Lae based Pharmaceutical company Chemcare have provided a donation of first aid supplies worth over K1,000 to Athletics PNG for its training programme in Kerowagi, Simbu Province. It is the second time Chemcare have come to the assistance of APNG in recent times, having also donated supplies for the training camp at NSI in Goroka leading up to the 2019 Pacific Games. President Tony Green was on hand to collect the supplies from Sales Representative Martha Nakaio which were later taken up to Kerowagi. On behalf of the athletes, Green thanked Chemcare’s Operations Manager Angus King for the generous donation.

Vehicle owners will have to fork out a bit more from their pockets to purchase fuel following an increase in retail prices for petrol, kerosene and diesel across the country. The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (“ICCC”) hereby announced the new retail fuel prices for this month, which took effect on Friday, 8th January, 2021.                     "For this month, the Indicative Retail Prices (IRP) for petrol, diesel and kerosene will all increase on average, throughout PNG", said ICCC Commissioner Paulus Ain. These increases in the retail prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene have mainly been attributed to the increase in crude oil prices during the month of December, 2020.   The average oil price increase was mainly due to the easing of lockdowns following the second wave of Covid-19 which led to increased oil demand from Asia. Furthermore, the price increase is also reflective of the increases in the domestic wholesale and retail margins for fuel products in 2021. The domestic retail fuel prices for this month are inclusive of the Import Parity Prices (IPP), domestic sea and road freight rates for the first quarter of 2021, the annual wholesale and retail margins for 2021, excise duty, and Goods and Services Tax (GST). According to the ICCC’s calculations, retail fuel prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene will all increase right across the country. Vehicles fetching fuel at a Puma Service Station in Port Moresby. PORT MORESBY As a result of adding all the various cost components mentioned above, the maximum retail prices for fuel in Port Moresby are as follows: Port Moresby Retail Prices (toea per litre) Petrol (tpl)Diesel (tpl)Kerosene (tpl)Retail Prices as of 8th January, 2021299.27259.94230.25Retail Prices as of 8th December, 2020283.19242.82210.88Price Variance (+/-) toea per litre16.0817.1219.37 Retail prices in all other designated centers will change according to their approved in-country freight rates and their respective retail margins for 2021. ALL CENTRES For all centers, the maximum retail fuel prices for each petroleum product in the country will change on average as follows: Petrol prices will increase by 16.07 toea per litre;Diesel prices will increase by 16.36 toea per litre; andKerosene prices will increase by 18.62 toea per litre. As part of the ICCC’s enforcement and compliance of fuel prices, its Investigation Officers will conduct inspections at all service stations to ensure prices of petroleum products do not exceed the allowable maximum prices. The following ICCC officers will conduct compliance inspections in Lae, Mt Hagen, Kokopo and Port Moresby. Inspections in other provinces will be supported by our contacts in those provinces. Please note: Mr. Christopher Gabesoa, Mr. Seri Tau Vali, Mr. Dennis Jerry and Mr. Bill Boiu will conduct compliance inspections to all service stations in the National Capital District. They can be reached on telephone number 325 2144;Ms. Pamela Ipambonj, Mr. Allen Monyomb and Mr. Timothy Ponau will conduct compliance inspections in Lae. They can be reached on telephone number 472 2859;Mr. Bobby Tei, Mr. Roman Rosting and Mrs. Dorcas Baining Julai will conduct compliance inspections in Kokopo, Rabaul, Kerevat, Warangoi and Toma. They can be reached on telephone number 982 9711; andMr. Kevin Kondo and Mr. Jeffery Khar will conduct compliance inspections in Goroka, Kainantu, Kundiawa and Mt. Hagen. They can be reached on, following mobile numbers 7369 8251/ 7232 4861. The prices set by the ICCC are the indicative maximum retail prices, for which retailers may choose to sell below the ICCC approved maximum price. The ICCC would like to remind retailers who sell fuel-using pumps to set fuel prices to one decimal place while the ICCC will continue to set the maximum price to 2 decimal places. No fuel pump operator should charge above the Indicative Retail Price for this month’s price regardless of the number of decimal places. This is to ensure compliance with the Prices Regulation Act under which the maximum prices of refined petroleum products are set. Retailers who are displaying prices to 1 decimal place are urged by the ICCC to round the prices down to ensure prices are within the allowable indicative retail prices. ICCC Inspectors will continue to conduct spot checks after 8th January, 2021, to ensure on-going compliance by retail fuel operators. Consumers are advised to report any instances of overcharging by retailers through the ICCC’s Consumer Protection Division on 325 2144, on toll free number: 180 3333 or by contacting our Regional Offices closest to you on the numbers provided above.

Two minors are currently on observation for head injuries while one passenger was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port Moresby General Hospital Accidents and Emergency Department following last Friday's tragic motor vehicle accident along the Waigani Boulevard in the National Capital District. The Independence Boulevard, Waigani The casualties were among a total of 10 victims brought in to the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) for medical attention after Friday's nasty accident involving a 10 seater and a 25 seater PMV bus. PMGH CEO Dr Paki Molumi confirmed these numbers, adding that the one adult who had suffered head injuries has been intubated and is in critical condition. Dr Molumi added that of the further 6 casualties, 1 is in shock following a pelvic injury while another who had suffered arterial bleeding from facial injuries sustained has been operated on by ENT specialists. The further 4 are recovering with multiple soft tissue and limb injuries. Port Moresby General Hospital

Passengers travelling to The Australian Government has announced changes to the requirements for travel to Australia. All passengers travelling to Australia will at some point be required to provide evidence of a negative PCR test at time of check-in. At present that is still not yet a requirement for this PCR test for flights to Australia, but the Australian Government will advise when this will come into effect, and Air Niugini will provide this information as soon as we are notified.   These PCR tests can be completed in Port Moresby at PIH and St John for a fee with results provided quickly. It is probable there are also other service providers in PNG also able to do these PCR tests for passengers to Australia as well.  Other types of test such as the rapid (or Gen-X test) are not acceptable. The Australian Government has also mandated that all passengers must wear a mask on all flights to Australia.  Failure to comply comes with significant penalties. Air Niugini will continue to operate the five flights per week to Brisbane and the Monday flight to Cairns.   However these new restrictions also include very significant reductions in the number of passengers allowed to be uplifted to Australia. Consequently based on the number of passengers already booked, Air Niugini has had to close all the Port Moresby to Brisbane and Cairns flights for any additional sales from 15th January out to 15th February. 

The Sport of Athletics is mourning the loss of Elanga Buala who passed away suddenly at her home in Lae today. Along with Iammo Launa and Barbara Ingiro - Sapea, Buala was , in 1984 one of the first women to represent PNG at the Olympic Games From a beginning in Volleyball, Elanga made the transition to Athletics in 1981 when she won the Open Women’s 100m title at the National Championships in Mt Hagen Overall she won seven national titles  -  100m (1981 & 1982), 200m (1982 & 1983) and the 400m (1982, 1983 & 1984), and won a total of 13 National Championship medals in her career at the top. Elanga competed at the inaugural Mini South Pacific Games in Honiara in 1981, the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982; the Pacific Games and then the inaugural IAAF World Athletics Championships, held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983; and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles It was in 1983 when she had her first taste of individual success, winning the gold medal in the 200m and 400m events in the South Pacific Games, in Apia, Samoa. She also won gold in the 4 x 400m Relay, silver in the 4 x 100m Relay and bronze in the 800m.  A great Games for Elanga, however 1984 was to be her crowning glory. She won the 100m at the inaugural North Queensland Games in Townsville, but saved her really special performances for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Prior to the Games she competed in a warm-up meet in California at which she ran her fastest ever 100m time – 12.22 seconds which was a PNG National Record until Barbara Ingiro ran 12.19 ten days later during the Olympic Games . In the Olympic Games themselves, Elanga ran 24.82 seconds in the 200m which was to remain as the National Record until 2006 when it was finally eclipsed by Mae Koime. (Today that time ranks 4th on the All Time Best Lists) The 400m race saw her establish another National record, 56.82 seconds which stood until Mary Unido broke it in the 1993 MSPG in Port Vila. Thirty plus years after her last serious race, Elanga’s times stand up very well against the current runners and those who succeeded her. Elanga and her teammate Barbara Ingiro-Sapea opened a new era in women’s sprinting in PNG. In 2015 Elanga looked back on her start in the sport and what remained upmost in her memory was the strong support of her family, her coach, her village and her friends. They provided a solid foundation for the success that followed.

While the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will likely be the first to get approval in Australia, most of us will end up receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says. During a national coronavirus update, Professor Kelly said the fact the Pfizer vaccine needed to be made overseas meant we would be getting large supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine. "We know that the Pfizer vaccine is the one that will have the most experience around the world, [because] it was the first to get the emergency use authorisation in the US, UK and other places," he said. "But it is being made overseas. There is limited supply that we will be getting of the Pfizer vaccine." It also presents logistical challenges: The Pfizer vaccine needs to be shipped and stored at -70 degrees Celsius. "As for the AstraZeneca vaccine, it is being made right now in Melbourne and it is well advanced, so we will be getting large supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine," Professor Kelly said. "That is the one we will have available for most people during the year." The coronavirus vaccine rollout is now expected to begin in Australia next month, almost six weeks earlier than the Government originally expected. Australia has secured 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 53.8 million of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The first to be rolled out will be from Pfizer, which the Government hopes to have approved by the end of this month. Professor Kelly said the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) should have the information it needed to able to make a decision on approving the AstraZeneca vaccine in February. Source: ABC News

As Fijians continue to suffer financial constraints due to COVID-19, Lautoka residents Narayan Reddy and Allen Lockington have joined forces again to assist parents in getting their children back to school on the 19th of this month. Reddy says they have distributed more than 250 packs of stationery and school bags to families affected by COVID-19 in the Western Division. He says they are currently rolling out another 150 packs which include pens, pencils, books, shoes, school bags, rulers and mathematical sets. Reddy says they receive donations from their friends overseas and in Fiji and also ordinary people who wanted to help those in need. Reddy and Lockington have already sent two shipments of assistance to people affected by TC Yasa in Vanua Levu and have reached out to more than 200 families. If you would like to donate towards this worthy cause, you can call Narayan Reddy on 9968900. You can also check out Hands Across Fiji section on website, fijivillage where they connect people needing assistance to help those severely affected by COVID-19 and TC Yasa to those who are looking at initiatives to assist the worst affected. Source: fijivillage.com

Indonesian authorities say they have found the location where they believe a Boeing 737 passenger plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from the country's capital Jakarta on Saturday. The Sriwijaya Air jet was carrying 62 people when it disappeared from radar four minutes into its journey to Pontianak in West Kalimantan province. On Sunday, signals thought to be from the jet's flight recorder were traced. More than 10 ships have now been deployed to the site with navy divers. "We have detected signals in two points, this could be the black box," the chief of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, Bagus Puruhito, said. Investigators are also analysing items they believe to be wreckage from the aircraft, including a wheel and what they say could be part of the plane's fuselage. A spokesman for the Jakarta police, Yusri Yunus, said two bags had been received from the search and rescue agency. "The first bag contained passengers' properties, another bag contained body parts," he told reporters, adding: "We are still identifying these findings." Search and rescue efforts were suspended overnight but resumed early on Sunday. Four planes have also been deployed to help with the search. The missing aircraft is not a 737 Max, the Boeing model that was grounded from March 2019 until last December following two deadly crashes. Source: BBC News Debris believed to belong to the Sriwijaya Air flight that disappeared shortly after take-off from Jakarta

Late Sir Mekere Morauta was laid in a tomb as his final resting place on Friday 8th January 2021 at Independence Hill, next to the National Parliament, ending an eight-day State Funeral Program accorded to him by the PNG government. Sir Mek was farewelled in a ceremonial gun salute and Guard of Honour performed by the PNG Defense and witnessed by his family members, parliamentarians including Prime Minister James Marape and his Deputy Sam Basil, other dignitaries and members of the public before his casket was lowered. The body of late Sir Mekere flew in from Brisbane on 31st December 2020 and was greeted by State Officials and dignitaries at Jacksons International Airport VIP carpark as the family handed the casket over to the government and the State Funeral Organizing Committee to begin the 8 days State Funeral Program.   On Monday, 04th January 2021, the general public was given the opportunity to farewell their leader as the casket laid in State in the Grand Hall at Parliament House. “He was a great leader. Sir Mek goes down in history as a senior reformist in the country. We lost a great man that contributed so much to our country's growth. He deserves to be given that kind of respect and honour. He was a good role model for young men and women. May he be remembered in the way that he deserves,” said some members of the public. Many tributes came pouring in during the 8 day program and on the final day of his funeral program, from his close associates and friends, fellow politicians and other dignitaries including the Prime Minister James Marape. “Late Sir Mekere has given his life to providing services for the country, and he served with higher distinction right from the formative years of the country in the 1970s right up to this time.” "Fighting and removing corruption was again the reason he returned to politics in 2017." "He died doing what he loved; serving his country," said Prime Minister James Marape. Marape said PNG will forever be grateful for his towering icon of good leadership in our country’s short 45 years.” New Ireland governor Sir Julius Chan said: “I have lost a great friend and Papua New Guinea has lost a great son.” “Sir Mek is rare breed of a man, a man who put the good of others, the good of the people, above his own interests and comfort.” Opposition leader Belden Namah said he was a "great mentor, a role model and a father figure" in PNG Politics. State Funeral Organizing Committee Chairman and Moresby South MP Justine Tkatchenko thanked the government, his committee members and stakeholders involved in making the State Funeral a success while farewelling late Sir Mek as his casket was lowered into his final resting place.  

Natuharinah Lavett Holden, better known as Rhee in the PNG Music Industry is the winner who proved too triumphant to win the title of the Lamana ICE PNG IDOLS 2020 out of the four (4) other finalists. She walked away with a whooping K10, 000. Originally from Vanuatu and New Ireland Province, Harinah was declared the winner of the competition during the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the club. “My experience during the competition was very tough. There were a lot of good singers with raw talents that had me doubting myself that I might not make it to the end of the competition. Everyone in the competition were fierce and pretty good”, said Harinah She started singing when she was little but eventually came out at the age of 10. She did her first stage performance when she was only 16 years old back in high school. Her inspiration came from her Dad, David Andrews (Flash was what they usually called him) who was also a Melanesian music sensation during the 1990’s. The competition had to be deferred due to the Global Pandemic COVID-19 outbreak and at that time, Harinah was seven (7) months pregnant and thought about withdrawing from the competition. “When the competition resumed, I had to make a tough decision whether to continue in the finals or give up only because I was already seven (7) months into my pregnancy heading into eight (8). I eventually made up my mind to take part in the finals of the competition”, said Harinah. Auditioning for ICE PNG IDOLS was not only the competition Harinah tried out auditioning for. “I tried auditioning for other competitions like Vocal Fusion and Digicel Stars but I was never that successful until I auditioned for the PNG ICE IDOLS in 2020”, said Harinah. Harinah would like to set her mark in the PNG Music Industry as one that is very influential to many of her fans and listeners out there. “Most people would say they want to become famous for Wealth and Fortune and everything "bling bling" but I for one would like to achieve recognition, respect and value in the trend of music especially in Papua New Guinea, the creativity on how I could make my music grow here in PNG”, added Harinah. Not only she hopes to achieve her music hitting the charts but also be given the opportunity to venture out to places within and outside of Papua New Guinea to promote and to spread awareness in the music industry. “In the next five (5) years, I want my music career to be fully recognized in PNG and hopefully abroad. “As a female it is tough especially in the music industry which mostly is dominated by males and also it is tough for us females considering the amount of criticism and judgmental views and opinions we get from all angles”, said Harinah She added on saying that she believes that as an individual, achievement and success is dependent on yourself. "How you create happiness and strength for yourself to move forward and the courage to feel really good at the end of the day really depends on you. Because it is really you that makes it happen and no one else." “My advice to young girls out there who would like to pursue music in the country, you should never see yourself as less capable as how people may see you. If you are driven by passion then make it happen. Be yourself and love what you aspire to do. It's not just going to be about singing but mostly about what you want to relay to your listeners”, added Harinah She said “Respect others and never be competitive because everything you do is for the benefit of this nation at the end”, said Harinah. Other winners on that night were Judith White, who was the 1st Runner-Up and Emmanuel Ali who took the 2nd Runner-Up position respectively. Photo Credit: Lamana Hotel

Papua New Guinea reported two new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours increasing the country’s total cases to 813. Both cases, a 48 year old female and 33 year old male were reported from Talasea in West New Britain province. Both cases were tested at Hoskins airport. They did not show symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing but swab samples returned positive. The country’s COVID-19 cases now stands at 813 with nine deaths. A total of 40,068 people have been tested for Coronavirus in PNG. Of the 813 people who contracted COVID-19 774 people have recovered whilst 30 active cases are in isolation. A total of 251 samples are pending at the laboratories. Sixteen provinces including the Autonomous Region Of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces Cases NCD 362 Western Province 212 West New Britain 142 East New Britain 30 Eastern H/lands 13 New Ireland 15 Western H/lands 10 Central 10 Morobe 6 East Sepik 3 Enga 3 Milne Bay 2 West Sepik 2 Southern H/lands 1 AROB 1 Hela Province 1 TOTAL 813 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 85,929,428 including 735,944 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll is 1,876,100; of which 13,968 were reported in the last 24 hours. The Controller of the National Pandemic Response Mr David Manning has called upon citizens to protect themselves from COVID-19 by following COVID-19 protocols of avoiding crowds or wearing face masks and washing hands regularly.

His Excellency, the President of Fiji, Jioji Konousi Konrote, has conveyed his condolences to the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the family of the late Right Honourable Sir Mekere Morauta. President Konrote paid his respects on behalf of the Government and people of Fiji today at the PNG High Commission in Suva, Fiji. In signing the condolence book of the late Sir Mekere Morauta, President Konrote described the late Sir Mekere as a great man of integrity who not only served PNG, but the Pacific at large. “On behalf of the Government and people of Fiji, my sincere condolences to the government and people of Papua New Guinea, and to the family of the late Sir Mekere. He will be remembered for his contribution to our region." Upon receiving the President of Fiji, the High Commissioner of PNG to Fiji, Her Excellency Lucy Bogari presented a gift on behalf of the Government of PNG as a customary token of appreciation to the President, highlighting his presence was a gift to PNG and that the gift symbolizes the solidarity of the relationship between Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Sir Mekere Morauta, was the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1999 to 2002 and until his demise, Sir Mekere was a serving member of parliament of PNG, representing the Port Moresby North West electorate. He was an accomplished man in his own right, having been the first economics graduate from the University of Papua New Guinea and rose to serve key departmental head positions in the public service, most notably, as the Secretary for Finance and later becoming the Governor of the Central Bank of Papua New Guinea. Sir Mekere, is remembered for major public sector reforms and restructuring. When he assumed the Prime Ministerial post in just two years after entering Parliament, the PNG economy and public institutions were in serious need for rescue and restoration. His leadership will be remembered as the Prime Minister who laid the foundation for economic recovery and growth. High Commissioner Bogari described the legacy of Sir Mekere as hallmarked in the wider Pacific region through his leadership in guiding the transitioning of the Pacific Plan into what has evolved into a visionary forecast - the Framework for Pacific Regionalism. “We remember the astute leadership of Sir Mekere that reset the sails of the Pacific journey ensuring the importance of political will to strengthen regional cooperation and inclusivity in the Pacific." "This has now, charted the way forward in securing our Blue Pacific Continent as peoples of the Pacific.” The PNG High Commission in Fiji had opened a condolence book for signing from Thursday, 24th December 2020 to Friday 08th January 2021 for dignitaries in Fiji inclusive of the resident Diplomatic Corps and Regional /International Organizations’ in Fiji.