This just in, 59 new COVID-19 cases have just been confirmed! The cases reported are in 47 cases in Western, 9 in West Sepik & 3 cases in NCD. This now brings the total number of COVID-19 cases for PNG to 1029. Of this, 164 are active cases, 10 known deaths & 846 have recovered. Continue to practice COVID-19 safety protocols and keep listening to the news on this station & follow our news website: pnghausbung.com for more on this story.

Prime Minister James Marape signed a sports partnership agreement on rugby league with Australia. He signed it with Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Jonathan Philp, after they farewelled the PNG Hunters team to Queensland. The agreement will pave way for two technical officials, paid for by Australia, to help the Hunters in the areas of marketing, and professional sports and career development. PM Marape said the level of relationship and cooperation between the two governments, at people-to-people level and now in sports, was getting stronger. “On the back of PNG Hunters leaving for a long-term residential stay in Australia, we are happy to sign a partnership in the area of sports, especially rugby league, between our two nations and stakeholders in sports, " he said. “The partnership is reaching another level where we are fielding a sports team, our own PNG SP Hunters rugby league team, to be based in Australia for up to nine months for the 2021 Queensland Cup season." “The Hunters being able to leave our shores and go and reside and play in Australia is made possible under Visa Class 408, where our Hunters franchise is now an Australia registered entity." “That is a very strong partnership at the highest level with the Australian Government and its mission here in Port Moresby, and the kind support from the governments of Australia and State of Queensland." “We are now sending a team to reside and participate in their Queensland Cup competition and that is a pathway for Papua New Guineans who want to excel in the fields of sports." PM Marape said the PNG Government, under his leadership, had deliberately parked sports with the Ministry of Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST) to ensure sports became a career option for young people. He said PNG also wanted to ensure its elite sports personalities were able to go and live, work and or play in Australia. “Australia is the closest market for us to export our sportsmen and sportswomen, as well as in other areas of work and life beyond high school and rugby league, " PM Marape said. “We are now exploring all other available options between PNG and Australia. We are starting off with rugby league but we also want to expand into other sports as well. Today, we have sent off our Hunters, and we are happy as we want to use that as a stepping stone to get a PNG Team in the Australian NRL." “But before that, we have to tidy our local rugby league competition in the country to produce more talents to join our semi-professional competitions and make their way onto the PNG Hunters."

The SP PNG HUNTERS traveled to Australia on Sunday in preparation for the Intrust Super Cup 2021 season in Queensland Australia. Their farewell was witnessed by Prime Minster James Marape, Australian High Commissioner, Jon Philp, Minister for Sports, and Higher Education, Science, Research and Technology, Wesley Raminai and Chairman of the PNG Rugby League, Mr Sandis Tsaka and other prominent figures. “I represent the entire country and the family of sponsors, Kumul Petroleum, National Gaming Board, SP Brewery, we are all right behind you, the entire Hunters team, players and coach, safe travels, represent your country very well “, said Mr Marape PM Marape said this was a ground breaking event for us as a country to relocate one of our National teams, a National Franchise into Queensland Australia and this is a start of the journey that can be something big moving into the future as we move the concept of PNG filling an NRL team into the future. “So all you players, grab this with great opportunities, through the family of sponsors we will be working with Australian Government very closely, not just on your welfare, well being and sports but looking at areas of Education as you go down and represent us in playing rugby league”, said Mr Marape The farewell was very emotional and quiet with no family members, friends and fans of the players present to bid the players goodbye due to the fact that they are still under lockdown and very tight and strict measures were considered when moving around. “Congratulations to each and every one of you, you’ve earned your spot. Live up, represent your country very well. All the best in your journey individually but collectively we wish Hunters a very successful 2021 and hopefully you come home with the trophy towards the end of the year”, said Mr Marape The players will continue two extra weeks in lock down when they arrive in Australia. The team will play their first match on the 20th March 2021 against WM Seagulls.

The Badihagwa Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby will no longer be accepting any more transfer in students as the school is already full to capacity across all grades. Principal Mr. Maru Bala made this statement after a good number of parents have been turning up at the school since week one of the academic year looking for space to transfer their children from other schools. The school has 34 classes with at least over 50 students in one class. “Normally we are supposed to have 45 students in one class but due to the Free Education Policy, we have seen an increase of student numbers which has forced us to have around 50-60 students per class” Mr Bala also clarified that National Selection for grade 11 is over and no parent should be looking for grade 11 space at Badihagwa without an offer letter. “Any parent that is looking for grade 11 space must bring their child’s offer letter to be considered or put on waiting list” He said it is the same with grade 9 and 10 with some students re-enrolling after withdrawing from school last year due to COVID-19. “We have told those students who wanted to withdraw last year that their space for this year will not be guaranteed so now we already have over-crowding in the classrooms with grade 10 continuing students and those who will repeat” Meanwhile teachers have already started lessons as the Academic heads into the 4th week of schooling.

Cousin Brothers, Donald Joshua Rozaire Jerram (20) and Ronald John Jerram (19) from a mixed parentage of Kairuku in the Central Province and Belfast in the Northern Ireland are both in the running to win the title of the Mr Cosmopolitan 2021 Competition. When asked why they joined the Mr Cosmopolitan Competition, Donald said that he saw the competition was a good stepping stone into the modeling industry whilst Ronald said that it was something he never saw himself engaging in but wanted to inspire himself by taking part and to try give his best. “If I am to win the title of Mr Cosmopolitan 2021, that would be an added bonus because I would have an actual job”, said Donald. Ronald on the other hand said that if he was the winner of the competition, he would use his title to inspire those out there to join the modeling industry. Donald in his Toana wear When asked what they wanted to get out of the competition, Donald said that “Experience and self-confidence, a job, connections to other people and organizations is what I want to personally achieve at the end of my journey in this competition”. He added on saying that most importantly, to help him find a job to keep him busy whilst he finds money to pay for his school fees. On the other hand, Ronald said that the biggest challenge he faced during the competition was looking for matching outfits to fit the categories. The categories from their respective heats, the Jerram brother’s both enjoyed the ‘Toana Wear’ category because the attire had a mixture of traditional and modern mix to it. “This outfit was my personal favorite because the outfit was hand sewn by my girlfriend and his sister in law”, said Donald. The Jerram brother’s said that watching their parents and family members spend their time and money to help and support them during the course of the competition is something which they are very grateful for. Ronald in his Toana Wear Both the Jerram brothers have made it into the Semi Finals of the Mr Cosmopolitan and are hoping to make it into the Grand Finale of the competition. “My message to the others, good luck, all the best and give it your all, own the stage like it’s yours and surprise everyone with your creativity”, said Donald. “To my fellow competitors, I truly wish you all the best and I encourage you all to do your best and most importantly have fun”, said Ronald.

Bank of South Pacific has certain branches open today nationwide. The Bank is accepting School & Tertiary related Fee Deposits today,  Saturday 20th February, 2021, between 9am and 1pm at the following Branches: • Alotau • Goroka • Kiunga • Kokopo • Lae Top Town • Madang • Mt Hagen • Popondetta • Tari • Waigani Banking Centre • Kimbe • Wewak

Papua New Guinea reported nine new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Thursday 18 February increasing the country’s total cases to 970. The latest cases were reported in East New Britain, Madang and in the National Capital District. In East New Britain, a 26 year old and a 40 year old female both residing at Vunabuk area have confirmed positive. They both did not show symptoms of the COVID-19 virus at the time of testing but swab samples returned positive. In Madang, a total of five cases were reported. Five female and a male, ages ranging between 31 and 59 years have tested positive. All five cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 virus at the time of testing. Two cases were reported in the National Capital District. A 40 year old and a 61 year old female who reside in the Moresby North West electorate tested positive. They both were showing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. The country's COVID-19 cases as a result stands at 970 with 10 known deaths. Seventeen provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces                        Confirmed Cases NCD                                 383 Western Province            233 West New Britain             194 East New Britain               34 Madang                             34 New Ireland                       22 West Sepik                        16 Eastern Highlands             13 Central                               11 Western Highlands            10 Morobe                               9 East Sepik                          3 Enga                                   3 Milne Bay                            2 AROB                                  1 Hela Province                      1 SHP                                    1 TOTAL                             970 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 109,217,366 including 348,150 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll is 2,413,912 of which 8,251 were reported in the last 24 hours.

News just in: Nine new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the last 24 hours in East New Britain, Madang and NCD increasing the country’s total to 970. Of the nine new cases, five (5) of them are from Madang, two (2) in ENB and two (2) in NCD. Total cases are at 970 with 10 known deaths. Keep your C-19 safety practises, listen to the news on this stations and follow our website pnghausbung.com for more.

A secondary school principal in the National Capital District has blamed the recent clash between neighboring Motuan villages Hanuabada and Baruni on the sale of illicit drugs such as homebrew and marijuana openly in Hanuabada and other villages. “Illicit drugs are sold openly in the villages to youths," said the Principal of Badihagwa Technical Secondary School. “Unless and until these drug abuse issues are addressed then we will start to see such unnecessary fights and other related social problems minimized.”                       The principal said the school is always affected when people from Hanuabada, Tatana and Baruni are involved in such fights as most of the students in the school are from these villages. Mr. Bala clarified that it is usually the rowdy young boys on drugs that start brawls that lead to bigger fights between villages but not the entire community as presumed by outsiders. “It is the issue of young guys who take matters into their own hands, otherwise the surrounding communities are peace loving and law abiding people.” He is also disappointed with a minority of people in the village who are producing and selling homebrew or “steam” as it is known locally. “They give the excuse that they sell homebrew as it is the only way to earn an income.” “But this is a very weak excuse!” “We have weak leaders who are accepting this excuse.” Mr. Bala said it worries him on what happens outside of the school fence when students leave the school ground to go home while walking through tables lined up with "steam" containers sold openly. “I feel sorry for my students when they leave the school ground.” “They look happy in the school and doing everything we ask them to do but my biggest concern is what is waiting for them out there when they step out of this school gate.” With all the nonsense associated with steam, Mr. Bala is planning on taking another approach which he hopes can put a stop to the production and distribution of steam. “I plan on having a talk with the village councilors of Hanuabada who are ex Badihagwa students” “I will talk with the councilors to offer jobs to those people who are producing homebrew, so they can at least have an income instead of relying on something that is deemed illegal” Mr. Bala called out also to Motu Koita Assembly Chairman Dadi Toka Jnr to work hand in hand with the Hanuabada leaders to come up with better and workable ideas that can put an end to this ongoing issue in Hanuabada. Mr. Bala said the problem needs collaborative efforts from church groups, parents, community leaders and even the government to put an end to the production and distribution of homebrew in our Motuan villages.

The National Executive Council recently endorsed the first government policy on Volunteers, titled National Policy on Professional Volunteerism, which falls under the National Volunteers Service of Papua New Guinea. The NVS was established by an Act of Parliament in 1990 for the purpose of delivering government services to villages and communities in rural and remote areas of PNG. The Prime Minister James Marape, MP said it is now 30 years into operations and still performing its original mandate of ensuring that the government's commitment to delivering services is maintained by NVS. He said this when announcing the NEC decision to endorse the National Policy on Professional Volunteerism following a submission by the Minister for Defence. The Vision of the Service is to be part of a nation-building driving force, instrumental in service delivery for the empowerment of the people aimed at reducing inequality, disadvantages, dependencies, vulnerabilities and ultimately eliminating poverty. The National Policy on Professional Volunteerism 2020-2025 policy is a first of its kind and reflects the Government’s commitment to using its skilled human resources to contribute to development especially in rural areas where the majority of people live. “It paves the way for all volunteers, both national and international to be able to develop a shared vision implementing the strategic directives of this important National Policy,” said Prime Minister Marape. He said the vision of the policy is also to contribute towards nation-building by empowering people in our communities to be self-reliant and have improved living standards through the goal of promoting and supporting citizen’s participation in people-centered development. Prime Minister Marape added that the National Volunteers Service had been strategically positioned with the PNG Defence Force for synergy in meeting the intent of Government so that the PNGDF Reserve Force and Ex-Service men and women are harnessed to provide the NVS’ efforts in volunteerism and vice-versa in our efforts in nation building. The policy presents a multi-sector approach as it embeds itself with other sector policies and programs such as the Provincial Services Improvement Program and the District Service Improvement Programs of Education, Health, Infrastructure, Economy, Community Development, Gender Equity, and Social Inclusion. “Therefore, the volunteer service provides a diversity in service delivery and better accessibility for the rural populace to those services and with the NEC endorsement of the NPPV, it would be also in the best interest of each Members of Parliament to roll it out in their provinces and districts for tangible development to take place,” said Prime Minister Marape. The NEC endorsement will now enable the Departments of Provincial & Local Level Government Affairs, Implementation & Rural Development, Personnel Management and National Planning & Monitoring to work together in the areas of budget, programming, staff and resources and roll out of the program in the provinces and districts.

Air Niugini is upgrading selected flights to Gurney Airport, Alotau MBP to larger Boeing 737 aircraft. The first ever Boeing 737 service will touch down in Gurney at 1120am on Friday 26th February. Thereafter the B737 aircraft will become a regular sight at Gurney Airport, with three weekly services from 28th March, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Fokker jet aircraft will continue to service Alotau on all other days of the week. Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bruce Alabaster said that by using the B737 to Alotau this will allow the Fokker jet aircraft that currently service the route to be used to increase capacity elsewhere. He said “Alotau is an important economic hub for Milne Bay Province. The Boeing 737 will carry up to 144 passengers per flight (16 Business and 128 Economy) compared to 101 seats in the Fokker 100. This will greatly assist in meeting demand whilst offering the fastest, smoothest, and most comfortable flights for our customers. Once the pandemic is over and overseas tourists return, the Boeing 737 will be a popular choice for travellers to Milne Bay”. Mr Alabaster continued “the Boeing 737 will also carry more freight than the Fokker aircraft currently used, which will assist with uplifting agricultural and marine produce from Milne Bay to Port Moresby and overseas markets. We are delighted to be able to provide the greater capacity and reliability of services that our customers deserve”. Elsewhere Air Niugini already operates daily Boeing 737 services to Mount Hagen. Air Niugini continues to operate with strict health and safety measures in place including temperature testing of all passengers and providing face masks and hand sanitiser to ensure your air travel is safe.

The Bureau of Meteorology, state health departments, the Western Australian opposition leader, charities and Facebook itself are among those to have been hit by Facebook’s ban on news in Australia. On Thursday morning Facebook began preventing Australian news sites from posting, while also stopping Australian users from sharing or viewing content from any news outlets, both Australian and international. The social media giant said it made the decision in response to the news media bargaining code currently before the Senate, which would force Facebook and Google to negotiate with news companies for payment for content. While the ban was only meant to target Australian news publishers, dozens of pages run by key government agencies, community pages, union pages, charity organisations and politicians were also blocked for several hours. Australia’s main source of weather information, the Bureau of Meteorology, said on Thursday morning that it had been blocked, and was advising users to go to its direct website, app or Twitter page. As Australia prepares to begin the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, state health departments, including SA Health and Queensland Health, were unable to post. St Vincent’s Health in Melbourne said it was “extremely concerning” its Facebook page had been blocked “during a pandemic and on the eve of crucial Covid vaccine distribution”. Health minister Greg Hunt said he was “profoundly shocked” that health organisations, including Bowel Cancer Australia and the Kids Cancer Project had been affected. “The fact that the kids cancer project could be affected, is, frankly a disgrace. Facebook should fix it and they should address that immediately,” Hunt told reporters. The shadow health minister, Mark Butler, said it was “completely irresponsible” behaviour by Facebook, and the pages needed to be restored. “We’re in the middle of a pandemic,” he tweeted. “Australians need to hear from credible voices in the vaccine rollout. This is completely irresponsible from Facebook. The Morrison government needs to fix this today.” The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the federal government needed to “sort it out.” “It needs to be fixed up and it needs to be fixed up today.” The Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services’s page was also stripped of content. Source: The Guardian