Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) will be releasing the results of the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index on Tuesday 31 January 2023. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a composite index that scores and ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be by experts and business executives. The CPI is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing an annual comparative snapshot of 180 countries and territories. The index for 2022 draws on 13 expert assessments and surveys and assess how countries have responded to corruption over time, reviewing progress and failures not just in the last year but over the last decade and beyond. The 2022 CPI also analyses the connection between conflict, security and corruption – taking an in-depth look at how violence and corruption impacts one another around the world.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on Friday (27/01/23) introduced its Pacific Regional Strategy 2023-2027 to the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) and key national, provincial government agencies, development partners, and civil society organizations. The Strategy outlines how GGGI will work with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and development partners to build resilience, create green jobs, and ensure socially inclusive development. The Strategy targets the mobilization of more than USD 650 million in green investments for the Pacific region in the next five years. At the same time GGGI hopes to increase membership in the region. “GGGI’s first Pacific Regional Strategy lays out the support we at GGGI will provide to PICs to transition to a climate resilient, low emission green growth economic model,” said GGGI Regional Director, Katerina Syngellakis. “We aim to do this by combining policy advice, technical assistance, knowledge exchange and partnership brokering with developing bankable projects and attracting the critical volumes of green and climate finance that the Pacific needs,” Ms. Syngellakis added. GGGI will continue to support the Pacific region in many infrastructure and climate mitigation areas, including sustainable energy and transport, water and waste solutions, the application of green technologies, and scaling-up achievement of respective NDC targets and goals. GGGI’s Pacific Regional Strategy will also bring focus in three key areas: mobilizing investment for climate adaptation, strengthening gender equality and social inclusion, and supporting the Blue Economy for a green recovery. Through implementation of the strategy GGGI aims to create over 100,000 green jobs, provide access to affordable reliable, clean electricity to 1.6m people and support 360,000 people with enhanced capacity for adaptation and resilience to climate change impacts while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 44.6 mtCO2. In the Pacific, GGGI has offices embedded within government counterpart ministries in Fiji, Kiribati, PNG, Tonga and Vanuatu which are its five member countries. Through its regional programs GGGI also delivers green growth and climate action support in five partner countries: Nauru, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. In PNG, GGGI has worked with the government as a neutral, trusted adviser embedded in the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) since 2018. Since then, GGGI has implemented projects worth an estimated US$6 million, mobilized over 15m USD for green and climate investments and developed a project pipeline of more than $100m USD to support the Government of PNG to progress its National Development Goals and National Adaptation, Mitigation and Climate Resilient Green Growth priorities. About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Headquartered in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization that supports developing country governments’ transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI delivers programs in over 45 member and partner countries with technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and by helping to build a pipeline of bankable green investment projects. More on GGGI’s events, projects and publications can be found on www.gggi.org. You can also follow GGGI on Twitter and join us on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

A 29-year-old woman has been arrested in New Jersey for allegedly posing as a high school student. The woman, identified by police as Hyejeong Shin, has been charged with using a fake identification document to enroll in New Brunswick High School. Ms Shin attended the school for four days before staff found out her age. School officials said police are investigating the matter, and a review of the district's enrolment process will be conducted. The issue came to light at a local education board meeting on Tuesday, where New Brunswick Public School District Superintendent Aubrey Johnson told attendees that Ms Shin was caught at the school. "Last week, by filing some false documents, an adult female posing as a student was able to be enrolled in our high school," Mr Johnson said. He added that she had been in a few classes and spent some time with guidance counsellors, who tried to find out more information about her. Ms Shin's false age was then uncovered, Mr Johnson said, and the school immediately notified police. She has since been arrested for providing a false birth certificate "with the intent to enrol as a juvenile high-school student", the New Brunswick Police Department has said. Students said the woman had texted some of them, asking them to hang out. One told CBS New York that the girls "never showed up, and she [Ms Shin] started acting weird with them". New Jersey state law allows students to be enrolled in school even without a guardian or without all the required paperwork, police said. This is not the first time an adult has been caught posing as a high school student. A man named Brian MacKinnon posed as a fifth-year student in a high school near Glasgow in 1993 when he was 30 years old. He claimed to be a 17-year-old from Canada. MacKinnon remained enrolled at the school for a whole year. He was exposed a year later when he was a student at Dundee University's medical school, after a newspaper reported on his real identity.   Source: BBC

Archaeologists say they have found a gold leaf-covered mummy sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years. The mummy, the remains of a man named Hekashepes, is thought to be one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever found in Egypt. It was discovered down a 15m (50ft) shaft at a burial site south of Cairo, Saqqara, where three other tombs were found. One tomb belonged to a "secret keeper". The largest of the mummies that were unearthed at the ancient necropolis is said to belong to a man called Khnumdjedef - a priest, inspector and supervisor of nobles. Another belonged to a man called Meri, who was a senior palace official given the title of "secret keeper", which allowed him to perform special religious rituals. A judge and writer named Fetek is thought to have been laid to rest in the other tomb, where a collection of what are thought to be the largest statues ever found in the area had been discovered. Several other items, including pottery, have also been found among the tombs. Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister, has said all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC. "This discovery is so important as it connects the kings with the people living around them," said Ali Abu Deshish, another archaeologist involved in the excavation. Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramid, near where the shaft containing the mummy was found. Thursday's discovery comes just a day after experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor said they had discovered a complete residential city from the Roman era, dating back to the second and third centuries AD. Archaeologists found residential buildings, towers and what they've called "metal workshops" - containing pots, tools and Roman coins. Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, as part of efforts to revive its tourism industry. The government hopes its Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open this year following delays, will draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028. But, critics have accused Egypt's government of prioritising media-grabbing finds over hard academic research in order to attract more tourism.     Source: BBC

Donald Trump will be allowed back on to Facebook and Instagram, after Meta announced it would be ending its two-year suspension of his accounts. The ban will end "in the coming weeks", the social media giant said. In a statement, Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said the public "should be able to hear what their politicians are saying". The then-US president was indefinitely suspended from Facebook and Instagram after the Capitol riots in 2021. "The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances," he added. He said a review had now found that Mr Trump's accounts no longer represented a serious risk to public safety. But because of Mr Trump's past "violations", he would now face heightened penalties for any future offences. Meta's Oversight Board - a body it set up to review moderation rulings - said that the decision to reinstate Mr Trump on its platforms "sat with Meta alone - the board did not have a role in the decision". The board had previously told Meta that Mr Trump's suspension needed to be revisited. It urged Meta to be transparent and to provide additional information about new policies covering public figures so that it could review their implementation. Meta had acted following Mr Trump's "praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol", Mr Clegg said.   Source: BBC

More than 1000 teachers in East New Britain gathered together in a dedication service today (Friday Jan 27) to mark the opening of the academic year 2023 in the province. This year is the 12th year for the province to celebrate the opening of the academic year. This year the occasion with the theme: "Focuses on quality and inclusive education" was hosted by the Gazelle District at George Brown Secondary School. Acting Provincial Administrator Levi Mano when giving his keynote speech reminded teachers to uphold integrity and be serious about providing quality education to children. Mr Mano who is also as the acting chairman for the Provincial Education Board told teachers that they are the fundamental part of a child's upbringing. He thanked the National Department of  Education and provincial Education Division for the management of the education system in province. Mr Mano said only through working as a team and bridging gaps and relationships, can quality and inclusive education be realized and achieved. "It starts with us in the classroom. We must regroup as a team and rebuild bridges. Today we are on a mission to restore any broken gaps that has made schools, teachers and communities to suffer. We need to rise up as team," he said. Mr Mano said education is a personal choice that people make in life. "Teachers you are here because you made a personal choice but how can you use this choice as a framework to be used in the education model?" "If you want your students to score good grades, how can you as teacher make a choice to achieve that?" "Please be reminded that don't make people feel the consequences for the wrong choices you make. Today we are facing a lot of issues due to poor choices," he said. “When you teach, you must know that teaching is not your career but teaching is God’s career unto you,” Mano said. Mr Mano also told teachers to be role models to students and the community at large in the way they dress and behave. Meantime Gazelle District Administrator Hubert Wangun said it is important to get all the teachers together to know who God is as he is the number one giver of life, wisdom and knowledge. The occasion was also attended by senior education officials and partners. In the traditional Tolai ceremony, the Gazelle District officially handed over the spear to Rabaul District who will host the 2024 Academic Year Launching.

Auckland Airport's domestic terminal is now open for arrivals and departures, but international flights will not be able to land until Sunday. The domestic terminal re-opened at 12pm. But the international terminal will not reopen for departing flights until 5pm - apart from the three aircraft already at the gates - and there will be no arriving flights until Sunday 4.30am. Two international aircraft remain with their passengers in the gate lounge or onboard waiting to depart. More than 2000 people stayed overnight at Auckland Airport terminals after the flooding left them cut off. Most of the international travellers who had to stay overnight in airside areas have moved back through border processing into the public areas of the terminal, the airport said in a statement. "It's been a really long and challenging night. To travellers who were stranded inside the airport as the floods hit fast - we acknowledge the frustration and thank you for your co-operation with our staff as they worked to keep you safe as a first priority," Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui. "Any passengers who need or want to remain inside the terminal until they have made accommodation or travel arrangements are certainly welcome to do so." Bus transport to the park and ride as well as taxis and ride share options were available from outside the international terminal for passengers wanting to go to their accommodation or home. The airport encouraged travellers to get in touch with their airline or check their airline travel app for the latest information about their flights. A team was assessing and rectifying damage inside the terminals and ensuring systems were safe and able to support normal operations, the airport said.   Source: Radio New Zealand

Walter Schnaubelt, MP, Minister for Transport & Civil Aviation today announced the commencement of a special enterprise review into the affairs of the National Airports Corporation. This review is in line with the Marape - Rosso Government’s drive to restoring stability and enhancing operational efficiency, regulatory compliance and financial sustainability at the NAC. As Minister for Transport & Civil Aviation and one of the trustee shareholders of the NAC, I am pleased that this important review has commenced. It is being carried out by a top globally reputable professional services firm and will run for a month. Its findings and recommendations will be tabled in NEC. It will cover legislative and regulatory frameworks that the organisation operates under, look into the issues causing high director and executive turnover, propose a fit for purpose organisational structure, procurement of goods & services, revenue collection and business sustainability and project implementation review. The objective is to identify the root causes of the issues causing instability at the NAC and recommending corrective actions for implementation by government and the NAC Board. I have been very serious in my endeavour to improve the NAC, and will ensure that the recommendations on corrective actions are implemented in a structured and sustainable way stated the Minister. He further pointed out that this will minimize instability at NAC, improve corporate governance, enhance fraud prevention culture, refocus the organization on its core mandate of safety & regulatory compliance, ensure a lean, mean and cost-effective structure that enhances corporate governance, implement strategies to reduce/mitigate risks to regulatory compliance and lay the foundation for business growth and sustainability.

“Historical sites throughout East New Britain must be maintained. And today’s generation must value their history.” East New Britain Governor Michael Marum said this on Monday January 23, 2023 at the 81st anniversary of one of the most infamous and profoundly sorrowful tragedies to befall Rabaul and Australia during World War 11. “It was indeed Australia’s largest single maritime disaster ever,” Marum said. “On this day, 81 years ago, the prison ship Montevideo Maru (MVM) bound for Japan, and carrying over 1,000 Australian prisoners of war and civilians departed Rabaul port.” He said those on board were rounded by the Japanese Imperial troops following the capture of Rabaul in January, 1942. “They were the ones who either chose to stay back or were left behind to ensure administration could continue, and avert panic amongst the local work office, after the gradual evacuation over the preceding months,” Governor Marum said. “Numerous Chinese settlers who had not been evacuated remained in Rabaul.” “Australians who survived the invasion became the targets of the Japanese army.” He said the MVM was torpedoed by an American submarine in the northern Philippines killing all on board. “The ship bore no markings to indicate it was carrying civilians and Australian prisoners of war nd the Americans were under orders to destroy all enemy shipping the encountered.” The Governor said the event remained unknown until after the war when an Australian Military officer went to Tokyo to investigate the fate of the Rabaul internees where he discovered the extent of the tragedy. “The official report was released 69 years later,” he said. “That’s when families and relatives of those on board knew the sad truth of what happened to their loved ones that left Rabaul bound for Japan on MVM.” He said Rabaul has been damaged “but it is no excuse to abandon aid or maintenance just because memorials like MVM are out of sight.” The Governor said the Rabaul Historical Society is determined and committed to keeping Rabaul history alive. “Sites such as the RSL Cenotaph, Yamamoto Bunker, Wreck Wharf, Japanese Peace Memorial, Chinese Burial Cairn and the Namanula/Governors Lookout must be regularly maintained.” Marum added other memorial sites throughout the province should also be maintained. “Visitors and families who wish to pay respects to their loved ones can be able to so and will attract tourists to our province to visit these memorials.” He urged those in authority not to be indifferent and ignore the importance and significance of these historical sites. Governor Marum encouraged the young generation to know this history. “It is important that we value these stories and events that occurred in Rabaul as well as other parts of the province.” “And simply playing your part by cutting the grass around these sites would be good.”

Save the Children thanks the disciplinary forces for intervening and rescuing 11 kidnapped children. The payback killings this week in Ambun Valley, Enga province as reported in the media is atrocious especially when innocent children and women are being affected. Save the Children urges the National, Provincial and Local Level Governments, including all elected member of Parliament to put all necessary measures in place to end violence against children and ensure that children are provided with an unhindered opportunity to grow in a peaceful and protective environment. Save the Children’s Country Director Fiu Williame-Igara in thanking the PNGDF and Police for rescuing and bringing the 11 children to safety also called for all leaders and members of parliament to step up and work in stopping violence against children. “We thank the PNGDF, and police personnel involved in rescuing these children. We’re very concerned at the increasing trend of innocent children caught in the middle of payback killings and the impact it will have on them. Our elected leaders must all work together to stop this violence against children.” She said while the government is to be commended for strengthening its child protection legislative and policy frameworks in recent years, any forms of violence against children should not be tolerated. We now call for adequate resources, human and financial, to be allocated to support the implementation of strengthened child protection systems to uphold children’s rights as per the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the PNG Lukautim Pikinini Act and other relevant laws and policies.

Preston Campbell has been hailed as a unifying voice for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, an inspiration for players to make a difference off the field and a trailblazer on it after being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Campbell, who was the driving force behind the All Stars concept in 2010, was recognised in the 2023 Australia Day honours with an OAM for service to Indigenous youth and rugby league. The 2001 Dally M Medallist and 2003 premiership winner overcame concerns about his size from some within the game, while working tirelessly in the community since his playing days with Cronulla, Penrith and Gold Coast. “I don’t think people realise that his whole life - seven days a week - is dedicated to young people in communities, and how much he actually gives of himself to make even the littlest difference in someone’s day, so it is awesome to see that he has got this recognition,” Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council chair Katrina Fanning said. Campbell, who was the first player signed by the Titans when they joined the NRL in 2007, convinced officials to back the introduction of an Indigenous All Stars team after witnessing first-hand the reaction to the Aboriginal Dreamtime team which played before the 2008 World Cup opener. The annual fixture has been a vehicle to promote education and health to Indigenous youth while educating the broader community about issues confronting First Nations people. Many of those issues are now at the centre of discussions about an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. “Preston has always been a unifying voice,” said Dean Widders, the NRL Indigenous pathways manager, Eels NRLW coach and man responsible for the creation of the Unity Dance performed by the Indigenous All Stars. “You have other people who will be more confrontational and combative about issues with strong opinions and fiery, aggressive tones but he has always been the voice that brings everyone together and that is how he has been able to do a lot of his work. “That is what All Stars was about. He set it up to bring people together – not us against them. It was not about our culture to be showcased; it was about our culture to be shared. That is an important message as we keep progressing All Stars.” The 45-year-old has also been a role model and mentor for other NRL stars, including Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston and his son Jayden Campbell, who has inherited the No.1 Titans jersey that Preston wore in most of his 103 matches for the club. "The Indigenous All Stars is his baby and since that started there are a lot of boys that are finding out about their family history and their culture - myself included," said Thurston, whose academy provides employment initiatives and community programs across Australia. That was a really big moment in my life. If the All Stars wasn't around I wouldn't be able to do what I have ended up doing. "I know there are other players who have been able to do that too so he has been a huge role model for not only our nation's youth but also the players at the highest level now because of what he has been able to achieve and give back to the game." After retiring in 2011, Campbell founded the Preston Campbell Foundation, which operates Presto’s Training Café at Dreamworld to help school leavers gain experience and qualifications in hospitality. “He has definitely influenced me to take on this road with what he does so I am glad he has received this recognition because it is thoroughly deserved,” said Inglis, who has established the Goanna Academy to help end the stigma about mental health. “What he has taught me through footy and what I am doing now have been exactly the same. "He has had his own issues [with mental health] and he wasn’t shy to speak about it. He said, ‘just be honest with yourself’ and that is what I have been doing. “There are no secrets about me when I go out and talk about my struggles. It’s out there and he just really taught me, ‘don’t hide anything’ if you are going to do community work. If you stay true to yourself, the better it is going to be in the long run.” Both Fanning and Widders used anecdotes to explain the impact Campbell has in the community and across the game. “There’s not too many players who still pull a crowd like he does so many years after playing,” said Fanning, who was awarded an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the Indigenous community through education, health initiatives, and to sport. “I remember Arthur Beetson was doing some work with Centrelink with us not long before he passed away and he had that impact. Preston is the same. “With All Stars, his emphasis has been on making sure the week and other activities across the year are more meaningful than just the game, and those things started to teach people outside of Indigenous communities. “Over time, they have learned more that have enabled other things [like the Voice to Parliament] to gain momentum. “He is just able to bring people along and they feel comfortable, especially on issues that many people - because of their discomfort – usually shy away from.” Widders said wherever he went with Campbell, people wanted to talk with him and he always made time for them. ‘When I played Country with him at Dubbo I got up in the morning and he was sitting outside the hotel on the street with a group of people around him talking. He was having a coffee and he spoke with them for about 45 minutes. “After the people left I said, ‘who is that bra, your family?’. He said, ‘I don’t know, I’m not sure who they are. They were just driving past, and they pulled over and wanted to have a yarn'. Every day with him is the same. “We would visit remote communities in Queensland when we were working together at the Gold Coast and when we got back Preston could remember the name of every kid that we visited. “It just shows that he sees everyone as important. If you meet the boss of a big company, you remember his name, but Preston remembered all the kids and all the teachers that we came across. Everyone is important enough for him to treat them with respect.” Source: NRL.Com

Police Commissioner David Manning said the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary recruitment process has been privatized and middlemen, nepotism and bribery will be the thing of the past. Mr Manning said, “The Police force is on a mission to restore the public trust and confidence and to achieve a professional and trusted community-oriented police service by 2030. “So far 20,000 online applications have been received as of Friday 20th of January, and the number is expected to increase when applications from other centres are brought in. “We successfully tried the recruitment process during the 2022 national general election reservist training and I have no doubt the current constable and officer cadet recruitment will be no different. “Since taking up office in 2019, I have instituted many reforms within the Constabulary and the recruitment process is amongst the key focus areas. “Let me remind all parents, guardians, and the applicants that the executive management have engaged a reputable foreign firm to spear-head this recruitment process. “Any opportunists or agents going around soliciting bribes must be reported to the nearest police station for appropriate action to be taken against them. The successful applicants will be selected purely based on merit.”