The National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) is unhappy and disappointed over the decision to cancel the coveted Goroka Show 2021 on the eleventh hour. NGCB acting Chief Executive Officer Imelda Agon said the decision to cancel the infamous biggest and oldest show in Papua New Guinea was an irrational decision as it badly affects us the sponsors. “We have put in more time, money and effort to ensure the show is successfully delivered. The decision in the very last minute to cancel the Show has left not only us but other sponsors in an awkward situation." “Coming on board as sponsors during this health and economic crisis is not an easy decision to make, considering the ramifications and negative impacts of the global health pandemic." “As responsible sponsors, we ensured the Show Committee work collaboratively with the Public Health Authority and effectively lay out their plans with the strong emphasis on the implementation of the Niupla Pasin." “We are in disbelief to note that the show was canceled due to the current surge in Covid-19 in the province, while other distinguished shows like the 46th Independence celebration which was held at the University of Goroka, Rugby League tournament, bilum festival and public market at Goroka Town remain uninterrupted." “The people of Eastern Highlands from all seven districts have travelled to Goroka to keenly participate in the Show to make it a success." Mrs. Agon said as corporate sponsors, they would like to support economic impact programs and projects in the country to encourage economic recovery during this time. “Unfortunately, the cancelation of the Goroka Show will have great economic loss for the province and denies the people of Eastern Highlands the opportunity to participate economically in this iconic cultural show." “I believe not only the NGCB but other sponsors and the locals as well are not happy with the decision to cancel the show." “Undoubtedly, Covid -19 is here to stay and we need to be rational in making decisions for our people while maintaining economic activities,” Mrs. Agon said. Agon said the Goroka Show is a great platform to boost local tourism, support local SMEs, and economically empower women and youths which are the priority agendas of the Marape Government. The National Government, through the NGCB has given K200, 000 to support the Goroka Show 2021 because it is a great tourism and economic flagship program.

The 2021 Kumul Petroleum National Schools Rugby League (NSRL) championships scheduled to kick off today Monday September 20, 2021 at the Oil Search National Football Stadium in Port Moresby has been deferred by two days to Wednesday September 22, 2021. PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina said this was due to airline travel issues into Port Moresby. “We are flying in students from around the country and airlines have been fully booked since last week,” Hondina said. “And many people pre booked flights for the Independence weekend to travel home hence we could not get all the students to travel into Port Moresby at one time.” He said all the Under 14 to Under 18 Boys and Girls travelling in from Highlands, Northern and New Guinea Islands Confederates are now booked to travel into Port Moresby and their return flights secured. “The draws remain with the Under 14 Boys Kumul Petroleum National Championships set to kick off on Wednesday September 22, 2021,” Hondina said. “On Thursday the Under 16 Boys take the field, Friday will see the Under 18 Boys and on Saturday the Under 18 Open Girls.” He said the deferral was “beyond our control” however all is set for Wednesday kick off at the Oil Search National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. “The PA systems, the big screen showing time and scores will be set up,” Hondina added. “The Juniors will experience playing at a world class stadium with dressing rooms facilities and all.” The CEO encouraged students, parents and friends in Port Moresby to come along to NFS to watch and support some exciting young talents from around the country on show. Gate fees are K5.00 per adult and K2.00 for students with ID. Children under 4 years old free. Tickets can be purchased at Gate 2 at NFS in Boroko on Game Days. Hondina thanked Kumul Petroleum for their support towards the National Schools Rugby League Championships.

As vaccine demand continues to outstrip supply and distribution remains uneven across the WHO Western Pacific Region, in a show of solidarity, the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has donated 30,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Viet Nam. Viet Nam is currently battling a complicated COVID-19 outbreak, in particular in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces, with aggressive vaccination targets a critical part of the Vietnamese Government’s strategy to contain the outbreak and relieve pressure on local health systems. Through ongoing sharing of information by governments across the WHO Western Pacific Region, the Vietnamese Government was made aware of the doses in PNG due to expire at the end of September, and made the request to the PNG Government. PNG Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Hon. Jelta Wong said PNG was very happy to agree to the request and that the National Department of Health responded quickly, working with partners to facilitate sending the vaccines to Viet Nam. “We know we are all in this together, as this virus is affecting every country and every community. Countries acting in solidarity and supporting each other in times of need is the best thing we can do and also the right thing to do.” The vaccines are have arrived in Ho Chi Minh City and has been administered as quickly as possible, as part of expedited vaccine deployment in the southern provinces of Viet Nam. Acting WHO Representative in PNG, Anna Maalsen, said the sharing highlighted the importance of regional solidarity and in ensuring that no vaccine was wasted. “Situations in all countries are very different, including the scale of vaccine roll-outs, and we simply cannot afford to waste doses anywhere. This sharing by the PNG Government is a great example of how countries can and should help each other, especially in order to protect priority groups in high-risk settings”. The vaccine sharing has been made possible thanks to assistance from the New Zealand Government, who originally donated the vaccines to PNG through the COVAX Facility, along with support from the COVAX Facility and other partners. In Papua New Guinea, the COVID-19 vaccination rollout continues, with an increase in mobile vaccination clinics targeting remote communities, and strong support from government partners, including Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

The issue of the government’s disbursement of the District Services Improvement Fund (DSIP) to Members of Parliament (MPs) has been one of a highlight topic of argument in recent times. The issue stems from claims by the opposition MPs in recent Parliament terms that recent Prime Ministers withhold these DSIP funds unless the respective MPs join the government side for them to receive. However, a recent research report undertaken by the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific finds no real connection with the issuing of DSIP that guarantees the return of a sitting MP as well the ruling government to remain in power. Author Michael Kabuni, a Political Science lecturer at the School of Humanities and Social Science at University of Papua New Guinea said the report however identifies the lack of accountability on the use of this fund as well as the politicising of this development fund. “DSIP's are given to the 89 district MP's in a system that is common in developing countries where the centralized government responsible for service delivery is believed to be ineffective,” Mr Kabuni said. “On that basis MPs believe that DSIP is a more effective way of delivering local infrastructure projects.” The DSIP guidelines were set by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring in 2013, much of it intended for infrastructure, health and education. These guidelines were relaxed in 2016 where half of spending is under MPs discretion and the other half is determined by the District Development Authority. “Nevertheless, the MP still has large control over the DDA and have found to make selective payments in an effort to increase voter base.” Maholopa Laveil, another author and an Economics lecturer as the School of Business Public Policy at UPNG said on the accountability aspect, the Department of Implementation and Rural Development who is responsible had only visited 16 of the 89 districts in its last site visit in 2016. “Their report along with the Auditor General’s report have complained of funding inconsistencies, lack of capacities and projects being of substandard quality and incomplete,” Mr Laveil said. “The report suggests that if any DSIP reform is undertaken, this must be done on development rather than political grounds.”

The NGCB Paradise Runway staged on Saturday 18th September saw 11 amazing designers come together in a showcase of color and culture as they took to the runway with their amazing works of art. The first ever inaugural fashion event has been put together by Ms Philma Kelegai and Ms Ziya Rayani who have both been working tirelessly over the past few months with sponsors, designers, models and many who have worked behind the scenes to bring this event to a fruition. Ms Kelegai, Director of PNG Fashion Week and Ms Rayani, Managing Director of Glow Boutique both shared the same sentiments outlining the growth of the fashion industry in the country and the challenges faced by all who are directly involved. Also, featuring for the first time last night was the PNG Fashion Awards organised by the PNG Fashion Foundation which has officially launched this year. “One of the reasons why we have started the awards is because we believe that sometimes people are not recognised for what they are doing for the industry and so putting together the PNG Fashion Foundation will enable us to encompass everyone in the industry and give credit where it is due,” Ms Rayani said. As part of the first ever round of awards, winners were announced in the following categories: Innovation Award presented to Anna Amos, Creative Director of PNG Fashion & Design Week and Owner of AA Tribal Model of the Year presented to Samuel Tupou, model at PNG Fashion Week Emerging Designer of the Year, presented to Cynthia Chapman with her winning collection ‘Paradise Sunsets and Silhouettes’ Established Designer of the Year presented to Tabu Pelei Warupi, Owner of the TABU label with her winning collection ‘Birds of a Feather’ Ms Kelegai said that for a very long time, the PNG fashion industry has worked in isolation and so the aim of the PNG Fashion Foundation is to bring everyone together and unite them for the greater good of the industry. “The foundation was an idea that we had a while ago and it manifested because we saw the need to bring everyone together and to create a platform that could unite despite our diverse backgrounds.” “As Papua New Guineans, we know how to unite and so this is another way of doing so and we’d like to build bridges and work with everyone going forward.” “We hope that everyone in the industry can join us in furthering this organization as it is for everyone that is involved in the industry,” Ms Kelegai said. The NGCB Paradise Runway has been made possible through the support and assistance received from numerous business houses and sponsors with the National Gaming Control Board being the main sponsor of the first ever inaugural Paradise Runway.

Callen Services Inclusive Learning Resource Centre located at Gerehu Stage 6 in Port Moresby has just recently received much needed renovation works to its facilities. About 70 students attending the learning centre will benefit from the recent renovations that it has received through the BSP Financial Group’s community project initiative. Parents who were gathered at the handover of the refurbished learning centre expressed gratitude to BSP Financial Group for coming on board to assist with the renovation work. “When students attend the centre, it’s the teachers that work hard to assist the children with special needs.” “My son was born with poor vision but he is very talented, he made it to university but he struggled because there were no trained teachers to help students with special needs,” said a parents rep, Ms Donna Ogia. “My grandson, who was also born with poor vision now attends Callan Services where he is doing Grade 3.” “We tried to put him into a normal school but he couldn’t cope as there were no specially trained teachers who could help him with his school work.” Ms Ogia further challenged the Education Department to look into this and have teachers trained on teaching children with special needs in normal schools. She said that parents with special needs children struggle to ensure that their children receive the best education and try their best to make sure their children fit into every day society. Ms Ogia thanked Bank South Pacific in giving the school a much-needed facelift to make the classrooms into more conducive learning spaces for the children. The renovations at the school have been done by Bank South Pacific as part of their community development project. BSP CEO, Mr Robin Fleming said that they were happy to assist with the renovation for this learning centre and praised the staff for the great work they were doing for the children with special needs. Mr Fleming thanked the Marketing staff of BSP for their great work on the renovations. The renovation work included replacing rotten timbers and gutters, tiling of floors, replacing fly wires and gravelling. Mr Fleming said the project cost around K30,000 and is to ensure that children with special needs gain quality and inclusive education. During the handover of the facilities, reading books were also donated to the school to assist in the students’ learning.

US officials have moved thousands of migrants away from a Texas border town that has seen an influx of mostly Haitian migrants over the past week. More than 10,000 people have gathered under a bridge connecting Del Rio in Texas to Mexico's Ciudad Acuña. Local officials have struggled to provide them with enough food or services. Some 2,000 people were moved to immigration and processing stations on Friday. The US government says it plans to fly the migrants back to where they began their journeys. Flights are expected to start on Sunday, with the US currently negotiating returns with the countries in question. The Department for Homeland Security said in a statement that the transfers will continue "in order to ensure that irregular migrants are swiftly taken into custody, processed and removed from the United States consistent with our laws and policy". It added that US Customs and Border Protection is sending 400 additional agents to Del Rio, a city with a population of roughly 35,000. Del Rio's Mayor Bruno Lozano has declared a state of emergency, and described the situation as "unprecedented" and "surreal". He said border patrol had been overwhelmed and that "agitated" migrants were living in impossible conditions. The makeshift camp at Del Rio has few basic services, and migrants waiting in temperatures of 37C (99F), have been wading back across the river into Mexico to get supplies. The migrants are mostly Haitians, with some Cubans, Peruvians, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans also present, reports say. Many Haitians left the country after a devastating earthquake in 2010, with many finding work in South America. The migrants make the dangerous trek on foot, by car and bus to the US border - some crossing the Rio Grande. The US government has been facing a surge of migrants at the border this year. The number of migrants detained at the US-Mexico border in July exceeded 200,000 for the first time in 21 years, according to government data. SOURCE: BBC NEWS

France's foreign minister has accused Australia and the US of lying over a new security pact that prompted Paris to recall its ambassadors. In an interview with France 2 television, Jean-Yves Le Drian also accused the countries of "duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt". The pact, known as Aukus, will see Australia being given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines. The move thwarted a multibillion-dollar deal France had signed with Australia. The agreement, which also includes the UK, is widely seen as an effort to counter China's influence in the contested South China Sea. France was informed only hours before the public announcement was made earlier this week. Speaking on Saturday, Mr Le Drian said a "serious crisis" was in progress between the allies. "The fact that for the first time in the history of relations between the United States and France we are recalling our ambassador for consultations is a serious political act, which shows the magnitude of the crisis that exists now between our countries," he told France 2. He said the ambassadors were being recalled to "re-evaluate the situation". But he said France had seen "no need" to recall its ambassador to the UK, as he accused the country of "constant opportunism". "Britain in this whole thing is a bit like the third wheel," he said. Newly appointed UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss defended the agreement in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, saying it showed Britain's readiness to be "hard-headed" in defence of its interests. The pact means Australia will become just the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines. It will also see the allies share cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and other undersea technologies. The announcement ended a deal worth $37bn (£27bn) that France had signed with Australia in 2016 to build 12 conventional submarines. As he left Canberra on Saturday, French Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault called Australia's decision to unilaterally scrap the deal a "huge mistake". China meanwhile has accused the three powers involved in the security pact of having a "Cold War mentality". A White House official has said the Biden administration will engage with France in the coming days to resolve their differences. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she understood the "disappointment" in France and hoped to work with the country to ensure it understood "the value we place on the bilateral relationship".

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape announced on Friday 18th September the abolition of Kumul Telikom Holdings Ltd (KTHL) and amalgamation of Telikom and BMobile into a single retail telecommunications company – Telikom Ltd. He also announced a wholesale telecommunications company, PNG DataCo Ltd, which will look after Papua New Guinea’s international satellite and optic fibre connections. PM Marape said this important milestone was under his Government’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) reform programme as Papua New Guinea celebrates 46 years of Independence. “On this auspicious occasion , I am more than happy to announce that my Government has taken a huge step in reforming and supporting the country’s telecommunications industry,” PM Marape said. “This follows a National Executive Council (NEC) decision in June, 2021, approving the abolition of KTHL and reinforcing earlier NEC decisions to merge Telikom and BMobile into a separate company, Telikom Ltd. “Telecommunications is one of the service sectors where SOEs are heavily involved. “Unfortunately, over recent years, we have seen the value of our telecommunications assets eroded, and I commend the SOE Minister, Hon. William Duma for arresting the decline. “The Telikom merger was made possible by effectively liquidating a K200 million ANZ loan that has been outstanding since 2013; I commend the KCH Board for clearing this legacy debt. " PM Marape said Telikom Ltd and DataCo would be subsidiaries of Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH), and the changes announced had been approved by all the necessary stakeholder groups and regulatory bodies including Internal Revenue Commission (IRC), Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC). “Today’s announcement will add improved telecommunications to the list of improved services and strategies that my Government has embarked on, diversifying and accelerating growth in the non-mining and non-petroleum sectors to create more jobs,” he said. “Therefore, I am pleased to say that our Independence Day gifts  are two focused telecommunications SOEs – Telikom Ltd and PNG DataCo Ltd - who can contribute to a more efficient telecommunications sector in the country. “In telecommunications terms, today marks the start of another step along our SOE reform journey and heralds the beginning of a new chapter of improved services to the people of PNG.” PM Marape said given the rugged terrain, it was essential that the country must have an efficient telecommunications network to connect the country, and to the rest of the world. “We realise that these changes alone will not necessarily result in a major improvement to the telecommunications landscape,” he said. “Through our SOE reform programme, we are extending, through KCH, additional funding to facilitate the merger activities and further support improvements to telecommunications infrastructure around the country. “I wish everyone throughout the length and breadth of our beloved country a Happy 46th Anniversary of Independence. “God Bless Us All.”

Banking is an essential part of nation building and as a Papua New Guinean brand, BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) joined the country in commemorating the country’s 46th Independence anniversary this week with a flag raising ceremony held across its network of 42 branches nationwide including its Waigani Head Office in Port Moresby. BSP is proud to be at the heart of it all, encouraging people to participate in economic development through our SME Products while providing convenience and safe banking products and services to customers nationwide. BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming said BSP recognises the country’s 46 years of Independence and the bank has contributed in so many ways, “with continuous improvement to our services to all areas of the country, from towns out to the rural areas.” From the days of posting customer's banking transactions on cardboard ledgers to passbooks, to the introduction of SaveCards and now into the digital banking era  of Mobile and Internet Banking, Mobile Merchant, the Integrated Gateway Payment (IPG), and now BSP Pay’s ‘No card, Just Pay’ services; BSP has grown with PNG through its 42 branches, 42 sub-branches, 130 agents, 322 ATMs and 7,700 EFTPoS points. The bank not only provides banking services but also invests in supporting the development of PNG townships and communities through its annual community projects in health, education, sports, culture and Financial Literacy. Since 2009, BSP has delivered 529 projects worth over K13million in PNG as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility undertaken by each branch, Strategic Business Units, and subsidiaries in communities BSP operates in. “BSP is committed to expand and extend its services to cater for the number of customers it has. Proof of our commitment to our customers was the recent opening of Koroba Branch in Hela Province, a larger sub-branch at Namatanai, New Ireland Province in July and reopening of the Kerema sub-branch in Gulf last week.” The bank is actively working to open new banking centres in Eriku, Lae, and in Mt Hagen to cater for its high number of customers. “We are the people’s bank, we will continue to deliver essential banking services in areas other banks don’t go like Aitape, Moro, Porgera, Kainantu, Arawa, and Koroba, reaching the unbanked and giving back to communities,” added Fleming. “BSP has been part of PNG’s history and will continue to be part of PNG’s future, But without our customers, we wouldn’t be in a position to grow. Without our staff, we would not be able to bring BSP to where it is today, so thank you for your support and thank you all for your contributions to BSP. Happy 46th Independence celebration PNG from BSP,” concluded Fleming.

More than 500 orphans at PNG Hope for Poor Kids Care Inc. has more reasons to celebrate this independence day when they received the donation of K2000 worth of goods and a cheque of K20, 000 from Elisio Group of Company Ltd. Managing Director for Elisio Group of Company Ltd Mr. Jacky Chou visited the PNG Hope for Poor Kids Care Inc. in Port Moresby on the 16th of September to do the presentation. The founder and Chairman for Hope for Poor Kids Care Inc. Mr. Martin Piason expressed his gratitude and acknowledged the CEO for the timely Donations in cash and in kind. Mr. Piason said the cheque would go a long way in assisting the organization in terms of the logistics and the organization’s daily operations. Mr. Piason further stated that there are thousands of fellow Papua New Guinean Kids that lack such basic needs in life and he would continue to reach out to those needy ones slowly from time to time. “Serving people and helping the needy ones is one of my passion and I will continue to be the channel of blessing especially to the homeless kids in Port Moresby,” Said Mr. Piason. The Hope for Poor Kids Care Inc. is a charity organisation based in Port Moresby that takes care of more than 500 orphans and homeless kids. They have 7 branches in the following locations; Garden Hill, Baruni, Rainbow, Hohola, Morata, 9Mile and Wild Life Erima. While thanking the Eliseo Group Ltd for the donations to PNG homeless kids, Mr. Piason has called out to other business houses, stakeholders, government entities and Private agencies to assist the poor kids where they can and help the county's young generation who are becoming homeless and suffering on the streets. Mr. Piason was worried that event after 46 years of Independence, many are still struggling from poverty to live and there is a lot of homeless kids roaming around the streets, but he believed that if everyone work hand in hand to support and help more charity works throughout the country, the slogan by the National Government “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" will be achieved. “As we commemorate a holiday that defines PNG’s Independence, we all have a duty to also remember and help those around us who are in need,” said Mr. Piason.

Vitis Industries Limited under its Vitis Foundation has jumped on board the band wagon to support independence sporting activities in the Moresby North East electorate in Port Moresby. K10, 000 in cash was dished out to five community sports associations with each receiving K2, 000 each on Wednesday. Youth leader from ATS community, Cross Serki said youths have missed out in independence anniversary celebrations and thanked the Foundation to come on board with such initiative. ‘’We have sports associations in our communities in the electorate but sadly there is no youth structure at the political level that derails the progress of youths in the electorate,’’ he said. ‘’This is a good start with partnering with youths through sports and please don’t forget youths as we are backbone of communities,’’ he added. Foundation chairman Dr Sergey Mossine said it was about giving back to the community. ‘’We are a small company and we aim to provide employment and change people’s livelihood. Through this support towards sports, it’s about staying together and supporting each other,’’ he said. 6 mile community sports coordinator Raymond Kopa said people in his community appreciate the kind gesture given by the Foundation, adding it was first of a kind of a business house in the electorate to come to their aid. The communities that benefitted included Goilala community in 6 mile, Saraga 6mile, Erima Flyover, ATS settlement, Kinakon, 14mile and communities that reside at the back of Vitis industries yard. The Vitis Foundation was created to support communities in the North East area.