § 2022 Budget PGK85 million Capital Expenditure Actual 2021 § Capital Expenditure PGK 60 million § Twin Decline Development PGK 47.5 million § Capitalised Development PGK45 million Budget 2022 § Capital Expenditure PGK200 million § Twin Decline Development PGK40 - 50 million § Capitalised Development PGK70 - 80 million Exploration § 2021 Actual PGK38 million § 2022 Budget PGK40 – 50 million Royalty Payments § 2021 Actual PGK12 million (+PGK3 million Production Levy) § 2022 Budget PGK15 million (+PGK3.8 million Production Levy) Major Landowner company JV Contracts for Transport, Security, Camp & Ancillary Mobile Plant in 2021 was PGK50 Million (PGK135 million over last three years). Expansion and production The original mine had a capacity of 150,000 tpa and when K92 refurbished the plant we increased the capacity to 200,000 tpa in 2016. § 2021 Stage 2 Expansion to 400,000 tpa Commissioned (Capital Cost PGK100 million) Production – 120,000 ozs AuEq per annum § 2022 Stage 2A Expansion to 500,000 – production 150,000 ozs AuEq per annum § 2022 – 2024 Stage 3 Expansion to 1,200,000 tonnes per annum – production 350,000 ozs AuEq per annum. Capital Cost +PGK1 Billion spent over 2022/23/24 which will include a brand-new Process Plant Work currently underway includes – Twin Incline (5 metre x 5.5 metre and 6 metre x 6.5 metre) capable of producing 3 MTPA; New Workshop at 800 portal; Expansion of Camp to double capacity; Expansion of Warehouse and Store; Raising of Tailings Dam; Expansion of Mining Fleet; Production in gold equivalent ounces since K92 re-commenced mining at Kainantu are as follows: - 2018 – 47,000ozs; 2019 - 87,000 ozs; 2020 – 99,000 ozs; 2021 – 104,000 ozs; and Budget 2022 is expected to be 115-140,000 ozs