Port Moresby Nature Park’s Christmas in the Park event, officially launched on Thursday 25th of November will begin its main Christmas attractions starting this weekend. In a soft launch of the events last week, Port Moresby Nature Park’s General Manager, Mr. David Thompson said, “This is the second time the park would be having the Christmas in the Park event, however without the extravagant shows to minimise contact among guests and staff due to current Covid restrictions”. “Christmas surely is a time to be happy, and this time, we’d like to continue to offer that to our guests however with more care taken to ensure people can still feel the joy of Christmas while being totally Covid-safe”, Mr. Thompson added. He further added, “We would like to thank our main event sponsor, Prima Smallgoods and support sponsors for making this event possible for the second consecutive year since its inaugural one held last year. Prima Smallgoods have now come onboard as the Main Event Sponsor, continuing their support for this family event last year as event supporters-their support we’re truly grateful for”. Prima Smallgoods Regional Sales Manager, Mr. Mai Ori said, “Covid has no doubt affected a lot of people and being the main event sponsor to the Christmas in the Park event is our way of lifting people’s spirits, adding some happiness and joy to their lives during this festive period”. “We’re a food company, and our food products are something that we’d like all families to enjoy and being part of this event is a great opportunity for us to strengthen that relationship with our consumers”, added Mr Ori. Port Moresby Nature Park extends its thanks to its support sponsors, NCDC, CPL Group, The National and Digicel PNG, for their continued support to the Christmas in the Park event. The event’s Christmas attractions is open for the public starting this weekend, Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th December where visitors to the Park can sight some creative Christmas themed displays, including Santa’s Village, Candy Land, The Crib and Santa’s Candy Store where a lot of christmas treats can be purchased. These activities will continue every weekend until Monday 27th December. Christmas Wonderland decorations will still be out at the Park until Sunday 2nd January 2022, allowing guests to still share in the festivity, through to the New Year. All activities have been carefully planned to allow guests to safely enjoy their Christmas outing at the Park with minimal contact, observing the Niupela Pasin with standard entry fees applying. Port Moresby Nature Park continues to take proactive measures such as mandatory mask-wearing, hand-sanitizing, social distancing and temperature checks to ensure that the safety of its staff and guests is always a priority. The Park is open every day from 9am to 4pm.

Schoolchildren at the Marorogo Primary School in Erave, Southern Highlands Province were thrilled to receive keys to a new double classroom fully fitted with desks to enhance learning. A new teacher’s house was also handed over to the school. Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) Managing Director Augustine Mano was on hand to present the brand new school infrastructures to the school and the community of Marorogo on Thursday 25th November 2021. During the handover ceremony, Mano stressed the importance of investing in quality education using income from oil and gas and encourage students and the community to value education. “You must get good education; you must strive to be better than me. I never thought I would become a managing director of a big organization but here I am.” “You have the opportunity to be someone greater than me and this can only be realized through education.” “This is why Petroleum Resources Gobe (PRG) has made education a top priority and investing heavily in delivering quality school infrastructure using its Community Infrastructure Trust Fund (CITF).” The double classroom and the teacher’s house were built at a cost of K559, 953.89, funded by PRG. Construction for these infrastructure commenced in 2016. Progress was slow as lack of road link to the village made it impossible for vehicles to transport building equipment and material. However, the need for service pushed the community to step up and take ownership. On the belief “My School, My Future” the community of Mararogo with support from PRG and MRDC built the double classroom and teachers’ house themselves. Head Carpenter Kalu David said that building material were carried by the community themselves from Sembirigi to Marorogo, which is a 12km walk through a bush trek. Situated outside the corridor of the Gobe Oil Project, Marorogo Primary caters for many of the primary school children living in villages along the Erave/Semberigi area. For PRG, this project follows on from a similar project for Yanguri Elementary School, also in the same area which received two new classrooms and a teacher’s house in July this year.

PAPUA New Guinea must be prepared and ready for Omicron and other emerging variants of COVID-19, says Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom. Dr Daoni said Omicron, the new variant was first detected in South Africa on 24 November, 2021, but there are still many unknowns about it. The early signs, he said, are that it may be more transmissible but it is still not known what risks it poses to public health. “Compared to other variants, Omicron has more than 32 mutations, beta has nine mutations and delta has nine on their spike proteins that help them to bind on the human cells,’’ he said. “Key information like the transmissibility, infectivity, severity of infections, its ability to re-infect people and its outcomes on fully vaccinated people are still unknown. We have more questions yet to be answered on the effectiveness of current tests, therapeutics and also on vaccines on this new variant.’’ Despite not having much information yet about Omicron, Dr Daoni has cautioned that PNG must be vigilant and prepared and must be on the offensive for the new variant. “We must be prepared and not panic. We have to be concerned but not to overreact and do what is right to keep the variant out and if it does enter the country, we have to do the right things to mitigate its impact,’’ he said. “We will to be guided by the risk assessments and the science and public health facts and evidence to guide us on how to act swiftly and appropriately.’’ Dr Daoni assured that the National Control Centre (NCC) team is working with its partners to ensure that the country’s borders are being monitored and that appropriate quarantine and isolation measures will be implemented on people coming into PNG. “We will adjust our testing strategies in order to detect cases and we are working with IMR and a private laboratory in Port Moresby in order to undertake whole genomic sequencing (WGS) to detect all the variants including those already identified including alpha, deta, gamma, delta and omicron. PNG must have the whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology and capability in order to support it,’’ he said. “It’s very essential and it’s a technology that PNG must have. Currently, PNG is sending its positive samples to the Doherty Institute in Melbourne to do the WGS and takes between 3-4 weeks to get the results back. It’s a very slow turnaround time and by the time we get the results it’s very late to even use the information except to include them in our data base. Meanwhile, Dr Daoni has urged all those who are 18 years and above to get themselves vaccinated including all those who have comorbidities and frontline workers. “It’s a must that we must get all these people vaccinated as we are currently unsure for how they will fare if the Omicron variant enters the country,’’ he said. “We must continue to follow and adhere to the Niupla Pasin measures. People must come forward and test if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and most importantly we must get our people vaccinated. We are still dealing with the impacts of the delta variant and must be prepared and ready to deal with the omicron variant if it comes to PNG.’’

The New Zealand government is deploying dozens of Defence Force and police personnel to Honiara in the coming days, "to help restore peace and stability". Since rioting and looting started in the Solomon Islands last week, Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea have sent troops to help keep the peace there. An initial NZDF team of 15 will joint them tomorrow, followed by a larger group of 50 at the weekend. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the response is short-term and to help restore peace and stability. "New Zealand is committed to its responsibilities and playing its part in upholding regional security. "We are deeply concerned by the recent civil unrest and rioting in Honiara, and following yesterday's request of the Solomon Islands government, we have moved quickly to provide urgent assistance." Samoan police are also on standby to send personnel to assist peacekeeping forces. The unrest stemmed from a protest calling for the removal of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and left major destruction in the capital.

Honduras looks set to elect its first female president, Xiomara Castro, after the ruling party conceded defeat. Ms Castro, the candidate for the left-wing Libre (Free) Party, has a preliminary lead of almost 20 percentage points over her rival. Her victory will bring an end to the 12-year reign of the right-wing National Party, which has been plagued by scandals and corruption accusations. Ms Castro will replace the divisive President Juan Orlando Hernández. He has been dogged by allegations of ties to the drugs trade after his brother Antonio was jailed for trafficking in the United States. Ms Castro has promised to "pull Honduras out of the abyss" of "a narco-dictatorship and corruption". Her husband, Manuel Zelaya, ruled the country from 2006 until 2009, when he was ousted by a coup. She ran for office twice before in the years following his removal from power. Votes are still being counted and the electoral council is yet to formally declare the winner. However Tuesday's concession of defeat by the governing party came two days after Ms Castro surged ahead in preliminary results. Her main rival Nasry Asfura said on a local television broadcast that he had visited Ms Castro and her family. "Now I want to say publicly that I congratulate her on her triumph and as president-elect," Mr Asfura said, adding: "I wish that God will enlighten and guide her so that her administration will do the best for all of us Hondurans". The former first lady has promised big changes after taking office. She inherits a country wrecked by problems like violent crime, drug trafficking and large-scale migration to the US. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has sent his congratulations, and said Washington is looking forward to working with her. SOURCE: BBC NEWS

St John Ambulance was assisted with a brand new vehicle and K70, 000 worth of emergency and rescue equipment recently by PNG Ports. St John Chief Executive Officer Matt Cannon said the assistance was ideal and timely and thanked PNG Ports. “The brand new Ford Ranger will be used in major emergencies in NCD, Central and as far as Gulf Provinces,” Mr Cannon said. “It is equipped with paramedic and rescue equipment that can be used to stabilize severely injured people and provide support if there is a major emergency affecting a lot of people.” “The 70, 000 worth of equipment will be used as part of St John’s response to emergencies and severe maternal cases in NCD and Central regions.” “We want to thank PNG Ports for the great support to St John, this is the first time in years and hopefully we can polish up our partnership so we can improve healthcare to people in urban and rural areas.” Chairman of PNG Ports, Kepas Wali said as a charity organization operating entirely from donations, St John relies on its share from the government budget, additional funding from the Health Department, some provincial governments, corporate supporters and personal donations. “It has also been in the forefront of the country’s response to COVID-19,” Mr Wali said. “Thank you St John for the heart to serve our citizens, even in times like this, and we at PNG Ports hope our gesture goes a long way in assisting you deliver to the people of PNG.” “PNG Ports had decided to assist in its capacity as a State Owned Enterprise and responsible corporate citizen because of the good work St John has done.”

Key Population Advocacy Consortium (KP Consortium), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in close collaboration with the Government of Papua New Guinea, marked World AIDS Day by launching a Community-Led Monitoring mechanism designed to increase the quality of services for people living with HIV in the National Capital District (NCD). “PNG has made and continues to make great strides to address HIV/AIDS, and the U.S. government will continue to stand with the government and people of PNG,” said U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu Erin E. McKee. “This model of community-led design and implementation is at the very heart of the United States’ mission here in Papua New Guinea. Our goal - not only in HIV/AIDS or health support, but in everything that we do - is to empower communities to be the drivers of their own development.” “Community Led monitoring is an important piece of the national HIV response by making sure community voices are heard. This brings together government and community initiatives to build a stronger system for health to ensure that nobody is left behind.” said Dr Peniel Boas, Program Manager of the PNG National Department of Health. “The support from the U.S. Government and UNAIDS is catalytic to achieving this.” Community-led monitoring (CLM) is part of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and global strategies to improve the quality of care for people living with HIV. With the support of USAID and UNAIDS, the activity is designed, led, and implemented by local community-based organizations, networks of key populations, people living with HIV, and other affected groups. The CLM mechanism develops a pathway for communities to collect and analyze data, provide recommendations, and ensure improvements in HIV services - translating into action and change - while also focusing on strengthening local institutions. In 2022, USAID will provide over $3.8 million to support HIV/AIDS programming in PNG, including CLM activities. UNAIDS and the KP Consortium will work together to design, implement, and run the CLM system. The mechanism will initially focus on eleven USAID-supported HIV sites in the NCD and will collaborate with partners to expand its reach and impact. “It is encouraging to see Papua New Guinea take the next steps to more inclusive, evidence-based, and people centered responses through community led monitoring initiatives,” said Patricia Ongpin, Officer in Charge of UNAIDS Papua New Guinea. “Communities and strategic information are central pieces to the Global AIDS Strategy and thus are critical to global and national HIV responses. This is an important step to addressing inequalities and ending AIDS by 2030.” “The KP Advocacy Consortium PNG is excited about a new venture to strengthen our relationships meaningfully with partners. As a community-led organization, we will be able to express our voices through qualitative and quantitative data to influence change. We aim to work in partnership with our health and social services to jointly address challenges and also collectively celebrate results. We would like to thank USAID for its trust and commitment to investing in a newly formed Community Led Organization,” said Lesley Bola, KP Advocacy Consortium Coordinator for PNG. Papua New Guinea has the highest HIV incidence and prevalence in the Pacific region. The country represents 95% of the reported HIV cases in the region and approximately 55,000 people in PNG are living with HIV. The U.S. Government aims to achieve inclusive, resilient and sustainable control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in PNG in collaboration with partners like the National Department of Health and UNAIDS, and through the leadership of the affected community represented by KP Consortium. Through its five-year, $17.2 million HIV Support in Papua New Guinea Activity, USAID works with government counterparts, multilateral and donor organizations, and local partners to contribute towards the HIV/AIDS response in the NCD and nationally aimed at strengthening PNG’s HIV/AIDS interventions to bend the curve towards epidemic control. U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has invested over $85 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response, saving 20 million lives, preventing millions of HIV infections, and supporting several countries to achieve HIV epidemic control since its inception in 2003. The Department of State's Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Global Health Diplomacy leads, manages, and oversees PEPFAR). PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, saving over 20 million lives, preventing millions of HIV infections, and accelerating progress toward controlling the global HIV/AIDS epidemic in more than 50 countries.

Nambawan Super Limited has supported BSP’s statement that rejects the secretive new revenue measures included in the proposed 2022 National Government Budget. Speaking to the media recently, NSL Chief Executive Officer Paul Sayer said no consultations had been undertaken with any of the Authorised Super Funds or key stakeholders about this new K190 million market concentration levy, indexed to grow each year by 5%, on BSP as the major bank in PNG. “As a tax on profits, it is a tax on the shareholders and not BSP as a company,” Mr Sayer said. He said Superannuation funds have provided the patient capital in BSP that enabled the bank to establish itself. “It is in fact K190m worth of dividends that the State will be taking away from shareholders.” He said this is effectively an extra tax burden on hardworking tax payers who are already highly taxed throughout their working lives. “Nambawan Super members can expect to lose just under K23 million worth of dividend revenue as our 12% share of the K190 million burden from the State.” “Nambawan Super is one of the largest shareholders of BSP with a 12% stake in the business. The Superannuation Fund CEO further adds this levy will not disable the services Nambawan Super provides to its members, but will be felt by members.

The future of ex-Brisbane Broncos playmaker Anthony Milford’s NRL career is in doubt after the NRL barred the South Sydney Rabbitohs from registering his contract while criminal proceedings are ongoing. Milford was handed a one-season lifeline by Souths after the Broncos opted not to renew his $1 million-per-year contract, but was arrested in late September following an incident in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Milford is accused of three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm after allegedly assaulting three bystanders - a man and two women - who intervened in an argument between Milford and his wife Miri. He also allegedly threw a garbage bin at a car, leading to a charge of wilful damage involving a vehicle. An NRL statement read: “The National Rugby League (NRL) has advised player Anthony Milford and the South Sydney Rabbitohs that it will not consider registering a contract for the player until criminal proceedings against Milford have been completed. “Given the severity of the allegations, particularly that two charges allege violence against women, the NRL will not consider an application for registration until the court process is complete. “Milford was arrested on 20 September 2021 and charged with 3 counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and 1 count of wilful damage involving a vehicle.” A Rabbitohs statement read: “The South Sydney Rabbitohs respect and support the NRL’s decision to not register a contract for Anthony Milford at this stage. “The Rabbitohs will await the outcome of the legal proceedings and the NRL’s final determination before commenting further.” Milford played 42 times for the Canberra Raiders before moving to Brisbane in 2015, eventually playing 151 times for the Red Hill club and earning two State of Origin caps in 2017. and 2018. But his form nosedived in recent years and this season Milford took home a million-dollar paycheque despite struggling for first team selection. “Police were called to Marshall Street in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley shortly before 2am following reports of a disturbance,” a Queensland Police spokesperson said at the time of his arrest in September. “A number of bystanders allegedly attempted to break up the altercation,” a police spokesman said. “In the course of events the 27-year-old man allegedly assaulted two other women and caused damage to a parked motor vehicle. “Police will also allege the man assaulted a 19-year-old man before being apprehended. “A 27-year-old Forest Lake man was arrested nearby and charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of wilful damage.” Source: foxsports.com.au

The opening address of PNG Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape, at the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum conference on December 1st and 2nd this week, is expected to spark public debate on the continuing role and prospects for petroleum and mining companies in Papua New Guinea. The Prime Minister’s address on the Conference theme, “Resource Industry – Making it Work for PNG”, comes at a challenging time following last year’s sharp K6 billion fall in export revenues from the sector, which has experienced solid growth since exports commenced in 2014 from the PNG LNG Project. According to statistics released by the Bank of Papua New Guinea, mining and petroleum exports last year fell from K32.5 billion in 2019 to K25.8 billion, because of a fall in LNG prices and the shutdown of the Porgera mine. The 2022 PNG National Budget incorporates a bullish view on recovery in mining and petroleum exports, and it is expected that the Prime Minister will outline his plans to stimulate such recovery. Australia’s view on the prospects for PNG’s resources sector, which since 2014 has overtaken agriculture as the largest segment of the economy, will be addressed by the Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Hon. Zed Seslja. “We are hopeful that discussions sparked by this conference will lead to a renewal of interest in exploration and development activities in PNG in the coming years,” commented Mr. AnthonySmaré, President of the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum. He said: “Current large projects such as the PNG LNG Project, Ok Tedi and Lihir continue to perform well despite difficulties created by the Covid-19 pandemic. We have also seen solid contributions from other projects such as Hidden Valley and Kainantu gold mines.”

ExxonMobil PNG and its PNG LNG Project partners are continuing to support the government’s COVID-19 emergency response. As operator of the PNG LNG Project, ExxonMobil PNG is overseeing the implementation of a PGK 4.3 million effort in support of the National Coordination Centre (NCC) plus the Provincial Health Authorities in the National Capital District (NCD) as well as Hela and Central Provinces. Since starting the program in early 2021, much needed supplies and equipment have been delivered Hospital plus health authorities in Hela and Central provinces along with equipment and supplies to support NCC operations. Also included as part of this program was the October donation of a mobile vaccination clinic to the Motu Koita Assembly. [caption id="attachment_17231" align="aligncenter" width="576"] New patient beds donated to POMGEN being assembled[/caption] “ExxonMobil PNG and its PNG LNG Project partners are once again showing their commitment to Papua New Guinea“, said the Police Commissioner and Controller of the PNG COVID-19 National Pandemic Response David Manning. “COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the PNG people and our economy, and it will take everyone - government, industry, international donors, and communities - to work together to overcome the pandemic’s many challenges,” concluded Manning. “We share the government’s commitment to safety and its focus on minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and caring for the affected population,“ stated EMPNG’s Managing Director, Peter Larden. Our focus is the safety and health of our workforce and the communities in which we operate, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to maintain operations that provide critical revenues to the country and the communities that rely on our operations,” said Larden. [caption id="attachment_17232" align="aligncenter" width="549"] Medical supplies arrive at Tari General Hospital[/caption] The PNG LNG Project initiative builds upon support provided to PNG’s health infrastructure since Project construction as well as recent assistance following the onset of the pandemic in 2020. This includes support for the nation’s diagnostic capacity as well as training, medical supplies as well as logistical support. PNG LNG staff also 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. ExxonMobil PNG Limited (33.2%), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, constructed and operates the PNG LNG Project on behalf of joint venturers: Oil Search Limited (29%), Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (16.8%), Santos Limited (13.5%), JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation (4.7%), Mineral Resources Development Company Limited (2.8%). Petromin 0.2% was incorporated into Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) in 2016.

Provincial Administrator for Western Province, Robert Alphonse Kaiyun of Karemgo village, North Fly District, Western Province was arrested and charged  with one count of Abuse of Office under Section 92 (1) of the Criminal Code Act by detectives from the National Fraud Anti-Corruption Directorate on Sunday 28 November 2021 in Port Moresby. This is the second Provincial Administrator to be arrested in less than two weeks in November by NFACD.  The first arrest was Wilson Matava, Provincial Administrator for East New Britain Province on the 19 November 2021. Mr. Kaiyun was appointed Provincial Administrator for Western Province for a period of 4 years commencing on 2 August 2018. His appointment was gazette in the National Gazette on 24 August 2018. It is alleged on the 13 of December 2018, Robert Alphonse Kaiyun on behalf of the Fly River Provincial Government signed a three years Office Lease Agreement with New Century City Limited and Fly River Provincial Government. The office space in question is located at Section 2 Lot 59, Kiunga Town, Western Province. The value of the lease agreement is valued at K330, 000. 00 per month which equated to K3, 960,000.00 million per year. The contract agreement valued at K11, 880,000 million for three years commencing on 1st January 2019 and ending on 31 December 2021 was signed by Robert Alphonse Kaiyun on behalf of the Fly River Provincial Government which is beyond his powers as Provincial Administrator. As Provincial Administrator he can only sign for procurement contract valued at K500, 000.00 and as the chairman of PSTB, K5million. According to the National Procurement Act, 2018 and the Public Finance (Management) (Amendment) Act the Provincial Procurement Board, the threshold is K5, 000,000.00 million. Accordingly, the Office Lease Contract signed between the New Century City Limited and Fly River Provincial Government is contrary to the National Procurement Act and is void from the moment of execution. Police investigation revealed that there was no PEC approval, no Western WPSTB meeting convened and no approval given for the PA (Robert Alphonse Kaiyun) to execute such Commercial Lease Agreement prepared by a private lawyer representing New Century City Limited. When asked during the interview, Kaiyun said there was no formal approval but there was need for office space as he informed the WPSTB members and the governor and the JPBPC members (the Political leaders of the province ) were aware. The defendant was taken to the National Fraud & Anti-Corruption Directorate office, at Konedobu, National Capital District where he was cautioned, given his constitutional rights and interviewed regarding the allegations against him. After the interview, he was arrested and charged with one count of Abuse of Office and taken to Boroko Police Station, where he was placed in the cells. He will appear in court at Waigani Committal court next week for mention.