Eels hooker Therese Aiton isn’t just a trailblazer for Papua New Guinea players; she has established a pathway for more women from the Pacific nation to play in the NRLW. Aiton, who is only the third Orchids international to earn an NRLW contract after  Amelia Kuk and Elsie Albert, has created a scholarship program to help promising PNG players further their careers in Australia. Albert, the Orchids captain and St George Illawarra prop, was the first beneficiary after Aiton organised for her to come to Brisbane in 2020 to play for Souths Logan Magpies. The 32-year-old, whose brother Paul played more than 100 NRL matches for Penrith and Cronulla and represented the Kumuls in 16 Tests, accommodated Albert at her house in Brisbane until she earned an NRLW contract with the Dragons. Albert again received help from Aiton, through the Hezekiah Sports Scholarship Foundation she founded, to return for the 2021 NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership, which kicks off on February 27 after being postponed due to COVID. This time, Aiton will be lining up against Albert after being signed by Parramatta and the Orchids star is working to ensure that there are more PNG players in the NRLW in future years. “Ideally, we wanted to bring more players here now but the whole visa process and the funding for that was huge,” Aiton said. “A friend of mine runs a charity, His Harvest, so we just branched off that with the Hezekiah Sports Scholarship Foundation and through that, with whatever funding comes through, we can support more players to come over here. “I’ve put up my house for accommodation for them. This year I have offered to take five or six girls in my own home and get them to training. “We just need funding to support us with visas and flights to get them over here and whatever food they require when they are here, but we are happy to take them to training and accommodate them. “We were able to get Elsie here for the first year with Souths Logan Magpies, which was great, and to support her to come over again this year with the scholarship I created, so hopefully we can bring more players over because there is just so much talent in PNG.” Albert told of her struggle to return to Australia for the 2021 NRLW season and thanked the Hezekiah Sports Scholarship Foundation in a Facebook post after re-signing with the Dragons. "The founder of the foundation is one of our PNG Orchids player, Therese Aiton," Albert said. "She created this foundation to help raise money to help our PNG girls to get the opportunity to play in Australia and achieve their dreams. A quick shout to His Harvest, as well, in helping to set up the foundation. "I am fortunate enough to be one of the first one to be helped by this foundation. They helped sponsor for my ticket to come to Australia. "At the beginning of the year, I pictured myself getting on a plane and flying to Australia and it took me seven months to finally settle everything and am now in Australia. Long story short the chances were 0%. "Keeping my fingers crossed and keen to see what this foundation can achieve through helping our PNG girls in the near future." Aiton said the inspiration for the scholarship program came after hearing about some of the obstacles female players still face in PNG to access training programs and gyms which would help with their development. The Orchids, whose first Test was during the 2017 World Cup, enjoyed an historic win against England at Port Moresby in 2019 but Aiton said more support was needed at grassroots level if PNG was to compete with the Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns. “There is so much talent in PNG so we just want to get more girls into the competitions here and that’s what the scholarship is designed to do,” she said. “Even at A-grade and club level, the football in Australia is completely different to back in PNG. “I really feel that the sooner we can get girls over here experiencing this level of football the easier it is going to be when they go back to PNG with the skills they have learned here, and they can support other girls to develop at home.” Paul Aiton, who is on the coaching staff of the PNG Hunters, is working in Papua New Guinea to help organise for more women to be able to play in Australia. Therese’s move to Parramatta may also open another pathway, with the Eels - through NRLW manager and former NSW women’s coach Andy Patmore - have expressed an interest in helping to develop players from PNG in their junior teams. “They played a schoolgirl comp in PNG and there were quite a few young players who were switched on and just need that support to take their football career to the next level,” Aiton said. “You just want to pluck out those players and give them the opportunity to do what Elsie has done, basically. “The amazing thing for Elsie now is that not only has she been supported to work, she has got a two year visa, she has got an opportunity to study and it has just absolutely changed her life, so it would be nice to do that for a few more girls.” SOURCE: NRL NEWS

Matairuka Village Councilor Mr Gelema Gaba is greatly relieved after his recent call to have a medical officer posted to his village was acted upon with The Salvation Army sending one medical officer to officially resume work at the aid post. The villagers who have been accessing basic health services from Kwikila Town and the neighboring villages of Sivitatana and Boregaina with some even travelling to Port Moresby to seek health care will no longer have to travel far as the Aid Post which remained closed for 12 months will now resume operations as soon as preparations are complete. Mr Gaba confirmed with this newsroom that the village community has already started work by cleaning around the Aid Post area and assisting where possible to have the facility ready for operations as soon as possible. “I am now relieved and it’s like a burden has been taken off my shoulder because now my people will not have to travel far to access basic health care,” Mr Gaba said. Mr Gaba said he has received advise from the new medical officer that the Aid Post will resume operations as soon as necessary medical equipment have been installed. According to the medical officer, this will take about a week before the Aid Post can resume full operations and start treating patients again. The councilor has made a call to villagers and those from nearby villages who will be accessing health services from the Aid Post to look after the facility and the people managing it so that the service can be ongoing without any hiccups. “I would like to issue a friendly reminder to the people to make sure that the facilities and workers also are well looked after so that health services can continue to be made available for all to access,” he said. Mr Gaba also expressed his gratitude to The Salvation Army for bringing health services to their village and acknowledged the great work they have done so far with regard to the providence of affordable basic health services in the village.

India is experiencing a third wave of Covid infections — while its overall impact is expected to be less disruptive than previous waves, some economists are predicting slower growth in the near term. The economic impact of the new wave could be relatively less severe in the first three months of 2022, Citi economists Samiran Chakraborty and Baqar M Zaidi wrote in a Jan. 9 note. But they pointed out that the momentum for India’s economic activity between October and December fell below expectations, even before the third wave hit. That led the Citi economists to revise down their inflation-adjusted GDP estimates for India for fiscal year 2022. Growth is predicted to fall by 80 basis points from 9.8% year-on-year to 9% largely due to weaker economic activity in the October-December quarter, Chakraborty and Zaidi said. Consequently, they also revised down their fiscal 2023 growth estimates from 8.7% year-on-year to 8.3%. India’s fiscal year 2022 ends in March, and its fiscal year 2023 starts on April 1 and ends Mar. 31 next year. Omicron in India Covid cases are surging in India again, with daily figures exceeding 150,000 in recent days. Government data showed India reported 247,417 new infections over a 24-hour period on Thursday, with the daily positivity rate — which measures the share of Covid-19 tests that are positive — at 13.11%. There are more than 1.1 million active cases of infection in the country, according to the data. So far, India has identified 5,488 cases of Covid infections that were caused by the new, highly contagious omicron variant that was first detected by South African scientists. It is likely that the number of omicron cases in India is much higher than what has officially been reported so far as it takes time for genetic sequencing to determine if a person with Covid contracted the new strain. The predominant strain in India is still delta. While India’s health-care infrastructure is relatively better prepared to tackle the third wave, a rapid uptick in cases could potentially push it to the brink again. “Regional variations in access to healthcare personnel, medical facilities, oxygen ventilators and critical care underscore the need for proactive action before caseloads intensify beyond the metros,” Radhika Rao, a senior economist at Singapore’s DBS Group, said in a Jan. 6 note. The impact of the third wave could potentially worsen in the coming weeks and months. Thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather at the Ganges River in the eastern state of West Bengal this week for an annual festival, local media reports said. Last year, a similar large-scale religious gathering was partly responsible for the devastating second wave of infections between February and May. Economic impact While the sharp rise in cases led economists to become more cautious about the January-March quarter outlook, they are also expecting a less severe impact than before. “We expect far less economic damage from the current outbreak compared to the first two waves of infections as the economy has adjusted to be more resilient to Covid-related disruptions,” Priyanka Kishore, head of India and Southeast Asia economics at Oxford Economics, wrote in a Jan. 8 note. Still, she said Oxford Economics has lowered its growth forecast for the January-March quarter by almost 0.5 percentage points to 2.5% quarter-on-quarter to “reflect the third wave of Covid infections.” The latest surge is expected to lead to another slump in India’s private consumption as states step up restrictions to limit the spread of the virus. She added that the subsequent April-June to quarter is set to be the start of a more “durable recovery” as by then, a large percentage of the population are expected to be fully vaccinated. Citi’s economists said there are reasons to be hopeful for a less disruptive Covid wave. They include: lower hospitalization rates — such as what’s currently seen in cities like Mumbai — a shorter Covid wave cycle, higher vaccination coverage and a weakening link between Covid and economic activity. “Higher vaccination coverage will provide support to policymakers in avoiding strict restrictions,” they wrote. India has fully inoculated nearly 70% of its adult population and rolled out a vaccination drive this year for those between 15 and 18 years old. Inflationary pressure in India It’s unlikely that the Reserve Bank of India would consider raising interest rates before the second quarter as the central bank looks to prioritize growth risks over near-term inflation spike, according to Kishore from Oxford Economics. Rising prices are a concern as retail inflation in India hit a 5-month high in December. DBS Group’s Rao said the RBI last month indicated its preference for “a gradual road towards policy normalisation,” and diverging from global policy shifts — particularly from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Supply disruptions could potentially keep inflation on the upper end of the RBI’s 2% to 6% target range in fiscal 2023, according to Rao. “Sticky inflation and global rate adjustments prompt us to retain our call for the repo rate to be adjusted by a cumulative 50bps in 2H,” she said. SOURCE: CNBC NEWS

Until now, ministers have relied on Chinese suppliers for the rapid tests sent to households and the first British company to get involved said it took six months to get approved. Sky News has been given exclusive access to a warehouse where millions of lateral flow tests are being stored ready for distribution. The pictures of the warehouse full of rapid tests are likely to frustrate those who have been unable to get hold of lateral flow devices over recent weeks. The storage site in Nottinghamshire is part of a giant manufacturing facility run by SureScreen Diagnostics, the first British company to have its lateral flow tests approved for self-use in the UK. Until now, the government has relied on Chinese suppliers for the rapid tests it provides to households. One of SureScreen's directors, David Campbell, explained it has taken around six months to secure approval for their tests. Mr Campbell said approval was given in November which meant the company could begin packaging up the test kits with official NHS Track and Trace instruction leaflets and prepare them to be sent to pharmacies across the country. They say that for several weeks now they've been dispatching lorries full of tests to national distribution centres, but have been waiting for the official announcement that they have been approved for use. They've only started to appear on pharmacy shelves in the last few days. SOURCE: SKY NEWS

Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) has signed a PGK50 million project agreement to commence the upgrading and sealing of the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway. The agreement was signed today (11th January 2022) in Port Moresby between OTML and contractor, China Railway Construction Engineering Group Co. Limited for Phase One of project. Funded under the Government’s Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme (ITCS) program, the project will be undertaken in three phases, with Phase One to commence in February which will see the upgrading and sealing of the highway commencing at Kilometre-3 near Kiunga town. Phases 2 and 3 will follow suit once further funding is available through the ITCS. OTML Deputy CEO and General Manager Community and Operations Support, Kedi Ilimbit, said the 135-kilometre highway provides a vital link for the people of North Fly and having it upgraded and sealed will significantly help the people, local farmers and small-to-medium enterprises. Since 1997 OTML has spent over PGK300 million on ITCS projects in Western Province and Telefomin District in Sandaun Province. These include high impact priority projects in Health, Education, Law and Justice and Transport Infrastructure and Utilities. OTML recently thanked the National Government for increasing the Tax Credit Scheme (TCS) ceiling from 0.75% to 2% as announced in the 2022 National Budget. The increased tax credit ceiling along with improved performance by OTML in the near term, mine performance is expected to see a significant increase in annual tax credits from approximately K25 million per annum to more than K100 million per annum over the life of the mine. Other major projects being considered include the upgrading and sealing of the Daru Town Roads and airport extension, construction of a new District Court House in Kiunga, refurbishment of the Aiambak Secondary High School, road link to Vanimo and Hela Province, construction of Atemkit/Kavorabip road and construction of the road from Alice Pit to the border.

ExxonMobil PNG (EMPNG) recently donated GeneXpert testing cartridges to help boost local COVID-19 testing capabilities across Hela Province. The testing kits will help medical authorities at Tari Hospital test and diagnose COVID-19 cases locally, supporting the Hela Provincial Health Authority’s (HPHA) efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. HPHA Director Corporate Services and Acting Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Tipi and Director Curator Services, Dr. Sylvester Tati were on site to receive the donation from EMPNG at the Tari Hospital. ExxonMobil PNG’s Executive Director – Production, Scott Sandlin said ExxonMobil PNG and the PNG LNG Project remain committed to doing its part to support the PNG government’s COVID- 19 emergency response both at the national level as well on the ground in its area of operation. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, ExxonMobil PNG has supported the Port Moresby General Hospital and health authorities in Hela and Central provinces with much needed medical supplies and equipment. Last year, EMPNG through the PNG LNG project assisted HPHA with oxygen and hospital beds for the isolation wards together with its local partners on the ground. EMPNG is also continuing to carry out vaccination awareness amongst the communities. Later this year, ExxonMobil PNG will deliver laboratory equipment and vehicles to HPHA as further support for the Covid-19 emergency response operations in the Hela Province. EMPNG has also donated office equipment and supplies to support operations of the National Covid-19 Control Centre, while PNG LNG staff have assisted the National Department of Health with the distribution of COVID-19 awareness materials as well as food donations to medical facilities and remote-area frontline health workers.

The Office of the Governor General is seeking Court eviction orders to remove illegal settlers that have settled on land belonging to the State on which the Governor General’s Office and Government House is located. Acting Official Secretary Mr. Bill Toraso said, the illegal settlers have been given advance notices and time to remove their structures and move out, however, to date they have not done so. Mr. Toraso said, on instructions from the Governor General, he has held talks and meetings with the concerned parties since 2020 as well as on three separate occasions in 2021, but so far the illegal settlers have refused to move. “Out of compassion, we have notified them (illegal settlers) to move out of the land surrounding the perimeters of Government House as it is State land. We gave them an additional 31 days as of 2nd December 2021, which has since lapsed, but they have refused to leave. We are seeking legal advice, and in addition, Court eviction orders to remove these illegal settlers,” Mr. Toraso said. Mr. Toraso said, he has also had discussions with traditional landowners of this land and this matter is before the Department of Lands to pursue with the genuine landowners. Mr. Toraso said, the traditional landowners have also confirmed these settlers were not traditional landowners but squatters settling on State land. “We have sought to find an amicable solution with the illegal settlers but so far they have not been cooperating. The national Government has allocated funding for expansion of Government House to include staff housing and the completion of the perimeter fencing for the entire boundary of Government House. We have yet to undertake and complete these projects because State land is been illegally settled on by this settlers,” Mr. Toraso said. The land area, on which the Office of the Governor General and Government House is located, is located at Granville area of Port Moresby accessed via D’Albertis Street from Champion Parade, Lot 6. Sect. 47, and has a total land area of 4.503 hectares.

Minister for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Timothy Masiu is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the invitation of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Soroi Eoe and will deliver the Keynote Address at the World Expo 2020 PNG Investment Forum themed “Eco-Tourism and Connectivity – Living in Balance with Nature” to be held at the PNG pavilion on 14 January 2022. Minister Masiu arrived on Saturday 7th January 2022 and is accompanied by the Department of ICT Secretary Steven Matainaho, NICTA CEO Kila Gulo-Vui, and technical officers from the ICT ministerial sector, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade. On the invitation of Tuvalu pavilion organising committee, Minister Masiu and the government delegation attended the Tuvalu National Day event on 9th January 2022 at Al Wasl, Expo Site Dubai, and later met with the PNG Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium based in Brussels H.E Joshua Kalinoe at the PNG pavilion for a ministerial briefing. After the ministerial briefing, Secretary Matainaho visited the Romanian pavilion and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cluj IT Cluster, which was represented by Vice President Daniel Homorodean. Mr Matainaho was accompanied by his Deputy Secretary Russell Woruba, Principal Legal Counsel Oala Moi, and Janet Raula-Ila from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The MOU will enable further development of ICT Cluster and ICT Incubation Centre development in Papua New Guinea. Secretary Matainaho also toured the digitally progressive Estonian pavilion where he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Estonian technology company Cybernetica. Cybernetica was represented by its Head of Business Development, Kevin Tammearu. The MOU will enable further development of secured digital government programs driven by the government. On 10th January 2022, Minister Masiu and Secretary Matainaho and the government delegation will visit the Al Yalais Government Transactions Centre at the Dubai Investment Park, for a guided tour. This will be followed by a private meeting between Minister Masiu and a representative from the UAE Chamber of Commerce. On 11th January 2022, Minister Masiu will depart Dubai for Abu Dhabi, where he will pay a courtesy call on His Excellency Abmed Ali Al Sayegh, the Minister for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. While in Abu Dhabi, Minister Masiu will also pay a courtesy call on his counterpart minister, His Excellency Omar bin Sultan, the Minister for State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications. The final stop for Minister Masiu’s engagement while he is in Abu Dhabi, will be at the Telecommunication & Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). The TDRA is the ICT regulator in the UAE. For this meeting, Minister Masiu will be accompanied by Ambassador Kalinoe, Secretary Steven Matainaho, and NICTA CEO Kila Gulo-Vui. On 12th January 2022, Minister Masiu will meet with a private investor. Later in the day, PNG officials will meet  with a blockchain consultant, to be followed by a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the Jaheen Group of Companies. In the afternoon, Secretary Matainaho will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with a representative from Cisco Systems at the Cisco Grove located at the 2020 Expo site. He will end the day by attending a meeting with the Etisalat UAE Director. On 13th January 2022, Minister Masiu is scheduled to meet with Her Excellency Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, the Minister of State for International Cooperation. Her Excellency is also the DirectorGeneral of the Dubai Expo 2020. Minister Masiu will then take a tour of the UAE pavilion. Later in the morning, PNG officials will meet with officials from the Asian Broadcast Satellite. In the afternoon, Minister Masiu is scheduled to visit and take a tour of the Israel pavilion. On 14th January 2022, Minister Masiu will be at the Business Connect Centre at the Expo site, where he is scheduled to attend the PNG Investment Forum themed “Eco-Tourism and Connectivity” and give his Keynote Address.

Tonga's Parliament has been opened by the King Tupou VI. The King addressed the newly elected parliament, via livestream, with a brief speech from his residence on 'Eua Island, an hour south of Tongatapu. Members of Parliament and invited guests gathered at the parliamentary chambers to receive the opening address. He congratulated the incoming Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, as well as all Parliamentarians on the successful completion, and peaceful transition of power leading to the opening of Parliament this year. [caption id="attachment_18298" align="alignnone" width="639"] Tonga's parliamentary chamber Photo: Tonga parliament[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_18299" align="aligncenter" width="635"] Tonga MPs wait for the King to open parliament Photo: Tonga parliament[/caption] In his speech he said Covid-19 is still a serious and immediate risk to all citizens just as illegal drugs are still an ongoing risk to the population but especially to our children. "Our population must be both healthy and educated for the country to advance towards our development goals," he said. "The challenge for the duration of this next election period is clear. How are we to answer those challenges should be formulated and led by this government, but they must be discussed and accountable in how they are implemented here in Parliament," King Tupou VI said. First parliamentary session Clerk of Tonga's Parliament Gloria Pole'o said the first parliamentary session will be on Thursday. "At this meeting the newly elected members will take their respective oathes of office as Members of Parliament and as ministers of the Cabinet and these oaths will be taken in the presence of the Assembly," she said. Gloria Pole'o said Thursday's meeting will include the election of chairman of the House Committee. The reply to the Speech from the Throne is also expected to be tabled at Thursday's meeting and needs to be approved by the House before it is submitted to the King. [caption id="attachment_18300" align="aligncenter" width="636"] King Tupou VI receives Tonga's new Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, after presenting the Royal Warrant of Appointment for the PM at the Royal Palace in Nuku'alofa on Tuesday 28 December 2021. Sovaleni was elected as PM by the new parliament, following Tonga's November 18 general election. Photo: Pesi Fonua / Matangi Tonga Online[/caption] Last month, King Tupou has presented Tonga's newly elected Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni with a Royal Warrant of Appointment in Nuku'alofa. Mr Sovaleni was elected as Designate Prime Minister by 16 members of the 26-members parliament in a secret ballot earlier this month. He will hold the office of Prime Minister for four years. SOURCE: RNZ NEWS

The government's announcement to re-introduce the Tuition Fee Free Education Policy for the 2022 academic year comes as a relief for many parents nationwide - but it won't be the same for schools in Morobe Province. Parents and students attending Morobe Schools will again dig deeper into their pockets so their kids can get an education after the Provincial Education Board made a decision for all schools in the province to continue charging the parental component for school fees in the 2022 academic. The announcement comes just weeks before the resumption of the 2022 academic year and after the National Government’s announcement to re-introduce the free-education policy for schools nationwide. Provincial Education Advisor Keith Tangui said a decision was reached by the Provincial Education Board despite the government’s intervention to look after fees for this year for elementary to secondary schools. “The fees paid in by students will cater for outstanding bills and debts incurred by the schools over the years.” The new parental component fees for this year are K200.00 per student for elementary education, K350.00 per student for primary schools, K700.00 for day students in secondary schools and K900.00 for boarding students. Technical and vocational schools will be charging K600.00 per student for day students and K800.00 for boarding. Mr. Tangui said the boards decision is binding and for the welfare of the students to keep school operations going. “Schools also need to deliver projects and charging of fees will greatly assist in this area.” Mr. Tangui also emphasised the urgent need to address student over-crowding and the way to do it was to build more infrastructure like classrooms and dormitories.

The St John Ambulance have temporarily suspended their services in Kundiawa, Chimbu Province following an attack on one of their Ambulances. CEO of St John Matt Cannon said the incident happened last week Thursday at the Sipagkul village in the Gumine District while it was responding to a severely injured individual in the area. “As the ambulance approached Sipagkul village, they had people throwing stones and wielding offensive weapons.” “We don’t understand why they were acting hostile towards an ambulance.” “A rock made contact with one of the side windows of the ambulance, smashing the window and causing damage to the side of the vehicle.” “The matter has been reported to the Kundiawa Police.” A very disappointed Mr Cannon said, this is the second such incident in two months where rocks have been thrown at ambulances. He said the poor actions of one individual affects the services to the whole population. “We are disappointed that when events like this happen, ambulances should have free passage.” “We support all sides, we support all people, we don’t discriminate.” “If someone’s in need of help, our job is to get to them and provide that help and get them that emergency medical treatment they need.” Meanwhile, there will be no services available as the vehicle is currently being repaired in Goroka. Matt Cannon said this incident occurred at a time when the secondary ambulance for Kundiawa is currently having a routine maintenance, and it cannot immediately step-in to assist.

A magistrate at the Waigani Committal Court this morning summoned the Administration Superintendent at Boroko Police Station to appear in court on January 12, 2022 to explain the circumstances in the granting of bail to a defendant accused of robbing using offensive weapons. Magistrate Paul Nii made the summons after hearing the case of the NCD Governor’s son’s wife who was slapped with four charges including armed robbery. He said granting of bail for armed robbery cases is not within the jurisdiction of police or the committal court to make but must be sought at the relevant courts which is the National and Supreme court. The defendant was released on a K1000 police bail after being arrested and charged with one count each of deprivation of liberty, armed robbery, threaten to kill and unlawful assault on another woman on November 30, 2021. Police prosecutor Joseph Sangam took note of the summons and the matter will return this Wednesday, January 12, 2020.