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GOOD RESULTS FOR COVID VACCINATION IN GULF

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Papua New Guinea is vital because it limits the spread of the virus and saves lives. The Oil Search Foundation (OSF) is supporting the Gulf Provincial Health Authority (GPHA) to work with government and development partners to ensure Papua New Guineans have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. In the Gulf Province, the vaccine roll-out of the first round of priority population groups is doing well. In just five weeks the GPHA vaccination teams have achieved amazing results. The first groups to be vaccinated were health staff, other essential workers and people considered vulnerable because of known underlying conditions (those at greatest risk). The PHA vaccinated 2,445 people in this first round of vaccinations. This was a 92% coverage of the total estimated population of 2,800 for these groups. This now places Gulf, in the top four performing provinces on COVID vaccinations. Gulf PHA COVID-19 vaccination campaign leader, Sr Ekaloa Mefaramu said, “I am glad to say that all 13 vaccination sites have successfully delivered the required doses to their target populations and this is because of the support from our partners OSF and Touch the Untouchables, who helped us reach communities.” “People were skeptical at first. As soon as we began raising awareness amongst our specific target population, they began to understand the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine. “We realized that effective advocacy with key messages and allowing quality time for questions and answers was vital to addressing vaccine hesitancy and refusal caused by a lot of misinformation and false rumors widely spread through social media.” Two local community leaders in Baimuru and Lese Oalai had this to say, “At first, our people were adamant that they did not want the vaccines in our village, simply because we were not aware of the seriousness of COVID-19 and also how the vaccines can protect us if taken. After a listening to a team from the PHA educate us on its importance, most were happy to receive the vaccine, and quite surprisingly the allocated doses for us ran out with some sent to another site to receive their vaccine. Chairman Gulf PHA Board, Gerea Aopi said,” We’re working to ensure that our teams provide safe and effective vaccines free to everyone in the province. At the same time, we want to see that people are well informed and supported about the importance of being vaccinated. It’s our shared responsibility to keep each other keep safe.”

Published on August 16, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/children-are-our-future-dr-lino/

Published on August 16, 2021

CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE - DR LINO

Fisheries Minister Dr Lino Tom said investment into children’s education is important as they will drive the nation forward in the future. He made these remarks during the opening of a four-in-one double classroom at Arifiran Primary school in Markham District of Morobe Province last Friday. The four-in-one double classroom project was an initiative undertaken by the former Fisheries Minister and is part of National Fisheries Authority’s community base support. Minister Tom said the project will serve to benefit the children with access to proper classroom building that will enhance their learning environment and urges parents and the community to look after the classrooms and other services that the Government provides. He appealed to parents to start educating their children at home before sending them to schools so that they will become better citizens of the country when they grow up. Meanwhile Dr Lino Tom said that Morobe is embarking on bigger fisheries projects and it will soon become a fisheries hub. He said the Wagang fisheries wharf that NFA will build will derive huge economic returns for the Province and the country as a whole.

Published on August 16, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/marape-clears-air-on-dsip-and-covid-funds/

Published on August 16, 2021

MARAPE CLEARS AIR ON DSIP AND COVID FUNDS

Prime Minister James Marape said all 89 MPs received K2 million for COVID-19 on top of their K10 million District Services Improvement Programme (DSIP) funds. He said this in Parliament on Friday to clear confusion by North Fly MP James Donald and Opposition Leader and Vanimo-Green MP Belden Namah on these funds. PM Marape said each MP had already received K2 million for COVID-19 for his district last year while disbursement of the K10 million depended on availability of funds. Of the K2 million for COVID-19: K1 million was earmarked for agriculture intervention, K500,000 for Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and K500,000 for micro small to medium enterprises (MSME) intervention. He said the K2 million of the K10 million DSIP was especially for health and should not be confused with the K2 million allocation for COVID-19. MP Marape said Donald and Namah should wait and hear what he was saying instead of continuously interjecting. “Last year, when they (Donald and Namah) received their DSIP, they never said a word of ‘thank you’ to the Government,” he said. “They are only good at asking. “They must be happy that the Government is responsible. “Included in the (K10 million) DSIP is K2 million for the health sector. “It would be interesting to see what the Vanimo-Green MP has done to the hospital in Vanimo with these funds.” PM Marape said over the last two years, despite the onset of COVID-19, his Government had tried its very best to meet Budget commitments including DSIP. He said he would get Finance Minister Hon. Sir John Pundari to reveal exactly how much DSIP had been rolled out during his term as Prime Minister. PM Marape cited the case of Vanimo-Green receiving K8 million in 2019, K5.5 million in 2020 and K2 million so far in 2021. “When our cash flow become available, we try to honor (DSIP) to the best of our ability,” he said. “I want to assure the Opposition that when cash flow allows, you will get what has been committed to you and your district.”

Published on August 16, 2021

JAPAN RAIN: NEARLY TWO MILLION RESIDENTS TOLD TO SEEK SHELTER

Nearly two million people have been urged to evacuate their homes amid heavy rainfall in parts of Japan. Highest-level rain warnings have been issued in a number of prefectures, including Fukuoka and Hiroshima. One woman has died and her husband and daughter are missing after a landslide destroyed two homes in Nagasaki prefecture. More than 150 troops, police and firefighters have been sent to help with rescue operations in the area. "They are carefully searching for the missing residents, while watching out for further mudslides as the heavy rain continues," a local official told the AFP news agency. The west of the country is worst affected but heavy downpours are expected across the country in coming days. In Saga prefecture, a hospital evacuated patients to its upper floors on Saturday after the nearby Rokkaku river overflowed and flooded the building, Kyodo News agency reported, citing local authorities. In total, non-compulsory evacuation warnings are now in place for more than 1.8 million people across seven prefectures, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. Yushi Adachi, from Japan's meteorological agency, described the current rainfall as "unprecedented". "It's highly likely that some kind of disaster has already occurred," he said. Local television footage showed submerged roads. Rivers in Saga and Fukuoka have overflowed with water levels still rising, local media reports said. An official in Kumamoto, south-western Japan, said a 76-year-old man was missing after trying to secure his fishing boat. The flooding comes just weeks after heavy rain caused landslides and prompted rivers to burst their banks, killing dozens. SOURCE: BBC NEWS

Published on August 15, 2021

RWANDAN PRESIDENT AND ARSENAL FAN PAUL KAGAME FRUSTRATED BY DEFEAT

Rwandan President and Arsenal fan Paul Kagame has vented his frustration at the club's shock defeat by a newly promoted club on the opening day of the English Premier League season. Brentford, after a 74-year absence from top-tier football, beat Arsenal 2-0. Mr Kagame often comments on the Gunners - a club sponsored by his government. [caption id="attachment_13730" align="aligncenter" width="931"] Paul Kagame is not impressed by the performance of his favourite club[/caption] After Friday's away game, he tweeted: "We just must NOT excuse or accept mediocrity. A team has to be built with purpose to win win win." In two further rapid-fire tweets, he demanded "a plan that really works" and lamented that "fans don't deserve to kind of get used to this". Since 2018, the Rwandan government has had a controversial sponsorship deal worth more than £30m ($42m), which involves a "Visit Rwanda" logo displayed on Arsenal shirt sleeves. Critics have said it is an example of the authoritarian leader of a poor, African country subsidising a wealthy football club. But the Rwandan government says the sponsorship more than pays for itself over in tourism revenue. Under President Kagame, the landlocked country has recovered from ethnic strife and genocide in the 1990s. In 2018 the World Bank praised its "remarkable development successes". But Mr Kagame has faced criticism at home and abroad over its political and human rights record.

Published on August 15, 2021

MARSDEN POINT OIL REFINERY LOOKS TO MAKE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY JET FUEL

The Marsden Point oil refinery is asking for taxpayer help to look into making more environmentally friendly jet fuel. Refining NZ is proposing a study that could cost several million dollars funded by a public and private consortium. It would look into making jet fuel from the likes of biomass or hydrogen. It is envisaged this would provide an alternative to the oil refinery that is set to shut down with the loss of hundreds of jobs. "We believe that some of the equipment we currently have on site at Marsden Point, as well as some of our team, are well positioned to support the development of this industry," the company told RNZ. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says it is considering the proposal. "The cost of the feasibility study could be in the order of several million dollars, but this would depend on the final parameters for the study," the ministry said. Local iwi say they would have expected the government and company to have made plans sooner than this for life after the refinery. Sustainable aviation fuels are promoted as the only feasible option for reducing the big carbon footprint of long-haul flights. Blended with regular jet fuel, at 10-50 percent, they require no modification to plane engines. The ministry said Refining NZ also recently submitted proposals about biofuels. "Nothing is off the table, though of course, some of these opportunities are nearer term than others," the company said. It had the resource consents and was talking to possible partners. "We are investigating opportunities for private storage, other imports, Maranga Ra (the solar farm project that was previously developed), the import, storage and production of biofuels, including sustainable aviation fuel." SOURCE: RNZ NEWS

Published on August 15, 2021

HAITI EARTHQUAKE LATEST: AT LEAST 304 PEOPLE DEAD, MORE THAN 1,800 INJURED

At least 304 people were killed and more than 1,800 injured as a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the country's civil protection agency confirmed to ABC News. The earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island's COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines. Jerry Chandler, Haiti's director of civil protection, said that teams will be sent to the area for search and rescue missions, The Associated Press reported. The Haitian government "believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake's magnitude," Bocchit Edmond, the country's ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon. "Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed," Edmond added, saying destruction is "widespread." Haiti, which is divided into 10 departments, said 160 deaths took place in Sud, 42 in Nippes, 100 in Grand'Anse and two in Nord-Ouest, according to the civil protection agency. The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments. The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line -- the Enriquillo Plantain Garden -- but farther west and in a less-populated region. [caption id="attachment_13720" align="aligncenter" width="948"] Earthquake victims arrive at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Aug. 14, 2021. Image by Joseph Odelyn/AP.[/caption] The earthquake struck just days before Tropical Storm Grace is forecast to reach Haiti late Monday night or early Tuesday. Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn't ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages. Initial reports from those in Port-au-Prince said the city seemed to be "fine" and that the airport remained operational. [caption id="attachment_13721" align="aligncenter" width="926"] Sacred Heart church sits damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Aug. 14, 2021. Image by Delot Jean/AP[/caption] "It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time," said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert. She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as "very strong" and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures. But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren't entirely surprising, Jones added. Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread. [caption id="attachment_13723" align="alignnone" width="950"] USGS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock'A handout shakemap made available by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows the location of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hitting near Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti, Aug. 14, 2021. The epicenter was recorded twelve kilometres north of Saint-Louis du Sud at a depth of ten kilometres. 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits Haiti, Saint Louis Du Sud - 14 Aug 2021[/caption] The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization's disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort. [caption id="attachment_13722" align="aligncenter" width="923"] Sacred Heart church sits damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Aug. 14, 2021. Image by Delot Jean/AP[/caption] "In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning," Biden said in a statement. "We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed." "Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild," he continued. "The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy." SOURCE: ABC NEWS

Published on August 15, 2021

BUMPY TRACK BAND OF NEW IRELAND PLANS TO REVIVE BAND

The Bumpy Track Band of Laksbay in Kavieng, New Ireland Province was first formed by William Gurumang and Timothy Toketa and the youths from Lakurumau village in Kavieng District back in the year 2000. William and Timothy are now in their forties but their interest in music started off in the late 90s. The band was inspired by other local bands like Azzimba, Dirty Beggars, Barike and local artists like K-Dumen and Anslom. “Mostly it was Papua New Guinea musicians and how the music evolution was changing throughout the years that has had a great influence on our music,” said William. “Because most of the well-known studios were in Port Moresby and other centers, it was very difficult for the both of us when it came to producing music,” William added. Unfortunately, William said that throughout the years, the band members had other plans outside of music and also some of the major challenges that they were faced with included finance and instruments to hire when hosting gigs. “We had been performing in schools and villages on hire basis but because we were hiring musical instruments, it was also creating a financial burden. However, Timothy and I carried on with the band,” added William. Future plans for the band include being able to motivate the youths to tap into the music industry by engaging them in musical activities. William said that his band is truly grateful to the Governor of New Ireland Province for stepping in to assist their little band with much needed musical instruments to help them produce more music and to influence more youths to enter into the music industry. "With the timely donation of musical instruments last weekend from Governor Sir Julius Chan, we will now be able to engage with youths from the community in positive ways and to bring change through music." “We are a village band and we hardly get any recognition but it is our aim that one day we will be recognized as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry,” said William. William said he was also inspired to tap into the music industry by his friends and his wife and kids who are now listening to latest PNG music who have told him to continue what he had started,” said William. The Bumpy Track Band have released a song titled ‘Corruption’ and the song was written by one of William’s brothers. “We both spent a good time together in prison some years ago and so he gave me permission to record it with his full blessings,” added William. The song ‘Corruption’ was recorded under Bay Track Records. “I would like to dedicate this song to all prisoners around prisons across Papua New Guinea. “The song is also dedicated to the Jaran family in Port Moresby, the Kara Naliks around PNG, my family in Lae at Bumayong, Vanimo, Malaguna and Raluana in East New Britain and my wife and kids at Kavieng,” William said.

Published on August 14, 2021

NICKI MINAJ AND HUSBAND KENNETH PETTY SUED BY SEX ASSAULT VICTIM

Rapper Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, are being sued by a woman he was convicted of attempting to rape in 1994. The woman, now 43, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the couple harassed her to try to make her take back her claims, US media report. Petty served four-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape of the then teenager. Last year he was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender. In the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the woman alleges that Ms Minaj offered her $500,000 (£360,000) via an intermediary in return for recanting her accusations against Petty. The lawsuit claims that, shortly after Petty's arrest in 2020, the intermediary gave the rapper the woman's number. Ms Minaj is alleged to have called her and offered to fly her and her family to Los Angeles if she could "help" her. The offer was declined, the lawsuit says. The woman also claims that she turned down Ms Minaj's offer to have her publicist draft a statement recanting the allegation. According to the lawsuit, the woman is said to have told Ms Minaj: "I need you to know woman to woman, that this happened." The woman further claims that within days of rejecting the offers, she and her family "suffered an onslaught of harassing calls and unsolicited visits". The woman said she had not been able to work since May 2020 "due to severe depression, paranoia, constant moving, harassment and threats" from the celebrity couple and their associates. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, says she is living in hiding as she fears retaliation. The musician's legal team has not yet responded to the accusations, according to US media. Ms Minaj and Petty began dating in 2018 and announced a year later that they were married. The couple have an 11-month-old son. SOURCE: BBC NEWS

Published on August 14, 2021

UPNG ENBSA HOST MINI FUNDRAISER IN PREPARATION FOR MAJOR FUNDRAISER

The University of Papua New Guinea East New Britain Students Association will be hosting a mini fundraiser from 9am to 4pm today at the Stop & Shop Central Waigani carpark. Association President Mr Ezra Kereku said this mini fundraiser will help host the East New Britain Night which in turn will help the association raise funds for their end of year election awareness and book drive project back in the province. Mr. Kereku said the aim this year is to carry out two projects, a Book Drive Project which is a continuation of the book donation drive that started in 2019 and the introduction of a new project which is the Election Awareness Project to go out and educate the local communities in the province about the election processes. “We are now giving a chance to those who have not purchased a ticket yet to meet us today at the venue to get yourself a ticket to help us with our end of year projects,” said Mr Kereku. As part of the associations fundraising drive towards implementing their holiday projects at the end of this year, the association will be hosting its first ever major fundraising dance event on the 20th August at the Lamana Gold Club. “It is our ENB Night fundraising dance event and there will be a special live performance by the king of South Pacific music Patti Potts Doi so it will be a chance to enjoy next Friday night”, said Ezra. The association will will be selling hot dogs, soft drinks and ENB printed T-shirts as well as tickets for the fundraising dance.

Published on August 14, 2021

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